Washington (AFP) - The US Senate confirmed conservative jurist Amy Coney Barrett as the Supreme Court's newest justice Monday, delivering President Donald Trump a landmark win just eight days before the election.The deeply divided chamber voted 52 to 48, largely along party lines in the Republican-controlled Senate, making Barrett the third Trump nominee to reach the high court … [Read more...] about Barrett confirmed to US Supreme Court
Chile abolishes its dictatorship-era constitution in groundbreaking vote for a more inclusive democracy
Chileans celebrate victory after the referendum, in Santiago, Chile, Oct. 25, 2020. Felipe Vargas Figueroa/NurPhoto via Getty Images Jennifer M. Piscopo, Occidental College and Peter Siavelis, Wake Forest University One year ago, Chileans took their anger over inequality and injustice to the streets, insisting that redressing the nation’s deep … [Read more...] about Chile abolishes its dictatorship-era constitution in groundbreaking vote for a more inclusive democracy
CORONA BARBIE (Cartoon and Column)
The Lincoln Project, a group of Republican Never Trumpers who have spent millions of dollars advertising against Donald Trump, has now placed two billboards in Times Square featuring Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner. As you probably know, Ivanka is Donald Trump’s daughter and favorite offspring (he likes her so much, he talks about dating her) and Jared is her husband. They … [Read more...] about CORONA BARBIE (Cartoon and Column)
Few new movies, small crowds: Can AMC and B&B theaters survive the pandemic?
At AMC Town Center in the Kansas City suburb of Leawood, Kan., the 20-screen complex has a few recent offerings: There’s a new comedy starring Robert DeNiro and Rob Riggle, Christopher Nolan’s “Tenet” and a thriller with Russell Crowe.But it’s the oldies that tell the story of how the coronavirus pandemic has shaped the movie theater industry. The multiplex is showing classics … [Read more...] about Few new movies, small crowds: Can AMC and B&B theaters survive the pandemic?
The Protestant Church in the Netherlands to ‘Confess’ Guilt for ‘Silence,’ ‘Inaction’ Towards Jews During Holocaust
During World War II, while all the Dutch people suffered greatly under the Nazi boot, the plight of the 140,000 Dutch Jews was nothing short of genocidal. Some 107,000 Jewish Dutch men, women and children were transported in train cattle wagons to a dozen or more Nazi death camps bearing the now-sinister, odious names of Auschwitz-Birkenau, Sobibor, Bergen-Belsen, Dachau, … [Read more...] about The Protestant Church in the Netherlands to ‘Confess’ Guilt for ‘Silence,’ ‘Inaction’ Towards Jews During Holocaust
Women politicians more likely to reply to people who reach out in need, study shows
In Europe, women politicians were even more likely to respond to female constituents who asked for help. Ponomariova_Maria via Getty Zoila Ponce de Leon, Washington and Lee University and Gabriele Magni, Loyola Marymount University The Research Brief is a short take about interesting academic work. The big idea Women politicians are more … [Read more...] about Women politicians more likely to reply to people who reach out in need, study shows
The Sadist, 1963, an offbeat but very scary low-budget movie for Halloween
Simply stated, ‘The Sadist’ (watch it here) will scare the hell out of you: Imagine that you are trapped with a psychopath who holds all the cards and seems intent on killing you. While he’s terrorizing you, you can hear the sounds of life going on for all those others who are safe in the world, but you’re just a little bit away from normalcy, and you’re going to die as a … [Read more...] about The Sadist, 1963, an offbeat but very scary low-budget movie for Halloween
White House Chief of Staff Meadows: ‘We are not going to control the pandemic’
It sounds as if the Trump administration has given up on trying to control the coronavirus. White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, in what is being seen as a disastrous interview with CNN's Jake Tapper, said: "We are not going to control the pandemic just at the time when the cornavirus is setting records as it surges across the United States. Here's what he … [Read more...] about White House Chief of Staff Meadows: ‘We are not going to control the pandemic’
‘Such an Insult’: Doctors Furious as Trump Peddles Baseless Claim That They Are Inflating Covid Death Count for Profit
"We report deaths how they occur. If you did your damn job we wouldn't be reporting so many." by Jake Johnson Common Dreams Medical professionals responded with outrage late Saturday after President Donald Trump pushed the baseless claim that doctors and hospitals are intentionally inflating coronavirus death counts because they have a financial "incentive" to do so, a … [Read more...] about ‘Such an Insult’: Doctors Furious as Trump Peddles Baseless Claim That They Are Inflating Covid Death Count for Profit
In two political battlegrounds, thousands of mail-in ballots are on the verge of being rejected
Boxes of illegal and legal vote-by-mail ballots at the Miami-Dade County Elections Department ahead of Florida’s Aug. 18 primary election. AP Photo/Lynne Sladky Michael Herron, Dartmouth College and Daniel A. Smith, University of Florida Tens of millions of Americans have already cast their ballots for the 2020 election by mail, building on a historic … [Read more...] about In two political battlegrounds, thousands of mail-in ballots are on the verge of being rejected
Lockdowns led to historic drops in our CO2 emissions
By Daniel T Cross Sustainability Times The year 2020 has proved disastrous worldwide for a number of reasons owing largely to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Yet there has been a silver lining in all the months-long shutdowns aimed at containing the spread of the novel coronavirus from Wuhan: a significant drop in carbon emissions. During the first six months of the … [Read more...] about Lockdowns led to historic drops in our CO2 emissions
MAGA (Cartoon)
Mike Slosberg is a cartoonist and novelist. He lives with his wife and hundreds of drawing pens on the Upper Westside of Manhattan, New York. You can see more of his cartoons and learn about his books by going to: mikeslosbergbooks.com … [Read more...] about MAGA (Cartoon)
Lincoln Project Targets Ivanka Trump & Jared Kushner With Times Square Ad, Couple Threatens To Sue
Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner are threatening to sue the Lincoln Project, a political action committee composed of Republicans trying to prevent the reelection of President Donald Trump, over new billboards put up in Times Square that attack the couple for the White House coronavirus response.The billboards feature an edited photo of Ivanka smiling and gesturing at coronavirus … [Read more...] about Lincoln Project Targets Ivanka Trump & Jared Kushner With Times Square Ad, Couple Threatens To Sue
A Case of Clueless Newspaper Editors
On 22 October 2020, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette presented its readers with a case of clueless newspaper editors. Those editors are the members of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's editorial board. In their editorial "Censorious Facebook", the editors grossly misinterpret the First Amendment. Here is the editorial's beginning: "Counter speech doctrine posits that the best … [Read more...] about A Case of Clueless Newspaper Editors
How QAnon uses satanic rhetoric to set up a narrative of ‘good vs. evil’
\ A QAnon supporter waiting to see Donald Trump at a rally in Pennsylvania. Rick Loomis/Getty Images Paul Thomas, Radford University In front of a TV audience on Oct. 15, President Donald Trump declared that he knew “nothing about” QAnon, before correcting himself to say: “I do know they are very much against … [Read more...] about How QAnon uses satanic rhetoric to set up a narrative of ‘good vs. evil’
Watch: VOTE! (Video)
Spain potentially on brink of return to pandemic ‘state of alarm’
Spain on Saturday appeared to be heading towards reimposing a "state of alarm", as seen at the onset of the pandemic earlier this year, as coronavirus case numbers continued to rise.The decree is intended to give the regional governments a legally sound basis for drastic restrictions to contain the virus, the newspapers El Pais and La Vanguardia reported, citing government … [Read more...] about Spain potentially on brink of return to pandemic ‘state of alarm’
Fuel and its Fossils
The seismic event taking place near the end of the third presidential debate was caused by Joe Biden. In a moment of candor, he stated that his goal is to end the fossil fuel industries. The wave of heat and motion unleashed by Biden’s declaration exploded from the Nashville debate stage all over the world. One reason for its impact is that it fits in with Donald Trump’s … [Read more...] about Fuel and its Fossils
Trump, Biden campaigns lawyer up to take the election to court in Florida, rest of US
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — President Donald Trump and Joe Biden are still battling to get votes, but they’re also signing up thousands of lawyers and poll watchers in Florida and throughout the country in anticipation of a slew of legal challenges that could prevent the outcome from being known for weeks after Election Day.In fact, legal battles throughout the country have already … [Read more...] about Trump, Biden campaigns lawyer up to take the election to court in Florida, rest of US
Quote of the Day: On Donald Trump’s Final Debate Performance
Our Quote of the Day comes from The Bulwark's Charlie Sykes: "Donald Trump’s head did not rotate 180 degrees and there was no projectile vomit, so last night was the night he became president. All hail the new tone, something something something." Jonathan Last's piece in The Bulwark has this headline: "Trump Doesn’t Poop Pants; “Wins” Debate" and writes, in … [Read more...] about Quote of the Day: On Donald Trump’s Final Debate Performance