“There’s nothing Washington likes more than a scandal. Most quickly fade away. But every once in a while, there’s a scandal that takes root, that just won’t go away. President Nixon had Water-gate, President Bill Clinton had Whitewater and President Trump now has Geoffrey Epstein. But what’s unique about the Epstein-gate scandal is that this is not something Democrats laid on Trump. From the start, this scandal was entirely of Trump’s own creation. He brought it on himself. He created it, he fanned the flames, and now he can’t get out from under it. Forget the politics. Just stand back for a moment and review how Trump’s mishandled the Epstein matter. It’s been one ham-handed mistake after another. Either he or whoever is advising him on how to deal with Epstein should be fired for incompetence.” (11/18/25)
“Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia is in a penitent mood. ‘I would like to say, humbly, I’m sorry for taking part in the toxic politics,’ she said in an interview Sunday on CNN, where all normal, spiritually mature Christians such as Rep. Greene go to make their confessions. … Rep. Greene professes to put her Christian faith at the center of her life and American flourishing at the center of her politics. She has an opportunity to put those professions into action if she is sincere — as I will assume, arguendo, that she is, though I actually very much doubt it — about her regret over her contributions to ‘toxic politics.’ Rep. Greene should resign her office and return to private life. A period of penance might be good for her.” (11/18/25)
“Democrats say they will make life more affordable for Americans. What a joke. People should ask: If Democrat policies lower costs for Americans, why are all the most expensive cities in the U.S. run by Democrats? Where were these concerned politicians when their party and President Joe Biden blew up federal spending and drove inflation to 9% — the highest since Democrat Jimmy Carter was president? Show me one Democrat who backs sustainable measures that actually lower the cost of living, rather than fake fixes like freezing prices. Why is it so expensive to live in cities and states run by Democrats? Because they impose high taxes, costly labor regulations, expensive green mandates and restrictions on new building that drive construction costs higher. New York, San Francisco, Boston, San Jose, and Honolulu are the costliest cities in the U.S. All are run by Democrat mayors and are in states with Democrat governors.” (11/18/25)
“A mostly forgotten figure today, [Louis] Marshall (1856-1929) was a prominent lawyer and activist who argued and won a series of significant legal victories during the Progressive Era …. Marshall was a leading reformer during the Progressive Era, but he was no Progressive. Rather, he was a classical liberal. He championed property rights and economic liberty in regulatory cases while championing the rights of racial, ethnic, and religious minorities in civil rights cases.” (11/18/25)
“As Donald Trump continues to ramp up his immigration raids and slash social programs, one theme is consistent through his press conferences and executive orders: class war. Not just the one enforced by ICE raids, mass kidnappings, and deportations, but one that he is aiming to invade and bomb Venezuela, Mexico, and now Colombia in the so-called ‘war on drugs.’ These attacks on the working class are part of the same imperial system, and they must be opposed with equal force, organization, and clear politics.” (11/18/25)
“Laura Loomer has never been subtle about her support for Israel. Just a few months ago, she described the diminutive state as a ‘wall protecting the U.S. from mass Islamic invasion.’ So it came as something of a surprise last week when, seemingly out of nowhere, Loomer called for the U.S. to end all aid to Israel. But her logic is fairly straightforward. … In Loomer’s view, the financial support amounts to ‘golden handcuffs’ — a needless restriction on Israeli actions that also acts as a ‘constant source of agitation’ in the U.S. … It’s probably safe to say that, these days, most advocates of cutting off aid to Israel are motivated by anger at Israeli policies in Gaza. But skepticism toward aid has never been limited to Israel’s critics.” (11/18/25)
Source: Caitlin Johnstone, Rogue Journalist
by Caitlin Johnstone
“The dolphins are getting Alzheimer’s from algae blooms caused by warming waters and toxic runoff / and you could see the bloodstains in Sudan from space. / The cobalt is mined by children and the music is made by robots / and the grownups are wondering
where the fireflies went. / It is an elephant with an eyepatch and a prosthetic leg. / It’s a freshly emptied bed in the nursing home. / A hand offers you pills to numb the dissonance, / but you swat it away and howl naked in the thorns. / Somewhere there’s an ibis on a piano in a junkyard in the rain. / Somewhere else there’s a small boy who has just learned the word ‘treasure’. / ‘Look! Buried treasure!’ he tells his dad. / ‘No. That’s just glass worn smooth by the sea.’ / ‘Is that treasure?’ / ‘No, that’s just a shiny candy wrapper shimmering in the sun.’…” (11/17/25)
“The 60-vote supermajority the United States Senate needs to end debate and vote on legislation is a small‑r republican measure, not a small‑d democratic one. Reasonable people can disagree over its merits, certainly, but I like the greater consensus it requires. What I don’t like is that the party in control of the Senate can at any time change the filibuster rule in any way it wishes, including ending it altogether. Rules shouldn’t be this easy to junk. Make the Senate filibuster not just a rule, but constitutional law.” (11/18/25)
Source: The American Conservative
by John J Mearscheimer
“Europe is in deep trouble today, mainly because of the Ukraine war, which has played a key role in undermining what had been a largely peaceful region. Unfortunately, the situation is not likely to improve in the years ahead. In fact, Europe is likely to be less stable moving forward than it is today.” (11/18/25)
“Terrorism is indiscriminate violence intended to sow fear, thereby advancing political objectives. Drug trafficking is for-profit commerce. ‘Narco-terrorists’ is a self-contradictory neologism coined to turn crime (drug trafficking) into war, thereby enabling lethal kinetic stuff by the war secretary. … Channeling his inner Humpty Dumpty (”When I use a word,’ Humpty Dumpty said in a rather scornful tone, ‘it means just what I choose it to mean — nothing more nor less”), Donald Trump has decided that this hypothetical fentanyl from Venezuela might be a ‘chemical weapon’ (like mustard gas or sarin?). An odd one, that Americans pay for and ingest.” (11/17/25)
