“We have a storytelling problem on the Left, and right now there is an easy story to parrot about the Democratic Party leadership’s profound failure to meet the moment. It’s an old and familiar story that has been written again and again throughout my life. It’s a story where the only updates are changes to names and dates. The MAGA Right has shown its inability to cohere its vision of American authoritarianism and win majorities to it. At the same time, Democratic leaders have shown their inability to lead a political coalition that can defeat the Right. There is no tactical maneuver that will change these fundamental truths. So we should be wary of easy stories that misdirect us, no matter how satisfying it might be to dunk on Chuck Schumer, no matter how crass the Democrats’ latest capitulations feel.” (12/02/25)
“Why did the war in Ukraine start in 2021? As in 2008 and 2012, but unlike 2017 to 2021, Vladimir Putin sensed an American president would not or could not deter him, so he invaded a former Soviet republic. Under past presidents, Putin saw no downside to grabbing Ossetia, the Donbas, and Crimea. Putin was also led to believe the West or Joe Biden would not challenge him following the recent humiliating U.S. withdrawal from Kabul. Biden’s unfortunate remark that a ‘minor’ Russian invasion might not invoke a U.S. response did not help. Based on past experience, Putin saw no real obstacle to a quick victory. ” (12/01/25)
Source: Caitlin Johnstone, Rogue Journalist
by Caitlin Johnstone
“It’s the craziest thing in the world that we already have the technological ability to provide a decent standard of living for everyone on earth, but it doesn’t happen because it’s not profitable. We attained the greatest scientific achievement of all time and then did nothing with it. Our society is completely uninterested in it because capitalism is completely uninterested in it. It’s just so insane how this doesn’t sit front and center in our attention all the time. There are people dying of starvation, exposure and preventable illnesses every single day for no good reason. Humanity became more than capable of ensuring that this never happened to anyone ever again, and just rode right past that stunning moment in history without even glancing up from its smartphone. Can you imagine if we did that with any other major technological development?” (12/01/25)
“When we lose a member of our Armed Services to the enemy on the battlefield, we mostly understand that it is part of the accepted risk. However, when Soldiers are ambushed and shot just blocks away from the White House in our Nation’s capital, it shocks us. And so is the case with 20-year-old US Army Specialist Sarah Beckstrom of West Virginia, who volunteered to take a Thanksgiving tour of duty to protect the streets of Washington, DC, so that others could enjoy Thanksgiving with family. Sarah was shot in the chest and head, and we lost her. US Air Force SSG Andrew Wolfe is fighting for his life. Both were shot by an Afghan national who was allowed entry into our country, and it appears not properly vetted.” (12/01/25)
“Hong Kong officials said Monday that their investigation into a deadly blaze that killed at least 151 has revealed some of the netting that covered scaffolding used in renovations was not up to fire-safety codes, as a wave of public sympathy and support was met by government moves to stifle criticism. Wednesday’s blaze, which took until Friday to fully extinguish, started on the lower-level netting covering bamboo scaffolding around one building in the high-rise Wang Fuk Court complex. It then swept inside as foam panels placed over windows caught fire and blew out the glass. Winds carried flames from building to building that all were covered in scaffolding and netting, until seven of eight were ablaze. Initial tests of the netting showed it was up to code, but subsequently investigators collected 20 samples from all areas, including higher floors, and found seven failed safety standards …” (12/01/25)
“In the span of a week, the Trump administration succeeded in passing a United Nations Security Council resolution on Gaza (based on its earlier 20-point plan to end the conflict) and also released a 28-point peace plan for Ukraine. Commentators and critics have noted some similarities between the two initiatives. There are also profound differences that are important to note. In the first place, the intention of both plans appears to be driven by the simple and commendable goal of ending the ongoing violence in Gaza and Ukraine. While trying to do this, however, critics note that aggressors have been given undo [sic] deference. In the case of Ukraine, it was deemed that the way forward was in awarding Russia’s land grab in eastern and southern Ukraine. In the case of Gaza, no attention was paid to Israel’s genocidal crimes against Palestinians …” (12/01/25)
“Hundreds of state workers at the Minnesota Department of Human Services publicly excoriated Gov. Tim Walz for allowing ‘a massive fraud’ scandal to unfold under his watch and retaliating against their whistleblowers. Over $1 billion in taxpayers’ money was fleeced by dozens of scammers in Minnesota’s Feeding Our Future fraud scandal, the largest known COVID-19 fraud case in the country. ‘Tim Walz is 100% responsible for massive fraud in Minnesota. We let Tim Walz know of fraud early on, hoping for a partnership in stopping fraud but no, we got the opposite response,’ the Minnesota DHS employees’ X account, which represents over 480 staffers, chided Saturday. ‘Tim Walz systematically retaliated against whistleblowers using monitoring, threats, repression, and did his best to discredit fraud reports. Instead of partnership, we got the full weight of retaliation,’ the account charged. ‘It’s scary, isolating and left us wondering who we can turn to.'” (12/01/25)
“It’s time for all of us to admit what the American people already know: Obamacare has failed. The Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, created a system that enriched insurance companies and hospitals and screwed over Americans. Obamacare didn’t let people keep their insurance plans or their doctors, and families didn’t save money — and neither did the federal government. Families have been left with higher costs and healthcare that doesn’t meet their needs. I want to tell you about a family with a preexisting health condition that I think about whenever I talk about healthcare in our country. They grew up in public housing, rarely saw a doctor. One of the kids had a hip disease. Their mom would drive 200 miles to a charity hospital to get him treatment. That was my family growing up.” (12/01/25)
“Indiana House members are expected to press forward Monday with redrawing the state’s congressional districts in Republicans’ favor, increasing pressure on their defiant counterparts in the GOP-led Senate to meet President Donald Trump’s demands. Republicans who control the House have said there’s no doubt that redistricting will pass that chamber. But the fate of any proposal remains uncertain in the Senate. Republicans control that chamber, but caucus members have resisted pressure to redistrict for months. Senate leadership recently backed off its previous intentions not to meet at all, agreeing to convene next Monday. However, it’s still unclear whether enough senators will support a new map. Republicans hold seven of Indiana’s nine U.S. House seats. Trump and other Republicans want to make the map 9-0 in the GOP’s favor, seeking to give the party two extra seats in the 2026 elections that will determine control of the U.S. House.” (12/01/25)
“A judge in Minnesota is facing heat after she overturned a guilty verdict for an individual convicted in a $7.2 million fraud scheme that involved taxpayer money. Abdifatah Yusuf and his wife Lul Ahmed were charged in June 2024 after they were accused of stealing $7.2 million from the state’s Medicaid program while running a home healthcare business that lacked an office building and operated ‘for years out of a mailbox,’ according to the Minnesota Attorney General’s Office. Prosecutors said Yusuf received Medicaid money for services that weren’t provided and overbilled for services that didn’t have documentation. Yusuf allegedly used the money to fund ‘a lavish lifestyle’ that included shopping sprees at ‘luxury clothing stores including Coach, Canada Goose, Michael Kors, Third Degree Heat, Nike, and Nordstrom.'” (12/01/25)
