A journalist runs out of the U.S. Supreme Court building carrying a ruling on the last day of the court’s term on June 27, 2025, in Washington, D.C. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images Cassandra Burke Robertson, Case Western Reserve University When presidents have tried to make big changes through executive orders, they have often hit a roadblock: … [Read more...] about What the Supreme Court ruling against ‘universal injunctions’ means for court challenges to presidential actions
Honoring Gary––An Alternative to a Traditional Memorial Service
As you know, my brother, Gary passed away on January 4, 2025. Before he died, Gary expressed his strong feelings that he did not want a traditional funeral. He wasn’t religious, and he was not connected to a church. He wanted to be cremated. Gary wanted his ashes buried in the garden of the home where he lived for many years and where his son, Ryan, now lives. Gary’s planning … [Read more...] about Honoring Gary––An Alternative to a Traditional Memorial Service
BOMBS OVER BROADWAY
I gotta be honest with you. I didn’t think Trump’s F-bomb was anything unique or scandalous in the New Normal. Sure, it’s not presidential for a president to say, “They don’t know what the fuck they’re doing” to reporters while standing in the White House driveway, but none of this has been presidential. So, I didn’t think it was cartoon worthy, but then I saw one yesterday, … [Read more...] about BOMBS OVER BROADWAY
Using TikTok could be making you more politically polarized, new study finds
Are you in an echo chamber on TikTok? LeoPatrizi/E+ via Getty Images Zicheng Cheng, University of Arizona People on TikTok tend to follow accounts that align with their own political beliefs, meaning the platform is creating political echo chambers among its users. These findings, from a study my collaborators, Yanlin Li and Homero Gil de … [Read more...] about Using TikTok could be making you more politically polarized, new study finds
TOTAL OBLITERATION OF THE TRUTH
Religious Abuse: Divorce Edition
If you want to drive people away from churches, then one way to do so is to heap religious abuse on people who are already victims of abuse. Nobody excels at heaping religious abuse more than preachers who are ignorant about the cultural contexts of Bible passages. One sees such ignorance in the way that some preachers deal with the topics of divorce and remarriage. An … [Read more...] about Religious Abuse: Divorce Edition
Kennedy’s Folly
The Secretary of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr, does not believe in traditional medicine and science. One of the greatest advances in medicine in the last century and a half has been the development of vaccines to prevent a whole host of infectious diseases. Literally, millions of lives have been saved by these vaccines which RFK has denigrated. He thinks … [Read more...] about Kennedy’s Folly
The US has entered the Israel-Iran war. Here are 3 scenarios for what might happen next
Ian Parmeter, Australian National University After prevaricating about whether the United States would enter Israel’s war on Iran, President Donald Trump finally made a decision. Early Sunday, US warplanes and submarines struck three of Iran’s nuclear sites at Natanz, Isfahan and Fordow, where the Iranians have a uranium enrichment plant buried about 80 metres beneath … [Read more...] about The US has entered the Israel-Iran war. Here are 3 scenarios for what might happen next
IT’S U.S.-IRAN WAR: U.S. BOMBS IRANIAN NUCLEAR SITES (NEWS AND SOCIAL MEDIA ROUNDUP)
The United States attacked three key Iranian nuclear sites in a dramatic entrance into Israel's war aimed at wiping out Iran's burgeoning nuclear program. President Donald Trump issued a stern warning to Iran. He said unless Iran moves towards peace, more bombings of its threatening sites will be in the offing. Iran is now claiming the Fordow site survived the bombing and … [Read more...] about IT’S U.S.-IRAN WAR: U.S. BOMBS IRANIAN NUCLEAR SITES (NEWS AND SOCIAL MEDIA ROUNDUP)
From ‘Rocket Man’ to ruins: Between the skies of Tehran and Tel Aviv
by Nik Kowsar “It’s a little bit funny… the feeling inside.” I found myself humming Elton John’s “Your Song” as I watched the first videos of Israeli jets bombing the homes of the Islamic Republic’s top generals. Honestly, like many Iranians in exile, I felt a flicker of joy. We have a saying: when a wicked person dies, a flower blooms. So naturally, we dream of a … [Read more...] about From ‘Rocket Man’ to ruins: Between the skies of Tehran and Tel Aviv
TRUMP’S TWO WEEKS SIGNATURE
AI ‘reanimations’: Making facsimiles of the dead raises ethical quandaries
This screenshot of an AI-generated video depicts Christopher Pelkey, who was killed in 2021. Screenshot: Stacey Wales/YouTube Nir Eisikovits, UMass Boston and Daniel J. Feldman, UMass Boston Christopher Pelkey was shot and killed in a road range incident in 2021. On May 8, 2025, at the sentencing hearing for his killer, an AI video … [Read more...] about AI ‘reanimations’: Making facsimiles of the dead raises ethical quandaries
The commitment trap: How Israel, Iran and the US risk becoming prisoners to policies
Israel and Iran have long been locked in a path toward conflict. Jaap Arriens/NurPhoto via Getty Images Andrew Latham, Macalester College The latest escalation in the Middle East is in many ways the inevitable culmination of a long-simmering rivalry. Iran’s pursuit of nuclear weapons capability and Israel’s determination to stop that from … [Read more...] about The commitment trap: How Israel, Iran and the US risk becoming prisoners to policies
FEEDSPOT SELECTS THE MODERATE VOICE AS ONE OF TOP 15 CENTRIST BLOGS
Feedspot has listed The Moderate Voice as one of the top 15 centrist blogs on the web. GO HERE to read the details. A word about The Moderate Voice. I started it in 2003 with a version on BlogSpot. AFter a few months moved it from Blogspot to the first in a series of other blog friendly platforms. I tended to be a moderate Republican (20th century style, not a la Susan … [Read more...] about FEEDSPOT SELECTS THE MODERATE VOICE AS ONE OF TOP 15 CENTRIST BLOGS
Trump and the Decline of American Innovation
It appears as if President Trump is intent on reducing American innovation and scientific achievement, playing into China and Russia’s hands. Many of his policy moves make no sense at all in terms of advancing the nation’s scientific and military prowess. Trump and his supporters do not seem to believe in science and scientific expertise. His administration appears to be … [Read more...] about Trump and the Decline of American Innovation
Iran-Israel ‘threshold war’ has rewritten nuclear escalation rules
Smoke rises from locations targeted in Tehran amid the third day of Israel’s waves of strikes against Iran, on June 15, 2025. Photo by Khoshiran/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images Farah N. Jan, University of Pennsylvania Israel’s conflict with Iran represents far more than another Middle Eastern crisis – it marks the emergence of a … [Read more...] about Iran-Israel ‘threshold war’ has rewritten nuclear escalation rules
Learning from the Past: Khamenei’s Threats Reminiscent of Hitler’s
By Rabbi Dr. Michael Leo Samuel Mark Twain’s famous quote, “History does not repeat itself, but it does rhyme,” is a concise and insightful observation about the nature of historical events. It suggests that while specific situations, people, and outcomes in history are unique and never precisely replicated, there are recurring patterns, themes, and consequences that echo … [Read more...] about Learning from the Past: Khamenei’s Threats Reminiscent of Hitler’s
Millions rally against authoritarianism, while the White House portrays protests as threats – a political scientist explains
Protesters parade through the Marigny neighborhood of New Orleans as part of the nationwide No Kings protest against President Donald Trump, on June 14, 2025. Patt Little/Anadolu via Getty Images Jeremy Pressman, University of Connecticut At the end of a week when President Donald Trump sent Marines and the California National Guard to Los … [Read more...] about Millions rally against authoritarianism, while the White House portrays protests as threats – a political scientist explains
JUST HOW BIG A BOMB WAS DONALD TRUMP’S BIRTHDAY MILITARY PARADE?
How big a bomb was Donald Trump's military parade that celebrated the Army's 250th anniversary and -- coincidental or not -- his birthday? It was so bad even some tanks called in sick. It was so bad North Korea sent a sympathy card. It was so bad the bulk of the audience was made up of tumbleweeds. It was so bad even the Proud Boys said, "Nah, we've got … [Read more...] about JUST HOW BIG A BOMB WAS DONALD TRUMP’S BIRTHDAY MILITARY PARADE?
What does Israel’s strike mean for US policy on Iran and prospects for a nuclear deal?
Smoke rises over Tehran, Iran, following an Israeli strike on June 13, 2025. SAN/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images Javed Ali, University of Michigan Israel’s strike on Iranian nuclear and military facilities has pushed the Middle East one step closer to a far wider, more dangerous regional war. It also has implications for recent U.S. … [Read more...] about What does Israel’s strike mean for US policy on Iran and prospects for a nuclear deal?