A woman votes in the controversial referendum in Donetsk, Ukraine on Sept. 27, 2022. Stringer/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images Tatsiana Kulakevich, University of South Florida Russia is set to formally annex four occupied territories in eastern Ukraine, claiming the region as its own more than six months after it first invaded its neighboring country. … [Read more...] about Russia plans to annex parts of Eastern Ukraine – an Eastern European expert explains 3 key things to know about the regions at stake
WOMEN’S RIGHTS UNDER ATTACK WORLDWIDE
Even as more women appear to be participating in the political process worldwide and holding high offices, women’s rights in many nations appear to be under attack by the patriarchal order. This is true in both democratic and autocratic countries where men want the power to control women and their bodies. The most obvious and brutal suppression of women’s rights appear to be … [Read more...] about WOMEN’S RIGHTS UNDER ATTACK WORLDWIDE
HURRICANE RON (CARTOON, COLUMN AND VIDEO)
Hurricane Dorian was an extremely powerful category 5 storm that hit the Atlantic ocean in 2019. It decimated much of the Bahamas before traveling up the east coast hitting Florida, Georgia, North Carolina (where it made landfall), and Virginia. It even hit Newfoundland and Nova Scotia with hurricane-force winds before finally petering out over Greenland. Note that none of … [Read more...] about HURRICANE RON (CARTOON, COLUMN AND VIDEO)
Ukraine ‘sham’ referendum results point to Russia annexation
Published by ReutersBy Guy Faulconbridge and Jonathan Landay LONDON/ZAPORIZHZHIA, Ukraine (Reuters) -Russian-installed officials in four occupied regions of Ukraine reported huge majorities of votes in favour of joining Russia as the United States planned a U.N. resolution condemning the referendums as shams and Russia remained defiant. The United States was also preparing a … [Read more...] about Ukraine ‘sham’ referendum results point to Russia annexation
Nord Stream leaks caused by deliberate actions, Denmark’s prime minister says
Published by Reuters UKCOPENHAGEN (Reuters) -Leaks detected in the Nord Stream gas pipelines clearly were caused by deliberate actions and could not have been a result of accidents, Denmark's Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said on Tuesday. "It is now the clear assessment by authorities that these are deliberate actions. It was not an accident," Mette Frederiksen said at a … [Read more...] about Nord Stream leaks caused by deliberate actions, Denmark’s prime minister says
Editorial: The GOP’s ‘Commitment to America’ is a list of platitudes, not plans
Published by St. Louis Post-DispatchDespite its stated purpose, the vague and cynical “Commitment to America” that top House Republicans unveiled with fanfare last week wasn’t actually intended to tell the country what the GOP would do if it regains power. The party’s list of platitudes revealed more about its intentions than it intended to. The manifesto provides the latest … [Read more...] about Editorial: The GOP’s ‘Commitment to America’ is a list of platitudes, not plans
TRUMP AND THE VERY BEST MIND LIKE YOU WOULDN’T BELIEVE
We’ve long been exposed to Don the Con’s superpowers, his ability to scam millions of presumably sane Americans and make them think his bullcrap doesn’t stink. But this week in an “exclusive” appearance on Faux News, he announced that we ain’t seen nothing yet. Turns out, he’s telepathic! He’s telepathic like you wouldn’t believe. Very stable telepathy. Everybody is coming … [Read more...] about TRUMP AND THE VERY BEST MIND LIKE YOU WOULDN’T BELIEVE
Review of The Griswolds’ Broadway Vacation at Seattle’s 5th Avenue Theatre
The other day while driving with my 20-year-old son, I noticed an electric car I had never seen before. As we drove by the bright light blue sedan, we were unable to identify its make and model until we reached the front and saw its iconic emblem. Both of us responded with similar quizzical expressions: “I guess it’s a Mustang.” What followed was a long conversation about why … [Read more...] about Review of The Griswolds’ Broadway Vacation at Seattle’s 5th Avenue Theatre
TELEPATHETIC TRUMP (CARTOON, COLUMN AND VIDE0)
Part of Trump’s defense for having classified government documents at Mar-a-Lago is that he declassified all of them. That doesn’t explain why he took the documents and worked so hard not to return them to the government. It doesn’t explain why he obstructed justice to keep them. It doesn’t explain why documents on the nuclear capabilities of our allies or the personal life of … [Read more...] about TELEPATHETIC TRUMP (CARTOON, COLUMN AND VIDE0)
Name-calling in politics grabs headlines, but voters don’t like it – and it could backfire in the 2022 midterm elections
A voter and her child cast a ballot during the midterm primary elections in Virginia in June 2022. Alex Wong/Getty Images Beth L. Fossen, Indiana University Spending on political advertising is setting records in the midterm elections. But evidence shows that negative messages might discourage voters from casting ballots altogether. As the 2022 … [Read more...] about Name-calling in politics grabs headlines, but voters don’t like it – and it could backfire in the 2022 midterm elections
THINKER TRUMP (CARTOON)
Just 1/3 of Americans back Republican migrant flights – Reuters/Ipsos
Published by ReutersBy Jason Lange WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Only a third of Americans - including half of Republicans and one in six Democrats - say it's OK for state officials to fly or bus migrants to other states, a sign the push by Republican Southern governors to ship foreigners north could backfire with some voters, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll. Republican leaders, … [Read more...] about Just 1/3 of Americans back Republican migrant flights – Reuters/Ipsos
As Books Come Increasingly Under Attack, a Story of How They Were Treasured, Protected, in One of Hitler’s Death Camps
If you thought that book burnings were a barbaric relic of the Middle Ages, think again. In the 1930s, in Nazi Germany, Austria and, later, in occupied territories, the Nazis conducted massive burnings of books they felt contained anti-Nazi ideology – including books written by Jewish authors, one of them Sigmund Freud. Perhaps most infamous were the massive, May … [Read more...] about As Books Come Increasingly Under Attack, a Story of How They Were Treasured, Protected, in One of Hitler’s Death Camps
Trump: On and On and On
Donald Trump has been out of office now for almost two years, yet he continues to dominate the news. We can’t get rid of him from the front pages of our newspapers or the lead segments of our news programs. He sticks around like a piece of gum on your shoe that you can’t get off. Most of the news regarding the Donald is negative at this time, with him involved in multiple … [Read more...] about Trump: On and On and On
Oops! MAGA GOP Cat Accidentally Let Out Of The Bag
Apparently, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy doesn't understand that things posted on the Internet can be preserved for all to see. Now, Speaker Nancy Pelosi's Press Office is letting the world know what McCarthy's office accidentally revealed before trying to hide it. From the Speaker's Press Office, 21 September 2022: "OOPS. Looks like Leader McCarthy fumbled … [Read more...] about Oops! MAGA GOP Cat Accidentally Let Out Of The Bag
Ron DeSantis dropping migrants off on Martha’s Vineyard may be illegal – an immigration lawyer explains why
An immigrant mother and child stand outside a church on Martha’s Vineyard on Sept. 15, 2022. Jonathan Wiggs/The Boston Globe via Getty Images Jean Lantz Reisz, University of Southern California The unexpected arrival of approximately 50 Colombian and Venezuelan migrants on Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts, on Sept. 14, 2022, has prompted legal … [Read more...] about Ron DeSantis dropping migrants off on Martha’s Vineyard may be illegal – an immigration lawyer explains why
BROKEBACK WATERS (CARTOON, COLUMN AND VIDEO)
As this article in The Tempest points out, right-wingers have been upset over a black Little Mermaid since at least 2019. Some conservatives are using the term “blackwashing,” stealing the term “whitewashing,” which is when a white actor plays a non-white character. I saw a few posts saying Disney should now do live remakes of Princess and the Frog and Moana, but cast white … [Read more...] about BROKEBACK WATERS (CARTOON, COLUMN AND VIDEO)
One way to prevent the next coup | Editorial
Published by NJ.comMore than likely, Mike Pence’s final public act will be remembered as a seminal display of political courage, despite his better-known four-year stint as a cowardly lickspittle for a despotic movement. Motivated by Donald Trump’s lies about a stolen election, the Jan. 6 mob at the Capitol tried to drive steel flagpoles through the skull of our democracy while … [Read more...] about One way to prevent the next coup | Editorial
Ron DeSantis and Greg Abbott pull from segregationists’ playbook with their anti-immigration stunts
An undocumented immigrant from Venezuela kisses the forehead of another immigrant on the island of Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts. Dominic Chavez for The Washington Post via Getty Images Greta de Jong, University of Nevada, Reno As a historian of racism and white supremacy in the United States, I’ve become accustomed to callous actions like those … [Read more...] about Ron DeSantis and Greg Abbott pull from segregationists’ playbook with their anti-immigration stunts
Conspiracy theories are dangerous even if very few people
Lies don’t have to spread far to cause problems. numismarty/iStock/Getty Images Plus Keith Raymond Harris, Ruhr University Bochum There is an open question among pundits and researchers: Do more Americans believe in conspiracy theories now than ever before? But as a scholar of conspiracy theories and their believers, I am concerned that focusing on … [Read more...] about Conspiracy theories are dangerous even if very few people