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Clarence Thomas told a documentarian that he and Ginni are jes folks who like to vacation in an RV and hang around in Walmart parking lots. Lol: Dahlia Lithwick and Mark Stern have thoughts about this: ProPublica’s scrupulously reported new piece on Justice Clarence Thomas’ decadeslong luxury travel on the dime of a single GOP megadonor will probably not shock you at all. Sure, the dollar amounts spent are astronomical, and of course the justice failed to report any of it, and of course the megadonor insists that he and Thomas are dear old friends, so of course the superyacht and the flights on the Bombardier Global 5000 jet and the resorts are all perfectly benign. So while the details are shocking, the pattern here is hardly a new one. This is a longstanding ethics loophole that has been exploited by parties with political interests in cases before the court to curry favor in exchange for astonishing junkets and perks. It is allowed to happen.
After 53 years in captivity, she has a chance at a better life.
The post The Story of a Lonely Orca appeared first on Nautilus.
With Joe Biden nowhere to be found, China’s diplomacy set the stage for Saudi concessions and cease-fire talks.
The post To Help End the Yemen War, All China Had to Do Was Be Reasonable appeared first on The Intercept.
It isn’t the first time the right has denied elected representatives their seat. When they have the power they have no compunction about doing it. And it looks like we’re going to see more of it. Jeff Greenfield writes: In the fevered nationalism of World War I, Congress refused to seat Socialist Victor Berger after he won a seat in 1918. He ran again in 1919 and won again, and Congress again refused to seat him. At the same time, the New York State Assembly expelled all five Socialists on general grounds of “disloyalty.” The mood of the time was captured by the Assembly speaker, who thundered: “We are building by our action today a granite bulwark against all traitors within the boundaries of our republic. Our flag of the republic is whipping the breeze in defiance of enemies from without.” A few decades later, a similar attempt to ban an elected legislator was rebuffed. Julian Bond, a key civil rights leader, had been elected to the Georgia House; but in 1966, the legislature voted by an overwhelming margin not to seat him on the grounds that he had opposed the war in Vietnam and expressed sympathy for draft resisters.
It is all but finalised. Australia has handcuffed itself, essentially in perpetuity, to the United States. As a result, Australia’s future is inextricably intertwined with the future of the United States. One of the first steps in any military planning activity is to conduct an ‘own troops’ analysis, to identify the strengths and weaknesses of Continue reading »
The Trump Administration created and marketed the “CHINA THREAT” to the world. We, in the West fell for it hook, line and sinker. In truth, “we” represent only 15% of the world’s population, those of us in the White World of US, UK, EU, and Australia. The other 85% which includes China, India, Southeast Asia, Continue reading »
Australia is an advanced parliamentary democracy, but the Prime Minister and cabinet members decide whether Australia is to go to war. Parliament is like the ghost of Cinderella with no formal voice in it. This is a historical hangover, a part of the “royal prerogative,” passed on from the monarch to the government of the Continue reading »
In Asian Media this week: Japan crucial to deterring invasion. Plus: China says war would be defensive; Rahul Gandhi connects Modi and Adani; Next to Putin, Xi stands tall; Indonesia woos Tesla for EV plan; Asians reject hectoring Western politicians. The thinking about a Chinese invasion at high levels in Taiwan’s military is more subtle Continue reading »
Noel Pearson on the Voice; survey finds we still love Albo, but we don’t trust him; and time to throw out your gas cooktop. Read on for the weekly roundup of links to articles, reports, podcasts and other media on current political and economic issues in public policy. Politics Noel Pearson and Bridget Archer on Continue reading »
On matters of war and defence, government executives and journo elites are exclusive and elusive. They’re all too happy that peace is a fleeting pause between wars; to replenish ammunitions, the pockets of arms manufacturers and the ego of America. Like rockstars called on tour they trash the hotel room, take advantage of their fan Continue reading »
The United States demands that the world bow down to its leadership. A failure to do so is met with the full force of the international military-industrial complex controlled by the US. Imagine the uproar if China or Russia—or any other country for that matter—said it aimed to exercise military control over land, sea, air, Continue reading »
~ Today's Water Cooler: 🌡️ We are at 371 donors. 371 donors / goal of 375 = 98.93%. So there's still time to move the needle on that last 0.07%! ~
The DeSantis-Disney battle continues Desantis’ swagger is so exaggerated it’s a wonder he doesn’t fall over on his stacked heel boots: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Thursday promised a new round of action against Disney in his ongoing dispute with the entertainment giant, including looking at the taxes on Disney’s hotels and imposing tolls on roads that serve its theme parks. The DeSantis administration is also examining if a recent agreement approved between a Central Florida board that had been controlled by Disney and the company runs afoul of the state’s growth laws, according to senior administration officials. One of those laws explicitly states that development agreements must be modified or revoked to comply with laws even if the law is passed after the agreement was executed. “They are not superior to the people of Florida,” DeSantis said during an evening appearance at Hillsdale College, the conservative liberal arts college in Michigan. “So come hell or high water we’re going to make sure that policy of Florida carries the day. And so they can keep trying to do things.
The Indonesian government's refusal to host the Israeli team as part of the Under-20 World Cup highlights the hypocrisy of Western human rights activists, argues Dr. Ramzy Baroud.
The post The Price of Solidarity: Palestine, Indonesia and the Entitlement of Western “Human Rights” Activism appeared first on MintPress News.
Okay, fine. You caught me. Congrats on catching the real Easter Bunny in the act. Yeah, I’m real. As real as Santa Claus. You know what else is real? My hatred of Santa Claus. Seriously, screw that guy. Like his job is any harder than my job. You know how long it takes to hide two dozen eggs? How much creativity? What I do is much more complicated than throwing a bunch of presents under a tree.
But please continue to regale me with tales of wonder about Santa and his elves, the hundreds of talented elves making and wrapping the toys for Santa, happily taking care of all of the details that make Christmas so… Christmas-y. Such a plentiful support staff. And every last one of them is abso-fucking-lutely delighted to make Santa’s job easier. None even entertain wishes or dreams of their own. Nope, they’re just there for Santa. What else could they even want? So don’t think for a moment that they’re being exploited, that they’re an indentured workforce, trapped in a frozen wasteland, working off a debt they know they’ll never fully repay. Don’t think that because it’s probably not true. Only maybe I’ve heard some shit. From very reliable sources.
Reminding everyone all the time how he used to be [a bad] Director of Public Prosecutions may not have been the smart tactic Keir Starmer’s vile exploitation of child abuse victims to attack Rishi Sunak exploded in Starmer’s face today. Last night Labour posted a graphic claiming Sunak doesn’t care about protecting abused children or […]
For as long as I can remember, Democrats have been on the defensive about enacting their agenda because it was assumed that it would engender a backlash among “the silent majority,” as former president Richard Nixon called it, or what modern Republicans call “Real America.” Reacting to the counter-culture of the 1960s and the massive social changes it engendered, the left wing of the Democratic Party was always admonished by the centrist and conservative wings not to go too far or too fast. The media even blithely asserted that “America is a conservative country” as if it were an act of God. This article of faith hobbled progress for a very long time and empowered the Reagan Revolution through the Tea Party and Donald Trump’s MAGA movement. Nobody ever seemed to consider that enabling the right wing to become more and more extreme over the course of many years might engender a backlash of its own. It appears as if that time may have finally come — and it’s clear the Republican establishment doesn’t know what to do about it. The question is whether the Democratic establishment does either.
In a bonus podcast segment for supporting subscribers, the progressive lawmaker reveals the day-to-day impact of corporate money in Congress.
The fight is heating up — but wins for workers won’t come easy.
The post The Teamsters and the UAW Gear Up for Struggle appeared first on The Intercept.
Emboldened by Benjamin Netanyahu’s government, religious ideologues attacked one of the few spots of Palestinian control in the city.
The post Israeli Settlers Move on the Holiest Site in Jerusalem — Setting Off a New Crisis appeared first on The Intercept.
Despite Tennessee saying, Hold my beer While the world’s attention focused on Tennessee yesterday, the NC GOP took advantage of its new House majority (that’s another story) to pull draft bills out of drawers meant to attack disfavored minorities the way Tennessee legislators expelled two Black members on Thursday. ABC 11 Raleigh: North Carolina Republican lawmakers filed several bills aimed at regulating transgender youth especially when it comes to participation in sports. These bills are similar to ones GOP lawmakers pushed a couple years ago. While those bills failed, Republicans are hopeful their new supermajority — achieved by getting Mecklenburg Democratic Rep. Tricia Cotham to switch parties — will be able to force the bills through. There are two bills in the legislatures that would ban transgender athletes in some way. Legislation in the house and senate would require all sports teams be designated as male, female or co-ed based on their biological sex at birth. It’s what the NC GOP does when attention is diverted or when SCOTUS lets them.