Category Archives: Government

Buckle up: Navigating the noise around routine vaccination

Katelyn Jetelina Thanks to Barb W. The arguments against routine vaccination are already escalating. Just last week, it was unearthed that a prominent lawyer on the RFK Jr. transition team questioned the safety of the polio vaccine, and the long-debunked measles-autism … Continue reading

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The Honeymoon Won’t Last

by Adam Kinzinger in Substack It’s always a temptation to feel like the current state of facts or misery will continue unabated into the foreseeable future. This is a bias of our minds and souls; it’s difficult for us to … Continue reading

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Boasting is Easy, Governing is Hard

By Joel Connelly in Post Alley (thanks to Mary M.) One of the best presidents America never had, Adlai Stevenson, put it bluntly when he said: “The ability to govern is the final test of politics, the acid, final test.”  Stevenson … Continue reading

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Important News Updates by Heather Cox Richardson

The sudden collapse of the Assad regime in Syria yesterday took oxygen away from the airing of President-elect Trump’s interview with Kristen Welker of NBC’S Meet the Press. The interview told us little that we didn’t already know, but it … Continue reading

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Update on Syria

by Heather Cox Richardson Late last night, the White House said in a statement that “President Biden and his team are closely monitoring the extraordinary events in Syria and staying in constant touch with regional partners.” Early this morning, the … Continue reading

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MORE PAVING, FEWER TREES. SO MUCH FOR A GREEN ‘ONE SEATTLE’

Thanks to MaryLou P. – from the Seattle Times For Seattleites who appreciate trees, Mayor Bruce Harrell’s “One Seattle” comprehensive plan ought to spark grave concerns. The city’s proposed 20-year blueprint for growth contains major changes for residential neighborhoods, paving … Continue reading

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How Do You Like That Filibuster Now?

by Michele Cottle in the NYT As Republicans prepare to take control of both chambers of Congress and the presidency, Senator Joe Manchin, the conservative West Virginia Democrat turned independent, has a question for his former Democratic teammates: “How do … Continue reading

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Global plastic talks collapse as oil states rebel

by Esme Stallard in BBC News (thanks to Mike C.) More than nine billion tonnes of plastic has been produced globally with less than 10% recycled Countries have failed to reach a landmark agreement on tackling plastic pollution after more … Continue reading

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The history of liberal democracy

by Heather Cox Richardson (thanks to Mary M.) Cas Mudde, a political scientist who specializes in extremism and democracy, observed yesterday on Bluesky that “the fight against the far right is secondary to the fight to strengthen liberal democracy.” That’s … Continue reading

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Mr. Trump, Do You Realize How Much the World Has Changed Since You Were President?

Ed note: Friedman raised has legitimate concerns that an unfocused chaotic Whitehouse will not have the bandwidth to deal with, let alone understand, the major changes in Iran and Israel. Perhaps more importantly he won’t understand the coming explosion of … Continue reading

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November 12th – a fateful day

by Heather Cox Richardson “It all began so beautifully,” Lady Bird remembered. “After a drizzle in the morning, the sun came out bright and beautiful. We were going into Dallas.”  It was November 22, 1963, and President John F. Kennedy … Continue reading

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A note from Robert Reich

Thanks to Mike C. Friends, What do card sharks, magicians, pickpockets, and tyrants do to hide their tricks? They deflect your attention. “Look over here!” they say, as they create a commotion that preoccupies your mind while they bamboozle you.  … Continue reading

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It Can Happen Here: Reckoning with Donald Trump’s 2024 Election Victory

Everyone who realizes with proper alarm that Trump’s reelection is a deeply dangerous moment in American life must think hard about where we are. By David Remnick in The New Yorker (thanks to Ed M.) On the morning after Donald … Continue reading

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Masterpiece Story: Statue of Liberty

Anastasia Manioudaki (thanks to Ann M. who notes I think the Lady must now be weeping. Please note her imagined damage (head knocked off) in the WW1 poster on display in our Art of the Month + her history below. … Continue reading

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Against Panic: A Survival Kit

By Margaret Renkl in the NYT (Thanks to Ed M.) Ms. Renkl is a contributing Opinion writer who reports from Nashville on flora, fauna, politics and culture in the American South. I had an elaborate itinerary for Election Day that I … Continue reading

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No, democracy isn’t dead

by Steve Iskeep in Substack My mailbox this week included a note with the subject line, “Democracy Without America.” The writer was sharing a link to an article with a slightly less stark headline, given its punctuation: “Democracy without America?” … Continue reading

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Borowitz — “What Happens Now?”

Nixon’s landslide victory in 1972 made him appear invulnerable. He wasn’t. (Cindy Yamanaka/MediaNews Group/The Riverside Press-Enterprise via Getty Images) Maybe you’ve been asking yourself: 1. “How could Donald Trump have won 51 percent of the popular vote?” 2. “How hard … Continue reading

Posted in Government, Politics | 1 Comment

What should Trump’s opponents do next?

by David French in the NYT (thanks to Put B.) There is no mystery about what happened Tuesday night. Unlike 2016, when the anticipation of Hillary Clinton’s victory turned into the shock of defeat, every smart analyst I know not … Continue reading

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The all-female mobile health team working against the odds in Afghanistan

From the International Rescue Committee in August 2022 (after the Taliban took over in 2021) Despite countless hurdles, all-women teams of medical doctors are braving long distances and treacherous terrain to bring health care to the remotest villages in Afghanistan, … Continue reading

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Voting for the Light

The religious imagineer (thanks to Mary Jane F.) Pablo Picasso, La Minotauromachie (1935). Picasso’s turbulent etching from the eve of the Spanish Civil War seems a timely image of my own country in this harrowing election season. The monstrous beast towers over … Continue reading

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Charlie Chaplin’s greatest speech

Thanks to Pam P. But before that comes this scene.  I’m looking at Putin.

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The will of the people

“Fellow-citizens,” Lincoln reminded his colleagues, “we cannot escape history. We…will be remembered in spite of ourselves.”   Commentary by Heather Cox Richardson I’m home tonight to stay for a bit, after being on the road for thirteen months and traveling through … Continue reading

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This Is Not the End of America

By McKay Coppins in The Atlantic (thanks to Alice W.) Everything about the staging of Kamala Harris’s “closing argument” rally Tuesday night on the White House Ellipse seemed designed to frame the upcoming election as a referendum on democracy. Flanked by … Continue reading

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Hell yes! The Seattle Times edit board endorses Harris for president

By Frank Blethen and Kate Riley – Seattle Times publisher and Times editorial page editor As one of the country’s very few family-owned and -operated metro newspapers left, The Seattle Times is also apparently one of the few whose editorial board is … Continue reading

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“Floating pile of garbage”

Commentary by Heather Cox Richardson I stand corrected. I thought this year’s October surprise was the reality that Trump’s mental state had slipped so badly he could not campaign in any coherent way.  It turns out that the 2024 October … Continue reading

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