Issue 003 · May 26th 2026
the UNMUTED brief
both sides. two minutes. A quick read on what the right and the left (and others) are actually saying
This week: President AOC, Zelenskyy and leverage, and AI in graduation ceremonies…. Plus what events we’re going to, and as usual, the death of many talking points.
TOPICAL TAKES OF TODAY
№ 01
AOC is Running. Or Is She? IDK it’s 2026.
— The headlines you might be seeing —
Don't overlook AOC. · Is Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Actually Electable? · It shouldn't be her
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has taken steps toward a 2028 presidential run, according to multiple reports, without officially declaring. She's been meeting with political advisors, expanding her donor base, and building a national infrastructure that goes well beyond her congressional role. At 38 by election day, she would be the youngest major candidate to run for president in modern history. The Democratic and Republican Parties are fractured on what this means.
→ The Right is saying
The right is split, between "please run" and "take her seriously." The dismissive camp argues an AOC candidacy is a gift to Republicans. Her positions on the Green New Deal, policing, and Israel are deeply unpopular with the swing voters Democrats need to win back. She's radical, unqualified, and would accelerate the party's drift from working-class voters. A growing conservative faction is sounding the alarm instead. she's building the most powerful political operation Democrats have had since Obama, with real grassroots support, a massive digital footprint, and the energy of the activist base behind her. Recent polling showing her tied with or leading JD Vance in hypothetical matchups has accelerated this faction's concern.
← The Left is saying
The left is also split. One camp sees a generational reset the party desperately needs after years of running cautious centrists and losing. In this view, she's the only figure who can mobilize the disengaged voters Democrats keep hemorrhaging, and the steps she's taking (national tour, donor expansion, hiring senior Sanders operatives) are exactly what a serious nominee looks like at this stage. The other camp argues she's exactly the crazy leftist candidate Democrats cannot afford to run. Her brand is built on viral confrontation rather than competence, and her instincts on Israel, policing, and spending are out of step with the working-class voters. Better candidates exist on the bench.
You don't have to agree with it. But this is what the other half of the country read this week (if they like long form)…
The right: The Washington Examiner, “Three big reasons AOC will not be president” (EM: pretty ugly article, but it definitely covers a mainstream view)
Those damn centrist takes: Newsweek, “Is AOC actually electable?”
The left: Semafor: “AOC is Taking Time Ahead of 2028”
the UNMUTED question
№ 02
Zelenskyy & EU: No Half Measures, Buddy
— The headline you might be seeing —
Zelenskyy dismisses 'associate' EU membership · Why Ukraine's EU membership is stuck · The risks of misunderstanding
After years of haggling, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz proposed a compromise: Ukraine could join the EU as an associate member: a meaningful step, but short of full membership. President Zelensky rejected it. He wants full EU membership or nothing, arguing that anything less signals to Russia that Ukraine can be kept in a permanent gray zone. The real reason this is hard isn't the procedural stuff, it's that admitting Ukraine means European voters subsidizing Ukrainian farmers, accepting that some of their own subsidies go away, and committing to fight Russia if it attacks again. Those are huge asks, and European governments aren't sure their voters will say yes. Zelensky knows this, which is why he keeps pushing publicly. Every month he delays accepting a lesser status, he raises the political cost of giving him nothing.
→ The No EU crowd is saying
Zelenskyy overplayed his hand. Europe is fatigued, resources are stretched, and an associate membership would have been a concrete, achievable win. Demanding everything while the war is still ongoing is a strategic miscalculation that may leave Ukraine with less leverage, not more. And how much time does Zelensky really have? What happens if EU countries begin electing leaders who see Ukraine far less favorably? And what of the countries waiting in line for their own EU membership?
← The VIVA LA UKRAINE people are saying
Zelenskyy is right to hold the line. Half-measures have historically been used to indefinitely delay full integration, and Ukraine has earned its seat at the table through three years of brutal resistance. Progressive and liberal voices argue that associate membership would give Russia exactly what it want: a Ukraine that is permanently neither in nor out of the Western security architecture. And then, what was the point of this brutal four year war? Why wouldn’t it just happen again. Full measures only.
You don't have to agree with it. But this is what the other half of the country (or world) read about it this week (if they like long form)… this is less traditional RIGHT-LEFT….
The pro-mini members: The Hill: “Ukraine’s EU Accession: The Risks of Misunderstanding”
Those damn centrist takes: Foreign Policy, ”Ukraine and the EU Need a Fresh Start” (gated but free account to unlock)
The anti-mini membership: European Pravda “No guarantees, no rights: why Ukraine should reject Merz's EU 'associate membership' plan"
The UNMUTED question
№ 03
Gen Z vs Gen AI
— The headline you might be seeing —
Advice for 2026 commencement speakers: Don't bring up AI. · College grads hate AI · Gen Z really hates AI ·
Across college commencement ceremonies in May, students booed speakers who praised artificial intelligence. Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt got it at the University of Arizona. Big Machine Records CEO Scott Borchetta got it at Middle Tennessee State. A real estate executive calling AI "the next industrial revolution" got it at the University of Central Florida. And the data backs the vibes. A poll of 14-to-29-year-olds found excitement about AI dropped 14% in the past year while anger toward it increased. 42% of Gen Z believe AI will harm their job opportunities, and 46% say AI is making them dumber.
→ The AI Boomers are saying
Moral panic - luddite crap. Every major technology in history triggered the same anxiety, and every one created more opportunity than it destroyed. Gen Zhas been taught to react emotionally to anything labeled "disruption." Gen Z is also the most coddled, credential-obsessed, and intellectually fragile generation in modern American history (and they said this about Millennials too…). Meanwhile, China is racing ahead on AI without their version of Gen Z holding the line. Refusing to engage with the technology won't stop it. It just guarantees that the people who do engage with it will be the ones running everything. Get on board or get lost.
← The AI Doomers are saying
The boos should scare politicians as a coherent economic response - one that says “figure this out or f*ck off”. Gen Z is the first generation to enter the workforce after ChatGPT, and they're walking into an entry-level job market where the on-ramp jobs are evaporating. AND they’re being told they won’t have jobs by the people who get to have all the money (see ServiceNow CEO, Dario Amodei, a bunch of Fortune 500). When wealthy commencement speakers tell graduates to "embrace the future" and "you can hear me now or pay me later," young people hear the same elite consensus that brought them stagnant wages, unaffordable housing, and an unsustainable climate. The booing is a generation refusing to clap for the thing eating their careers.
You don't have to agree with it. But this is what the other half of the country read about it this week (if they like long form)…
The anti-AI populist right: The American Conservative “Generation AI has its Doubts”
Those damn AI pragmatist takes: Fast Company, ”What Graduation Ceremonies Prove About AI Skepticism”
The anti-AI populist left: Upworthy “Why College Graduates are booing out-of-touch commencement speakers”
The UNMUTED question
Talking point that died this week
Get on board or get left behind
Gen Z is not taking this AI refrain without a fight. Or are they??
The Room at UNMUTED - NEXT TUESDAY, June 2
NY State has some fun AI bills cooking up - in legal and healthcare. Will they save us from rogue AI chatbots, or just make life dumber and harder than it has to be?
Worth leaving the house for this week in
NYC
Wed 5/27, 8 AM
A Conversation with Steve Fulop
Steve Fulop (Partnership for NYC) +
Aaron Kinnari (Future Forum)
Friend of UNMUTED. I’ll be attending. Innovation. Investors. Future of NYC. Networking!
Produced by Future Forum
Hosted at Edelman New York
Sun 5/31, 6:30 PM
Iran, Israel, and the Future of War and Global Power
Gen. David H. Petraeus +
Bret Stephens (NY Times)
Iran, Ukraine, Russia, Israel. 4 Star General. Foreign Policy. Peace in our time?
Produced by 92NY
Hosted at 92NY
Wednesday 6/2, 6:30 PM
Red Hype and Blue: What 1976 Reveals about America at 250
Luke G. Boyd (Morbid Museum)
This is a direct copy of Lectures on Tap lol. A lesson in defensible business models. Oh, also history of America!
Produced by The Wisdom Bar
Hosted at Fabrik Tribeca
That’s all for now. See you next week.