The US Senate has narrowly approved a landmark tax bill in a major step towards delivering a legislative victory to President Donald Trump. Vice President Mike Pence, who presided over Saturday's vote, announced the 51-49 result to applause from Republicans. No Democrat voted for the bill. The plan, entitled the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA)… … [Read more...] about US Senate passes controversial tax cuts bill
(UPDATE II) Flynn’s Guilty Plea Is Merely The Tip Of A Very Big Iceberg. What Lies Beneath?
As dramatic a development as Michael Flynn's guilty plea to lying to the FBI and agreement to cooperate may be in Special Counsel Robert Mueller's take-no-prisoners Russia scandal investigation, it is merely the tip of a very big iceberg, and it is what lies beneath that really matters. Flynn was so mobbed up through countless meetings with Russians before, during and … [Read more...] about (UPDATE II) Flynn’s Guilty Plea Is Merely The Tip Of A Very Big Iceberg. What Lies Beneath?
Trump Train Trolls (Cartoon and Column)
Back in the old normal, journalists never referred to a politician as a liar. They were either wrong, mistaken, misinformed, misspeaking, or incorrect. That changed with Donald Trump as the man continues to repeat lies after being told they’re lies. Trump and his sycophants don’t just lie where you can say it’s their viewpoint. They lie to the extent that they choose their own … [Read more...] about Trump Train Trolls (Cartoon and Column)
A Half-Week in Review
It’s only Thursday night so it’s cocky to think of this as a whole week in review. Maybe a half-week. Things could look different Saturday night. Not so different, though, to make this snapshot obsolete. The tax bill is taxiing on the runway but it’s anybody’s guess if that mountain of guano has enough ground speed to take off. Late arriving analysis makes the deal … [Read more...] about A Half-Week in Review
Remember When Matt Lauer Was Trump’s Chump
Matt Lauer will be remembered as a fallen sexual harasser, but in my mind, he's forever immortalized as a Donald Trump toady. Return with me to the 2016 campaign, to the so-called "Commander-in-Chief Forum," when NBC inexplicably entrusted a session with Trump to a guy whose brain had apparently been fried by too many decades of morning happy talk. The alpha male of the NBC … [Read more...] about Remember When Matt Lauer Was Trump’s Chump
Fewer crops are feeding more people worldwide – and that’s not good
By Karl Zimmerer, Professor of Geography, Pennsylvania State University. Peruvian potatoes and black corn. www.Shutterstock.com One day last March I talked with Juliana and Elisa, a mother and daughter who farmed just outside the city of Huánuco, Peru. Although they had only one acre of land in this mountainous landscape, they grew dozens of local varieties… … [Read more...] about Fewer crops are feeding more people worldwide – and that’s not good
Snag time: Senate vote on tax bill delayed until today
WASHINGTON -- Senate Republicans weighed scaling back the tax cuts in their massive package to secure crucial support as congressional analysts said Thursday the legislation would add $1 trillion to the deficit over the next decade. Republicans were making major changes to the bill -- a top political priority of President Donald Trump -- up to… … [Read more...] about Snag time: Senate vote on tax bill delayed until today
Honoring American Indian and Alaska Native Military
Today is the last day of November. It is also the last day of “American Indian (and Alaska Native) Heritage Month.” Although a lot of attention has been placed –rightly so -- on the patriotism and bravery of Native American “code talkers,” we would be remiss to turn the calendar page without spending some time on how American Indians and Alaska Natives have contributed … [Read more...] about Honoring American Indian and Alaska Native Military
Some Thoughts On Sexual Harassment
The recent events regarding the horrific problem of sexual harassment have certainly been a positive development in that people are being held accountable for wrong actions but I do wonder about when the other shoes will finally drop. First, while the overwhelming majority (95% or more) of the victims of such misconduct are women the fact is that there are men who have been … [Read more...] about Some Thoughts On Sexual Harassment
Eight Weeks Of Infamy: Parsing The Pivotal Months For Trump-Russia Collusion
It took a few months, but we've gone from having scant evidence of collusion between the Trump campaign -- and likely Donald Trump himself -- to an overwhelming amount of evidence. And yet despite this happy circumstance, which certainly must have Special Counsel Robert Mueller secretly smiling, Trump meanwhile continues to destroy America and degrade our lives a little more … [Read more...] about Eight Weeks Of Infamy: Parsing The Pivotal Months For Trump-Russia Collusion
Is Trump Losing It? Times Reporter Thinks So
President Donald Trump is unmoored—and it's getting worse, according to the New York Times's chief White House reporter. In the midst of a week featuring the president attacking the media, retweeting anti-Muslim videos, suggesting that Morning Joe host Joe Scarborough killed an intern, and calling using an anti-Native American slur at an event honoring Native Americans,… … [Read more...] about Is Trump Losing It? Times Reporter Thinks So
Who will challenge Trump’s enablers?
WASHINGTON -- Great nations and proud democracies fall when their systems become so corrupted that the decay is not even noticed -- or the rot is written off as a normal part of politics. President Trump has created exactly such a crisis. He has not done it alone. The corrosion of norms and values began long before he propelled the nation past the edge, and his own party is … [Read more...] about Who will challenge Trump’s enablers?
O’Keefe’s Petard (Cartoon and Column)
James O’Keefe is a conservative provocateur who has spent years trying to prove liberals and those who report the news are just as horrible, unethical, and dishonest as he is. It doesn’t matter to conservatives that each time he’s released the results of one of his sting operations that it’s always packaged with lies. O’Keefe leads Project Veritas, which is a 501(c)(3) … [Read more...] about O’Keefe’s Petard (Cartoon and Column)
Goodell climate change book: ‘Engaging … terrifying’
T.S. Eliot proposed the world would end "not with a bang but a whimper." But according to several climate scientists, the end will come with water. The seas are rising because of climate change, scientists say, and they predict that by the end of the century, the oceans will have reshaped many of Earth's landscapes, drowning… … [Read more...] about Goodell climate change book: ‘Engaging … terrifying’
1.8 BILLION VILLAINS
1.8 BILLION VILLAINS (President Trump tweets anti-Muslim videos) Oops, we got busted again, I hate to admit it. By who else than our very own President. As he retweets the far-right anti-Muslim videos. So under no duress, I am going to confess. For I am running out of ways to react. I mean all us Muslims, all 1.8 billion. We had conspired with Kim Jong-un. Who … [Read more...] about 1.8 BILLION VILLAINS
The ‘Code Talkers,’ Once More, With Respect (Updated)
(Update: Scroll to bottom to view video on Roy Hawthorne, a Navajo code talker.) In 1982, President Ronald Reagan gave Native American “Code Talkers” a Certificate of Recognition and declared August 14 “Navajo Code Talkers Day.” In 1990, President George H. W. Bush declared the month of November as National American Indian Heritage Month, honoring Native Americans. … [Read more...] about The ‘Code Talkers,’ Once More, With Respect (Updated)
Trump in a Nutshell
Chris Cillizza describes Donald Trump very well on cnn.com. What explains Trump's decision to provoke Pelosi and Schumer in advance of the meeting? Some of Trump's allies will insist that he is playing a strategic game that people like me are just too dumb to see. That by forcing Democrats to walk away from the table, Trump will improve his party's leverage. Or … [Read more...] about Trump in a Nutshell
The Oil Information Cartel is (Finally) Broken
by Keith Schaefer A determined James Stafford of OilPrice.com just busted wide open an oil industry information cartel that has existed for decades. Most investors look at WTI and Brent prices at Bloomberg or CME Futures, and figure the oil price is in the public domain. You would be about 2% correct, because there are hundreds of different grades of oil, and hubs where … [Read more...] about The Oil Information Cartel is (Finally) Broken
Matt Lauer FIRED from NBC Over ‘Inappropriate Sexual Behavior in the Workplace’
"Today" hosts Savannah Guthrie (L) and Hoda Kotb announce the termination of former co-host Matt Lauer (Nov. 29, 2017) *The #MeToo movement has now come for Matt Lauer. The "Today" host was fired from NBC News after an employee filed a complaint about "inappropriate sexual behavior in the workplace," the network announced Wednesday. A shaken Savannah… … [Read more...] about Matt Lauer FIRED from NBC Over ‘Inappropriate Sexual Behavior in the Workplace’
‘Three Billboards outside Ebbing, Missouri,’ Compelling, Introspective
Length: 1h 55m Rating: R, for violence, language, and sexual references. Score: 4.5/5 Three Billboards outside Ebbing, Missouri is a compelling, exciting and introspective film. It captures the struggles of loss, finding hope when all seems hopeless and doing it when the odds are stacked against you. We follow the story of Mildred Hayes, played by the talented Frances … [Read more...] about ‘Three Billboards outside Ebbing, Missouri,’ Compelling, Introspective