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The eclipse of Boris Johnson and Nicola Sturgeon, following Jeremy Corbyn, represents a successful restoration for the British establishment after years of populist challenge. This observation has, in the hands of the British press, quickly acquired the force of banality. The Economist welcomes a ‘great moderation’. Andrew Marr is even more emphatic: ‘Parliamentary democracy is […]

I realize that many people are probably sick of hearing about Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis now that he’s fallen in the polls and looks less like a real threat to win the nomination. He’s an unpleasant person and it’s vaguely uncomfortable to even read about him which is no doubt why his slide has invited what seems like dozens of new entrants into the race. They all now think they could be in second place in case Trump trips on the golf course and breaks a hip. It’s still quite early in the process and DeSantis has a lot of money and is, by all accounts, putting together a serious campaign so it’s too early to write him off. But there’s no need to dwell on his candidacy quite as much now that he’s lost his luster. But I think it’s probably a good idea to continue to keep and eye on him regardless of his presidential ambitions. Of all the candidates, he best represents the next generation of GOP leaders and his political philosophy is something quite new for the Republican party. It’s not the conservatism that dominated the GOP since the 1950s but neither is it Trumpism, to the extent that such a thing even exists without Trump.

It's not just Doctor Who and Blade Runner. Titan Comics does Jimi Hendrix as well in a new graphic novel based on Purple Haze.

Hedge fund of GOP mogul who funded luxury trip is trying to kill financial regs.

On this week’s MVC, a discussion about corporate competition in a ’90s kids movie.

John Eastman’s disbarment proceedings “Hundreds of ordinary people have been convicted of attacking the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, yet not one member of Trump’s inner circle of coup-plotters has faced real accountability for it,” Greg Sargent writes this morning in the Washington Post. That may soon change for attorney John Eastman who pleaded the Fifth Amendment over 100 times during questioning by House Jan. 6 committee. Accountability for Eastman remains professional, for now. He faces disbarment in California: Eastman faces 11 charges from the California State Bar, most concerning his lawyerly lies about election fraud. Importantly, the bar also accused Eastman of advising Vice President Mike Pence that a fabricated legal rationale empowered him to reverse or delay the presidential electoral count in Congress. “No reasonable attorney with expertise in constitutional or election law would conclude that Pence was legally authorized to take the actions that respondent proposed,” the bar states in its charges. It adds that Eastman knew those actions would violate the law and the Constitution.

. Interessante Diskussion, nicht zuletzt Adam Tooze’s Beitrag.

Multinational tech giants Microsoft, IBM, Cisco Systems, and Dell Technologies are complicit in Israel's human rights violations, enabling surveillance, data collection, and control over Palestinians in the occupied territories.

The post Israeli Occupation: How Microsoft, IBM, Cisco and Dell Enable Surveillance and Control in Palestine appeared first on MintPress News.

Following a series of investigations by The Bureau of Investigative Journalism and Vice World News, the Horticultural Committee heard testimony from individuals who have spent time working on the farms

On May 16th 2022 I wrote an article on who would win and lose from the Ukraine war. Summarizing, the big loser was obviously Ukraine. Even if they “win” they’ve lost millions of population who are never coming back and odds are they’re going to lose a chunk of their country on top of that.

Europe loses because of the economic effects: industry fleeing Europe to the US. They get some increased unity, but in a world where Europe is already in decline, this is a loss.

Russia I said would be about a draw: they’ll get some land, but Sweden and Finland joining NATO and the EU firmly set in place as US satrapies isn’t good for them.

The US—, well, I’ll quote myself.

The airline-backed amendment to radically alter pilot training requirements is opposed by pilot and flight attendant unions.

The post Kyrsten Sinema Moves to Slash Pilot Training After Taking Airline Cash appeared first on The Intercept.

Is staying out of jail easy, too? Because this animation popped up first thing, and because former U.S. Ambassador to Russia, Michael McFaul, saw fit to retweet it, I decided to read Fred Kaplan’s Slate column about Donald “I alone can fix it” Trump’s boast that he could end the Ukraine war “in one day.” Kaplan writes of the conspirator-in chief: His one term in the White House should have disabused him of this notion. The fact that he still believes in his unique talents as a deal-maker—after his bargaining tactics with China, Russia, North Korea, and Iran accomplished nothing or worse—suggests he is incapable of seeing the world as it is, or at least of learning any lessons from it. One anecdote alone is worth your time. After George H.W. Bush was elected president in 1988, Trump lobbied to become his Russia negotiator on strategic nuclear arms. Bush’s aides had a good laugh. Instead, Bush chose a seasoned diplomat, Ambassador Richard Burt, and later: Around 1990, when Burt was beginning a new round of Soviet–American nuclear arms talks, he ran into Trump at a reception in New York.

This week, President Macron is convening the Summit for a New Global Financing Pact in Paris in response to the increasing financial pressures on global south countries. The global financial system has long been unfit for purpose and has been found desperately wanting in the face of the multiple, intersecting crises over the last few […]

The media focus on the deaths of Americans and Europeans at the expense of other nations fuels resentment, and lays bare the dysfunctional economics of modern journalism

“Justice Alito defended himself in a pre-emptive article in the opinion pages of The Wall Street Journal before the news organization ProPublica posted its account of a luxury fishing trip in 2008. His response comes as the justices face mounting scrutiny over their ethical obligations to report gifts and to recuse themselves from cases involving their benefactors.” — New York Times

The insinuation that I could be swayed to change my decisions in an influential court case by gifts is outrageous. Are little presents welcome and appreciated? Of course. But they are unnecessary, and most gifts will barely sway my opinion, if at all. No pressure either way, but household goods do make me feel especially partisan. If you insist on buying me something in anticipation of a ruling on your case, please refer to the Justice Registry.

In today's BCTV Daily Dispatch: Always Sunny, AEW, Gen V, SNL, TWD: Daryl Dixon, Elon Musk/Mark Zuckerberg, Strange New Worlds, and more!

[ This is a crosspost from my professional blog at Software Freedom Conservancy (SFC). I encourage you to use that copy of the post as the canonical linkage for this essay — I crossposted here merely for posterity and to reach a wider audience. ]