The pseudoscientific attractiveness scale that grew out of incel forums and is now making money for looksmaxxing influencers
If you have teenagers in your life, they’ll probably have heard of the PSL scale. Or at least the language associated with it. Chad. Stacy. Normie. Subhuman. The PSL scale is a pseudoscientific attractiveness rating system used by looksmaxxers, men in a part of the manosphere who sometimes use extreme methods to change their appearance. The scale purports to rank people into … [Read more...] about The pseudoscientific attractiveness scale that grew out of incel forums and is now making money for looksmaxxing influencers
BOMB THREAT AT HOME OF POPE LEO’S BROTHER
New Lenox Police have reported a bomb threat at the home of Pope Leo's brother. With Trump seemingly war with the Pope and the Pope steadfastly responding in kind the question is whether more threats of violence -- or actually violence -- occurs. The report: (NewsNation) — A bomb threat occurred at the home of the brother of Pope Leo XIV on Wednesday night, police in … [Read more...] about BOMB THREAT AT HOME OF POPE LEO’S BROTHER
QUOTE OF THE DAY POPE LEO XIV
Donald Trump has been blasting Pope Leo XIV for criticizing the Iranian war. Trump administration officials and Republican Speaker of the House Mike Johnson have all started echoing Trumps line or trying to justify it. Vice President J.D. Vance said the Pope should be care of his theology. Our Quote of the Day is this response from the Pope: “Woe to those who … [Read more...] about QUOTE OF THE DAY POPE LEO XIV
Woke Pope (Cartoon and Column)
Before Donald Trump posted the ridiculous AI image of him as Jesus healing the sick, he attacked Pope Leo in a lengthy tirade on Truth Social. Trump wrote, “Pope Leo is WEAK on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy. He talks about ‘fear’ of the Trump Administration, but doesn’t mention the FEAR that the Catholic Church, and all other Christian Organizations, had during … [Read more...] about Woke Pope (Cartoon and Column)
Thousands of AI-written, edited or ‘polished’ books are being sold — an eerie echo of Orwell’s ‘novel-writing machines’
When it comes to machine-produced ‘literature,’ does it really matter whether the outputs can pass for original art? J Studios/Digital Vision via Getty Images Laura Beers, American University At some point in the next several months, I am hoping to receive a modest check as a member of the class covered in the class-action settlement Bartz … [Read more...] about Thousands of AI-written, edited or ‘polished’ books are being sold — an eerie echo of Orwell’s ‘novel-writing machines’
Two congressional creeps bring bipartisanship back to D.C.
by Elwood Watson The recent resignations of Reps. Eric Swalwell of California and Tony Gonzales of Texas in the wake of sordid sexual-misconduct allegations have titillated the political establishment. Swalwell’s political career and California gubernatorial campaign began to implode after the San Francisco Chronicle reported on the account of a former staffer, who said … [Read more...] about Two congressional creeps bring bipartisanship back to D.C.
Trump’s clash with the pope reenacts a 1,000-year-old question: What happens when sacred and secular power collide?
Pope Leo III crowned Charlemagne as emperor on Christmas Day, 800 A.D. Levan Ramishvili/Flickr via Wikimedia Commons Joëlle Rollo-Koster, University of Rhode Island Alarm over the war of words between President Donald Trump and Pope Leo XIV has escalated with remarkable speed, from The New York Times to the Daily Beast and local … [Read more...] about Trump’s clash with the pope reenacts a 1,000-year-old question: What happens when sacred and secular power collide?
THE MOST UNPOPULAR AMERICAN PRESIDENT TAKES ON A POPULAR AMERICAN POPE
Donald Trump has now opened a war on another front: with the Pope. Every day Trump seemingly aims a political broadside at Pope Leo in response to Leo...a Pope...saying that he's against war, bombs and death. Trump accuses him of being "weak on crime," as if the Pope is one the Democrats he rails against. He says Leo "wasn't on any list to be Pope" and was put there because … [Read more...] about THE MOST UNPOPULAR AMERICAN PRESIDENT TAKES ON A POPULAR AMERICAN POPE
The Islamabad talks were doomed to failure – and Hormuz blockade has thrown another obstacle to any Iran-US deal
U.S. Vice President JD Vance leaves Islamabad on April 12, 2026. Jacquelyn Martin - Pool/Getty Images. Jacquelyn Martin/Getty Images Farah N. Jan, University of Pennsylvania Twenty-one hours of direct negotiations. The highest-level face-to-face engagement between Washington and Tehran since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. And yet, U.S. Vice … [Read more...] about The Islamabad talks were doomed to failure – and Hormuz blockade has thrown another obstacle to any Iran-US deal
Eric Swalwell and the double standard for sexual harassers
Eric Swalwell has plummeted to earth faster than Artemis II. If you weren’t familiar with Swalwell, you’ve missed your chance. Mere days ago he was a rising national Democratic star, vocal U.S. congressman, cable TV fixture, and aspiring California governor. Today he is toast, having been outed by the press as a serial sexual harasser and credibly accused rapist. After … [Read more...] about Eric Swalwell and the double standard for sexual harassers
Inside Trump’s Effort to “Take Over” the Midterm Elections
Inside Trump’s Effort to “Take Over” the Midterm Elections In mid-December 2020, federal officials responsible for protecting American elections from fraud converged in a windowless, dim, fortified room at the Justice Department’s downtown Washington, D.C., headquarters. They had been summoned by Attorney General William Barr. Over the preceding weeks, Donald Trump’s claims … [Read more...] about Inside Trump’s Effort to “Take Over” the Midterm Elections
What Viktor Orbán’s election loss means for Putin, Trump and the rise of right-wing populism
Matthew Sussex, Australian National University Hungary’s most consequential election in decades has just delivered an important victory for democracy and accountability. For Hungarians, opposition leader Péter Magyar’s emphatic defeat of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and his ruling Fidesz Party ends 16 years of corruption and quasi-authoritarianism. The outcome will … [Read more...] about What Viktor Orbán’s election loss means for Putin, Trump and the rise of right-wing populism
Grand Central Attack Tests The Policing Debate
Several days ago, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani touted a 28% drop in the city’s murder rate. That narrative was abruptly challenged Saturday morning when a chaotic scene of terror erupted at Grand Central Terminal. A man claiming to be “Lucifer” went on a machete rampage, targeting elderly commuters before being fatally shot by the NYPD.The nightmare began at approximately … [Read more...] about Grand Central Attack Tests The Policing Debate
Distrust for Netanyahu-led government sours some Israelis’ outlook
By Dorothea Shefer-Vanson in Mevaseret Zion, Israel What are we supposed to think? There’s a temporary ceasefire, the terms of which are still under discussion. And anyway, it’s only set to last for two weeks, and what happens after that? People in Israel are happy, thinking that normal life can return, children can go back to school, adults can go to work and shops and … [Read more...] about Distrust for Netanyahu-led government sours some Israelis’ outlook
THE LONG ‘I TOLD YOU SO
4 ways the war in Iran has weakened the United States in the great power game
China and Russia view the U.S. grand strategy as increasingly out of focus. AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson Jeffrey Taliaferro, Tufts University “Never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake.” Napoleon Bonaparte’s maxim may well have been in the minds of policymakers in Moscow and Beijing these past weeks, as the U.S. war in … [Read more...] about 4 ways the war in Iran has weakened the United States in the great power game
Did Donald Trump’s gut fail him on Iran war?
Harry Cohen, the founder and autocratic president of Warner Brothers, once said he had a way of judging whether a movie would be a success. “I have a foolproof device for judging a picture,” he said. “If my fanny itches, it’s bad. If my fanny doesn’t squirm, it’s good.” Donald Trump said the war will be over “when I feel it in my bones.” Funny? Bones? It’s all about valuing … [Read more...] about Did Donald Trump’s gut fail him on Iran war?
US ceasefire with Iran: What’s next? A former diplomat explains 3 possible scenarios
Iranians hold national flags in Tehran’s Revolution Square on April 8, 2026, after the United States and Iran agreed to a two-week ceasefire. Atta Kenare/AFP via Getty Images Donald Heflin, Tufts University President Donald Trump on April 7, 2026, announced a ceasefire between the United States and Iran, after more than a month of war marked … [Read more...] about US ceasefire with Iran: What’s next? A former diplomat explains 3 possible scenarios
Tyrants thrive when people are ‘functionally illiterate’ about democracy
The big question that will animate future historians - assuming that this country has a future - is how voters in the world's oldest democracy inexplicably hired a sociopathic madman to run it into the ground and destabilize the global economy. It's surely a combination of many factors - disaffected working-class whites, the polarizing impact of social media, a wimpy … [Read more...] about Tyrants thrive when people are ‘functionally illiterate’ about democracy