“Tennessee lawmakers have taken a bold stand against the misuse of taxpayer dollars in public education. On March 10, House Bill 793 advanced out of a full committee with a 15-9 vote, divided mostly along party lines, with Republicans in favor and all seven Democrats opposed. The proposal is scheduled to be heard on the House floor on March 16. The measure now requires public and charter school officials to verify students’ immigration status at enrollment and report the aggregate results to the state. The proposal originally empowered school officials to deny enrollment to students who could not prove lawful [sic] presence in the United States or to charge their families tuition.” [editor’s note: If you doubted that DeAngelis’s fake “school choice” advocacy was about anything and everything but freedom, now you know for sure – TLK] (03/16/26)
“Senate Democrats say they want to end the government shutdown but have repeatedly blocked GOP attempts to reopen the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) as they push for immigration enforcement reforms. On Friday, Sen. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., said at a news conference following an antisemitic attack on the Temple Israel synagogue in her state that ‘certainly’ Congress must fund DHS. However, Slotkin and most Senate Democrats have voted four times to block DHS funding, including several attempts to temporarily reopen the agency while negotiations continue. Slotkin is just one of several Senate Democrats calling for an end to the shutdown. Republicans argue the votes are part of a broader Democratic strategy to blame them for blocking efforts to reopen DHS.” [editor’s note: Instead of quibbling over what conditions to reopen it under, they should simply abolish it – TLK] (03/16/26)
“Doubtless, the war launched by US President Donald Trump is not popular among ordinary Americans. According to the latest public opinion poll, only a minority of Americans (part of the dwindling [sic] core of Trump’s supporters) believe that the US-Israeli aggression against Iran has merit. According to a Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted in early March 2026, only 27 percent of Americans approve of the US-Israeli strikes on Iran—while 43 percent disapprove and 29 percent are unsure. This pro-war constituency is likely to remain supportive of Trump until the end of his term in office, and long after. However, the war on Iran is not popular, and it is unlikely to become popular, especially as the Trump administration is reportedly fragmented between those who want to stay the course and those desperate for an exit strategy. Such a strategy would allow their president to save face before the midterm elections in November.” (03/16/26)
“Afghanistan’s Taliban government on Monday accused Pakistan’s military of targeting a Kabul hospital that treats drug addicts in airstrikes that killed four people and wounded several others. The attack came hours after Afghan officials said the two sides exchanged fire along their common border, killing four people in Afghanistan, as the deadliest fighting between the neighbors in years entered a third week. Government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid condemned the strike on X, saying it violated Afghanistan’s territory. He said most of those killed and wounded were addicts undergoing treatment at the facility. Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s spokesman, Mosharraf Zaidi, dismissed the allegations as baseless, saying no hospital was targeted in Kabul. He gave no further details, but Pakistan’s government and military have repeatedly said that their forces only target the Afghan military and facilities being used for attacks in Pakistan.” (03/16/26)
“I remember retiring from the U.S. Army and relocating the family to South Florida. That was a long drive from Ft Hood, Texas, to Ft Lauderdale, Florida, especially with two young daughters and two yap yap Pomeranian dogs. I decided we would depart at ‘Zero-dark Early’ so Aubrey and Austen would sleep, but when they awoke, the first words out of their mouths were, ‘Dad, are we there yet?’ Heck, I believe those two yap yap dogs were yapping the same inquiry. Needless to say, we had not even hit the Florida border, going along Interstate 10. This is a story that many parents and grandparents have experienced on a long drive with kids. But it also provides a very important lesson about how not to develop national security and foreign policy. ” (03/16/26)
“Major airline CEOs have urged the US Congress to end the government shutdown that has left airport workers without pay, warning travellers could face more delays. American Airlines, Delta, Southwest and JetBlue are among the airlines that have written to lawmakers to demand funding is restored to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which oversees the security agency, TSA. The DHS has gone without funding since February, after Congress failed to reach a funding agreement. The Trump administration has blamed delays on Democrats, who declined to pass funding without immigration reforms. ‘Once again, air travel is the political football amid another government shutdown,’ the CEOs wrote. ‘First, leaders should immediately come together to reach an agreement to fund the Department of Homeland Security,’ they added. ‘Then they need to act so this problem never happens again.'” (03/16/26)
“A Democratic and a Republican candidate for governor are floating similar ideas for financial relief as gas prices could climb up to $7 a gallon in California. Matt Mahan, a newcomer to the governor’s race and the current mayor of San Jose, suggested during a debate Thursday night in Monterey that state lawmakers should pause to the state’s gas tax –– which is currently $0.88 cents a gallon –– to keep gas prices from climbing. Republican candidate Steve Hilton proposed a similar idea earlier in the week. ‘Working families are struggling with skyrocketing costs. It’s past time for some relief,’ Mahan said according to a statement from his office. ‘And Californians shouldn’t have to wait for the next election for our government to act. That’s why I believe we need to temporarily suspend our state’s highest in the nation gas taxes, right now.'” (03/16/26)
Source: The American Prospect
by David Dayen and Ryan Cooper
“The last couple of weeks in Democratic politics has seen a rise in what is sometimes called ‘the ideas primary’: the competing sets of policy announcements, often well in advance of the next presidential race, intended to set priorities and draw battle lines for the future. As our colleague Harold Meyerson has documented, the early ideas primary is around tax policy, and in particular a debate that encompasses the role of taxes in society, how to best deal with rampant inequality, and how to prioritize America’s biggest challenges. Sens. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) and Cory Booker (D-NJ), both of whom appear to be at least considering a run for the presidency in 2028 … have released bills that in different ways expand the standard deduction, which exempts a certain amount of earnings from taxation, and attempt to compensate for that further up the income ladder.” (03/16/26)
“It took several decades for students’ individual computer access to become the norm in American schools. But it’s taken only about three years for the share of students using artificial intelligence in school assignments to go from zero to 84%. At the same time, according to a 2025 report by the College Board, only 13% of schools encouraged using such generative AI in all their classes, while 1 in 5 had no policies governing its use. Educators are racing to keep pace with and use AI in ways that safeguard students’ educational interests and support vibrant classroom relationships. There is concern about repeating what some see as the ‘mistakes’ of having allowed students unlimited access to phones and social media. But blanket restrictions on AI in schools could be counterproductive, given that it infuses almost every aspect of daily commerce and communication – and is also shaping emerging career paths.” (03/13/26)
Source: Caitlin Johnstone, Rogue Journalist
by Caitlin Johnstone
“Anti-Defamation League CEO Jonathan Greenblatt gave a bizarre appearance on CNN in response to an attempted car bombing of a Michigan synagogue by a man whose Lebanese family members were killed by Israeli forces: ‘We are seeing Jewish people, the Jewish state, blamed for the war in the Middle East. That is wrong. It is wrong to scapegoat, it is wrong to hold Jewish people accountable for something you don’t like on the other side of the planet.’ … at first glance it this might read like Greenblatt is taking the entirely reasonable position that it is wrong to blame Jewish Americans for the actions of the Israeli government. But take a closer look at his use of the phrase ‘the Jewish state.'” [editor’s note: The cause of an attack is the attacker and the attacker’s intent, full stop. The Israeli regime is responsible for its actions and its actions only – TLK](03/14/26)
