My website is dianeravitch.com. I write about two interconnected topics: education and democracy. I am a historian of education.
Diane Ravitch’s Blog by Diane Ravitch is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
Based on a work at dianeravitch.net.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
As Maine goes, so goes the nation – one hopes.
In the wake of the tragedy in which 18 people lost their lives in Lewiston, Maine, the state has passed new gun laws. #common sense.
https://apnews.com/article/maine-legislature-mass-shooting-gun-control-938ed48aa36cfa3ab364a72556e1abd3
LikeLike
FYI: Very alarming predicament for Brown v Board of Education in these times: https://www.rawstory.com/civil-rights-attorney-legal-action-to-hollow-out-brown-v-board-moves-at-deliberate-spe/
LikeLike
Oh, oh! This one’s a keeper. Señor Dwayne Swacker would especially appreciate these suggestions:
Opinion How to fix college finances? Eliminate faculty, then students.
https://wapo.st/4aOpFUA
LikeLike
Christine, I’m going to use that!
LikeLike
It seems to me this is an important essay. I hope there’s not to much of a paywall.
https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2024/05/06/academic-freedom-under-fire
LikeLike
This is confusing. How were the atrocities of October 7 “a crisis for American higher education?” I don’t recall any demonstrations on campuses in the weeks after October 7. Even now, students and professors are not protesting October 7. They are protesting the death toll and devastation caused by Israel’s military response. Their actions are overwhelmingly pro-Palestinian. If the students wanted to end the violence, they would protest against both Israel and Hamas. If they wanted to advance peace, they would advocate for a two-state solution, not echo terrorists who want to eradicate Israel.
LikeLike
I think, Diane, this is why he refers to the protests and responses to them as “the phenomenon that goes by the shorthand October 7th”. Like much of what we see play out politically, student protests are being manipulated to other ends. Menand sees higher education and academic freedom as that target, in the same way DeSantis has striven to mold Florida’s colleges and faculty to his purposes.
I agree with you that a two state solution is the realistic means to peace; likely the only one.
LikeLike
What turns me off the student protests is that they are dividing people by advocating for Hamas. The only path to peace is negotiation. This requires not only an end to the killing but a commitment to a two-state solution. The protestors can’t get past self-righteousness and condemning genocide. How does that advance peace?
LikeLike
From what I have read, many of the protests have the goal of transparency and divestment from their universities’ endowment in businesses that provide armaments being used – and paid for – by the United States in the war in Gaza. Universities called for similar action during the South Africa apartheid era.
The protests have been peaceful so far, at least until police have been called. I see the GOP making use of the moment to call for “control” of student protestors. For example, Greg Abbott sent in state troopers mounted on horseback at UT Austin. At Emory a female professor was thrown to the ground by officers as she passed by protestors. To me it seems the goal is for those “woke” students and professors to feel the weight of the state.
That elite campuses have been both the scene of protests and of intervention by law enforcement isn’t surprising. Higher education is a target of the right, as we know. Look what happened when Elise Stefanik called university presidents on the carpet: Elizabeth MacGill of Penn and Claudine Gay of Harvard resigned and now she’s targeted Nemat Shafik of Columbia. I read that subtext as women, and especially women of color, should not be running elite institutions.
There’s actually a movement to name Mitt Romney president of Harvard!
LikeLike
Christine,
It’s highly unlikely that the colleges and universities will divest from firms with ties to Israel or the Israeli military. That includes companies like Google and META.
Even if they were to divest, it would not end the war. The only way the war will end is if Hamas and Israel come to an agreement.
How do the pro-Hamas demonstrations bring Hamas and Israel closer to negotiations? If anything, they encourage Hamas to keep fighting because they are winning the war of public opinion.
LikeLike
I don’t disagree that the universities are unlikely to divest, or that perhaps the students are naïve or flat out wrong. I just think that opportunist politicians are using the moment to demonstrate that all these young people are woke, out of control and don’t represent “our” values and neither do their universities. All to gin up the culture wars in advance of elections and to distract from felon Trump’s candidacy.
LikeLike
The student protests are hurting Biden and helping Trump. How many of these young people will not vote? Is it surprising that the usually voluble Trump is silent?
Remember that he wanted to impose a Muslim ban, and he is close to Netanyahu.
LikeLike
You and I are in agreement on this.
LikeLike
Hurting Biden may not have been the intention of student organizers, but count on the right wing to amplify any criticism and use it to undermine him. People like Stefanik are angling towards a post-Trump future.
LikeLike
The WaPo is reporting that Brown will take a vote on divestment. You need to scroll a bit.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2024/04/30/columbia-university-protests-palestine-news/#link-XGIWVMPOT5BFBFYKUATJNO6DEE
LikeLike
it is disgusting that there is no mention of Oct 7. The tapes of the women. Tied to trees with their legs spread. No mention of the atrocities in that attack. This accusation of genocide applied to what Israel has done,
This is organized mayhem.
LikeLike
Who is behind the Gaza-Israeli protests causing mayhem and chaos on US college/university campuses?
My guess, the Putin-Trump-MAGARINO alliance.
There are about 6,000 colleges in the US serving 15.9 million undergraduates and 3.1 million graduate students.
Less than one million are foreign students, but less than 500 Palestine foreign students attend US colleges.
I know because I fact checked that a day or two ago for a response to misleading BS propoganda pretending to be a question on Quora.
How many of those less than 500 Palestine foreign students in the United States are protesting?
For every palestine student attending a US college, there are 12 colleges.
12 to 1
LikeLike
Chaos agents, Lloyd, is my guess.
But the GOP is chanting for protesting students to be deported.
LikeLike
While many in today’s GOP are willingly ignorant, I think the few at the top that are behind the orchestrated “chanting for protesting students to be deported know the facts/truth. That most of the protestors are probably US citizens, MAGARINOS and/or extremists on the left. Not all liberals believe in the same tropes so most will be peacful.
Eventually, someone will discover that most if not all of the violent protesters are extremists taking advantage of the peaceful protestors to cause violence and chaos while running propoganda campaigns through sites like FOX fake NEWs to blame the peaceful ones.
The violence is staged to make the peaceful protestors look bad.
The same thing happened during some BLM protests. Investigations from reputable sources discovered afterwards that most of the. BLM protesters were peaceful and the violence, damage, and thefts was rare and mostly not by BLM protestors. While this was reported by the media later, it wasn’t promoted as much as the allegations of violence.
LikeLike
Diane you are spot on! It is frustrating to listen to pundits and the media continuously talk of these protests as if they are driven exclusively by anti-semitism. Many of the students are appalled by the violence and military industrial complex that allows such carnage in Gaza. The Tom Cotton’s of the world don’t want resolution, but an opportunity to promote violent retribution and blame.
LikeLike
If you teach high school, you know college admissions are fraught, but this is cray-cray.
No paywall:
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/01/opinion/college-admissions-applications.html?smid=url-share
LikeLike
Interesting and topical interview by Mehdi Hasan of Naomi Klein (the good Naomi) on the university protests:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hjt9M1CS9Qs
LikeLike
Not satisfied with putting university presidents in the crosshairs, and lacking any evidence to impeach Joe Biden, the House is now calling on the superintendents of public schools in Berkely, New York City, and Montgomery County, Maryland to testify about their teaching on the war in Gaza. The last thing we need in a democracy is for children to grow up into critical thinkers. We need dupes for the burgeoning autocracy.
Why not just focus on governing? Because they’re bad at it.
No paywall:
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/07/us/berkeley-schools-israel-hamas-war.html?unlocked_article_code=1.qE0.LrpD.gIZ-u2w1fDrT&smid=url-share
LikeLike
The House or a committee controlled by a majority of Traitor Trump ditto bobbing heads like Marjorie Taylor Greene?
Those superintendents should ignore those House MAGA cult members behind this dumber than dumb stupidity.
LikeLike
Bobbing-yes head MAGA House members take their marching orders from Traitor Trump, who is a well know micromanager.
His way is the only way or he throws them under a tank.
If the traitor didn’t think this crap up, he approved it as another attempt to keep the chaos churning.
What the MAGA chaos cult is doing is throwing chaos idea on the wall to see what sticks.
LikeLike
It’s the ghost of Joe McCarthy, whose chief counsel was Trump’s Roy Cohn.
LikeLike
Are you a current NYCDOE Teacher of Adolescents (grades 6-12)?
Participants needed for a study to learn more about the perceptions and experiences of New York City teachers in the present COVID-19 endemic era. Please see below (all interviews will take place via Zoom).
https://nyu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_9ZbfIOOOnjzH2gC
LikeLike
This is appalling. Take the most vulnerable kids and put them in a non-accredited, for profit, private boarding school, paid for by sending public school districts.
What could go wrong?
https://www.propublica.org/article/shrub-oak-school-autism-new-york-education-oversight?utm_source=sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=dailynewsletter&utm_content=river-links&utm_term=The%20Daily%20Digest
LikeLike
OMG. As tRump continues to put his hands into what he knows virtually nothing about, in order to gain votes, he’s now calling for the elimination of ALL required vaccines for students, young children through college age. That may play well with his nutjob base, but I think it will probably alienate a lot of sane voters who truly care about our most precious and vulnerable populations that are dependent upon the thoughtful actions of adults for their well-being, safety and survival: https://www.rawstory.com/trump-vaccines-rfk-jr/
LikeLike
ECE,
I forgive you for not noticing that I posted a few weeks ago that Trump wants to make vaccines voluntary. Nuts! Unvaccinated people carrying guns.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you for this, Diane. I’m sorry I missed it. I’ve been dealing with an infection for the past month and when I’m in that kind of pain, I try to avoid reading anything about tRump because he riles my blood & always makes me feel so much worse.
LikeLike
You are forgiven.
LikeLike
But here’s the news from March 7:
LikeLike
Spreading murderous viruses while spewing bullets that kill defines the deplorables in a peanut shell without a diaper.
LikeLike
Since you posted that over 2 months ago, I didn’t see it for a very different reason. That occurred when I was dealing with the loss of my (25 year old used) car, which was only the 2nd car I’ve ever owned, & I was shut down to the world & mad at it for not helping me to save it. My car couldn’t be given the emissions tests without major repairs that I was saving for on my (poverty level) SSRI, so the state wouldn’t renew my license plates, I wasn’t allowed to drive it & I kept getting parking tickets for expired plates. That ate into my car repair fund, so in March I had to junk it. I spent my time then staying off the Internet & mostly focused on completing a memorial in my home for 3 friends who, not long ago, unexpectedly died too young, each within one month of the other, including my last roommate (who was my best friend).
Staying off the Internet & working on the memorial reminded me that even though I really need my car due to mobility issues (arthritis & osteoporosis causing fractured bones on the bottoms of my feet), those were by far much greater losses to endure, so I could get through this, too. (Plus life is much less stressful on days when I avoid all things related to tRump.)
LikeLike
My, oh my, ECE! You have been really going through it. I’m sorry for all you’ve been dealing with. Sending strength and healing.
LikeLike
Thank you so much for your message, Christine. I really appreciate your understanding, kind words and support!
LikeLike
I’m concerned that the Democratic Party isn’t doing enough to emphasize the insanity Trump is promising to do if he’s re-elected to those who are rational, while the traitor is desperately pandering to lunatics, bribing them with promises that may turn out to be mostly lies, so they’ll vote for him.
The traitor made a lot of campaign promises in 2016, that he never made even an effort to deliver on, which was a good thing. He did enough damage as it was..
Still, he shouldn’t have been elected back then. Maybe if some of the deplorables hadn’t fallen for his lies, he would have lost and Hillary would be president today.
LikeLike
Looks like there were indeed outsiders trying to shape the response to the protests at Columbia University; just not the outsiders people thought of:
No paywall:
https://wapo.st/3WSF7e2
LikeLike
On the other hand, a significant number of the protestors arrested at Columbia University were neither students nor faculty.
The Washington Post:
“More than a quarter of protesters arrested Tuesday at Columbia University and 60 percent of those arrested at the City College of New York had no connections to the institutions, according to data from the New York Police Department. Police arrested 282 protesters at the two New York schools on Tuesday. Of the 112 arrested at Columbia, 32 were not affiliated with the school, according to police. At CCNY, police said 102 of the 170 arrested there were not affiliated with that school.”
https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2024/05/03/columbia-arrests-not-students-nypd/
LikeLike
Who funded the groups leading the campus protests? Liberal billionaires, including George Soros.
https://www.politico.com/news/2024/05/05/pro-palestinian-protests-columbia-university-funding-donors-00156135#:~:text=The%20donors%20include%20some%20of,Voice%20for%20Peace%20and%20IfNotNow.
LikeLike
What most concerns me is the notion that billionaires can call in their chits for a couple of thousand dollars and politicians like Adams hustle to do their bidding. We’ve become accustomed to money being the silent hand in our nation’s life, and now they’re calling the shots in higher education because they are wealthy – Ackman was responsible for pushing out Claudine Gay at Harvard and claimed credit!
Thanks to our Supremes for so much money sloshing around in our civil society – some of those judges feel regular order doesn’t apply to them; just to the little people subject to their unpatriotic whims.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Agreed.
LikeLike
A look at the crackdown on campuses:
https://progressive.org/latest/the-new-assault-on-academic-freedom-zunes-20240515/?mc_cid=032b786856&mc_eid=cdfe325207
There’s a reason universities in Latin America are autonomous, for example UNAM in Mexico. The adherents to the on-going coup in our country have our univerisities, private and public, in their sights. Look at Florida.
LikeLike
The reporting on the protests has been lazy and abhorrent. Although antisemitism is a problem, the motivation for students has not been binary. Meanwhile Tim Scott proposes an antisemitism bill that ignores the breadth of bigotry driving the politics while wealthy interests stoke the issue through misinformation exploited by cynical politicians. Then there are the outside agitators promoting the violence. Our politics are broken because reason is not valued.
LikeLike
An up close look at the attack on public education in Alaska from More Perfect Union:
https://substack.perfectunion.us/p/are-we-going-to-have-running-water?utm_source=post-email-title&publication_id=1581149&post_id=144705889&utm_campaign=email-post-title&isFreemail=false&r=1cllq&triedRedirect=true&utm_medium=email
LikeLike
ProPublica connects the dots from segregation academies to vouchers:
https://www.propublica.org/article/camden-alabama-segregated-schools-brown-v-board
LikeLike
Great piece. The pictures are magnificent. This is, of course, a major theme of the work of Diane Ravitch, as you know.
Here, though, the piece misses the mark:
We also filtered out schools with certain unique focuses, such as special education, or that were opened around the same time for reasons that may not have primarily been due to desegregation — many Catholic schools, for example, met this criteria.
They should have included this caveat: There are many, many Catholic schools in the Deep South, and one reason why is that the tuition was often too high for Southern blacks to pay, and so there was flight to these as part of the white Southern attempt to flee desegregation of the public schools. In other words, there is a reason why the number of Catholic schools is so high in Southern Evangelical Fundamentalist Protestant Biblelon.
LikeLike
Whoa; here’s a long, important look at the New Apostolic Reformation:
https://religiondispatches.org/a-reporters-guide-to-the-new-apostolic-reformation/
Since these folks believe they’re on a mission from god to run our country, we all need to pay attention.
LikeLike
It is striking that the two growing sectors of Christianity are either highly bureaucratic or radically decentralized. This is not different from the reformation where violent forces resulted in inquisitions and violent retribution. Catholics and dominionists have become uneasy allies and we might want to duck when they discover they don’t want the same thing.
LikeLike
FYI, reported yesterday: “Multiple Trump Witnesses Have Received Significant Financial Benefits From His Businesses, Campaign”
https://www.propublica.org/article/donald-trump-criminal-cases-witnesses-financial-benefits
LikeLike
Meanwhile, crickets from the NYTimes and Washington Post…
LikeLike
Still, MSN, ProPublica, and Newsweek did report on it along with many smaller sites on the internet.
That was easy to find all on the first page of the search.
LikeLike
Good to know! I wonder if anyone will investigate?
LikeLike
ProPublica may have broke the story. If so, they may also be behind the investigation. It was the first hit in that Google search when i asked Google if the New York Times reported on that story.
“ProPublica is a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power. Sign up to receive our biggest stories as soon as they’re published.“
Trump Witnesses Have Received Financial Benefits From Trump Businesses, Campaign — ProPublica
LikeLike
I should have read the entire ProPublica piece before I replied to your comment. Yes, it was ProPublica that investigated and then broke that story.
LikeLike
A good look at Chicago’s turn to community schools under Mayor Brandon Johnson, a former middle school teacher. Karen Lewis is smiling someplace.
https://www.counterpunch.org/2024/06/17/after-years-of-failed-education-reforms-chicago-embraces-community-schools/
LikeLiked by 1 person
The Texas Observer profiles a small town Texas librarian who stood up for readers.
https://www.texasobserver.org/library-books-censorship-smalltown-texas/
LikeLike
I know that you’ve taken note of/reported on Pittsburgh Public Schools in the past (some good, some not so good), and here’s something new that we teachers (and students, families, etc.) are dealing with. Sigh. There’s a lot to unpack here, more than this article has the space to comment on. Thought you might want to read… – Josh M Slifkin, Allderdice HS, Pittsburgh PA
https://www.wesa.fm/education/2024-06-18/a-toxic-culture-staff-engagement-survey-reveals-low-morale-at-pittsburgh-public-schools
LikeLike
Thank you, type40ttc.
LikeLike
Diane,
Remember, this was Trump’s response to the Iowa school shooting in January 2024:
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/trump-tells-supporters-get-iowa-school-shooting-move-forward-rcna132610
LikeLike
Hi Diane, Have you seen the disinformation being shared about boxer Imane Khelif at the olympics? She is being viciously attacked. People are saying that she is a trans-woman and she is not. She was born a biological woman. Sex change operations are illegal in Algeria, her home country. She has DSD, so her sex development is different from most other people. Imane has become a target for transgender hate and she’s not even trans.
LikeLike
Word has it that Josh Shapiro is being considered for VP. He’s a big proponent of private school vouchers. Teachers should be contacting Kamala and telling her that they do not support him as a choice for VP.
LikeLike
ArtsSmart,
I wrote a post urging Kamala not to choose Josh Shapiro because he supports vouchers. I have heard that he may be the choice because he’s very popular in Pennsylvania, which is a must-win state.
I think she should pick Tim Walz, who would be a wonderful VP choice.
LikeLike
Thanks for clarifying Diane, I didn’t realize that Shapiro was being considered for that reason. Knowing that will soften the blow should he be selected.
LikeLike
https://www.msnbc.com/the-last-word/watch/lawrence-stupidest-candidate-trump-did-not-answer-reporters-questions-216787525948
Thank you Lawerence for calling out the corporate media!
LikeLike
Betsy DeVos is at it again, “Betsy DeVos would consider working with Trump again — under one condition.” What’s the deal with her? She’s against public education and wants the Department of Education to be eliminated, but people should get education tax credits –for what? Sending their kids to private religious schools??
Just like others in the cult that wants to turn our country into a white Christian nation, what she advocates for is anti-American AND Anti-Christian, since that is very far from being what “walking with Christ” is all about. She’s so much more like an awful witch than a caring Christian. https://www.rawstory.com/betsy-devos-2668949091/
LikeLiked by 1 person
Diane, have you read or heard about Project 2025’s training videos?
I just learned about them from ProPublica.
“Project 2025, the controversial playbook and policy agenda for a right-wing presidential administration, has lost its director and faced scathing criticism from both Democratic groups and former President Donald Trump. But Project 2025’s plan to train an army of political appointees who could battle against the so-called deep state government bureaucracy on behalf of a future Trump administration remains on track.
“One centerpiece of that program is dozens of never-before-published videos created for Project 2025’s Presidential Administration Academy. The vast majority of these videos — 23 in all, totaling more than 14 hours of content — were provided to ProPublica and Documented by a person who had access to them. …
Inside Project 2025’s Secret Training Videos — ProPublica
“The videos are part of an ongoing effort to recruit and train thousands of future conservative appointees. Despite Donald Trump’s efforts to disavow Project 2025, most of the speakers in the videos have previously worked for the former president. …
14 Hours of Videos from Project 2025’s Presidential Administration Academy — ProPublica
LikeLike
DC charter closes with virtually no notice. It’s not hard to imagine this at scale across the whole country. No paywall.
https://wapo.st/3MlNto6
LikeLike
Excellent profile of billionaire school privatizer Jeff Yass:
https://www.phillymag.com/news/2024/08/24/jeff-yass-school-choice/
LikeLike
Thought you might appreciate this. Biden’s labor record: Historian gives Union Joe a higher grade than any president since FDR. https://ohiocapitaljournal.com/2024/05/17/bidens-labor-report-card-historian-gives-union-joe-a-higher-grade-than-any-president-since-fdr/
LikeLiked by 1 person
Diane, have you watched this from MSNBC from Lawrence O’Donnell? 1.4 million views so far in four days.
LikeLike
Yes! Lawrence is the best! He doesn’t sane-wash anyone!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hi Diane,
I’ve been looking into how non-peer-reviewed self-published research at places like CRESST-UCLA, funded by US Dept of Ed i3 grants, where results are apparently being falsified, and then sent on to the “What Works Clearinghouse,” and in turn used to promote and sell Charter style curriculum products.
I’ve been in contact with the WWC asking about transparency and protocols for handling concerns about problematic research. The resulting communications from them are vague and concerning.
I’ve contacted the authors of the research and cannot get a reasonable explanation for the obvious discrepancies that I’ve found – I wouldn’t be making statements about my concerns if they’d been able to explain why their claims in the introduction of their published i3 Validation Grant report (and briefs) don’t don’t match the data.
I’d like to share my findings and supporting evidence with you.
LikeLiked by 1 person
It’s official, Trump supporters admit that Kamala clearly won the debate…but how? She didn’t do it on her own, she used bluetooth earrings. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/kamala-harris-earpiece-debate-false-claims-laura-loomer/
As Woody Allen once said-“Sure you’d be paranoid too, if everybody was out to get you!”
LikeLike
The Trump fans said she had earrings with a Biden mic attached to her earrings into which someone gave her answers to questions. Also, ABC allegedly gave her the questions in advance, according to an anonymous whistleblower. The next day the whistleblower “died” in an auto accident. Trump himself may have said these things.
Someone posted a blowup of her earrings. They were not connected to a listening device. All crazy talk.
LikeLike
Traitor Trump’s MAGA cult may be The Walking Dead.
LikeLike
Whoa! Ohio has jumped the shark and is funding the expansion of private religious schools.
https://www.propublica.org/article/ohio-taxpayer-money-funding-private-religious-schools
LikeLike
FYI: “Network of Georgia election officials strategizing to undermine 2024 result
Emails reveal Georgia Election Integrity Coalition, a group of officials and election deniers, coordinating in swing state”
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/sep/18/trump-election-georgia
LikeLike
Scientific American has a handy dandy article detailing all the cases in which the Supreme Court has demonstrated their corruption.
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-supreme-courts-contempt-for-facts-is-a-betrayal-of-justice/
LikeLike
I’m very impressed with the president of the Intl Longshoremen’s Association. He did a great interview with Fox news and when the reporter tried to blame the Longshoremen for shutting down the economy he said “Not us! They are! Don’t spin it cause you’re Fox news!” Come on democrats. You better step up to the plate and make it very clear where you stand.
LikeLike
I just read this from the NYT. Just in case you haven’t seen it yet, here’s what it’s about from a NYT pull quote.
“Today (10-9-2024), The Times is publishing a multimedia article in which Ian and Ashley break down nine main themes that recur at each rally — including his proposed agenda, his allusions to political violence, his flagrant falsehoods, his increasing verbal stumbles and his ‘hits’ — set pieces on subjects like Hannibal Lecter that his audience has come to expect. The article includes video highlights that let you see these themes for yourself.”
I think what the NYT is doing this late in the game is like “closing the barn door after the horse is already out.” The entire news media should have been doing this at least from January 1, 2021, if not sooner during Traitor Trump’s four years in the White House.
LikeLike
In Massachusetts, ballot Question 2 would eliminate the use of the MCAS as an exit exam. It would continue as a state test for NCLB. Currently kids who do not pass the exam are denied a high school diploma, even if they have fulfilled all other requirements. The number is relatively low – about 700 students, but 85% of these students are either learning English or have special needs. No diploma means no post secondary access to education; and at present community college is free in the state.
The measure has lots of popular support and is expected to pass. Both Senators Warren and Markey have endorsed it. Yesterday, though, it was revealed that guess who? has tossed in $2.5 million bucks to prevent its passage. That well known educator Michael Bloomberg!
https://www.boston.com/news/local-news/2024/10/29/no-on-2-campaign-gets-largest-donation-yet-2-5-million-from-michael-bloomberg/
LikeLike
I just signed this petition to object to Rahm Emmanuel for DNC chair.
https://go.justicedemocrats.com/signup/petition-20241118-oppose-rahm-emanuel-dnc-chair/?source=em20241118-36160&akid=36160%2E151906%2EMZ8S_h
LikeLike
I had to look up Rahm Emmanuel. From what I learned, which was a reminder, he’s a Neo-Liberal.
Will the Democratic Party ever learn to stay away from neo-liberals?
LikeLike
“Will the Democratic Party ever learn to stay away from neo-liberals?”
I remember the battles the Chicago teacher’s union fought with him, so as a retired union teacher, it’s incredibly frustrating.
LikeLike
I understand. Teachers have enemies in both parties.
LikeLike
RAHM Emanuel is known for being gross and vile. When he was Mayor of Chicago, he closed 50 public schools in one day, a national record. Big supporter of charters.
When he was running for the-election, he suppressed a video that showed police shooting a black kid in the back as he was running away. It was released after he was re-elected.
LikeLike
https://trta.org/breaking-news-the-trump-support-statement/
I’m sure Trump wouldn’t support the repeal if it only impacted teachers.
LikeLike
Call on your Congressperson to OPPOSE HR 9462
https://secure.everyaction.com/C2-8CQ6TNUa6fUNa2F8H_g2
LikeLike
https://trta.org/wep-and-gpo-repealed-u-s-senate-passes-h-r-82-trta-victory-helps-end-wep-and-gpo/
Great news!!! After 42 years, the WEP and GPO are repealed!
LikeLike
YES!!!!
LikeLike
https://www.rawstory.com/regulators-closed-failing-charter-school-it-reopened-as-a-private-religious-sch/
LikeLike
I’m no fan of King Musk, but his school looks pretty good. No mention of standardized testing at all. Shouldn’t he be worried that the students will learn to think critically and dismantle the oligarchy? https://www.kut.org/education/2025-01-13/elon-musk-ad-astra-school-education-bastrop-austin-texas?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_term=nprnews&utm_campaign=npr&utm_medium=social&fbclid=IwY2xjawHzZtZleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHV0flgUUVarTsB7-m8RcahnbIjXtArRhor7uJAq7kejK95fJhy7wQCFcyA_aem_EDAT6Tix2NPuWtAqQ3G_sQ
LikeLike
Private schools are not required to give state tests.
LikeLike
Must be nice.
LikeLike
Curious, I wanted to learn more about the private school MAD MUSK will launch in Texas sometimes this year in 2025. It’s not even up and running yet.
Elon Musk’s next venture set to launch this year: a private preschool
Ayelet Sheffey
Sat, January 4, 2025 at 12:52 AM PST
Elon Musk’s next venture set to launch this year: a private preschool
AI Overview
Elon Musk’s private school, Ad Astra, is a preschool in Texas that focuses on STEM education and project-based learning. The school’s goal is to develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills in children.
What’s known about Ad Astra?
A notice from the Texas Health and Human Services Department said the preschool obtained its initial permit on November 14, officially allowing the school to open in 2025. Per the permit, the preschool can admit up to 21 students in its first year of operation. The school’s application materials first obtained by Bloomberg said that the school’s long-term goal is expanding into a university focused on STEM learning.
While Musk’s name does not appear in any of the school’s application materials to the state, his foundation donated $100 million to get the preschool up and running, according to tax filings.
LikeLike
I was deeply saddened when a Jewish friend of mind told me he had decided to vote for Trump because Harris was calling for a ceasefire in Gaza and was not supportive of Israel. Today I became aware of this article in Haaretz and I couldn’t help but laugh.
“Analysis | Trump’s Mideast Envoy Forced Netanyahu to Accept a Gaza Plan He Repeatedly Rejected
Israeli sources say that the involvement of the incoming U.S. administration, led by Trump’s aggressive Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, revived hostage talks with Hamas. While Netanyahu’s propaganda machine claims that Trump has left him no choice, what happens inside his coalition will determine whether the prime minister approves the deal.
Last Friday evening, Steven Witkoff, U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy, called from Qatar to tell Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s aides that he would be coming to Israel the following afternoon. The aides politely explained that was in the middle of the Sabbath but that the prime minister would gladly meet him Saturday night.”
Apparently Witkoff replied with some very salty language that he didn’t care about the Sabbath and that Bibi better be at the meeting. Some of the Israeli hardliners are complaining that Trump is not as supportive as they would thought he would be. I’m curious as to how my friend is going to react to this. If he watches Fox News he’ll probably have no idea that he’s been betrayed.
LikeLike
FELON47 always makes a lot of noise about getting stuff done and then not a sound when he fails one way or the other, which is often.
LikeLike
He might fail miserably and move on like you say Lloyd, but who would have expected that he would try to force Bibi into peace talks with Hamas!?
LikeLike
FELON47 sees himself as a mafia don. A tough guy. He has a history of forcing people to do what he wants. Still, it often backfires and bites him in the ass as he’s running away, while adding another name to his revenge list.
LikeLike
The best way to understand Trump is to think of him as a mafia Don.
LikeLike
David,
That’s a sad story, for many reasons. The NY Times had an article about Arabs and Muslims in Michigan who didn’t vote for Harris because she didn’t side with Gaza, or said the word ceasefire but didn’t mean it. Meanwhile your friend voted for Trump because Harris called for a ceasefire.
Trump has chosen hardline pro-Netanyahu people to represent him in the Mideast. Mike Huckabee is his Ambassador to Israel. Also one of his biggest funders was Miriam Adelson, the widow of billionaire casino owner Sheldon Adelson. She is an Israeli and a doctor. Trump will be very hardline.
LikeLike
I’m not so sure Trump will take a hardline Diane, although his relationship with Musk has shown that Trump does what his backers want and it would be very strange for him to betray Adelson. Whatever he does, he will do out of self interest, not out of a sense of compassion for the Palestinian people.
LikeLike
David, that is true. Trump believes is nothing but himself and money. He is transactional. He will cave to the highest bidder.
LikeLike
Teen Vogue explains how the radical right is targeting public higher education in Idaho.
https://www.teenvogue.com/story/north-idaho-college-far-right
LikeLike
Christine, terrifying. How did you happen across this article? Teen Vogue is not something I see.
LikeLike
Diane, Teen Vogue does excellent, serious, reporting. You can follow them on Bluesky.
LikeLike
Thanks, I will.
LikeLike
Here’s another one:
https://www.teenvogue.com/story/trump-administration-undocumented-college-students-limbo
LikeLike
What we all needed to see and hear; Senator Dayna Polehanki pushing back against Nazi Musk.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=TRQO71i25gg
LikeLike
Greg Palast is certain that Trump won through voter suppression. I had no idea that there were groups of non-government officials who could challenge mail-in ballots. What do you think? https://www.gregpalast.com/trump-lost-vote-suppression-won/
LikeLike
I think it was more than voter suppression. FELON47 did more than just repeat the same old BIG LIEs to win. His MAGA cult also threatened honest, hard working election workers until many quit and were replaced by MAGA thugs or people who caved to threats.
No telling how many ballots they dropped in shredders before they could be counted.
https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/analysis-opinion/poll-election-officials-shows-high-turnover-amid-safety-threats-and
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/election-workers-are-being-bombarded-with-death-threats-the-u-s-government-says
https://www.cnbc.com/2023/11/07/election-worker-threats-drive-exodus-from-profession.html
LikeLiked by 1 person
This is so frustrating. MAGA Educators in high poverty areas in Kentucky that rely on federal funding for survival who voted for Trump are now concerned that they are going to lose federal funding for their schools. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=68iPQvDERuk
LikeLike
If those MAGA educators voted for FELON47, they reap what they sow.
The only victims will be the educators who refused to vote for the January 6, 2021 Traitor.
The lifelong cheat and liar did not get 100% of the vote from any state or precinct.
LikeLiked by 1 person
The weird thing about Trump supporters is that they vote for him hoping that he won’t keep his promises. Very strange.
LikeLike
Why anyone would do that with Felon47’s history going back to when he was an adolescent and maybe earlier, boggles the mind.
Unless those voters didn’t know his history and don’t want to know so they have a built-in excuse. At least for them, to justify voting for a convicted rapist, fraud and felon, who is also the January 6, 2021, Traitor, with thousands of hours of video taken by his MAGA mob during the attack on our capital, as evidence billions have watched around the world.
Even his speech on that day reveals he wanted them to “fight like hell.” He used the word fight almost 20 times while only using the word peaceful once, while adding patriot with the word peaceful. Sounded to me like he meant walk over their peaceful, then fight like hell.
Caught on camera, shown to the world, his mob was chanting “fight for Trump,” while he was still speaking before the mob left.
No mention from the mob that they’d be peaceful once they got there.
Making all that video evidence disappear might be impossible. Probably is impossible.
LikeLiked by 1 person
My friend’s Church sponsored a refugee family from the Congolese through an org. called Welcome Corps. The church raised over 20 thousand dollars. His life is in danger because of his religion. The church was hoping he would be arriving in the USA by spring, but now everything’s frozen due to Trump’s freeze on immigration.
LikeLike
As long as FELON47 is in the White House, the United States government the January 6, 2021, TRAITOR leads is going to be unfriendly to anyone who doesn’t fit the white supremacist test for their definition of superior racial purity.
Still, the lifelong cheater and liar is open for bribes. Anyone willing to make a deal and donate to the convicted rapists and fraud’s legal fund or buy stocks in his bitcoin scam or Truth Social failure may easily bribe him to do what they want.
I suspect offers must start at a minimum of one million dollars and go up from there depending on what someone wants this crime family boss to do for them.
You may be interested in this bit of news I just discovered. How white supremacist are getting genetic tests to ensure their purity but when most or all of them they find out their DNA isn’t pure, their hypocrisy kicks in and they do what they can to cover it up and/or justify it.
There were other news sources reporting on this topic. I went with this one.
How white supremacists respond when their DNA says they’re not ‘white’ | PBS News
Nazi racism and their view of racial purity is very much alive and active among white supremacists and their leader FELON47.
I wonder what the malignant narcissist’s DNA test would reveal about how Nazi pure he isn’t.
LikeLike
It’s a small world. I’ve always wondered what happened to Jaime Aquino, the Broad trained LAUSD administrator who proudly proclaimed at our first arts meeting of the year that he shut down arts schools. He’s now the superintendent of Saisd school district in my home town San Antonio, TX. One of their teachers is under investigation for inviting ICE to come raid his school. I also saw that there was concern from parents about the expense of Jaime’s private coach that is paid for by Saisd. “Come on Jaime, you can do it! Don’t let the haters get you down!” https://www.ksat.com/news/local/2025/01/27/saisd-educator-under-investigation-for-alleged-support-of-ice-raids-on-tiktok/
LikeLike
Seymour Hersh has a story in Substack claiming that Trump knew about Covid early and that it came from the Wuhun lab. I don’t subscribe to Substack, so this is the intro to the story. I’m skeptical, but Hersh has done some great journalism in the past. I find it hard to believe that the CIA would expunge the record to protect Trump.
“This is a story about the very early days of what would become a worldwide pandemic that led to more than 7 million deaths and put the United States, and the entire world, on hold for months. It was a crisis that was mismanaged by President Donald Trump in ways not known at the time because the president and his senior aides chose not to listen to the unwanted facts that the American health and intelligence communities had obtained.
I learned this week that a US intelligence asset at the Wuhan Institute of Virology in China, where the Covid virus was first observed, is safe and out of danger. The asset, highly regarded within the CIA, was recruited while in graduate school in the United States and provided early warning of a laboratory accident at Wuhan that led to a series of infections that was quickly spreading and initially seemed immune to treatment. As is the case today, many senior US officials were reluctant to tell the president what he did not want to hear. But early studies dealing with how to mitigate the oncoming plague, based on information from the Chinese health ministry about the lethal new virus, were completed late in 2019 by experts from America’s National Institutes of Health and other research agencies. Despite their warnings, a series of preventative actions were not taken until the United States was flooded with cases of the virus. All of these studies, I have been told, have been expunged from the official internal records in Washington, including any mention of the CIA’s source inside the Chinese laboratory. It was a cover-up to protect a president who did not do the right thing.”
LikeLike
It was reported at the time that China warned the world about the virus and shared all of its information about it with the world. So, yes, Trump, who was IQ45 back then had to know.
I think if you Google a timeline for COVID and the pandemic, early on there is an entry that reveals the date China warned the world about the virus and shared all the science they say the knew about it.
Here it is. I found the timeline and copied that entry.
12 January 2020 — China publicly shared the genetic sequence of COVID-19.
https://www.who.int/news/item/27-04-2020-who-timeline—covid-19
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks for that info Lloyd!
LikeLiked by 1 person
“On Jan. 27, the Environmental Protection Agency quietly removed all information about climate change from its homepage and other prominent areas of its website, burying it deep in sections that are harder to find.”-David Sirota
https://www.levernews.com/trumps-epa-just-deleted-climate-change/
LikeLike
This is not new. Still, I think it will be worse this time, because TRUMP 2.0 is more organized to destroy the federal government and replace the US Constitution with Project 2025, if successful, we all end up with the ignorant, malignant narcissist, sociopath and meglamancias as a dictator for the rest of his life. He thrives on hate, power, breaking the law, and being mean, so he’ll probably live into his 100s.
During IQ45’s first four years before he became the January 6, 2021 Traitor and then FELON47, his administration, meaning him since he is an extreme micromanager in life, family and business, censored reports about climate change from NASA.
Trump Administration Censored Information on Water Pollution, Climate Change, and Endangered Species
Published Jul 13, 2021
What happened: From 2017 to 2021, the Trump administration made approximately 1,400 changes to agency websites that removed science-based information on environmental issues, such as water pollution, climate change, and endangered species.
https://www.ucsusa.org/resources/attacks-on-science/trump-administration-censored-information-climate-change
This was happening throughout his first four years.
I wonder if there is a way to get the original reports before the fascists censor them and have a site that published the originals before the censoring took place.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Don’t know how accurate this video is, but this video says tariffs will go to the External Revenue Service (a new agency). That money will be funneled to a special sovereign fund and then will be given to Musk. https://youtu.be/44kbve5YRPw
LikeLike
https://www.forbes.com/sites/taxnotes/2025/01/27/trump-and-the-external-revenue-service-what-just-happened/
LikeLike
This is what I read between the lines. All the money that flows through the External Revenue Service will somehow mostly end up in the bank accounts of the already filthy rich.
The already rich will get the lowest tax cut rate in the world at 15%, with lots of ways to lower that to zero with write off and deductions.
The US National debt will grow faster than Jack’s Beanstalk. When the contry finally crashes, the crooked filthy rich will still be filthy rich but more corrupt.
The working middle class will become poorer with a much smaller ratio of the population.
The numbers of those who live in poverty will compete with Jack’s Beanstalk.
The rich will have the best free healthcare in the world and live longer. Most living more than 100 years.
The working class, with horrible or no healthcare, will see average lifetimes sink like a ton of lead dropped in the ocean until the average lifespan is less than 40. That’s already been happening the last few years.
I won’t live to see any of that because FELON47’s MAGA Gestapo will somehow get rid of me along with millions of other NEVER TRUMPERS.
LikeLike
Trump is a criminal and has been his entire adult life. Thinking like a criminal he doesn’t want good for anyone or anything. He has no concept of the common good. He has surrounded himself with a criminal cartel with the worst instincts toward humankind. Allowing Musk access to our payroll records while putting goons in charge of the FBI, Intelligence, OMB, Defense, and Justice, means he can send Musk and his fake agency into the Social Security Administration with no one there to stop him. I was glad to see that one federal employees union is taking legal action, but I don’t understand why they all, , along with the Democratic Party, aren’t collaborating to thwart Trump’s momentum. The first two weeks of Trump’s Presidency this time has been more overtly criminal and unconstitutional than his first term. He truly believes that the Supreme Court has given him absolute immunity and so far, with an impotent Congress, his is right. So, if Musk barges into Treasury will that be the moment that Congress realizes that this is truly a grab for their cash? Or will they care while collecting their bounty from unregulated campaign funds or participating in insider trading? When Trump starts ordering troops to shoot at migrants across the Rio Grande will the Senate realize they have been stripped of the two most important powers granted by the Constitution, war powers and the purse? Will it matter?
Whether you believe it is God or simply the way of the universe, Trump and the rest of us will get a comeuppance from an Earth that is aiming at humans through climate change. Climate and the Earth have combined to bring down empires throughout history. From Minoa to Egypt to the Black Plague. In the late Summer we will face a cataclysm in the form of a hurricane, microburst floods, wildfires, or all three. Every storm seems to be costing us more than the previous storms and Trumps dismantling of our emergency infrastructure and economy will keep the government from responding appropriately to these disasters. Trump has already committed high crimes and misdemeanors in the form of his challenge to the 14th amendment and his attempts to hamstring grants and loans. The real question is, will our suffering bring us to the point where we finally kick him out of the White House? Republicans would have to experience a dramatic comeuppance in 2026 and Democrats would have to stop rolling over.
Trumps actions over the past two weeks have been worse than many imagined. How much will the citizenry take? Has this oligarchy taken us beyond the point where anything can stop them?
LikeLiked by 1 person
Not everyone deserves to suffer. Almost everyone will. Everyone contributes to global warming just by being alive, but some contribute more than others.
I read that the filthy rich contribute the most to climate change.
I’m a vegan who only heats one room in my house when I’m home, my home office, bedroom. During winter when I leave the room, I put on a jacket because it is so cold in all the other rooms. I do that mainly because I can’t afford to pay that big of a heating bill.
When I get up and leave that room, I turned the heat on for two or three hours in the other rooms. Once I finish exercise and eating, I turn the heat off in those rooms.
We all contribute because in winters, we don’t want to freeze so we heat where we live. I just heat a smaller space, by choice. I can’t afford the higher heating bills and the house I live in has 1,350 square feet.
The rich won’t. They can live anywhere they want. If they live in a 10,000 square foot house, they can afford to heat every room.
The only heated room in the house I’m in right now is kept at 68 degrees and lower when I’m sleeping. The other rooms are always in the low 50s in the morning when I wake.
I read that many of the filthy rich have underground homes in New Zealand waiting for them if the world ends. As the world is ending, they will fly their private jets to New Zealand and go underground to live for the rest of their years. Or sail their huge yachts around the world to reach their underground havens.
Pull quotes follow. I only copied and pasted the rest.
According to research by Oxfam, the wealthiest 1% of the global population is responsible for roughly 16% of all carbon emissions, emitting significantly more per capita than the poorest half of humanity, meaning they contribute a disproportionately large amount to climate change compared to their population size; this includes emissions from their lavish lifestyles, private jets, and investments in carbon-intensive industries.
Key points about the wealthy and climate change:
LikeLiked by 1 person
Although the Inflation Reduction Act represented the largest carbon reduction effort to date, Trump will set us back significantly. My kids’ generation is pissed that we are ignoring the problem. I have no grandkids because mine don’t want to bring children into this world. Trump’s effort to reward high birthrate states may not end up costing too much.
LikeLike
That generation should learn that we all didn’t ignore what was happening. Some of us did more to cut our individual carbon emissions while others didn’t.
There is no way to force everyone to do it.
LikeLike
I agree Lloyd. Trump and his secretary of commerce have already said the best economy in US history was when all revenue was raised through tariffs, so I predict Trump will propose a tax cut to offset the spike in prices. Trump supporters won’t have a clue that doing so means they’ll be paying a higher percentage of their income in taxes. I hope and pray he can’t pull it off.
LikeLike
I’ve read that FELON47 already wants to cut taxes on the rich, like him, to 15%, which will be the lowest in the world.
LikeLike
Trump will pay for tax cuts for top 1% by cutting Medicaid and other programs for the neediest
LikeLike
FELON47 will do more than cut Medicare. He’ll increase the national debt more than he did last time, and I read yesterday that he announced a new External Tax Service in addition to the IRS, that he will be cripple by firing many of its workers [so they can’t go after tax cheats like him].
From what I read, the new ETS will collect the money from the tariffs and the January 6, 2021, Traitor said that money will flow into an account controlled by Elon Musk.
Sounds like that is an attempt to take away the power of the purse from Congress. Cut taxes that flow into the IRS while creating an ETS that the Congress has no control over.
LikeLike
From what I’ve read, most years, FELON47 didn’t pay any taxes. He lies.
Still, New York state is making him pay like $400 million for a few of those lies regarding his property tax and loans.
LikeLike
This is a MAGA post that’s going around FB arguing the virtues of tariffs.
“In its most basic form a tariff is a tax placed on imported goods.
For instance, China sells widgets in the U.S. A 10% tariff on China would mean that for every widget China sells in the U.S., China must pay the U.S. federal government 10%.
Currently, foreign trade with the U.S. is extremely imbalanced. For example: the U.S. may charge China a 10% tariff BUT, China charges the U.S. a 50% tariff. This means more Chinese goods get sold in the U.S. than U.S. goods sold in China.
These grossly imbalanced tariffs (international tax) have encouraged U.S. manufacturers to move manufacturing OUT of the U.S., eliminating good paying middle class U.S. jobs.
By raising tariffs on imported goods, U.S. companies are incentivized to return manufacturing to the U.S. because it will be more profitable to produce in the U.S. than to pay high import tariffs.
In the short term U.S. pricing will increase. HOWEVER, within 1 year those prices will decrease as manufacturers return to U.S. production.
Not only will prices return to more affordable pricing but, 100’s of millions U.S. middle class jobs will become available hence, raising the standard of living for the American worker.
Prior to 1850 over 90% of all federal revenue came from international tariffs AND income tax did not exist and was deemed unconstitutional.
In 1913, the U.S. federal government implemented the federal income tax scheme upon all U.S. workers. Today only 2% of all federal revenue comes from tariffs. The remaining federal revenue comes from income taxes, state taxes and borrowed money from the Federal Reserve, which weakens the U.S. dollar.
A strong and fair tariff system has the potential to not only reduce federal income taxes but, even eliminate them. Again, providing a higher standard of living for the American worker.”
LikeLike
The reality is that counter tariffs will hurt American consumers, in addition to the higher prices that tariffs create.
The cost of almost everything will increase, because tariff costs are passed on to the consumer.
Meanwhile, other nations are making trade deals that don’t include U.S.
China is rushing to grab Mexican exports.
LikeLiked by 1 person
My friend Keith Barber wrote a rebuttal to the pro MAGA tariff essay today. https://keithdb.medium.com/a-point-counterpoint-on-tariffs-c57b26fa1d87
LikeLike
Brilliant article. I plan to repost it. Would you ask Keith if I may use his full name?
LikeLike
Yes, I’ll ask him.
LikeLike
“Trump says he will create an ‘External Revenue Service’ agency to collect tariff income”
https://apnews.com/article/irs-trump-tax-revenues-tariffs-eef2ab6930a8672a418af27f61efaed8
Congress will have no say in how the money collected by the ERS will be spent. DOGE, which means MAD MUSK, will have that power.
I think FELON47 wants to replace the income tax the IRS collects with tariffs, which will be a consumer tax. Higher prices on consumer items will not bother the filthy rich, who will not pay income tax anymore once the switch is done.
The working class will pay the most into this consumer tax labeled Tariffs.
And Congress will not have the power of the purse any longer.
LikeLiked by 1 person
“Trump says he will create an ‘External Revenue Service’ agency to collect tariff income”-How would the ERS be created? I would think that a bill would have to go through congress right? Or could it be done through and executive order?
LikeLike
External Revenue Service- to be located on Grand Cayman Island?
LikeLike
Probably or Switzerland.
LikeLike
FELON47 and MAD MUSK are moving ahead ignoring the court cases being filed. Ignoring Congress. Ignoring everyone.
Once they’ve taken over the federal government, the next step will be the military, and then the rest of the country until only armed uprising by citizens is the only option left. If it isn’t well organized and armed, that won’t go well.
Once the MAGA fascist regime controls the military, any armed uprising will be a slaughter. The US military is the most advanced, efficient killing machine in world history. Not just the United States.
The Vietnam WAr lasted almost 20 years and the around 3.8 million causted were suffered in total between both sides. The US had less than 60,000 of those deaths
In Afganistan, a war that lasted 20+ years compare”
Military deaths:
Afghanistan
The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) estimates that over 46,000 civilians were killed.
With control of the United States and its military, there are few countries that can fight the US military.
China and the EU may be the only ones. Russia would be annihilated no matter how many troops they have as long as they don’t use their hukes.
The January 6, 2021 TRAITOR and his MAGA fascist allies have started a Civil War. If we don’t fight back, they win.
No more protests. Lock and load and be willing to die.
LikeLike
There already is an Extern Revenue Service. It’s called US Customs.
LikeLiked by 1 person
FELON47 is into changing names. Will he merge US Customs into another department or come with something new. I’m waiting for him to come up with a new name for the United States. What will it be.
LikeLiked by 1 person
The aim is pretty obvious: defang all accountability structures like DOJ and the FBI. Then go into every federal department that has money and rob it blind. We’ve spent all these years watching heist movies pulling for the bank robbers. Now we get to experience it in real life.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I think I’ve posted here that I think the FELON47 January 6, 2021, TRAITOR will be the world’s first trillionaire by the time he leaves the White House.
If he leaves.
LikeLike
Lloyd,
Trumplandia
LikeLike
Keith Barber said you can share both his article and his name Diane and thanked you for doing so.
LikeLike
Thank you! I shall.
LikeLike
I think many may be interested in what I think is a warning shot meant to blackmail California. A few days ago, the TRAITOROUS sociopath in the White House ordered two California dams to let billions of gallons of water to be released by opening the floodgates.
Most of the news about this seems local but little or nothing from the national mainstream media.
Even then, I only learned about this thanks to a question I was asked on Quora. To answer that question, I read about what happened and then wondered how many reservoirs in California were on Federal land. The traitor has some control over those.
The FELON-TRAITOR was quoted saying he ordered that water released to help fight the fires in LA, but experts and local farmers and communities downriver from those resources were threatened by floods because the release was so massive. Almost 60% of the voters in that California county voted for He Who Should Not be Named.
And, there’s no chance in hell that one drop of that water will reach LA unless someone fills a gallon jug and drives it there.
Here’s why I think it was a warning that worse will happen if the state doesn’t fall into line and bend to the traitor’s will.
California has more than 1300 water storage reservoirs and they are all at capacity because of rain for the last couple of years. Well, were, now that two are almost empty.
On my own, I learned that the federal government, which owns almost half the land in California, controls about 250 of the largest reservoirs that hold 60% of the state’s water supply. I think you can imagine what would happen to California if the malignant narcissist ordered all that water released. Of course, he’d blame it on Newsom and his fascist MAGA cult wouldn’t care if that lie was true or not.
https://www.watereducation.org/aquafornia-news/water-unexpectedly-released-dams-trumps-order-didnt-help-farms-or-la
LikeLiked by 1 person
I was just about to share this story Lloyd. What’s really scary is that his supporters stick by him him even when he screws them. Trump supporters are dug in deep.
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/02/06/trump-california-water-policy-farmers-00202751
LikeLike
There skin is as thin or thinner then his.
I’m watching a fantasy series on Amazon Prime called The Outpost. In the third season, one of the villains is planting some bug in other people who turns them into mindless slaves who will think and say anything she wants them to think.
They claim I threw in my personal political views or that it revealed I had TDS, which never happened. After I read those reviews, I ran a global search of the novel for Trump’s name and the word President.
The only thing I found was a minor character who is French in France thinking about an Op-Ed she read in a REAL Irish Newspaper from a REAL Irish writer who wrote it and the names of that newspaper and writer were included. It was about Trump separating children from their parents and having the children locked in cages. And that was the only paragraph in the book like that.
While writing the novel, for that scene, which was about rescuing trafficked children, I used Google to find something real that fit what she was thinking. That’s what I found and her reason not to want those rescued immigrant children staying in Trump’s US. She flies to Idaho to pick the rescued children up and fly them back to France where she thinks they will be safer.
Joe Robinson1.0 out of 5 stars Almost 5 starsReviewed in the United States on December 9, 2022
Verified Purchase
I was really enjoying this book right until the time the author threw his political views into the story and they did not even make sense within the book. I would like to thank the author for his service I will not be reading any more of his books
Jennifer gates1.0 out of 5 stars He obviously leans too far leftReviewed in the United States on November 23, 2024
Got this book after seeing the blurb. It started ok and then he really showed his T.D.S. I’ll just say if you are selling any products you should keep your political opinion to yourself. I’m returning this book. I refuse to ruin a good time reading with stupid political jabs .
Chuck Yarling1.0 out of 5 stars Lloyd Lofthouse’s new book was a gemReviewed in the United States on November 24, 2021
Once you started reading it, this was one book that was absolutely hard to put down. It has great characters, action galore, and about a group whose mission is to preserve the American republic. That made it hard not to put it my top ten books I read this year!
Yes, it was a gem right up to the near-end when Lofthouse wrote totally unneeded and unnecessary personal political comment in just one paragraph. It was definitely a surprise to find it in what should have been a great book!
This brought the whole story to an end for me. If there is a sequel, I am not sure i want to read it.
LikeLike
I am hoping that Steve Bannon might be able to turn hard core MAGA supporters against Musk. Journalists said Bannon went pretty easy on Musk in this interview, but I thought that Bannon went pretty hard on him. He describes Musk as a technofeudal overlord and the future world that Musk wants was described as a dystopian nightmare.
https://www.nytimes.com/video/opinion/100000009960953/steve-bannon-broligarchs-vs-populism.html
LikeLike
I’ve read other sources that say Bannon HATES Musk with capital letters. Is he jealous because Mad Musk bought the January 6, 2021, TRAITOR with almost $300 million, and now dominates most of FELON47’s attention span, which isn’t all that long most of the time?
LikeLiked by 1 person
Bannon predicted that Musk would be out soon. But he’s not.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Bannon doesn’t have money to give to the January 6, 2021, TRAITOR like MAD MUSK Does.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Bannon’s hatred of Musk could be due to jealousy, but if you listen to the interview Bannon thinks a world led by technofeudal lords like Musk would be terrible for the country and humanity and not at all what he envisioned for MAGA.
LikeLike
I agree with Bannon on that point. Still, has he ever explained what he envisioned for MAGA?
I can’t think of any scenario where MAGA could improves the US democracy in any way.
No matter what MAGA does, I think that would be a disaster worse than the COVID pandemic or World War II.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m just worrying about when our social security checks will stop. Although it sounds like some of Trump’s minions within the White House are starting to freak out over Musk, their incompetence means they don’t have a plan to deal with it. The encels Trump sent into the treasury are doing real damage.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m concerned about the VA medical system. My healthcare provider. I’ve read that the sociopath in charge, not MM, who is the other sociopath in charge, wants to privatize the VA [like they want to do with the USPS] and fire everyone that works there, probably giving all of its brick-and-mortar property, that may be worth billions or even trillions, to corporations and turning our health care over to insurance companies, that already operates with death panels that decides who gets lifesaving medical care … or not.
I’ve read that cadet bone spurs thinks that many combat vets like me are faking their mental/physical health challenges and should lose it.
LikeLike
“I agree with Bannon on that point. Still, has he ever explained what he envisioned for MAGA?”
These are 3 things he said he wanted when he spoke at Oxford.
2. He wants to re-industrialize the US and bring back manufacturing to the US with trade deals that will facilitate that.
3. He wants less military intervention and other nations to share more of the cost intervention.
He said the MAGA movement came out of:
I thought that a crucial moment came during the Q&A when a student asked why Bannon would pick such a hateful demagogue to lead his movement to which Bannon replied: “I’ll take whatever I can get!”
Here’s the link to his speech at Oxford if you’re interested. https://youtu.be/8AtOw-xyMo8
LikeLike
Bannon is wrong about bringing back the manufacturing sector. It never left. It’s not gone.
It’s a myth, or a lie, that the US doesn’t make anything anymore. The US manufacture sector is still the 2nd largest in the world. Although human job numbers in manufacturing have dropped steadily through the decades, Manufacuring has increased at the same time. Those jobs weren’t lost. They were replaced by robots.
What I’m going to share next, I heard about at a conference in the late 1980s or early 1990s. The speaker shared with us a story about a GM bumper factory that used to employee 500 workers back in the 1950. The day he told us that three to four decades ago, that same planted two humans workers left on the plant’s floor. That factor was still making the same number of parts it did in the 1950s with 500 human workers.
What comes next only talks about the number of jobs lost to robots since 2000.
Since 2000, the United States has lost around 260,000 manufacturing jobs to robots. This represents about 2% of the country’s current manufacturing workforce.
Explanation
Predictions
As for the “failed” wars, I think Bannon is totally wrong. We didn’t fail. The wars in Vietnam and Korea were fought to stop the spread of Soviet Communism. They worked.
And the Soviet Union collapsed.
Germany was reunified.
Eastern European countries were free after the Iron Curtain collapsed. Many are now members of NATO and/or the EU.
There are new threats today and FELON47 and his MAGA cult are one of them.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I mentioned once before a conversation I had with a retired executive of a big corporation. When he started his career in management, one of the factories he oversaw had 1,000 workers. Currently it has 2. Same output. Automation.
LikeLiked by 1 person
So I just saw this “Day of thunder” Bannon interview with the WSJ and he’s totally fine with Bannon taking control of the computers.
https://www.wsj.com/video/series/in-depth-features/steve-bannon-on-trump-every-day-is-going-to-be-day-of-thunder/ADA4CD4D-6A16-4EA8-BB63-42C3362D5CC5
LikeLike
How many computers does Bannon want to control. Mine, your, every corporation, the states, the federal government. One person with all that power.
Or Bannon is okay with MAD MUSK being that one person with all that power.
LikeLike
At the end of the video Bannon compares Trump to Washington and Lincoln. I almost spit out my wine!
LikeLike
SUPER bad idea to hand over all of the computers to one man like Musk who is very unstable. Read all you can about his private, public and corporate life. He is an uncontrollable lunatic who only trusts what he thinks. Musk may be more dangerous than FELON47.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Correction: Musk taking control of the computers
LikeLike
The top few names from histoyr that we can compare Trump to is:
HITLER
STALIN
I’d put Mao’s name here, but Mao actually delivered on his promises to the working class in China if they supported him during the long civil war between the CCP and the Nationalist Party. That is why today, the majority of Chinese citizens still think of Mao as their George Washington. He liberated them from the wealthiest 1% who ruled China for thousands of years. The Nationalist Party under Chiang kai Shek was no different than being ruled by a FELON47 or MAD Musk holding all the power instead of the three branches of government.
Chiang Kai Shek held power on Taiwan as a brutal dictator using martial law until he died, and the first democratic election didn’t take place until almost 20 years after his death since his family held on to power that long. The only reason Chiang isn’t responsible for killing as many people as Mao gets blamed for is because he had way fewer people on the island to bully and torment.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Breaking points discussed the 2025 plan for shutting down the dept. of ed. today on Breaking points.
LikeLike
I’m watching this interview right now. It’s so stupid. Burke has spent years crafting a policy with lots of charts and data that advocate for sending federal dollars to the states in the form of block grants. She believes this will benefit students and parents (That’s the theory anyway!) and then Ryan Grim points out that Musk is just gonna take a wrecking ball to the whole thing. Burke says “that’s good because it needs a wrecking ball”, people hate the dept. of education. Years of work, analysis and data down the drain.
LikeLike
Who hates the US Department of Education?
ANSWER:
ALEC
Many extreme right, fascist and/or autocratic billionaires
the Christian Nationalist Ku Klux Klan fascist MAGA cult
FELON47
MAD Musk
LikeLiked by 1 person
Lindsey Burke’s lack of knowledge regarding public education is stunning. Here’s a few things she said.
Teachers are not well paid because the teacher’s union wanted more members so they could collect more dues. (What about right to work states?)
Texas voters are choosing vouchers.
To this date, no Charter School has ever shut down.
Charter schools have not hurt public schools
She says the teacher to pupil ratio in high school is 15 to 1 in High School and slightly higher in elementary school.
Jimmy carter “acquiesced” to the teachers union and created the Dept. of Education in exchange for their votes.
Texas voters support vouchers
She’s a merit pay advocate.
LikeLike
She is very ignorant !!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Lindsey Burke from the heritage foundation was interviewed. She wrote the education policy for project 2025.
LikeLike
I had been receiving this blog for years but it suddenly stopped. I can’t seem to get it back. Any ideas as to why this happened? I miss seeing it in my emails everyday.
marguerite.err1@gmail.com
LikeLike
Notices of new posts and comments didn’t stop for me, but I updated my operating systems yesterday. Maybe if you reboot your computer and update your operating system, that will fix it.
LikeLike
I’ve been so caught up in national politics that I forgot to share an important development at LAUSD regarding the misuse of prop 28 money for the arts. A parent is suing the district for misusing the funds. It is absolutely clear that the district misused the funds from the bond. I was a K-5 theatre teacher when the prop 28 money was sent to the district. The money was supposed to be used to hire additional arts teachers, but the district used the money to pay for the current staff. There was zero growth. Now a parent is suing the district for the misuse of funds.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Here’s a bit of light in these very dark times.
“Danielle Sassoon, the acting U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, resigned, a spokesman for the U.S. attorney’s office said. Her decision came three days after Justice Department leadership instructed her to drop the criminal corruption case against Adams.”
Seeing someone who puts truth and justice over tribe gives me hope.
https://www.npr.org/2025/02/13/nx-s1-5297120/eric-adams-federal-prosecutors-resignations
LikeLike
Sassoon is a profile in courage.
LikeLiked by 1 person
This rare set of admissions by a Fordham author escaped me last spring: https://fordhaminstitute.org/national/commentary/where-teacher-evaluation-went-wrong. Very, very interesting. (Kevin Huffman had a dubious rebuttal.)
LikeLike
Excellent article in a publication that pushed the ideas dissected there.
LikeLike
I reject the premise that an intense and complex evaluation for teachers is necessary in order to improve outcomes in public education. I think this idea might have come from CEO Jack Welch, who was highly respected during his reign at GE. He constantly said that the secret to his success was GE’s rigorous performance evaluation system. The real secret to his success was predatory capitalism and leveraged buyouts. GE stopped using his cut throat performance evaluation after he left because it was causing it’s employees incredible stress. LAUSD’s more rigorous evaluation system was a big waste of time and money. It’s a meaningless horse and pony show that adds nothing, except more stress for teachers.
LikeLike
Totally agree with both of you, David and Diane. David, same for Gates and Microsoft. Diane, I only wanted to add to Tim Daly’s piece that teachers could have told him all of this as soon as these evaluation changes were made.
LikeLiked by 1 person
The complexity of teacher evaluations in my districts was anther example of resources focused at the wrong end. Instead of developing better preparation programs, states determined it would be better to teach pedagogy while teachers were flying the proverbial plane.
After traveling to China and seeing classrooms with three teachers at differing levels of expertise collaborating for better outcomes I am convinced that our process of administrators observing instruction is far less effective. I once had a good friend who got a Masters of Arts in Teaching and taught at a highly regarded Catholic School. She said she never saw administrators in her classroom. I have a daughter who is the head of her department at an independent school and they focus on improvement through collaboration, not dictate.
As a principal I was required to observe probationary teachers three times a year and then, in its infinite wisdom, the state decided I needed to do that with the entire staff. There was no time left to develop a collaborative professional culture needed to serve our students or build community among all constituents. These observations were more obligatory than instructive because I only had no time to share my report rather than discuss instructional practice.
Meanwhile, I experienced little collaboration with higher ed to communicate the tools needed for young teachers to be successful. We have such low regard for teaching that we don’t effectively prepare them and don’t seem to care if they stay with the job.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Anyone have any advice on dealing with an obstinate records office at a school district. I put in a PRA request at LAUSD and I received no response after 10 days. I followed up to find out the status of my inquiry and the records office said they did not have to respond in 10 days, but they take great pride in their work. I spoke to a Parent/Teacher activist and they told me that LAUSD’s record office is notorious for not answering questions and that it has gotten worse under our current Superintendent’s leadership. This parent told me that it is even difficult for the school board to get information from them!
LikeLike
This is the reason that’s it’s taken so long to take any action regarding the misuse of the prop 28 arts money. The parents had to be sleuths to find out the information.
LikeLike
If your head is spinning in this environment of shock and awe, take a look at Olga Lautman’s Trump Tyranny Tracker. It’s a straightfoward format: what happened, why it matters, and the source of the reporting.
https://open.substack.com/pub/trumptyrannytracker/p/trump-tyranny-tracker-day-26?r=1cllq&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=email
LikeLike
Is Texas State caving to Trump’s illegal anti-DEI policies? My Alma Mater Texas State says they are “rebranding” their Black and Latino Playwrights Celebration to the New American Play Festival. It sounds like more than rebranding to me. I don’t know if this is true but some of my alumni have said that finalists had already been selected. I’ve contacted the Austin Statesmen and the San Antonio Express News for more info.
https://napf.finearts.txst.edu/about.html
LikeLike
I just found out why the “Black & Latino Playwrights Celebration has been rebranded to “The New American Playwrights”. Texas legislature passed a law that banned any DEI related activities.
LikeLike
In 2023, the Texas legislature passed Senate Bill 17 (SB 17), which bans diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) activities at public universities. The law went into effect on January 1, 2024.
The law went into effect a year ago. Why did they wait until now to rebrand?
LikeLike
Update. It seems that the creator of the Black & Latino Celebration at Texas State is endorsing it. But my question is-Why did he decide to “rebrand” at this time
https://napf.finearts.txst.edu/
LikeLike
I sent Eugene Lee, the creator of the program, asking him why they “rebranded”.
LikeLike
Texas Republicans are obsessed with ending DEI. Now I understand why my Alma Mata ended the Black & Latino Playwrights Celebration Festival. https://www.texastribune.org/2025/02/27/dan-patrick-texas-legislature-higher-education-cut-dei/
LikeLike
This a well sourced article that explains why Musk’s team misunderstood the Social Security software and why their claims about “vampire” recipients are untrue. https://www.wired.com/story/elon-musk-doge-social-security-150-year-old-benefits/
LikeLiked by 1 person
The rule of thumb regarding The Traitorous Felon and Maniac Musk and almost everyone in their regime
If they write or say something, the odds are heavily in favor of it being a lie, cherry-picked facts, hoaxes, misinformation or bat shit crazy.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Elon Musk is swashing about in billions of dollars. But in Alaska, there’s a school which has been waiting 20 years for a new roof. Now it’s crumbling – one of many such schools in rural Alaska. Bernie’s right about the morbidly wealthy.
https://www.propublica.org/article/rural-alaska-crumbling-schools-state-funding
LikeLiked by 1 person
We’re definitely on the road to fascism. https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/ice-arrest-mahmoud-khalil-palestinian-activist-columbia-protests/
LikeLike
“The Social Security Administration website crashed four times in 10 days this month because the servers were overloaded, blocking millions of retirees and disabled Americans from logging in to their online accounts. In the field, office managers have resorted to answering phones in place of receptionists because so many employees have been pushed out. Amid all this, the agency no longer has a system to monitor customer experience because that office was eliminated as part of the cost-cutting efforts led by Elon Musk.”
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2025/03/25/social-security-phones-doge-cuts/?fbclid=IwY2xjawJP6vRleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHZ5XZ0EObUJAKoD0p2c6QINZsqZ3WOwdVteLmAXQxQSbylY7i-y1NHP71g_aem_66uiLe-jJlOAqz62GsCP8A
LikeLike
So far it looks like the tariffs are having the opposite effect and making it harder to build factories. https://www.wsj.com/economy/trade/companies-building-new-factories-brace-for-higher-costs-eadf7db6
LikeLike
When I read this I was sick to my stomach.
“The past three years have seen an explosion of U.S. factory investment, driven in part by billions of dollars in Biden administration subsidies for manufacturers…”
LikeLike
Hello Diane,
I enjoy your work and just for fun, I wanted to share a “teachable moment” story with you. When my son was in high school a young woman asked him to the prom. She was cute, very smart, and on the gymnastics team. He basically put her on hold for a few weeks until he heard back from a pretty, popular and rather buxom cheerleader, who eventually accepted his offer. The first girl then discovers why he declined her offer, taps him on the shoulder one day when he was at his locker and says, “So….you were just stringing me along, huh? I was not your plan B!” Thwack!! She slapped his face and walked off.
He got no sympathy from this Mom . In fact, I told him to apologize to her, and he did. She is now a successful attorney. I’ve often teased him about choosing the wrong gal. lol!
Interesting little footnote – there was a female teacher whom he knew well who was in the near vicinity when it happened. She walked by in the immediate aftermath, while he was standing there alone, rubbing his cheek and feeling quite embarrassed. She simply stopped for a moment, smiled and said something like, “don’t worry, you’ll work through it”. I thought that was classy. It showed confidence in him to fix things with the young woman. I love the sisterhood component there as well, since the teacher deferred to the girl’s judgement that a slap was fully warranted for this transgression, without the teacher knowing the details. We women have to stick together 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks, Karen.
He got over his setback.
If only all our problems were easily remedied!
LikeLike
Indeed! I’m certain he never attempted to juggle women again after that episode.
I can recall one particular instance, long ago, where I administered a crisp slap on the cheek of an obtuse young man, so there is a nostalgic component of this story for me 😁
LikeLike
The Sound of Silence: My Naïve Faith in LAUSD Transparency
On January 27, 2025, I submitted a public records request to the Los Angeles Unified School District. My goal was simple: to find out what effect, if any, the District’s revised protocols for teacher investigations have had since their implementation.
I assumed this was a routine matter — a parent or citizen requesting information about a major policy shift that affects thousands of educators, many of whom have suffered under vague accusations and opaque investigative processes. I thought the process would be clunky, maybe slow. But I believed the records office would respond. That was my mistake.
Over 70 business days later, I’ve received nothing. No records. No follow-up. Not even a timeline. Just a single boilerplate email citing government code and vaguely promising they’ll get around to it — someday.
I thought LAUSD, the second-largest school district in the country, would have a functioning system for public accountability. I thought the California Public Records Act meant something. I thought if I followed the rules and was respectful, the institution would at least pretend to be responsive. That was my lesson in civics. And my lesson in cynicism.
What I’ve learned is this: in LAUSD, public transparency only kicks in under threat of litigation. Even journalists tiptoe around the records office like it’s a sleeping beast. Stakholders like me — people who care, people who ask questions — are not seen as partners in public education. We’re treated like a nuisance.
All I wanted was to understand how teacher investigations have changed. But it turns out, the real investigation is this:
Why does the public have to fight for information that already belongs to us?
LikeLike
Hi Diane, my name is James Clark, and I’m one of your avid followers here in Portland Oregon.
You may already be familiar with his work, but I want to recommend this book:
“Bad Law: Ten Popular Laws That Are Ruining America” By Elie Mystal
It’s funny, and insightful. I think it can, and should, serve as part of the blueprint we are forming to return the United States to a functioning democracy that holds to the rule of law.
All the best,
James Clark, Ed.D
Portland Oregon
P.S. My dissertation is about activist teachers and I was asked by my instructors at one point “Does Diane Ravitch have to be in every string of citations…?” I responded with “Well…. Yes.”
LikeLike
Hi, James,
Thank you for sticking with me all these years. I look forward to reading the book you recommended.
I have a new book out this October and I think you will like it.
Diane
LikeLike
“Apple in China: The Capture of the World’s Greatest Company” | The Daily Show
I still vividly remember Tim Cook explaining why Apple manufactures iPhones in China — not because of cost, he claimed, but because the U.S. public education system no longer teaches people how to make things.
Patrick McGee’s Apple in China: The Capture of the World’s Greatest Company is a compelling examination of how Apple’s deep entanglement with China transformed both entities. Drawing on over 200 interviews, McGee details how Apple’s pursuit of efficiency and scale led to a massive $275 billion investment in China between 2016 and 2021—surpassing the inflation-adjusted cost of the U.S. Marshall Plan. The Washington PostVanity Fair+1Wikipedia+1
Initially attracted by China’s vast labor pool and manufacturing capabilities, Apple not only outsourced production but also transferred significant technological expertise. This collaboration inadvertently bolstered China’s own tech industry, aiding the rise of companies like Huawei and Xiaomi. Simon & Schuster+1Vanity Fair+1Mobile Dev Memo by Eric Seufert
McGee argues that Apple’s integration into China’s economy has made it susceptible to the country’s authoritarian policies. The company has faced criticism for complying with Chinese regulations, such as removing VPN apps and storing user data locally, raising concerns about privacy and freedom of expression. The Washington Post
The book portrays Apple’s relationship with China as a Faustian bargain—while the company achieved unprecedented growth and profitability, it also became deeply reliant on a regime with contrasting values. McGee’s analysis serves as a cautionary tale about the complexities and risks of globalization in the tech industry.
LikeLike
I don’t believe for a second that Apple didn’t care about the cost of labor. Chinese workers at Apple are paid wages far below our minimum wage. At their biggest factory, I recall reading years ago in The NY Times, the laborers live on site and are available for long shifts. Apple had to build nets around the factory to prevent suicides.
LikeLiked by 1 person
The majority of Apple products, including iPhones, are assembled in China by Foxconn. While Apple works with multiple manufacturers in China, Foxconn is the largest and produces a significant portion of iPhones, according to Forbes. Other companies involved in Apple’s manufacturing in China include Pegatron, Wistron, and Luxshare Precision.
Apple does not own the companies that manufacture its products. Apple relies on contract manufacturers like Foxconn (and others) to produce its products. Apple designs its products in California, but the actual manufacturing is outsourced.
Foxconn Technology Group, officially known as Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd., is a publicly traded company. It has been listed on the Taiwan Stock Exchange since 1991 and is owned by a collective of shareholders. The founder, Terry Gou, is a major shareholder but no longer actively participates in daily management.
LikeLiked by 1 person
The cost of living and what workers are paid in China cannot be compared to the cost of living and wages in the United States or most developed western countries.
In China, most factory workers come from rural areas and return there for holidays because that is where their families are located and most rural Chinese own their property in partnership with the government and can’t sell or take out loans on their property without approval. They also. do not have property tax like we do in the US.
China uses progressive tax rates for most types of income, meaning the tax rate increases with higher income levels.
During economic down turns in China when factory workers lose their jobs, the government usually gives them a free ticket home to their rural village.
That’s why China built one of the world’s largest and most extensive rail networks, particularly its high-speed rail network. As of 2023, the total length of China’s railway network is estimated to be around 162,000 km. A significant portion of this is dedicated to high-speed rail, with over 45,000 km of lines in service.
During the National Day holiday in China, also known as Golden Week, a massive number of people travel. Over 700 million people typically make trips during this period, including domestic and international travel. In 2024, an estimated 765 million domestic trips were made during the National Day holiday.
That why no one should plan to visit China during its Golden Week unless they to mingle with crowds like they’ve never experienced before.
I know what it’s like. Out of the nine or ten times we visited China between 1999 and 2008, as a family, we traveled extensively all over china.
We were there once for Golden Week. It’s an experience most people outside of China will never want to try again. Not because it’s dangerous, but because its almost impossible to get tickets to fly or take a train anywhere in the country unless you bought them all long before Golden Week.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hello Diane,
I have been doing a good bit of writing from two novels to a floundering website, paulabonnerwrites.com. I just found a LinkedIn article I wrote five years ago right as the pandemic began. I thought it was worth sharing: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/school-practitioners-perspective-reform-paul-bonner/?trackingId=VrHBK2fg0OVlqa%2BejGEOfg%3D%3D
LikeLiked by 1 person
Read it. Great stuff, Paul.
If there is one thing on your list that I would emphasize, it is reducing class size by HALF. One simply cannot properly teach a room full of 30 K-12 students.
LikeLike
I went to China and observed classrooms around 2016. They had classes of thirty, but also three teachers consisting of a master teacher, what we would call a probationary teacher, and a novice. All were working with the students. I believe, due to our cultural preference for the individual, a small classroom would be ideal. However, multiple teachers would certainly be an improvement.
LikeLike
The multiple teacher thing was tried and failed before I started teaching in 1975. The high school where I ended up, which was built in the mid 1960s, for my last sixteen years in the classroom was designed for multiple classroom teaching.
When I transferred to that high school in 1989, the classrooms still had the curtain like partitions dividing the rooms, which still could be opened to allow two classrooms to work together, which would have been about 70 students with two teachers. One to teach 70 students while the other teacher was security. Good cop; bad cop.
That experiment failed horribly. A few years later, after I started teaching there, those flimsy partitions were replaced by real wood framed walls with drywall because there was too much noise from other classrooms even with the partitions closed.
Still, I heard the horror stories from teachers who were they’re during that failed experiment.
LikeLike
I certainly think significantly smaller classes would be more appropriate. I only had one experience where co-teaching worked and it was because the regular ed teachers worked so well with a special ed teacher who did not limit her help in the classroom to just special needs kids. Successful use of multiple teachers in the classroom would take a significant cultural change in how we prepare teachers and operate a school. A collaborative setting with significant time for teacher interaction would be required.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I agree with Bob. The only way to improve teaching is to reduce class sizes to 20 or less.
For two of the thirty years I was a public-school teacher, the high school where I taught was awarded a grant to try out smaller class sizes. The grant teamed two teachers to work together from different classrooms. I don’t know how many teams there were. Still, I was on one of those teams.
Those were two of the best and most rewarding teaching years I remember.
Each team had a history and English teacher. We each had 20 students. The classes were set up so the students I taught in first period, were in my partner history teacher’s class the next period, and I got his first period in second.
The history teacher’s class was in a different building. The only time we brought our students together; we met in the library. When that happened, we worked as a teacher team. There was no bad cop, good cop. With 20 students each, behavior problems were almost nonexistent.
We worked together to plan the lessons to coordinate the literature I was teaching with the era of history he was teaching.
There was a project with student presentations, that we filmed, at the end of each semester.
It was an incredibly successful experience, but it ended when the grant ran out. After that, class sizes went back to 34 averages.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you, Paul. I appreciate your sensibility, the product of experience and accumulated wisdom. Liked your comment about Japanese teachers too.
When I visited Japan many years ago–probably late 1980s–there was one teacher and 40 students. Some were attentive, some not
LikeLike
I was acquainted without a US citizen and certificated teacher who taught in Japan through some sort of teacher exchange program. It may have been only for one year but I’m not sure. That was decades ago.
He said there were no behavior problems to deal with. None. He was the teacher adviser for an archery club for high school age students, who practiced with real hunting arrows at targets.
The students did all the work and monitoring. He didn’t have to go out and chaperone them when they were outside shooting those arrows.
The classrooms he worked out of were not heated during the winters. He said the students showed up dressed according and never complained about the cold. No one stayed home no matter how horrible the weather was outside and how fridge it was in the classroom.
The students were focused and paid attention. No distractions. If someone wanted to ask a question, they raised their hand and waited until they were recognized. Then they stand by their desk and ask.
LikeLike
I participated in a leadership training program about ten years ago that spent significant time promoting the success of Finland and Singapore. As we sent representatives to those countries it became apparent that none of what was learned would be applied in the US. Perhaps what makes this country “exceptional” is that too often we believe there is nothing to be learned from other countries. Our obsession with individualism makes systemic change hard. The community focus of other countries is as difficult for us to discern as a foreign language.
I have a sister and daughter who work in two highly regarded independent schools. It seems to me that many of the practices they describe would work well in the public schools. Yes, those private schools are expensive and have significant resources, but many of their practices could be applied with little extra expense. Of course, smaller classes would be more expensive, but the payoff would be worth it.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Is this your Amazon Author Page?
Amazon.com: Paul Bonner: books, biography, latest update
Is seems there’s more than one Paul Bonner author page on Amazon.
This is the other one. maybe they are both yours.
Amazon.com: Paul Bonner: books, biography, latest update
LikeLike
I am not on Amazon. the manuscripts of my novels are written, but currently I’m navigating beta readers, editors, and such. My website is paulabonnerwrites.com. It’s basically a blog about my encounters with public education. I have discovered my name to be surprisingly common.
LikeLike
You haven’t launched yet, then, right?
LikeLike
My website is up. My creative obstinance has been at war with search engine optimization
LikeLike
Let us now praise creative obstinance!!!
LikeLike
Adult coloring books!!! What a creative idea!!!
LikeLike
Do you know about the Kindleprenur?
Meet Dave Chesson of Kindlepreneur
Dave is a major resource for indie authors at every stage of publication and marketing. His blog offers tons of free advice. He earns his money mostly from Publisher Rocket and Atticus.
Publisher Rocket is a vital marketing tool for all authors, indie or traditional. Still, I suggest learning what Publisher Rocket does for authors first. Learn how to use it for free from Dave’s blog first.
Publisher Rocket helps authors find the right genres, categories and keywords to use when publishing each book, which helps our books find the right readers.
Don’t let search engine optimization stop you. Most of that takes place after we publish, not before. In other words, search engine optimization.
Still long before Dave’s Publisher Rocket, when I belonged to the 2nd oldest writing club in the US, I took a day-long workshop back in 2009, on blogging and search engine optimization through the South Bay Branch of the California Writing Club, then launched my first blog and did every step we were taught. It took almost a year to build the search engine optimization resulting in hundreds of sales a month for my first published novel. The peak years ran from 2010 through 2013, while I was blogging full time doing what I’d learned from Bill Belew, a pro blogger, author and speaker.
That novel has had almost 60k downloads earning almost $30k over the years. Most of those orders came during the blogging years.
I dramatically slowed up blogging after 2013, so I’d have more time to write new books. To keep the search engine optimization, I had to work full time writing blog posts, posting fresh material daily to the first blog that supported the first book, historical fiction based on a real-life story set in the 19th century. Search engine optimization is a never-ending job. Once you get it, you can lose it unless you keep working on it and doing it properly.
LikeLike
Thank you for the tip!
LikeLiked by 1 person
It’s a complex world.
While some components of Apple products are made in the U.S., the majority of Apple’s products are not manufactured in the U.S.. Most Apple products, including iPhones, are assembled in China. However, Apple has been diversifying its manufacturing base and has shifted some production to countries like India and Vietnam, according to The New York Times and BBC.
LikeLiked by 1 person
This is further evidence that tech bros are forever trying to decouple from governance. People like Elon Musk and Peter Thiel are in Trump’s ear promoting the development of cities no longer beholden to the countries they exist in. There is a growing monster in Silicon Valley that is trying to use its wealth to make the rest of us irrelevant. Tim Cook may have jumped into the Chinese briar patch but he and his hubristic brethren are out to end the influence of citizens.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Tim Cook didn’t jump into China.
That was Steve Jobs.
Jobs made that move in 2001, when Apple partnered with Foxconn, a Taiwanese electronics manufacture, to initially produce iPods.
And Foxconn has factories in China, India and the United States, with other facilities, whatever they are, in Mexico, Vietnam and Europe.
Foxconn’s plant in the US is in Mount Pleasant, Wisconsin covers about one million square feet. But this facility is part of a larger complex that includes a 296,000 square-foot Smart Manufacuring center and a 34,000 square foot High Performance Computing Data Globe.
Foxconn’s plant in Wisconsin started out producing large, advanced LCD screens. That changed and it’s now producing electric vehicle batteries and energy storage systems including battery cells and battery packs.
During the COVID-19 pandemic that facility produced respirators and face masks. How did they go from batteries to face masks?
Currently, Foxconn employees more than, 1,000 people in Wisconsin. That tells me the plant is automated like most factories in the US.
LikeLike
On the eve of our 250th anniversary of freedom, I received this self-promoting piece of propaganda, which expects us to be grateful for the dictator and celebrate his MAGA government’s decision to stop double-dipping and taxing people on SSI income (for which they were already taxed when they first earned and contributed it to the SSI pot):
“The Social Security Administration (SSA) is celebrating the passage of the One Big, Beautiful Bill, a landmark piece of legislation that delivers long-awaited tax relief to millions of older Americans.
The bill ensures that nearly 90% of Social Security beneficiaries will no longer pay federal income taxes on their benefits, providing meaningful and immediate relief to seniors who have spent a lifetime contributing to our nation’s economy.
“This is a historic step forward for America’s seniors,” said Social Security Commissioner Frank Bisignano. “For nearly 90 years, Social Security has been a cornerstone of economic security for older Americans. By significantly reducing the tax burden on benefits, this legislation reaffirms President Trump’s promise to protect Social Security and helps ensure that seniors can better enjoy the retirement they’ve earned.”
The new law includes a provision that eliminates federal income taxes on Social Security benefits for most beneficiaries, providing relief to individuals and couples. Additionally, it provides an enhanced deduction for taxpayers aged 65 and older, ensuring that retirees can keep more of what they have earned.
Social Security remains committed to providing timely, accurate information to the public and will continue working closely with federal partners to ensure beneficiaries understand how this legislation may affect them.”
LikeLike
I often pass road signs that say “Work on this project was funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Act.”
That’s Biden’s $1.5 trillion infrastructure legislation.
His name does not appear.
If Trump had passed it, it would be titled in large letters, the “Trump Infrastructure Act.”
LikeLike
Yes, exactly. You can easily see how the guy with heaps of hubris, who wants everlasting credit for virtually everything he touches, or looks at, does it all for self-aggrandizement, and how he differs so significantly from people who have humility, genuine empathy and take action truly for the sake of others. Even his own peeps can’t clean that up because it would be defeating the whole point of what he does and why he does it.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yeah, I got it too. I almost threw up. We are witnessing the most dramatic generational transfer of wealth in American history. Instead of shoring up Social Security this will lead to its demise. If not already, younger generations will soon see boomers as the enemy and won’t lift a finger to correct this mess. I guess MAGA truly believes money grows on trees.
LikeLike
This article describes the challenges of getting information from the PRA office at LAUSD. https://laist.com/news/education/los-angeles-unified-school-district-cell-phone-policy-public-records-request
LikeLike
And once “they,” who support the demon and false prophet in the White House, fulfil all those prophecies, will “they” end the world with a nuclear war so “they” can all go to “their” idea of heaven?
The MAGA cult that worships trump as their “false” messiah are ALL lunatics.
LikeLike
Hi Lloyd, It’s telling that the Christian Zionists who shipped the five red heifers to Israel have already disqualified them for minor imperfections. It almost seems like they don’t want the prophecy to be fulfilled.
LikeLike
They fear their own prophecies might come true.
Great recruiting aids, promising total forgiveness and salvation. Even for the January 6, 2021, traitor, a lifelong liar, cheat and convicted rapist, fraud and felon, who cannot be trusted and can’t escape his eternal fait without a fake fix.
The MAGA faithful must be thinking, if he can do it, so can we. Our sins are nothing compared to his.
Trump is the poster child for armageddon.
LikeLiked by 1 person
This is an insane story about Mike Johnson’s connection to Christian Zionists. In 2022 five red heifer’s from Texas were flown to Shiloh as pets. (The settlement in Gaza that Mike Johnson just visited). They’re trying to find the right Red Heifers so that bible prophecy can be fulfilled. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_JK6VtA4tag
LikeLike
In September 2022, five red heifers raised by a Christian farmer in Texas were flown to Israel as part of a joint effort between the Temple Institute and the evangelical group Boneh Israel. The Temple Institute—an organization dedicated to rebuilding the Third Temple in Jerusalem—has long sought red heifers that meet the strict biblical and rabbinical requirements outlined in Numbers 19 and the Mishnah. These include being completely red, without blemish, and having never been yoked or used for labor. The arrival of the heifers sparked excitement among groups who view their appearance as a potential step toward fulfilling end-times prophecy. However, in August 2025, the Temple Institute announced that all five animals had been disqualified due to minor imperfections, such as a few non-red hairs, rendering them unsuitable for the purification ritual required to resume Temple worship.
LikeLike
David,
I hadn’t heard about the Five red heifers. Truly crazy.
LikeLiked by 1 person
The location of Ancient Shiloh is in the West Bank, not Gaza.
LikeLike
Did anyone else get the following email from Gavin Newsom today? I think it’s a great idea (i.e. fighting fire with fire, as in TX gerrymandering and CA doing the same thing in response):
Gavin Newsom
gavinnewsom.com
Redistricting in California
From:info@e.gavinnewsom.com
Fri, Aug 8 at 5:19 PM
I am writing to ask you to make a contribution to help us pass new congressional maps in California. This is an important ask – so I want to explain why it’s so important.
Here is the truth:
Donald Trump knows he’s going to lose in 2026, so he is rigging the election by forcing Republican Governors like Greg Abbott to draw new congressional maps that find him more House seats. We cannot sit idly by while this happens. California is going to fight back.
In California, that requires us to go to the ballot. By doing so, we will neuter Trump’s ability to rig the system. We are getting close to final decision time. But one of the big factors is whether or not we’ll be able to fund this effort.
It’s a vote we can win, but we’re talking about flipping at least 5 House seats and further strengthening currently competitive Democratic seats.
You can imagine what Republicans will spend to stop us.
And we can’t afford to lose. Because if we lose in California, Republicans will feel as if they can redistrict whenever they want, wherever they want without fear.
It is a damn shame it’s come to this. I can’t stand these gerrymandered districts.
But Democrats can’t just sit there and act holier than thou while we watch our democracy be totally degraded.
We’re going to fight fire with fire … but it’s not something I can do alone. This isn’t a fight we can just sit back and witness. We all have a role in shaping its outcome.
So I am asking – directly:
Please make a contribution to my Campaign for Democracy PAC today. (You can do so here): https://secure.actblue.com/donate/cfd-website?refcode=homepage-nav
If Greg Abbott and Donald Trump want to find five seats in Texas, then the blue state of California is going to get darker blue.
But only if you’re in this with me.
Gavin Newsom
PAID FOR BY CAMPAIGN FOR DEMOCRACY PAC
1787 Tribute Road, Suite K
Sacramento, CA 95815
LikeLike
I hope Gavin finds 10 seats in CA
LikeLiked by 2 people
Say what you will about the ethics of gerrymandering, Democratic TX legislators had a great idea and went to the right state to gain support and hide out from the vote on it back home, since gerrymandering always results in “winners and losers”:
https://chicago.suntimes.com/columnists/2025/08/09/illinois-texas-trump-pritzker-gerrymandering-alden-loury
LikeLike
Gerrymandering is reality.
“How Gerrymandering Tilts, the 2024 Race for the House – Skewed maps give Republicans big advantages in 11 states, mostly in the South and Midwest”
Source: How Gerrymandering Tilts the 2024 Race for the House | Brennan Center for Justice
I argue that as long as one-party germanders both must germander, which may be why “both major political parties in the United States engage in gerrymandering, which is the practice of drawing district boundaries to favor one party over the other.”
Most Gerrymandered States 2024
Utah
Texas
Lousiana
Arkansas
North Carolina
Kentucky
West Virginia
Ohio
Pennsylvania
Wisconsin
Maryland
In the midterms, the party that wins the majority in one or both Houses of Congress will determine if the United States is still a democracy guided by the US Constitution in 2028. If the Republicans hold the majority in both Houses of Congress and Trump is still alive on January 20, 2029, he may stay in the White House, by ignoring the US Constitution with support from his Republican majority of cowards and traitors in Congress and the six fascist justices on the US Supreme Court, until the sadistic sociopath and malignant narcissist dies, which may not happen until he’s in his 90s, and he won’t turn 90 for almost 11 more years.
I’ve heard and read what Gavin says about Gerrymandering California, which isn’t a state on the above list. I understand that California will gerrymander before the 2026 midterms if red states like Texas germander another round before the next official census.
Why is this happening?
The January 6, 2021, Traitor, convicted rapist, fraud and felon, Donald (the porn Star’s John) Trump asked Texas to redistrict (using extreme gerrymandering in a state that is already heavily gerrymandered) and find five more seats for him in Congress, so the Republicans will hold on to the majority after the 2016 midterms
In the United States, redistricting, the process of redrawing electoral district boundaries, is primarily governed by state law but influenced by federal requirements and court decisions.
Every 10 years following the Decennial Census: This is the most consistent and fundamental requirement. States must redraw congressional and state legislative districts based on population changes identified in the census to ensure districts have roughly equal populations. This process is mandated by the U.S. Constitution and aims to guarantee fair and proportional representation.
Potentially more frequently under specific circumstances: While the decennial census is the primary trigger, states are not explicitly prohibited from redrawing maps more often.
Court orders: If a court determines that a state’s existing maps violate federal laws, like the Voting Rights Act or constitutional provisions, they may order the state to redraw districts before the next census cycle. This happened in states like Alabama and Louisiana in 2024, according to Bloomberg Government.
State-level adjustments: Some states may choose to update districts between census years based on legislative actions or other factors, though this is less commo
LikeLiked by 1 person
If Texas gerrymanders again, Republicans will have 30 of 38 Congressuonal districts.
They would represent 75% of the voters, even though Democrats get 45% of the vote.
LikeLiked by 1 person
If Kash Patel sends the FBI to find the Texas legislators, will they arrest them? What crime did they commit?
If the FBI confronts the Illinois state troopers, who backs down?
LikeLiked by 1 person
Redistricting in Illinois could soon follow (as well as in other states): https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/pritzker-says-redistricting-illinois-could-happen-if-texas-continues-push/ar-AA1JXr75
LikeLiked by 1 person
I doubt the FBI would win if Illinois Governor Pritzker has much say in the matter, because he’s an extraordinary guy who knows the ropes.
LikeLike
(Pritzker has a Juris Doctor in law from Northwestern University Law School…)
LikeLike
Hi Diane,
Were you aware of this? I was in a state of shock when I saw the cartoon on youtube.
Here’s the video: PragerU Kids – Leo & Layla Meet Frederick Douglass
It’s an absurd example of how the right is trying not just to censor but also to rewrite history for younger audiences. The Florida Department of Education approved some of PragerU’s videos for classroom use in 2023, sparking national controversy. I had no idea.
David Pearce
LikeLike
https://tfn.org/prageru-kids-twisting-black-history/?utm_source=chatgpt.com
LikeLike
Thanks, David. PragerU is the brainchild of a rightwing talk-radio host, Dennis Prager. He’s making a mint selling rightwing videos to red states.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Their depiction of Frederick Douglass made me sick to my stomach.
LikeLike
Diane, Did you know that DFER is back with a new leader and agenda? I’m suspicious of this because of their past, as well as the stated intention to get “Executives” involved –as if that wasn’t done before (like with Bill Gates). What do you think?
https://michaelbhorn.substack.com/p/why-this-leader-argues-that-embracing?r=dsqm9&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=email&triedRedirect=true
LikeLike
I fear we are back to the common belief that anyone (including Executives) who has been a student knows best about what is needed in schools. including the home-schooled –and instead of well trained, experienced educators, as confirmed by my doctoral research.
LikeLike
BTW, when my college students would admit to having that belief (and there were many), I would tell them, “I’ve been eating food my whole life. That doesn’t mean I am a top chef today.” (They said they understood the matter then.)
LikeLike
Thanks so much for summarizing the importance of public education again in/and the post by Jennifer Berkshire, today, Diane! All is very much appreciated!!!
LikeLike
I think Ragnarshbhut has a new sock puppet name, Sally Jo Mae.
LikeLike
Lloyd, you guessed correctly. Ragsnarbut is constantly trying to break in. He changes his name and even his IP. 98% of the time he fails.
LikeLike
This troll is obsessive like the Terrible T, who does use sock puppet names. It might be horrid him.
Trump has been known to use several aliases, or “sock puppets,” to speak to the media or for legal matters. The most prominent names are John Miller and John Barron. Why not have other sock puppet names the family crime lord uses to seek revenge against anyone on his long enemies list. I’ve read that people who say “NO” to him end up on those lists. It doesn’t take much.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pseudonyms_used_by_Donald_Trump
LikeLike
I don’t feed trolls.
LikeLike
Check out Houston’s newest teacher evaluation plan: https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/news/education-news/hisd/2025/03/21/516536/houston-isds-teacher-ranking-evaluation-system-passes-despite-opposition-from-teachers-parents/
LikeLike
A lot of people are saying the FBI scenario is not adding up and I came across the excellent detailed youtube video explaining why the FBI scenario is possible. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pgeJy7VCL1U
LikeLike
David, thanks for the video. It answered some questions I had, esp about the gun
LikeLiked by 1 person
You’re welcome!
LikeLike
I assumed a “Discord server” meant edginess and chaos. Ken Klippenstein’s reporting suggests the opposite: a small, mostly supportive chat group with people who condemned Tyler Robinson’s violence. Worth a read: https://www.kenklippenstein.com/p/exclusive-leaked-messages-from-charlie?fbclid=IwY2xjawM21xBleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHl7T4Zoz63nU_Z5Tsn4U0Ha7WDmDsIEVBm5LLNfWVIqq4nGJcU22e8wPwnvW_aem_03erNADakrdzVo2FkP2zrQ
LikeLike
Once again Ken Klippenstein seems to be the only journalist interested in interviewing people who actually knew the shooter in order to find out if there is any substance to the Antifa narrative the Trump administration is peddling. https://www.kenklippenstein.com/p/the-ice-shooters-motive
LikeLike
Turns out it’s a billionaire behind the administration’s so-called compact to neuter our universities.
No paywall:
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/03/us/billionaire-marc-rowan-trump-deal-universities.html?unlocked_article_code=1.q08.YkVw.p9sdqpKnHm09&smid=url-share
LikeLike
Same topic of neutering or subjugating our universities; here’s a through look from UCLA Law professor Joseph Fishkin on the so-called compact the administration want universities to accept.
https://balkin.blogspot.com/2025/10/the-art-of-replacing-law-with-deal.html
LikeLike
“With this last piece of the puzzle, the state has joined a national effort to change how reading is taught in schools, focusing on a method that teaches students to decode words by sounding them out, a process known as phonics.
The new legislation provides elementary school teachers with training in evidence-based reading instruction, also known as the Science of Reading. It also requires the California State Board of Education to adopt compatible instructional materials for first through eighth grade classrooms.” https://edsource.org/2025/governor-newsom-signs-literacy-bill/742396?fbclid=IwY2xjawNVLslleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHv7BfUjDWY-VzAR3yF4w8e9E9CueeAb5GONcMb1uq6318aK8Z9Rw-BrfQ155_aem_v5y32l0YPZPxCsHIPsUP2Q
LikeLike
I’ve been looking at a case study claiming that the “Science of Reading” made a big positive impact in the Central Bucks School District (CBSD). The study highlights strong gains on DIBELS tests, but when I checked the PSSA English Language Arts results from 2019 to 2024 for 3rd and 4th graders, I didn’t see the same kind of improvement.
In fact, the highest scores appear to have been in 2019—before the Science of Reading program was implemented district-wide. Here’s what I found for the percentage of students at or above proficiency:
I’m not an expert in data analysis, so it’s possible I’m missing something—but based on these numbers, the PSSA results don’t seem to show a significant gain after the Science of Reading was introduced. It would be great to have someone with more experience take a closer look at this data.
Heres the case study from CBSD: https://readinghorizons.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Central-Bucks-Case-Study.pdf?utm_source=chatgpt.com
LikeLike
David Pearce,
I have written here many times that the “Science of Reading” is one of many ways to teach reading. My personal belief is that phonics is important and should be part of every reading teacher’s toolkit. But it’s ridiculous to legislate that there is only one way to teach reading. Don’t expect to see dramatic changes in reading scores in states that mandated SOR. Legislators are not reading experts. They should not be imposing the flavor of the decade.
LikeLiked by 1 person
David, I taught research methods in education and evaluation of research to Ph.D. students for decades. Without checking external sources carefully, I first note from the PSSA numbers you provide from 2019 and 2021 a decrease in percentages of reading proficiencies for 3rd and 4th graders, and then they gradually increase thru 2024 to similar levels observed in 2019. This looks to me like a drop during COVID, and then in the next few years students who have progressed through grade levels K-3 are benefiting from more in-person instruction post COVID. During the same interval, the case study reported by Reading Horizons appears to show similar improvements in this particular school district.
HOWEVER, if these numbers are to be trusted, there is logical confounding of the bounce-back from COVID and the introduction of the particular structured reading curriculum from Reading Horizons introduced in this school district. So I would be extremely cautious about concluding much of anything due to this confounding.
I further note that the CASE STUDY provided on Reading Horizons website is lacking a lot of detail in order to critique it. Who are the authors? None are listed. This is not a publication in a highly respected, peer-reviewed research journal. No bibliographic references are provided. Not knowing who did the study, their qualifications, and not knowing whether there was any peer review by qualified researchers are red flags.
Because it is a case study, no generalizability of the results should be inferred (about this particular curriculum in other schools in other places). These are descriptive statistics about a particular school district, not inferential statistics. Statistical significance is irrelevant, which is normally used to draw conclusions from a random sample about the population from which it was drawn.
I also note that further confounding could be due to comparing apples with oranges. I don’t know anything about the psychometric properties of the DIBELS measures and their comparability to PSSA measures.
But most of all, I note that this is a particular evaluation report on ONE school district. It’s provided on a website of a business which is selling a particular reading curriculum. I wonder about bias. Is this business providing only selective evidence that makes their product look good?
I would need a lot more information to conclude anything. I certainly would not make any generalizations from a single case study. Replications of this evaluation study are needed in order to address issues of confounding.
Finally, praxiological evidence (about what works) is not scientific evidence (about what is true in general). Nor is praxiological evidence adequate for philosophical justification (about what is intrinsically valuable). These are different kinds of knowledge claims in educology, and different criteria should be used in their justification. These kinds of knowledge claims should not be conflated.
In plain English, the case study provided needs a lot more detail before I would draw any conclusions. And then I would limit my conclusions to the Central Bucks School District.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I think this data (and the debate) about student reading test scores to track reading level gains is all BS.
The biggest factor that determines a child’s reading score isn’t what’s taught at school but how much the parents read at home and set aside time for the child to read at home, too, without distractions. No music. No video games. No texting. No TV screens. Computers all off. Regular visits to real libraries. Limit the child screen time. Don’t allow children to have mobile phones before high school or even better before they are legally an adult.
The debate shouldn’t be about blaming teachers and school. The debate should be focused on parenting, and how much time children read at home
It is children living in poverty. Not teachers or test scores. Teachers cannot do it all. They can’t learn for the students. They are not responsible for what happens to their students in their homes with their families.
PISA test scores consistently show a strong correlation between student performance and their family’s economic and social status. Students from more disadvantaged backgrounds are more likely to have lower scores, with socio-economically disadvantaged students being seven times more likely to not achieve basic math proficiency. This is because PISA’s economic, social, and cultural status (ESCS) index, which is based on parental education, occupation, and home possessions, is a significant predictor of academic achievement.
In Finland, for instance, most parents teach their children to read at home before they start school at age 7 and most students when they enter the school system are reading on or above grade level at that age.
Instead of all this BS on test scores and blaming teachers, the focus should be how important it is to set aside reading time in the child’s home and how parents can do that regardless of their economic levels.
In class, it should not be the teachers’ job to replace the parent when it comes to a child’s reading habits. Teachers should be responsible for teaching students to understand what they are reading and how to write properly while focusing on critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
Children should arrive at school already in love with reading, not hate reading and school, which has been the focus in the US for decades ever since Reagan release that lying, misleading A Nation at Risk report.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Amen.
LikeLike
It all comes down to the original motivation for Head Start. Get students ready for school before they attend. I was a latent reader and my son the same. As I recall, I started to read at around 8 years old because I was interested in the dinosaurs in All About books. I liked the illustrations, but they didn’t tell me enough. I had to read. In the case of my son he had similar struggles early. However, when I started reading him “Captain Underpants,” he was fascinated by my uproarious laughter as I read. He then took it upon himself to read so he could read aloud to make me laugh. We both had rich learning environments and had curiosity about nature, sports, et al. We didn’t read until we saw a need. The significant mistake we make with reading instruction is that it is all about process while ignoring the motivating aspects of interest and content. This is why poverty is so common among poor readers. My wife and I read to all of our children every night though I don’t recall being read too (My mother had six children). I did, however, have a treasure trove of illustrated books, including annual World Book addendums, that created a desire to know more. In my mind, I had to learn to read. The education establishment has consistently ignored the value of student interest as a tool to develop reading, particularly comprehension. Meanwhile, they wonder why letter sounds aren’t doing the trick.
LikeLiked by 1 person
My parents never graduated from high school, but they were avid readers. When we were all at home together, mostly nights and weekends, I saw them reading from paperbacks all the time, even with the TV on.
Still, by seven I still hadn’t learned to read. That was 1952. Admin at the public school district I attended at the time tested me and from the results told my mother I was too retarded to learn to read and write.
I still don’t remember taking a test and have no idea what it could have been.
Anyway, my mother decided to get involved. My older brother, by 12 years, never learned to read and at 17 was already in trouble and spent time in jail. By the time Richard died at 64, he spends 15-years in the “slammer,” what he called prison.
Mom didn’t want that life for me, too. But she didn’t know what to do. Instead of asking those “experts” who told her I was too retarded to learn to read and write, she went to my first-grade teacher, my second year in her class since I’d been held back, and asked her.
That teacher told my mother what to do at home, and my mom did. I learned to read and by the time I reached high school I was reading two books a day, mostly historical fiction, SF, and fantasy.
I didn’t have much time for schoolwork reading so many books a day and barely graduated from high school. A few years later after the US Marines and a year in combat, I applied at a community college near my parents’ home. That two-year college tested me to see if I needed “bonehead” English and discovered my reading level was well into college. I didn’t learn those reading skills from my mother or teachers. I reached that level by reading thousands of books on my own, while ignoring most of my homework, before I left high school.
Turns out my brother and I both had severe dyslexia. The only reason I learned to read was because of what was happening to him.
LikeLiked by 1 person
It’s amazing to me that so many educators reduce reading to process when the motivation to read is based on experience. What motivates us teaches us. Your story is quite compelling.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I turned 80 this year and have a few favorites. Among them, everything Marko Kloos writes. Even the diary of a wife (I think Marko’s wife wrote this one) at home dealing with the stress caused by her husband (he’s a special operator) when the starship he’s on goes missing for several years somewhere in our galaxy during a war with a brutal alien race.
I’m reading his latest now, CORVUS. I started reading it last week and I’m almost done. With this one, I have to force myself to stop reading so I can get some sleep.
Another series I’m following is Martha Wells Murderbot Diaries.
Books I’m really interested in, I read much faster than others that are just good.
LikeLiked by 1 person
As an elementary principal in Charlotte from 2007-2012, we were using DIBELS religiously from KG to second grade. At my school, our DIBELS scores were good, but it only measured fluency of non-sense and typical words. When third graders took the annual End of Grade tests that focused on comprehension, the results went back to the mean every year. My school was considered high performing when compared to the state, yet our year to year EOG results showed little variation. Our growth improved significantly, but we could never get to 90% reading at grade level. Where we did improve with proficiency was in our science scores from the mid 80s to the mid 90s passing over that time period. We were resource rich. This happened because we had a dedicated science teacher who taught labs loved by our students while the regular ed teachers taught the related curriculum. Nowhere that I have found, has reading or math scores gotten close to one standard deviation over this era of high stakes testing. DIBELS demonstrated little correlation to standardized tests that supposedly measured comprehension. What we do know is that schools with significant social and instructional resources tend to perform well, while schools lacking these resources do not. There is no one size fits all practice in reading that moves the dial. We know this because the data is very clear where one practice, whether phonics based or otherwise, has been applied. If we want student reading to improve we have to provide more tools through activity and content that motivate students to want to learn. No form of personalized learning, repetitive work sheets on phonics, or small group instruction will change this.
LikeLiked by 1 person
avid readers love reading
most of them fall in love with reading outside of classrooms
for schools to achieve this almost impossible goal alone without family or parent support, I think they must identify the most at risk children, usually living in poverty, and start early at age three with a focus on reading where the children spend several hours in rooms in small groups
Rooms that atmospheres that are friends and warm
Two to four hour a day
books everywhere
story time with an adult reading
play is linked to the stories
sharing time which includes student art linked to the stories they are hearing
Robot programs that teach all the children with the same learning methodology and lessons will probably fail
Children do not all learn the same way
make sure they are not hungry and they feel safe
LikeLiked by 1 person
Absolutely! I have a daughter who teaches at an independent school outside of Charlotte. Not only do they have maker spaces for elementary, middle, and high school, but they have woods with a creek that they allow their students to play in during recess. These woods have forts designed by students where the structures have evolved over the years. It’s like Peter Pan! This AI obsession and corporate exploitation doesn’t understand that children need to learn the basics of exploration and motivation through activities that introduce a variety of natural and manmade environments. This is how we have evolved as a species. The evolution of our information systems, from the first alphabet to AI, could not happen without significant exposure to experience. The great sin of public education is that we have determined technology, from the TV to “personalized instruction”, to be a short cut that ignores our biological and sociological upbringing. This leaves a third to one half of our children without the basic tools for learning. It’s like pouring a concrete pillar without a foundation. Eventually everything just falls over with no opportunity to make up for the mistake.
LikeLiked by 1 person
My daughter Lauryann, who turned 34 this month, has a three and six year old. She enrolled them both at three in a private preschool near her home after she vetted the school through and through.
Then she joined the parent advisory board after her boy started there at three. The six year old boy turns seven next month. He’s in first grade now. The three year old was excited to start preschool this year, the one her brother attended before she was born.
Seriously, I haven’t seen a TV screen anywhere in their house and the only computer I’ve seen is a laptop, which my daughter uses. Maybe her husband uses the same laptop. I haven’t seen a desktop or a tablet. Still, they do have mobile phones. Not the grandkids though.
Lauryann and her husband Marcus both graduated from Stanford, where they met.
Both of the grandchildren are learning Mandarin and Spanish already, which their parents also speak in addition to their primary language English.
LikeLike
Did I somehow miss a report here on the closure of the Department of Education’s Office of Special Education and layoffs of staff, including nearly everyone who administers funding for the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act? Nothing like using the government shut down as an excuse to attack our most needy and vulnerable population of students! This is so sick!
https://www.npr.org/2025/10/13/nx-s1-5572489/trump-special-education-department-funding-layoffs-disabilities
LikeLike
Federal government agencies, which were created by Congress over a period of decades, are no longer doing the jobs Congress created through legislation.
Trump is and has been an extreme micromanager for decades. He’s calling the shots through his loyalist Klepto-Kakistocracy regime. Everyone in his regime has been handpicked by him to do what he wants.
Trump’s play book has been following Hitler’s.
“Disabled people were among the first victims of mass murder under the Nazi regime, before the genocide of European Jews was fully underway. The killing of disabled individuals was carried out under the ‘Euthanasia Program,’ officially known as Aktion T4.”
“Donald Trump has a documented history of making comments, performing actions, and pursuing policies that have been widely criticized as discriminatory toward disabled people. His history includes a highly publicized instance of mocking a disabled reporter, comments about disabled military personnel, and statements about the value of disabled lives.”
I think Trump wants to go down in history as being more of a monster than Adolf Hitler. Still, he doesn’t think of it like that.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Tragically, Lloyd, I know this is all true. I’m reminded of when, in the White House, Trump told his nephew that his disabled son would be better off dead. So sad.
See: “My Uncle Donald Trump Told Me Disabled Americans Like My Son ‘Should Just Die’ “
https://time.com/7002003/donald-trump-disabled-americans-all-in-the-family/
LikeLike
The evidence, going back to the 1970s or earlier, is overwhelming that Donald Turmp is a monster equal to or worse than Hitler, Stalin, et al.
At this point in time, anyone still loyal to Trump agrees with that monster just like Hitler or Stalin’s supporters did.
LikeLiked by 1 person
https://actionnetwork.org/letters/alert-federal-special-education-staffing-gutted-putting-idea-funding-at-risk?source=direct_link&
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks to all for sharing your insights on the “Science of Reading” wave now sweeping the U.S. and beyond. It got me curious about New Zealand, once admired for its Whole Language approach.
In the 1980s, New Zealand topped international literacy rankings with a method centered on meaning and authentic literature. That success makes me wonder: how did they achieve such strong results with a model now branded as a failure?
When I began teaching in LAUSD, Whole Language was still in use. I even attended a Marie Clay conference where she emphasized that phonics was always part of the approach—it was never meant to exclude decoding. My mentor’s children learned to read through Whole Language in LAUSD and went on to Berkeley to become writers. Clearly, it worked for some.
Now, starting in 2025, New Zealand is rolling out a nationwide “structured literacy” program aligned with the Science of Reading. Early results look promising on phonics-based tests—but it’s too soon to know if those short-term gains will translate into deeper comprehension, creativity, or a lasting love of reading.
It’s also worth noting that New Zealand’s literacy decline coincided with sweeping neoliberal reforms that widened inequality and strained schools. Perhaps Whole Language wasn’t the culprit—poverty and austerity were.
My takeaway is that no method—phonics, Whole Language, or anything between—can thrive when inequality and underfunding persist. Until we address those root causes, debates over the “right” way to teach reading may miss the bigger picture. I would love to hear your perspectives on the “rise and fall” of Whole Language.
LikeLiked by 1 person
no method—phonics, Whole Language, or anything between—can thrive when inequality and underfunding persist.
precisely so
LikeLiked by 3 people
Emphatically agree, David. Here’s is the introduction to a long essay I wrote to distill what I know about reading instruction:
For all children, but especially for the one for whom learning to read is going to be difficult, early learning must be a safe and joyful experience. Many of our students, in this land in which nearly a third live in dire poverty, come to school not ready, physically or emotionally or linguistically, for the experience. They have spent their short lives hungry and/or abused. They lack proper eyeglasses. They have had caretakers who didn’t take care because they were constantly teetering on one precipice or another, often as a result of our profoundly inequitable economic system. Many have almost never had an actual conversation with an adult. They are barely articulate in the spoken language and thus not ready to comprehend written language, which is merely a means for encoding a spoken one. They haven’t been read to. They haven’t put on skits for Mom and Dad and the Grandparents. They don’t have a bookcase in their room, if they have a room, brimming with Goodnight, Moon; A Snowy Day; Red Fish, Blue Fish; Madeline; Where the Wild Things Are; The Illustrated Mother Goose; and D’Aulaires Book of Greek Myths. They haven’t learned to associate physical books with joy and closeness to people who love them. In the ambient linguistic environment in which they reached school age, they have heard millions fewer total numbers of words and tens of thousands fewer unique lexemes than have kids from more privileged homes, and they have been exposed to much less sophisticated syntax. Some, when they have been spoken to at all by adults, have been spoken to mostly in imperatives: “Stop that! I told you to stop doing that or you’ll get a spanking. Go outside and play!” (Compare the middle class, “See the leaves? Funny looking, huh? This is called a Gingo tree. Can you say, Ginko? Great. These trees come all the way from China, which is all the way on the other side of the whole wide world!”) Children from low-positive-stimulus homes desperately need compensatory environments in which spoken interactions and reading are rich, rewarding, joyful experiences. If a child is going to learn to read with comprehension, he or she must be ready to do so, physically, emotionally, and linguistically (having become reasonably articulate in a spoken language). Learning to read will be difficult for many kids, easy for others. And often the difficulty will have nothing to do with brain wiring and everything to do with the experiences that the child has had in his or her short life. In this, as well as in brain wiring, kids differ, as invariant “standards” do not. Kids who haven’t had such experiences need one-on-one conversations with adults who care about them. They need exposure to libraries and classroom libraries filled with enticing books. Kids need to be read to. They need story time. They need jump-rope rhymes and nursery rhymes and songs and jingles. They need social interaction using spoken language. They need books that are their possessions, objects of their own. They need to memorize and enact. And so on. They need fun with language generally and with reading in particular. They need the experiences that they never got. And so, the mechanics of learning to read should be only a small part of the whole of a reading “program,” and reading programs must grok that kids differ as the magic formulae of Education Deformers and Self-Proclaimed Education Pundits do not. However, this essay will deal only with the mechanics part of early reading instruction. That, itself, is a lot bigger topic than is it is generally recognized to be.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Bob, BULLS EYE!!! Right on target!!!
In my 52 year career as a teacher (then professor), both the first and the last jobs I had which involved teaching children in classrooms were in Head Start, which is a Compensatory Education program. What you described was precisely our focus in that program for kids and families who are in poverty. (Fortunately, Head Start has had a family component since the beginning, so we worked closely with parents as well.)
Thus from 1968 thru 2008, that’s what I did in other programs where I taught Preschool and Kindergarten, too, as well as when I tutored struggling readers in Primary Ed. And I also taught it to college students in Teacher Education programs through 2020.
It is very unfortunate that, along with Special Ed, the MAGA bigots are gunning for Compensatory Ed these days, too…
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thank you for your years of extraordinarily important service! You. Are. a. Hero!
LikeLiked by 3 people
Thank you so very much, Bob! You are too kind though, because my work was extremely rewarding intrinsically and I truly adored it. I only retired because of health problems (or I’d still be doing it –probably until I died.)
LikeLiked by 1 person
xoxoxox!!!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
In addition to being a brilliant guy, Bob, you are also a really sweet person!
In contrast to this hateful world that we have to live in with so many ignorant, cruel thugs today, your clever comments, insightful input, and genuine kindness are warmly appreciated. Thank you so much for all your valuable contributions!!
Many thanks to Diane as well for providing this place where collegiality, open discourse and truth can still be expressed and flourish. What a welcome relief to the tyranny of oppression that is dominating our country today!
LikeLiked by 1 person
“Government shutdown threatens 60-year-old Head Start program for early childhood education”
https://www.wmar2news.com/local/government-shutdown-threatens-60-year-old-head-start-program-for-early-childhood-education
LikeLike
These people are vandals.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I asked Google’s AI:
“Parental support for public school teachers in New Zealand is considered strong and is both a government expectation and a historical tradition, with parents actively participating in various school activities. This support manifests as direct help in the classroom, support for school trips, involvement in extracurriculars, and partnership in curriculum development, reflecting a belief that home and school partnerships are crucial for student achievement. However, the effectiveness of this support can vary, and there are ongoing efforts to improve communication and ensure these partnerships are mutually respectful and beneficial.”
LikeLiked by 2 people
Hi Lloyd,
Thanks for sharing that info. I was thinking about your earlier comments on the importance of instilling the joy of reading in students. You’d think that would be foundational to any reading program—but I just read an overview of Structured Literacy and was struck by how little it said about motivation.
For me, personal interest has always been the key to wanting to read and learn more. It worries me that so much of the current “Science of Reading” discussion focuses on decoding and phonics mechanics, while giving almost no attention to how we spark curiosity or inspire a lifelong love of books.
There’s plenty of research showing that people learn best when they’re motivated, and that passion sustains effort far longer than drills ever could. Yet in the overview I read, motivation was mentioned only once—as a byproduct of cognitive efficiency, not as a goal in itself. That feels like a serious omission.
It also seems at odds with what Sir Ken Robinson talked about in Bring on the Learning Revolution: that education should be individualized and built around students’ natural interests. If we forget that, we risk creating skilled decoders who never discover why reading matters in the first place.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Turning learning to read into torture is a sure fire way to make sure someone doesn’t grow up to love reading.
The high school where I taught had a computer reading lab where students read material selected for them based on their grade level without any choice. After reading every forced selection, they took a computerized test to show if they understood what they read.
Students sabotaged those computers, their keyboards, their mice, the slots where disks were inserted with gum until none of the computers worked and the teachers had to dust off the SRA reading lab boxes and go back to what they used before the computers replaced the printed material.
LikeLiked by 1 person
That’s funny! They didn’t learn how to read, but they did learn how to problem solve.
LikeLike
The high school where I taught had a 70% child poverty rate. Less than 8% of the students were Caucasians. Violent street gangs were a serious problem on and off campus in that area.
I’ve been retired more than 20 years now. Last year I checked that high schools report card online. The child poverty rate was up to 80% and there were no Caucasian students left.
LikeLike
Yesterday, I watched a video showing a confrontation between ICE officers and a Black immigrant woman who shouted at them defiantly, using profanity and personal insults. Her behavior was outrageous, but I couldn’t help admiring her fearlessness and empathize with her anger.
What troubled me most, though, was how the officers handled the situation. Law enforcement officers—including ICE—have a duty to remain professional and de-escalate tense encounters, not inflame them. From what I saw, the officers appeared to provoke her further—one even said “try it” when she raised her hand as if to strike.
An officer’s job is extraordinarily difficult. They deal daily with people who may be angry, mentally ill, addicted, or simply desperate to survive. That’s precisely why their behavior must be as calm, respectful, and nonreactive as possible. In this case, the officers failed to model that professionalism.
One officer, wearing a “Captain America” T-shirt, stood with a confrontational posture and a hard, challenging expression. That kind of imagery feels unprofessional and immature—it suggests a self-image of being a hero in a battle between good and evil, rather than a public servant enforcing the law with restraint.
The woman’s anger was extreme, but officers must be trained—and temperamentally suited—to meet hostility with respect and courtesy. The right training and the right people make all the difference. Preventing violence and fostering mutual respect should be the goal of law enforcement—and from my viewing of many ICE interactions, it often isn’t.
LikeLike
I am sick of seeing videos of ICE beating up people they encounter. Sometimes their targets are hostile, sometimes they are docile. But again and again, the videos show ICE throwing them to the ground violently; in the case of women, by their hair. This doesn’t feel like America.
LikeLiked by 2 people
I think there’s a reason these ruthless, violent, masked ICE agents, who could be contractors, are wearing masks. They may have been involved in Trump’s violent, failed coup attempt on January 6, 2021, and already spent time in prison until trump pardoned them in mass, which may explain the masks. Trump doesn’t want the world to know who they might be.
The administration has contracted with private firms to assist in hiring thousands of new ICE and Border Patrol agents, although some past hiring goals were not met. Records show hundreds of companies and organizations, including private prison companies, have been hired to expand immigration enforcement and detention.
Still, the potential employment of individuals pardoned for crimes related to the January 6 insurrection, particularly at a law enforcement agency like ICE, would likely face public and congressional scrutiny if Trump didn’t have a rubber stamp majority in Congress..
LikeLiked by 1 person
Trump and his Nazi regime does not want agents with the proper training. They want a spectacle. They want the shock and awe. They want the violence.
LikeLike
Agreed, and the fact that people who are apprehended don’t know where they might end up encourages them to try and run. It might be futile, but I did write my reps today expressing my concerns about ICE.
LikeLike
If masked ICE agents knocked on my door or I was out shopping and ran into an ICE checkpoint manned by masked agents, I have no idea what I’d do.
Still, I’d want to shoot through the front door without saying a word and hit as many of them as possible, in the masked face. I can see where they are standing on the porch and they can’t see me inside on the other side of the door.
I will not want to ask them why they are at my house knocking on the door.
At an ICE check point blocking a road, I’d want to run over as many masked ICE agents as possible before they killed me.
That’s my combat related PTSD thinking. In combat, we never know how we are going to react. When the massive flood of cortisol hits the brain in a situation like that, our flight or fight function takes over, speeding up our brains while everything around us slows down. The rational part of our brain stops working. That is where the intense training we had in Marine Corps bootcamp kicks in. In Vietnam, that training never failed when crazy happened. Every reaction was fight, not flight.
LikeLiked by 1 person
This story is so strange that I’m honestly not sure what to believe. DHS still hasn’t responded to questions about the video, which makes the situation even murkier. According to the report, DHS allegedly altered a clip of several Black teens jokingly warning Iran “not to mess with the U.S.” and reposted it to make it look as if they were threatening ICE, claiming that cartel money would pay for attacks.
If this story is true, it’s not only reckless and unethical—it could put those teens in real danger. It would also be an unbelievably irresponsible move for any government agency.
https://newsone.com/6549286/dhs-uses-black-teens-video-to-falsely-depict-black-youths-as-ice-agent-hunters/?utm_source=chatgpt.com
LikeLike
David,
This administration is totally reckless in using and misusing video. Trump showed scenes of “violence in Portland” that were filmed in a red state. Kristi Noem has a video running in airports blaming Democrats for the shutdown. Never in my life has the federal govt politicized airports.
Winning power is the only thing that matters to them. Not truth.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I wasn’t able to read the full article, just a summary. It seems like the usual BS. The two so-called bright spots are Mississippi and Louisiana — but only when you adjust for demographics. https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2025/10/education-decline-low-expectations/684526/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=cr&utm_campaign=2024_Content_ContentTestingII_Prospecting_Sales_Advantage&utm_content=102025_AmericaSlidingTowardsIlliteracy_NA_NA_NoCTA&utm_term=ContentTestingII_Advantage&referral=FB_PAID&utm_id=6581568102677&fbclid=IwY2xjawNtkq5leHRuA2FlbQEwAGFkaWQAAAYz1vVCVQEe7hSX22qUadBDl3oKlUan1OrztCJL_ym7ehVuB8jHohEPtNwNPu3hE3RBQEo_aem_UADPsmVITkOf_kyRDwQIXg&campaign_id=6581568102677&ad_id=6819676663277
LikeLike
David,
I’ll be writing about this in a few days.
LikeLiked by 1 person
ICYMI: There is a terrific podcast/interview w/ Ms. Ravitch regarding her book, “An Education,” on the New Books Network. The interview is both smart & funny.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you! I missed that interview.
I will post it.
LikeLike
Kyrsten Sinema has just become a senior adviser for a firm that lobbies on behalf of AI data centers.
I just saw a video of her speaking before local government officials, advising them to “get ahead” of the planning of AI centers or else the Fed will do it.
Who could’ve guessed that the senator who helped kill Biden’s child tax credit would cash in so fast?
https://www.deseret.com/politics/2025/10/27/kyrsten-sinema-advocates-for-ai-data-center-in-chandler-arizona/
LikeLike
I just discovered your 2018 story about Woody Guthrie’s song “Old Man Trump” today on the internet and I was stunned to learn that Guthrie wrote about Fred Trump’s racist housing practices nearly two decades before the federal investigation into the Trump organization.
After doing some digging, I concluded that the story is more complicated than it’s portrayed. The ugly truth is that racism in housing wasn’t just a matter of individual prejudice — it was institutionalized. The Federal Housing Administration (FHA), created under Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal, explicitly promoted segregation in its lending policies and refused to insure mortgages in racially mixed neighborhoods.
Fred Trump’s apartment complexes, including Beach Haven where Guthrie lived, were built with FHA-backed loans — meaning they operated within a system that effectively required racial exclusion to qualify for federal support. Guthrie’s outrage was prophetic: he recognized the injustice and gave it a human face. But if he had known how deeply federal policy itself was responsible for “drawing the color line,” his song might have taken aim not just at Old Man Trump, but at the government that enabled him.
This story made me reflect on my own family’s history. My grandfathers on both sides were involved in things that, by today’s standards, would be considered extremely racist — one was a Black-faced comedian in Michigan, and the other was a landowner with sharecroppers in Louisiana. The difference, I think, is that in my case I can acknowledge that past honestly, while Donald Trump seems unable — or unwilling — to do the same with his family’s legacy. That ability to face the truth, to admit past wrongs so they aren’t repeated, is what makes all the difference.
It makes me wonder: how should we judge historical figures — or ourselves — for the racism of earlier generations? I’d love to hear what others think.
LikeLiked by 2 people
The stuff we grow up not knowing about our families.
My mother’s father was a member of the KKK, who was a grandfather I met only once when I was still a child and not an adolescent. My only memory of him was watching him chew tobacco and spitting it into an old coffee can.
I wouldn’t learn about the KKK connection until my mother was in her 80s, a year or two after my dad died. That’s when she told me she ran away from Deadwood when she was 14, to escape her KKK misogynist father after he molested her after her mother fled first.
This is where fact becomes wilder than fiction.
My mother told me she was born during a blizzard on her father’s 1,000-acre ranch outside Deadwood. His regular job in addition to ranching was an engineer on a train.
My mother told me her father didn’t want to raise a girl so after she was born, he had my grandmother, her mother, take my mother to a nearby Catholic boarding school for native American children taken away from their families, where my mother grew up until her mother ran away from her father, who then claimed my mother from the Catholic native American boarding school to be his woman, to clean and cook, too.
Soon after she discovered the KKK outfit, she ran away at 14 and hitchhiked across the United States to Washington state where one of her mother’s sisters lived.
Her first job at 14 was as a waitress in a coffee shop. She never finished high school. There’s a lot more to this story, but this is where I’ll stop.
LikeLiked by 1 person
A breathtaking story–the stuff of a novel, for sure. And you are just the person to write it. Thanks for sharing this.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Amazing story, LLOYD.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Just remembered. I read that the foundation for the Turmp family fortune came when Trump’s grandfather owned a saloon in Alaska during the gold rush there. The saloon had booze, gambling and prostitutes.
LikeLiked by 1 person
David,
Be sure to read Richard Rothstein’s stunning book about racial discrimination in housing, called THE COLOR OF LAW.
LikeLiked by 2 people
This is precisely why I supported Bernie Sanders for POTUS when he ran in the 2015 Democratic primary. If there had been more people like me then that realized who best stood for working people in this country, and that the malignant narcissist was a dictator wannabe (yes, I was very familiar with him and his history, so I saw it coming even then), we would not be anywhere near where we are right now:
Bernie Sanders
berniesanders.com
Does anyone truly believe that caving in to Trump now will stop his unprecedented attacks on our democracy and working people?
Sisters and Brothers –
This is a pivotal moment in the modern history of the United States. We must stand strong against Trump‘s growing authoritarianism and his war against working families. Americans do not want to see 15 million people thrown off the healthcare they have, and millions more pay a doubling in their health care premiums – just to give a trillion dollars in tax breaks to the 1%.
The American people understand that Trump and the Republicans are causing the government shutdown by their refusal to negotiate or, with the House of Representatives, even show up for work.
The Senate Democrats must stay strong and united. If they cave in to Trump’s authoritarianism and his attacks on the working class, the consequences will be catastrophic for our country.
Please read my latest op-ed for the Guardian. – Bernie
Democrats must not cave in to Donald Trump
The government shutdown is not an accident. Trump’s budget would push millions into poverty and must be stopped
Bernie Sanders
Democrats in the US Senate must stand with the working families of our country and in opposition to Donald Trump’s authoritarianism. They must not cave in to the president’s attacks on the working class during this ongoing government shutdown. If they do, the consequences will be catastrophic for our country.
This may be the most consequential moment in American history since the civil war. We have a megalomaniacal president who, consumed by his quest for more and more power, is undermining our constitution and the rule of law. Further, we have an administration that is waging war against the working class of our country and our most vulnerable people.
While Trump’s billionaire buddies become much, much richer, he is prepared to throw 15 million Americans off the healthcare they have – which could result in 50,000 unnecessary deaths each year. At a time when healthcare is already outrageously expensive, he is prepared to double premiums for more than 20 million people who rely on the Affordable Care Act. At a time when the United States has the highest rate of childhood poverty of almost any major country on earth, Trump is prepared, illegally, to withhold funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or Snap, despite a $5bn emergency fund established by Congress. That decision would threaten to push 42 million people – including 16 million children – into hunger.
And all of this is being done to provide $1tn in tax breaks to the 1%.
Let’s be clear: this government shutdown did not happen by accident. In the Senate, 60 votes are required to fund the federal government. Today, the Republicans have 53 members while the Democratic caucus has 47. In other words, in order to fund the government the Republican majority must negotiate with Democrats to move the budget forward. This is what has always happened – until now. Republicans, for the first time, are simply refusing to come to the table and negotiate. They are demanding that it is their way or the highway.
To make matters worse, the Republican contempt for negotiations is such that the House speaker, Mike Johnson, has given his chamber a six-week paid vacation. Unbelievably, during a government shutdown – with federal employees not getting paid, millions facing outrageous premium increases and nutrition assistance set to expire for millions more – Republicans in the House of Representatives are not in Washington DC.
Trump is a schoolyard bully. Anyone who thinks surrendering to him now will lead to better outcomes and cooperation in the future does not understand how a power-hungry demagogue operates. This is a man who threatens to arrest and jail his political opponents, deploys the US military into Democratic cities and allows masked Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to pick people up off the streets and throw them into vans without due process. He has sued virtually every major media outlet because he does not tolerate criticism, has extorted funds from law firms and is withholding federal funding from states that voted against him.
Day after day he shows his contempt for the constitutional role of Congress and the courts.
Given that reality, does anyone truly believe that caving in to Trump now will stop his unprecedented attacks on our democracy and working people?
Poll after poll shows that the Americans understand the need for strong opposition to Trump’s unprecedented and dangerous agenda. They understand that the Republican party is responsible for this shutdown. And, despite the Democratic party’s all-time low approval rating, independents and even a number of Republicans are now standing with the Democrats in their fight to protect the healthcare needs of the working families of our country.
What will it mean if the Democrats cave? Trump, who already holds Democrats in contempt and views them as weak and ineffectual, will utilize his victory to accelerate his movement toward authoritarianism. At a time when he already has no regard for our democratic system of checks and balances, he will be emboldened to continue decimating programs that protect elderly people, children, the sick and the poor while giving more tax breaks and other benefits to his fellow oligarchs.
If the Democrats cave now it would be a betrayal of the millions of Americans who have fought and died for democracy and our constitution. It would be a sellout of a working class that is struggling to survive in very difficult economic times. Democrats in Congress are the last remaining opposition to Trump’s quest for absolute power. To surrender now would be an historic tragedy for our country, something that history will not look kindly upon.
I understand what people across this country are going through. My Democratic colleagues and I are getting calls every day from federal employees who are angry about working without pay and Americans who are frantic about feeding their families and making ends meet. But my Democratic colleagues must also understand this: Republicans are hearing from their constituents as well. There is a reason why 15 Republican Senators are finally standing up to Trump and, along with every member of the Democratic caucus, support funding Snap benefits.
There is a reason why 14 Republican members of the House are on record calling for the extension of tax credits for the Affordable Care Act. Understandably, Republicans do not want to go home and explain to their constituents why they voted to double or, in some cases, triple healthcare premiums. They do not want to go home and explain why they are throwing large numbers of their constituents off healthcare. They do not want to go home and explain why they are taking food off the tables of hungry families.
We are living in the most dangerous and pivotal moment in modern American history. Our children and future generations will not forget what we do now. Democrats must not turn their backs on the needs of working people and allow our already broken healthcare system to collapse even further. Democrats must not allow an authoritarian president to continue undermining our constitution and the rule of law. The choice is clear. If the Democrats stand with the American people, the American people will stand with them. If they surrender, the American people will hold them accountable.
LikeLiked by 1 person
The GOP did a smear job on Bernie, painting him as a Communist.
LikeLike
Too bad Trump’s GOP supporters don’t fact check. All I had to do was ask Google “Are there any Communists in the United States?”
The AI Overview replied.
Yes, there are Communists in the United States, although they are a small minority and have significantly less political power than in the past. The Communist Party USA (CPUSA) is still active, and new communist groups have formed, such as the American Communist Party (ACP). Members are involved in political organizations, though the movement’s focus has shifted, especially to online mediums
Then I asked: “Is Bernie Sanders a Communist?”
No, Bernie Sanders is not a communist; he identifies as a “democratic socialist” and runs for office as a Democrat, though he has caucused as an independent. Critics have called him a communist, but political scientists distinguish his views as being in the mainstream of European politics, focused on economic reform and greater equality rather than the command-and-control systems of traditional communist states.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yup. And now they’ve got the same smear campaign going against everyone else who is not a MAGAt, too –even though most, including those who can relate to Democratic Socialism (as in the Nordic countries) are a far cry from Communists.
So, either they don’t know what they’re talking about, or they grabbed at what they think is the worst political thing they could possibly say about Americans who value their rights, are against dictatorship and so detest their beloved authoritarian ruler.
LikeLiked by 1 person
This seems incredibly short-sighted. The plan to offset these massive property tax cuts relies on a one-time budget surplus, inflated by temporary COVID-era federal funds — which doesn’t seem sustainable. Even conservative libertarian commentator Saagar Enjeti (who’s from Texas) railed against it on Breaking Points, arguing that older generations are shirking their responsibility to invest in public education.
If this tax-cut bill passes, the combination of the newly approved voucher program and the deep property-tax reductions will almost certainly guarantee a severe budget shortfall for Texas public schools.
https://www.texastribune.org/2025/06/04/texas-legislature-property-tax-cuts-2025/
LikeLike
Such great news regarding our democracy today!
See: “Democrats sweep the first major elections of Trump’s second term”
https://www.cnn.com/politics/live-news/election-news-11-04-25
LikeLiked by 1 person
The convicted rapist, fraud, felon, and the mastermind and instigator behind the failed violent coup attempt in Washington DC on January 6, 2021, will be more motivated than than ever to spread his hate and get his revenge as he attempts to consolidate his Nazi fascist hold over red states and invade more blue cities in blue and red states as he lies and hates his way to building the Trump dynasty.
His chaos and shock tactics are going to finally reach a tipping point and that will be his end.
The anger is building outside of MAGA. Eventually that rage will explode and nothing will stop the bloodbath that may be coming.
I suspect his MAGA hate cult members will also be hunted down like him as they flee like rats carrying the Trump plague as they beg for mercy sounding like panicked pigs.
I may be gone by then but that isn’t going to stop it from happening to that sadistic malignant narcissistic and psycho sopcathic extremely micromanaging freak of nature.
May he fail miserably and end up lynched by a furious angry mob of vigilantes in New York City. I think they deserve that pleasure more than anyone else in the country since they know him better than anyone else.
LikeLike
Gotta love this, from Andy Borowitz today:
“Trump Flees to Argentina”
WASHINGTON (The Borowitz Report)—Stating, “I can see where this is going,” on Wednesday Donald J. Trump fled to Argentina, vowing never to return.
Speaking bitterly to reporters as he departed the White House, Trump said, “You take away people’s food, throw yourself a Great Gatsby party, and tear down the White House, and this is the thanks you get.”
Trump had hoped to leave the US on the luxury 747 given him by the Emir of Qatar, but once Tuesday’s election results became clear the Arab ruler swiftly withdrew the gift.
In a tersely worded statement, the Emir declared, “Fly coach, loser.”
In Buenos Aires, Trump was greeted by an angry anti-immigrant mob.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Argentina is perfect for Trump.
Argentina was a popular destination for Nazis fleeing Germany after WWII because the Argentine government, led by Juan Perón, was sympathetic to the Axis powers and encouraged their immigration. This was motivated by factors such as Perón’s fascist-leaning ideology, the presence of a large German-descendant population, and the desire to recruit Nazi scientists and military experts. The country also provided a haven with no extradition treaty with the US until 1997, and aided by escape routes known as “ratlines” that were sometimes assisted by Vatican officials.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks, Lloyd, for your very informative response!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m worried the shutdown could trigger a financial collapse. I get why people say Schumer shouldn’t cave, but if the economy sinks, everyone pays the price. He’s in a tough spot. What’s the least damaging choice here?
LikeLike
I’d rather risk the economy then give away the country to Trump and his Nazi Fascist klepto-kakistocracy regime.
To save our democracy, I think we have to resist tooth and nail until Trump and MAGA are gone and history.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I usually side with progressives who are up in arms about cutting a deal with Trump and reopening the government, but on this I agree with the centrist Democrats. I don’t see Trump as someone reasonable or rational, and I don’t think they would have gained anything by waiting longer. I recently watched economist Yanis Varoufakis explain that the fallout from an economic crash caused by a prolonged shutdown would be irreversible, harming everyone.
Democrats have already raised public awareness about the spike in healthcare costs that will occur if Republicans refuse to act, and many Republican voters will also suffer from the cuts justified by the myth of widespread SNAP fraud. The recent elections and polling show that Trump has lost a great deal of support, and he is likely to become a lame duck after the midterms.
A lot of people are criticizing Democrats for not “gaining” anything from reopening the government. But I don’t see what could have been gained by prolonging the shutdown. At a certain point, continuing the standoff would just inflict more harm on working people while Trump remained unmoved. Preventing deeper damage is the gain.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I agree. This so-called reopening of the federal government will only be good until January 2026. This legislation only lasts until after the holidays.
It is a budget brandade.
After that January 2026 date, the feds may shut down again. Trump doesn’t care who suffers. He wants what he wants, to be a Nazi Fascist dictator, who holds all the power and makes all the decisions, for the rest of his life followed by a Trump dynasty similar to North Korea.
The real battle is making sure the midterms in 2026 are not hijacked and corrupted to benefit only Trump and his Nazi Fascist klepto-kakistocracy regime and his dumber than dumb MAGA hate cult loyalists.
LikeLiked by 1 person
David,
Last night Lawrence O’Donnell agreed with you. He said the Dems got some concrete wins: rehiring of hundreds of thousands of federal workers fired during the shutdown. Full back pay for those put out of work during shutdown.
The Republicans would never bend. The Dems took what they could and got the public aware that any increase on their instance costs were Trump’s doing.
Meanwhile Trump held lavish parties at Mar-a-Lago while people went hungry, flights were canceled, and federal workers were in line at food banks.
LikeLiked by 2 people
“Why is Donald Trump threatening to sue the BBC?” https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c0mx28vlp4wo
If the BBC caves and does not fight the malignant narcissist in his threatened $1B lawsuit against them, then I will be VERY disappointed in them, because he did say everything they showed –and he used the words “fight” or “fighting” 20 times. (See transcript of his full speech at the Ellipse below).
Since when doesn’t the media have the right to edit a 50 minute long speech? He did say toward the end, “And we fight. We fight like hell. And if you don’t fight like hell, we’re not going to have a country anymore.” I think BBC is in the right and THEY should fight like hell so that we still have a FREE country with a FREE PRESS!
You can read the full transcript of his speech at the Ellipse on Jan 6th here: https://www.npr.org/2021/02/10/966396848/read-trumps-jan-6-speech-a-key-part-of-impeachment-trial
LikeLiked by 1 person
The Toxic T also knew his mob was armed before the hate rally started. With firearms and witnesses heard him say he didn’t care. I read that the turd said they weren’t going to “hurt him.” That he told his secret service detail to get rid of the detectors used to scan the mob for weapons. that he was disappointed the mob wasn’t larger because the space before his stage had room for more. A lot of room for more.
During that (I think) 70-minute rambling hate rant, his loyalist MAGA mob was chanting “fight for Trump!” I’ve read the transcripts. I’ve listened to the full videos.
More than 140 of the DC and capital police were injured during the 7 hours of fighting. It took the first three hours for his family and advisors in the White House to bed and badger the soon to be convicted rapist, fraud and felon to send his lame email of love to his KKK MAGA mob to stop. The fighting went on for four more hours before the traitorous, Nazi Fascists left.
The damage to the capital building was more than twenty-five million dollars. Several died.
And the serial “pedo,” sadistic malignant narcissistic psycho sociopath recently pardoned everyone involved in the January 6, 2021 failed violent coup attempt to overthrow the democratically elected US govern in Washington DC. He’s also pardoned everyone who took part his campaign of endless, never stopping lies to cast doubt on the 2020 election.
LikeLiked by 1 person
A lot of very important points, Lloyd! I’ve been very concerned about the pardons that were issued as well.
When, or IF, we ever get our constitutional democracy back, I think that another key thing that needs to be shored up is the abuse of pardon power (if it can’t be addressed or fixed now). That’s because the intended benefactor of illegal acts should not be permitted to be the one who pardons the very people who planned to and/or did actually break the law for his (or her) benefit. And the victims of that law-breaking must be considered top priority, too (which is not just the people who were injured or who died due to the Jan 6th attack on the Capitol, but a whole lot of concerned US citizens as well, in this case.)
LikeLike
Trump can only pardon those found guilty of federal crimes. Trumpists who went to court and/or jail for state crimes are still guilty and/or serving their time.
LikeLike
Yes, I know POTUS can only pardon federal crimes. That’s why Trump’s own conviction in NY resulted in him being a felon and HE cannot pardon HIMSELF (or most certainly he would have.)
Does anyone know if either a federal or a state pardon means that convicted felons become eligible to vote again?
LikeLike
Eligibility to vote depends on state laws. Click the link to find out. Scroll down for a quick look. The states and territories are divided into four categories. An easy read unless you let yourself get carried away.
Voting after a felony conviction | Vote.gov
LikeLike
Very interesting! Thanks, Lloyd!!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
The BBC apologized to Trump for editing his incendiary speech but refused any compensation.
Funniest thing: Trump’s letter demanding $1 billion was sent to the wrong address. Apparently some ordinary bloke opened his mail and found a letter from the President of the United States demanding $1 billion!
LikeLike
Yes, I read that the BBC said the clip was aired only on their Panorama show, which is not seen in the US, so it could not have been done with the intent of impacting the election here –and it didn’t have an effect on the US election– as he implied.
I hadn’t heard about the letter! That’s really hysterical!! –although, I think it demonstrates, once again, how incompetent the people he hires to work for our government truly are…
LikeLike
He extorted $15 million from CBS for the 60/Minutes interview of Kamala, claiming it was edited to help her. He won, so obviously it didn’t help her.
But as he demonstrates, suing is effective when you are the President. The other party caves at once.
Unprecedented
LikeLike
So he has learned that he only needs to threaten to sue and then they cave –and usually they give him free money, too. Wow. What a racket! (It sounds like extortion to me, too.)
LikeLike
Trump has used the courts to intimate and even bankrupt people he has cheated for decades.
Sometimes it works for him
Sometimes it doesn’t.
For Trump, threatening to go to court or going to court is like throwing mud at a wall to see what sticks.
Donald Trump and his businesses have been involved in at least 60 lawsuits from former employees and contractors alleging they were not paid for their work, in addition to hundreds of mechanic’s liens, judgments, and other government filings related to non-payment. A 2016 USA Today analysis found that Trump and his companies had been involved in over 3,500 legal cases across several decades.
Key instances and categories of these cases include:
Contractor and Employee Disputes: Court records show a pattern of not paying or underpaying various workers, including dishwashers, painters, plumbers, waiters, and even law firms. In one case, a cabinetry company that worked on an Atlantic City casino went bankrupt after allegedly not receiving full payment.
Labor Law Violations: Trump’s companies were cited 24 times since 2005 for violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act, primarily for failing to pay overtime or minimum wage. These cases were resolved by paying back wages.
Civil Fraud Cases: In a major New York civil fraud case brought by the Attorney General, a judge found Trump and his company liable for a “years-long scheme” to inflate his net worth and the value of properties to deceive banks and insurers. Trump was ordered to pay millions in penalties, a decision which is currently under appeal.
“Trump University” Lawsuit: A class-action lawsuit from former students of the now-defunct Trump University, who claimed they were defrauded by real estate seminars that promised to teach them Trump’s “secrets,” was settled for $25 million.
Class Action Suit by Customers: A class-action lawsuit has been filed by anonymous plaintiffs who allege the Trump family and their businesses used their brand to promote a multi-level marketing scheme and other business opportunities in exchange for secret payments, defrauding thousands of people.
Inauguration Funds Misuse: A lawsuit by the D.C. Attorney General over the misuse of 2017 inauguration funds to enrich the Trump family business was settled for $750,000.
LikeLiked by 1 person
The UK is the opposite of the US when it comes to defending or proving guilt. The defendant has to prove they are innocent instead of the prosecutors proving the alleged criminal is guilty.
If Trump has lawyers file a court case in the UK, the BBC will have to prove they were innocent of whatever Trump’s lawyers claim.
The BBC actually published a piece on Trump’s odds of success. It seems Trump says he will file this challenge in Florida’s state courts instead of the UK.
Trump vs the BBC: What hurdles might the president’s legal argument face?
LikeLike
Another interesting article, Lloyd! Thank you!!!
So, he has to file here because the statute of limitations already ran out in the UK. And he’s got a short time to file before the statute of limitations runs out in FL too.
However, he has to prove that people here saw the clip and that it was damaging to him –both of which seem unlikely since the BBC says it was not shown here plus he won the election.
Can’t imagine him giving up the chance to be in the public eye, exact vengeance and try to grab a ton of money, so I’m guessing he’ll go for it here anyways, but we’ll soon know for sure…
LikeLike
Trump has filed nearly 4,000 lawsuits. What’s one more.
LikeLike
USA TODAY Network: Dive into Donald Trump’s thousands of lawsuits – USA TODAY
Trump tests limits of presidential power in whirlwind of litigation
LikeLike
Trump is the King of Litigation?
Has any other American ever been involved in so many lawsuits?
It seems that suing people is a major facet of his character. He’s pugnacious, litigious and hopes to intimidate other people by filing a lawsuit.
He knows many will be thrown but he counts on people giving up quickly to avoid the expense of litigation.
It’s worked for him…he’s collected millions from corporations that found it cheaper to pay him off than to fight him.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Trump stiffs his lawyers, too.
Reports and lawsuits spanning decades indicate a pattern of non-payment for services rendered by various workers, contractors, and legal firms.
Examples include a lawyer who had to sue Trump in 1994 for an unpaid $5,000 bill, and a law firm that sued for nearly $500,000 in unpaid fees, with the case settled in 2009. This reputation is well-known within the legal community, leading some high-profile law firms to demand large retainers upfront to ensure payment before taking him on as a client.
As of mid-2024, reports indicated that Trump still owed a significant, seven-figure sum to his lawyers.
LikeLike
Wow. That’s a track record which says, ‘No matter the cost, it’s worth it for me to sue, even if I don’t win –because I CAN and MIGHT win.’
LikeLike
Thom Hartmann thinks he knows now what Putin has on Trump. See “Did Epstein’s Knowledge of Trump Become Putin’s Most Dangerous Weapon Against Ukraine?” here: https://hartmannreport.com/p/did-epsteins-knowledge-of-trump-become
LikeLike
Did you, Diane, or anyone else happen to see. “American Heart in WWI: A Carnegie Hall Tribute” this past week? (I think it should be required viewing for POTUS and all members of Congress.) It’s on PBS” here:
https://www.thirteen.org/programs/american-heart-in-wwi-a-carnegie-hall-tribute/american-heart-in-wwi-a-carnegie-hall-tribute-hndyoo/
LikeLike
Toxic Turd 47 and his MAGA hate cult doesn’t watch PBS. They think PBS is all liberal, socialist or communist lies. Instead, they get their extremely biased fake news from Trump Fascist anointed sites.
LikeLike
Yes, sadly, I know that because the truth is anathema to MAGAts and their dear leader, so he took steps to defund PBS & NPR. He would not recognize the truth even if was spelled out to him in gold letters. (That’s why a show about “The War to End All Wars” would have to be required viewing, not optional, for anyone who has the power to declare war.)
LikeLiked by 1 person
Required viewing followed by a very high-stakes test (written by us — not them) to make sure they learned something. If they fail the test, they have to watch “The War to End All Wars” again under supervision and take the test again.
Passing the test means scoring 90% or more correct, and they have to watch the film under supervision every time they fail.
There has to be a penalty of some kind after they fail the third time. Like, a million dollar fine for every failure after the third one, which would already be held in an escrow account.
Fail to pay into that escrow account and go to jail and stay there until they do.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Lloyd, I like your idea so much that it makes me think we should do the same kind of thing in regard to mandating required reading and testing of the Constitution for POTUS and all members of Congress!
Since swearing to uphold the Constitution can be circumvented, such as by not being sufficiently familiar with it (or by not putting your hand on a bible, even when your wife is holding two bibles, as the current POTUS did), then maybe the consequences you proposed might turn things around!
LikeLike
And that idea came from my ” gentle nice” side. Not the uncivilized barbarian that lurks within.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you for the recommendation!
LikeLiked by 1 person
For insights on today’s POTUS, Please see: The Hartmann Report Chapter 2: Roy Cohn’s Apprentice
Your weekly excerpt from one of my books. This week: “The Last American President: A Broken Man, a Corrupt Party, and a World on the Brink”
https://hartmannreport.com/p/chapter-2-roy-cohns-apprentice?r=5hxpk
LikeLike
One of my college alumni posted “God Bless President Trump!” after the election. I scratch my head wondering how on earth anyone could bless this man. Thomas Massie was married for 30 years and lost his wife to an autoimmune disease. A year and a half later he remarried — and this is what the president tweeted:
“Did Thomas Massie, sometimes referred to as Rand Paul Jr. because he always votes against the Republican Party, get married already??? Boy, that was quick! No wonder the polls have him at less than an 8% chance of winning the election. Anyway, have a great life, Thomas and (?). His wife will soon find out that she’s stuck with a LOSER!”
The immature, hypocritical, petty, and vindictive attitude is nothing new, but I still can’t believe this man is president.
LikeLike
Trump 1,0 became president because of the Electoral College. The Toxic T lost the popular vote in 2016 by almost 3,000,000, the highest in history.
In 2020, Trump lost the popular vote by almost eight million, too much for the Electoral College to overcome.
In 2024, Trump won by nonstop cheating and lying. Even then it was small margin win below 50% with Harris extreme close.
How deep the cheating was and how it was exactly achieved I don’t know but I think the cheating was widespread and I believe Harris did win the popular vote.
A major factor (evidence) of that cheating was the many threats to honest election workers who left their jobs out of fear.
A study by the Bipartisan Policy Center found that some two in five (41%) of all local officials who administered the 2020 election left their jobs before the 2024 cycle.
Safety Concerns as a Factor: More than one-third of local election officials know at least one person who resigned at least in part due to safety concerns. In a 2023 survey, 20% of local election officials stated they were likely to quit before the 2024 presidential election due to the political climate and safety issues.
Election workers are being bombarded with death threats, the U.S. government says | PBS News
Trump needed to get the honest election workers out and replace as many of them as possible with loyalists who would like and cheat for him.
It worked.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Cheating and lying are Trump’s way of life.
LikeLike
It started early, which is why I think his brutal KKK father sent him to a military school, while Trump was still an adolescent. Lying all the time like that may have started out as a way to survive his father’s abuse and then it became an embedded habit that now is so deep there’s no way he could ever be honest and trustworthy.
LikeLiked by 1 person
The infamous Roy Cohen reinforced the hate mongering, lies and ongoing litigation as well.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roy_Cohn
LikeLiked by 1 person
Roy Cohn was Trump’s chosen teacher/mentor in the 1970s.
Roy Cohn served as a key mentor to Donald Trump, significantly influencing his aggressive personal, business, and legal tactics. Cohn’s philosophy of constant counter-attack, never apologizing, and manipulating the media are seen as foundational to Trump’s public persona and strategies.
Donald Trump met Roy Cohn in a Manhattan nightclub in 1973, when Trump was a young real estate developer facing a federal lawsuit from the Justice Department for alleged racial discrimination in his family’s apartment rentals. Conventional lawyers advised settling the case, but Cohn’s advice was, “Tell them to go to hell and fight the thing in court”. Cohn represented the Trumps and filed a $100 million countersuit, a typical Cohn maneuver to bully and intimidate the opposition. The case was eventually settled out of court without the Trumps admitting guilt, a result both men declared a victory.
The 13-year relationship, which lasted until Cohn’s disbarment and death from AIDS complications in 1986, established a dynamic where Cohn acted as both a fixer and a surrogate father figure, teaching Trump the aggressive, no-holds-barred approach to power that would define his business and political careers. The profound influence is such that Trump, as president, was reported to have asked, “Where’s my Roy Cohn?” when he felt he needed an aggressive, loyal attorney.
The primary lessons Trump is widely reported to have learned from Cohn include:
LikeLiked by 1 person
Also suggest watching The Apprentice (2024 film), which delves into the relationship with Cohn and his influence. (It can be viewed at different places online.)
LikeLiked by 1 person
Lindsey Halligan made a basic but serious procedural mistake: after the grand jury rejected one of the three counts she presented, she removed that count and filed a revised two-count indictment without taking the new version back to the full grand jury for a vote. Only the foreperson and one juror ever saw or signed the final indictment, which means the grand jury never actually approved the charges that were filed. It’s the kind of error an experienced prosecutor simply shouldn’t make — and it now threatens the entire case. https://keithdb.medium.com/the-comey-grand-jury-never-voted-on-his-indictment-b9171fdde4aa?postPublishedType=repub
LikeLiked by 1 person
What Lindsey is doing to the Comey case, Trump’s other appointees are doing to the entire federal government.
Maybe by design.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Probably by design, I think, because Trump does not inspire “the better angels of our nature” any more than Roy Cohn did that for him. So theirs is a dog eat dog world, and what goes around comes around…
Unethical, selfish, greedy and hurtful behaviors will prevail if they are not intentionally monitored and put in check.
This means fine-tuning our moral compasses so that positive thoughts, good deeds and beneficial actions are cultivated and shared, in order to help others and make the world a better place for all. (I learned this as a kid in Scouts!)
LikeLike
Maybe it stuck with me because my mother was my Brownie Troop Leader and she held to high moral standards her entire life. But Trump seems to have had a decent mom as well…
LikeLike
We had to swear to this Promise at least once every time our Scout Troop met together (which was like 66 years ago –and I still have it memorized!):
“On my honor, I will try:
To do my duty, to God and my Country,
To help other people at all times,
To obey the Girl Scout Laws.”
https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cardcow.com%2Fimages%2Fset871%2Fcard00458_fr.jpg&f=1&nofb=1&ipt=a7fbac4e5f4c687a84f3febad34d2d4ccc18853ba8114b4be984aef59f148037
(For some reason, I can’t imagine Trump in the Boy Scouts)
LikeLike
Satan’s Scouts?
LikeLiked by 1 person
Sounds more like the military school they sent him to –which was a supposed fix that came too late in his development. (Boy Scouts would have intervened sooner).
Whatever positive effect the military school may have had was probably undermined when his father got the podiatrist to exempt him from being drafted multiple times.
If he had actually served our country then, I doubt he’d have turned out to be so insensitive to Vets, devilish and cruel, as well as determined to upend our Constitutional rights today.
LikeLike
If Trump had ended up in the military, he probably would have ended up being court-martialed, followed by spending time in Leavenworth, and/or dead by friendly fire.
LikeLiked by 1 person
“How Did They Nazi This Coming?”
Interesting insights on the GOP and antisemitism today. See “The Feed” here: https://thefeed1.substack.com/p/how-did-they-nazi-this-coming
LikeLike
There’s fascism
Then there’s Nazi fascism – thank got they didn’t have nuclear weapons.
Trump-MAGA fascism is worse than the previous two because the convicted rapist, fraud, felon, mastermind and instigator behind January 6, 2021, failed violent and bloody coup attempt in DC, does have nuclear weapons and has said several times he wants to use them. I have no doubts Trump would use nukes in US cities and his loyalist MAGA hate cult would cheer.
LikeLike
Someone needs to inform him immediately that if he used nuclear weapons in American cities, he could easily destroy his own properties, like Trump Tower in NYC (where the largest number of American Jews reside), as well as Trump Tower in Chicago!
He probably doesn’t know that entire cities were razed to the ground (not to mention the effects of radiation) with just a single atom bomb, in Hiroshima and again in Nagasaki Japan during WWII, and that nuclear weapons are even more powerful than those were!
LikeLike
I think Turmp will want to nuke Honolulu and west coast cities in California, Oregon, and Washington State.
LikeLike
If he uses nukes on American cities, maybe other countries will use them, too, (including those in NATO) –and perhaps they will nuke Palm Beach, DC, NYC, etc. He already put FL, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands at risk by his military actions against Venezuela. He needs to know that using nuclear bombs ANYWHERE is VERY HIGH RISK!
LikeLike
Trump is a sadistic malignant narcissist. He only things of himself. If a billion people died because of him, he wouldn’t lose any sleep. There is no room in his head to think about anyone else but himself.
LikeLiked by 1 person
My fear is that he has no problem with starting World War III. And he does not care about which side of that war we would end up on because he thinks that doesn’t matter since Putin has his back. But he’s sorely mistaken if he thinks that Putin would let him own the US –and not take it over from him– because Putin has no need to share power with anyone anywhere.
Plus, he does not comprehend that the entire planet could be destroyed by a nuclear war between different countries…
LikeLiked by 1 person
As horrible as Hitler was, and no doubt he was the absolute worst, the one awful thing that he did not do was bomb Paris, because he knew how beautiful and valuable it was.
And that was before bombs were anywhere near as powerful as they are today. Our Hitler-wannabe cares only about his OWN properties…
LikeLiked by 1 person
BTW, there is a Trump Tower in Honolulu, but I could find none in the other places you mentioned.
LikeLike
Trump may forget what he owns in Blue states and cities, or bomb one of the other Hawaiian Islands.
Dementia.
LikeLike
I want to apologize if what I wrote above is alarming to people and explain that I grew up during the Cold War and “Duck and Cover,” when the government had school children hide under our desks as protection from nuclear bombs and fallout. See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duck_and_cover
My home and school were not far from steel mills (where my uncle worked) and I often heard grown-ups talk about how those would be likely targets, as well as how hiding under our desks would not protect us from radiation. Fall-out shelters were preferred and signs indicating their locations were across my city, but neither my school nor my home had basements and I lived in constant fear of nuclear fallout. So I guess you could say that fear never went away from me. See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fallout_shelter
I’m only about 6 years younger than the president, so it amazes me that he does not remember going through the same thing.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m a few months older than the Trump-Fascist style dictator in the White House.
The reason the convicted rapist, fraud and felon, who lied and cheated his way into the White House both times, may not remember the cold war fear about nuclear bombs is because his family was wealthy, he went to private schools, and he has been a malignant narcissist since birth.
His wealthy family probably had access to a bomb shelter, too.
Narcissism has a genetic component, so it was inherited probably from his grandfather, who started the family fortune with booze, gambling and prostitutes, and his father, but it is a combination of genetic predisposition and environmental factors like upbringing, trauma, and family dynamics. Studies suggest that narcissism is at least partially heritable, with some research indicating the risk of inheriting narcissistic traits can be over 50%. However, genetics are not the sole cause; they work together with environmental influences to shape whether a person develops narcissistic traits or the disorder itself.
Trump’s father was a monster and a racist.
Symptoms of malignant narcissism include an inflated sense of superiority, a lack of empathy, and a tendency to exploit others. Individuals with this condition also exhibit antisocial behaviors like aggression, impulsivity, and a disregard for laws and social norms. They can be cruel, manipulative, prone to paranoia, and have difficulty maintaining long-term relationships.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks, Lloyd, that explains a lot!
In my city, beginning during the Cold War, every Tuesday at 10:30am, we heard the Thunderbolt siren, which was a key part of the city’s emergency management strategy that primarily served as a warning sign of potential nuclear attacks. I’d be surprised if other cities, like NYC, did not do the same thing then. (That has since evolved here into a weather warning system, such as for a tornado, and otherwise just occurs for a test of the system on the 1st Tuesday of each month at 10am.)
LikeLiked by 1 person
This is why the country NEEDS those alerts that Trump has either gotten rid of or revised with a Sharpie.
“A Category 5 hurricane is vastly more powerful than a single H-bomb in terms of total energy, releasing the equivalent of a 10-megaton bomb every 20 minutes. While an H-bomb delivers a concentrated, instantaneous blast of immense destructive force, a hurricane’s energy is sustained over days, impacting a much larger area.”
LikeLike
You are right, Lloyd. I had not realized that the cuts to public programs mean there is a concomitant push to privatize them! (Of course, I should have known that, because virtually everything for him is about increasing opportunities for personal financial gain.)
With so many properties on the Atlantic coast, you’d think he’d be reluctant to make those cuts. (When hurricanes hit FL, NY etc., the No-Kings people ought to throw paper towels at him…) See: https://theconversation.com/why-some-places-get-better-storm-warnings-than-others-and-what-that-means-for-puerto-rico-269064
LikeLiked by 1 person
Paper towels drenched in gasoline and set on fire before throwing. A different kind of Molotov Cocktail, without the bottle.
For the environmentalists: Non-toxic, easy-to-use powder gelling agent that quickly thickens most fuels for efficient, long-lasting burns. Just stir to mix—no special equipment needed.
Then they soak the paper towels in that. They’ll be heavier and easier to throw.
LikeLike
I feel your pain, Lloyd, but I can’t condone violence. I understand why some people might be so upset about losing our rights and government programs that they might feel they’d have to resort to that, but I think there are better ways and I really hope it does not come down to violent actions in order to preserve our democracy. I suspect this is just a fantasy for you, born from extreme frustration, and that you would prefer nonviolent solutions, too, so I think we really need to put our energy into locating and supporting them instead.
LikeLike
No matter what I think as a US Marine and combat vet, I hope Trump continues to be defeated in the courts and at the ballot box.
Still, sometimes the only solution to tyranny is violence, which is why Thomas Jefferson offered this advice.
“The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots & tyrants. It is it’s natural manure.”
If that happens, then it will be up to those who were trained like I was to end MAGA and their fake messiah.
LikeLike
Lloyd, Not everyone agrees about how to interpret what Jefferson meant, such as here: “I doubt Jefferson would support actual blood being shed on the proverbial “Tree of Liberty.” After all, enough blood has been lost thanks in part to this often misunderstood quote. It was Timothy McVeigh, the convicted Oklahoma City bomber, who was so very misguided by his poor understanding of Jefferson’s words. On the day he chose to murder 168 of his fellow Americans, McVeigh was wearing a shirt that carried Jefferson’s infamous words… May we ALWAYS remember to be cautious with the history we fail to understand!” See: “Jefferson’s “Tree of Liberty” Quote in Context” https://americanrevolutionblog.blogspot.com/2010/11/jeffersons-tree-of-liberty-quote-in.html
The ballot box and courts are all that we have left now to protect our democracy and rights, but SCOTUS is not likely to be on our side, so today, liberty-loving Americans need to be always on alert to SETUPS by MAGAts and their leader who WANT TO PROVOKE violence, so that martial law can be declared and voting can be suspended.
So it’s very important to ALWAYS BE ALERT TO those SETUPS, don’t fall for them, don’t act out and don’t give MAGAts reason to suspend elections in 2026 (or any other time)!
LikeLike
Jefferson’s quote is a mixed metaphor.
LikeLike
“Liberty” is an abstract concept.
“Tree” is a concrete object
Shed the blood of patriots and tyrants is literal
“It’s the natural manure” is part of the mixed metaphor that includes “liberty” and “tree.”
On January 6, 2021, about a 140 DC & Capital police were patriots when the fought Trump’s violent fascist MAGA hate mob. Trump is the tyrant, but he hasn’t shed any blood yet. Some of his fascist thugs have. But not as much as the patriots.
Yet!
When Thomas Jefferson wrote, “The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots & tyrants. It is its natural manure,” he was referring to the necessity of occasional rebellions and civil unrest (specifically Shays’ Rebellion) to hold the government accountable and prevent the rise of tyranny.
With Trump and MAGA we are in one of those moments in our history where patriots may have to shed the blood of tyrants (Trump) and their loyalists (MAGA) to stop them; then get rid of them, whatever that takes by peaceful or violent means.
If Trump died of natural causes ASAP, that would take the wind out of MAGA’s sails and possibly stop the necessity of violent and blood shed to stop the movement Trump leads and their fake messiah.
LikeLike
Either death by nature or not, we’d still be stuck with Vance (and not enough people in Congress to protect our rights) –which is no better than what we’ve got now.
Most importantly, voting in 2026 is our best chance of peacefully restoring our democracy, which MAGAts & their leader know very well. So it’s really critical that the vote not be jeopardized by violence which would result in martial law being declared and voting being cancelled. If that happens, for some people like you, that would be a different matter.
Even then though, I could still not be violent and I think there are other people like me whose backgrounds differ greatly from yours and would not be able to behave violently, too. (I’ve never even killed an insect unless it’s INDOORS, since I learned from a very young age that we share the world with bugs so they should not be killed outdoors –and if they land on a screen, I set them free).
LikeLike
Great point, ECE!
LikeLiked by 1 person
P.S. The only reason why I suggested throwing paper towels was because that’s what the president did to residents of Puerto Rico after they were hit by a devastating hurricane during his first term –which, I suspected was because of his racism and xenophobia, since they are Hispanic (and non-voters).
LikeLike
I remember the Toxic T’s paper towel photo Op, which flopped big time as far as I’m concerned.
LikeLiked by 1 person
BTW, I think the ICE raids in cities with blue mayors are setups intended to provoke violence, so martial law could be invoked and voting suspended –and I’ve been very relieved that people have not fallen for it…
LikeLiked by 1 person
The Texas State Board of Regents is upholding the decision to fire a professor for remarks he made at a socialist conference while speaking as a private citizen. I just contacted the Board about this.
When I was at SWTSU (Now Texas State) in the 1980s, one of the best parts of my education was hearing professors with very different views about the U.S.—some very supportive, some openly critical. That kind of intellectual diversity helped me think more deeply, and it was something the university should be proud of.
One of my Iranian professors had fled a country where criticizing the government wasn’t allowed. He often spoke about how grateful he was to live in a place where you could disagree with your government publicly and not lose your job—or your freedom. That perspective stayed with me.
That’s why the firing of this professor is so troubling. What he said is no more extreme than what many respected academics, historians, and journalists have said for decades in this country. Universities should be places where difficult ideas are debated, not punished. Silencing faculty for their political views is a step backward for a free and open society.
I hope other Texas State alumni and supporters of academic freedom will join me in protesting this decision.
LikeLike
Texas is a MAGA Fascist controlled red states, which is why it’s okay to practice insult politics if you are a MAGA Republican, while attacking anyone who disagrees with the Trump-MAGA fascist propoganda and lies.
“Insult Politics: Donald Trump, Right-Wing Populism, and Incendiary Language”
https://journals.openedition.org/ejas/12132
Trump may also have invented a new form of capitalism, which he has practiced since the 1970s.
“Revenge capitalism” is a specific phrase used to critique the perceived motivation behind some of Trump’s actions.
Actions cited as evidence of a “retribution presidency” include the use of the Justice Department to target political enemies, revoking security clearances of former officials who spoke against him, and using antitrust suits as leverage against uncooperative media organizations.
Trump’s version of capitalism looks a lot like revenge — and it endangers our democracy
LikeLike
The Texas State Board of Regents is upholding the decision to fire a professor for remarks he made at a socialist conference while speaking as a private citizen. I just contacted the Board about this.
I remember and appreciated a diversity of opinions from my poli sci professors at at SWTSU back in the day. I especially remember the Iranian professor would often tell us that we should be thankful for the freedoms we have in the US.
What the professor who is being fired said is what many left wing progressives have been saying for decades in this country.
If you feel the same as I do please let the board of regents know.
(Please correct the grammar)
LikeLiked by 1 person
Diane, Are you OK? It alarms me that you have not posted anything new today –since it’s not the weekend yet. I truly hope that you are alright!!!
LikeLike
I’m very sorry that I confused the date today and didn’t realize that this IS the weekend, Diane!
Wishing you good health and many more happy years with us!!
LikeLike
Here’s something to feel good about. DOGE is dead!
https://www.reuters.com/world/us/doge-doesnt-exist-with-eight-months-left-its-charter-2025-11-23/
LikeLiked by 1 person
This is the kind of thing that drives me crazy about my party.
Meet Henry Cuellar, who calls himself a “good old conservative Democrat.” He was the only Democrat to vote against the bipartisan resolution limiting Trump’s use of military force in Venezuela. Cuellar was indicted on federal charges of bribery, money laundering, and unlawful foreign influence — accused of taking nearly $600,000 in bribes — and then pardoned by Trump.
Democratic leadership backed him over progressive challenger Jessica Cisneros. He was endorsed by Hakeem Jeffries, Nancy Pelosi, Steny Hoyer, Jim Clyburn, Katherine Clark, Pete Aguilar, and the CHC’s BOLD PAC.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Trump pardoned Cuellar and was angry that he didn’t change parties to vote with Republicans. Buying his vote but he didn’t stay bought
LikeLiked by 1 person
What about Trump’s latest attempt to buy the military and Coast Guard? I doubt any of them will stay bought any more than American voters stayed bought after he issued COVID checks. I think he’s going to keep trying to buy votes though and sees that as an investment in 2026 elections, but especially because it’s not coming out of his own pocket. https://www.delawareonline.com/story/news/2025/12/19/what-is-1776-warrior-dividend-military-bonus-payment-when-is-trump-2000-tariff-stimulus-check-2025/87790412007/
LikeLike
The recent “warrior dividend” bonus for military service members, announced by Donald Trump as a new initiative funded by tariffs, is actually a reallocation of existing military housing funds already approved by Congress.
More lies from Trump.
Most of the military is not that dumb, and how far does $1,776 go these days.
“Over the past week, the president claimed unprecedented achievement as he tried to shape perceptions of his 100-day legacy. He then pooh-poohed that benchmark as time ran short for him to get big things done. He disparaged the record of his predecessor, specifically on fighting the violent MS-13 gang, and Trump addressed his abandonment of a central campaign promise on China by denying he’d changed his mind.”
AP FACT CHECK: When Trump takes credit and assigns blame – Sentinel Colorado
Henny Penny (also known as Chicken Little) is a cautionary tale about misinformation, gullibility, and the dangers of trusting strangers, often retold in children’s books with various illustrations and slight variations in the characters’ names and the ending.
Multiple polls consistently show that a majority of Americans consider Trump to be dishonest. A Quinnipiac University poll found that 60% of Americans believe he is dishonest, a new high at the time.
His overall job approval rating has fluctuated in 2025, generally remaining “underwater” (more disapproval than approval) and hitting a second-term low of around 40-41% in late 2025.
In short, the perception that Trump frequently makes false claims contributes to negative views among the overall majority of voters and has eroded support among swing demographics, though his core supporters remain largely unaffected by the persistent fact-checking.
Trump’s new moniker.
Donald Henny Penny Chicken Little Trump.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Then Pod Save America interviews Rahm Emmanuel…The Democratic Party is less popular than Trump. Why? Because too many are in bed with the very neoliberal policies that drove many Americans to Trump. 80+ members of the Democratic Caucus voted for a resolution honoring Charlie Kirk. Average Americans are desperate for a political party that actually makes policy needed by all of us. Neither party has done this effectively. The political podcast space still platforms James Carville et al, while seeking reasons to dismiss AOC and Mamdani. The Democratic establishment believes it would be a win to fund ACA subsidies when that doesn’t begin to address the health care struggles that could put most of us in bankruptcy. The cost to house and to get to work are untenable, yet Congress continues to imbibe with Wall Street and tech billionaires. I wish I was more optimistic, but as necessary as it is to get past Trump, I’m not sure Democratic leadership has the guts to do what is necessary to survive MAGA. Pundentry continues to applaud past leadership while ignoring the call for new leadership from the American public. The talk is continuously about left and right when it is really about the haves and the have nots. Perhaps the worst realization of these times is that we don’t have an opposition in the Democratic Party.
LikeLike
Younger voters will stay home if the parties look Alike.
LikeLiked by 1 person
None of us are ever going to get a major political party that fits what each of us wants because everyone doesn’t think alike or want the same things.
The Democratic platform generally advocates for policies that a majority of women support, such as reproductive rights (including access to abortion and contraception), paid family leave, equal pay for equal work, and affordable childcare.
The Republican platform emphasizes policies like tax cuts, which they argue stimulate economic growth beneficial to everyone, including women. The modern platform generally opposes public funding for abortion and supports a “human life amendment,” which appeals to socially conservative women.
Democrats generally advocate for a stronger social safety net, higher minimum wages, protection of worker rights, and support for labor unions. They tend to propose government spending on programs such as food assistance, affordable housing, and healthcare (like the Affordable Care Act, Medicare, and Medicaid) to alleviate financial burdens on lower-income and working-class individuals. Polling data indicates that many working-class voters view the Democratic party as more the party of poor people, while they are divided on which party best represents the interests of the working class as a whole.
Republicans typically advocate for tax cuts and deregulation, believing that these policies stimulate business investment and job creation, which ultimately benefits the working class. They often emphasize personal responsibility and individual initiative. Some working-class voters, particularly white working-class men, align more with Republicans on the belief that the government is too involved in the economy and that free enterprise and hard work are the best paths to success.
LikeLike
The HIll ran a piece about the 60 MInutes CECOT piece
https://thehill.com/homenews/media/5661014-controversy-60-minutes-cbs-cecot/
LikeLike