The neo-Confederate flag that insurrectionists carried through the Capitol on 06 January 2021 was not the official flag of the Confederate States of America. Surprised? The chosen symbol of segregationists, White supremacists, and the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) as well as many Donald Trump devotees, today's neo-Confederate flag is based upon the battle flag of “an army raised to … [Read more...] about The neo-Confederate flag’s real name: the Flag of White Supremacy
President Biden’s first approval rating 63 percent
President Donald Trump has gotten a high approval rating for his first days in office, higher than Donald Trump during the first days of his presidency. The Hill: HarrisX poll's first presidential job approval rating for Joe Biden comes in at 63 percent support among registered voters. Only 37 percent of respondents in the Jan. 21-22 survey said they disapprove of … [Read more...] about President Biden’s first approval rating 63 percent
Biden administration to purchase millions more vaccine doses to curb virus
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Biden administration will purchase 200 million more coronavirus vaccines and funnel more to states now, in a bid to deliver on the U.S. president's promise to curb the pandemic, a senior administration official said on Tuesday. Biden, who took office last week, is in a race to contain the virus as faster-spreading variants threaten to increase the … [Read more...] about Biden administration to purchase millions more vaccine doses to curb virus
Biden overturns ban on transgender people serving in the U.S. military
By Idrees Ali, Phil Stewart and Jeff Mason WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Joe Biden on Monday overturned a controversial ban by his predecessor on transgender individuals serving in the U.S. military, a move that fulfills a campaign promise and will be cheered by LGBTQ advocates. Former Democratic President Barack Obama in 2016 allowed trans people to serve openly and receive … [Read more...] about Biden overturns ban on transgender people serving in the U.S. military
For 11 million undocumented people, Biden offers a chance to step from the shadows
PHILADELPHIA — After Frans and his wife came to Philadelphia from Indonesia in the mid-2000s, they lived in fear that their young son would accidentally spill the family secret and get them all deported: They were in the United States illegally. "We always told our son, no matter how close you are, you do not share anything," said Frans, who is in his 50s and asked that his … [Read more...] about For 11 million undocumented people, Biden offers a chance to step from the shadows
The Deep Chasm in American Politics
The current political divide in America is greater than at any time since the Civil War. In the presidential election of November 2020, Joe Biden received over 81 million votes with Trump accumulating over 74 million. Since the election however, Trump has insisted that he won by a landslide and that Biden stole the election from him. There were over sixty court rulings that … [Read more...] about The Deep Chasm in American Politics
SINGING IN THE COVID RAIN (Cartoon, Column and Video)
Science and facts took a back seat during the Trump era. Who am I kidding? Back seat? Facts weren’t even along for the ride. Sean Spicer’s very first press conference was about the crowd size for Trump’s inauguration and how it was the “biggest attended and viewed in history.” And yeah, it was all fun and chuckles for a while, but when lives were on the line, it stopped being … [Read more...] about SINGING IN THE COVID RAIN (Cartoon, Column and Video)
Will Merrick Garland, Joe Biden’s pick for attorney general, be independent in that role? History says it’s unlikely
Attorney general nominee Merrick Garland speaks during an event with President-elect Joe Biden. AP Photo/Susan Walsh Joshua Holzer, Westminster College Five years after he was nominated to the Supreme Court, Merrick Garland, the chief judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, is President-elect Biden’s choice to lead the … [Read more...] about Will Merrick Garland, Joe Biden’s pick for attorney general, be independent in that role? History says it’s unlikely
Shepard Smith Further Slams Fox News ‘I Don’t Know How They Sleep at Night’
Former Fox News host Shepard Smith has been outspoken about his former colleagues after his resignation last year. Smith is the former host of the Fox News’ show Shepard Smith Reporting, which was regularly hailed as the last bastion of unbiased content on the heavily opinion-based network. While a host for Fox, Smith was regularly tormented by his on-air colleagues for being … [Read more...] about Shepard Smith Further Slams Fox News ‘I Don’t Know How They Sleep at Night’
Trump asked Justice Department to go to Supreme Court to overturn election: WSJ
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Former President Donald Trump considered replacing the acting attorney general with an official willing to pursue unsubstantiated claims of election fraud, and he pushed the Justice Department to ask the Supreme Court to invalidate President Joe Biden’s victory, the Wall Street Journal reported on Saturday. Citing people familiar with the matter, the … [Read more...] about Trump asked Justice Department to go to Supreme Court to overturn election: WSJ
Trump’s coming impeachment trial aggravates rift among Republicans
By Susan Cornwell WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The coming second impeachment trial of former U.S. President Donald Trump on a charge of inciting the deadly storming of the Capitol has aggravated a rift among his fellow Republicans that was on full display on Sunday. At least one Republican, Senator Mitt Romney, said he believed the trial, which could lead to a vote banning Trump from … [Read more...] about Trump’s coming impeachment trial aggravates rift among Republicans
U.S. plans to reverse Trump administration’s immigration policies, Biden tells Mexican president
(Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden discussed plans to reverse the Trump administration's immigration policies with Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador on Friday, according to a readout of a phone call released by the White House on Saturday. Biden outlined his plan to reduce migration in the call by focusing on "addressing its root causes," the readout states. The … [Read more...] about U.S. plans to reverse Trump administration’s immigration policies, Biden tells Mexican president
Larry King, decades-long fixture of U.S. TV interviews, dead at 87
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Larry King, who quizzed thousands of world leaders, politicians and entertainers for CNN and other news outlets in a career spanning more than six decades, has died aged 87, his media company said in a statement on Saturday. King had been hospitalized in Los Angeles with a COVID-19 infection, according to several media reports. He died at Cedars Sinai … [Read more...] about Larry King, decades-long fixture of U.S. TV interviews, dead at 87
Special Report: How U.S. CDC missed chances to spot COVID’s silent spread
By Ned Parker and Chad Terhune (Reuters) - In early February, 57 people arrived at a Nebraska military base, among the first Americans evacuated from Wuhan, China, the epicenter of the new coronavirus outbreak. U.S. health officials knew very little then about the mysterious new virus, and the quarantined group offered an early opportunity to size up the threat. The federal … [Read more...] about Special Report: How U.S. CDC missed chances to spot COVID’s silent spread
On The Dynamics of Abortion. And Argentina.
There’s big news from Argentina lately. By a fair margin (38 to 29) abortion was finally legalized there last month after many years of fighting and decades of grass roots activism. Culturally Argentina holds a lot of sway in Latin America in the same way the US does in the Anglosphere. A similar legalization effort failed two years ago (see my original article here … [Read more...] about On The Dynamics of Abortion. And Argentina.
DONALD AND HIS DROOGS
“To devastate is easier and more spectacular than to create”. - Anthony Burgess, A Clockwork Orange, 1962 After Donald Trump exhorted his cult followers to lay siege to the United States Congress on January 6th, 2021, five people lost their lives. In response to his call to arms to commit violent domestic terrorism, the House of Representatives has impeached him for the … [Read more...] about DONALD AND HIS DROOGS
Slim majority of Americans want Senate to convict Trump: Reuters/Ipsos poll
By Chris Kahn (Reuters) - A slim majority of Americans say former President Donald Trump should be convicted by the Senate of inciting an insurrection and barred from holding public office, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll, which showed a sharp partisan divide over the issue. The national public opinion poll, conducted on Wednesday and Thursday, found that 51% of Americans … [Read more...] about Slim majority of Americans want Senate to convict Trump: Reuters/Ipsos poll
COVID-19, Year 2: US to remain WHO member
One year ago, the CDC announced the first case of COVID-19 in the United States, a man in the Seattle-area who had recently returned from Wuhan, China. A year ago, 21 January 2020, the CDC announced the first case of “travel-related” COVID-19 in the United States. Fitting, perhaps, that today Dr. Anthony Fauci told the World Health Organization (WHO) executive board … [Read more...] about COVID-19, Year 2: US to remain WHO member
The Common Objects of Our Love – a Response to Biden’s Inauguration Speech
I am not a Democrat. I am not a Republican. I am, however, an American – a status I spent 12 years of my life and tens of thousands of dollars pursuing. In recognition of that legally and emotionally brutal journey to citizenship, a dear friend gifted me one of the flags that flew above the Capitol on the day I became an American. It arrived with a certificate that had … [Read more...] about The Common Objects of Our Love – a Response to Biden’s Inauguration Speech
Beware the False Kumbaya
UPDATED BELOW Let the whining begin. Seldom have grownups been so desperately sensitive and given to bitter weeping: Tale of two briefings: Jen Psaki treated much differently by press than Sean Spicer Brian Flood / Fox News — Biden press secretary faces mostly friendly questions from mainstream press — Biden WH press secretary takes mostly softball questions in … [Read more...] about Beware the False Kumbaya