We’ve just seen one of the worst weeks in the 230-year-plus history of the U.S. Supreme Court. And that is really saying something, when you think about its other low points including the 1857 Dred Scott ruling, which held Black people as inferior and denied them U.S. citizenship, or 1896’s Plessy v. Ferguson that allowed segregation, or the high court’s more recent jags that … [Read more...] about Will Bunch: Trump’s politicized Supreme Court has lost legitimacy. 2021’s Dems, do something!
Urban forests are springing up around the world as cities battle heat and pollution
Seoul, South Korea, has recently launched an urban forest project, hoping to lower city temperatures by up to 7°C. From Phoenix in the United States to Mumbai, India, and Paris, France, as cities try to combat pollution and improve air quality, urban forests are mushrooming.In South Korea, Seoul residents are increasingly faced with intense summer heat. In the summer of … [Read more...] about Urban forests are springing up around the world as cities battle heat and pollution
(UPDATE) The Protestant Church in the Netherlands to ‘Confess’ Guilt for ‘Silence,’ ‘Inaction’ Towards Jews During Holocaust
UPDATE: Five more Dutch churches have issued “an acknowledgment of guilt” for "not having done more to save Jews or protest their murder during the Holocaust.” [Thanks, Holly R.] Original Post: 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 … [Read more...] about (UPDATE) The Protestant Church in the Netherlands to ‘Confess’ Guilt for ‘Silence,’ ‘Inaction’ Towards Jews During Holocaust
Next Summer Olympics to feature world baseball championship
The game of baseball is very popular in Japan. Since Japan is hosting the next Summer Olympics (23 July to 8 August 2021), baseball will be featured among the games of the XXXII Olympiad. "We are a global sport, not just an American sport," states Riccardo Fraccari, president of the World Baseball Softball Confederation. Being that baseball teams from nations besides the … [Read more...] about Next Summer Olympics to feature world baseball championship
(UPDATED) A Back-of-the-Envelope Calculation for November 3
UPDATE: While the back-of-the-envelope calculations below were based on a total early vote (in-person + mail-in) of 85 million by November 3, Professor McDonald reports a total of 86,166,713 early votes as of 5:32 PM Eastern Time, October 30, with a little over 35 million mail ballots still outstanding. In a little kudo for my home state, Texans have already cast more … [Read more...] about (UPDATED) A Back-of-the-Envelope Calculation for November 3
Will Russia influence the American vote?
As American voters cast their ballots, they are also being targeted with foreign disinformation. Mark Makela/Getty Images Scott Jasper, Naval Postgraduate School The idea that someone recently tried to influence Americans to vote for a particular candidate by sending them threatening emails may sound outlandish – as might federal officials’ allegation … [Read more...] about Will Russia influence the American vote?
My worst moment: The time Matthew McConaughey came to set unprepared. It was not alright.
Much of Matthew McConaughey’s new memoir, “Greenlights,” is drawn from journals he’s kept over the last 35 years.With the exception of two journals documenting specific travels, this was the first time he sat down and read through them all. “I had more compassion for myself than I thought I would,” he said. “That’s part of the reason I think I dared myself to write a book: I … [Read more...] about My worst moment: The time Matthew McConaughey came to set unprepared. It was not alright.
Tsunami, Small Wave or Calm Waters
While most of the polls have Biden way ahead of Trump in the race for president, some have it fairly close. In addition, many Democrats refuse to believe the results of the polls, remembering the 2016 debacle with Hillary ahead in the polls for most of the campaign. Many Democrats are still shell-shocked from 2016 and will not accept any predictions of a Biden victory until all … [Read more...] about Tsunami, Small Wave or Calm Waters
The New York Times 2018 Op-Ed ‘Whodunnit’ Is Solved.
Remember when, in what now seems to be an eternity ago, the “infamous” Anonymous penned an explosive op-ed in the New York Times skewering Trump, calling him --among other -- unmoored, amoral, impetuous, impulsive, erratic, adversarial, petty and ineffective? In his op-ed, “I Am Part of the Resistance Inside the Trump Administration,” the “senior official in the Trump … [Read more...] about The New York Times 2018 Op-Ed ‘Whodunnit’ Is Solved.
For a growing number of evangelical Christians, Trump is no longer the lesser of two evils
A moral minority of evangelicals are moving away from Trump. Scott McIntyre/For The Washington Post via Getty Images Stewart Clem, Aquinas Institute of Theology It has long been taken for granted that the majority of evangelical Christians in the United States will vote for Donald Trump. That may well be the case. But there are recent signs that … [Read more...] about For a growing number of evangelical Christians, Trump is no longer the lesser of two evils
Whoever wins, the world is moving beyond Biden and Trump
The world is moving on while American analysts and pollsters mull over whether the US has enough disgruntled white men, evangelical Christians and right-wing Hispanics to push Donald Trump over the hump on November 3. Hopefully, Joe Biden, who many voters see as the savior of America’s reputation abroad and self-respect at home, will be better than Trump in understanding a … [Read more...] about Whoever wins, the world is moving beyond Biden and Trump
Of Republicans and a Manichean SCOTUS
Today it's arguing about court packing, with the horses gone and the barn door still open ... 'The View's' Sunny Hostin Schools Bari Weiss on ‘Court Packing’ Matt Wilstein / The Daily Beast — Former “New York Times” columnist Bari Weiss filled the void left by Meghan McCain on Tuesday's episode of “The View.” — Bari Weiss has been relatively quiet since she canceled … [Read more...] about Of Republicans and a Manichean SCOTUS
If Trump Wins, Don’t Hold Your Breath Waiting for That ACA Replacement Plan
If President Donald Trump wins reelection next week, it seems unlikely he will unveil the health plan he’s been promising since before his election in 2016. Still, other aspects of health care could be featured in his second-term agenda.Not having a replacement plan for the Affordable Care Act may be just fine with many of his supporters and conservatives. Most Republicans … [Read more...] about If Trump Wins, Don’t Hold Your Breath Waiting for That ACA Replacement Plan
Undocumented immigrants may actually make American communities safer – not more dangerous – new study finds
President Donald Trump has repeatedly claimed that undocumented immigrants cause more crime, but new research suggests the opposite might be true. Apu Gomes/AFP via Getty Images Robert M. Adelman, University at Buffalo and Lesley Reid, University of Alabama The Research Brief is a short take about interesting academic work. The big … [Read more...] about Undocumented immigrants may actually make American communities safer – not more dangerous – new study finds
Watch: Each Presidential candidate’s path to victory and how election night projections will be different this year (VIDEO)
CBS News Elections and Surveys Director Anthony Salvanto explains the paths Donald Trump and Joe Biden need to follow to win the electoral college and the election -- and how election night projections will be different this year. Watch: … [Read more...] about Watch: Each Presidential candidate’s path to victory and how election night projections will be different this year (VIDEO)
Satire: S.T.O.P.
Donald Trump has declared, “The only way we’re going to lose this election is if the election is rigged,” Given that he is infallible, Trump has stepped up efforts to thwart this rigging by creating a taskforce called STOP which is designed to prevent progressives from casting their ballots. Though my connections within the deep state, I have obtained STOP’s plan for achieving … [Read more...] about Satire: S.T.O.P.
Barrett confirmed to US Supreme Court
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?