“Donald Trump was reelected President in the November 2024 election. Since then, he has promised large, across-the-board tariffs to go into effect via executive order on Day 1. These promises mimic those he made on the campaign trail, but of a much larger magnitude. Whether or not these tariffs materialize is an open question. Blanket tariffs would likely face legal challenges (interested readers can find a brief discussion on the legal issues of blanket tariffs here). For the sake of this post, I will assume that the tariffs currently proposed (as of 29 December 2024) go into effect with no alterations. If that is indeed the case, then I have two major concerns: one economic and one political.” (01/02/25)
“Every morning as I’m making my daughter’s school lunch, I loudly and clearly ask, ‘OK Google, what’s the weather like today?’ Our Google Home Assistant dutifully reports the precipitation patterns and expected temperatures. Now that our lives are equipped with ‘smart’ gadgets, things are easier than ever — right? In reality, voice recognition software often falls short in serving the needs of its users, particularly those of us who speak more than one language. … Ideally, speech-processing software would function within the multilingual reality of our globalized world, but we’re not there yet.” (01/02/25)
“President-elect Donald Trump is forcing the Democratic politicians who spent years lying about President Biden’s senility to take their bitter medicine, but we’re more concerned about the toady media who played along. Trump on Monday posted a video showing clip after cringe-worthy clip of Democratic leaders from Rep. Nancy Pelosi to Homeland Security chief Alejandro Mayorkas denying again and again that Biden was mentally and physically deteriorating, claiming he was ‘sharp’, ‘on his game’, ‘focused’ and that ‘his age is an asset.’ Every last one deserves scorn, but so do the journalists who not only let these fantastical fibs go unchallenged, but even parroted the lies: Biden was showing no signs of mental decline, they insisted — and it was offensive, ignorant and borderline bigoted to even suggest otherwise.” (01/01/25)
“New Year’s Resolution for the U.S. Supreme Court: follow the Constitution. That’s not what happened in 2005 when, by a 5-4 majority, the court determined that governments in this country could enjoy an almost unlimited power of eminent domain. The mere prospect of a more taxable commercial entity or mere desire to appease some constituency would suffice to legally justify violating the rights of innocent property owners. This Kelo v. New London decision was applauded by abusers of power, derided by defenders of property rights. The latter leapt into action, fighting for legislation in 47 states to give property owners firmer protection. One exception was New York State, where the town of Utica recently used the power of eminent domain against Bryan Bowers and Mike Licata.” (01/02/25)
“A newly released classified document shows that the National Security Agency knew Ethel Rosenberg was not a spy — and that the government executed her anyway.” (01/02/25)
“As I often do on Sunday mornings, I was drinking my coffee and scrolling through my news feed when I noticed something striking. Maybe it’s my algorithm, but the content was flooded with an unusual amount of vitriol directed at Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.’s nomination as HHS Secretary. The coordinated messaging was impossible to miss — talking heads across networks uniformly labeling him a ‘conspiracy theorist’ and ‘danger to public health,’ never once addressing his actual positions. The media’s concerted attacks on Kennedy reveal more than just their opinion of his nomination — they expose a deeper crisis of credibility within institutions that once commanded public trust.” (01/02/25)
“Let those of us in journalism give a word of thanks to the House Republican caucus for making the early days of January in odd-numbered years more interesting. Tomorrow kicks off the 119th Congress, and in the House it must start with a Speaker election. For roughly all of American history, this election was a staid and indeed invisible affair. But starting in 2023, a fractious Republican caucus has made this a suddenly interesting contest, full of uncertainty and intrigue. And if it’s not taken care of by Monday, there’s an outside chance we could see an enormously entertaining outcome: Republicans pulling off a self-imposed January 6th revolt.” (01/02/25)
Source: The Philadelphia Inquirer
by Susan K Bartell
“There is a clear solution to the maddening fact that equal rights for more than half of our nation are not recognized in our Constitution. Contrary to popular belief, the ERA is not dead. In fact, it has passed its hurdles, and President Joe Biden has the authority to make the ERA the 28th Amendment. He must do so before he leaves office.” [editor’s note: It already IS the 28th Amendment. It has been ratified by the requisite number of states. What Biden has the ability to do is order Archivist of the United States Colleen Shogan to do her job and recognize that ratification – TLK] (01/02/25)
“Israeli and US aggression against Yemen is escalating. And Canada is participating in this effort to insulate Israel from pressure to stop killing Palestinians. … At least some Canadian troops are coordinating US-UK strikes. In January three Canadian officers were formally added to the US-led Operation Prosperity Guardian. Other Canadians soldiers – deployed at Canada’s base in Kuwait and US bases nearby – are also likely assisting. Through NORAD hundreds of Canadian soldiers assist the US with monitoring West Asia.” (01/02/25)
Source: Responsible Statecraft
by Zachary Paikin & Mark Episkopos
“As the incoming Trump administration prepares to launch negotiations aimed at ending the current phase of hostilities between Russia and Ukraine, the question of security guarantees is certain to feature prominently in talks. … Moscow insisted that the United States and NATO undertake legally binding obligations in its two ‘draft treaties,’ published on the eve of its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, aimed at guaranteeing Ukraine’s neutrality [sic] and rolling back NATO forces in Central and Eastern Europe to where they were prior to the 1997 NATO-Russia Founding Act. Kyiv, for its part, naturally wants ironclad measures that can ensure it will not fall victim to another war of aggression in the years ahead. To some extent, however, this is all deja vu. Thirty years ago last month, the Budapest Memorandum was signed.” (01/02/25)
