Those Dark Clouds Are the Debt

Source: Foundation for Economic Education
by Douglas Carswell

“The future for our state looks bright. In just the past five years, Mississippi has seen more economic growth than in the entire 15 years before that combined. We’re on track to phase out the state income tax entirely, allowing families to keep more of what they earn. Mississippi has attracted a surge of new investment, and for the first time in years, our workforce participation rate is finally heading in the right direction. Zoom out, and the picture gets even better. Contrary to the endless gloom from the pundits, the American economy has consistently outperformed expectations for decades. Since the late 1990s, the US has delivered strong, steady growth that few forecasters saw coming. But there is one dark cloud on all our horizons that we cannot forever ignore: US national debt.” (11/16/25)

https://fee.org/articles/those-dark-clouds-are-the-debt/

Chile: Hard-right holds the upper hand as presidential election goes to a runoff

Source: ABC News

“A hard-right former lawmaker and admirer of U.S. President Donald Trump held the upper hand as Chile headed to a polarizing presidential runoff against a member of Chile’s Communist Party representing the incumbent government. José Antonio Kast, an ultraconservative lawyer opposed to abortion and same-sex marriage, appears to be in pole position after nearly 70% of votes went to right-wing candidates in Sunday’s first round, as many Chileans worry about organized crime, illegal immigration and unemployment in one of Latin America’s safest and most prosperous nations. … He came in second with nearly 24% of the vote after campaigning on plans to crack down on crime, build a giant border wall and deport tens of thousands of undocumented migrants. Jeannette Jara, a former labor minister in President Gabriel Boric’s left-wing government, eked out a narrower-than-expected lead with 27% of the vote.” (11/17/25)

https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/chiles-hard-holds-upper-hand-presidential-election-tense-127584418

A Manifesto for Liberal Trans Activism

Source: Persuasion
by Jamie Paul

“By virtually any measure, trans activism has failed in the United States. It has proven itself a decisively losing electoral issue, been repudiated by the Supreme Court, lost the culture war, alienated a majority of society, and caused public opinion to turn against trans people. Trans activism ignited a trans backlash — one whose flames now threaten to consume LGBT rights more broadly. As a result, many political moderates are now quietly backing away from trans issues. Nobody wants to be burned again. But trans activism was only a losing issue because it was pursued by extremist bullies within the framework of a radical and authoritarian far-left ideology.” (11/16/25)

https://www.persuasion.community/p/a-manifesto-for-liberal-trans-activism

IN: Homeowner charged in fatal shooting of house cleaner who showed up at the wrong door

Source: SFGate

“An Indiana homeowner accused of killing a house cleaner was charged Monday with voluntary manslaughter in a case that raises questions about the limits of stand-your-ground laws. Curt Anderson, 62, could face anywhere from 10 to 30 years in prison and a $10,000 fine if he’s convicted. He was being held in the Boone County Jail pending an initial court hearing. His attorney, Guy Relford, did not respond to voice messages seeking comment. Officers found Maria Florinda Rios Perez De Velasquez, 32, dead on the front porch of a home in Whitestown, an Indianapolis suburb, on Nov. 5. Authorities said the Guatemalan immigrant was part of a cleaning crew that had gone to the wrong house just before 7 a.m. Her husband told media outlets that he was with her on the porch and someone fired through the front door.” (11/17/25)

https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/indiana-homeowner-charged-in-fatal-shooting-of-21192881.php

Cheney Died the Only Dick Who Deserved Donald Trump

Source: exile in happy valley
by Nicky Reid

“Well, Satan died last week, or at least so I’m told. Speaking personally, I won’t sleep easier until I see a body because that neocon fossil should have died centuries ago. I can’t help but to feel like the final girl in some cheesy 80s slasher flick, waiting for one last jump-scare after the killer was shot 84 times, set on fire and dropped from a skyscraper. Dick Cheney was the killer, literally and figuratively, and I’ll believe that monster has finally left us when I see his open casket lowered into an active volcano.” (11/16/25)

https://exileinhappyvalley.blogspot.com/2025/11/cheney-died-only-dick-who-deserved.html

The Overshoot Presidency and the State of Climate Politics

Source: In These Times
by Alberto Toscano

“Ahead of this November’s Cop30 climate summit, to be held in Belém, Brazil — the gateway to the Amazon River — United Nations Secretary General António Guterres delivered a stark statement: ‘Let’s recognize our failure. The truth is that we have failed to avoid an overshooting above 1.5 degrees [Celsius] in the next few years. And that going above 1.5 degrees has devastating consequences.’ Guterres’s remarks came just as Hurricane Melissa was making landfall in Jamaica as one of the most powerful Atlantic basin storms in recorded history. And it came after a year of other grim milestones: the devastating wildfires that struck Los Angeles in January and Canada in May, lethal flash floods from Argentina to Texas and heatwaves in India and Pakistan that brought temperatures up to 49 degrees Celsius (120 degrees Fahrenheit), leading to crop failures.” (11/17/25)

https://inthesetimes.com/article/climate-change-cop30-the-long-heat-book-interview-fossil-fuels

Trump whines at Indiana Republicans for defying re-gerrymandering pressure

Source: Axios

“President Trump lambasted Indiana Republicans who resisted his pressure to enter the mid-decade redistricting war, saying any party member who votes against redistricting ‘should be PRIMARIED.’ Indiana marks the latest setback in Trump’s drive to lock in a GOP House majority through mid-decade [re-]gerrymandering — part of his broader push to expand Republican power state by state. Republicans have pushed through aggressive maps in Texas, Missouri, North Carolina and Ohio. Democrats benefited from a court-approved map in Utah and their own partisan redraw in California. Indiana joins Kansas, Nebraska and New Hampshire, other Republican-led states that have resisted reopening their maps so far.” (11/16/25)

https://archive.is/khsSn

Ignorance and Freedom Cannot Coexist

Source: Tenth Amendment Center
by Michael Boldin

“Thomas Jefferson understood what most people ignore today: Freedom demands a price: knowledge. Tyrants across history have weaponized ignorance for one reason: educated people argue. Ignorant people obey. They play whack-a-mole with control: When one tactic fails, they switch to another. Ban knowledge, then deceive, then outright lie. That pattern leaves us with one choice today.” (11/16/25)

https://tenthamendmentcenter.com/2025/11/16/ignorance-and-freedom-cannot-coexist/