A predawn op in Latin America? The US has been here before, but the seizure of Venezuela’s Maduro is still unprecedented
A motorcycle rides past graffiti depicting Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in Caracas on Jan. 3, 2026. Juan Barreto/AFP via Getty Images Alan McPherson, Temple University In the dead of night during the holidays, the United States launched an operation inside a Latin American country, intent on seizing its leader on the pretext that he … [Read more...] about A predawn op in Latin America? The US has been here before, but the seizure of Venezuela’s Maduro is still unprecedented
A case for a universal basic income
Headlines and pundits bemoan forthcoming job losses due to corporate adoption of “artificial intelligence.”* Forget that for a moment, because household name corporations are killing jobs in real time. In Lexington, NE, a town of about 11,000, Tyson Foods has announced it is closing its 35-year-old meat packing plant this month and is laying off 3,200 workers. On the east … [Read more...] about A case for a universal basic income
Trump’s attacks on Minnesota reek of hypocrisy and retribution
Let’s be clear: President Joe Biden’s DOJ began investigating $250 million in Covid-era fraud in Minnesota in 2022. During the pandemic. The current media, pundit and MAGA hysteria over possible fraud in day care facilities was triggered by a influencer* video that CBS news has been unable to corroborate. President Donald Trump could care less about fraud, based on his … [Read more...] about Trump’s attacks on Minnesota reek of hypocrisy and retribution
HAPPY POLITICAL NEW YEAR
CBS News has been rendered worthless by a MAGA handmaiden
I intend here to discuss MAGA handmaiden Bari Weiss, the CBS News assassin, and to suggest ways we can combat corporate media corruption. But first I need to share a story from my rookie stint in journalism. You’ll see why. In 1975, while covering the cops in New London, Connecticut, I got a tip the boys in blue had screwed up. The first paragraph of my subsequent piece … [Read more...] about CBS News has been rendered worthless by a MAGA handmaiden
Yes, but … an opinion essay in The Hill is stingy with facts
In arguing that Congress has treated President DJ Trump differently than his predecessors when it comes to "war" efforts, an essay in The Hill claims that President Harry Truman's support for UN action in South Korea in 1950 had no declaration of war from Congress. (True.) He then immediately claims that Truman's actions created a “'Korean precedent' for unilateral presidential … [Read more...] about Yes, but … an opinion essay in The Hill is stingy with facts
MOST TRANSPARENT PRESIDENT IN AMERICAN HISTORY
Inside the North Carolina GOP’s Decade-Long Push to Seize Power From the State’s Democratic Governors
Inside the North Carolina GOP’s Decade-Long Push to Seize Power From the State’s Democratic Governors In November 2024, Democrat Josh Stein scored an emphatic victory in the race to become North Carolina’s governor, drubbing his Republican opponent by almost 15 percentage points. His honeymoon didn’t last long, however. Two weeks after his win, the North Carolina … [Read more...] about Inside the North Carolina GOP’s Decade-Long Push to Seize Power From the State’s Democratic Governors
Deepfakes leveled up in 2025 — here’s what’s coming next
AI image and video generators now produce fully lifelike content. AI-generated image by Siwei Lyu using Google Gemini 3 Siwei Lyu, University at Buffalo Over the course of 2025, deepfakes improved dramatically. AI-generated faces, voices and full-body performances that mimic real people increased in quality far beyond what even many experts … [Read more...] about Deepfakes leveled up in 2025 — here’s what’s coming next
NO RETURNS
TRUMP’S NAME IS ON EVERYTHING
Who thinks Republicans will suffer in the 2026 midterms? Republican members of Congress
House Speaker Mike Johnson will have to defend a narrow majority in the 2026 elections. A near-record number of retiring Republicans won’t make that task easier. J. Scott Applewhite/AP Charlie Hunt, Boise State University The midterm elections for Congress won’t take place until November, but already a record number of members have declared … [Read more...] about Who thinks Republicans will suffer in the 2026 midterms? Republican members of Congress
Where is the peace and understanding?
As I sang carols with others at the Edmonds Lutheran Church Christmas Eve service, I wondered how it came to be that Lutherans sing the same carols that I sang as a child in a Methodist church in southwest Georgia. And why these annual calls for peace seem to fall on deaf ears around the world. “Well,” I thought, “this was the break-away protestant church. Maybe Lutherans … [Read more...] about Where is the peace and understanding?
CBS 60 MINUTES PULLS SEGMENT
Common Sense Taxes
America is in deep financial trouble. Our national debt is about $37-38 trillion currently and growing with our annual budget deficits. Expenditures by the federal government consistently exceed income, which generally is 15-20 percent of our GDP. (GDP for 2025 is estimated at $30.5 trillion.) Mandatory expenditures which include Social Security and Medicare also encompasses … [Read more...] about Common Sense Taxes
REMATCH
by Kim Mooney In my whole life, I have never felt such sleep-deprived, lip-biting, arm-twisting political tension in my country. The other side is not just wrong, but fatally dangerous. Many people feel that we’re being manipulated to stay hateful and divided. It’s exhausting. Every year there’s a confetti flood of articles about how to survive your stress or grief or … [Read more...] about REMATCH
Did Marjorie Taylor Greene just cause Hell to freeze over?
Did Marjorie Taylor Greene just cause Hell to freeze over? By "Hell" I don't mean a community in Michigan. I mean Satan's residence. An old saying goes like this: Hell will freeze over before ___________________ does __________. Considering her political track record, it appeared to this blogger that Hell would freeze over before Marjorie Taylor Greene would agree with … [Read more...] about Did Marjorie Taylor Greene just cause Hell to freeze over?
It’s the John F. Kennedy Center. Period.
The things we learn due to President Trump's ego. Congress created the John F. Kennedy Center in 1964 as a "living memorial" to President Kennedy after his assassination in 1963. It was authorized in 1958 as the National Cultural Center. As a public-private partnership, it is a “semi-independent non-profit organization.” Did you know that? I didn't until Trump's antics on … [Read more...] about It’s the John F. Kennedy Center. Period.
The chilling delusions of European Union elites
The powerful 27-nation European Union’s controlling elites are foundering in a self-destructive nervous breakdown as their fear drives them deeper into the Eurasian quagmire of Ukraine’s crumbling fight against implacable Russian invaders. Here is a disaster unfolding despite the EU’s undeniable assets for peaceful living. The group has 450 million people, a nearly $20 … [Read more...] about The chilling delusions of European Union elites