Texas’ Attorney General Is Increasingly Using Consumer Protection Laws to Pursue Political Targetsby Vianna DavilaProPublica is a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative newsroom. Sign up for The Big Story newsletter to receive stories like this one in your inbox.The men knocked on the door of a two-story, red-brick building in downtown El Paso one chilly morning in February. When … [Read more...] about Texas’ Attorney General Is Increasingly Using Consumer Protection Laws to Pursue Political Targets
Benjamin Netanyahu and Israel are becoming increasingly isolated internationally – they need to listen to their friends
Julie M Norman, UCL Pressure, both external and internal, is rapidly changing the international landscape for Israel. In 2011, Ehud Barak, then Israel’s defence minister, warned that Israel would face a “diplomatic-political tsunami” of international isolation and censure if it could not resolve the conflict with the Palestinians. More than a decade later, that wave has … [Read more...] about Benjamin Netanyahu and Israel are becoming increasingly isolated internationally – they need to listen to their friends
Medal of Honor Tuesday: Chief Boatswain’s Mate Orson Leon Crandall
The actions for which this week’s DoD featured Medal of Honor recipient was awarded our nation’s highest military decoration are somewhat different than for most Medal of Honor recipients, but nevertheless heroic and fascinating. The citation accompanying Chief Boatswain’s Mate* Orson Leon Crandall’s Medal of Honor presentation reads: For extraordinary heroism in the … [Read more...] about Medal of Honor Tuesday: Chief Boatswain’s Mate Orson Leon Crandall
FULL VIDEO: Robert De Niro’s blistering anti-Trump message for Biden campaign outside Trump trial
Was it a masterful move or a mistake? Did his message get out despite pro-Trumpers trying to drown him out with constant shouts and even a constant car honk? A-list actor Robert De Niro showed up outside the Trump trial courthouse with two January 6 police officers. Di Niro has been one of former President Donald Trump's most outspoken and notable celebrity critics and … [Read more...] about FULL VIDEO: Robert De Niro’s blistering anti-Trump message for Biden campaign outside Trump trial
Historical Amnesia
Knowledge and memory of world events, even those of fairly recent vintage, appear to be deficient in the younger generation in the U.S. and Western democracies. Whether this information was once learned and subsequently forgotten, or never learned is unclear. History and civics are poorly taught, or not taught at all in our classrooms. This neglect has been evidenced by the … [Read more...] about Historical Amnesia
TRUMP WISHING MEMORIAL DAY TO “HUMAN SCUM” FOES WIDELY DENOUNCED
Memorial Day is a sacred day in the United States. Presidents, politicos and clubs such as the Rotary Club honor members of the armed forces who are no longer with us. Politicians in particular issue somber statements, respectful speeches, and visit cemeteries to honor our fallen heroes. Donald Trump issued a different kind of Memorial Day message. It wasn't precisely … [Read more...] about TRUMP WISHING MEMORIAL DAY TO “HUMAN SCUM” FOES WIDELY DENOUNCED
Animals self-medicate with plants, behavior people have observed and emulated for millennia
The term zoopharmacognosy - "animal medicine knowledge" - was invented in 1987. But as the Roman natural historian Pliny pointed out 2,000 years ago, many animals have made medical discoveries useful for humans. Indeed, a large number of medicinal plants used in modern drugs were first discovered by Indigenous peoples and past cultures who observed animals employing plants and … [Read more...] about Animals self-medicate with plants, behavior people have observed and emulated for millennia
Trump Boos (Cartoon, Video and Column)
You may have heard from Trump goons that he walked into the Libertarian convention to a chorus of boos but by the end of his speech, he won the crowd over and was being cheered. This is the latest narrative from the world of MAGATs that defies reality. Last week, the MAGAts said he had a crowd in New Jersey that was larger than any for a Bruce Springsteen concert, They … [Read more...] about Trump Boos (Cartoon, Video and Column)
What to watch for in Trump trial’s closing arguments, from a law school professor who teaches and studies them
Jules Epstein, Temple University After more than four weeks of often sordid testimony, accusations of lying and even a warning from Judge Juan M. Merchan to a witness to stop giving him the side-eye, lawyers in the hush-money case involving former President Donald Trump are expected to make their closing arguments on May 28, 2024. In a jury trial, opening statements are … [Read more...] about What to watch for in Trump trial’s closing arguments, from a law school professor who teaches and studies them
Memorial Day 2024
"When words fail us..." (All images DoD, Library of Congress, Arlington National Cemetery) … [Read more...] about Memorial Day 2024
SALUTING AMERICA’S CHAMPIONS
by Michael Reagan We can argue forever about left-right politics and why the country is going to ruin. But it is Memorial Day weekend. Let’s forget the endless political warfare being waged in Washington, D.C. It’s time to honor and mourn all the American military men and women who died while serving in the United States armed forces. They are the ones whose … [Read more...] about SALUTING AMERICA’S CHAMPIONS
Burns trying again to bring back the hostages but Israel needs much more.
CIA Director Bill Burns may travel in coming days to revive truce talks on Gaza after a three-week pause but beleaguered Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu’s “absolute victory” over Hamas’s barbaric terrorism is continuing to slip away. Importantly, Netanyahu has begun to lose political acceptance by most of the world nations of Israel’s military methods of exercising its … [Read more...] about Burns trying again to bring back the hostages but Israel needs much more.
Party Crasher (Cartoon, Column and Video)
UPDATE: Donald Trump got booed during his 20 minute speech. Hello from Washington, DC where I’m covering this year’s National Libertarian Convention. Robert F Kennedy Jr spoke at the convention and he stuck to a script of subjects he and the delegates agree on, like vaccinations will kill you. While at least half the delegation didn’t want him here, he wasn’t treated too … [Read more...] about Party Crasher (Cartoon, Column and Video)
Strike three: WaPost sat on the Alito flag story for more than three years
When The New York Times broke the story on May 16th that Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito had an upside-down American flag flying at his suburban DC home three days before President Joe Biden's inauguration, my first question was "why now"? In other words, what had happened to trigger this story, three years late? The timing of Alito's flag flying was not trivial. … [Read more...] about Strike three: WaPost sat on the Alito flag story for more than three years
Some Thoughts on Memorial Day Weekend
This Memorial Day we once again honor the men and women who have made the ultimate sacrifice in service of our country in all wars and conflicts, from the Revolutionary War to the Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. One of those heroes is Pfc. Diego Fernando Rincón who died in a suicide bombing attack in Iraq on March 29, 2003. Rincón “came from” Colombia. He immigrated to the … [Read more...] about Some Thoughts on Memorial Day Weekend
Christian Nationalism vs. Jesus
So-called Christian Nationalism doesn't have anything to do with the teachings of Jesus that are recorded in the New Testament. At least that is what is revealed in a statement that a Christian Nationalist preacher dared to post on X.com. Perhaps you shouldn't be eating or drinking anything when you read just what that preacher posted. Your gag reflex might be activated. In … [Read more...] about Christian Nationalism vs. Jesus
The Many Flags of Alito (Cartoons)
Louisiana set to reclassify abortion pills as controlled, dangerous substances – here’s what that means
Misoprostol has a long history of safe and effective use. AP Photo/Allen G. Breed Jamie Rowen, UMass Amherst and Tami S. Rowen, University of California, San Francisco Louisiana’s Legislature approved a bill on May 23, 2024, that would reclassify two abortion pills, mifepristone and misoprostol, as “controlled, dangerous substances.” Both … [Read more...] about Louisiana set to reclassify abortion pills as controlled, dangerous substances – here’s what that means
Sam Alito Bets His Flag Flap Gets Flushed Down the Memory Hole
MAGA troll Sam Alito, having signaled his solidarity with Donald Trump’s insurrectionists by flying (or allowing to have flown) an upside-down American flag at his home, is disgracing the U.S. Supreme Court with his mere presence. That sentence barely scratches the surface. I need to elaborate. As the southern writer Flannery O’Connor said long ago, “You tell a story because … [Read more...] about Sam Alito Bets His Flag Flap Gets Flushed Down the Memory Hole
Israel ordered to immediately halt its offensive in Rafah, Gaza.
The International Court of Justice (ICJ), which is investigating whether Israel is committing genocide in Gaza, today ordered Israel to “immediately halt” its military offensive in the Rafah enclave in southern Gaza and withdraw from it. But Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu is defiant because he insists Rafah is the last stronghold of Hamas terrorists whose military … [Read more...] about Israel ordered to immediately halt its offensive in Rafah, Gaza.