“When Donald Trump entered office, he faced a number of choices that had confronted the last three Republican presidents, Ronald Reagan, George H. W. Bush, and George W. Bush. They all had the choice to either shrink government and reduce deficits or slow government growth while cutting taxes. They had the choice of using American power to restore deterrence by invading belligerents (e.g., Grenada, Panama, Iraq, Afghanistan) or targeting enemies without deploying ground troops to change governments. Republicans could either impose tariffs to ensure trade balances and fair trade or argue that free, even if unfair, trade was in the U.S.’s interest by lowering consumer prices, keeping domestic producers competitive, and assuming foreign subsidies were unsustainable.” [editor’s note: Hanson’s IQ seems to diminish with each op-ed he writes – TLK] (03/31/25)
“A British toddler was kicked out of a nursery school after being accused of being transphobic or homophobic, according to local media reports. The child, aged 3 or 4, was kicked out of an unnamed school nursery ‘for being transphobic,’ the Telegraph reported Monday. The name of the school and details of the case were not disclosed by the Department for Education (DfE) of the United Kingdom, the report said. A DfE spokesman told the newspaper that ‘all pupils and staff should feel safe and protected at school and should never face violence or abuse.’ Statistics revealed that 94 students at state primary schools were suspended or permanently excluded for transphobia and homophobia in 2022-23. That figure includes 10 students from year one and three from year two, where the maximum age is seven, the report states.” [editor’s note: I’m confused; did this preschool tot make some comment about the hair-color or piercings on one of the “teachers?” – SAT] (03/31/25)
“The United States Treasury sanctioned six people and seven companies Monday for alleged money laundering for factions of Mexico’s Sinaloa Cartel, underscoring the group’s new designation as a foreign terrorist organization under the Trump administration. The designation aimed at ‘targeting the financial operations’ of the cartel, which has raked in money by trafficking fentanyl to the United States, came as part of an investigation by U.S. and Mexican government agencies. The Treasury said those listed used ‘a network of front companies and shell corporations’ to launder money, often using things like currency exchange businesses along the U.S.-Mexico border and larger bulk cash pickups.” (03/31/25)
Source: In These Times
by Frederick Clarkson & Ben Lorber
“On October 12, 2024, tens of thousands of people thronged outside the U.S. Capitol building in Washington, D.C., for what organizers called the ’A Million Women’ rally. The event was staged by a clutch of leaders of the New Apostolic Reformation (NAR), a dynamic and fast-growing Christian Right movement that has influenced hundreds of millions of people around the world, including tens of millions in the United States. Timed to coincide with the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur, the themes of the gathering included winning Christian ’dominion’ over political institutions, mobilizing voters and — in keeping with the movement’s focus on the idea of spiritual warfare — exorcizing demons from the Capitol. But, although what limited media attention the event drew didn’t cover it, another major purpose was rallying support for Israel.” (03/31/25)
