Reading

Trump’s executive orders, Musk’s power grabs, dismantling institutions faster than anyone can track, attacking science, knowledge and international cooperative bodies and allies are all part of the authoritarian playbook. I’ve also grouped the actions in a table to illustrate this. 2 books (How Democracies die, The Road to Unfreedom) highlight key steps to erode democracy:Undermine independent institutionsWeaken the oppositionDismantle social protectionsRetreat from international alliancesWeaponise nationalismUndermine scienceUndermine free elections (inc misinfo) ** Almost all of the actions Trump has taken over the last three weeks map directly onto those steps. ** This is from Prof Christina Pagel, @chrischirp.bsky.social. More here. It’s pretty amazing to see it laid out like this isn’t it?

“We've got them literally on the run, which hadn't happened up until now. Foot soldiers and corporals and captains, et cetera always thought that they could keep on vacationing in Europe and other exotic places, and they can't do that anymore.” Haroon Raza, HRF

The post Pariah State: Israeli Soldiers Face Arrests and Travel Bans Worldwide appeared first on MintPress News.

Trump isn’t scaling back foreign intervention—he’s just dropping the pretense, using direct political pressure and military aid to reshape Lebanon’s future.

The post Trump’s Lebanon Agenda Is Regime Change on Fast-Forward appeared first on MintPress News.

In a tweet announcing his attack on the Climate Justice Alliance, EPA head Lee Zeldin linked it to the group’s protected speech about Palestine.

The post Trump’s EPA Kills Grant to Climate Nonprofit Over Its Support for Palestine appeared first on The Intercept.

Lathaniel, thou knowest how I crave thy touch. Many a night—and morn, and afternoon!—have I lain enfolded in thine arms, as thou tendered thy lips upon my ivory throat and plundered my crevices with thy capable, veiny fingers. But there is a matter we must discuss.

Lathaniel. You have to stop ripping my bodices.

Yes, thou didst detect a switch to the cold, formal “you”! For I am wroth, Lathaniel! Thou hast destroyed ALL OF MY BODICES with thy heedless ham-hands.

Am I flattered by thy haste? Forsooth. I am not made of stone. But, good lord, man. I must wear something. Have some self-restraint.

Surely, thou canst sate thy lusts upon mine person without turning every garment I own into confetti? I look upon my shredded silks and weep, Lathaniel! My bosom heaves with anguish. And what shall support it? Not my bodices!

Sabotaging the government came later

EXCLUSIVE: The Home Office confirms that Walney, who was appointed by Boris Johnson, will now leave Government

The bullies who beat and mocked me in eighth grade were cruel and stupid. They despised intelligence and worshipped violence, although they would settle for athletic ability. The school blessed their thuggery by scheduling dodgeball. It was good preparation for Viet Nam, the country where I expected to be blown apart if I managed to […]

The post Far from the bullying crowd appeared first on Jeffrey Zeldman Presents.

Donald Trump: And your point is? It’s not unlike the plot of that Die Hard movie where thieves keep police busy hunting for a bomb in a school while the they rob a federal gold depository. The Musk-Trump cabal has simply started firing federal law enforcement and robbing banks. Both robberies take place in New York City. Forbes: New York City officials alleged Wednesday the Federal Emergency Management Agency revoked $80 million in grants from the city’s accounts amid a feud with the Trump administration over the city’s use of federal funds to house migrants—a move the city’s comptroller called “illegal” and “highway robbery.” “Revoked” is a polite term for “stole.” Associated Press: Gone is a $59 million grant that the administration challenged earlier in the week and another award for $21.5 million, City Comptroller Brad Lander said. The money was discovered to be missing overnight, and Lander said no one in his office had been aware that the federal government had access to the city’s bank account. Lander is a candidate for mayor.

ON THE MEDIUM OF ARTISTIC PRESENCE

THE ACCEPTANCE OF PERSONA

Every artist expresses persona. For performers, the public face is inside the art. The work of Charlie Chaplin, Billie Holiday, Ana Mendieta, or Jimi Hendrix cannot be separated from the undeniable power of persona.

For artists who send their work into the world, persona may be less apparent. Writers, painters, and composers will have little relationship to an exterior self unless they actively choose to engage it. Such private-minded artists may find the very subject of persona to be taboo, distasteful, and cringeworthy. They might bristle and scoff at the possibility that they, too, have constructed and worn masks for many years.

An official report found Black police officers are much more likely to be subject to internal misconduct investigations than their white counterparts

Doctor Who showrunner Russell T. Davies returns to drama with Tip Toe, a spiritual sequel to Queer as Folk but set in darker current times.

Our love is like the USS Scorpion…
The initial construction was reasonable, but regular maintenance was refused until negligence distilled an inescapable nightmare.

Our love is like the Titan submersible…
It was constructed upon premises that we were warned repeatedly would not go the distance, prompting concern from both professionals and those closest to us.

Our love is like the narco-submarines built deep in the jungle…
No one can know about us, baby. We have to stay under the radar. We were never designed to ascend to great depths but instead to remain superficial. This vessel is not built for comfort; it is a vehicle of misery. Also, I’m doing cocaine.

Our love is like the K-141 Kursk…
Our enemies were so curious that they expended great effort to dig up and examine the wreckage, hoping to find something they could use against us.

‘You can kiss a girl?’ Four women recall the joy and vulnerability of first-time queer attraction in this charming animation

- by Psyche Film

Watch at Psyche

In order to bridge the yawning gulf between the humanities and the sciences we must turn to an unexpected field: mathematics

- by Gordon Gillespie

Read at Aeon

“What he’s done is testing the limits of his power in a way we have never seen in this country,” says retired federal Judge Nancy Gertner.

The post Constitutional Crisis Looms appeared first on The Intercept.

Bad news for coffee lovers: you’re going to be paying more for your morning brew in 2025. Brazil and Vietnam are the world’s largest coffee producers, and both are forecasting lower production volumes this year. Brazil, which is the world’s largest producer of Arabica coffee, experienced the worst drought in seventy years in 2024. Drier […]

Rachel Reeves is looking in the 'wrong direction' for stimulating growth in the UK, argues Labour Councillor Salman Shaheen

The media has been full of incredibly dubious claims that young people want to be ruled by a dictatorship. The reality is very different, argues Natasha Devon

The notion that disabled people are scroungers and benefit cheats is almost permission to further abuse against them, Penny Pepper writes

Musk has emerged as Trump’s far-right-hand man, creating some awkwardness for the president’s Democratic foes.

The post Democrats Swear They’ll Fight Elon Musk. But What About the Cash They Took From SpaceX? appeared first on The Intercept.