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14-year-old guns down three other teens in Texas store shooting: cops
Mark Lungariello, - New York Post
_Stephan: This even occurred as the previous story was being written. That's how bad this has gotten.There are more guns than people in the U.S. -- about 400 million to 333 million. They are far too available This isn't a school shooting; this is a 14 year old just out in the civil world seeking revenge, and considering murder by firearm ap ... ⌘ Read more_
Seven in Ten Americans Say the Country is in Crisis, at Risk of Failing
, \\- Ipsos/npr
_Stephan: This is a fact-based measure of how disturbed the population of the United States has become about the state of the nation. I certainly think we are in crisis, although I do not agree with MAGAt world with why we are in crisis. What are your views?_
_Stephan: This is a brilliant assessment, with which I agree, of the current state of America by a Canadian scholar, and I urge you to read it. Two points I would add. Canada is absolutely not the only country beginning to consider what it will mean fo ... ⌘ Read more_
Bernie Sanders: Pay Your Workers Better. Warren Buffett: That’s Not My Job
Chris Isidore, - CNN
_Stephan: As the previous article mentioned one of the leading forces destroying America's democracy is the obscene wealth inequality, and Warren Buffett's response to Bernie Sanders perfectly illustrates this reality._
_Stephan: Here is another view on the state of American democracy. It is sad and pathetic, and agrees with my own views. This year we are going to see whether democracy survives in the U.S. Today, I would say it is 60%-40% that it will not._
_Now more than ever, it’s important to include the planet in our resolution plans.
Credit: Erik McGregor / LightRocket / Getty_
As we welcome in the new ye ... ⌘ Read more
Modern America’s Most Successful Secessionist Movement
Antonia Hitchens, - The Atlantic
_Stephan: Over 40% of MAGAt world supports some kind of secession; this is an important trend that is not getting enough attention because it seems so preposterous. This article gives a good sense of the thinking of secessionists. Several things stand out that I think you should take note of. First, the correlation of secession movements and guns. As the article points ... ⌘ Read more_
Just How Much is Trump’s Judiciary Sabotaging the Biden Presidency?**
Ian Millhiser , Staff Writer - Vox
_Stephan: If you read me regularly you know that I have been covering the Republican trend of skewing the American judiciary away from a nonpartisan egalitarian system to one where the judges are partisan, and the whole system is biased to a MAGAt world view. Here is an assessment of what that has meant._
_Nuggets made from lab-grown chicken meat are displayed during a media presentation in Sin ... ⌘ Read more_
Noam Chomsky on Rising Fascism in U.S., Class Warfare & the Climate Emergency
Interview of Noam Chomsky by Amy Goodman, - Democracy Now!
_Stephan: Noam Chomsky just had his 93rd birthday and here is his assessment of the U.S. today. I think he is right._
_93 year old Noam Chomsky_ _Credit: Screen ca ... ⌘ Read more_
Ediitor’s Note – Happy New Year and Thank You
Stephan A. Schwartz, Editor - Schwartzreport
_Stephan: First, I want to wish each of you my very best wishes that for you and those you care about 2022 is a year that is safe, and that you are well and prosper.
Second, I want to thank all of you who have supported SR this year. Your donations, particularly the monthly pledges, mean a great deal to me, and I thank you for them. SR gets technically more complicated a ... ⌘ Read more_
The Fungal Mind: on the Evidence For Mushroom Intelligence
Nicholas P Money, Professor of Biology and Western Programme Director at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio - Psyche
_Stephan: In 1931, Max Planck, the father of Quantum Mechanics, who gave few interviews, was interviewed in London by a reporter from the Observer newspaper, who had one question: What have you learned? I think the reporter thought Planck would talk about atoms and molecules. Instea ... ⌘ Read more_
Donald Trump and his family fleeced America: Why aren’t they being held accountable?**
Dean Obeidallah, Staff Writer - Salon
_Stephan: This is the question on which our future hinges: How is it that Donald Trump, his daughter, his son-in-law and his major orcs are not in prison? Trump has committed more crimes in his adult life than anyone we know of, yet he is never held accountable. Interesting karma, but it is time to end his i ... ⌘ Read more_
Why So Many Democracies Are Floundering
Richard H. Pildes, Legal Scholar Analyzing the Intersection of Politics andLaw and How They Affect Our Democracy. - The New York Times
_Stephan: Here is an excellent assessment of what is going on not only in the United States, but in democracies throughout the world by a distinguished legal scholar who has been study the dynamics of democracy for his entire professional life._
... ⌘ Read more
Marjorie Taylor Greene Calls It ‘Wise’ to Bar Democrats Who Move to Red States From Voting
Jenni Fink, Reporter - Newsweek
_Stephan: Marjorie Taylor Greene, is as incompetent a nut case and publicity hound as as ever served in Congress. It is hard to believe the voters of the 14th District of Georgia chose her to be their Representative in Congress. I'm not sure who is more contemptible Greene, or the people who voted f ... ⌘ Read more_
The M.I.T. Professor Defining What It Means to Live
Nick Romeo, - The New York Times
_Stephan: Here is an attempt to calibrate a kind of minimal wellbeing, centered on a living wage, as well as a very interesting history of the thinking about this._
_Credit:_ _Universal History Archive/Getty_
The idea of a living w ... ⌘ Read more_
Retailers surrender to unprecedented costs on online returns
Nathan Bomey, - Axios / NBC News
_Stephan: Here is a little noticed trend that is having a significant effect on consumer transactions; you may have experienced it._
_Amazon packages in front of a FedEx truck in New York on Nov. 26.
Credit: Chris ... ⌘ Read more_
He died after waiting 15 days for a hospital bed. His family blames unvaccinated covid-19 patients.
Timothy Bella, - The Washington Post
_Stephan: This is what the anti-vaxxer movement, whether young or conspiracy freak, is doing to the rest of Americans._
_Dale Weeks, center ... ⌘ Read more_
What makes dogs man’s best friend?**
Michigan Medicine - University of Michigan, - Eureka Alert
_Stephan: If you have a dog, or grew up with a dog in your family, I think you will find his peer-reviewed research report very interesting._
_Credit: Daily Paws_
ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN — From pugs to labradoodles to huskies, dogs are our faithful companions. The ... ⌘ Read more
Younger Americans still more likely than older adults to say there are other countries better than the U.S.
Hannah Hartig, - Pew Research Center
_Stephan: This is a trend that should concern everyone, particularly politicians. However, the quality of politicians in the U.S., particularly Republican politicians, as human beings is so degraded today many of them aren't capable of understanding the implicati ... ⌘ Read more_
Peter Navarro suggests FBI incited MAGA riot to stop his coup attempt from working
Brad Reed, - Raw Story
_Stephan: If you read this story in a novel it would seem cheap, obvious, and contrived. That it is true and coming from a major figure in the Trump administration, coming in addition to the war rooms at the Willard Hotel, and the multiple calls between Trump and his orcs can there be any doubt how pre-planned by Republican ... ⌘ Read more_
Coal Powered the Industrial Revolution. It Left Behind an ‘Absolutely Massive’ Environmental Catastrophe
James Bruggers, Inside Climate News Reporting Network - Inside Climate News
_Stephan: Coal, like nuclear, has left American with weeping buboes of poisonous pollution. It will take generations to heal what these industries did to the environment, and the people who live proximate to their sites. This is ... ⌘ Read more_
The 7 most overhyped trends of 2022
Mark Wilson, - Fast Company
_Stephan: I am not the only person who tracks trends but when I came across this article, I realized that my sense of trends is rather different from what Fast Company thinks of as trends and I thought my readers might find this of interest._
_Illustration: Daniel Salo/Fas ... ⌘ Read more_
How Dark Money Bought Amy Coney Barrett’s Supreme Court Seat
Andrew Perez and Julia Rock , - Jacobin
_Stephan: Amy Coney Barrett, in my opinion, has no business being an Associate Justice on the Supreme Court. It isn't just that she does not have the legal chops for the post, there is also the issue of her being a member of religious cult with views completely out of synch with the general American culture. And then there is the fact that Donald Tru ... ⌘ Read more_
Trump supporters paid former Texas police captain over $200k for help in stealing the election: report
Sarah Toce, - Raw Story
_Stephan: Have you noticed that MAGAt world constantly criticizes what it, itself, is doing. It is a well-established technique of misdirection, blame others for what you yourself are doing. Stop the Steal is a classic example of this. The people who were actually trying to steal the el ... ⌘ Read more_
The One Thing Biden Is Doing Exceptionally Well
Mark Joseph Stern, - Slate
_Stephan: Here is some more good news from the Biden administration. They are putting well-qualified people on the American judiciary; judges who will actually serve the law and not their political prejudices._
As 2021 draws to a close, President Joe Biden has good reason to be frustrated. His legislative agenda is [stymied](https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2021/12/the-surge-joe-ma ... ⌘ Read more
Despite Uproar Over Floyd’s Death, the Number of Fatal Encounters With Police Hasn’t Changed
Tim Arango and Giulia Heyward, - The New York Times
_Stephan: Let's start with some facts. By objectively verifiable data American police and sheriffs constitute the worst, most violent, least trained, most racist, and least educated law enforcement institutions amongst the developed democracy nations. So bad it constitutes wh ... ⌘ Read more_
Striking findings from 2021
Katherine Schaeffer, - Pew Research Center
_Stephan: As I have told you many times culture is defined by an aggregate of individual choices. Pew Research Center, looking at a wide range of social outcome data, in this report outlines 15 trends that stood out for them in 2021. You may be surprised by some of them._
�� ... ⌘ Read more
What We Lose if We Don’t Build Back Better
Paul Krugman, Nobel Laureate, Distinguished Professor at the City University of New York Graduate Center, Columnist - The New York Times
_Stephan: As usual Paul Krugman cuts through the partisan nonsense to address the actual facts. What he outlines in this essay about the Build Back Better legislation is, in my view, a very accurate analysis. I suggest you write or call your senators and your representative and let them know ... ⌘ Read more_
Bank predicts American GDP will go down because Joe Manchin killed the human infrastructure plan
Sarah K. Burns, Staff Writer - Raw Story
_Stephan: Here is further confirmation of what Paul Krugman was saying in the previous story. I find Joe Manchin despicable, particularly because he is a senator representing a state in desperate need of what the Build Back Better legislation offers. But equally despicable not a s ... ⌘ Read more_
Inside Clean Energy: Here Are 5 States that Took Leaps on Clean Energy Policy in 2021
Dan Gearino, - Inside Climate News
_Stephan: Here is some good news about the transition out of the carbon era. You will note, of course, that with the exception of North Carolina, which is a sort of purple state, all of the other states that have made good progress are Blue states. What is happening in the United States is that the inferior ... ⌘ Read more_
Editor’s Note: Some Real Facts About Covid
Stephan A. Schwartz, Editor - Schwartzreport
_Stephan: As we close out 2021 I thought it would be useful to consider actual facts about Covid and American Society There is such a mountain of nonsense out in the public that real facts tend to get lost. So today's issue of SR is dedicated to just that. Real facts from sources with a proven track record of being accurate._ ⌘ Read more
KFF COVID-19 Vaccine Monitor: Early Omicron Update
Ashley Kirzinger, Audrey Kearney, Liz Hamel, and Mollyann Brodie, - Kaiser Family Foundation
_Stephan: The Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) is a reliable source of accurate social outcome data, and this is what they report about the great schism over Covid vaccination. As I have been saying since this pandemic began and vaccines were first available, you can't fix willful ignorance. When people develop utterly un ... ⌘ Read more_
Deflated health care workers and desperate patients clash over alternative Covid treatments
Alaa Elassar, Ed Lavandera, and Ashley Killough, - CNN
_Stephan: This is how crazy the anti-vaxxer movement has gotten. I think there is going to be major pushback against this ridiculous, selfish behavior. The doctors and nurses I talk to are both depressed and fed up._
Two vaccine syringes Credit: Getty
The dramatic rise of the o ... ⌘ Read more
Editor’s Note: A Time to Reassess
Stephan A. Schwartz, Editor - Schwartzreport
_Stephan: As I worked today scanning through academic and general media, with various television news media playing in the background, I thought what can I say to my readers on this Christmas day? I have been publishing SR for 25 years now and that made me think about the changes that have occurred in the world and in the United States over those two and a half decades. By this evening has I had thou ... ⌘ Read more_
Will Donald Trump Get Away With Inciting an Insurrection?**
Laurence H. Tribe, Donald Ayer and Dennis Aftergut, Professor Emeritus at Harvard Law School \\| U.S. Attorney in the Reagan administration and Deputy Attorney General in the George H.W. Bush administration \\| Former Assistant U.S. Attorney. - The New York Times
_Stephan: I completely agree with this essay, and consider how Merrick Garland chooses to deal with Donald Trump as one of the defining mom ... ⌘ Read more_
US ‘Closer to Civil War’ Than Most Would Like to Believe, New Book Says
Martin Pengelly, - The Guardian (U.K.)
_Stephan: This trend is getting worse. Every month I see more and more in the MAGAt media about guns, resisting government, and the promotion of violence. If one doesn't read the MAGAt propaganda media, and I only do it because I try to pick up trends for my readers, this all seems preposterous almost cartoonish, but in Trump wor ... ⌘ Read more_
How seriously should we take talk of US state secession?**
William G. Gale and Darrell M. West, The Arjay and Frances Fearing Miller Chair in Federal Economic Policy Senior Fellow \\| Vice President and Director - Governance Studies and Senior Fellow - Center for Technology Innovation - Brookings Institute
_Stephan: This is another trend that I am seeing being more promoted in MAGAt media. It is a measure of the stupidity of those who promote the idea of st ... ⌘ Read more_
Donald Trump’s Megaphone
Jonah Goldberg, - The Dispatch
_Stephan: I think it is time to deal with MAGAt media and its lies, and not other MAGAt media entity has been worse than the Fox propaganda operation. In my opinion blatantly lying about a public health issue that results in the death of hundreds of thousands of men, women, and children should result in the persecution of the on-camera propagandists as well as Rupert Murdoch and his sons who have financed all this._
No SR Edition Today
, \\-
_Stephan: Stephan is in the hospital for a procedure today. SR will resume tomorrow._ ⌘ Read more
An urgent warning from 3 retired generals explains how 2024 may trigger ‘military breakdown’ and ‘civil war’**
Alex Henderson, - Alter Net
_Stephan: I take this very seriously. I have known many general and flag officers, and such officers do not go public in this way unless they feel they have no other option. I think we should take it very seriously as well, given what I am seeing and reading._
... ⌘ Read more
Steve Bannon explains latest ‘overthrow’ plan: ‘We’re going to take over the election apparatus’**
David Edwards, - Raw Story
_Stephan: The first thing to note is this question: Why isn't Steve Bannon in prison for treason? The second thing to note is that just as the generals in the previous article stated, this man is actively advocating an insurrection to overthrow democracy. The third thing to note is that no ... ⌘ Read more_
Congress is on the brink of an immense health policy failure
Dylan Scott, - Vox
_Stephan: As a result of Manchin and Sinema, and their selfishness, 333 million people appear to be unlikely to get the aid they need, and the illness profit system already so expensive and inadequate is on the verge of a breakdown. What has happened to us as a culture that so many of our elected representatives care so little for the people they have taken an oath to s ... ⌘ Read more_
The Dirty Secret of America’s Clean Dishes
Max Blau and Lylla Younes, - ProPublica
_Stephan: I have been warning my readers for years now about the poisons and toxins that fill most American households, and at the plants where they are created they pollute whole districts. The soaps, the cleansers, the air fresheners, all are filled with these polluting chemicals. You are literally putting your life and the lives of your family at risk if you are using those products ... ⌘ Read more_
A quarter of a billion dollars worth of steel for Trump’s border wall is rusting away in the desert
Tom Boggioni, - Raw Story
_Stephan: Like everything else Trump undertakes his wall was much like his casino, an ill-conceived flashy failure, a waste of other people's money, leaving a mess behind. Trump represents a very nasty American trend; he understands the fears, resentments, and racism of the people who ma ... ⌘ Read more_
At Their Breaking Point, Nurses Plead With Public in COVID Videos
Jennifer Henderson, Enterprise & Investigative Writer - MedPageToday
_Stephan: America's illness profit system under the best of conditions has all kinds of flaws, but Covid has stressed it in ways no one could imagine, and it is on the verge of collapse. What would that look like? Imagine that you, unvaccinated because you are part of MAGAt world, contract Covid and after days in y ... ⌘ Read more_
Biden Admin Announces Tougher Fuel Mileage Standards
, \\- Axios
_Stephan: Here is some more good news from the Biden administration's EPA, a new limit of 55 miles per gallon. Beneath all the sturm and dang of politics there are some good things happening._
_Credit: Elijah Nouvelage/Bloomberg/Getty_
The Environmen ... ⌘ Read more_
Fox News lurches further to the right as midterm elections loom
Adam Gabbatt, - The Guardian (U.K.)
_Stephan: Rupert Murdoch's fascist White Supremacist Fox propaganda operation is a curse on America that millions of poorly educated low IQ people take to be not only a news operation, but a reliable one. The hospitals of the U.S. are on the verge of collapse because Fox viewers don't get vaccinated, and the unvaccinated make up 90% of those in hosp ... ⌘ Read more_
House oversight committee releases report detailing efforts of Trump administration officials to ‘undermine’ Covid-19 efforts in US
Lauren Fox and Daniella Diaz, - CNN
_Stephan: Perhaps the worst of all Donald Trump's many crimes is his role facilitating the mass death resulting from Covid. Personally, I think Trump should be tried for crimes against humanity. Because of the non ... ⌘ Read more_
After decades, some of America’s most toxic sites will finally get cleaned up
Dino Grandoni, - The Washington Post
_Stephan: Here we have some good news. The United States is littered with over 1,300 Superfund pollution sites, lethal leftovers of the corporate world, which you and I are paying to maintain. Now thanks to the Biden administration we are going to begin cleaning some of them up._
The Atlantic’s vital currents could collapse. Scientists are racing to understand the dangers.
James Temple, Senior Editor - MIT Technology Review
_Stephan: Most Americans I find have only the dimmest comprehension about ocean currents and how critical they are to their local environment. This is a catastrophe on the edge of occurring, one with the most profound consequences. Here is a good briefing on this issue._
� ... ⌘ Read more
Climate change has destabilized the Earth’s poles, putting the rest of the planet in peril
Sarah Kaplan, - The Washington Post
_Stephan: My hope is that what happened to Mayfield, Kentucky has awakened Americans to what climate change can do and be like. As this report lays out, what happens to us in the immediate future is going to be largely dictated by how seriously we take climate change, and what we do in response. ... ⌘ Read more_
USPS reaches settlement with NAACP over 2020 mail-in voting
Jessica Schneider and Veronica Stracqualursi,, - CNN
_Stephan: Here we have what I hope will work out to be good news. Thank you NAACP. Louis DeJoy, yet another MAGAt not being held accountable, is still Postmaster General, and still trying to gut the USPS, so that the delivery companies in which his wealth is invested can make more profit. This decision, however, blocks some of his worst dep ... ⌘ Read more_
Trump is about to be indicted for racketeering in New York: David Cay Johnston
John Wright, Staff Writer - Raw Story
_Stephan: I do so hope that David Cay Johnston is correct. Donald Trump belongs in prison for this and a host of other crimes._
_Donald Trump, Allen Weisselberg and Donald Trump Jr ... ⌘ Read more_
The Supreme Court, Weaponized
Linda Greenhouse, Contributing Opinion Writer - winner of the 1998 Pulitzer Prize - The New York Times
_Stephan: This is the best assessment of the present Supreme Court representing my view that I have come across. We are undergoing a long term strategy by the Republicans, and those who own them, to destroy democracy._
 saga since the 1950s, when Donald Keyhoe, one of the early investigators came to dinner at the invitation of my mother. Over the decades I have had the good fortune to know many of the researchers in this field, although ... ⌘ Read more_
More than 800,000 Americans have died of COVID-19. An estimated 163,000 could have been saved by vaccines.
Alexander Tin, Reporter - CBS News
_Stephan: Over 1,000 people died today, a large percentage of them unvaccinated. It is becoming ever more obvious that not getting vaccinated is an deliberate anti-social act, and a kind of lottery death-cult. I see the response of the vaccinated to the choice to be ... ⌘ Read more_
Is America experiencing mass psychosis?**
Nicole Karlis, - AlterNet
_Stephan: I have thought for the last five years that what has happened is that Trump did not create the madness, but he did coalesce it into the MAGAt world we have today. The truth is that about a third of the people in the United States don't live in a rational world, and yes I think you can accurately call it a psychosis, a form of madness. And I don't think they are going to change. What that means is ... ⌘ Read more_
Three Myths About Renewable Energy and the Grid, Debunked
Amory B. Lovins and M. V. Ramana, Adjunct Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Stanford University, and Co-founder and Chairman Emeritus of Rocky Mountain Institute \\| M. V. Ramana is the Simons Chair in Disarmament, Global and Human Security and Director of the Liu Institute for Global Issues at the School of Public Policy and Global Affairs at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, ... ⌘ Read more
The Great American Teacher Exodus
Nora De La Cour , High School Social Worker - Jacobin
_Stephan: I am married to a teacher, now retired who, when she was teaching before we married, I saw with my own eyes was putting in 60-70 hours a week, far more than the teaching day, for an absurdly low salary. When you look inside America's schools you see one of the reasons I say Americans do not like children other than their own, and do not really understand they are the future of th ... ⌘ Read more_
Customs and Border Agents Spied on Journalists—the Latest Sign They Are Out of Control
Dan Friedman , Reporter - Mother Jones
_Stephan: Customs and Border Protection, a Homeland Security Department division, in my opinion, is amongst the worst of the bad. Remember the children torn from the arms of their parents and not accounted for? Remember the unbathed children sleeping for weeks on air mattresses with only emergency ... ⌘ Read more_
Kentucky on My Mind
Paul Krugman, Nobel Laureate, Professor of Economics, and Columnist - The New York Time
_Stephan: If you read SR regularly you know that by every objective measure, from infant mortality, to education, to elder care, and anything else you can think of that can be objectively measured Republican, particularly MAGAt Republican governance is always inferior to Democratic governance. And it is also true that the Democratic controlled states basically provide welfare to the Re ... ⌘ Read more_
What’s Next: Fascist Takeover or New Era of Progressive Renewal?**
Thom Hartmann, - Common Dreams
_Stephan: I saw today, with its gobsmacking revelations as to how broad within the MAGAt ranks the Trump coup attempt had spread, the glimmerings of good news. These revelations are waking up people about how corrupt Trump and his MAGAt followers in Congress are, and how little they care for democracy. Secondaril, the 6thy January House committee is rev ... ⌘ Read more_
About Three-in-Ten U.S. Adults Are Now Religiously Unaffiliated
, \\- Pew Research Center
_Stephan: As Protestant Christianity in the United States has been transformed into evangelical christofascism another bail-out trend has been emerging, the shift of millions to what might be called spiritual but not religious. This Pew Research Center gives us up-to-date reliable data of what is happening. And it is not hard to predict that this trend will con ... ⌘ Read more_
‘Monster’ Antarctic glacier at risk as key ice shelf faces collapse years earlier than expected
Kenny Stancil, - AlterNet/Common Dreams
_Stephan: Schwartz' Law of Climate Change: Whatever is described will be worse than predicted; and will happen sooner than predicted. Here is an example._
![](https://i0.wp.com/www.schwartzreport.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Screen-Shot-2021-12-14-at-9.39.06-PM.jpg?resize=8 ... ⌘ Read more
American democracy is tottering. It’s not clear Americans care.
Zack Beauchamp , - Vox
_Stephan: This is what really worries me. I don't see anything like the needed mass consensus that democracy requires to be To be able to resist the MAGAt world's push for White supremacist authoritarian governance. At least in part, I think, this is happening because every living American, and their parents, and their parents has lived in a two party democracy, ... ⌘ Read more_
Gavin Newsom calls for bill modeled on Texas abortion ban to crack down on gun manufacturers
Sophia Bollag, - Sacramento Bee
_Stephan: Good for Gavin Newsom. He is doing an Aikido of what the Texas legislature and the Supreme Court have permitted, and to challenge this ghastly idea of bounty hunters. I hope this forces the court to reverse itself, because the the Texas decision was nonsense._
![](https://i0.wp.com ... ⌘ Read more
Gun-Obsessed Teens Plotted Violent ‘Rebellion’ at Pennsylvania High School, Police Say
Justin Rohrlich, - The Daily Beast
_Stephan: This is good news, but it is also a warning that everyone should take very seriously. Had it not been for the courage and insight of one "alarmed parent" as they are described in this report, tonight we could be reading about another school massacre with who knows how many teenagers murdered by ... ⌘ Read more_
White House official allegedly said National Guard troops would protect Trump supporters Jan. 6
Kyle Stewart and Dennis Romero, - NBC News
_Stephan: When you look at what came out today in the 6th January House committee, and add it to the Eastman letter, and the Powerpoint you really get a sense of how Trump and his backers carefully planned their coup; it was not spontaneous spur of the moment. It tells us also how ... ⌘ Read more_
Americans Are Addicted to ‘Ultra-Processed’ Foods, and It’s Killing Us
Adam Piore, Editorial Staff - Newsweek
_Stephan: The other day Ronlyn and I went over to the mainland to do the shopping run we do every five weeks or so. When we went into Costco I was pleased to discover that I could get my Pfzier booster, and while I was waiting as Ronlyn shopped, a woman drove by me in one of the little electric carts Costco makes available. She was ... ⌘ Read more_
Free press in peril
Sara Fischer, - Axios
_Stephan: I am increasingly concerned that a tiny handful of corporate media sources control the narrative Americans are fed, some blatant and deliberate propaganda operations -- Fox, Breitbart, Info World, and News Max being examples. At the same time local and regional media is withering away, just as internet sites like Facebook, and Twitter are becoming dominant news sources with little of no attempt to validate the accuracy of what is posted. A ... ⌘ Read more_
‘Tis the season, once again: Evangelicals must save Christmas from an imaginary enemy
Nathaniel Manderson , American Baptist Minister -
_Stephan: Today I spent some time, as I regularly do, going through MAGAt media. It always amazes me because about 85% of it is factual nonsense. If you live in MAGAt world you really can't have an accurate understanding about anything. Every story is geared to sabotage democracy, dismiss careful ... ⌘ Read more_
Torrance police traded racist, homophobic texts. It could jeopardize hundreds of cases
James Queally, Reporter - Los Angeles Times
_Stephan: American law enforcement, on the basis of factual data, is the worst trained, worst led, most poorly recruited amongst the developed democratic nations. Because of that it attracts a large percentage of racist thugs and bullies, as you can see in the news almost any day. This is a huge pro ... ⌘ Read more_
Inside the 38-page PowerPoint TrumpWorld circulated to justify election subversion
Brett Bachman , Editor - Salon
_Stephan: Lest you or anyone you know have the slightest doubt about what happened on the 6th January, or what was intended, the Eastman Letter, and this Powerpoint lay it out, and make it clear that Trump encouraged and was behind it all. Had Mike Pence, or Nancy Pelosi actually have been caught and murdered by the T ... ⌘ Read more_
Abortion bans and sanctuary plans: States are preparing for a possible future without Roe v Wade
Hannah Knowles and María Luisa Paúl , Reporters - The Washington Post
_Stephan: Most of the media presents stories like this one as just part of the pro-choice - anti-choice struggle going on between Red and Blue value states. I see it differently. Yes, it is all of that but I think it portends much more. This story to ... ⌘ Read more_
The Supreme Court appears really eager to force taxpayers to fund religious education
Ian Millhiser , Staff Writer - Vox
_Stephan: The Founders, many of whom had a direct experience of persecution by religious institutions and individuals, or whose families had such a history -- states like Rhode Island and Pennsylvania had been founded by individuals seeking to9 get away from the crushing persecution of the British Anglican C ... ⌘ Read more_
These Chemicals Disrupt the Sexual Development of Children – And They’re Everywhere
Sharon Lerner, - The Intercept
_Stephan: I have been telling my readers for years now to go through your house, your garden, and your yard, if yo have those, and eliminate the toxins that are harming your health and the health of your family, particularly your children. Here is the latest report explaining why I feel so strongly about this._
... ⌘ Read more
Texas abortion ruling is a ‘disaster’ for the rule of law disguised as a ‘fig leaf’: Laurence Tribe
Matthew Chapman, Staff Writer - Raw Story
_Stephan: In my opinion Laurence Tribe has it exactly right. The Supreme Court has become a fascist operation in which a woman's right to control her own body is directly under attack. I just don't think that most Americans realize how very tenuous and under attack our d ... ⌘ Read more_
Biden Supreme Court study panel unanimously approves final report
John Kruzel, - The Hill
_Stephan: In my opinion one of the central realities in this country today is that for over two centuries we have been a democracy, and Americans, whether lay people, or specialized academics just don't seem to be able to comprehend just how fragile our democracy is, and how compromised our Supreme Court has become with the Trump orcs MAGAt Republicans put ... ⌘ Read more_
The Supreme Court’s Texas Abortion Decision Is a Disaster for Constitutional Rights
Mark Joseph Stern, - Slate
_Stephan: Here is another take on what just happened with the Supreme Court. This is one of the worst decisions ever issued by the court. It impacts not only the immediate Texas abortion rights issue, it actually holds implications for all manner of Constitutional rights, as this article describes. We are so close to ... ⌘ Read more_