US politics

A video of Sen. John McCain from the 2008 presidential campaign wherein he disagrees with a woman at one of his campaign rallies about Obama being “an Arab” has gone viral again. It is being contrasted with Trump’s insouciance as his blackshirts chanted “send her home” concerning Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.). People who are holding […]

Donald Trump

The Politics of Fear is intended to make us Dumb and Tribal, if we Let it

The Conversation

By Arash Javanbakht | – People have always used fear for intimidation of the subordinates or enemies, and shepherding the tribe by the leaders. Recently, it appears that Pres. Trump has used fear by suggesting in a tweet that four minority congresswomen go back to the places they came from. There is a longstanding history […]

Colonialism

Putting the American in Somali-American: Why does Ilhan Omar put a Scare into the US Power Elite?

Juan Cole

Reprint edition. By Juan Cole | – Trump has attempted to depict Rep. Ilhan Omar’s reformism as an expression of hatred for the US. It is not. It is a recognition of the dark underbelly of this country’s history, its entanglement in colonialism and slavery and class oppression. She makes this critique from a unique […]

Donald Trump

Notorious Moments in Modern History when Dictators Sent their own Citizens “Back”

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Trump’s crowds have started chanting “Send her back!” referring to Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), a Somali-American who came as a refugee when a child and was naturalized. The idea that some citizens are less loyal or less patriotic or less deserving of residency than other citizens is not new in […]

Donald Trump

Racist Billionaires, Patriotic Socialists, Climate Emergency and the Fate of America

Tom Engelhardt

( Tomdispatch.com ) – As I turn 75, there’s no simpler way to put it than this: I’m an old man on a new planet — and, in case it isn’t instantly obvious, that’s not good news on either score. I still have a memory of being a camp counselor in upstate New York more […]

Congress

The Squad: Watch Gayle King’s full interview of Reply to Trump by Reps. Ocasio-Cortez, Omar, Pressley and Tlaib (Video)

contributors

Gayle King | CBS Video | – The Squad: Watch Gayle King’s full interview The president’s racist tweets about Democratic congresswomen Rashida Tlaib, Ilhan Omar, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Ayanna Pressley, together known as “the Squad,” stirred an uproar in Washington this week. For their only joint interview following the president’s attacks, the group sat down […]

Immigration

How immigrants give American companies a powerful boost against Chinese rivals

The Conversation

By Benjamin A.T. Graham | – The ongoing trade war is the most visible front in America’s struggle with China for global influence. Oddly, it may be immigration policy, as much as tariffs and trade deals, that determines which country prevails. That’s because American competitiveness in foreign markets is a key battlefield in the struggle. […]

Immigration

Trump’s Send-Them-Back Doctrine

John Feffer

( Foreign Policy in Focus ) – Trump’s war on immigrants recalls the absurdity of Stalin’s purges — and a few of his supporters, at least, are starting to notice. Today, in the United States, a vast population of the undocumented live in constant fear of arrest and exile. During the height of Stalin’s purges, […]

Donald Trump

It isn’t just the Racism: Trump’s Stupid Trade Wars have Driven US Manufacturing into Recession

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – It’s official. Trump has put US manufacturing, which is about 14% of the US gross national product, into recession, according to AFP. Recession is defined as two consecutive quarters of decline. The recession in manufacturing has many reasons, including a cyclical slowdown in the Chinese economy. But on top of […]