President Lyndon Johnson hands a pen to civil rights leader Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. during the signing of the Voting Rights Act in Washington, D.C., on Aug. 6, 1965. Hulton Archive, Washington Bureau/Getty Images Sam D. Hayes, Simmons University In a major ruling that would permit weakening the voting power of minorities in the United … [Read more...] about Supreme Court’s Voting Rights Act ruling makes it harder to protect minority voting power and alters the landscape of future elections
THE MODERATE VOICE CAN USE YOUR DONATIONS (UPDATE 1)
DONATIONS RECEIVED SO FAR: $50 Despite many blogs vanishing, The Moderate Voice is still around. Google News is carrying its posts as is the SmartNews app headquartered in Tokyo. To keep this going The Moderate Voice needs your help. TMV has been blessed with many donations of all kinds over the years. But it has no big corporate donor, no big advertiser, and has never … [Read more...] about THE MODERATE VOICE CAN USE YOUR DONATIONS (UPDATE 1)
Tucker Carlson and the art of the pivot
After the shooting at the White House Correspondents Association dinner, which later led to a suspect being charged with trying to assassinate Donald Trump, far-right media entrepreneur and political influencer Tucker Carlson asked if it was “another staged incident.” It was indicative of Carlson’s recent repudiation of Trump, where he apologized for ever asking people to … [Read more...] about Tucker Carlson and the art of the pivot
Many churches, synagogues and mosques are built around families — and they’re struggling to respond to rising singles
Single women, in particular, often feel overlooked in church. Lawren/Moment via Getty Images Peter McGraw, University of Colorado Boulder When a couple marry in a church, synagogue or mosque, the ceremony does more than sanctify a union. Often, it binds two families to an institution. For centuries, marriage and child-rearing have been … [Read more...] about Many churches, synagogues and mosques are built around families — and they’re struggling to respond to rising singles
Whatever It Takes
Maybe Elon Musk will give as another quarter billion. Or the Mellon family. Or Miriam Adelson. We can always depend on our donors to get us out of a hole. And we’re in a big one now. Trump dug it himself. The Iran War. Inflation! Lack of affordability! All those election promises disregarded. He thought he could do anything he wanted. Screw the electorate. He believed all those … [Read more...] about Whatever It Takes
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION INDICTS JAMES COMEY OVER ALLEGED ONLINE SEASHELL PHOTO THREAT
Donald Trump's retribution tour continues. The Justice Department announced that it will be prosecuting former FBI Director James Comey for a photo of seashells that it claims threatened Trump. Former FBI Director James Comey was indicted Tuesday over a photo of seashells officials said threatened President Donald Trump, marking the administration’s second attempt to … [Read more...] about TRUMP ADMINISTRATION INDICTS JAMES COMEY OVER ALLEGED ONLINE SEASHELL PHOTO THREAT
IRAN’S INFORMATION BATTLEFIELD
By Samine Joudat On the first day of Trump’s Operation Epic Fury against Iran, the United States military struck a school in the south of the country multiple times, reportedly killing at least 175 people, mostly young children. “I swear, it was the government that hit the school,” Alireza, my 33-year-old relative, insisted in an Instagram voice message to me. He claimed … [Read more...] about IRAN’S INFORMATION BATTLEFIELD
Bullets and bedlam: America at its worst
I tuned up C-Span Saturday night (not my first choice for a weekend binge) with the expectation the White House Correspondents Association dinner would be darkly fascinating, like the way a multi-car crash commands attention when we rubberneck. The very idea that the Washington press corps would actually break bread with the demagogue who’s bent on destroying them…even now, … [Read more...] about Bullets and bedlam: America at its worst
BANG BANG BALLROOM (CARTOON AND COLUMN)
The very first thing Donald Trump talked about after the shooting was his stupid illegal ballroom I think the mentalist who was scheduled to host last night’s White House Correspondents’ Dinner should have received combat pay. Not because of an assassination attempt, but for having to roam through Donald Trump's empty head. I don't believe last night's assassination … [Read more...] about BANG BANG BALLROOM (CARTOON AND COLUMN)
Latest attack threatening President Trump reflects rising political violence in US
President Donald Trump speaks at the White House on April 25, 2026, after the cancellation of the annual White House Correspondents Association Dinner. Andrew Leyden/Getty Images) James Piazza, Penn State For the third time in three years, Donald Trump has come under threat by an attacker. Many facts remain unclear after a gunman stormed the … [Read more...] about Latest attack threatening President Trump reflects rising political violence in US
Stop saying TACO
by Peter Funt One of the most dangerous terms in world affairs right now is the acronym TACO. Used incessantly by Donald Trump’s political opponents since the start of the war with Iran, it stands for “Trump Always Chickens Out.” The reference was apparently first authored a year ago by Robert Armstrong of the Financial Times, in discussing Trump’s bluster about … [Read more...] about Stop saying TACO
If Justice Alito resigns before the midterms, a Trump nominee to the Supreme Court is likely to sail through confirmation
Supreme Court Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas share a laugh at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 20, 2025. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images Paul M. Collins Jr., UMass Amherst Washington is buzzing with the possibility that President Donald Trump might name one or more Supreme Court justices before the November midterm elections. In a … [Read more...] about If Justice Alito resigns before the midterms, a Trump nominee to the Supreme Court is likely to sail through confirmation
Trump’s blasphemies create an unlikely opening for Democrats
Whenever Trump slimes Christianity, as is his wanton wont these days, I’m reminded of a line of dialogue delivered by a tempestuous artist in the film “Hannah and Her Sisters”: “If Jesus came back, and saw what’s going on His name, He’d never stop throwing up.” It’s no surprise a seriously disturbed individual afflicted with Narcissistic Personality Disorder would devolve … [Read more...] about Trump’s blasphemies create an unlikely opening for Democrats
Meloni and Trump’s cooling relationship marks the failure of an EU-MAGA middle ground
Breaking up is hard to do? Yoan Valat/AFP via Getty Images Julia Khrebtan-Hörhager, Colorado State University As recently as October 2025, U.S. President Donald Trump was heaping praise on Giorgia Meloni, telling the Italian prime minister how “beautiful” she was. But what once looked like a political romance based on equal parts … [Read more...] about Meloni and Trump’s cooling relationship marks the failure of an EU-MAGA middle ground
The Frittering Away of Nearly Five Hundred Years of Invaluable Military Leadership and Experience
On Wednesday, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth unceremoniously fired US Navy Secretary John Phelan as part of the ongoing radical shakeup of the US military organization. The firing takes place during a war in which US naval forces are playing a critical role around the Strait of Hormuz and in the entire region. It is the latest firing, forced resignation, dismissal or … [Read more...] about The Frittering Away of Nearly Five Hundred Years of Invaluable Military Leadership and Experience
‘Acoustic Value’ and the UNESCO World Heritage List
On Earth Day 2022, I published a story about how certain sounds evoke memories of “my days as a young boy in the Andes mountains of Ecuador, La Sierra...[and] in Ecuador’s magnificent rainforest, “El Oriente...” In “The Sounds of Nature: Vying for UNESCO World Heritage Status,” I wrote how Ecuador’s spectacular Mashpi Reserve and the surrounding Chocó and Pastaza region are … [Read more...] about ‘Acoustic Value’ and the UNESCO World Heritage List
DEMOCRATS BIG WIN: VIRGINIA VOTERS GREEN LIGHT REDISTRICTING PLAN
Democrats are celebrating a big win: Virginia voters have given the green light to a redistricting plan that will likely give Democrats a big edge in the 2026 mid-term elections. Virginia voters on Tuesday approved a Democratic redistricting plan that could allow the party to pick up as many as four new seats in the midterm elections, NBC News projects. The special … [Read more...] about DEMOCRATS BIG WIN: VIRGINIA VOTERS GREEN LIGHT REDISTRICTING PLAN
RFK’S ROCKY RACOON REVELATIONS
The SAVE Act – Save Who?
Politics is dirty. All Americans know that. The question is, what lengths will politicians go to and then excuse their actions in order to advance their control of government and promote their ideology? Republicans realize they are underdogs in the coming midterm elections, with Trump’s performance being disapproved of by the majority of Americans. He promised no foreign … [Read more...] about The SAVE Act – Save Who?
Trump’s Medal of Honor: Are We now Beyond ‘Quipping’?
In a (somewhat) satirical piece a couple of months ago, we posed that Trump is just “quipping” when he periodically suggests that he should be awarded the nation’s highest military award for bravery in combat, the Medal of Honor. Less than a week after that piece was posted, during his most recent State of the Union address, Trump once again intimated that he was deserving … [Read more...] about Trump’s Medal of Honor: Are We now Beyond ‘Quipping’?