Open Thread

Something Just Broke--Trump and the Rethugs broke it.  From The Economist: IF YOU failed to spot America being “looted, pillaged, raped and plundered by nations near and far” or it…

"It's A Disaster":  Trump screwing the defenseless is one thing, but this, this, is a whole 'nother thing: Markets around the world tumbled on Thursday after President Trump announced across-the-board tariffs…

Liberal Wins Wisconsin Supreme Court Race.  Hope those newly-minted Musk millionaires cashed those checks already: The Democratic-backed candidate for Wisconsin Supreme Court defeated a challenger endorsed by President Donald Trump and billionaire…

B-b-b-but Hamas!: Palestinians held funerals Monday for 15 medics and emergency responders killed by Israeli troops in southern Gaza, after their bodies and mangled ambulances were found buried in an…

Unholy Patrimonialism:  This strikes me as explaining government under Trump--including its fatal weakness: Even those who expected the worst from his reelection (I among them) expected more rationality. Today, it…

Musk/DOGE's Push For The Privatization Of Public Services: Mail delivery. Real estate. Foreign aid grants. The Trump administration is moving to privatize a sweeping number of government functions and assets…

Meyer Signs Bill, Musk Does This.  Coincidence?: Elon Musk said on Friday that his startup xAI has merged with X, his social network, in an all-stock transaction that values the…

Trump's Just Doing Weird Stuff Now.  Like this: The “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History” order directs Vice President JD Vance to eliminate what he finds “improper” from the…

Yet One More 'Disappearance', Captured On Tape: As Tufts University student Rumeysa Ozturk made her way to an interfaith center to break the Ramadan fast on Tuesday, plainclothes agents, some…

This thread may be shorter than usual.  There is just so much to unwind about the House 'debate' on the Musk-Pass bill that I found it hard to sleep last night.…

Everything Falls Apart: 1.  Trump Bozos Share War Plans With Journalist Over Unsecured Server.  They, of course, had no idea they had invited a journalist.  Will Waltz take the fall?  Hegseth…

Yes, Trump Is Serious About Greenland: Relations between Greenland and the United States sank further on Sunday as the Greenlandic prime minister erupted over what he called a “highly aggressive”…

How Scammers Ply Their Trade.  Quite the fascinating report: The F.B.I., China’s Ministry of Public Security, Interpol and others have tried to combat scammers, who ​often lurk on social media…