The Monocle Minute

On the eve of Donald Trump’s tariff announcement, Democratic senator Cory Booker held the floor on Capitol Hill for 25 hours. That’s even longer than the record-setting filibuster by Strom Thurmond, who spoke for more than a day in an attempt to block the Civil Rights Act of 1957. Booker’s monologue was an impressive physical feat and a symbolic achievement: the fact that Thurmond’s was the longest uninterrupted speech in Congress cast a pall over the institution.

And yet, far from being a singular event, Booker’s ramble proved to be little more than a cheap stunt that failed to gain traction in a 24-hour news cycle dominated by the target of his jibes. Trump can garner as much attention with an off-hand remark or caps-locked tweet as a senator could with a record-breaking ramble. For better or for worse, the president’s administration has mastered the scattershot approach to capturing the media and public’s imagination, and the president quickly reclaimed the limelight.

The impotence of Booker’s speech highlights a broader problem: Democrats still have no idea how to counter Trump’s style. The party will rightfully celebrate its victory in the Wisconsin State Supreme Court race and eye the mid-term legislative elections of 2026 as a chance to snatch back control of the House of Representatives. But, since taking office, Trump has successfully sidelined Congress, enacting much of his agenda without any major legislation being passed. Unlike Thurmond almost 70 years ago, there was no bill for Booker to oppose. His speech had no function other than to defend an institution that is appearing increasingly irrelevant and a party that is out of touch. That is a dangerous reality in a nation that sorely needs an effective opposition to keep its democracy afloat.

Chris Cermak is Monocle’s senior news editor. For more opinion, analysis and insight, subscribe to Monocle today.

China conducted large-scale military exercises around Taiwan this week, including a live-fire drill simulating strikes on ports and energy facilities (writes Bruno Kaufmann). Countries in the region are watching with some anxiety as tensions rise and Japan has announced that it will take part in naval exercises on the South China Sea with the US and the Philippines. Yet the islanders of Ishigaki, a Japanese territory less than 250km east of Taiwan, have been pushing back against Tokyo’s plans to use their home as a staging post for a potential conflict by attempting to put such a decision to a vote.

The people here have history when it comes to peaceful forms of democracy. It is said that when emissaries of the Japanese emperor first landed on Ishigaki in the 18th century, the island’s leading samurai were unarmed and would gather their fellow islanders to make important decisions together. As the residents’ call for a referendum to demilitarise the island shows, that spirit has stood the test of time. Yet Ishigaki’s mayor, Yoshitaka Nakayama – a close ally of Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party – has refused to hold such a vote. Caught in a riptide of wargaming by great powers, Ishigaki is at risk of becoming an involuntary protagonist in a war that it doesn’t want to fight.

A brutalist relic in London’s Covent Garden has been given a new lease of life (writes Carlota Rebelo). The Acre, originally masterminded by British-Swiss architect Richard Seifert and erected in the 1980s, has been reimagined by global design firm Gensler and engineering experts Arup. Once a fortress-like bank, the office block now leans outwards, engaging with the street. The new site will house restaurants, cafés, shops and offices.

“Its transformation is about reinvention and connecting the past with the future to create a healthy and sustainable workplace,” says Valeria Segovia, principal and design director at Gensler. This desire to connect the community is reflected throughout: a welcoming seven-storey atrium introduces more than 1,580 sq m of retail and public space, while terraces at every level ensure that nature is never far away. More than a mere retrofit, the project preserves 80 per cent of the original structure. Once a Brutalist introvert, The Acre has stepped out confidently into London’s chaos with open arms – and terraces.

In many ways, Switzerland is the true home of the Eurovision Song Contest. The competition is co-ordinated by the Geneva-headquartered European Broadcasting Union and Switzerland hosted (and won) the first edition in 1956. Monocle sits down with the show’s executive supervisor, Martin Österdahl, to talk about this year’s edition in Basel and the daunting task of organising the event in just one year.

Tell us about your role and the complexities of hosting an event such as this.
A large part of what we do is transferring knowledge from year to year: sharing how to set up the world’s largest music event and, arguably, its most complex TV production. My team and I work on this every year, so we make sure that the new host broadcaster has all the information they need because of the unique hosting mode – if you win it, you host it. We take the Monday off after the grand final and then we start again on Tuesday. There is no time to lose.

Do you try to avoid capital cities when selecting the host location?
The logistics behind the stage are extraordinary. The small details, from airport access to changing-room space, cannot be overlooked. Cities such as Basel, Malmö and Liverpool are well equipped but there’s a soft factor too. You want to have a city that embraces the values of the brand and wants to do something with it; that tends to be a country’s second or third city.

How do you manage the expression of political views?
Popular culture has always been opinionated – and it must be to be contemporary. It’s an expression of identity, of what’s going on in the world and what you think about it. It’s difficult to be that neutral space when conflicts are taking place but it’s ultimately about mutual respect. In Malmö [the 2024 edition], the latest conflict in the Middle East was relatively new and we were the first big event to come on stage with an Israeli delegation. We became a little too passive, a little too silent.

Europe’s tech scene is often seen as trailing the US and China but startups across the continent are challenging that perspective. We meet two founders that are shaking up the industry and proving that ambition, collaboration and smart risks can make Europe competitive again.