Money Is Not Wealth

On the eve of USA's November 2008 national election, an urgent proposal for an unsecured $700-Billion, maybe $800-Billion loan to mismanaged banks and stockbrokers was generating understandable controversy. In its initial form the Bush Buddies Bailout was one more Weapon of Mass Deception, a (later, a two-step) public welfare program for wealthy people who game the system. But the problem remains.

What, exactly, went - and continues to go - wrong? What ARE reasonable goals, what are NOT, and how might a more populist government reach good ones?

The more we read, the more we realize that - as much as we want our money back - that is only one of many ways our country is becoming impoverished. Often by corporations, which most definitely are NOT people! (For one thing, these rapacious corporations have no shame.)

Never waste the opportunities offered by a good crisis.
- Niccolo Machiavelli (Fifteenth Cent. Florentine writer and statesman)

Yes, as through this world I've wandered,
I've seen lots of funny men;
Some will rob you with a six-gun,
And some with a fountain pen.

And as through your life you travel,
Yes, as through your life you roam,
You won't never see an outlaw
Drive a family from their home.

What is the robbing of a bank compared to the founding of a bank?
- Bertolt Brecht

Too many of us now tend to worship self-indulgence and consumption. Human identity is no longer defined by what one does, but by what one owns. But we’ve discovered that owning things and consuming things does not satisfy our longing for meaning.
- Jimmy Carter (1979, as U.S. President)

It is not particularly easy for one to climb up out of the working-class - especially if he is handicapped by the possession of ideals and illusions.
- What Life Means to Me, by Jack London (1905)

... peace was not in the interest of a stable society, that even if lasting peace "could be achieved, it would almost certainly not be in the best interests of society to achieve it." War was a part of the economy. Therefore, it was necessary to conceive a state of war for a stable economy. The government, the group theorized, would not exist without war, and nation states existed in order to wage war. War served the vital function of diverting collective aggression. They recommended "credible substitutes" and paying a "blood price" to emulate the economic functions of war. Prospective government-devised alternatives to war included reports of alien life-forms, the reintroduction of a "euphemized form" of slavery "consistent with modern technology and political processes", and - one deemed particularly promising in gaining the attention of the malleable masses - the threat of "gross pollution of the environment".
- Wikipedia's summary of The Report From Iron Mountain (1967)

Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed. This world in arms is not spending money alone. It is spending the sweat of its laborers, the genius of its scientists, the hopes of its children. This is not a way of life at all in any true sense. Under the clouds of war, it is humanity hanging on a cross of iron.
- U.S. President Dwight Eisenhower (April 16, 1953)

There is nothing which I dread so much as a division of the republic into two great parties, each arranged under its leader, and concerting measures in opposition to each other. This, in my humble apprehension, is to be dreaded as the greatest political evil under our Constitution.
- John Adams, letter to Jonathan Jackson (2 October 1780), The Works of John Adams, vol 9, p.511.

I see in the near future a crisis approaching that unnerves me and causes me to tremble for the safety of my country. As a result of war, corporations have been enthroned and an era of corruption in high places will follow, and the money power of the country will endeavor to prolong its reign by working upon the prejudices of the people until all wealth is aggregated in a few hands, and the Republic is destroyed. I feel at this moment more anxiety for the safety of my country than ever before, even in the midst of war. God grant that my suspicions may prove groundless.
      -- President Abraham Lincoln (1864 letter to William Fletcher Elkin), or faked in Caldwell Remedy Company pamphlet (May 10, 1888), or...
         <http://abrahamlincolnassociation.org/Newsletters/1-1.pdf> (pp. 4-6)
        <https://americanmissive.com/2009/03/20/did-abraham-lincoln-say-that/>

What is this you call property? It cannot be the earth. For the land is our mother, nourishing all her children, beasts, birds, fish, and all men. The woods, the streams, everything on it belongs to everybody and is for the use of all. How can one man say it belongs to him only?
- Massasoit

Only when the last tree has been cut down, only when the last river has been poisoned, only when the last fish has been caught, only then will you realize your money cannot be eaten.
- an old Cree saying? Maybe not; but good.

The liberty of a democracy is not safe if the people tolerate the growth of private power to a point where it becomes stronger than their democratic state itself. That, in its essence, is fascism.
- U.S. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, 1938

Train communities through all their grades, beginning with individuals and ending there again, to rule themselves.
- Walt Whitman

NEW: Corporate Surveillance in Everyday Life (Institute for Critical Digital Culture, 2018)
"Every click on a website and every swipe on a smartphone may trigger a wide variety of hidden
data sharing mechanisms distributed across several companies and, as a result, directly affect a
person’s available choices. Digital tracking and profiling, in combination with personalization,
are not only used to monitor, but also to influence peoples’ behavior. ...
"Facebook uses at least 52,000 personal attributes to sort and categorize its 1.9 billion users by,
for example, their political views, ethnicity, and income. In order to do so, the platform
analyzes their posts, likes, shares, friends, photos, movements, and many other kinds of behaviors.
"In addition, Facebook acquires data on its users from other companies. In 2013, the platform
began its partnership with the four data brokers Acxiom, Epsilon, Datalogix and BlueKai, the latter
two of which were subsequently acquired by the IT giant Oracle. These companies help Facebook track
and profile its users even better than it already does by providing it with data collected from
beyond its platform."

NEW: Losing my religion for equality (Jimmy Carter, 2009)
"The truth is that male religious leaders have had - and still have - an option to interpret holy teachings either to exalt or subjugate women. They have, for their own selfish ends, overwhelmingly chosen the latter. Their continuing choice provides the foundation or justification for much of the pervasive persecution and abuse of women throughout the world. This is in clear violation not just of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights but also the teachings of Jesus Christ, the Apostle Paul, Moses and the prophets, Muhammad, and founders of other great religions - all of whom have called for proper and equitable treatment of all the children of God."

NEW: The Gerasimov Doctrine (Politico, 2017)
"It’s Russia’s new chaos theory of political warfare. And it’s probably being used on you."

NEW: "Who am I? Why am I here?" (#25thAmendmentNow)
"A running thread of Trump not knowing where he is, how he got there, or the appropriate response to give in the moment."

NEW: "Who am I? Why am I here?" (#25thAmendmentNow)
"A running thread of Trump not knowing where he is, how he got there, or the appropriate response to give in the moment. Some mental health professionals are concerned that he may be exhibiting signs of Alzheimer's, but he might just be an idiot."

NEW: The Hamilton 68 Dashboard tracks Russian influence operations on Twitter. (Hosted by the Alliance for Securing Democracy.)

NEW: CONGRESSIONAL SCORECARD; Congressional Civil Liberties Record in the Trump Era ACLU, 2018)

NEW: "The Suffocation of Democracy", by Christopher R. Browning (New York Review Of Books, October 13, 2018)
"If the US has someone whom historians will look back on as the gravedigger of American democracy, it is Mitch McConnell. He stoked the hyperpolarization of American politics to make the Obama presidency as dysfunctional and paralyzed as he possibly could. As with parliamentary gridlock in Weimar, congressional gridlock in the US has diminished respect for democratic norms, allowing McConnell to trample them even more. Nowhere is this vicious circle clearer than in the obliteration of traditional precedents concerning judicial appointments.
Trump’s personal flaws and his tactic of appealing to a narrow base while energizing Democrats and alienating independents may lead to precisely that rare wave election needed to provide a congressional check on the administration as well as the capture of enough state governorships and legislatures to begin reversing current trends in gerrymandering and voter suppression. The elections of 2018 and 2020 will be vital in testing how far the electoral system has deteriorated.
Alongside the erosion of an independent judiciary as a check on executive power, other hallmarks of illiberal democracy are the neutralization of a free press and the steady diminution of basic human rights. On these issues, often described as the guardrails of democracy against authoritarian encroachment, the Trump administration either has won or seems poised to win significant gains for illiberalism. Upon his appointment as chancellor, Hitler immediately created a new Ministry of People’s Enlightenment and Propaganda under Joseph Goebbels, who remained one of his closest political advisers. In Trump’s presidency, those functions have effectively been privatized in the form of Fox News and Sean Hannity. The highly critical free media not only provide no effective check on Trump’s ability to be a serial liar without political penalty; on the contrary, they provide yet another enemy around which to mobilize the grievances and resentments of his base. A free press does not have to be repressed when it can be rendered irrelevant and even exploited for political gain.

NEW: She Votes (NPR's special SERIES on women and the vote, October 20, 2018)

NEW: Murder and Extremism in the United States in 2017 (ADL Center on Extremism, February 27, 2018)
"Over the past 10 years (2008-17), domestic extremists have been responsible for at least 387 murders; of these, 274 (71%) were committed by right-wing extremists of one type or another."

Pertinent Posts

Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke to Leave His Job (Wall Street Journal, December 15, 2018)
"Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke, who has been the subject of more than a dozen government investigations, will leave his position by the end of the year, President Trump said Saturday, adding to the list of top officials to exit the administration."
Trump is toast: This week really was the beginning of the end for the President (NY Daily News, December 14,2018)
Quoting 'The Lorax,' Court Pulls Permit For Pipeline Crossing Appalachian Trail (National Public Radio, December 14, 2018)
"This conclusion is particularly informed by the Forest Service's serious environmental concerns that were suddenly, and mysteriously, assuaged in time to meet a private pipeline company's deadlines. 'I think what happened here is for years the Forest Service was asking tough questions about this project and requesting additional information and it turned on a dime when the Trump administration came into power.' - Patrick Hunter, a lawyer with the Southern Environmental Law Center. The court concluded that the Forest Service's decisions violated both the National Forest Management Act and the National Environmental Policy Act, and found the Forest Service lacked the authority to grant the pipeline a right of way across the Appalachian Trail."
Federal judge in Texas strikes down Affordable Care Act (Daily KOS, December 14, 2018)
"U.S. District Judge Reed O’Connor in Fort Worth agreed with a coalition of Republican states led by Texas that he had to eviscerate the Affordable Care Act, the signature health-care overhaul by President Barack Obama, after Congress last year zeroed out a key provision -- the tax penalty for not complying with the requirement to buy insurance. Texas and an alliance of 19 states argued to the judge that they’ve been harmed by an increase in the number of people on state-supported insurance rolls. They claimed that when Congress repealed the tax penalty last year, it eliminated the U.S. Supreme Court’s rationale for finding the ACA constitutional in 2012. The decision [was stalled from February to after November elections, to the closing days of enrollment in many States, and] is almost certain to be appealed all the way to the Supreme Court."
Exclusive: Paul Manafort advised White House on how to attack and discredit investigation of President Trump (Vox, December 14, 2018)
We now have details as to how the indicted former campaign manager worked with the president to undermine federal law enforcement.
Bomb threat at Framingham DPW, several threats across Massachusetts (MetroWest Daily News, December 13, 2018)
"Police have also confirm e-mailed bomb threats to the Opera House in downtown Boston; businesses in Hingham and Braintree; and Cross Point in Lowell."
Gun deaths in US reach highest level in nearly 40 years, CDC data reveal (CNN, December 13, 2018)
Russian Maria Butina pleads guilty in case to forge Kremlin bond with U.S. conservatives (Washington Post, December 13, 2018)
Pelosi says she expects a House committee will ‘take the first steps’ toward obtaining Trump’s tax returns (Washington Post, December 13, 2018)
In Michigan, Wisconsin and elsewhere, losers seek to undermine election results (Los Angeles Times, December 13, 2018)
"In Congress, GOP leaders have echoed President Trump and sought to undermine the legitimacy of Democrats’ strong midterm performance, raising unsubstantiated allegations of fraud and political malfeasance."
Senate rebukes Trump, Saudis over Khashoggi’s death with Yemen vote (Washington Post, December 13, 2018)
"Lawmakers voted to end U.S. military involvement in Yemen, expressing outrage and frustration with the president's refusal to condemn Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi despite the CIA’s finding that Mohammed likely is responsible."
Trump's former friends flip as he faces a new reality (CNN, December 13, 2018)
"His former fixer has now been sentenced to prison and his tabloid friend's company landed an immunity deal. Trump separately admitted that his campaign did have interactions with Russians, which, even if it is the 'peanut stuff' he claims, is an important shift from the blanket denials he had made previously. The threads - hush money for claims of affairs and interactions with Russians - are becoming impossible to keep separate. But the pattern is clear: Schemes Trump repeatedly denied were hatched to help him get elected keep being proved true, and former friends and members of his inner circle keep heading to jail."
Trump claims ‘money we save’ from trade deal means ‘Mexico is paying’ for border wall (Washington Post, December 13, 2018)
"The president’s argument in a morning tweet comes amid renewed criticism that he has abandoned his campaign promise to make Mexico pay for the wall."
Senate votes to overturn Trump donor disclosure rule (Politico, December 12, 2018)
"The Senate passed legislation Wednesday to reverse a Trump administration policy limiting donor disclosure requirements for political nonprofits in a rare rebuke to the White House."
Trump Moves to Deport Vietnam War Refugees (The Atlantic, December 12, 2018)
"The White House again wants to expel certain groups of protected immigrants, a reversal after backing away from the policy months ago."
Trump: Proud to shut down government over wall (CNN, December 11, 2018)
"President Trump met with Democratic leaders Sen. Chuck Schumer and Rep. Nancy Pelosi amid talk over border security and funding the government."
Trump says he ‘never directed’ Cohen to break the law with hush money paid to women (Washington Post, December 13, 2018)
"President Trump said that Michael Cohen, his former personal lawyer, pleaded guilty to charges related to the payments 'in order to embarrass the president.'"
Trump says he is not concerned about being impeached, defends payments to women (Reuters, December 11, 2018)
"'It’s hard to impeach somebody who hasn’t done anything wrong and who’s created the greatest economy in the history of our country,' Trump told Reuters in an Oval Office interview. 'I’m not concerned, no. I think that the people would revolt if that happened,' he said."
China-U.S. trade war will get a lot more personal (Reuters, December 11, 2018)
"American executives who prayed for a trade war truce are a disappointed lot. Following the arrest of China telco Huawei’s chief financial officer in Canada, they’ve been sent to the front lines. Meng Wanzhou could be the first big casualty of American extraterritorial force. The United States alleges the Huawei executive violated its sanctions on Iran. Whether she did or not, arresting the daughter of the telco’s iconic founder Ren Zhengfei fires a loud shot across China Inc.’s bow. Ditto for the October extradition of a Chinese intelligence agent from Belgium to face U.S. industrial espionage charges."
Supervisors OK 19,000-home development at Tejon Ranch (Los Angeles Times, December 11, 2018)
"The Centennial development has pitted environmental groups, which argue it will destroy an important natural habitat and worsen greenhouse gas emissions as residents commute by car to faraway cities, against a private landowner and some local residents who say it will bring badly needed housing and services to the region.
The vote on the project also comes on the heels of catastrophic wildfires that tore through the communities of Paradise, Calif., and Malibu, raising questions about whether homes in the state should continue to be built in fire-prone areas near wildland. All of the Centennial project site would sit within 'high' and 'very high' fire hazard severity zones as identified by state fire officials."
‘It’s now or never’: Trump’s moment of truth on border wall (Washington Post, December 11, 2018)
"President Trump has wielded calls for a wall along the southern border as a political cudgel, a bargaining chip and a rallying cry. Now, with time running out to build it, the wall is threatening to be a drag on his presidency."
44 former senators urge Senate to defend democracy as Mueller probe intensifies (MSNBC, December 10, 2018)
"In a letter published in the Washington Post, 44 former U.S. Senators write to current and future members, urging them to 'be steadfast and zealous guardians of our democracy' as the Mueller probe intensifies."
Laurence Tribe: Trump can be indicted for federal crimes (MSNBC, December 10, 2018)
"Trump might think that he has immunity from prosecution, but Laurence Tribe explains there's nothing in the Constitution that prevents the indictment of a sitting president."
A devastating report details a ‘monumental’ assault on science at the Department of the Interior (Los Angeles Times, December 10, 2018)
"Among the up-is-down, night-is-day practices of the Trump administration, one of the most dangerous and disturbing is its habit of turning America’s leading science agencies into hives of anti-science policy-making. A new report lays out how this has produced a 'monumental disaster' for science at the Department of the Interior. The report by the Union of Concerned Scientists details how Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke and his minions have in the space of two years turned Interior from a steward of public lands and natural resources into a front for the mining and oil and gas industries."
Charlottesville victim's death 'was like an explosion,' mom says during James Fields' sentencing hearing (CNN, December 10, 2018)
"Fields, 21, was attending last year's 'Unite the Right' rally in Charlottesville when counterprotesters demonstrated against the white nationalists. That afternoon, Fields got in his Dodge Challenger and plowed into the counterprotesters at about 28 mph, killing Bro's daughter, 32-year-old Heather Heyer."
Plants Are Being Engineered to Earn Their Keep (WhoWhatWhy, December 8, 2018)
"Genetic modification is met with great skepticism for a variety of reasons by a populace wary of messing with nature. Now, some scientists are planning what seems to be a charm offensive - proposing that genetically modified houseplants could work for their owners, even replacing table lamps, and that trees could double as street lights."
It’s safe and emissions free. So why is California in the doldrums around offshore wind? (Los Angeles Times, December 8, 2018)
"Gleaning energy from ocean wind would seem to be a California ideal: It emits no greenhouse gases, has nearly no environmental footprint, and harnesses one of the state’s most powerful and plentiful natural resources. But engineering challenges, regulatory hurdles and concerns about the turbines’ impact on wildlife have, until recently, mucked any forward progress."
Why driving is hard - even for AIs (Ars Technica, December 7, 2018)
"Despite promises of "soon," the infrastructure to support the driverless future isn't there yet."
U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar responds to conservative pastor over Muslim comments: 'You’re gonna have to just deal' (The Hill, December 7, 2018)
The 6 reasons why Huawei gives the US and its allies security nightmares (MIT Technology Review, December 7, 2018)
"The biggest fear is that China could exploit the telecom giant’s gear to wreak havoc in a crisis."
Australia passes new law to thwart strong encryption (Ars Technica, December 6, 2018)
"Apple previously decried Australian efforts: Encryption is simply math."
Many states expanded voting rights at the ballot box in 2018. These states could be next (Daily KOS, December 6, 2018)
"States with policies that encourage voting consistently have some of the highest turnout rates in the country. Every state should adopt reforms that make voting as easy and accessible as possible, so that citizens can exercise the most sacred right in any democracy - the right to vote and shape the very government that governs them."
NEW: Stunning state power grabs expose a GOP uneasy with democracy itself (CNN, December 6, 2018)
"After an election that saw the highest voter turnout for a midterm election in 100 years, we are witnessing an effort to roll back election results in big swing states. In Michigan and Wisconsin, Republicans who control the state legislatures are trying to use year-end 'lame duck' sessions to rein in the governors' power now that Democrats have won those seats.
Make no mistake: This is an end run around the election result. Some folks have called it a 'legislative coup.' It's also a troubling sign of how toxic the situational ethics afflicting our politics has become. Situational ethics are when alleged principles are conveniently forgotten in favor of partisan interests."
Republican officials had early warnings of voting irregularities in North Carolina (Washington Post, December 6, 2018)
"Since reports of irregularities in the 9th District emerged last month, GOP leaders in the state - including Dallas Woodhouse, the state GOP executive director - initially played down concerns that laws were broken. They repeatedly cast the situation in political terms, asserting that any voting irregularities were not widespread enough to change the outcome of the election.
In recent days, amid mounting allegations of a ballot-harvesting operation, state Republicans have shifted their rhetoric. Woodhouse told The Post on Thursday that if the state elections board can 'show a substantial likelihood' that possible fraud could have changed the outcome of November’s vote, 'then we fully would support a new election.'"
NEW: Trump faces subpoenas that could win one lawsuit and launch a thousand others (Daily KOS, December 6, 2018)
"Twenty-eight subpoenas from D.C.’s and Maryland’s attorneys general totaling nearly 500 pages have revealed the outline of what will be a remarkable, first-of-its-kind trial. The attorneys general, joined by Norman Eisen and Deepak Gupta of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), argue that the president is accepting income from foreign and domestic governments via entities in which he has a financial interest, in this case the Trump International Hotel and BLT Prime, the restaurant inside it. That, they say, violates the Constitution’s emoluments clause."
Coal falls to level not seen since 1979, as Trump prepares final effort to bail out failing industry (Daily KOS, December 6, 2018)
"Donald Trump has done everything he can think of to try and make it appear as if he’s “saving coal.” He’s signed a bill to allow more coal waste to be dumped into streams and rivers without remediation. He’s halted a study on the health issues of coal miners and another on the health effects of surface mining on nearby residents. He’s relaxed regulations on emissions from coal power plants, killed the entire Clean Power Plan, opened up new areas of federal land for mining, relaxed emissions standards, and put forward a plan that would simply nullify most federal regulations over coal power plants. He’s disbanded the EPA’s air pollution panel and proposed allowing power plants to send more mercury and heavy metals into the atmosphere. Along with can-you-believe-he’s-still-Secretary of Energy Rick Perry, Trump even tried to use emergency powers not touched since the 1950s to force utility companies to use more coal. That last attempt was stopped at the last minute, because Trump’s own advisers finally convinced him—for the moment at least—that it was both idiotic and illegal."
The U.S. Appetite for Sugar Has Skyrocketed (The Atlantic, December 5, 2018)
"Americans are eating too much of the sweet stuff, and a staggering portion of it is coming from drinks like soda."
What the President Could Do If He Declares a State of Emergency (The Atlantic, December 5, 2018)
"From seizing control of the internet to declaring martial law, President Trump may legally do all kinds of extraordinary things."
'Our leaders are like children,' school strike founder tells climate summit (The Guardian, December 4, 2018)
"Greta Thunberg, 15, told UN summit that students are acting in absence of global leadership."
Repression in the Third World (The Nation, December 4, 2018)
"Obituaries have transformed the terror that Bush inflicted, depicting it as heroism."
George H.W. Bush Shaped History - But Not the Way We’re Told (WhoWhatWhy, December 3, 2018)
"George H.W. Bush and his associates had a profound effect in shaping a power equation - mostly in ways they sought to obscure - that protected and advanced their interests."
In the Blink of an Eye, a Hunt for Oil Threatens Pristine Alaska (New York Times, December 3, 2018)
"For decades, opposition to drilling has left the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge off limits. Now the Trump administration is hurriedly clearing the way for oil exploration."
Paris Is Burning as French Say, ‘Macron, Listen to Us!’ (Daily Beast, December 2, 2018)
"'La catastrophe' has been so extreme and shocking these last two weekends that any flexibility on President Macron’s part will be seen as capitulation to violence."
Putin's Media Roasts Trump: Russia 'Should Spit' on Him and the United States (Daily Beast, December 2, 2018)
Major Fraud by Republicans alleged in North Carolina's 9th District - A do-over election next? (Daily KOS, December 2, 2018)
"Among the allegations is that an individual who worked for the Harris campaign coordinated an effort to collect and fill in, or discard, the ballots of Democratic voters who might have otherwise voted for McCready. Several of the affidavits come from elderly African American voters. It is illegal to take someone else’s ballot, whether to turn it in or discard it. Officials are also examining unusually high numbers of absentee ballots cast in some precincts in the 9th District - and unusually high numbers of ballots requested but never returned."
Despite Big House Losses, G.O.P. Shows No Signs of Course Correction (New York Times, December 2, 2018)
"the party’s leaders are constrained from fully grappling with the damage Mr. Trump inflicted with those voters, because he remains popular with the party’s core supporters and with the conservatives who will dominate the caucus even more in the next Congress. But now a cadre of Republican lawmakers are speaking out and urging party officials to come to terms with why their 23-seat majority unraveled so spectacularly and Democrats gained the most seats they had since 1974."
George H.W. Bush was the accidental catalyst that built the new Republican Party (Washington Post, December 2, 2018)
"The statement in the name of then-President George H.W. Bush was posted quietly in the White House pressroom on the morning of June 26, 1990, but there was nothing innocuous about its contents. It was a political thunderclap, the beginning of the remaking of the Republican Party and part of the unintended legacy of Bush’s presidency. It was a statement designed to jump-start budget talks that had been stalled for months. It did that and more, providing the catalyst that changed the Republican Party into an aggressive and hard-edge brand of conservatism that would hold sway for two decades."
George H.W. Bush, the anti-Trump (Washington Post, December 1, 2018)
AP FACT CHECK: Trump's thin grasp of trade, science policy (Fox News, December 1, 2018)
(Yes, this AP story was published in the Business section of Fox News!)
America Didn’t Always Lock Up Immigrants (New York Times, December 1, 2018)
"How did we move so far away from the notion that detention - and not just family separation and tear-gassing - is inhumane? How did holding more than 40,000 migrants behind bars come to be seen as normal?"
Senate’s lone black Republican blocks Trump judge accused of racial bias (Los Angeles Times, December 1, 2018)
"Farr was plainly unqualified for a lifetime judicial appointment, especially in the Eastern District of North Carolina, where he actively worked to suppress the vote and had ties to a white supremacist group."
Robert Mueller Is No Match for Fox News (New York Times, December 1, 2018)
"The evidence from the special counsel's investigation is already damning, but it must contend with a haze of lies, confusion and 'alternative facts.'"
Mueller Exposes the Culture of Lying That Surrounds Trump (New York Times, December 1, 2018)
"Even more Trump associates are under investigation for the same offense. They are part of a group of people surrounding Mr. Trump — including some White House and cabinet officials - who contribute to a culture of bending, if not outright breaking, the truth, and whose leading exemplar is Mr. Trump himself.
Mr. Trump looks for people who share his disregard for the truth and are willing to parrot him, 'even if it’s a lie, even if they know it’s a lie, and even if he said the opposite the day before,' said Gwenda Blair, a Trump biographer. They must be 'loyal to what he is saying right now,' she said, or he sees them as 'a traitor.'"
Michael Cohen, Ex-Trump Lawyer, Asks U.S. Judge for Leniency (New York Times, December 1, 2018)
"The Cohen memo ... shed new light on Mr. Cohen’s role in the various investigations being conducted into Mr. Trump and his inner circle, and on his frequent contact with the president’s legal counsel and advisers as he prepared for congressional testimony that he later admitted was false."
NEW: Are We One ‘Trigger Event’ Away From the Next Holocaust? (WhoWhatWhy, November 30, 2018)
House Democrats unveil their first bill in the majority: a sweeping anti-corruption proposal (Vox, November 30, 2018)
"Democrats will take up voting rights, campaign finance reform, and a lobbying crackdown - all in their first bill of the year."
Vice President Pence criticized for not mentioning gay community in World AIDS Day speech (NBC News, November 30, 2018)
"For the second straight year, the Trump administration does not acknowledge the LGBTQ community in World AIDS Day statements."
Trump says he's not meeting with Putin, Putin says they're meeting ... guess what happens next (Daily KOS, November 30, 2018)
There’s No Right to Jail a President in the Constitution Because The Founders Never Imagined a Crook Like Trump (Daily Beast, November 30, 2018)
"Whining about 'the witch hunt' is one thing. But endorsing the view that Robert Mueller and Rod Rosenstein are traitors is libelous. If he weren’t the president, they could sue him. If he weren’t the president… It’s worth stepping back here as the dragnet closes in on him to think about that. If Trump were a senator or governor, there’s very little doubt in my mind he’d have long ago been indicted on a range of counts. Indeed he might be in jail by now. He’s broken laws in plain sight, in front of all of us."
In Mueller investigation, Trump is now "Individual 1" (Axios, November 30, 2018)
"This week's disclosures show that Trump was in close contact with his lieutenants as they made outreach to both Russia and WikiLeaks - and that they tried to conceal the extent of their activities."
NEW: Deutsche Bank, Trump, and Russia: A WhoWhatWhy Primer (WhoWhatWhy, November 30, 2018)
"International banking colossus Deutsche Bank has a track record of deploying illegal financial trading, money laundering, and shady offshore tax shelters in the service of the global elite."
The German Government Goes After Trump’s German Banker for Alleged Money Laundering (Daily Beast, November 30, 2018)
"Thursday’s raids on its Frankfurt headquarters are likely to be just the beginning of Deutsche Bank’s troubles with Berlin, but the ripple effects can be felt as far as Washington."
"Trump Was Totally Caught Off Guard by the Cohen Plea": Inside Trumpworld, Some Fear Mueller Has Laid a Perjury Trap (Vanity Fair, November 29, 2018)
"Rudy Giuliani is frustrated at Mueller's tactics. The White House is in a defensive crouch. 'It's an untethered situation,' a person close to the president said."
Cohen lied. Manafort lied. Corsi lied. And the bottom is falling out for Donald Trump. (Daily KOS, November 29, 2018)
"Cohen’s deal clears the way for his continued testimony to both federal prosecutors and the special counsel. But his testimony is just one event in a list of jaw-dropping events related to the Trump-Russia investigation. It’s a week in which Robert Mueller seems to be busy knocking down lies, clearing the path to the truth about Donald Trump."
Feds Raid Office of Chicago Alderman Ed Burke, Who Handled Trump Organization Illinois Property Tax Issues (Hinterland Gazette, November 29, 2018)
Trump borrows his rhetoric - and his view of power - from the mob (Washington Post, November 29, 2018)
"The president’s background in New York real estate taught mob values that still persist."
The Trump Organization Planned To Give Vladimir Putin The $50 Million Penthouse In Trump Tower Moscow (BuzzFeed, November 29, 2018)
"During the presidential campaign, Michael Cohen discussed the matter with a representative of Putin’s press secretary, according to two US sources. The revelation that representatives of the Trump Organization planned to forge direct financial links with the leader of a hostile nation at the height of the campaign raises fresh questions about President Trump's relationship with the Kremlin."
Michael Cohen pleads guilty to lying to Congress in new deal with Mueller in Trump-Russia probe (ABC News, November 29, 2018)
"In court, Cohen admitted that he made the false statements to be consistent with Individual 1’s messaging and to be loyal to Individual 1. Individual 1 was believed to be Trump, based on the description in court documents."
The Senate’s Yemen Vote Is a Historic First (Truthout November 29, 2018)
"This marks the first time in US history that the Senate has voted to advance a bill to withdraw military forces from an unauthorized war using the War Powers Resolution Act. Wednesday's vote sets the stage for a possible final vote on the measure within days, and has been seen as a rebuke of President Trump's handling of the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi."
Nailing down the nature of 'Oumuamua - it's probably a comet, but… (Ars Technica, November 29, 2018)
"We spoke at length with Harvard astronomy chair Avi Loeb, and there's a lot to unpack."
California: Cox declares victory after adding to lead over Valadao in last contested Congressional race (Fresno Bee, November 28, 2018)
Trump officials accused of using deadly wildfires to boost logging (The Guardian, November 28, 2018)
"Interior secretary Ryan Zinke says he hopes new laws will end environmental reviews and allow 'thinning’ of forests'.
Forest ecologist: 'They are trying to use this tragedy to help logging interests, which is one of the most disgusting things I’ve seen in my career. They are trying to eliminate half a century of environmental protections and turn over forests to the logging industry.'"
Why tear gas, lobbed at migrants on the southern border, is banned in warfare (Washington Post, November 27, 2018)
"Gavin Newsom, the Democratic governor-elect of California, argued that images of kids sprinting from tear gas run counter to American ideals. 'These children are barefoot. In diapers. Choking on tear gas,' he tweeted. 'Women and children who left their lives behind - seeking peace and asylum - were met with violence and fear. That’s not my America. We’re a land of refuge. Of hope. Of freedom. And we will not stand for this.'"
Manafort plea deal may have started as a set up for Robert Mueller ... and ended as a trap for Trump (Daily KOS, November 27, 2018)
"There’s more to it then just Manafort being unable to find the off button on his lies. The way this is playing out suggests there’s another angle: One in which Manafort and Trump were together all along in hopes of upsetting the special counsel investigation. Except this dirty trick may be backfiring."
Manafort’s Lawyer Said to Brief Trump Attorneys on What He Told Mueller (New York Times, November 27, 2018)
"The arrangement was highly unusual and inflamed tensions with the special counsel’s office when prosecutors discovered it after Mr. Manafort began cooperating two months ago, the people said. Some legal experts speculated that it was a bid by Mr. Manafort for a presidential pardon even as he worked with the special counsel, Robert S. Mueller III, in hopes of a lighter sentence."
Manafort held secret talks with Assange in Ecuadorian embassy, sources say (The Guardian, November 27, 2018)
"Trump ally met WikiLeaks founder months before emails hacked by Russia were published."
Manafort's screwed; Trump's implicated; and parts of Mueller's investigation may become public (Daily KOS, November 27, 2018)
Manafort Breached Plea Deal by Repeatedly Lying, Mueller Says (New York Times, November 27, 2018)
"Everybody who lies to Mueller gets called on it - so he had to know that Mueller would catch him. So the question is: What was he hiding that is worse than going to jail for the rest of your life?"
How the murders of two elderly Jewish women shook France (The Guardian, November 27, 2018)
"Two killings in Paris, one year apart, have inflamed the bitter French debate over antisemitism, race and religion."
US 'slams the brakes' on UN Yemen ceasefire resolution (CNN, November 27, 2018)
New GOP bill would tweak Trump tax law, extend perks set to expire (Washington Post, November 27, 2018)
"The proposal faced criticism for not being crafted with Democratic support, as Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), the top Democrat on the Senate Finance Committee, said he was not consulted on the package. Congressional Democrats may not be interested in helping Republicans fix a tax law the GOP passed without bipartisan input, at least without adding Democratic priorities or legislation to the bill."
Australia: Companies 'can sack workers for refusing to use fingerprint scanners' (The Guardian, November 27, 2018)
"Fair Work Commission rejects case by Queensland sawmill worker who said scanning system was a breach of his privacy."
Facebook Accused of New Russia Breach as Lawmakers Shame Zuckerberg For No-Show (Daily Beast, November 27, 2018)
"Facebook's CEO repeatedly turned down approaches from the ostentatiously-titled International Grand Committee on Disinformation and Fake News to appear before them for questioning at the British parliament. But the global group of parliamentarians made sure people knew he ducked the debate."
Euro consumer groups: We think Android tracking is illegal (The Register, November 27, 2018)
"There is no real option to turn off Location History once it has been enabled; users can only pause it after the Google account has been created. Users who attempt to 'pause' location history receive vague warnings that this will limit some functionalities.
GDPR requires that informed consent must be given without coercion or deception, and that no means no. However, according to the complaint, the design of the application leaves users with little choice but to turn everything on using behavioural deception: design patterns and biased notices, de facto forcing [the user] to give such consent in the end."
Rogue Chinese CRISPR scientist cited US report as his green light (MIT Technology Review, November 27, 2018)
"An expert finding from the National Academies of Sciences was He Jiankui’s excuse to edit the DNA of two babies."
The Chinese scientist who claims he made CRISPR babies is under investigation (MIT Technology Review, November 26, 2018)
"He Jiankui says he created twin girls whose genes were edited to make them resistant to HIV. Was that ethical? Or even legal?"
Chinese researcher claims first gene-edited babies (Associated Press, November 26, 2018)
NASA’s Mars InSight Mission Has Touched Down on the Red Planet’s Surface (New York Times, November 26, 2018)
"In the months ahead, the spacecraft will begin its study of the Martian underworld, listening for marsquakes and revealing secrets about the dusty world’s formation."
You've Heard of the Anthropocene? Welcome to the Hellocene (Scientific American, November 26, 2018)
"It sounds like a bad disaster movie, but climate change isn’t an abstract threat for our grandchildren. It’s here now."
Evolution Is Still True, but... (Scientific American, November 26, 2018)
"...50 years after the infamous “monkey law” was struck down, anti-evolution fanatics continue to fight it, in ever sneakier ways."
'Tear Gassing Children Is Outrageous and Inhumane': US Condemned for Violence Against Asylum Seekers (Common Dreams, November 26, 2018)
"'Asking to be considered a refugee and applying for status isn't a crime,' says Rep.-elect Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez after U.S. Border agents fire tear gas into Mexico."
Nancy Pelosi: The Democratic majority’s first order of business: Restore democracy (Washington Post, November 25, 2018)
China’s Tactic to Catch a Fugitive Official: Hold His Two American Children (New York Times, November 25, 2018)
The World Needs to Quit Coal. Why Is It So Hard? (New York Times, November 25, 2018)
Trump Administration’s Strategy on Climate: Try to Bury Its Own Scientific Report (New York Times, November 25, 2018)
This is what happens when a stable genius leads a stupid country (Washington Post, November 25, 2018)
Trump demands action to reduce deficit, pushes new deficit spending (Washington Post, November 25, 2018)
"President Trump is demanding top advisers craft a plan to reduce the country’s ballooning budget deficits, but the president has flummoxed his own aides by repeatedly seeking new spending while ruling out measures needed to address the country’s unbalanced budget. Trump’s deficit-reduction directive came last month, after the White House reported a large increase in the deficit for the previous 12 months. The announcement unnerved Republicans and investors, helping fuel a big sell-off in the stock market."
Free Software Messiah Richard Stallman: We Can Do Better Than Bitcoin (Cryptosumer, November 24, 2018)
Do You Have a Moral Duty to Leave Facebook? (New York Times, November 24, 2018)
"The platform has been used to disrupt elections, disseminate propaganda and promote hate. Regular users should ask if they are implicated in these failings."
The New Radicalization of the Internet (New York Times, November 24, 2018)
"Jihadists and right-wing extremists use remarkably similar social media strategies.
This is the new shape of extremism: self-directed, internet-inflamed terrorists."
Kids still have a hard time learning about evolution. Is this a secular democracy or a theocracy? (Los Angeles Times, November 24, 2018)
"Some 20% of our public schools still strive to deny their students complete, accurate instruction on human evolution? How could this happen 50 years after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that denial unconstitutional?"
Americans may be ready for Medicare for all, but Congress isn’t (Los Angeles Times, November 24, 2018)
"Countries around the world take this approach for good reasons. But getting from where we are today to the universally affordable and available healthcare system we want will take more than symbolic votes and catchy slogans."
NEW: Rise of deadly hate demands action (Washington Post, November 23, 2018)
"The peddlers of hate have become bolder and more unapologetic about spreading their twisted ideology while becoming less afraid of the consequences of their actions and words. Once hidden in the shadows, they have moved their organizing and indoctrination from the Internet to the streets, and they have become more visible and sophisticated in their recruitment efforts. And where they should have been met with swift consequences and clear condemnation from political and community leaders, they instead have heard indifference, equivocation, tacit approval or worse, which has emboldened them."
Trump loses in court...again (Daily KOS, November 23, 2018)
"The defendants have failed to cite a single case in which any court has dismissed a civil action against a sitting president on Supremacy Clause grounds, where, as here, the action is based on the president's unofficial acts."
Trump: I'm thankful for the difference I've made (CNN, November 23, 2018)
"On this Thanksgiving, Donald Trump is thankful for his family -- as well as the "tremendous difference" he has made as President.
When asked what he wanted to give thanks for during a press gaggle Thursday, Trump responded, "for having a great family and for having made a tremendous difference in this country. I've made a tremendous difference in the country. This country is so much stronger now than it was when I took office that you wouldn't believe it."
Noam Chomsky destroys ‘criminally insane’ Trump administration (Alternet, November 23, 2018)
“It’s as if we’re like the proverbial lemmings just happily marching off the cliff."
Inside corporate giant 3M’s fight to thwart a massive pollution tab (Politico, November 23 2018)
"From questioning the science to donating to political campaigns, 3M is going all out to avoid liability for water contamination plaguing more than 1,500 communities. The chemicals, known as PFOA and PFOS, have been used for five decades in products ranging from firefighting foam to Teflon to 3M’s signature Scotchgard. They take years to break down in the environment, giving them the nickname 'forever chemicals.' They also accumulate in human bodies, where they have been linked to kidney and testicular cancer, immune disorders and other ailments - and have been found in more than 99 percent of Americans’ blood."
New climate report warns of increasingly dire risks to U.S. (Axios, November 23, 2018)
"The Trump administration released a major new Second State of the Carbon Cycle climate science report on Black Friday, warning of "hundreds of billions of dollars" in annual losses to some economic sectors without scaled up actions to adapt to current changes and slash emissions to avoid future warming. The report by scientists from 13 federal agencies constitutes the second volume of the Fourth National Climate Assessment, which is a congressionally mandated report. Its conclusion: Lives and property are already at risk in the U.S. due to climate change."
(Also see the Fourth National Climate Assessment, Vol.1/2017 and Vol.2/2018.)
NEW: That Interstellar Asteroid is Pretty Strange. Could It Be…? (Discover Magazine, November 23, 2018)
NEW: Food banks see impact of Trump's immigration policies (ABC News, November 22, 2018)
Donald Trump's Climate Change Tweet Lambasted by Scientists: 'He's a Dangerous Clown' (Newsweek, November 22, 2018)
"It is disturbing to see the titular head of our nation misinforming the public about the greatest threat we face—the threat of catastrophic climate change impacts. Not only has Trump sought to dismantle the environmental protections put in place by previous administrations, he has also sought to lower the level of discourse by making nonsensical public comments that are untruthful factually, and deliberately conflate normal day-to-day weather fluctuations with climate change. It is shameful, irresponsible and most unbecoming of someone who would call himself President of the United States."
Donald Trump is terrified (Salon, November 22, 2018)
"His lies have begun to backfire, and he’s running scared."
Lying Trump told yet another one, this time about an extra $500 million for CA fire prevention (Daily KOS, November 21, 2018)
President Trump Escalates Attacks on 'Obama Judges' After Rare Rebuke From Chief Justice (Time, November 21, 2018)
In Rare Reproach, Chief Justice John Roberts Chides President Trump for 'Obama Judge' Comment (Time, November 21, 2018)
Pelosi boxes in her bush-league foes, one strategic step at a time (Daily KOS, November 21 2018)
"First, the insurgents - relative conservatives now well to the right of the Democratic caucus as a whole - tried to drive a wedge between Pelosi and her left flank. Pelosi responded..."
Trump says he can’t imagine anyone but himself as Time Person of the Year (Washington Post, November 20, 2018)
New York City subway and bus services have entered 'death spiral', experts say (The Guardian, November 20, 2018)
"MTA officials warned they may have to drastically cut service or increase fares as deficits are expected to hit nearly $1bn by 2022."
Court Again Rules That Cable Giants Can't Weaponize The First Amendment (TechDirt, November 20, 2018)
"'Holding us accountable for absolutely anything violates our free speech rights' was historically something telecom lobbyists often just throw at a wall in a bid to see if it sticks. But these efforts have escalated in the last few years. For example FCC staffers under Ajit Pai, at this point nearly indistinguishable from big telecom lobbying efforts, have even tried to claim that community-run broadband (an organic, voter-approved response to terrible service) is a threat to free speech, a charge there's absolutely zero supporting evidence for."
NEW: Ford Eyes Use of Customers’ Personal Data to Boost Profits (Threatpost, November 19, 2018)
"Capitalism & surveillance capitalism are becoming increasingly indistinguishable (and frightening)."
If an Election Was Stolen, Say It Was Stolen (Esquire, November 19, 2018)
"Lessons from Sherrod Brown and Chuck Todd.'
Sarah Palin mocks Ocasio-Cortez’s ‘basic civics’ knowledge, falls into Twitter ratio abyss (Washington Post, November 19, 2018)
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Wants to Replace Columbus Day With Holiday for Election Day (Newsweek, November 19, 2018)
The Thanksgiving Tale We Tell Is a Harmful Lie. As a Native American, I’ve Found a Better Way to Celebrate the Holiday (Time, November 19, 2018)
‘Hell on Earth’: The First 12 Hours of California’s Deadliest Wildfire (New York Times, November 18, 2018)
"The fire accelerates, consuming the equivalent of a football field every second. At 6PM, less than 12 hours after it started, the Camp Fire has traveled about 17 miles, burning an area of nearly 55,000 acres."
NEW: Climate change policy can be overwhelming. Here’s a guide to the policies that work. (Vox, November 18, 2018)
No, Atmospheric CO₂ Is Not Saturated (Rabbett Run, November 17, 2018)
"Until the effective radiative level is above the tropopause, adding more CO2 slows the emission to space and thus the surface has to warm in response."
(Yes, Global Warming is real.)
The photo that set him off... (Daily KOS, November 17, 2018)
"Trump, in a political stunt, deployed thousands of troops along the border. Their base of operations is Joint Base San Antonio, which is where I used to serve. My brothers and sisters out there are miserable. No mess tent. No electricity. No mission. They literally have nothing to do. They are going to miss Thanksgiving with their families. The Pentagon admitted it has been a waste of time, resources, and money (Est. $200 million). It’s been a major drain on morale, and Trump has essentially forgotten about them now that he lost the election.
Most people jumped in and agreed it was all stupid, but a few—especially one guy--went nuts. He said Trump was trying to protect the real 'merica from the influx of Muslims and Mexicans. In response, I posted the picture above and reminded him that they aren’t coming, but are already here, and oh - they are his leaders now.
Boy, oh boy. ALL CAPS came at me: SOCIALIST this, INVADERS that… on and on. It inspired me to use this photo in a few more GOP safe spaces, and I always get the same reaction of ranting and raving. I don’t think there's any other photo that I’ve posted that had such a visceral reaction. It encapsulates all their fears at once: women in power, minorities in power, the changing face of America, and the obvious fact that their long-term strategy of appealing to bigotry is starting to fail."
‘Nothing on this page is real’: How lies become truth in online America (Washington Post, November 17, 2018)
"In the last two years on his page, America's Last Line of Defense, Blair had made up stories about California instituting sharia, former president Bill Clinton becoming a serial killer, undocumented immigrants defacing Mount Rushmore, and former president Barack Obama dodging the Vietnam draft when he was 9. 'Share if you're outraged!' his posts often read, and thousands of people on Facebook had clicked 'like' and then 'share,' most of whom did not recognize his posts as satire. Instead, Blair's page had become one of the most popular on Facebook among Trump-supporting conservatives over 55.
'Nothing on this page is real,' read one of the 14 disclaimers on Blair's site, and yet in the America of 2018 his stories had become real, reinforcing people's biases, spreading onto Macedonian and Russian fake news sites, amassing an audience of as many 6 million visitors each month who thought his posts were factual. What Blair had first conceived of as an elaborate joke was beginning to reveal something darker. 'No matter how racist, how bigoted, how offensive, how obviously fake we get, people keep coming back,' Blair once wrote, on his own personal Facebook page. 'Where is the edge? Is there ever a point where people realize they're being fed garbage and decide to return to reality?'"
NEW: More than 14,000 immigrant children are in U.S. custody, an all-time high (San Francisco Chronicle, November 16, 2018)
Bankrupt Sears wants to give executives up to $25 million in bonuses (CNN, November 16, 2018)
NEW: Here’s How To Finally Fix Facebook (Daily Beast, November 16, 2018)
"Facebook developed a business model based on the intimate surveillance of its users, the storage of massive caches of data on every individual, the use of that information to manipulate users to buy certain products or read certain articles or postings, and the renting out of these capabilities to anyone with the money to pay Facebook’s advertising fees, including foreign actors eager to disrupt America’s democracy.
Facebook’s business model also puts the corporation into direct competition with newspaper and magazine publishers for advertising revenue. As Facebook has grown more powerful, it has diverted ever more of that money into its own pockets. One result is the loss of thousands of jobs for reporters and editors both in the United States and around the world. Facebook’s business model, in other words, has helped destroy the business model for non-fake journalism, helping to create the vacuum now being filled by rumors, lies, and hate speech.
In short, rather than serve the American people, Facebook manipulates the American people to serve its own private interests. And the model serves Facebook’s executives incredibly well. Last year, the corporation earned $40 billion from advertising - accounting for almost all of Facebook’s revenue."
Microsoft menaced with GDPR mega-fines in Europe for 'large scale and covert' gathering of people's info via Office (The Register,November 16, 2018)
"Telemetry data slurp broke the law, Dutch govt eggheads say."
The Chart That Shows Some of the Biggest Midterm Surprises (New York Times, November 16, 2018)
"In ballot measure results, red states voted for progressive goals like Medicaid expansion and blue states voted against proposals to protect the environment."
The New York Area Was Nearly Paralyzed by 6 Inches of Snow. What Went Wrong? (New York Times, November 16, 2018)
"The havoc that unfolded in New York City and beyond appeared to highlight the fragility of the region’s transportation system, showing how aging infrastructure has become increasingly unreliable, from the subway to buses to commuters railroads and train and bus stations."
When the Levee Breaks: Cascading failures in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, California (Temblor, November 16, 2018)
"San Joaquin River Delta. Islands and agricultural land in this region were protected by flooding by the installation of levees. The islands are composed of peat, and once the levees prevented seasonal flooding, the peat began to outgas and compact. So, today the islands are over 15 ft below the river level, which is at sea level. In fact, the islands are like empty bowls with their rims just above the river level. If the levees are breached in even a modest earthquake, the river water would rush in to flood the islands.
But the loss of the islands are just the tip of the iceberg..."
NEW: How Extreme Weather Is Shrinking the Planet, by Bill McKibben (New Yorker, November 16, 2018)
"With wildfires, heat waves, and rising sea levels, large tracts of the earth are at risk of becoming uninhabitable. But the fossil-fuel industry continues its assault on the facts.
NEW: It's now cheaper to build a new wind farm than to keep a coal plant running (CBS News, November 16, 2018)
"Wind power costs have dropped as utilities have turned to bigger and bigger turbines, which can produce more energy. The largest turbines installed today can produce double the power they could've a decade ago, according to the Energy Information Administration, dramatically increasing the amount of power a parcel of land can produce."
First Major Rain in Centuries Triggers Wave of Death in Earth's Driest Desert (Gizmodo, November 15, 2018)
Rare microbes lead scientists to discover new branch on the tree of life (CBC Canada, November 15, 2018)
"Hemimastigotes are more different from all other living things than animals are from fungi."
Brexit for the Non-Brit: What Is It, and Why Can’t They Get It Done? (New York Times, November 15, 2018)
"Mr. Cameron bet that Great Britain would not risk leaving the European Union. He was wrong. Britons voted 52 percent to 48 percent to leave. They then faced a predicament: The campaign to quit the bloc had promised to 'take back contro' from Europe but never explained how. Embittered Remainers who lost the vote accused the Leavers of lies and xenophobia."
In a 'self-defeating and self-incriminating' slipup, Trump just indicated he installed Matthew Whitaker to kill the Russia probe (Business Insider, November 15, 2018)
"The president's knee-jerk pivot to talking about the Russia investigation when asked about Whitaker's qualification is what poker players call a 'tell'."
White House insiders leak disturbing reports of Trump’s increasingly erratic, rage-fueled behavior (Daily KOS, November 15, 2018)
Rachel Maddow: Democrats continue to gain House seats as vote counting continues (MSNBC, November 15, 2018)
"Rachel Maddow reports on the AP's calling of another apparent Democratic victory in a California House race, as well as a Democratic victory in Maine by way of Ranked-Choice Voting, and also looks at the continued chaos and legal wrangling in Georgia and Florida."
Bad day for Poliquin: Maine Republican loses suit to block instant runoff, then loses instant runoff, too (Daily KOS, November 15, 2018)
"Election officials in Maine tabulated the results of the country's first-ever instant runoff for Congress on Thursday, determining that Democrat Jared Golden defeated Republican Rep. Bruce Poliquin by a narrow 50.5-49.5 margin after the second-choice preferences of voters who cast ballots for two third-party candidates were taken into account. Poliquin had led 46.4 to 45.5 on the initial balloting, but 65 percent of those who voted for independents Tiffany Bond and Will Hoar elected to mark a second choice. That group overwhelmingly transferred their votes to Golden, who won second-choice ballots by a 69-31 margin, allowing him to edge ahead of Poliquin."
Florida recount: Hand recount ordered in U.S. Senate race in Florida (Washington Post, November 15, 2018)
Japan's cybersecurity minister has never used a computer (ABC News, November 15, 2018)
"'I give instructions to my aide and so I don't punch into a computer myself. But I am confident our work is flawless.' When asked about the power grid and malware, Sakurada said USB was 'basically never used' in the utility systems, appearing to not know what it might be."
Massive Data Leaks Keep Happening Because Big Companies Can Afford to Lose Your Data (Vice, November 15, 2018)
"When criminal hackers keep breaking into big company networks to grab consumer data, the reason comes down to dollars and nonsense."
David Hockney Painting Sells for $90 Million, Smashing Record for Living Artist (New York Times, November 15, 2018)
Facebook says it has removed more than a billion fake accounts (Washington Post, November 15, 2018)
"The purge, which also targeted millions of posts, photos and other forms of content, is the latest sign that the social-networking giant faces an onslaught of online abuse as it struggles to create tools to spot it."
The moral and ethical rot at Mark Zuckerberg and Sheryl Sandberg’s Facebook (Washington Post, November 15, 2018)
Delay, Deny and Deflect: How Facebook’s Leaders Fought Through Crisis (New York Times, November 14, 2018)
"Facebook has gone on the attack as one scandal after another - Russian meddling, data sharing, hate speech - has led to a congressional and consumer backlash."
Marie Antoinette pearl auctioned for record $36M (BBC News, November 14, 2018)
The generational gulf between House Democrats is shaping their leadership fight (Washington Post, November 14, 2018)
Amazon HQ2: $3 billion in state, city tax breaks draws company to New York (Democrat & Chronicle, November 13, 2018)
"We are witness to a cynical game in which Amazon duped New York into offering unprecedented amounts of tax dollars to one of the wealthiest companies on Earth for a promise of jobs that would represent less than 3 percent of the jobs typically created in our city over a 10-year period."
The Speech That Saved The Planet (Daily KOS, November 13, 2018)
"My fellow Americans, we must take this last, best chance to preserve a habitable planet for children and theirs. We must act boldly. We must act selflessly. But above all, we must act now.
There are those who continue to cynically or ignorantly deny this crisis. For decades we have indulged their stubborn intransigence even as the evidence has become incontrovertible. But the luxury of time is no longer ours. The time for talk is over. We must act."
Trump is finally revealing himself as the sick, incompetent joke we all knew he was (Daily KOS, November 14, 2018)
Trump, stung by midterms and nervous about Mueller, retreats from traditional presidential duties (Los Angeles Times, November 13, 2018)
"With the certainty that the incoming Democratic House majority will go after his tax returns and investigate his actions, and the likelihood of additional indictments by special counsel Robert S. Mueller III, Trump has retreated into a cocoon of bitterness and resentment, according to multiple administration sources. Behind the scenes, they say, the president has lashed out at several aides, from junior press assistants to senior officials. 'He’s furious,' said one administration official. 'Most staffers are trying to avoid him.'
The official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, painted a picture of a brooding president 'trying to decide who to blame' for Republicans’ election losses, even as he publicly and implausibly continues to claim victory."
Do the Math. Moderate Democrats Will Not Win in 2020. (New York Times, November 12, 2018)
"Learning the right lessons from the midterms is key for the party."
In North Korea, Missile Bases Suggest a Great Deception (New York Times, November 12, 2018)
"North Korea is moving ahead with its ballistic missile program at 16 hidden bases that have been identified in new commercial satellite images, a network long known to American intelligence agencies but left undiscussed as President Trump claims to have neutralized the North’s nuclear threat."
A doctor dragged Ann Coulter so hard she'll need to go to the emergency room. (Some E-cards, November 12, 2018)
How Doctors Responded After NRA Told Them To 'Stay In Their Lane' (Forbes, November 11, 2018)
"If a virus killed 20 children in 5 minutes... If a virus killed 58 people in 15 minutes... If a virus killed anywhere - in schools, churches, businesses, concerts... If a virus killed more & more over time. They would be SCREAMING at us to do something. THIS. IS. OUR. LANE."
How colonial violence came home: the ugly truth of the first world war (Guardian, November 11, 2018)
"Instead of remembering the first world war in a way that flatters our contemporary prejudices, we should recall what Hannah Arendt pointed out in The Origins of Totalitarianism – one of the west's first major reckonings with Europe's grievous 20th-century experience of wars, racism and genocide. Arendt observes that it was Europeans who initially reordered 'humanity into master and slave races' during their conquest and exploitation of much of Asia, Africa and America. This debasing hierarchy of races was established because the promise of equality and liberty at home required imperial expansion abroad in order to be even partially fulfilled. We tend to forget that imperialism, with its promise of land, food and raw materials, was widely seen in the late 19th century as crucial to national progress and prosperity. Racism was – and is – more than an ugly prejudice, something to be eradicated through legal and social proscription. It involved real attempts to solve, through exclusion and degradation, the problems of establishing political order, and pacifying the disaffected, in societies roiled by rapid social and economic change."
(This article is from 2017, but shown here among today's Centennial celebrations of Armistice Day - which the US government has renamed Veterans Day.)
On this World War I anniversary, let's not celebrate Woodrow Wilson (Washington Post, November 11, 2018)
"On the Nov. 11 100th anniversary of the Allied victory in World War I, we celebrate the heroism of American warriors in Europe. Perhaps 116,000 of them died in that struggle. Their commander in chief, Woodrow Wilson, did not match the quality of their service. During the conflict, Wilson made serious mistakes as a political leader that should never be forgotten.
Wilson’s missteps in wartime were hardly his only defects. His most disgraceful flaw was his racism. Given his high-flown rhetoric as a professor about elevating humankind, Wilson especially stood out in his white supremacy. He was not a man of his time but a throwback. His two predecessors, Theodore Roosevelt and William Howard Taft, had looked far kindlier on African Americans and their rights."
"Low-energy Trump" meets with Putin and flees Paris Peace Forum (Daily KOS, November 11, 2018)
Trump ditched cemetery visit to avoid causing Paris traffic jams, says Sanders (The Guardian, November 11, 2018)
France's Macron denounces nationalism as a 'betrayal of patriotism'’ in rebuke to Trump at WWI Centennial (Washington Post, November 11 2018)
"In the shadow of a grand war memorial here, French President Emmanuel Macron marked the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I by delivering a forceful rebuke against rising nationalism, calling it a 'betrayal of patriotism' and warning against 'old demons coming back to wreak chaos and death.' His words during a solemn Armistice Day ceremony under overcast skies at the foot of the Arc de Triomphe in the heart of the French capital were intended for a global audience. But they also represented a pointed rebuke to President Trump, Russian President Vladimir Putin and others among the more than 60 world leaders in attendance."
Rick Scott's monitors agree with state cops: No Florida voter fraud (Politico, November 10, 2018)
"Gov. Rick Scott asked state law enforcement to investigate Broward County election officials because of potential 'rampant [voter] fraud,' even though monitors from his own administration say they have seen none in that county."
Gillum rescinds concession in Florida governor’s race (Politico, November 10, 2018)
"I am replacing my words of concession in an unapologetic call that we count every vote. What we can’t do is stop counting votes because we don’t like the outcome."
A Defeat for White Identity (New York Times, November 10, 2018)
"White identity politics failed to hold Trump’s gains. Some of the biggest swings against the G.O.P. were among middle and lower-income Americans, not just among affluent suburbanites. The Upper Midwest swung back toward Democrats. And among whites without college degrees, Democrats improved on Hillary Clinton’s showing by eight percentage points - identical to their gains among college-educated whites.
This doesn’t mean that the racial fears Trump stoked didn't bring some Republican voters to the polls. But it proves that white-identity politics isn’t simply destiny, that Democrats can reach wavering white-working class voters instead of writing them off, and that if Republicans want to hold them, then actual economic populism - with its potential pan-ethnic rather than racially polarizing appeal - is a better bet than what we’ve gotten too often from his White House."
How Brad Parscale, once a 'nobody in San Antonio,' shaped Trump’s combative politics and rose to his inner circle (Washington Post, November 9, 2018)
Here Are the Precise Areas Where House Democrats Have the Power to Expose Trump (Slate, November 9, 2018)
Mueller Has a Way Around Trump and His Minions (New York Times, November 9, 2018)
"A road map from the Watergate prosecution shows a potential route for the special counsel to send incriminating evidence directly to Congress."
If Trump Wants the Russia Investigation to End, He Should Stop Committing Crimes (Slate, November 9, 2018)
"Trump has been beating this drum for more than a year. 'We have to get it over with,' he declared two months ago. 'It’s time to end this Witch Hunt.' But one reason the investigation keeps going is that Trump keeps committing new crimes. In part, Mueller is investigating Trump’s attempts to obstruct the inquiry itself. And Trump keeps adding to that record. His latest effort to stymie the special counsel is the appointment of an acting attorney general, Matthew Whitaker, who has openly advocated a crackdown on Mueller."
The asylum ban - Trump’s boldest immigration power grab yet - explained (Vox, November 9, 2018)
"Trump’s plan raises the risk of summary deportation for thousands of asylum seekers - if it’s allowed to move forward."
Trump takes aim at Obama, Clinton, judges, election officials, reporters and a host of others before leaving the country (Washington Post, November 9, 2018)
Judge Blocks the Disputed Keystone XL Pipeline in a Setback for Trump’s Energy Agenda (New York Times, November 9, 2018)
"The ruling by Judge Brian Morris of the United States District Court for Montana repudiates one of Donald J. Trump’s first acts as president. Two days after taking office, Mr. Trump signed an executive order approving the Keystone pipeline that had been blocked by former President Barack Obama because of environmental concerns. In saying that no work can go forward until the government more fully reviews the pipeline’s environmental impact, the ruling tees up another potentially contentious legal battle over climate change with a president who dismisses mainstream science and whose administration is also seeking to block a landmark lawsuit on behalf of children asking the government to stop the rise of planet-warming gases."
Senate Dems Explore Suing Trump Over Matt Whitaker Appointment (Daily Beast, November 9, 2018)
"The suit would seek to invalidate Whitaker’s appointment, by arguing that it was an unconstitutional violation of the Senate’s 'advise and consent' powers. If successful, it would force Trump to either formally nominate a replacement for former Attorney General Jeff Session or elevate, on an acting basis, someone from within the department who had already received Senate confirmation."
‘He’s a F*cking Fool’: Justice Department Officials Trash Matt Whitaker, Their New Boss (Daily Beast, November 9, 2018)
"Whitaker/s ascension to the rank of top law enforcement officer in the country has been as swift as it's been controversial. A former U.S. attorney-turned-conservative media pundit, he served for months as former AG Jeff Sessions' chief of staff before being appointed to fill his old boss'’s post. That résumé hasn’t instilled confidence. 'We’ve seen this over and over again with the Trump administration. They never vet these people. It shows that they don't really have a strategy when it comes to these things and then they end up having to backtrack.'"
As Florida Races Narrow, Trump And Scott Spread Claims Of Fraud Without Evidence (NPR, Movember 9, 2018)
"Nelson released a videotaped statement Friday afternoon accusing Scott of abusing his office to undermine democracy and 'stop a complete and accurate counting of all the votes in Florida.'
Previous claims of widespread voter fraud, including Trump's claim that millions of people voted illegally in 2016, are considered false by voting experts. One investigation, published in 2014, found 31 possible cases of in-person voter fraud out of more than 1 billion ballots cast over a 14-year period."
Three days later: Hey, Republicans really did get clobbered (Washington Post, November 9, 2018)
Californians Tried to Protect Themselves From a Mass Shooting Like Thousand Oaks (Slate, November 9, 2018)
"A court wouldn’t let them."
Gunman kills 12 at Thousand Oaks bar packed with college students; suspect ID'd as Ian Long (Los Angeles Times, November 8, 2018)
We're still not even close to gender parity in Congress (Axios, November 8, 2018)
NEW: How gerrymandering kept Democrats from winning even more seats Tuesday (Washington Post, November 8, 2018)
"In North Carolina, they won 50 percent of the House votes and 23 percent of the House seats."
Did Trump Lose The Midterms? (New York Times, November 8, 2018)
"What lessons should the parties learn from Tuesday's voting?"
Trump's ominous loyalty demands (Axios, November 8, 2018)
"Trump instinctively understands ... the power of 'self-preservation' and 'fight or flight' as a political weapon. He wields it constantly. Most people back down. He makes an example of those who don’t. Everyone else tries to stay out of the line of fire. Fear breeds loyalty, at least until it’s gone."
White House press secretary uses fake Infowars video to justify banning CNN reporter (Vox, November 8, 2018)
"Scenes from a dystopia."
Matthew Whitaker’s Appointment as Acting Attorney General Is Illegal (Slate, November 8, 2018)
"Let Clarence Thomas explain."
NEW: UN: 400,000 Malnourished Children at Risk of Dying in War-Torn Yemen (Voice Of America, November 7, 2018)
That time Lindsey Graham promised there would be "holy hell to pay" if Trump fired Sessions (Daily KOS, November 7, 2018)
Jeff Sessions Is Forced Out as Attorney General as Trump Installs Loyalist (New York Times, November 7, 2018)
"Mr. Sessions delivered his resignation letter to the White House at the request of the president, who tapped Matthew G. Whitaker, Mr. Sessions’s chief of staff, as acting attorney general, raising questions about the future of the inquiry led by the special counsel, Robert S. Mueller III. Mr. Whitaker has previously questioned the scope of the investigation. In a column for CNN last year, he wrote that Mr. Mueller would be going too far if he examined the Trump family’s finances. 'This would raise serious concerns that the special counsel’s investigation was a mere witch hunt,' Mr. Whitaker wrote, echoing the president’s derisive description of the investigation. Mr. Mueller has subpoenaed the Trump Organization for documents related to Russia."
Donald Trump Jr. Expecting to Be Indicted by Mueller Soon (New York Magazine, November 7, 2018)
"Last year, Donald Trump Jr. testified that he never informed his father of a meeting with Russian officials promising 'dirt' on Hillary Clinton. It seemed hard to believe that the ne'er-do-well son would neglect to seek credit for his expected campaign coup from the father whose approval he so obviously craves. And now it seems that Robert Mueller has obtained proof that it is not in fact true. The Trump family lies all the time, of course, but doing it under oath is a crime."
Secret Life of the Professor Who Lives with Nazis (Narratively, November 7, 2018)
"Sociologist Peter Simi has spent 20 years embedding with skinheads. As hate crimes spike across America, his intimate insights are more crucial than ever."
Colorado Votes To Abolish Slavery, 2 Years After Similar Amendment Failed (NPR, November 7, 2018)
"Colorado voters have approved an amendment to their state's constitution that completely abolishes slavery - by stripping out language that still exists in the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which bans slavery and servitude 'except as a punishment.'"
These midterm victories will expand voting rights, curb gerrymandering (Axios, November 7, 2018)
Midterm elections: Democrats flip House as GOP expands Senate majority (Washington Post, November 7, 2018)
Chinese ‘gait recognition’ tech IDs people by how they walk (Associated Press, November 6, 2018)
"Chinese authorities have begun deploying a new surveillance tool: 'gait recognition' software that uses people's body shapes and how they walk to identify them, even when their faces are hidden from cameras. Already used by police on the streets of Beijing and Shanghai, 'gait recognition' is part of a push across China to develop artificial-intelligence and data-driven surveillance that is raising concern about how far the technology will go."
Democrats Capture Control of House; G.O.P. Holds Senate (New York Times, November 6, 2018)
Grassroots Fueled Massive Wave, Dem House Takeover (MoveOn, November 6, 2018)
"Voters Were Inspired By Diverse Slate of Candidates Who Embraced Bold Progressive Ideas, Many Running for First Time."
Artificial Intelligence Hits the Barrier of Meaning (New York Times, November 5, 2018)
"Machine learning algorithms don't yet understand things the way humans do - with sometimes disastrous consequences. A.I. programs that lack common sense and other key aspects of human understanding are increasingly being deployed for real-world applications. While some people are worried about 'superintelligent' A.I., the most dangerous aspect of A.I. systems is that we will trust them too much and give them too much autonomy while not being fully aware of their limitations. As the A.I. researcher Pedro Domingos noted in his book 'The Master Algorithm,' 'People worry that computers will get too smart and take over the world, but the real problem is that they're too stupid and they've already taken over the world.'"
Two Vastly Different Election Outcomes That Hinge on a Few Dozen Close Contests (New York Times, November 5, 2018)
"Even modest late shifts among undecided voters or a slightly unexpected turnout could significantly affect results."
Exclusive poll: Only half of Americans have faith in democracy (Axios, November 5, 2018)
"Just 51% of Americans said they have faith in democracy, and 37% say they have lost faith in democracy, according to a new Axios/SurveyMonkey poll conducted in late October."
Republicans are losing one of their most reliable voting demographics over health care (Daily KOS, November 5, 2018)
"The one demographic that can always be relied upon to vote in midterms and presidential years and in state and local elections, always, are seniors. They've also always voted more for Republicans than Democrats, but 2018 could change that. The issue of health care is dominating with them this year and is giving Democrats an edge, even on issues not directly related to Medicare."
The Strangest Form of White Flight (City Lab, November 5, 2018)
"The wealthy residents of Eagle's Landing are voting Tuesday on whether to secede from the metro Atlanta city of Stockbridge, just after a black mayor and an all-black city council took office. Stockbridge residents who live outside the Eagle’s Landing footprint - the people who will be most hampered by the division - are not eligible to vote on it."
Trump Isn’t Inciting Violence by Mistake, But on Purpose. He Just Told Us. (New York Magazine, November 5, 2018)
"At a weekend rally, President Trump launched a riff that, even by the feverish standards of his closing campaign argument, stands out for its brutal authoritarian overtones. Trump is'tantalizing his supporters with the prospect of bloodshed."
NBC, Fox News and Facebook stop running Trump's anti-immigrant campaign commercial (Los Angeles Times, November 5, 2018)
"Fox News distanced itself from the commercial: 'Upon further review, Fox News pulled the ad yesterday and it will not appear on either Fox News Channel or Fox Business Network.'"
(But it was pulled AFTER the big Sunday night football game.)
"Some other news organizations, including CNN, refused to run the spot.
Trump said he wasn’t aware of the flap. 'We have a lot of ads and they certainly are effective, based on the numbers that we’re seeing.' Trump also shrugged off the idea that people have complained about the commercial. 'A lot of things are offensive,' he told reporters. 'Your questions are offensive a lot of time.'"
We Have to Stop This Monster, by Cenk Uygur (TYT Network, November 5, 2018)
"They’re here. They’re in the streets chanting, 'The Jews Will Not Replace Us.' Our president said there were some very good people on that side. They shot and killed 11 people inside a synagogue. They almost killed someone who had survived the Holocaust. They’re here. They’re back."
Tech Billionaire: The Real Injustice Would Be Turning Our Backs on Saudi Arabia (Vanity Fair, November 5, 2018)
"Apparently, accepting Saudi cash is the humanitarian thing to do."
Massachusetts could lead way in overturning Citizens United (Associated Press, November 4, 2018)
"On Tuesday, Massachusetts voters are being asked to create a special state commission charged with weighing potential U.S.-constitutional amendments, that would