"I remember walking out of that luncheon feeling like I had glimpsed something important. The beating heart of the GOP no longer cared about principles or policy. There was a nihilist wing in control that scared me; they were happy to let it all burn."
he president is demanding government stakes in U.S. companies and cuts of their revenue. Experts see some similarities to state-managed capitalism in other parts of the world.
'..only modern president who refused to concede a certified election defeat now proclaims his authority over election rules nationwide... Having tried his best once to undermine our constitutional system, Trump is the last American..who should be entrusted to supervise the integrity of the vote.'
It's amazing it's come to this!
"The case could determine whether immigration agents can rely on factors including a person's "apparent ethnicity" or speaking Spanish, as part of the "reasonable suspicion" standard that permits immigration stops."
America’s democratic system depends on the public’s understanding that law is bigger than politics. But now, Trump is sending a clear message that he is willing to go after his enemies and undermine that system.
Trump softened America up for the ICE Gestapo by constantly saying migrants are dangerous criminals who don't lead ordinary lives.
So why is ICE raiding neighborhood restaurants & immigration courts instead of drug dens & dog fights?
(BTW militarization of domestic law enforcement is abhorrent.)
Trump’s advisers have given up trying to restrict his phone use. His personal cellphone has become, Ashley Parker and Michael Scherer write, “the most pivotal technological device in the federal government, directly linking Trump to the outside world.” https://theatln.tc/mWgdUKd0
we are all exhausted and tired... i'm staying away from bluesky for mental sanity! I do peruse news and know whats going on but we slid really fast into fascism. each day there is something new that reminds me of this! Lawmakers and even many judges have failed us.
image: recent. New Yorker 2025
"Venturini’s exquisite prose and her boldness in diving deep into the consciousness of a troubled, outcast young girl, one who defiantly chooses her own uncompromising way in the world, makes this a novel well worth reading." — @lareviewofbooks.bsky.social
lareviewofbooks.org/article/open...
Timothy Snyder Spent Years Studying Fascists. He Thinks Trump Is One.
Is the Yale historian a prophet, as his supporters say? Or is he stripping the word ‘fascism’ of its meaning?
Didn't get to this over the weekend...will listen later tonight
Timothy Snyder, a leading historian of authoritarianism, Ukraine, and Eastern Europe, joins Scott to discuss the threats to American democracy, echoes of 1930s fascism, and what still gives him hope.
The paper mentioned in the article above:
Is the US Moving Toward Autocracy? A Critical Assessment
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....
Anyone paying attention knows we have slid into autocracy, fully enabled by lawmakers in Congress, selected to represent us but failing to do so. Further, Felon45's attacks on judges and lawyers who defend his opponents is the ultimate sign that it's over...
There's so many different things he's done ...it's tough to keep track!
Cut, Baby, Cut — a new report reveals the (almost) impossible task facing the US Dept. of Agriculture & Dept. of Interior as it looks to deliver on Trump's promise to deliver timber self-sufficiency.
!!
International Criminal Court’s chief prosecutor has lost access to his email, and his bank accounts have been frozen. ICC's staffers have been told that if they travel to the US they risk arrest.. hurdles for court staff since Trump slapped sanctions on its chief prosecutor, Karim Khan, in Feb.
"..new report that the president's crypto holdings ...approximately $2.9 billion. ..due in part to his release of the $TRUMP and $MELANIA meme coins, in addition to a large stake in World Liberty Financial, a crypto exchange affiliated with the Trump family that launched in October 2024."
“This isn’t Trump just being Trump. The Trump coin scam is the most brazenly corrupt thing a President has ever done. Not close.”
After the busy weekend of trade negotiations in Geneva, Li Chenggang, a Chinese official, replied with a wry smile and an old saying: “Good food is never too late.”
Trump administration gave China a strangely good tariff deal: for the next 90 days, at least.
While US economic model is of artificial scarcity, China has a model of abundance. Abundance is a supply side model, where there is sufficient goods for everyone at affordable prices. In China that means enough, not only for everyone at home, but for everyone in the world.
In Crypto Rush Aftermath by Georgian filmmaker Salomé Jashi, residents of Akhalkalaki in the Caucasus nation of Georgia recount how a cryptocurrency pyramid scheme ‘spread faster than COVID’ through their town, leaving big losses – and a few scattered winners – in its wake.
Stories and literature: Our narrative prison
The three-act ‘hero’s journey’ has long been the most prominent kind of story. What other tales are there to tell?
...essay by Eliane Glaser #ToReadLater
Video (5min): A stunning visualisation explores the intricate circulatory system of our oceans
aeon.co/videos/a-stu...
Moon Marbles !
A mantle-rocking asteroid impact could have made curious glass beads on the surface..
Ai Could Help Humans Understand Animals
But are animal dictionaries enough to demystify the animal mind?
Claw print fossils discovered in Australia hint that the ancestors of reptiles, mammals, and birds evolved around 40 million years earlier than previously thought.
Is the fault of whale strandings partially in the stars?
Note: Gray whales migrate through a 10,000-mile route spanning the Pacific coasts of Central and North America
A full rendition of Spiritus Sanctus Vivificans (2.5 mins), performed by the British vocal ensemble, Armonico Consort in an album called Naked Bryd Two. Soloist: Anna Sandstrom.
Conductor: Christopher Monks
