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The current GOP is trying to reanimate the corpse of “Tail Gunner” Joe McCarthy. Trump is conflating Democratic Socialism with Communism and believes his base won’t understand the difference.   I’ve known people who grew up in the Soviet Union, mainland China, East Germany and Communist Poland. They all laugh out loud at the idea that there’s any significant communist party in America. Trump and his cult (the GOP, Fox News, Newsmax, etc) refer to all Democrats as “leftists,” “left wing,” “socialists” and “Marxists” as well as communists. They’re using these words as epithets, not according to any useful definition of the terms. The reality is that the Democratic Party is a bog ordinary center-right party. “The actual operational Democratic Party is a specific set of people. Its Senate leadership, its House leadership, its state-level executives, its mayors, its policy shops, its think tanks, its legislative directors, its floor managers, its committee staff, its campaign apparatus,...

Taxpayer subsidy of American business isn’t new. And although the GOP is bleating about socialism/communism, they’re conspicuously unbothered by flagrant federal subsidies to the means of production. “Amazon and Walmart are two of the largest and most profitable companies in the country —   collectively   generating   $100 billion in profits in 2025 — but many of their employees still qualify for Medicaid because their take-home pay hovers around (or below) the poverty line.   “As taxpayers keep their workers afloat, the wealth of the two companies’ largest shareholders is increasing exponentially. The Walton family, the largest shareholders of Walmart, saw their collective wealth increase from   $238 billion   in 2021 to   $513 billion   at the end of 2025. Meanwhile, Amazon founder and current executive chairman Jeff Bezos saw his net worth increase from   $187 billion   to   $255 billion   over roughly the same time period.”...

So what does Trump really have to lose by acquiescing to this reality and walking away? Americans chose this reality when they re-elected Donald Trump. Abdication from the war Trump chose would merely be the ratification of a reality everyone can see, but most nations are trying not to speak aloud.   Everyone knows the American order is over. Walking away would just formalize the unspoken consensus.   ~Jonathan V.  Last

Trump's presidency is an affront to Darwin.

“The approach discourages the use of any type of contraception and instead focuses on fertility awareness methods, usually in the context of couples trying to get pregnant without medical intervention such as in vitro fertilization or other treatments. That typically means not using any birth control and instead tracking indicators such as cervical mucus, body temperature and other physical symptoms to monitor the menstrual cycle.    “Academic studies have   repeatedly shown  that abstinence-only approaches result in higher rates of teen pregnancy and births, even after adjusting for other socioeconomic factors.”   The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. https://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/the-trump-admins-new-teen-pregnancy-prevention-plan-hinges-on-maha-and-abstinence?fbclid=IwY2xjawTUXNZleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBicmlkETFuaU41UGhUOGpxOU5pZEZwc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHvh72i8nMKm8Qsh4ruTrRys-fbX3CGJv...

A couple days ago, Trump promised a devastating escalation of his war of choice in Iran. He threatened to blow up a bridge or power plant for every ship attacked by Iran or their Houthi clients. Hasn’t happened. In fact, Trump has paused attacks on Iran for the past couple of days. “ President Trump has set aside, at least for now, plans to sharply escalate the American military assault against Iran, with particular concern that intensifying the war could dangerously drain the Pentagon’s already diminished stockpile of Patriot antimissile interceptors and other air defense munitions in the Middle East.   “The threat to interceptor stockpiles is one of many considerations that have made a return to major combat operations a hugely risky endeavor, administration officials say. Mr. Trump and his top aides are also uneasy about the prospect of a widening war in the Middle East, the alienation of key Gulf allies who are vulnerable to Iranian attack, a global economic crunch, and growing...