Lest we be tempted to applaud the Sinclair Broadcasting Group’s Friday decision to put Jimmy Kimmel back on the air in cities like Seattle and St. Louis and Tulsa and Birmingham and Little Rock and Roanoke and Washington D.C. – thus lifting its blackout at 38 ABC affiliates – it behooves us to remember this company’s “news” operation is a font of right-wing disinformation in … [Read more...] about Sinclair still remains a font of Trump propaganda
Trump’s targeting of ‘enemies’ like James Comey echoes FBI’s dark history of mass surveillance, dirty tricks and perversion of justice under J. Edgar Hoover
The building in Media, Penn. where burglars in 1971 found evidence of decades of FBI abuses against citizens. Betty Medsger Betty Medsger, San Francisco State University As a candidate last year, Donald Trump promised retribution against his perceived enemies. As president, he is doing that. At the Department of Justice, a “Weaponization … [Read more...] about Trump’s targeting of ‘enemies’ like James Comey echoes FBI’s dark history of mass surveillance, dirty tricks and perversion of justice under J. Edgar Hoover
Roberts Court gives Trump line item veto despite a 28-year ruling against that authority
What a difference 30(ish) years makes. In 1996, Congress defanged itself by giving President Clinton line-item veto authority over appropriations and legislation that Congress had passed (Line Item Veto Act of 1996). The GOP, which controlled both houses of Congress, pushed the bill through. Two years later, the Supreme Court of the United States said wait a minute (6-3). … [Read more...] about Roberts Court gives Trump line item veto despite a 28-year ruling against that authority
What are the Top 7 Packaging Trends Businesses Need to Follow?
Packaging industry innovations have emerged amid changing consumer expectations, technological developments, and more stringent policies for sustainability and safety. Companies face growing pressure to embrace innovative solutions that address evolving needs, improve functionality and remain compliant with the latest regulatory standards. While change presents unique … [Read more...] about What are the Top 7 Packaging Trends Businesses Need to Follow?
Charlie Kirk and the making of an AI-generated martyr
A makeshift memorial for Charlie Kirk outside the headquarters of Turning Point USA in Phoenix. Joe Raedle/Getty Images Art Jipson, University of Dayton An AI-generated image of Charlie Kirk embracing Jesus. Another of Kirk posing with angel wings and halo. Then there’s the one of Kirk standing with George Floyd at the gates of … [Read more...] about Charlie Kirk and the making of an AI-generated martyr
Even a brief government shutdown might hamper morale, raise costs and reduce long-term efficiency in the federal workforce
A sign indicates the closing of federal services during the government shutdown in 2013. AP Photo/Susan Walsh Gonzalo Maturana, Emory University; Andrew Teodorescu, Stanford University, and Christoph Herpfer, University of Virginia As the federal fiscal year draws to a close, an increasingly familiar prospect is drawing near in Washington, … [Read more...] about Even a brief government shutdown might hamper morale, raise costs and reduce long-term efficiency in the federal workforce
TRUMP IS THE MADMAN OF THE UNITED NATIONS
Another Step Backwards
You have to wonder where these ideas originate. It’s almost as if President Trump wants to damage the nation, taking it from the most powerful and desirable nation in the world to a middling power. He seems to be going out of his way to ruin our most important attribute; the factor that makes us so desirable to people in other nations and is also the backbone of our power- our … [Read more...] about Another Step Backwards
JIMMY KIMMEL BACK ON THE AIR (CARTOON)
Even as Jimmy Kimmel returns to the airwaves, TV networks remain more vulnerable to political pressure than ever before
ABC briefly suspended ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ after the host made controversial remarks about the shooting of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for Turner Sage Meredith Goodwin, Purdue University and Oscar Winberg, University of Turku “Is there any way we can screw him?” asked President Richard M. Nixon. “We’ve … [Read more...] about Even as Jimmy Kimmel returns to the airwaves, TV networks remain more vulnerable to political pressure than ever before
JIMMY KIMMY WILL RETURN TO ABC TUESDAY NIGHT
Jimmy Kimmel will resume his talk show Tuesday night. In the wake of its Trump-favored, furor-sparking decision to pull comedian the comedian off the air last week, Disney and and ABC have announced that the comedian will be back. His being yankede off the air became a flash-point for freedom of speech issues, and triggered a boycott that reportedly cost the company … [Read more...] about JIMMY KIMMY WILL RETURN TO ABC TUESDAY NIGHT
Trump’s manic assault on traditional media: seven days of hate and vengeance
Breaking: Kimmel Live to return to the air on Tuesday Last week, the White House executed a rapid fire volley on traditional media organizations and people he perceives as enemies, like New York Attorney General Letitia James. Monday, President Trump sued the New York Times and Random House for defamation, asking $15 billion in damages. (On Friday, the Florida federal … [Read more...] about Trump’s manic assault on traditional media: seven days of hate and vengeance
Why Jimmy Kimmel’s First Amendment rights weren’t violated — but ABC’s would be protected if it stood up to the FCC and Trump
A crowd protests in Hollywood, Calif., on Sept. 18, 2025, after the suspension of the ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ taping earlier in the day. David Pashaee / Middle East Images via AFP, Getty Images Wayne Unger, Quinnipiac University The assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk has sparked a wave of political commentary. There were … [Read more...] about Why Jimmy Kimmel’s First Amendment rights weren’t violated — but ABC’s would be protected if it stood up to the FCC and Trump
Review of the North American Tour of Suffs: The Musical
The crowd-pleasing, Tony award-winning Suffs: The Musical has marched beyond Broadway for a North American tour kicking off at The 5th Avenue Theatre in Seattle, Washington. Warning: for those of you thoroughly disillusioned with our current political climate, Suffs will relentlessly challenge your cynicism and confront your possible despair by overwhelming you with powerful … [Read more...] about Review of the North American Tour of Suffs: The Musical
TRUMP’S HAND IN FACE OF LATE NIGHT HOST
Political witch hunts and blacklists: Donald Trump and the new era of McCarthyism
Shannon Brincat, University of the Sunshine Coast; Frank Mols, The University of Queensland, and Gail Crimmins, University of the Sunshine Coast A modern-day political inquisition is unfolding in “digital town squares” across the United States. The slain far-right activist Charlie Kirk has become a focal point for a coordinated campaign of silencing critics that chillingly … [Read more...] about Political witch hunts and blacklists: Donald Trump and the new era of McCarthyism
Pam Bondi’s authoritarian outburst defies the constitution
by Elwood Watson The horrific assassination of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk has unleashed all sorts of cascading emotions, and has apparently resulted in Attorney General Pam Bondi having a mental meltdown. Earlier this week, she appeared on the Katie Miller Podcast and declared federal law enforcement will “go after” Americans for hate speech. Visibly and … [Read more...] about Pam Bondi’s authoritarian outburst defies the constitution
COMEDIANS CANCELLED BEFORE JIMMY KIMMEL
The FCC (Federal Communications Commission) should not be political. FCC Chairman Brandon Carr is making it very clear that this is political. He made it clear by going on Sean Hannity’s Fox News show right after ABC suspended Jimmy Kimmel Live! And all those counter-culture warriors who championed Charlie Kirk as a champion of free speech are cheering this move by the Trump … [Read more...] about COMEDIANS CANCELLED BEFORE JIMMY KIMMEL
Right-wing extremist violence is more frequent and more deadly than left-wing violence — what the data shows
Most domestic terrorists in the U.S. are politically on the right. Paul Campbell, iStock / Getty Images Plus Art Jipson, University of Dayton and Paul J. Becker, University of Dayton After the Sept. 10, 2025, assassination of conservative political activist Charlie Kirk, President Donald Trump claimed that radical leftist groups foment … [Read more...] about Right-wing extremist violence is more frequent and more deadly than left-wing violence — what the data shows
Corporate America ushers in Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four
In Nineteen Eighty-Four, George Orwell warned against a future totalitarian government that exercised control over its citizens through historical revisionism, media censorship and fake news (aka propaganda). Forty one years later, we are living in a world where the mere threat of media censorship leads institutions to "obey in advance." Nothing highlights our current … [Read more...] about Corporate America ushers in Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four