The lesson of the 2019 state elections confirmed the lesson of the 2018 congressional midterms: Donald Trump can stage all the demagogic rallies he wants, but he's powerless to reverse the GOP's hemorrhaging in the populous suburbs. Let's borrow one of his favorite metaphors. On Tuesday night, his captive Republicans died like dogs. Or, as party strategist Alex Conant told … [Read more...] about Republicans Remain Tethered to Toxic Trump
Bloomberg Readies Run
Billionaire former New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg is gearing up to step into the race for the 2020 Democratic Presidential nomination. But he hasn't announced he's running yet. He's making the preparations to be ready if he wants to. Reports have long suggested Bloomberg could run if he felt the Democrats didn't have a strong candidate. His action comes amid reports … [Read more...] about Bloomberg Readies Run
Emperor Penguins could march to extinction if nations fail to halt climate change
Emperor Penguin in Antarctica. Stephanie Jenouvrier, CC BY-ND Stephanie Jenouvrier, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution The concept of a canary in a coal mine – a sensitive species that provides an alert to danger – originated with British miners, who carried actual canaries underground through the mid-1980s to detect the presence of deadly carbon … [Read more...] about Emperor Penguins could march to extinction if nations fail to halt climate change
TRUMP’S QUID PRO NO (Cartoon)
TRUMP AND REPUBLICANS ARE WEAK, EVEN ON FRIENDLY TURF
by John L. Micek Going into Tuesday night, if you were a swing-state progressive, it was pretty easy to be discouraged about the state of the presidential race. But the extraordinary happened: Democrats romped in the Philadelphia suburbs and upended the political map in Virginia by capturing both chambers of the state Legislature for the first time in a generation. The … [Read more...] about TRUMP AND REPUBLICANS ARE WEAK, EVEN ON FRIENDLY TURF
Revenge porn is sexual violence, not millennial negligence
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi poses with Rep. Katie Hill and her husband, Kenny Heslep, in January 2019. AP Photo/Cliff Owen Kristen Zaleski, University of Southern California U.S. Representative Katie Hill was the latest victim of a form of sexual abuse that’s become increasingly common: revenge porn. Intimate photos of her were leaked to the media … [Read more...] about Revenge porn is sexual violence, not millennial negligence
Democrats’ Surprising “Blue Crunch” Election Night Shows Major GOP Erosion in Some Key States
Tuesday night's 2019 elections left Democrats elated and hopeful -- and Republicans realizing they have a lot of work to do in 2020. It seemingly answered (for now) whether Democrats pressing for Donald Trump's impeachment are hurting their party (they aren't), whether Trump is such a Teflon politico that him saying win this for the gypper gipper would work (it didn't), and … [Read more...] about Democrats’ Surprising “Blue Crunch” Election Night Shows Major GOP Erosion in Some Key States
American consumers heaviest hit by Trump’s China trade war, UN says
American consumers are taking the biggest hits from President Donald Trump’s trade war although Chinese exporters are also hurting, a United Nations report said today. “Consumers in the US are bearing the heaviest brunt of the US tariffs on China, as their associated costs have largely been passed down to them and importing firms in the form of higher prices,” said a report … [Read more...] about American consumers heaviest hit by Trump’s China trade war, UN says
Trump-Nixon (Mike Peters Guest Cartoon)
OF RELATED INTEREST: --Schiff: Trump betrayed America. Soon the public will hear from patriots who defended it. --The scope of Trump’s corruption is mind-boggling. New developments show how. --America once led anti-corruption fight. Now self-dealing Trump is kleptocrats' role model. Mike Peters is recognized as one of our nation’s most prominent cartoon artists for his … [Read more...] about Trump-Nixon (Mike Peters Guest Cartoon)
NATS PLAY BALL (Cartoon and Column)
It’s not that I’m disappointed by the Washington Nationals. I’m disgusted. I have never lived in an area of a major league baseball team winning the World Series. I’m a Cubs fan, but I do like the Nats. I have enjoyed their run to the World Series. While the Washington Capitals won the Stanley Cup two seasons ago, the University of Virginia won the Men’s NCAA basketball … [Read more...] about NATS PLAY BALL (Cartoon and Column)
A ‘Correct’ Account of al-Baghdadi’s Death
By now we have all seen and heard Trump taking his personal victory lap after our Special Operation Forces killed Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the ISIS leader. In his announcement of the raid and during a 40-minute press conference afterwards, Trump said of Baghdadi, “He was screaming, crying, and whimpering…he was scared out of his mind…[he] died like a dog. He died like a … [Read more...] about A ‘Correct’ Account of al-Baghdadi’s Death
The Kurds: Betrayed Once Again
The Kurds have been betrayed and abandoned four times by the West in the last 100 years. In the aftermath of WWI the Middle Eastern Turkish-dominated Ottoman Empire collapsed. Great Britain and France stepped into the power vacuum and redrew Middle Eastern national boundaries. During this process they promised the Kurds a country of their own, a promise they never fulfilled. … [Read more...] about The Kurds: Betrayed Once Again
California wildfires signal the arrival of a planetary fire age
Wind whips embers from a tree burned by a wildfire in Riverside, Calif. Oct. 31, 2019. AP Photo/Ringo H.W. Chiu Stephen Pyne, Arizona State University Another autumn, more fires, more refugees and incinerated homes. For California, flames have become the colors of fall. Free-burning fire is the proximate provocation for the havoc, since its ember … [Read more...] about California wildfires signal the arrival of a planetary fire age
TRUMP THREATENS TO END FEDERAL AID TO CALIFORNIA TO FIGHT WILDFIRES—AFTER OFFERING RUSSIA HELP TO STOP WILDFIRES IN SIBERIA
Critics accuse President of putting partisan politics above saving lives and aiding disaster victims By Miriam Raftery (San Diego) – Days after California Governor Gavin Newsom praised the federal government for its rapid response to catastrophic wildfires and power outages affecting millions of our state’s residents, President Donald Trump on Sunday threatened to cut off … [Read more...] about TRUMP THREATENS TO END FEDERAL AID TO CALIFORNIA TO FIGHT WILDFIRES—AFTER OFFERING RUSSIA HELP TO STOP WILDFIRES IN SIBERIA
New UN talks offer best hope for Syria peace
In an extraordinary achievement, a United Nations facilitator has managed to get a broad spectrum of parties to the wars in Syria to begin work today on a writing a constitution that could start to build peace. UN Syria envoy Geir Pederson is facilitating a 45-member group that began work in Geneva on drafting a constitution for Syria. It comprises 15 persons each from the … [Read more...] about New UN talks offer best hope for Syria peace
Great Music – Chapter 54
I once again return to the music of Chopin for this music article. In case anyone wonders whether I am biased when it comes to Chopin’s music, I plead guilty. Chopin wrote two major volumes of etudes, opus 10 and opus 25 which were primarily designed to improve a pianist’s technique. In order to maintain a pianist’s interest in these grueling pieces of music, Chopin tried to … [Read more...] about Great Music – Chapter 54
HOW TO LOSE THE 2020 ELECTION, BY ELIZABETH WARREN
Speaking in 1910, former two-term president Theodore Roosevelt offered some practical advice that Elizabeth Warren and today’s progressive Democrats would be wise to heed. Although they probably won’t. Teddy said: “The citizen must have high ideals, and yet he must be able to achieve them in practical fashion. No permanent good comes from aspirations so lofty that they have … [Read more...] about HOW TO LOSE THE 2020 ELECTION, BY ELIZABETH WARREN
And Then There Were…
The double-dozen roster of Democratic hopefuls shrank a little more this week, when Beto O’Rourke ended his run. Whatever got Texans so juiced about his 2018 race against Ted Cruz didn’t transfer to a presidential run. Even so, the field remains clogged with 17 candidates, most with little chance of success. Tom Steyer, the impeachment guy, has gotten his wish, making him … [Read more...] about And Then There Were…
In My Defense
The words that I was supposed to have said, I never said them. You must have heard wrong. Do you believe your ears or what I’m telling you now? And even if I had said them, I didn’t mean them. I was just testing the person on the other end of the line to see if he was corrupt and willing to help out. We have to do that. There are too many people in this world in different … [Read more...] about In My Defense
THE PUMP DON’T WORK, ‘CAUSE THE VANDALS TOOK THE HANDLES
Anyone opposed to Medicare For All ain’t got the sense God gave a goose. The Republican refrain that America can’t afford it can be found in Chapter Two of their disinformation handbook entitled: “But Her Emails” As they siphon the life out of our republic - and the Republican Party stands in unity for I don’t know what - they scream poor mouth in the shadow of their … [Read more...] about THE PUMP DON’T WORK, ‘CAUSE THE VANDALS TOOK THE HANDLES