Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Former National Security Adviser John Bolton may have singlehandedly stopped Senate majority Mitch McConnell from simply acquitting Trump in the Senate impeachment trial and adjourning without witnesses or documents. Bolton publicly announced his willingness to testify before the Senate, after having stiffed the House proceedings. And then a manuscript of […]
Price of Trolling Impeachment: End of Oslo Peace Process and Trump-Netanyahu Apartheid “Steal of the Century”
Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – The Palestinian leadership has entirely rejected what is known of the Trump plan for Israel and Palestine, and warned that they see it as destroying the Oslo Peace accords. The Trump administration did not consult the Palestinians in drawing up the plan, which gives away East Jerusalem and 30% of […]
How Trump killed Iraq’s Popular Protests Against Corruption
Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – The Iraqi armed forces tried to pull an al-Sisi on Saturday, making a concerted attempt to clear out camping protesters in Baghdad, Basra, and other cities, and leaving some protesters dead or wounded. In Baghdad, the security forces attempted to clear Gilani Square and the Sinak Bridge, setting fire to […]
On How Christians and Jews are “muslims”: The Real meaning of “Islam” in the Qur’an
Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – As used in the Qur’an, Islam (al-islam in Arabic) doesn’t mean what people think it means. It doesn’t mean “peace,” though it is from a common root. It doesn’t mean the religion of the Prophet Muhammad. It doesn’t mean submission to God. I’ve come to believe that the accretions of […]
Tens of Thousands of Iraqis mass in Baghdad to Demand Expulsion of US Troops, Hang Trump in Effigy
Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Tens of thousands of Iraqis massed in the Jadriya district of Baghdad on Friday to demand that U.S. troops leave Iraq. Mostly religious Shiites, some of whom came from the south of the country, they were responding to a call for demonstrations by Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr and by heads […]
Read it and Weep, Moscow Mitch: 100 MW of Solar to be bought by Kentucky Coal-Country Utilities for Toyota
Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – The East Kentucky utilities Kentucky Utilities and Louisville Gas & Electric have applied for permission from state regulators to buy electricity from a 100-megawatt solar facility. The utilities, which ordinarily purvey power from dirty coal (80% of their generation), were pressured by Toyota and Dow, who in turn are trying […]
Back to 1924: Trump mulls adding Pure anti-African Racism to Visa ban, in Addition to anti-Muslim Hate
Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Nicole Narea at Vox reports that Trump is considering adding some of Africa’s most important countries to his visa ban, in a transparent attempt to reduce African immigration to the United States. What is it about Africans, you might wonder that bothers Trump? Yomi Kazeem at Quartz adds that Trump […]
Did Saudi prince Bin Salman personally Hack Jeff Bezos’s Phone, Vacuuming up Secrets? What about Jared Kushner?
Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Update 1/25/20: Subsequent reporting at WSJ and elsewhere has raised questions about how solid the conclusions were, of the cyber-security firm hired by Jeff Bezos, that pointed with certainty to a hack coming from the cell phone of Mohammed Bin Salman. We’ve long known that Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos’s phone […]
US Public on Trump: Throw the Bum Out, He’s a Failure on Iran, Health Care
Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – A new CNN poll done in mid-January (and reported by Jennifer Agiesta) finds that 51 percent of Americans favor the conviction and removal of Donald J. Trump as president. Only 45 percent disagree. 53 percent of Americans think he does a rotten job as a president. As George Conway pointed […]