“One thing I’ve been tracking this year is the areas where Wall Street and Silicon Valley are going to war. Tech firms clearly want to become banking apps and receive special charters, private equity and crypto are jostling for position in worker 401(k) plans, and the tech right in general wants to supplant big banks as the go-to director of conservative business policy. That’s all still going on. But in one area, Silicon Valley and Wall Street are in sync: conjuring up sketchy credit deals that are pointing us toward another financial crash.” (11/19/25)
“Authors of a new Council on Foreign Relations report are framing government subsidies and bailouts for key tech industries as a national security imperative. Not surprisingly, many of the report’s authors stand to benefit financially from such an arrangement.” (11/19/25)
“Congress will decide in the coming weeks whether to approve a $1 trillion military budget for 2026. … Money is policy. Should Congress approve such a historic sum, it would not only enable many of Trump’s dangerous and unjust policies — including military occupations of US cities, the resumption of nuclear weapons testing, and rushing toward wars in Mexico, Nigeria, and Venezuela — it would also trigger a historic redistribution of wealth from the public to private arms companies and their shareholders.” (11/19/25)
“Earlier this month, during a parliamentary session, Japan’s new Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi was pressed by an opposition lawmaker on scenarios that could trigger the clause in Japan’s constitution concerning ‘survival-threatening situations,’ thus allowing collective self-defense. Takaichi explicitly stated that Chinese military action against Taiwan — such as a naval blockade, invasion, or interference with U.S. forces — could qualify. … scandalous as Takaichi’s answers were to the Communist Party in China, it was the response of Xue Jian, consul general of the People’s Republic of China, in Osaka, Japan, that raised more than eyebrows: ‘I have no choice but to cut off that filthy head that barged in without hesitation — are you ready?'” (11/19/25)
“The echoes of Iraq are everywhere: the moral certainty, the insistence on a narrow mission, laws stretched to accommodate force, the journalist class nudging readers toward the idea of escalation. The Times leans on that posture — the intellectual confidence that if a dictator is cruel enough, if his country is chaotic enough, then U.S. firepower is not only justified but prudent and even moral. … This is not law enforcement. It is coercive statecraft backed by military power. And when the press uncritically repeats the administration’s framing, the escalation becomes easier to swallow.” (11/18/25)
“Miracles come in all shapes and circumstances, but here is a truly remarkable one: The New York Times has said something positive about President Trump. All he had to do was get most of the world to back his sweeping plan for bringing peace to Gaza. It was a long shot, but he and his skilled negotiating team pulled it off. So much so that a Monday Times headline called it ‘A Major Breakthrough.’ The story went on to declare that the United Nations Security Council vote to support the president’s plan represents ‘a major diplomatic victory for the Trump administration.’ It is that, and a helluva lot more, including the fact that it already has saved untold lives, both Jewish and Arab, and will save many more each day if it is fully implemented.” (11/19/25)
“Immigration policy has become a critical tool for labor and economic strategy. But as governments around the world compete for valuable workplace talent, the United States has gone in the opposite direction by adding new restrictions on legal immigration for high-skilled workers, explicitly targeting the H-1B visa program through a $100,000 fee. … The administration has said the amount will encourage companies to hire American workers instead of relying on foreign talent. However, in practice, the policy has created confusion among employers regarding the extent of its implementation.” (11/18/25)
“As some of you probably know, Pope Leo XIV spoke to group of film industry professionals this past Saturday, urging them not to give up on the movies. … Movies, the pontiff declared, are a uniquely popular art, accessible to all and yet at their best capable of sustaining long contemplation and analysis, and of touching the depths of the human soul. Unlike much of the video that clogs our screen-sodden lives these days, cinema is narrative art. It takes us on a journey and, inasmuch as life is also a journey, reminds us thereby that we are alive. … I agree!” (11/18/25)
Source: Drop Site
by Ryan Grim and Murtaza Hussain
“With an avalanche of new documents released by the House Oversight Committee, and looming legislation mandating further disclosures, the press has renewed its relentless coverage of the life and times of Jeffrey Epstein. Yet, with some notable exceptions, a major part of his life’s work has remained outside the media’s gaze, his relationship with the state of Israel and his prominent role in helping advance the Israeli cyberweapons industry.” (11/18/25)
“Ultra-long mortgages create the illusion of affordability but lock borrowers into decades of extra interest because leaders won’t fix the supply crunch.” (11/18/25)
