The Daily, 01/14/26
Source: New York Times
“Iran on the Brink.” (01/14/26)
Author: Thomas L. Knapp
Antiwar News with Dave DeCamp, 01/14/26
Source: Antiwar.com
“Trump Tells Iran Protesters: ‘Help Is on Its Way,’ Senate To Vote on Venezuela War Powers, and More.” (01/14/26)
The Glee You See From Fascists About State Violence is a Sexual Fetish
Source: CounterPunch
by Kenn Orphan
“[T]here is an enormous amount of repressed fetishism happening within the celebration of ICE violence. They find unchecked, unaccountable power enticing. Its sadism is intoxicating because it allows them to disassociate from the crushing weight of their own inner turmoil. And because virtually none of them have ever taken the time to examine their own shadows, they project them onto everyone and everything. This psychology of sadomasochism is not the kind one finds in consensual BDSM relationships or communities. Quite the opposite. The people who participate in consensual BDSM do it because it is cathartic. Because it is fun. Because they trust their partner. But the kind we see among far-right and fascist groups is solely about demeaning those who have not submitted to the state or to a mob.” (01/14/26)
China: Regime reports record $1.2 trillion trade surplus for 2025, defying Trump’s tariffs
Source: NBC News
“China had its biggest trade surplus ever last year at almost $1.2 trillion, according to data released Wednesday, defying tariffs President Donald Trump has imposed on the world’s second-largest economy. China is sending more exports to other parts of the world, even as it struggles with domestic economic troubles. China’s foreign trade in goods last year totaled 45.47 trillion yuan ($6.51 trillion), up 3.8% from the year before, state media reported, citing figures from the General Administration of Customs. That included 26.99 trillion yuan ($3.8 trillion) in exports and 18.48 trillion yuan ($2.6 trillion) in imports. Exports grew 6.1% compared with the previous year, while imports grew 0.5%.” (01/14/26)
Reasonably Optimistic, 01/14/26
Source: Washington Post
“Dry January? Sometimes drinking is part of the solution.” (01/14/26)
Nonzero, 01/13/26
Source: bloggingheads.tv
“The Minneapolis Shooting Rorschach Test | Robert Wright & Paul Bloom.” (01/13/26)
Trump Says He Sets His Own Limits; Founding Fathers Disagree
Source: Libertarian Institute
by Alan Mosley
“During a January 2026 interview with The New York Times, President Donald Trump was asked whether anything could limit his ability to use the vast military and economic power of the United States as he saw fit. His answer was breathtakingly candid. Trump replied, ‘Yeah, there is one thing. My own morality. My own mind. It’s the only thing that can stop me.’ … Morally, a leader claiming to be constrained only by his personal sense of right and wrong should alarm anyone who values the rule of law. But a far more concrete problem exists: the perspective reflects a misunderstanding — or willful rejection — of the constitutional design of the American republic. The U.S. Constitution was deliberately constructed to prevent the very scenario Trump describes, that of a single individual unilaterally dragging the nation into conflict.” (01/14/26)
Amnesty Transactional
Source: Washington Monthly
by Garrett Epps
“It is safe to say that Trump’s abuse of the pardon power has no parallel in American history. Almost every president has granted a few that seem dodgy in retrospect; many have used them as an instrument of partisan politics; a few have used them as instruments of corruption. But in extent and scale, Trump’s pardons fall well below the subterranean ethical floor established even over the past 50 years. In pardoning 1,500 rioters convicted of involvement in the January 6 insurrection, Trump showed contempt for the law enforcement officers who protected the Capitol, and the system of government they preserved. His other pardons, from crypto fraudsters to foreign drug lords, reek with contempt for the very idea of law.” (01/14/26)
https://washingtonmonthly.com/2026/01/14/amnesty-transactional-pardon-power/
The Bulwark Podcast, 01/13/26
Source: The Bulwark
“Trump is Dangerous Because He Has Nothing to Lose (w/ Susan Glasser & Jacob Soboroff).” (01/13/26)
Genocide Isn’t a Mistake. Which Is Why the Media Can’t Tell You the Truth About Gaza
Source: Antiwar.com
by Jonathan Cook
“It is almost impossible to get serious criticism of the Israeli state, which (falsely) claims to represent the Jewish people, anywhere near mainstream US culture, even when it takes the form of a critically acclaimed movie, backed by Brad Pitt and Joaquin Phoenix, that received a record 23-minute standing ovation at the Venice Film Festival. For decades, pro-Israel lobby groups have dedicated their efforts to telling us that antisemitism is rampant across the West and takes the form of opposition of Israel – a message endlessly amplified by the western media. … The solution, it hardly needs pointing out, is to shut down criticism of Israel to reduce antisemitism.” (01/14/26)