Minority Reports

May 4, 2025

From Novaramedia.com: ‘We’re Witnessing the Last Gasp of Israeli Violence’: In Conversation With Avi Shlaim: (21/03/2025)

“The undeclared aim of Israel’s assault on Gaza since 7 October was ethnic cleansing, and there was a leaked government report outlining the depopulation of Gaza. Depopulating 2.3 million. This hasn’t happened because of Egyptian resistance, but that was the initial war aim. When this didn’t work, Israel moved a stage further towards genocide, towards killing and starving Gazans. …
A two-state solution is no longer an option. Israel is continuing the policy of creeping annexation. As such, what is left to the Palestinians of the West Bank is a few isolated enclaves, not a basis for a viable state. And therefore, the choice is between one state with equal rights for all its citizens or the status quo: apartheid, ethnocracy and genocide. I’ve made a clear choice in favor of freedom and equal rights for all. This is what I – and many others – mean when we say, “From the river to the sea.” …
I believe that apartheid in the 21st century is not sustainable in the long term and therefore, that Zionism is in the process of destroying itself. Empires become really violent just as they are in decline, and I think this is what we’re witnessing now – the last gasp of Israeli violence. Once this is over, cleavages inside Israeli society will continue. Israel will get weaker from within and external support will decline. This combination of factors will lead to the disintegration of Zionism and settler colonialism. Israel is on the path of self-destruction, but it won’t happen overnight. It will still take many years.”

April 29, 2025

From Heather Cox Richardson’s Letters from an American (04/29/2025):

“Trump set out in his first hundred days to undo the government FDR established in his first hundred days. Trump has turned the nation away from 92 years of a government that sought to serve ordinary Americans by regulating business, providing a basic social safety net, promoting infrastructure, protecting civil rights, and stabilizing global security and trade. Instead, he is trying to recreate the nation of more than 100 years ago, in which the role of government was to protect the wealthy and enable them to make money from the country’s resources and its people.
Trump set out to destroy the modern American state, gutting the civil service and illegally shuttering federal agencies, as well as slashing through government programs. His team has withdrawn the U.S. from its global leadership and rejected democratic allies in favor of autocrats like Russia’s Vladimir Putin. At home he has imitated those autocrats, ignoring the rule of law and rendering migrants to prison in El Salvador without due process, and using the power of the state to threaten those he perceives as his enemies.
As is typical with autocratic governments, corruption appears to be running deep in this White House. The president and his family are openly profiting from his office. And it would be hard to find a better example of a government letting cronies profit off public resources than Interior Secretary Doug Burgum’s relinquishing of control over the department to a DOGE operative, or of a government permitting businesses to profit from ordinary Americans than billionaire Elon Musk’s apparent creation of a master database of Americans’ information.”

April 10, 2025

From The New Republic: Trump’s Tariffs Whiplash Is Open Corruption. He Admitted It Himself: 

“Trump is creating giant market fluctuations with his on-again, off-again tariffs. These constant gyrations in policy provide dangerous opportunities for insider trading,” Senator Adam Schiff wrote on X. “Who in the administration knew about Trump’s latest tariff flip flop ahead of time? Did anyone buy or sell  stocks, and profit at the public’s expense? I’m writing to the White House—the public has a right to know.”
“Trump’s Truth Social now basically promotes veiled insider trading on upcoming announcements,” wrote health and economics expert Eric Feigl-Ding. “Trump’s benefactors are gleefully watching.”
“Many of you in the media clearly missed The Art of the Deal,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said.

April 6, 2025

From Heather Cox Richardson’s Letters from an American (04/05/2025):

Today, across the country, millions of people turned out for “Hands Off” protests to demonstrate opposition to the Trump administration, Musk and the “Department of Government Efficiency” that has been slashing government agencies and employees, and, more generally, attacks on our democracy. In San Francisco…many of the signs in the crowd called for the protection of the U.S. Constitution, our institutions, and the government agencies that keep us safe. Scholars often note that the American Revolution of 250 years ago was a movement not to change the status quo but to protect it. The colonists who became revolutionaries sought to make sure that patterns of self-government established over generations could not be overturned by officials seeking to seize power. We seem to be at it again….

March 29, 2025

From StatNews.com: Vaccine critic’s apparent selection to head HHS autism study shocks experts:

British investigative journalist Brian Deer, author of “The Doctor Who Fooled The World,” a book about Wakefield, couldn’t believe that Geier might have been chosen to conduct a study for HHS. …
“If you want an independent source, you’d go to [a place like] Johns Hopkins… people who have spent their lives doing this stuff. You wouldn’t go to somebody with no qualifications and a long track record of impropriety and incompetence,” he said. “If you wanted to get in anybody off the street who would come up with the result that Kennedy would like to see, this would be your man. But I just think anything he published would just be howled down.”…
In the mere weeks since he was nominated as HHS secretary, Kennedy has moved aggressively to promote his agenda questioning the safety of vaccines. With a large measles outbreak in Texas and several surrounding states still growing — an outbreak that has already claimed two lives — Kennedy has publicly stressed treatment of measles over prevention of the disease. And he has greenlit a new study of autism and vaccinations, even though the lack of a link is considered settled science in most quarters.

March 27, 2025

From Heather Cox Richardson’s Letters from an American (02/27/2025):

The craziness going on around us in the first two months of the second Trump administration makes a lot more sense if you remember that the goal of those currently in power was never simply to change the policies or the personnel of the U.S. government. Their goal is to dismantle the central pillars of the United States of America—government, law, business, education, culture, and so on—because they believe the very shape of those institutions serves what they call “the Left.”
Their definition of “the Left” includes all Americans, Republicans and Independents as well as Democrats, who believe the government has a role to play in regulating business, providing a basic social safety net, promoting infrastructure, and protecting civil rights and who support the institutional structures Americans have built since World War II.
In place of those structures, today’s MAGA leaders intend to create their own new institutions, shaped by their own people, whose ideological purity trumps their abilities. As Vice President J.D. Vance explained in a 2021 interview, he and his ilk believe that American “conservatives…have lost every major powerful institution in the country, except for maybe churches and religious institutions, which of course are weaker now than they’ve ever been. We’ve lost big business. We’ve lost finance. We’ve lost the culture. We’ve lost the academy. And if we’re going to actually really effect real change in the country, it will require us completely replacing the existing ruling class with another ruling class…. I don’t think there’s sort of a compromise that we’re going to come with the people who currently actually control the country. Unless we overthrow them in some way, we’re going to keep losing.” “We really need to be really ruthless when it comes to the exercise of power,” he said.

March 18, 2025

From The Guardian: The case for boycotting the United States:

To friends of democracy around the world: we need your help. You know that the Trump regime is brutally attacking US democracy. Most of us did not vote for Donald Trump (half of us didn’t even vote in the 2024 election). But he feels he has a mandate to take a wrecking ball to the constitution. Like most bullies, the regime can be constrained only if everyone stands up to the bullying – including you. …
Although we have loved (and profited from) your visits, I urge you to join many of your compatriots and at least for now decide not to come to the United States. …
Whatever your reason for wanting to come to the United States – as a visitor, a student, or an H-1B skilled worker – you might want to reconsider your plans. Deciding not to come would send a signal that you’re justifiably worried about your safety and security here and you are as repulsed by the Trump regime’s attacks on democracy as are most of us Americans.

March 15, 2025

From RawStory: ‘Cowardice’: Schumer’s move to avert shutdown outrages social media critics:

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) forced the Democratic caucus into an abrupt about-face after senators publicly said they would oppose the GOP’s continuing resolution to keep the government open and allow tech billionaire Elon Musk to continue shuttering government programs….
The move provoked outrage from many Democratic and anti-Trump commenters on social media, with many feeling like they were deceived or that nobody is putting up any real resistance to the Trump administration….
Former federal prosecutor Eric Lisann tore into Schumer’s floor speech announcing the decision, writing, “Nonsensical blather from Schumer disguising, poorly, cowardice from the Democratic caucus. Republicans are stooges but they have imposed party discipline. Democratic leadership has been soft and ineffective and is responsible for allowing Trump to run roughshod over this husk of a Congress. They are part of the problem not of the solution.”

March 14, 2025

From Minnesota Reformer and ColoradoNewsline: If we don’t act now, we risk losing the institutions that keep our society open, informed and free. A resurgent McCarthyism is upon us:

I got an unexpected email last week from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

It referenced the Prevention Research Center at the University of Minnesota, where I lead work to promote healthy eating and well-being among children. The email was notification of a survey for grantees, unlike any I’d seen before in my 20-plus years as a researcher, with questions like:

• “Can you confirm that your organization does not work with entities associated with communist, socialist, or totalitarian parties, or any party that espouses anti-American beliefs?”
• “What impact does this project have on protecting religious minorities, promoting religious freedom, and combating Christian persecution?”
• “Is your organization compliant with the latest Mexico City Policy?” …

An atmosphere of trepidation and uncertainty breaks down society’s intellectual foundations, ensuring no one challenges those in power. Importantly, advancement and innovation hinge on our ability to foster a vibrant marketplace of ideas; when diverse ideas are no longer allowed, progress falters.
Whether it’s sudden inquisitions, unexplained policy changes, on-again/off-again tariffs or constant threat of job loss, these actions seem designed to foster fear and control. This isn’t about efficiency; it’s about consolidating power and undermining institutions that hold the government accountable.
If we don’t act now, we risk losing the institutions that keep our society open, informed and free. We cannot afford to stay silent while the foundations of our public institutions are eroded. The future of American democracy depends on it.

March 12, 2025

From The New Republic: Bernie Sanders Is Showing Democrats How It’s Done. The Vermont senator is taking his anti-Trump tour to red America—and it’s a smash hit:

With his “Fighting Oligarchy” tour, Bernie has begun holding a series of rallies in GOP-represented swing districts to bring attention to Trump’s billionaire-boosting, middle class–busting agenda. As he’s swung through heartland states such as Nebraska and Iowa, the grassroots response has been electric. Last Friday, 4,000 people came out to hear him in Kenosha, Wisconsin; the next morning he was joined by 2,600 in Altoona, Wisconsin, a town of less than 10,000; and then in a suburb outside Detroit he spoke to a crowd of 9,000 that filled a packed gym, two overflow rooms, and the parking lot outside.

Sanders seems to understand something that many Democratic elites do not: In today’s brutally divided attentional economy, Democrats can never take for granted that their messaging will get through to people without sustained efforts to capture and direct voters’ attention. …

Hiding out while the world burns is an untenable look for Democrats. But they may find themselves quickly back in business if they can simply swallow their pride and follow Bernie’s lead in breaking out of the paralyzing bubble of Capitol Hill and mixing it up with the ordinary people who—if Sanders’s success is any indication—are waiting for them to show up.

March 5, 2025

From Truthkast.com: The Ignorance Epidemic: A Threat to Our Democracy:

[In the USA]… a staggering 54% of adults read below a 6th-grade level, with a shocking 20% unable to comprehend text beyond a 5th-grade level. Low literacy rates end up costing Americans up to $2.2 trillion every year. …
Instead of treating this as the national emergency it is, GOP political leaders seem to be capitalizing on it. Remember when Donald Trump proudly declared, “I love the poorly educated”? It wasn’t just a gaffe; it was a telling moment that revealed a disturbing strategy. The fact is, Trump has consistently performed better among voters with lower levels of formal education. Is it any wonder, then, that there are reports of plans to abolish the Department of Education altogether?

March 3, 2025

From The Nation: Vampire Weekend. What I learned at Bryan Johnson’s “Don’t Die” summit is that optimizing yourself like artificial intelligence is not only futile. It is also very expensive:

Johnson and his longevity business represent how tech money, scientific half-truths, and optimization culture all converge into a new religion for those wealthy enough to worship at its altar. …
All of this for the low, low price of $249—the cost of a general admission ticket at the early-bird rate. (But don’t fret, you can pay up to $1,799 for an ultra-premium ticket, which gets you a gift bag and an unspecified “Exclusive Don’t Die Experience” with Johnson himself. …
The most daring proposal I heard all day was that we can save our messy human selves from technological obsolescence by capitulating to algorithms in advance. Is that a good idea? In keeping with this authoritarian moment in American history, what Johnson’s Blueprint and its commercial ecosystem does, ultimately, is invite us to understand our own dehumanization as a form of empowerment.

February 26, 2025

From The Atlantic (Anne Applebaum): Putin’s Three Years of Humiliation. The Russian president can’t win his war against Ukraine unless he persuades its allies to betray it:

For Donald Trump, the only real cards are big money and hard power. Players, in his world, are people whom no court can block, no journalist can question, no legislator can oppose. People whose money can buy anything, whose power cannot be checked or balanced….
[Putin] still wants to show the world that the era of American power is over, that America will not defend allies in Europe, Asia, or anywhere else. He still wants to nullify the rules and laws that kept Europe peaceful for eight decades, to create instability and fear, not only in the countries that border Russia but across the continent and even around the world.
The war will only end, truly end, when Putin gives up these goals. Don’t accept any peace deal that allows him to keep them.

February 22, 2025

From Heather Cox Richardson’s Letters from an American (02/21/2025):

….While Trump and his team have claimed they have a mandate, in fact more people voted for someone other than Trump in 2024, and his early approval ratings were only 47%, the lowest of any president going back to 1953, when Gallup began checking them. His approval has not grown as he has called himself a “king” and openly mused about running for a third term.

A Washington Post/Ipsos poll released yesterday shows that even that “honeymoon” is over. Only 45% approve of the “the way Donald Trump is handling his job as president,” while 53% disapprove. Forty-three percent of Americans say they support what Trump has done since he took office; 48% oppose his actions. The number of people who strongly support his actions sits at 27%; the number who strongly oppose them is twelve points higher, at 39%. Fifty-seven percent of Americans think Trump has gone beyond his authority as president.

[Read full letter here]

February 20, 2025

FromDemocracyNow!: “I Am Finally Free!”: Indigenous Leader Leonard Peltier Released After Nearly 50 Years Imprisoned:

….when we got him back to Turtle Mountain, the streets were lined with hundreds and hundreds of people welcoming him home, holding up signs, cheering, singing, war whooping. It was a beautiful, beautiful sight. I remember seeing the sign that said, “Miigwech, Leonard Peltier,” which in the Anishinaabe language ”miigwech” means “thank you,” and the amount of love and gratitude in which he was embraced by his community, his people and his movement. It was an absolutely historic and moving day.”

Congratulations America!

Trump’s cabinet nominees have been confirmed. pic.twitter.com/utXqpvqupt

— Boomertarian Norm (@BoomertarianN) February 13, 2025

February 12, 2025

From Irish Star: Trump has ‘reading age of an 11-year-old’ in Truth Social posts, according to ChatGPT:

After analyzing a post made by Donald Trump on his Truth Social account, discussing his recent phone call with President Vladimir Putin, ChatGPT opinion is based on several factors:

“Simple Sentence Structures – The text relies on relatively straightforward sentence construction, with a mix of short and long sentences but without complex syntax or nuanced argumentation.”
“Repetitive Phrasing – Phrases like “We both reflected,” “We both believe very strongly in it,” and “we will someday have in working together” suggest a lack of linguistic variety typical of more mature writing.”
“Overuse of Exclamation Marks – Frequent exclamation marks are more common in less formal or emotionally charged writing, which can indicate a less developed sense of tone in written communication.”
“Basic Transitions and Coherence Issues – The text jumps between ideas without strong logical connectors, leading to a somewhat fragmented structure (e.g., transitioning abruptly from discussing historical alliances to a mention of negotiations).”

February 7, 2025

From a guest essay opinion on The New York Times: Now Will We Believe What Is Happening Right in Front of Us?:

“… This anti-democratic movement has no interest in compromise. Any concessions will help consolidate the powers of a lawless presidency and entrench a new, kleptocratic, authoritarian form of government in the United States. …the leaders of the anti-democratic movement made clear well before the election — in documents such as the Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025, which sought to provide Trump with an aggressive right-wing agenda he could just pick up and run with — that they intend to demolish the system of justice as we know it and replace it with a form of policing in service of the ruling party and its chosen leaders. In its first two and a half weeks, the Trump administration has delivered on that promise…. In the coming months and years, the anti-democratic movement will cause many people to suffer real harm. We need to make sure these people know who did this to them — and who will fight for them. In the present circumstances, it is our duty to protect our democratic republic from a lawless president and the profoundly anti-American movement he leads.”

February 6, 2025

From Democracy Now!: Peter Beinart author of Being Jewish After the Destruction of Gaza, A Reckoning:

“Donald Trump views Palestinians as subhuman, and therefore wants to oversee a mass ethnic cleansing, which would be one of the greatest crimes of the century.And all across Washington, you hear people essentially shrug, where people say, “Maybe it’s impractical.” I don’t care. The question is not whether it’s impractical. The question is whether we should be thinking about how we get Donald Trump in front of the International Criminal Court as a war criminal. This is one of the most monstrous things an American president has said in our time. And the fact that he can be assimilated like this is just testament to the profound dehumanization of Palestinians that suffuses American public discourse.”

February 5, 2025

From DemocracyNow!: “Elon Musk is going to pay for his tax cut with your Social Security.”

Lindsay Owens breaks down the billionaire’s unprecedented takeover of key government functions, including trillions in Treasury Department payments.

February 2, 2025

Shortly after the Gaza ceasefire deal was signed, a conversation between Yanis Varoufakis (Greek economist and politician) and Francesca Albanese (UN Rapporteur on Palestine) at the MeRA25’s National Convention — offering a wider prospective and contextualization largely unavailable on mainstream media:

January 30, 2025

From Gizmodo.com:

President Donald Trump held a rambling, unhinged press conference Thursday about the midair collision between a commercial plane and military helicopter in Washington, D.C. Wednesday night that killed 67 people. The entire press conference was a long series of excuses about why Trump’s administration wasn’t to blame for the crash and the president repeatedly said “diversity” in hiring of air traffic controllers was to blame. “The FAA is actively recruiting workers who suffer severe intellectual disabilities, psychiatric problems, and other mental and physical conditions under a diversity and inclusion hiring initiative spelled out on the agency’s website. Can you imagine?” Trump said.

From The Guardian:

Notably, when the Trump administration came in on 20 January, it started swiftly firing federal employees, meaning the Federal Aviation Administration’s leadership is now dotted with vacancies. There is no Senate-confirmed administrator leading the agency.

Michael Whitaker, the administrator under Biden, left the agency after Elon Musk, the billionaire Trump supporter, demanded he resign, the Daily Beast reported. Trump nominated Chris Rocheleau to lead the agency in the aftermath of the crash. ….Conservatives often blame the air traffic controller shortage on diversity measures, a line of attack so frequent that one of Trump’s executive orders specifically focused on ending the FAA’s diversity programs, part of a government-wide push against these programs in the new administration. … Tennessee Garvey, a pilot and the chair of the Organization of Black Aerospace Professionals, told NBC News that DEI had been inappropriately “weaponized” and blamed for safety issues without any proof.“There’s never been any proof that DEI causes any safety issues, because it doesn’t,” he said.

January 28, 2025

#ACompleteUnknown enters the American cinematic songbook through the mind and music of Bob Dylan. A movie-experience not to be missed! Also, useful to know “at least 27 places where it veers from historical record”, thanks to Rolling Stone.

January 27, 2025

From Team Zeteo: ‘Truly Frightening’: Top Historian on MAGA and Tech Bros’ Unprecedented Alliance