Political Scientist Rachel Bitecover: The first time I posted about the harsh reality of America’s collapsing democracy, it seemed like many folks were genuinely surprised to see that America is not actually the Greatest Democracy on Earth. According to the democracy index compiled by the EIU and published annually by The Economist, America is actually a “flawed” democracy. The United States was downgraded from “full” to “flawed” democracy after half of America handed the keys to the White House to a wannabe dictator-con man who immediately began to roll back civil liberties and ignore the rule of law. That’s why the very second I saw the topic Steve Levitsky’s and Daniel Ziblatt’s latest book, Tyranny of the Minority I knew I had to get them onto the show.
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We all heterodox economists who have chosen the road ‘less traveled by’ know that this choice comes at a price. Fewer opportunities to secure ample research funding or positions at prestigious institutes or universities. Nevertheless, I believe that very few of us regret our choices. One doesn’t bargain with one’s conscience. No amount of money […]
The mass release and shooting of pheasants trashes our ecosystems – and our humanity. By George Monbiot, published in the Guardian 6th October 2023 It’s one of the bluntest expressions of class power in the United Kingdom. Like all expressions of class power, it has become normalised until we treat it as a fixed fact […]
While Israel is so far militarily dominant over its neighbors and captive population, it is losing the battle for public opinion in the West. As Alan Maclead reports, it has taken to Twitter's Community Notes function, hoping to turn the tide.
The post Propaganda War: Pro-Israel Trolls Are Mobbing Twitter’s Community Notes appeared first on MintPress News.
It’s only straight talk when the press doesn’t do it Sen. John McCain dubbed his campaign bus the “Straight Talk Express” during his 2000 presidential run. Voters claim to prefer straight talk to mealy-mouthed answers from their politicians. Donald Trump, the MAGA cult claims, “tells it like it is.” “He’s outspoken. Other candidates wouldn’t tell you how it is, but he does.” – Betty Tully, August 2015 But straight talk is in the eye of the beholder. Straight talk from popular Fox News celebrities consists of xenophobia, homophobia, transphobia, and branding anyone to the left of Germany’s WWII dictator as hating America. Shy about being branded the enemy of the people, the straight press often shuns straight talk. Maybe that’s one of the many reasons the news business is in such a slump. The press danced around calling Trump’s lies lies for years. When finally they began, of course, and whenever he didn’t like his coverage, Trump declared them the enemy of the people and invited his cult to hurl invective at reporters. Voters are fickle about what they consider straight talk.
Thanks very much to everyone who braved the elements to come and see me in Banbury, Stamford, Pocklington, Liverpool and Otley last week. Your dedication is to be much admired. This week I’m mainly in Wales – in Caerphilly on Thursday and Crickhowell in the Brecon Beacons on Friday. There are a few tickets left…
Sometimes the right wing in this country seems like a riddle wrapped in an enigma encased in a conundrum. Do they want to strengthen the government in line with the once-fringe doctrine of the “unitary executive,” concentrating most official power in the hands of a president who would then rule more or less by fiat? That’s the fascist position. Or would they prefer to destroy the government, to “starve the beast,” something anti-tax activist Grover Norquist used to call for decades ago? “I don’t want to abolish government,” he declared. “I simply want to reduce it to the size where I can drag it into the bathroom and drown it in the bathtub.” That’s the anti-government nihilist position. You might... Read more
Source: Republican Contradictions appeared first on TomDispatch.com.
Loki director Kate Herron & Briony Redman (Pont Brec) have co-written a Doctor Who episode for Ncuti Gatwa's new series; new #WhoSpy image
Trump vs. Cohen today Donald John Trump won’t be armed and he won’t be standing in the middle of Fifth Avenue when he and his former fixer Michael Cohen meet today at the former president’s state fraud trial in Manhattan. Trump plans to be there, mug-shot glare at the ready (The Guardian): “I look forward to the reunion,” Cohen, once Trump’s lawyer, said. “I hope Donald does as well.” Now in its fourth week, Trump, his adult sons and their family business have been found liable for inflating the value of Trump’s assets to routinely and repeatedly deceive banks, insurers and others. Judge Arthur Engoron is using the hearings to decide on punishment, which could include a huge fine and probably means the dissolution of the Trump’s New York property empire. Over a dozen witnesses, many former Trump Organization employees, have testified in the trial so far. But Cohen’s testimony is seen as crucial to the case. Trump has a schedule full of court cases, indictments, and a lengthy list of complaints about how unfairly he’s being treated.
The MVC team unpacks the monetary policy allegory baked into The Wizard of Oz.
Lying to a court is a crime with a prison sentence. Lying to Parliament can lead to a temporary suspension.
Dear viewers,
At our news network, we have received a number of complaints about our current political coverage. Some of you have insisted that we are sacrificing our journalistic integrity for views. That could not be further from the truth. We believe that in order to stay fair and balanced, we must give equal airtime to the incumbent Democrat and the guy who wants everyone to drink their own piss.
We are not alone—nearly every other network has also speculated that this race will come down to the wire. And sure, technically, that prediction has yet to come true in any way. But if we say it enough, it might! As journalists, it is our job to treat all your options with equal weight: keeping your current president, or drinking a Slurpee-sized cup of your own urine every morning.
As for the nation’s most hotly contested Senate race, we aim to show our audience the benefits of both sides: the sitting Democratic senator, and the innovative challenger who wants to replace all music with chalkboard-scratching sounds. We understand voters have an incredibly difficult decision to make.
Policy based access
First, let's start with the most exciting part of the updates. The dedicated team working on Policy-Based Access has successfully completed the work. Kristiaan Van den Eynde has been a pleasure to work with and has always been very responsive. Here is Kristiaan's own update:
The Access Policy API is ready to be committed and was integrated into core with zero test fails. It will revolutionize how contribution access modules are able to interact with the access layer.
While we wait for core maintainers to have a thorough look at it, we still have budget left to follow up on the merge requests until completion
The core committer team is already informed, so it’s just a question of waiting and, if necessary, responding to any reviews.
JSON FTW
We have received an extensive update from Brad, which I’ll reproduce next.
In today's BCTV Daily Dispatch: Frasier, Good Omens 3, Stranger Things 5, Doctor Who, Squid Game, Fallout, Star Trek: Lower Decks, and more!
In September this year, the largest unitary local authority in Europe effectively declared bankruptcy. Birmingham Council, which serves over a million people, issued a Section 114 notice on 5 September, meaning it can’t fund its forecast spending for the next twelve months. The consequences for the residents of England’s second city are dire — the council […]
On 8 September, the Department for Transport unveiled a minor funding programme for green public transport. It came with a claim that the government is cementing the UK’s position as ‘a world leader’ in ‘climate resilience’, and that the Conservative Party’s measures are ‘helping us keep our transport network resilient into the future’. What Transport […]
When it comes to the limits of Labour’s ambitions for economic change, it is hard to know where to begin. In just a few weeks leading up to the Labour conference, the party has backtracked on three fundamentals that once underpinned its programme: green industrial investment, reforms to workers’ rights, and tax justice. In all […]
When it comes to the limits of Labour’s ambitions for economic change, it is hard to know where to begin. In just a few weeks leading up to the Labour conference, the party has backtracked on three fundamentals that once underpinned its programme: green industrial investment, reforms to workers’ rights, and tax justice. In all […]
It is no longer radical to acknowledge that nothing works in the UK. In a land of failing public services, industrial conflict, escalating poverty, and generalised social breakdown, the phrase ‘broken Britain’ sounds like something of a cliché. Members of the financial press have suggested, with no hint of irony, that the UK bears all […]
Earlier this summer it was announced that Hakim Adi, Britain’s leading historian of Pan-Africanism, modern African political history, and the African diaspora, was to be made redundant by the University of Chichester. At the same time, the university also announced plans to suspend all recruitment to his groundbreaking master’s by research (MRes) course. The move […]