Trump Intensifies His Crusade to Re-Whiten America

Source: Common Dreams
by Chuck Idelson

“As the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence nears, President Donald Trump’s escalating attacks on immigrants of color has made his administration the most globally racist, hostile administration for non-white immigrants in US history, on top of its aggressively implemented racist policies in the US and around the world. In the past two weeks alone, we’ve witnessed Trump’s racist rants against the Somali community in Minnesota, the freezing of all non-white asylum bids, and denial of citizenship rights for long-time legal immigrants from non-white majority nations. These come on top of the increasingly violent assaults and deportations of mostly brown and Black people, including citizens, solely based on skin color, language, and where they work. The November 26 shooting, one fatally, of two National Guard members in Washington was the pretext for the latest intensification of Trump’s anti-non-white immigrant crusade.” (12/11/25)

https://www.commondreams.org/opinion/trump-immigration-racism

Steve Trinward

US FDA investigating possible adult deaths from COVID vaccines

Source: San Diego Union-Tribune

“The Food and Drug Administration is investigating whether COVID-19 vaccines caused deaths in adults, as part of a safety review that earlier appeared to just be focused on children. The investigation, being conducted across different divisions of the FDA, comes at a time when U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is upending longstanding guidance for a wide range of vaccines. The ‘FDA is doing a thorough investigation, across multiple age groups, of deaths potentially related to COVID vaccines,’ a spokesperson said in a statement to Bloomberg Tuesday.” (12/10/25)

https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/2025/12/10/covid-possible-covid-vaccine-deaths/

Thomas L. Knapp

US Court Hands Down 15-Year Sentence to Terraform Labs’s Do Kwon

Source: Bitcoin.com

“A U.S. federal court in New York issued a 15-year prison sentence to Terraform Labs co-founder Do Kwon, marking one of the most significant criminal judgments tied to a crypto collapse. Kwon pleaded guilty in August to fraud and conspiracy charges stemming from the implosion of terrausd (UST) and luna (LUNA now LUNC), which erased an estimated $40 billion in market value in 2022. Prosecutors described the misconduct as fraud ‘on an epic, generational scale,’ highlighting evidence that investors were misled prior to the platform’s downfall. During the sentencing hearing, victims detailed steep financial losses, including wiped-out retirement funds. As part of his plea agreement, Kwon will forfeit more than $19 million in proceeds determined to be linked to the scheme.” (12/11/25)

https://news.bitcoin.com/us-court-hands-down-15-year-sentence-to-terraform-labs-do-kwon/

Thomas L. Knapp

MAGA and the True Believer

Source: The Jolly Libertarian
by Marco den Ouden

“Recently I published an overview of Eric Hoffer’s book, The True Believer. I had read the book twice before but only remembered the rough details of the book, namely that it as a study of the totalitarian mindset and the psychology of the people who are attracted to totalitarian mass movements. Given the current state of the world, the United States in particular, I wondered if MAGA was a mass movement. I also wondered about the divide in the libertarian/Objectivist world between Trump supporters and Trump opponents. Both sides observed the same facts, but each took an opposing view. Trump supporters see him as the Great Emancipator following in the footsteps of Abraham Lincoln. Trump opponents see him as a clear threat to liberty bent on imposing a dictatorship in the United States. If the facts are there, why the great divide? And why the fervor over the issue?” (12/10/25)

https://jollylibertarian.blogspot.com/2025/12/maga-and-true-believer.html

Thomas L. Knapp

Senators seek to change bill that allows military to operate just like before DC plane crash

Source: SFGate

“Senators from both parties pushed Thursday for changes to a massive defense bill after crash investigators and victims’ families warned the legislation would undo key safety reforms stemming from a collision between an airliner and Army helicopter over Washington, D.C., that killed 67 people. The head of the National Transportation Safety Board investigating the crash, a group of the victims’ family members and senators on the Commerce Committee all said the bill the House advanced Wednesday would make America’s skies less safe. It would allow the military to operate essentially the same way as it did before the January crash, which was the deadliest in more than two decades, they said.” (12/11/25)

https://www.sfgate.com/news/politics/article/senators-seek-to-change-bill-that-allows-military-21237255.php

Steve Trinward

Congo: Rwanda-backed M23 rebels say they’ve captured key city

Source: The Guardian [UK]

“Rwanda-backed M23 rebels claimed to have captured a key eastern city in Democratic Republic of the Congo as they continued their march to control more of Africa’s second largest country. In statements in English and French on Wednesday evening, a rebel spokesperson, Lawrence Kanyuka, claimed the city of Uvira had been ‘fully liberated, secured and under the control of the liberation forces.’ … The rebel sweep has already claimed other major eastern cities this year, including Goma and Bukavu, as analysts accuse Rwanda of wanting to annex Congolese territory for itself particularly because of the abundance of minerals such as coltan and gold.” (12/11/25)

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/dec/11/rwanda-backed-m23-rebels-say-captured-key-city-eastern-drc-uvira

Thomas L. Knapp