Source: The Nation
by Jeet Heer
“With Elon Musk acting as the de facto commander in chief, even holding high-level photo ops with foreign leaders like Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the nominal president Donald Trump has a lot of time on his hands. Not surprisingly, since he is a second-term president, Trump has been turning his energy toward building a legacy. But with his real estate developer’s instincts for acquiring and refurbishing old properties, Trump has decided that rather than start from scratch there is a valuable brand he can easily take over and make his own: the fabled name of the Kennedy family. Over the last few weeks, Trump has gone out of his way to appropriate the Kennedy name as an offshoot of his own brand.” (02/14/25)
https://www.thenation.com/article/politics/trump-rfk-kennedy-legacy/
Source: Unattended Baggage
“I want you to shush your mouth.” (02/15/25)
https://unattendedbaggage.substack.com/p/episode-282-hour-1-i-want-you-to
Source: The Dispatch
by Kevin D Williamson
“The Trump administration has a plan for inflation: Make it at least a little worse. I didn’t say it was a good plan. It is not the case, as one so often hears, that higher prices inflicted on producers or retailers — in the form of higher taxes, regulatory burdens, or, today’s topic, tariffs — are necessarily ‘passed on to consumers.’ That is a myth based on the fiction that sellers in the marketplace have the power to set prices unilaterally, which they do not …. Tracking down ‘tax incidence’ — who actually ends up paying the real economic costs of a tax — is a complicated business, and economists will disagree about estimates and models. What they do not disagree about is that taxes on businesses put upward pressure on prices and downward pressure on wages and other business expenses.” (02/14/25)
https://thedispatch.com/article/trump-tariffs-taxes-housing-prices-lumber/
Source: BBC News [UK State Media]
“Mouldy half-finished food on bunk beds, discarded military uniforms and abandoned weapons – these are the remnants of an abrupt retreat from this base that once belonged to Iran and its affiliated groups in Syria. The scene tells a story of panic. The forces stationed here fled with little warning, leaving behind a decade-long presence that unravelled in mere weeks. Iran was Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s most critical ally for more than 10 years. It deployed military advisers, mobilised foreign militias, and invested heavily in Syria’s war. Its elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) built deep networks of underground bases, supplying arms and training to thousands of fighters. For Iran, this was also part of its ‘security belt’ against Israel.” (02/16/25)
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cjw4egp7lwno
Source: The Bulwark
by Adrian Carrasquillo
“Now, thanks to Republicans in Mississippi and Missouri, the rules of bounty hunting could be applied to undocumented immigrants. Prospective laws in each state would allow residents to receive $1,000 a pop, to be paid if a tip on someone in the country illegally [sic] leads to an arrest. Meanwhile, the Tackling and Reforming Unlawful Migration Policy Act — yes, the TRUMP Act — became Florida law yesterday; among other things, it provides for any law enforcement officer who assists in the arrest of a person in the state illegally [sic] to receive a $1,000 bonus. It turns out you can act as a bounty hunter even while wearing the uniform of the state. The outsourcing and incentivizing of immigration enforcement extends beyond there.” (02/14/25)
https://www.thebulwark.com/p/state-republicans-harsh-immigration-laws-bounty-hunters
Source: Christian Science Monitor
by staff
“The Trump administration’s insistence that Europe be more responsible for its own defense – including Ukraine’s – has ignited a strong response. In a speech Friday, for example, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Europe ‘is now in another period of crisis which warrants a similar approach’ to that during the pandemic. In Germany, the person most likely to be the country’s next prime minister, Friedrich Merz, told The Economist that German troops could be used in Ukraine after a ceasefire and that Ukraine, once it’s enjoying peace, could be a NATO member. With renewed pressure from the United States, Europe needs ‘to stay collectively vigilant,’ French President Emmanuel Macron told the Financial Times. Whether Europe can shake a mindset of dependency on America’s military strength remains to be seen.” (02/14/25)
https://www.csmonitor.com/Commentary/the-monitors-view/2025/0214/Europe-s-moment-for-self-governance
Source: CBS News
“At least 18 people, including 14 women, were killed in a stampede at a railway station in India’s capital of New Delhi, the Press Trust of India news agency reported Sunday. Many of the victims were Hindu pilgrims who were traveling to the Maha Kumbh festival in Prayagraj in northern India, according to Delhi’s caretaker chief minister, Atishi, who uses only one name. … The incident occurred after some passengers slipped and fell on others while coming down from a footbridge that connects train platforms, authorities said.” (02/16/25)
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/stampede-railway-station-new-delhi-india/
Source: Liberal Currents
by Samantha Hancox-Li
“The Civil Rights Movement is worth studying not just because they were right, but because they won.” (02/14/25)
https://www.liberalcurrents.com/how-to-win-a-rigged-game/
Source: Fox News
“The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is reportedly cutting thousands of probationary workers as tax season ramps up, according to The Associated Press. The announcement comes just days after the Trump administration instructed agencies to fire most probationary workers who have not secured civil service protection. The layoffs could potentially impact hundreds of thousands of people, although the exact number has not yet been confirmed, the AP reported. In addition to the probationary cuts, President Donald Trump announced on Jan. 29 that federal employees would be fired if they did not return to in-person work by early February. A buyout offer, which has been extended, has already been accepted by about 65,000 employees. The Associated Press reported IRS employees involved in the 2025 tax season, which began on Jan. 27, are not eligible for the buyout until after the taxpayer filing deadline, according to a letter sent recently to IRS employees.” (02/15/25)
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/irs-slash-thousands-workers-payroll-report
Source: The Anarchist Experience
“Rich, MC, and KS discuss Reason not being on board with the cuts that DOGE is making, what has DOGE been finding, why the left is more tribal than the right, and this HEADLINE: Argentina To Revoke All Medical Marijuana Cultivation Permits.” (02/15/25)
https://theanarchistexperience.wordpress.com/2025/02/15/the-anarchist-experience-515/