“We are just a few weeks away from another deadline on government funding, and all sides want you to know something: This will not go the way it did the last time. Nobody wants to see a replay of the longest shutdown in American history that happened last October and November. Democrats are not going to ask for an extension of Obamacare subsidies, which ran out on December 31, as a condition of passing appropriations. (There will be a House vote on a three-year extension of the subsidies on Thursday, but that’s happening outside of the government funding process.) Republicans are going to try to negotiate appropriations bills with Democrats, rather than a unilateral demand to extend current funding. The sting of that shutdown, the subsequent Republican wipeout in special elections, and the Democratic capitulation to end the impasse have made all sides wary of disrupting the flow of government funding.” (01/07/25)
“In early 2024, Rick Doblin — the man whose work launched one of the biggest social and cultural movements of our time, ‘the Psychedelic Renaissance’ — was expecting to see the crowning achievement of his life’s mission. The non-profit he led and founded, the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS), had recently published the second of its Phase 3 clinical trials of the psychedelic drug MDMA, investigating its efficacy in the treatment of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). The results seemed incontestable. … And then, in August 2024, ‘the FDA decision was worse than any of us [had] anticipated,’ said Doblin. It outright rejected the New Drug Application for MDMA, demanding that MAPS conduct a third Phase 3 study to gather more information, a process that would require at least three more years.” (01/07/26)
“Presidents are drawn to foreign policy in part because courts and Congress won’t constrain them as they do on domestic policy. Presidential historians love ambitious foreign policies, and rank war presidents higher than peace presidents. So it’s understandable that presidents often look to make their legacies through foreign policy. In the postwar era, though, for every Reagan, there is an LBJ, a Bush, or a Carter. The lure of foreign policy is that it promises national greatness; the peril is that the foreigners get a vote, and things may be sketchier than people tell you. To use a Trumpian metaphor, what can seem like a clear shot to the fairway can wind up in thick rough.” (01/07/26)
“Opposite errors have appeared after each of Trump’s two presidential victories. Following his surprise win in 2016, many dismissed Trumpism as an anomaly — a cultural spasm that would fade — when we were actually embarking on a genuine political realignment. After 2024, perhaps the inverse mistake was made: many assumed his second presidential victory reflected MAGA’s enduring cultural resonance, when it may instead represent the final surge of an unstable ideological coalition that has already crested. If initially there was an underestimation of Trump’s ability to tap into deep cultural currents, now there may be an overestimation of his coalition’s capacity to outlast the man himself.” (01/06/26)
“‘Are You Not Entertained?’ With the country’s economy improving and other issues losing traction with the public, Democrats are increasingly turning to the one thing lacking in Washington: impeachment. As they work to take back the House in the midterms, Democrats are again promising voters the equivalent of the Roman Games by restarting impeachment proceedings against President Donald Trump. For many liberal voters, impeachment has become the thrilling cage match of lawfare. Facing a challenger on the left in New York, Rep. Dan Goldman [D-NY] was the latest to dangle impeachment before his constituents. He insisted that Trump can be removed for the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife. The same people who introduced what I called an abusive ‘snap impeachment’ against Trump are now suggesting that he can be impeached for an act that was previously upheld as lawful in the courts.” (01/07/25)
“‘NO ROOM AT THE INN!’ The U.S. Department of Homeland Security posted on its official X account on Monday. ‘HiltonHotels has launched a coordinated campaign in Minneapolis to REFUSE service to DHS law enforcement. When officers attempted to book rooms using official government emails and rates, Hilton Hotels maliciously CANCELLED their reservations.’ Leaving aside for a second the obscene comparison of gestapo-style immigration troops to Mary and Joseph searching for lodging in the Nativity story, the post made an extraordinary and unlikely claim: One of the largest hotel chains in the world was taking an organized stand against the Trump administration’s deportation machine. It was, like so many administration claims, a lie.” (01/06/26)
“Remember the Golden Arches Theory of Conflict Prevention? Way back in 1996, New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman observed, ‘No two countries that both have a McDonald’s have ever fought a war against each other.’ It was a little tongue in cheek, but the theory generally made sense: Once a country was sufficiently open to American culture to welcome the hamburger chain to its shores and was sufficiently plugged into the global economy, its interest in military aggression dropped significantly. … Alas, the Golden Arches Theory didn’t hold up for very long. … Perhaps it is time for a new theory to fit our dramatically different notion of who is an American ally and who is a potential foe. Consider that no two countries with a Trump-branded property have ever fought a war against each other — at least, not while they’ve had that Trump property.” (01/06/26)
Source: Independent Institute
by Alexander William Salter
“Earlier this month, the Federal Reserve cut its interest-rate target by 25 basis points, or 0.25 percentage points, bringing the range down to 3.5–3.75 percent. This was no routine decision. It passed by a contentious 9–3 vote: two Federal Open Market Committee members wanted to hold the target rate steady, while Fed Governor Stephen Miran favored a larger 50-basis-point cut. Chairman Jerome Powell called it a ‘close call.’ What justified this controversial decision? According to the Fed’s official statement, policymakers judged that ‘downside risks to employment rose in recent months.’ The unemployment rate had ‘edged up’ to 4.4 percent through September, and job gains had slowed. But there’s an obvious problem: inflation remains above target.” (01/06/26)
Source: In These Times
Azadeh Shahshahani & Stephanie Guilloud
“A leaked Justice Department memo in early December outlined Attorney General Pam Bondi’s directive to the FBI to ’compile a list of groups or entities engaged in acts that may constitute domestic terrorism’. In addition to establishing a ‘cash reward system’ for information, the memo, first published by journalist Ken Klippenstein, lays out targets that include those who express ‘opposition to law and immigration enforcement’, ’adherence to radical gender ideology’, ’anti-Christianity’, ’anti-capitalism’, and ’anti-Americanism’. These documents imply that the “terrorists” are the brave teachers, neighbors, librarians, and community members blowing whistles, protecting students, keeping books on shelves, advocating for trans rights, and organizing for economic and social equity. Bondi’s directive builds on President Donald Trump’s National Security Presidential Memorandum known as NSPM-7 which names anti-fascism as domestic terrorism.” (01/06/25)
“The American government has billed the dramatic capture and extradition of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro over the weekend as a law enforcement operation carried out with the support of the U.S. military. Now that Maduro is in custody, the United States intends to exert control of the country through (what the administration assumes will be) Maduro’s pliant vice president, whose primary task is to open up Venezuela’s nationalized oil production to American corporations. That’s the administration’s high-level story, at least. But as more context comes out, it gets less clear whether Maduro’s capture was a law enforcement action, a military operation, or some secret third thing.” (01/06/26)
