Nostalgia for American Hypocrisy
Source: The Atlantic
by George Packer
“At least we used to pretend that we believed in something besides military power.” (01/08/26)
“Yankees Go Home!” Colombians Demand at Mass Protests Against Trump Threats
Source: Common Dreams
“Colombian President Gustavo Petro struck a relatively diplomatic tone Wednesday at a rally in Bogotá, where he spoke about the Trump administration’s threats to launch military strikes against his country—but thousands of people who gathered in the Colombian capital and across the country were happy to say exactly what they thought of US President Donald Trump’s recent attack on neighboring Venezuela and his saber-rattling across Latin America. ‘He’s a maniac,’ 67-year-old José Silva told the Guardian at a march in the border city of Cúcuta. ‘The US Congress needs to do something to get him out of the presidency … He’s a thug’ … Colombians were rallying after Petro called for a mass mobilization days after Trump ordered a military attack in Venezuela, including a bombing and the abduction of President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores.” (01/08/25)
AI and the End of Common Culture
Source: Quillette
by Samuel Fitoussi
“The year is 1983. At 8pm sharp on 28 February, 106 million viewers tune in to watch the M*A*S*H finale. The next day, everyone from truck drivers to corporate attorneys had the same reference points. For years, M*A*S*H functioned as a national ritual, allowing families across the country to laugh at the same jokes and debate the same plot twists. Of course, it wasn’t just M*A*S*H. Everyone could assume that nearly everyone else had seen shows like Seinfeld or Dallas. … This anchored social life in common references and fostered a sense of collective identity. This logic could also be applied to cinema … music … video games … or even software … Today, that sense of shared cultural experience has eroded and been replaced by a landscape of personalised content that appeals to ever-diminishing niches.” (01/08/26)
https://quillette.com/2026/01/08/ai-and-the-end-of-common-culture-cinema-music-software/
UK: Pro-Palestinian activists pressure nursing union over investment policy
Source: Politico
“The union representing British nurses is under fire from some of its own members over what they say is an opaque investment strategy linked to companies investing in Israel’s occupation of the Palestinian Territories. A report sent to Royal College of Nursing (RCN) management by activist group Nurses for Palestine and NGO Corporate Watch, and obtained by POLITICO, argues that the union’s choice of investment managers Legal & General and Sarasins is at odds with its own ethical investment policy. … The report points to a list of companies held by the RCN’s fund managers, including U.S. tech firm Palantir and Israeli arms-maker Elbit Systems, which activists say should be enough for the union to put its money elsewhere.” (01/08/26)
Quillette Podcast, episode 319
Source: Quillette
“How to Think Like a Human.” (01/08/26)
https://quillette.com/2026/01/08/podcast-319-how-to-think-like-a-human/
Greenland’s Persistent Predator
Source: The Bulwark
by Will Saletan
“In the year since Donald Trump returned to power, the United States has become — as one of Trump’s supporters, Rep. Andy Ogles of Tennessee, admiringly put it on Wednesday — ‘the dominant predator’ in the Western Hemisphere. Trump has extorted Canada and Ukraine, threatened Panama and Colombia, invaded Venezuela, and deployed the American military to loot Venezuela’s oil. Now Trump is now circling back to a familiar target: Greenland. He doesn’t care that the island territory and its parent country, Denmark, have done nothing to deserve aggression. Nor does he care that they’re part of NATO. And he’s utterly indifferent — just as he’s always been with his abuse of women — to their requests to be left alone. He keeps threatening and harassing Greenland and Denmark, no matter how many times they ask him to stop.” (01/08/26)
https://www.thebulwark.com/p/trump-greenland-denmark-predator
Minnesota Stealing: Reason to Rethink Government Welfare
Source: Town Hall
by Larry Elder
“As for the estimated $8 billion in government (taxpayer) money stolen by crooks in Minnesota, people demand answers to many questions. But the 800-pound elephant/question goes unasked: Why is government in the business of welfare in the first place? Where in the Constitution does it permit the federal government to extract money from taxpayers for charity? Years ago, I worked full time one summer as a ‘loaned executive’ for the United Way of Cleveland. My job was to meet with CEOs of companies, tell them the story of the United Way and hopefully arrange for me to make a presentation to the company’s employees, take questions and then ask for donations. Through this process, the United Way raised and donated money to other nonprofits involved in community activities such as preschooling, counseling ‘at-risk’ youths, after-school academic programs, care for the sick and elderly and youth sports programs, among other local initiatives.” (01/08/25)
Federal prosecutor calls Newsom “king of fraud” as Trump launches California corruption probe
Source: Fox News
“The Trump administration is ramping up a nationwide crackdown on the misuse of taxpayer money. A top federal prosecutor criticized California Gov. Gavin Newsom over a lack of oversight, branding him ‘the king of fraud’. ‘California has spent $24 billion in the last five years on homelessness, and no one can account for where that money has really gone,’ First Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California Bill Essayli said Thursday on ‘Fox & Friends’. In April, Essayli launched a task force to investigate corruption in California, with a focus on homeless services. The task force has already resulted in federal charges against two men accused of using real estate projects to exploit the state’s homelessness system for personal profit. Essayli said those cases, which involve millions of dollars in alleged fraud, are only ‘the tip of the iceberg.'” (01/08/25)
Bulwark Takes, 01/08/26
Source: The Bulwark
“Invading Greenland Would Be a Disaster (w/ Mark Hertling).” (01/08/28)
Trump’s sphere of influence gambit is sloppy, self-sabotage
Source: Responsible Statecraft
by Anatol Lieven
“Spheres of influence stem from the very nature of states and international relations. States will always seek to secure their interests by exerting influence over their neighbors, and the more powerful the state, the greater the influence that it will seek. That said, sphere of influence strategies vary greatly, on spectrums between relative moderation and excess, humanity and cruelty, discreet pressure and open intimidation, and intelligence and stupidity; and the present policies of the Trump administration in the Western Hemisphere show disturbing signs of inclining towards the latter.” (01/08/26)
https://responsiblestatecraft.org/trump-spheres-of-influence/