America’s political identity crisis

the outer edges of both parties are overlapping on a growing number of issues. it's not a merger, but the far left and far right are finding common ground on things like trade skepticism, opposition to foreign intervention, and distrust of big tech. the overlap is most visible on economic nationalism and civil liberties, where traditional left-right labels stop making sense. both fringes now share a deep suspicion of institutions — media, intelligence agencies, the fed — that once divided them. the result is a political landscape where the center is shrinking and the extremes are starting to sound alike, even if they'd never admit it.