“Donald Trump was presented with several war options last Friday but rejected them all, at least for the moment. Neither did he accept the negotiated package on the table. Instead, he opted to continue his economic warfare against Iran. Given the expectation that Trump would restart the war after the midterms, optimism has grown that Trump may finally have abandoned the fantasy of a military victory. I suspect that optimism is premature. Instead, I see possible scenarios: War, peace, and a Swiss cheese status quo.” (11/11/26)
“The U.S. Justice Department has filed a lawsuit against Lyft, saying the company discriminated against passengers with service animals and those who use some mobility devices. The lawsuit, filed Monday, seeks $53 million for people with disabilities against whom Lyft allegedly discriminated and who have filed complaints to Lyft or the Justice Department. … The department filed the lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. It alleges the company violated Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, which prohibits private transportation companies from discriminating based on disability.” (11/10/26)
“Today, House Republicans managed to block the impeachment of Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, by voting 211-204 to send it to a committee for further “study.” But this fight is likely to be far from over. The Republicans may be able to effectively bottle up the impeachment in committee for the rest of the current Congress (which ends on January 3, 2027). But it will almost certainly come back in the new Democratic-controlled Congress. … And, though it’s a steep hill to climb, it is by no means impossible he might actually get convicted, as he is very unpopular on Capitol Hill (and elsewhere), and the evidence against him is strong. It is notable that House Republicans chose to use this procedural maneuver rather than just vote down the impeachment directly. It suggests they might not have had the votes to do the latter.” (11/10/26)
“[Stephen] Miller is the epitome of everything that is petty, cruel, illiberal, and anti-democratic in the Trump administration. To elevate him to chief of staff after the enormous rejection of the administration by voters last week says everything we need to know about how it will comport itself for the next two years. Members of the personality cult wasted no time rallying behind Miller. … Absolute loyalty, unwavering commitment, total devotion. The personality cult will survive the midterms defeat, and Miller will use every tool available to him to ensure it does so.” (11/11/26)
“I regret to inform you that we are now one week into the 2028 presidential election cycle. This is the stage where various factions try to shape the conventional wisdom to support their particular agenda. For Democrats, that’s a difficult process, because they so wildly overperformed in the midterms that every faction has a favorable story to tell. For Republicans, it’s tougher and uglier. Enter Vice President JD Vance. In a lengthy social media post the day after the election, Vance offered an explanation for the carnage that was gobsmacking in its intellectual dishonesty, brazenness and rhetorical restraint. The tone was corporate PowerPoint presentation, the content was balderdash, but the intent was deeply cynical.” (11/10/26)
“Setting all Hegseth’s prior failures and inadequacy for the job aside, Trump should fire him now for the failures of the war in Iran. To boil it down to very simple and plain terms, one of three things is true: 1) Hegseth did not appreciate the risks and limitations of the operations against Iran, demonstrating a lack of depth and understanding necessary for the job; 2) Hegseth did properly understand these risks and limitations, but lied or misrepresented them to the president during deliberations leading up to the war, demonstrating a lack of integrity necessary for the job; or 3) Hegseth properly relayed the risks to the president, who blew them off. All three are tragic indictments of the decisions that led to the war, and each demands accountability.’ (11/11/26)
