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Trump 2.0 might as well use bombs and arson If citizens feel whipsawed by the contradictions and backpedaling by Trump 2.0 policy malfeasance, it is hardly surprising. It’s not just the obvious intention to privatize government services things ought to be public (and not-for-profit), it’s the threat those privatizing efforts pose to “Americans’ health, safety, and economic security,” writes Heather Cox Richardson. Social Security is a perennial target for the right, and is once again. Trump 2.0 will sabotage it, collapse it, then argue that Republican dysfunction by design is reason to kill it: In another blockbuster story that dropped yesterday, the Social Security Administration announced it will begin to withhold 100% of a person’s Social Security benefits if they are overpaid, even if the overpayment is not their fault. Under President Joe Biden the agency had changed the policy to recover overpayments at 10% of monthly benefits or $10, whichever was greater.
Wall Street corrupts an affordable housing program, hopeful parents lose embryos, dangers lurk in your pantry, and more from The Lever this week.
Trump welcomes Putin, abandons liberal democracy Donald Trump’s Oval Office ambush of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (with a strong assist from J.D. Vance) was embarrassing and shocking in perhaps equal proportions. The convicted felon now occupying the White House got there with the approval of not even half of American voters (and only 64 percent of them) and with a little help from a “friend” of his and an enemy of democracy: Russian president Vladimir Putin. Trump immediately set about surrendering U.S. leadership in the post-WWII order. He has in fact already dismantled it. As obsessed as Mr. America First is with winning, the real winner of the 2024 presidential elections was Putin, writes Franklin Foer in The Atlantic. The Oval Office shouting match was a fist-pump moment for Putin signifying his “ultimate victory,” the moment when “the United States, became his most powerful ally.” Except Foer’s conclusion is only true if one accepts (as the felon-who-would-be-king does) that Trump is the state. The other half of U.S. voters would strenuously disagree.
In Brandon Cronenberg’s Infinity Pool (2023), author James Foster (Alexander SkarsgÃ¥rd) is holidaying with his partner Em (Cleopatra Coleman) on the island of Li Tolqa, when he hits and kills a local man while driving back to his resort at night. The next day he is arrested by the authorities and told that the penalty […]
For those of us who would like to see a revival of the ‘techno-critical’ tradition in public debate (the tradition of Marshall McLuhan, Jacques Ellul, Neil Postman and Langdon Winner, inter many alia), it is a cause of some irritation that the hegemonic view of technology remains the ‘instrumental’ one.
Using lessons learned defending abortion, some providers are digging in to serve their trans patients despite legal attacks.
The post How to Keep Providing Gender-Affirming Care Despite Anti-Trans Attacks appeared first on The Intercept.
What does concern me about my discipline, however, is that its current core — by which I mainly mean the so-called dynamic stochastic general equilibrium approach — has become so mesmerized with its own internal logic that it has begun to confuse the precision it has achieved about its own world with the precision that […]
“He wants to reduce the value of the dollar… in order to make American exports more competitive and imports into the United States more expensive. At the same time he wants to maintain the hegemony of the dollar.” Yanis Varoufakis explains the secret behind Trump’s tariff strategy, and his new obsession with cryptocurrency. This interview […]
The post Trump’s tariff chaos explained – TIMES RADIO appeared first on Yanis Varoufakis.
The post 0 Percent Chance appeared first on The Perry Bible Fellowship.
Heard about the restaurant on the Moon? Great food…no atmosphere. Yeah, I know. You rolled out of your crib in hysterics the first time you heard that one. But let’s face it – “atmosphere” is essential; not just for breathing, but for setting a mood. I’ve curated a noir mixtape that is all about atmosphere; 20 songs evoking dark alleys, rain-slicked streets, low-rent rooms, beautiful losers, and broken dreams. In other words, this ain’t no party, this ain’t no disco. Besides …everyone knows tough guys don’t dance. BARRY ADAMSON: The Man With the Golden Arm – Prolific, genre-hopping UK musician-composer-producer Barry Adamson’s brilliant 1988 arrangement of the theme from Otto Preminger’s eponymous 1955 noir is a tad down-tempo compared to the film version (written by Elmer Bernstein and originally performed by Richard Maltby & His Orchestra), but nonetheless compelling. STAN RIDGWAY: Drive, She Said – Harry Chapin’s “Taxi” meets Edgar G. Ulmer’s Detour in this cinematic cabby’s tale from the former Wall of Voodoo lead singer.
Mediaite reports on the latest GOP 2028 tea: When President Donald Trump sat down for an interview with Fox News last month, anchor Bret Baier asked what should have been a softball question: “Do you view Vice President JD Vance as your successor, the Republican nominee in 2028?” Trump’s response was glaring. “No, but he’s very capable,” the president said matter-of-factly. “I mean, I don’t think that it, you know, I think you have a lot of very capable people. So far, I think he’s doing a fantastic job. It’s too early, we’re just starting.” Well! That’s quite a denial. However, according to Mediaite, people around Trump weren’t surprised because he’s really grooming his number one son, Don Jr to run. Yes, you read that right. Three high-level sources told Mediaite that Donald Trump Jr., the eldest son and an omnipresent MAGA evangelist across the internet, is seriously considering a run for president in 2028.
A PROPOSAL for an 80-dwelling apartment complex at 69-73 Ocean Pd, Coffs Harbour has been declared a State Significant Development (SSD), potentially fast-tracking its delivery. It is proposed that all existing structures on the site, including the Ocean Park Motel and Holiday Apartments, would be demolished to make way for two seven storey residential flat...
The post Ocean Parade development declared State Significant appeared first on News Of The Area.
RITCHIES IGA + Liquor Boambee has taken out the Innovation Award at the 2025 NSW and ACT IGA Awards of Excellence, on the back of a recent overhaul of the store. The awards were held on Friday 28 February 2025, hosted by journalist Deborah Knight. Advertise with News of The Area today. It’s worth it...
The post Ritchies IGA Boambee takes out innovation award appeared first on News Of The Area.
FORESTRY Corporation of NSW (FCNSW) has been fined a total of $30,000 by the NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA) for failing to protect critical habitat in Conglomerate State Forest near Coffs Harbour. The EPA alleges that FCNSW cut down two hollow-bearing trees in 2023 that were required to be retained, and that a pre-harvest habitat...
The post Forestry Corporation fined $30,000 for logging breaches appeared first on News Of The Area.
THE much-loved Emerald Beach Fair marks its 20th anniversary this year. The milestone has fuelled the enthusiasm of organisers who are planning for Saturday 7 June, to be an unforgettable day of live entertainment, market stalls, delicious local food, and fun. Advertise with News of The Area today. It’s worth it for your business. Message...
The post Community favourite Emerald Beach Fair planning its 20th anniversary appeared first on News Of The Area.
A couple of weeks back, I wrote a post about some of the work that USAID did. Now I’d like to drill down a bit and talk about some of the work that I personally did for USAID. This runs a bit long, because this sort of thing is all about context. But if you’re […]
Instead of outrage, the school’s interim president responded to the cuts by vowing to continue its misguided crackdown.
The post Columbia Bent Over Backward to Appease Right-Wing, Pro-Israel Attacks — And Trump Still Cut Federal Funding appeared first on The Intercept.