US politics

Oakland, Ca. (Special to Informed Comment; Feature) – On February 20, 1939, the German-American Bund held a rally at Madison Square Garden (MSG) called a “Mass Demonstration for True Americanism.” It was fueled by the pall of the Great Depression, which was still fresh in the American consciousness; and boosted by lingering economic struggles in […]

Democracy

Pennsylvania’s Undecideds: The 2024 Election Will Likely Turn on the Democrats’ Ground Game

Bob Dreyfuss

( Tomdispatch.com ) – If you’re like many of my friends, I know what you’re thinking: OMG, how is it even possible that half the country is going to vote for that guy? And there’s a slightly less common corollary to that: I mean, really, who are these people who say that they’re undecided? Who […]

Democracy

What’s at Stake in our Political Storm?

Andrea Mazzarino

( Tomdispatch.com ) – Images of homes that collapsed under mudslides or falling trees, waterlogged farms, and debris-filled roads drove home (yes, home!) to me recently the impact of Hurricane Helene on rural areas in the southeastern United States. That hurricane and the no-less-devastating Hurricane Milton that followed it only exacerbated already existing underlying problems […]

Arab Americans

Palestinian-Americans Help Make the US Great: A Reply to Giuliani at the Trumpie Madison Square Garden Hatefest

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – The Great Trump Three Hours of Hate at Madison Square Garden on Sunday included a fatally unfunny comedian calling Puerto Ricans garbage and other racist swill directed at African-Americans, Hispanics and other groups. Trump alleged that a violent Venezuelan prison gang has taken over Times Square, which bears the same […]

Donald Trump

The Empire is Going Down

Tom Engelhardt

( Tomdispatch.com ) – He’s the man of the hour (and you can choose your hour), win, lose, or draw. I mean, who can deny it? Certainly not the crowd at his debate with Kamala Harris that, as he reminded us recently, absolutely “went crazy” over what he had to say. (And it couldn’t matter […]

Israel/ Palestine

How Netanyahu’s Ambitions in Lebanon undermine Biden’s Middle East Strategy

Foreign Policy in Focus

( Foreign Policy in Focus ) – The Biden administration’s approach to the Middle East crisis that erupted in the wake of October 7, 2023 is on the brink of collapse. Israel’s aggressive maneuvers, coupled with Iran’s growing involvement, are pushing the region toward a full-scale war, one that the Biden administration ostensibly hoped to […]

Constitution

“A Bad” effing “guy!” – Biden cursed out Netanyahu but then let him do as he pleased – Hamlet on the Potomac

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Joe Biden has many achievements as a domestic president, including the biggest investment ever made in green energy and fighting climate change. Whatever one thinks of how he has handled the Ukraine crisis, he certainly has been decisive and has galvanized allies to act alongside him. But on the Middle […]

Elderly

Elderly Activists vs. Decrepit Plutocrats: It isn’t Age that matters but What you use it For

Tomdispatch

By Robert Lipsyte ( Tomdispatch.com ) – After Joe Biden was shuffled off stage on trumped-up charges of senility, I started thinking seriously about the weaponization of old age in our world. Who gets credit for old age and who gets the boot? At 86, I share that affliction, pervasive among the richest, healthiest, and/or […]

Donald Trump

Trump urges Israel to hit Iran’s nuclear Centers, Terrorism that would create a massive radioactive “Dirty Bomb” and kill 70K

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – The dastardly Don Trump has urged Israel to strike at Iran’s civilian nuclear enrichment sites, which include the uranium conversion center in Isfahan and the research complex at nearby Natanz. All you had to do is hear “the Dastardly Don Trump” to know that this idea is the worst that […]