Source: CounterPunch
by Dean Baker
“Sometimes, something that seems too absurd to be taken seriously really should be taken seriously. As Paul Krugman argued a couple of days ago, Trump backers’ sense of betrayal by Trump may actually explain much of the negative attitude being reported by surveys of consumer sentiment.” (04/27/26)
https://www.counterpunch.org/2026/04/27/bad-vibes-and-the-trump-betrayal/
Source: Jerusalem Post [Jerusalem]
“Ukraine has summoned the Israeli ambassador to Kyiv in protest of the arrival of a Russian vessel carrying stolen Ukrainian grain in Haifa, Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said on Monday evening. … A Ukrainian diplomatic source told Reuters earlier that Israel risks a diplomatic and legal response from Kyiv if it allows the vessel, Panormitis, to dock in the northern Israeli city. … Haaretz reported on Sunday that four shipments of grain from occupied Ukraine had already been unloaded in Israel this year. ‘The practice of laundering stolen goods is unacceptable, and Israel has essentially shrugged off our demands regarding the previous vessel,’ the source said.” (04/27/26)
Source: The Atlantic
by Matteo Wong & Lila Shroff
“AI companies are beginning to entertain the possibility that they could cease to exist. This notion was, until recently, more theoretical: A couple of years ago, an ex-OpenAI employee named Leopold Aschenbrenner wrote a lengthy memo speculating that the U.S. government might soon take control of the industry. By 2026 or 2027, Aschenbrenner wrote, an ‘obvious question’ will be circling through the Pentagon and Congress: Do we need a government-led program for artificial general intelligence — an AGI Manhattan Project? He predicted that Washington would decide to go all in on such an effort.
Aschenbrenner may have been prescient.” (04/27/26)
Source: TomDispatch
by William D Hartung
“Right at this moment, we are witnessing an unprecedented shift of resources from domestic investments in the United States to the military-industrial complex (aka the war machine). The only comparable period in our history was the buildup to World War II, when the United States confronted a powerful adversary in Nazi Germany with designs to control not just Europe, but the world. The current buildup is breathtaking in scope and will certainly prove devastating in its impact — not just on this country’s foreign and domestic policies but also on the economic prospects of average Americans. When, in 2023, my colleague Ben Freeman and I first conceived of our book, The Trillion Dollar War Machine, we viewed it in part as a cautionary tale about just how high the Pentagon budget might rise in the years to come (absent pushback from Congress and the taxpaying public).” (04/26/26)
Source: CNN
“Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has proposed a new map for US House districts that appears to show Republicans gaining an advantage in four seats now held by Democrats. His proposal, released one day before the Florida Legislature opens a special session, targets a Tampa-area district held by Rep. Kathy Castor as well as an Orlando-area district held by Rep. Darren Soto. It also redraws districts in South Florida for Republican advantage. It’s the latest salvo in a coast-to-coast redistricting fight that President Donald Trump kicked off last year when Texas drew new lines at his behest. Just last week, Virginia voters approved a referendum that could give Democrats better chances at four US House seats in the state.” (04/27/26)
https://www.cnn.com/2026/04/27/politics/desantis-proposes-new-us-house-map-florida
Source: The Hill
“Cole Tomas Allen manifesto revealed: WHCD suspect motivated by Epstein files?” (04/27/26)
Source: The New Republic
by Michael Tomasky
“With respect to the attempts on his life, Donald Trump is the victim of conspiracy-mongering. But somehow, it’s a little hard to feel too bad for him.” (04/27/26)
https://newrepublic.com/article/209520/conspiracy-trump-correspondents-dinner-shooting
Source: Bluegrass Institute
by Gary W Houchens, John Garen, & Caleb O Brown
“Coleman could be amenable to dismantling some regulatory barriers to education and employment, but her overall record raises serious questions about the policies she would bring to the Governor’s office.” (04/27/26)
Source: Politico
“Security under scrutiny at WHCD and a royal visit to the White House.” (04/27/26)
Source: Future of Freedom Foundation
by Jacob G Hornberger
“The obtuseness regarding the U.S. drug war that has long afflicted American conservatives never ceases to amaze me. I just cannot understand how intelligent people can be so steadfastly ignorant when it comes to this manifestly evil and immoral federal program. Yet another example of this strange phenomenon comes from a right-winger named Joshua Treviño, who serves in two conservative organizations — the America First Policy Institute in Washington, D.C., and the Texas Public Policy Institute in Austin, Texas. I’m not sure how old Treviño is but …. He obviously is a smart man and he’s clearly old enough to be able to figure things out. Unfortunately, however, when it comes to the drug war, he remains steadfastly obtuse, just like almost every other right-winger in America.” (04/27/26)
https://www.fff.org/2026/04/27/continued-right-wing-obtuseness-on-the-drug-war/