US politics

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) has admitted that he authored a text sent to former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows that was revealed by the January 6 Commission. The text read out by Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) said, “On January 6, 2021, Vice President Mike Pence, as President of […]

Donald Trump

Cheney outs Hypocritical Fox Anchors who Texted Trump Hysterically to Halt Insurrection they later Denied

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – The January 6 Committee of the House of Representatives voted last night to hold former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows in contempt of Congress after he refused to answer a subpoena to testify in person. Meadows is claiming that executive privilege exempts him from testifying. Since you have […]

Authoritarianism

The Jan. 6 Insurrection was no Fluke; the Republican Party Platform is now the overthrow of the US Government

H. Scott Prosterman

Oakland, Ca. (Special to Informed Comment) – The Republican Party was once an honorable organization. When Dwight D. Eisenhower was president, its platform included protection for refugees, expanded social services and social security, unions’ right to organize, secure unemployment benefits and supports to secure the agricultural sector. More than sixty years later, Republicans are trying […]

Afghanistan

The Pentagon lost the Afghanistan and Iraq Wars, so why are we upping its Funding to $778 billion?

William J. Astore

( Tomdispatch.com ) – Where are you going to get the money? That question haunts congressional proposals to help the poor, the unhoused, and those struggling to pay the mortgage or rent or medical bills, among so many other critical domestic matters. And yet — big surprise! — there’s always plenty of money for the […]

Congress

Stop Normalizing Islamophobia: Hateful attacks on Ilhan Omar and other Muslims should be forcefully condemned

OtherWords

By Farrah Hassen | – ( Otherwords.org) – In her latest act of demonizing Muslims, Rep. Lauren Boebert recently insinuated at multiple events that Rep. Ilhan Omar could have been a suicide bomber because of her Islamic faith. This might be business as usual for the Colorado Republican. But for Muslim Americans like myself, it’s […]

Anti-Vaccination

As 6x as Many die of COVID in Deep Red Counties as in Deep Blue, Sen. Ron Johnson touts . . . Mouthwash as Cure

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) is now alleging that mouthwashes are the way to avoid getting COVID-19. Johnson, a powerful figure in Washington and former chair of the committee on Homeland Security, has a history of promoting quackery regarding the novel coronavirus. He said, “Standard gargle, mouthwash, has been proven to […]

Iran

To Succeed in US Foreign Policy, Biden needs a clean Break with Trump

Medea Benjamin and Nicholas J.S. Davies

( Code Pink) – The Biden presidency is still in its early days, but it’s not too early to point to areas in the foreign policy realm where we, as progressives, have been disappointed–or even infuriated. There are one or two positive developments, such as the renewal of Obama’s New START Treaty with Russia and […]

Militarization

How to End America’s Forever Wars for Once and for All

Karen J. Greenberg

( Tomdispatch.com) – As August ended, American troops completed their withdrawal from Afghanistan almost 20 years after they first arrived. On the formal date of withdrawal, however, President Biden insisted that “over-the-horizon capabilities” (airpower and Special Operations forces, for example) would remain available for use anytime. “[W]e can strike terrorists and targets without American boots […]

Climate Crisis

“Given me a Lever and I will Move the Earth:” Biden orders greening of Federal Gov’t, buying of EVs and Solar Panels

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – The ancient Greek mathematician Archimedes of Syracuse (d. 212 BC), speaking of the power of the lever, said, “Give me a place to stand on, and I will move the Earth” (δῶς μοι πᾶ στῶ καὶ τὰν γᾶν κινάσω). In the US economy there are few more powerful levers than […]