Slate Daily Feed Political Gabfest - How Many Divisions Has the Pope?
Apr 16, 2026
Anne Applebaum, historian and staff writer at The Atlantic, weighs in on Viktor Orbán’s defeat and the hard work of dismantling entrenched authoritarian systems. She explains how Hungary’s opposition won without media access and why rapid, strategic action is crucial to undo captured institutions. The conversation also touches on implications for NATO and broader European politics.
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War Costs Include Hidden Military Readiness Drains
- The war's costs include hidden readiness drains: ship maintenance, depleted missile stockpiles, and troop stamina that are slow to replenish.
- A former military leader warned that burning missiles and stressing forces reduces U.S. future projection capacity.
War's Price Per Household
- The economic price of the conflict is large and tangible: conservative estimates put direct costs near $100 billion and total costs likely several hundred billion.
- David Plotz translates that to roughly $600 per American, about $2,400 for his four-person household.
Pope's Moral Rebuff To Divine Justification Of War
- Pope Francis framed war as incompatible with claiming God’s endorsement, challenging narratives that present conflict as divinely sanctioned.
- John Dickerson stresses the Pope's moral line targets claims that 'God is on your side' rather than historical church wars.
