“Senate Democrat nominee James Talarico appears ready to bring a touch of Trotsky to Texas. In a video from a climate forum, Talarico is shown declaring capitalism an ‘oppressive system’ linked with white supremacy and that it must be ‘dismantled’ to achieve a better world. It is reminiscent of Leon Trotsky, who denounced the ‘fundamental evil of the capitalist system’ and called on citizens to free themselves from its oppression. The Democratic Socialists of America and radical sites have long called ‘to dismantle the capitalist state’. As a state representative, Talarico addressed the 2020 climate conference by the Austin chapter of the Sierra Club [and] roused the crowd with an attack on capitalism: ‘I’m so thankful that you asked this question and also thankful that young activists have really drawn the link between climate change and White supremacy and capitalism in our country.'” (09/02/26)
“Oil giant Chevron confirmed that it will expand its operations in Venezuela, just days after President Donald Trump announced an ambitious deal to develop the nation’s oil reserves and give the Pentagon a stake in the profits. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney told the Trump administration Tuesday to ‘stop doing memes, stop throwing shade and stop trying to be tough,’ as he pushed back against a fresh wave of taunts from Washington. Carney said U.S.-Canada trade talks could resume if Washington becomes serious about negotiations. And a record percentage of Americans — about 9 in 10 — 89% — believe there’s widespread corruption in the U.S. government, according to a new Gallup poll released Wednesday. That’s up 10 percentage points from last year.” (09/02/26)
“I have a question about the critical Michigan Senate race: Are centrist Democratic officials and pundits going to spend the next 60 days loudly making the Republican Party’s arguments for them? The last week has seen a meltdown over Abdul El-Sayed, the Democratic nominee. The controversy involves the Twitch streamer Hasan Piker, who is not an elected official, or a candidate for anything, or a member of El-Sayed’s campaign, but did appear with him during the primary at a few events. Piker made some comments on a Twitch stream (more on that in a moment) that provided a convenient pretext for Republicans to whip up a frenzy of anti-Muslim bigotry and smear El-Sayed by association. Most Democrats did not join in, but many did, including some in leadership positions.” (09/02/26)
“Yoav Segalovitz, a Zionist politician from a centrist Jewish party, shook up Israeli politics on Monday. He announced he would run in the Oct. 27 parliamentary elections as a top-tier candidate with Ra’am, a party representing Israel’s large Arab population. His surprise leap across a deep social divide could help Ra’am win enough seats in the Knesset to influence who becomes the next prime minister, possibly shifting Israel’s role in the Middle East. A recent poll showed that more than half of voters who oppose the current government would support including Ra’am with Mr. Segalovitz in a possible coalition. While such political leverage remains to be seen, it was Mr. Segalovitz’s reasons for joining Ra’am – an abbreviation for United Arab List – that also caught much of the public’s attention.” (09/01/26)
“Congo’s Ebola outbreak has killed more than 3,000 people out of more than 6,100 confirmed cases, according to the latest government data from Wednesday, as the disease is spreading at an unprecedented speed, faster than efforts to track and slow it. Data from Congo’s Ministry of Health showed the outbreak has recorded 6,186 confirmed cases, including 3,007 deaths since it was declared a global health emergency in mid-May. It remains the fastest-growing outbreak of Ebola ever. Jean-Claude Angwanzia, a resident of Bunia, said that he left Mambassa in the epicenter of Ituri province, because he didn’t feel safe. He said that he hardly saw health workers and infected bodies were being mishandled, prompting safety concerns. ‘I had to flee the area because of the danger looming over us,’ he said. The pace of the outbreak is putting a strain on people’s lives.” (09/02/26)
“The Democratic Socialists of America are proving an old principle of politics: You can win a lot of votes by promising ‘free stuff’ — and not worrying if you could possibly deliver. Analyst Adam Michel of the free-market Cato Institute just tallied up the DSA’s agenda, and guess what: ‘The entire wealth of the richest Americans, plus every dollar of corporate profit and maximum top income tax rates’ fails to pay for the socialist program. The DSA vows to provide universal health care (cost to the government: $29.9 trillion to $75.4 trillion over the next decade), slavery reparations ($13.5 trillion to $28 trillion), jobs guarantees ($4.4 trillion to $60.4 trillion), housing for all ($3.4 trillion to $16.6 trillion) and several other big-ticket goodies. The mind-blowing total: $71.2 trillion to $211.6 trillion, spiking federal spending to 57% of GDP on the low end, and 92% on the high end.” (09/01/26)
“After a record 250 days at sea without a port stop, the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln has docked in Thailand, giving its nearly 5,000 crew members a much-needed break. The ship is docking close to the beach resort of Pattaya, known for its raucous nightlife and for sex tourism. For the US it also carries strong historical echoes. When the weary sailors walk into the city’s bars and restaurants, they will be treading in the footsteps of the hundreds of thousands of US troops who came here for R&R – rest and relaxation – during the Vietnam War. They transformed it from a sleepy fishing village to one of the world’s most famous and frenetic party towns. Today the neon-lit alleys running down to the beach are much quieter than usual. The bars in the city’s famous Walking Street still screen videos on their walls of pole-dancing women, trying to lure customers inside.” (09/02/26)
“If Kansas megachurch pastor and Democratic nominee Adam Hamilton manages to pull off an upset victory in his race for a U.S. Senate seat, he’d join a very small group. In the past 100 years, only incumbent Raphael Warnock of Georgia has accomplished what Hamilton aspires to do: serve in the Senate while continuing to lead his congregation. Warnock has continued to preach regularly as senior pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta since his election as Georgia’s first Black senator in 2021. Hamilton has made clear that if he wins, he would like to continue as senior pastor — preaching 12 to 18 times a year — at the Church of the Resurrection. With roughly 25,000 members in the Kansas City area, it’s the nation’s largest United Methodist church. Warnock, in a video on U.S. Senate Democrats’ Facebook page, discusses how he melds his political and pastoral careers. ‘They are both about working for people even as you walk alongside them,’ he said.” (09/02/26)
“Whenever a natural disaster occurs anywhere in the world that can be connected in some way with the alleged climate crisis, out come the professionals to make that connection. From the federally funded NPR, ‘A melting glacier contributed to the deadly Nepal floods. We can expect more like this.’ From CBC, ‘Scientists fear Nepal’s disaster is just a glimpse of the carnage climate change could cause.’ And from BBC, ‘Nepal calls for ‘global effort’ to address climate change after devastating flash floods.’ This is just a taste of the media consensus, backed by scientists whose careers and credibility are built on perpetuating the panic. But what exactly would constitute a ‘global effort’ to address climate change? And here again, business professionals and politicians step in, and the results are laughable.” (09/02/26)
“A federal judge has delivered a First Amendment victory to a student news outlet at Stanford University. On Friday, U.S. District Judge Noël Wise ruled that immigration provisions that allowed Secretary of State Marco Rubio to revoke student visas had a chilling effect on noncitizen student journalists at the Stanford Daily. Wise wrote that portions of two federal immigration provisions are unconstitutional when used against noncitizens for speech protected by the First Amendment. The Stanford Daily Publishing Corporation brought the lawsuit alongside two anonymous students unaffiliated with Stanford, though one student was later dismissed from the case. The plaintiffs were represented pro bono by the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, or FIRE. ‘The reporters in our newsroom shouldn’t have to fear that writing a story will result in their deportation,’ Daily editor-in-chief George Porteous wrote following the ruling. ‘Today’s victory means they won’t have to.'” (08/31/26)
