Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Iran is responding in kind to Trump’s harassment, with the Iranian parliament having voted to declare that the US troops of the Central Command or CENTCOM (which is responsible for the Middle East) are terrorists. The move came in retaliation for Trump’s designation of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), […]
In Drive to Overthrow Iran, Trump stops Waivers for Oil Purchases from Tehran
The Trump administration announced Monday that it would cease granting waivers to countries allowing them to buy Iranian petroleum as of May 2. Iran is only exporting 1.1 million barrels of petroleum per day, down from 2.5 million before the Trump administration violated the 2015 Iran deal and imposed unilateral severe sanctions. Secretary of State […]
“The Nearest in Love:” On how the Sri Lankan Death Cult Betrayed the Islamic Values of the Qur’an
A tiny death cult in Sri Lanka calling itself “Sri Lanka Tawheed Jamaat” (not to be confused with a big mainstream organization of the same name in India) appears to be responsible for the eight coordinated bombings at luxury hotels and Christian churches on Sunday. By now the tactic is familiar, if monstrous. These small, […]
Why the Qur’an denied that Jews were Responsible for Jesus’ Death on Good Friday
Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – That the Qur’an recognizes the virgin birth, the death, and the resurrection of Jesus is something worth remembering on Easter. In a nativity scene about Jesus’s supernatural precociousness, the Qur’an has him speak in the cradle, saying, (Mary 19:33): “So peace be upon me, the day I was born, and […]
Trump called Libya’s Hiftar, Backed Warlord’s Press to Conquer whole Country
Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – It transpires again that the US has two foreign policies, that of Trump, which favors brutal dictatorships unreservedly, and that of his cabinet officials, which favors brutal dictatorships with more nuance and caution. The White House announced Friday, Reuters and other outlets report, that Trump called Field Marshal Khalifa Hiftar […]
The Seychelles Plot: Mueller on the UAE Role in Russian Influence-Peddling with Trump and Kushner
The Mueller report sheds further light on the infamous Seychelles meeting in January, 2017, which appears to have aimed at establishing a back channel for the Trump administration to the circle of Russian President Vladimir Putin, brokered by Mohammed Bin Zayed of the United Arab Emirates. That is, this story is not about pre-election collusion […]
After Mueller: A Majority of Americans believes Trump is Guilty of Obstruction, wants him Impeached
Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – A new Associated Press – NORC Poll finds that a majority of Americans, 53%, want Congress to go on investigating Trump even after the close of the Mueller investigation. (The raw data for the poll is here.) Since they saw Trump fire Comey after pressuring him to assure the president […]
How Bernie Sanders trounced Fox on Medicare for All, and why a Carbon Tax could help Pay for It
Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Bernie Sanders trounced Fox News on its own turf when he demonstrated that the town hall audience assembled for him by the pro-plutocrat White Nationalist channel was enthusiastic about medicare for all. The Young Turks: “Bernie Schools Fox News on Medicare For All” This outcome should not have surprised anyone, […]
On the Universalism of Notre Dame, from Muslim Arches to the Goddess of Reason
Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – The tragedy of the burning of the 800-year-old Notre Dame is a loss for global culture. Regular readers know that I grew up partially in France, and I love Paris with a passion. I remember visiting Notre Dame with my parents as a child. Perhaps there is a faded Kodak […]
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