At one of the busiest intersections in Kathmandu, business is good for 64-year-old Nucche Khadka. He says he’s been working this spot for 40 years, selling crackers, candy and cigarettes. A steady stream of customers buy cigarette boxes decorated with grotesque pictures of cancerous lungs, meant to warn customers of the danger of their contents. But… … [Read more...] about Nepal’s air pollution threatens humans and glaciers
Thoughts on Florida’s first congressman of Arab descent (Guest Voice)
Thoughts on Florida's first congressman of Arab descent by Jordon Cooper Charlie Crist is the first congressman of Arab descent in Florida history. He was one of my inspirations to go to law school and practice law. He is one of the handful of Wake Forest Demon Deacon football players to go to law school and I’m one of the few South Carolina Gamecock football players to … [Read more...] about Thoughts on Florida’s first congressman of Arab descent (Guest Voice)
Trump Boosts Cable’s Fortunes
Trump Boosts Cable's Fortunes By Peter Funt During the campaign, Donald Trump famously conceded that he gets much of his information about world affairs from "the shows." Incredibly, the impact made on Trump's thinking by what he sees on television is even more profound now that he's the leader of the free world. One example was a gem: Trump made a direct appeal to his … [Read more...] about Trump Boosts Cable’s Fortunes
Cartoon: SURELY IN SYRIA
I am glad to see Donald Trump strike against the people who killed the people that he would never allow into our country. What puzzles me though is how he was moved by the Syrian gas attack to the point that he launches 59 Tomahawk missiles at a Syrian runway, yet he wasn’t moved by a much worse gas attack in 2013. Basically a president shouldn’t get involved in Syria unless … [Read more...] about Cartoon: SURELY IN SYRIA
Lawfare: Trump’s Collusion with Russia
Jordan Brunner, et al argue that Donald Trump absolutely colluded with Russia's hack of the election on Lawfareblog.com. There is, in fact, copious evidence of at least tacit collaboration between the Russians and the Trump campaign, collaboration in which Trump personally participated on multiple occasions. But we have collectively discounted this cooperation for two … [Read more...] about Lawfare: Trump’s Collusion with Russia
Such A Lot of Gore
Endings are always contained in beginnings: Senate Confirms Gorsuch as Supreme Court Justice New York Times WASHINGTON — Judge Neil M. Gorsuch was confirmed by the Senate on Friday to become the 113th justice of the Supreme Court, capping a political brawl that lasted for more than a year and tested constitutional norms inside the Capitol's fraying upper chamber.... … [Read more...] about Such A Lot of Gore
Nuclear Options
How strange but fitting that the U.S. Senate uses the nuclear option of ultimate annhiliation as metaphor for repealing the filibuster on Supeme Court nominations. After all, the appointment of a judge to the nation’s highest court for a lifetime is the most consequential selection entrusted to the Senate. Because 60 votes are needed to end a filibuster, in effect the same … [Read more...] about Nuclear Options
President Trump’s Brilliant Move in Syria
President Donald Trump made a brilliant move when he ordered the U.S. military to make a missile attack on the Shayrat airfield in Syria's Homs province. First, in his explanation of his order, President Trump highlights Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad's latest victims: "Using a deadly nerve agent, Assad choked out the lives of helpless men, women and children. It was a … [Read more...] about President Trump’s Brilliant Move in Syria
Russia Scandal Update: Is Jared Kushner Stupid, Greedy Or Both?
In January 2013, nearly four years before the Russia scandal began eating away at the Trump presidency, future Trump campaign foreign policy advisor Carter Page, by his own admission, met with Evgeny Buryakov, a Russian spy working undercover as an executive in the New York office of Vnesheconombank, a development bank with close ties to Russian intelligence services. In … [Read more...] about Russia Scandal Update: Is Jared Kushner Stupid, Greedy Or Both?
Lack of political will stands in the way of bringing Assad to court
Why hasn’t the international community taken Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to court? Is it lack of evidence? No, says Ben Taub of The New Yorker. It's simply a lack to political will. “There is already a pile of evidence,” Taub explains. For example, in 2011, a group of former war crimes investigators formed the Commission for… … [Read more...] about Lack of political will stands in the way of bringing Assad to court
Cartoon: Syrian Pest Control
Seventy-Fifth Anniversary of the Bataan Death March
This weekend marks the 75th anniversary of the infamous Bataan Death March, one of the most harrowing chapters in the history of the U.S. military and one of World War II’s greatest atrocities. An atrocity where tens of thousands of American and Filipino troops were forced to make a tortuous 65-mile march to Japanese prison camps, suffering “an ordeal of unparalleled … [Read more...] about Seventy-Fifth Anniversary of the Bataan Death March
Trump orders airstrikes against Assad airbase in Syria
By Phil Stewart and Steve Holland WASHINGTON/PALM BEACH, Fla. (Reuters) - U.S President Donald Trump said on Thursday he ordered missile strikes against a Syrian airfield from which a deadly chemical weapons attack was launched, declaring he acted in America's "national security interest" against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. U.S. officials said the military fired … [Read more...] about Trump orders airstrikes against Assad airbase in Syria
Nuclear Option Tragic But Inevitable – For Whichever Party Controlled The Senate
To paraphrase the saying, “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times,” when it comes to the matter of Senate Republicans nuking the filibuster of Supreme Court nominees, it shouldn’t have been done, but it had to be done. It was inevitable and, given the hyper-partisanship in Congress, that would have held true for whichever party held control. West Virginia … [Read more...] about Nuclear Option Tragic But Inevitable – For Whichever Party Controlled The Senate
Dear Democrats: What is sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander.
Dear Democrats: What is sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander. That is the lesson to be learned from the decision by Senate Republicans to "go nuclear" when it comes to the confirmation of nominees to the U.S. Supreme Court. From CBS News: "Senate Republicans successfully invoked the so-called “nuclear option” Thursday, eliminating the filibuster for Supreme Court … [Read more...] about Dear Democrats: What is sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander.
Brazil: A Corrupt State
With the focus on Trump and his associates in the American press, there is a democracy even more corrupt that receives little attention. In fact, Brazil makes the U.S. seem clean by comparison. A relatively young democracy that emerged from a military dictatorship in 1985, it is the world’s fifth largest nation in population and land mass. Corruption is endemic here, involving … [Read more...] about Brazil: A Corrupt State
Trump axes Bannon from National Security Countil
By Steve Holland and John Walcott WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump removed his chief strategist Steve Bannon from the National Security Council on Wednesday, reversing his controversial decision early this year to give a political adviser an unprecedented role in security discussions. Trump's overhaul of the NSC, confirmed by a White House official, also … [Read more...] about Trump axes Bannon from National Security Countil
Why the president lies (Guest Editorial)
The following editorial appeared in the Los Angeles Times on Tuesday, April 4: ——— Donald Trump did not invent the lie and is not even its master. Lies have oozed out of the White House for more than two centuries and out of politicians' mouths — out of all people's mouths — likely as long as… … [Read more...] about Why the president lies (Guest Editorial)
A Young Muslim American Woman’s Success Story in the Time of Trump
A few days after Donald Trump was elected to be the 45th U.S. president, I wrote an article titled “What Parents Are Telling Their Daughters after the Election.” The article described how so many fathers and mothers were racking their brains and digging “deep into their psyche trying to explain to their sons and daughters ‘How America selected a racist, sexist bully’ as our … [Read more...] about A Young Muslim American Woman’s Success Story in the Time of Trump
Senators mourn traditions they are blowing up
WASHINGTON -- It was half past noon Monday when Chuck Grassley, the genial chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, asked for a show of hands: Did senators debating the Neil Gorsuch nomination to the Supreme Court want to break for lunch? Sen. Al Franken, D-Minn., interjected with a parliamentary inquiry: “Could the majority cater this lunch?” Sen. John … [Read more...] about Senators mourn traditions they are blowing up