WASHINGTON -- Last August, President Trump went to Charleston, West Virginia, , for a "mission accomplished" moment. He had already boasted to his Fox News fan base that "I've turned West Virginia around, because [of] what I've done environmentally with coal." In Charleston, he said that "we are putting our great coal miners back to work" by ending what he had dubbed the … [Read more...] about ‘Trump people’ are the ultimate victims of the president’s hoax
Michael Cohen and the Devil in the Details
By Michael Winship My writer friend Gail, who lives in London but is fluent in all things American, has been closely following our daily travails. We’re in touch often, sharing our mutual, grim, and often bleakly funny stories about Trump here and Brexit there. Wednesday, just before Michael Cohen began his testimony before the House Committee on Oversight and Reform, she … [Read more...] about Michael Cohen and the Devil in the Details
Brian Williams Earns His Way Back
By Peter Funt Television's most elegant and articulate anchor, who shepherds what is arguably the nation's most informative nightly news program, continues to toil in relative obscurity. It's not that viewership for Brian Williams's 11 p.m. ET program on MSNBC is tiny; it reaches nearly two million people on an average night. It's that the broadcast from which Williams … [Read more...] about Brian Williams Earns His Way Back
Review of the novel, ScreenSaver! a magical rom-com adventure
Review and interview from Doug Gibson Imagine a pair of computer game designers, male and female, named Denny and Jo, pressed with time to put the final touches on a game starring a female superhero named Brynthila. The day is drawing near that your boss, Max, has to have everything ready for the money people. A video game expo, a comic con of sorts, is also drawing near. … [Read more...] about Review of the novel, ScreenSaver! a magical rom-com adventure
Kashmir conflict is not just a border dispute between India and Pakistan
Indian soldiers arrive at the wreckage of an an Indian helicopter that crashed on the Indian side of Kashmir on Feb. 27, 2019. AP Photo/Mukhtar Khan Chitralekha Zutshi, College of William & Mary Tensions between India and Pakistan have diminished in recent days after repeated military clashes in Kashmir led to fear that the two nuclear powers could be … [Read more...] about Kashmir conflict is not just a border dispute between India and Pakistan
Creepy Flag Love (Cartoon, Column and Video)
A phony person will overly exert himself to prove he’s something he’s not. The biggest trait of a phony is they’ll find what you like and profess to love it just as much. For example, I might tell you I like Taco Bell and you might say you do as well, or not, but a phony will try to convince you that he loves Taco Bell so much, he moved into a Taco Bell and named his kid … [Read more...] about Creepy Flag Love (Cartoon, Column and Video)
Trump’s rambling CPAC speech should alarm all of us
WASHINGTON -- The president of the United States gave a rambling and incoherent two-hour speech in which he raved like a lunatic and told crazy, self-serving lies from start to finish. If that no longer qualifies as alarming, we're in serious trouble. I realize the speed-of-light news cycle has moved on. I realize anything that happened last week has all but faded into the … [Read more...] about Trump’s rambling CPAC speech should alarm all of us
The Democrats Overreach – Again
[WARNING. My Republican friends will like this article more than my Democratic friends. Despite my general anti-Trump inclinations, the thesis presented here is that the Democrats in the House are on the cusp of reelecting Donald Trump to a second four year term. And, Lord, I hope I’m wrong.] Yesterday Jerry Nadler (D-NY) announced that the House Judiciary Committee which he … [Read more...] about The Democrats Overreach – Again
Will Hillary Clinton please go away?
Hillary Clinton has made it known that she isn't again running for President. However, she will still be running . . . her mouth. From New Jersey's News 12: Hillary Clinton ruled out a 2020 presidential run for the first time on camera in an exclusive interview with News 12, pledging instead to take an active role by working with the candidates in the crowded … [Read more...] about Will Hillary Clinton please go away?
Democrats are the party of the left — and liberal Republicans
WASHINGTON -- The core political challenges facing Democrats are not the rise of those who proudly call themselves democratic socialists and the danger that Republicans will succeed in red-baiting the entire party. Instead, Democrats face formidable coalition management problems because they now provide a home to millions of voters (and scores of elected officials) who in … [Read more...] about Democrats are the party of the left — and liberal Republicans
The Trump Regime Wants to Believe the Earth is Flat
The Trump regime has trafficked in self-parody since its inception, so perhaps we're already numb to the news that it intends to challenge the scientific consensus that climate change is a dire international emergency. You heard that right. Even though the federal government's National Climate Assessment officially warned in November that the planet is truly imperiled, and … [Read more...] about The Trump Regime Wants to Believe the Earth is Flat
Black Prop (Cartoon, Column and Video)
Michael Cohen claimed during his congressional testimony last week that Donald Trump is a racist and he’s heard him make racist comments over the years, including, “that black people would never vote for him because they were too stupid.” Congressman Mark Meadows, a Republican on the House Oversight Committee, was expecting this and had a prepared defense of Trump. He … [Read more...] about Black Prop (Cartoon, Column and Video)
Science Miseducation by the Media
Science miseducation by the media is proceeding full steam ahead. For example, consider the following statement from USA Today correspondent Elizabeth Weise: Can you figure out what is wrong with Weise's statement? If you can't, then you may be one of the people who have been miseducated by the media. Let me break it down for you. "Carbon capture and storage … [Read more...] about Science Miseducation by the Media
32 expatriates, Pakistanis, and Indians against a nuclear standoff
For Pakistanis and Indians everywhere and for all of us in the US, in a week of seesaw diplomacy and unsettling war games, I am nervous. An ongoing cricket tournament in Madison, Wisconsin, USA, where Indians and Pakistanis mix up and play, though I was nervous with more questions than answers, more doubts than convictions. Not for the game but for the … [Read more...] about 32 expatriates, Pakistanis, and Indians against a nuclear standoff
On the critically endangered list: The Principled Republican
WASHINGTON -- Researchers in the Galapagos Islands last month discovered, alive, a giant tortoise of a species long feared to be extinct. The return of the Fernandina Giant Tortoise, last seen in 1906, gives hope that another species, also thought extinct, might yet reemerge. I speak, of course, of the Principled Republican. The last sighting in the wild of this noble … [Read more...] about On the critically endangered list: The Principled Republican
Israel Update Today
The big news of the day is Bibi Netanyahu was indicted today of bribery and official misconduct in office. Typical of the sleazy character we know him to be, he is charged with soliciting gifts in return for changing regulations affecting businesses and potential deals. There are so many instances of such activity it is hard to see how Bibi can skate on all the charges. … [Read more...] about Israel Update Today
Republican Security Detail Protects President (Cartoon)
Trump-Kim summit ends with no deal, but diplomacy is a long process
President Donald Trump meets North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. AP Photo/Evan Vucci Tizoc Chavez, Vanderbilt University A second summit between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un ended on Feb. 28 with no deal on limiting North Korea’s nuclear weapons program. “We had to walk away from that,” the president said. The two … [Read more...] about Trump-Kim summit ends with no deal, but diplomacy is a long process
Whose Liar Is It Anyway? (Cartoon, Column and Video)
Democrats spent the majority of Michael Cohen’s testimony asking questions about Donald Trump. Republicans spent all of their time asking Michael Cohen questions about Michael Cohen. Republicans, ranking member Jim Jordan in particular, pointed out that the first witness called for the first hearing in the Democrat-controlled 116th Congress is a man convicted of lying to … [Read more...] about Whose Liar Is It Anyway? (Cartoon, Column and Video)
Cohen cast the president in a devilish light
WASHINGTON -- In Michael Cohen's historic testimony Wednesday, there was a moment when the long-lost spines of President Trump's political enablers, probably heaped in a clattering pile somewhere, must have felt a chill. It was when Cohen looked at his Republican inquisitors and foretold their future. "I did the same thing you are doing now for 10 years," Cohen said, … [Read more...] about Cohen cast the president in a devilish light