Fittingly, it was the CBS comedian Stephen Colbert who first suggested that MAGA is a death cult. And Colbert made that fateful prediction seven full days before election day in 2020. “Alright children of MAGA: Put on your Nikes, fill your thermos with Kool-Aid and go vote,” Colbert opined on October 27, 2020. “Then, I promise, we all board the spaceships to the comet. … [Read more...] about Is MAGA A Death Cult? If Trump’s Jonestown-Like Followers Drink The Kool-Aid, Who Gets Hurt?
Mike Pence Is Not ‘Homeless’ In Indiana, He Is Vacationing In St. Croix
ST. CROIX, U.S. Virgin Islands — The now-former vice president could have gone anywhere. But to get away and just feel safe, Mike Pence — who left office eight days ago — chose St. Croix. News that the 2016 and 2020 running mate of Donald Trump was in the territory came less than a day after MSNBC’s Joe Scarborough said Pence is “in fear for his life.” Pence and his … [Read more...] about Mike Pence Is Not ‘Homeless’ In Indiana, He Is Vacationing In St. Croix
THERE IS HOPE
After a year like 2020 it is very easy to think that the world is going to hell in a hand basket. The pandemic, the very contentious presidential election, various events provoking protests and riots, natural disasters, Brexit and other troubling events from out in the world, and the media coverage of all these events can easily lead to the conclusion that every thing in the … [Read more...] about THERE IS HOPE
Death threats and intimidation of public officials signal Trump’s autocratic legacy
Rioters storm the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, seeking to intimidate politicians into overturning the presidential election. AP Photo/John Minchillo Shelley Inglis, University of Dayton As the impeachment trial of former President Donald Trump approaches, federal officials are investigating threats to attack or kill members of Congress. This comes in … [Read more...] about Death threats and intimidation of public officials signal Trump’s autocratic legacy
The Son of a Holocaust Survivor Remembers
“I have to stay alive to tell all of this, to tell everyone about it, to convince people that it was true…” — Auschwitz survivor, Eddy de Wind, in his “Last Stop Auschwitz.” Melcher de Wind, my distant cousin, has mixed feelings about “herdenkings,” or commemorations. To him, Holocaust Remembrance Day 2021 marks the end of a year full of commemorations of the Holocaust and … [Read more...] about The Son of a Holocaust Survivor Remembers
Transition reveals extent of COVID vaccine mismanagement in the US
I was surprised to receive a call from Seattle Cancer Care Alliance about 5 pm last Wednesday, asking me if I’d like to be vaccinated. In what seemed like a snap, I had an appointment for Friday morning. This isn't what I usually mean when I say breast cancer is the "gift that keeps on giving." The quasi-mass vaccination process at the Fred Hutchinson Research Center in … [Read more...] about Transition reveals extent of COVID vaccine mismanagement in the US
Want to filibuster a bill? Go to the floor and talk. And talk. Until 51 Senators kick you off.
When I figured out that the modern filibuster is first cousin to the three-fifths clause and the Electoral College, its use by the 21st century GOP and Mitch McConnell made so much sense. Follow along; I'll show you how I got here. And in the process, how I evolved from someone who has historically honored norms to someone who sees clearly how the contemporary Senators have … [Read more...] about Want to filibuster a bill? Go to the floor and talk. And talk. Until 51 Senators kick you off.
The neo-Confederate flag’s real name: the Flag of White Supremacy
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