Reading

Say it ain’t so! It looks like the hard right ideologue is making some big bucks for destroying America. nice work if you can get it. Heidi Pyzbla in Politico has an article entitled Dark money and special deals: How Leonard Leo and his friends benefited from his judicial activism: The Federalist Society co-chairman’s lifestyle took a lavish turn after he became Donald Trump’s adviser on judicial nominations. It should be shocking but really, at this point, it’s not. They’re all a bunch of crooks. These people aren’t getting rich from writing books or giving speeches or even sinecures on corporate boards. They’re getting rich because they have corrupted government in favor of the wealthy and their special causes: A network of political non-profits formed by judicial activist Leonard Leo moved at least $43 million to a new firm he is leading, raising questions about how his conservative legal movement is funded.

The Biden administration is appearing to endorse Israel's escalations against Iran — a move that would necessitate U.S. involvement in a new Middle East conflict no one wants.

The post Hawkish Israel Is Pulling U.S. Into War With Iran appeared first on The Intercept.

“The Supreme Court’s conservative majority seemed deeply skeptical on Tuesday of the legality of the Biden administration’s plan to wipe out more than $400 billion in student debt, heightening the prospect that the justices would thwart efforts to forgive the loans of tens of millions of borrowers.” — New York Times

Mr. Chief Justice and may it please the court,

As I stand before you today, I need to make one thing absolutely clear: I’m a realist. I call things as I see them. And I just have to ask—how can we afford to bail out student loan borrowers when we can barely afford to bail out Citigroup, Bank of America, AIG, Bear Stearns, the entire airline industry, General Motors, Chrysler, Freddie Mac, Fannie Mae, Savings & Loan, Morgan Stanley, Wells Fargo, and then the entire airline industry for a second time? I just don’t see how we can swing it.

After a catastrophic year of war, there is talk of a negotiated peace in Ukraine. But those suggesting that it should be explored are often instantly slapped down. Familiar rhetoric is deployed. A negotiated peace is supposedly impossible – or dishonourable. For instance, the Australian retired Major General Mick Ryan told Saturday Extra (RN 17 Continue reading »

Following yet another Israeli Settler killing spree and the “annexation of the West Bank”, Israel is now a “formal, full-fledged apartheid regime”, writes leading Isreali newspaper Ha’aretz. Sunday’s attack on the Palestinian town of Huwarra was the most violent of such settler attacks in decades. Located near Nablus in the Occupied Palestinian Territory of the Continue reading »

Soon after the Albanese government was elected, new Home Affairs Minister Clare O’Neil startlingly declared Australia’s migration system was “in a state of disrepair.” More recently she continued her criticism saying: “Australia’s migration system is broken. It is unstrategic. It is complex, expensive, and slow. It is not delivering for business, for migrants, or for our Continue reading »

Federal member for Franklin, Labor’s Julie Collins, is the Minister for Housing and Homelessness. Her current plans to fix the housing crisis look like putting a Band-aid on a broken leg. And breaking the other leg for good measure. Call me old-fashioned, but you can’t fix problems unless you identify the causes – both immediate Continue reading »

I sit in Hanoi, Vietnam, a friend’s 10th floor unit, from which the lights of the city gyrate before me. My mind wanders, ponders many things, my formative years having been enmeshed with the events of this country. Amid this booming, bustling city, the capital of a country whose economy is growing at a phenomenal Continue reading »

As China leaves its zero-covid policy behind and reopens to the world, its policy focus has shifted to driving economic growth and re-engagement with key economies. In Australia’s case, the resumption of Ministerial dialogues, and increased diplomatic and departmental engagement, are combining to create a more positive foundation for constructive commercial activity. While the consequences Continue reading »

Surveys reveal concerns that Aukus won’t make Australia safer, while fears grow of ‘secretive policymaking and little government accountability’. Some observers have also questioned the high cost of Aukus to taxpayers, suggesting there are other, less expensive ways to ‘deter China’. Is Australia becoming “more dependent” on the United States following the signing of the Continue reading »

Ett företag inom svensk skola har bland annat använt skolpeng för att köpa en våffelstuga i Åre, visar SVT Nyheters granskning. I skolkoncernen Watma har 20 miljoner kronor i koncernbidrag gått från utbildningsverksamhet till moderbolaget under de senaste tre åren. Av summan har 2,8 miljoner därefter gått vidare till dotterbolaget Nordic Leisure, pengar som sedermera […]

The post Doctor Who Magazine 588 appeared first on Doctor Who Magazine.

In the 18 years since they took control of Manchester United, the Glazer family have become a byword for cynicism. In 2005, Malcolm Glazer completed a leveraged buyout of the club, saddling it with hundreds of millions of pounds in debt and eye-watering interest payments. There was fierce opposition to the takeover from supporters, many […]

Jamee Moudud discusses the circular relationship of law, politics, and economics.

He’s Nixon There is some new polling out this week on the nascent Republican primary which shows that former president Donald Trump has gotten a little bump in the last month or so. An Emerson poll shows Trump leading Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, 55% to 25%, while the Yahoo News/YouGov poll shows him over DeSantis, 47%-39%. DeSantis had been leading Trump by 4 points last month. The GOP polling firm Echelon Insights, meanwhile, has Trump at 46% and DeSantis 31% and the big kahuna, Fox News, has Trump over the Florida governor, 43%-28%. It would appear that at the moment that despite all the DeSantis hype, Trump is still the favorite among GOP primary voters. To further illustrate that point, here’s a classic moment this week from Fox News, which is clearly trying to push DeSantis’ candidacy: It’s still not obvious to the GOP establishment, which includes the right-wing media, even after all this time that their voters really do like Donald Trump. Some obviously like him more than others. The “Always Trumpers” appear to make up about 30% of the party, a substantial bloc.

They did not They got Roe repealed. It took 50 years but they did it. Don’t think they’re any more ok with marriage equality: Nearly eight years after the Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage and several months after Congress codified gay nuptials, Iowa lawmakers proposed banning such unions in their state constitution. “In accordance with the laws of nature and nature’s God, the state of Iowa recognizes the definition of marriage to be the solemnized union between one human biological male and one human biological female,” the joint resolution, introduced Tuesday by eight Republican members of the Iowa House of Representatives, states.  If the measure becomes law, it would conflict with the Supreme Court’s 2015 landmark decision to legalize same-sex marriage nationwide, Obergefell v. Hodges, coupled with Congress’ bipartisan passage of the Respect for Marriage Act late last year. Therefore, it is unclear that such a law could be enforceable, as federal law and the federal Constitution take precedence over state law. Iowa Rep.

Echoing America’s failure in Vietnam, a new inspector general report found the U.S. built an Afghan army dependent on outside support.

The post The U.S. Set Up the Afghan Army to Fail appeared first on The Intercept.

Raskin would never call them Banana Republicans Incivility is a reflex among MAGA Republicans, as are gun-toting implicit threats of violence and, as on January 6, the real deal. The GOP’s sneering use of Democrat Party has such a long history that at this point I wince whenever Democrats occasionally refer the the Democrat Party. Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) decided to school Republican colleague Lauren Boebert on her use of it. The Associated Press reports that this old Republican shibboleth is “on the rise”: Purposely mispronouncing the formal name of the Democratic Party and equating it with political ideas that are not democratic goes beyond mere incivility, said Vanessa Beasley, an associate professor of communications at Vanderbilt University who studies presidential rhetoric. She said creating short-hand descriptions of people or groups is a way to dehumanize them. Nothing new about that, even if branding the left pedophiles to dehumanize them is. For any young-uns reading this, Lawrence B.

The FDA’s proposed labeling requirement is facing backlash from processed food companies claiming the rule limits their free speech.

The post Fruity Pebbles and Lucky Charms Threaten to Block “Healthy” Food Labeling Guidelines in Court appeared first on The Intercept.

Cisco turned from innovation to financialization, weakening the position of the US information-and-communication-technology industry

The Prime Minister has repeatedly delayed the release of his financial statements, originally promised last year, reports Adam Bienkov

In today’s world, it can be difficult to find inspiring figures to look up to, especially in a time of division and uncertainty. Fortunately, there are still individuals like Margaret Flowers who embody the ideals of progress, justice, and compassion. Margaret Flowers is a leading activist, doctor, teacher, and co-founder of PopularResistance.org, a website that […]

The post Defending The Venezuelan Embassy, Organizing Peace for Ukraine with Margaret Flowers appeared first on MintPress News.