“The strength of a society is measured not by the wealth of its most affluent members, but by how well its most vulnerable citizens are able to cope.” — Sanna Marin
When at the age of 34 Sanna Marin became prime minister of Finland in 2019, she was the youngest person to ever head up the government of a major country.
Once in office, she showed great skill in managing a five-party coalition and leading Finland’s strong opposition to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine; also, in managing the Covid-19 pandemic and leading Finland into NATO — a move of historical significance.
She also implemented reforms addressing climate change, social justice and equality. Within the European Union she emerged as a strong pro-democracy, anti-authoritarian voice.
Yet critics dogged her during her entire time in office.
There were a series of “scandals” involving her, including looking too good in a photo shoot for a fashion magazine, going out with celebrities during the Covid-19 pandemic, and in the one that went viral globally — dancing wildly at a party with friends.
Her main crime, it seemed, was being young and female. After three-and-a-half years in office, she resigned in 2023.
Now she has a frank new memoir, Hope in Action: A Memoir About the Courage to Lead. Rather than becoming embittered by her experience as prime minister, she seems to have become more determined than ever to speak out on the need for more women in leadership positions. In recent interviews, she comes off as one of the more inspiring political figures in Europe today.
And I suspect that the world might be a better and happier place if we had more people like her in leadership positions around the world.
HEADLINES:
Finland’s former prime minister Sanna Marin has a new memoir (LeMonde)
The Prime Minister Who Tried to Have a Life Outside the Office (New Yorker)
Sanna Marin - Finland’s Former PM Shares Leadership Lessons in “Hope in Action” (The Daily Show)
How Pete Hegseth Is Forcing Women Out of Active Military Duty (TNR)
House Democrats release new Epstein emails referencing Trump (ABC)
Trump Loyalists Push ‘Grand Conspiracy’ as New Subpoenas Land (NYT)
Speaker Johnson shuttered the House and amassed quiet power with Trump (AP)
Trump floats tariff ‘dividends’ even while plan shows major flaws (NPR)
How the Supreme Court Exposed the Most Obvious Hidden Truth About Trump’s Tariffs (Slate)
Flight disruptions will persist even after shutdown ends, airlines warn (WP)
Why the Democrats Finally Folded (Atlantic)
A Utah judge rejected a new congressional map drawn by Republican lawmakers, adopting an alternate proposal creating a Democrat-leaning district ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. The ruling throws a curveball for the GOP in a state where the party expected a clean sweep. [AP]
What happened to turn Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) from one of Congress’ looniest firebrands into one of the few willing to stand up to her own party? Nobody knows, including President Donald Trump, by his own admission. [HuffPost]
A suicide bomber killed at least 12 people and wounded 27 outside a court building in Pakistan’s capital Islamabad, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said.The attack took place hours after a suicide bomber killed three people and militants stormed a military school in the country’s northwest. (Reuters)
Pakistan says ‘India proxies’ behind Islamabad bombing: What we know so far (Al Jazeera)
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Google, the sleeping AI giant, awakens (Axios)
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ChatGPT violated copyright law by ‘learning’ from song lyrics, German court rules (Guardian)
It’s Not Just An AI Bubble. Here’s Everything At Risk (Forbes)
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Woman Trying To Find Nonpolitical Way To Say Her Cleaner Was Deported (Onion)
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