Via Spencer Hakimian
January 11, 2026
America's Second Civil War?
Sam Smith - Although the media is treating current major events as it does normally, we should at least discuss whether we are in the midst of something we haven't seen since the Civil War. At no other time in our history has our status as a democratric republic been in so much danger.
We have a convicted crook in the White House who is violating the Consitution and other laws. As during the Civil War, a key issue is ethnic suppression and even good folk seem to be downplaying the significance of this rise of hatred in our official policy. In addition our president asserts that he gets to determine what is proper including the invasion of other countries.
As a reporter now in his 70th year of journalism, I feel it is fair to say that I've seen nothing like this before. Not only is the president engaged in evil, he is winning the support of the Supreme Court and enjoying the failure of Congress to do anything about it.
We have had evil leaders in the past but not since the Civil War have we had so many in our culture willing to accept such uncivility and illegality. If we continue to do so, America - and all it has stood for - will be gone. We will have lost the Second Civil War.
Misssissippi synagogue burned
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| Beth Israel Congregation Mississippi Today - A fire heavily damaged Mississippi’s largest synagogue before dawn Saturday – the same house of worship in northeast Jackson that the Ku Klux Klan bombed in 1967 because the rabbi supported civil rights. The Jackson Fire Department, the FBI and the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives arrested a suspect Saturday night in the latest blaze after the fire department ruled it arson, according to chief fire investigator Charles Felton. Investigators did not immediately release the name of the suspect or the charges the person could face. The fire was reported shortly after 3 a.m. at Beth Israel Congregation on Old Canton Road. No congregants were injured |
Greenland
Daily Mail, UK - Donald Trump has ordered his special forces commanders to draw up a plan for the invasion of Greenland - but is being resisted by senior military figures, The Mail on Sunday has learned.
Sources say that the policy 'hawks' around the US President, led by political adviser Stephen Miller, have been so emboldened by the success of the operation to capture Venezuela's leader Nicolas Maduro that they want to move quickly to seize the island before Russia or China makes a move.
British diplomats believe that Trump is also motivated by a desire to distract American voters from the performance of the US economy before the mid-term elections later this year, after which he could lose control of Congress to the Democrats.
Stupid Trump stuff
SlavicFreeSpirit - Trump: "We need to buy Greenland — we don't want Russia as our neighbor!" Thank God so many Americans flunked geography, or they'd remember that Alaska and Russia are already so close they can practically borrow a cup of sugar across the Bering Strait.
Nobel Peace Prizes can't be transferred
NY Times - Sharing might be caring, but not, apparently, when it comes to the Nobel Peace Prize.
On Friday, the Norwegian Nobel Institute clarified the rules governing the award, writing that the facts were “clear and well established.”
“Once a Nobel Prize is announced, it cannot be revoked, shared or transferred to others,” the institute wrote. “The decision is final and stands for all time.”
The statement was released after María Corina Machado, Venezuela’s opposition leader and the winner of last year’s prize, offered this week to give her Nobel Peace Prize to President Trump, who has long coveted the award.
On Friday, the Norwegian Nobel Institute clarified the rules governing the award, writing that the facts were “clear and well established.”
“Once a Nobel Prize is announced, it cannot be revoked, shared or transferred to others,” the institute wrote. “The decision is final and stands for all time.”
The statement was released after María Corina Machado, Venezuela’s opposition leader and the winner of last year’s prize, offered this week to give her Nobel Peace Prize to President Trump, who has long coveted the award.
Just wondering. . .
Sam Smith - How many supporters of Trump immigration policies are descendents of American Indians? If they are not, shouldn't Trump want them deported?
Largest distributor of print books to public libraries to close
NPR - The imminent closure of Baker & Taylor, the U.S.’ largest distributor of print books to public libraries, has created a sense of urgency for librarians to stock their shelves with the latest releases. For nearly 200 years, the agency has played a significant role in getting new books into the hands of library cardholders. Here’s how libraries are handling the impending change.
Google removes some of its AI summaries after users’ health put at risk
The Guardian - Google has removed some of its artificial intelligence health summaries after a Guardian investigation found people were being put at risk of harm by false and misleading information.
The company has said its AI Overviews, which use generative AI to provide snapshots of essential information about a topic or question, are “helpful” and “reliable”.
But some of the summaries, which appear at the top of search results, served up inaccurate health information, putting users at risk of harm.
In one case that experts described as “dangerous” and “alarming”, Google provided bogus information about crucial liver function tests that could leave people with serious liver disease wrongly thinking they were healthy.
Supremes could cut black representation in Congress
NPR - The United States could be headed toward the largest-ever decline in representation by Black members of Congress, depending on how the Supreme Court rules in a closely watched redistricting case about the Voting Rights Act.
For decades, the landmark law that came out of the Civil Rights Movement has protected the collective voting power of racial minorities when political maps are redrawn. Its provisions have also boosted the number of seats in the House of Representatives filled by Black lawmakers.
That's largely because in many Southern states — where voting is often polarized between a Republican-supporting white majority and a Democratic-supporting Black minority — political mapmakers have drawn a certain kind of district to get in line with the Voting Rights Act's Section 2 provisions. In these districts, racial-minority voters make up a population large enough to have a realistic opportunity of electing their preferred candidates.
But at an October hearing last year for the redistricting case about Louisiana's congressional map, the Supreme Court's conservative majority appeared inclined to issue this year another in a series of decisions that have weakened the Voting Rights Act — this time its Section 2 protections in redistricting.
That kind of ruling could put at risk at least 15 House districts currently represented by a Black member of Congress, an NPR analysis has found. Each of those districts has a sizable racial-minority population, is in a state where Republican lawmakers control redistricting and, for now at least, is likely protected by Section 2. Factoring in newly redrawn districts in Missouri and Texas, which were not included in NPR's analysis, could raise the tally of at-risk districts higher.
Is college worth it?
Washington Post - A college education was once seen as the golden ticket to a better job, more money and a better life. But that confidence in the value of a degree has eroded in recent years. Only 15 years ago three-quarters of Americans agreed college was very important, but by this year that figure had fallen to 35 percent.
People are aware of some of the positive developments in higher education over the decades, such as the marked increase in women going to college and the career opportunities that followed. But they also recognize that a college education has become more expensive. And polarization has come for the academy, too. Many on the right seem to view colleges and universities as overpriced engines of liberal indoctrination, while many on the left treat them as redoubts of resistance to an ideologically driven assault on science and fact. Whatever the cause, a dramatic shift is underway, and today large swaths of Americans doubt if college is worth it at all.
Where Americans want to live
Washington Post - You’ve heard of voting with your feet. What about a referendum via U-Haul?
The rental company released its annual growth index this week, which measures the net gain or losses in one-way customers taking their trucks from one state to another, based on over 2.5 million transactions. Texas claimed the top spot for growth. That’s the seventh time it’s happened in the last decade. Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina and Tennessee rounded out the top five. Nine of the top 10 growth states voted red in the last presidential election.
The states with the lowest growth were the usual suspects. California came in last. Massachusetts, New York, Illinois and New Jersey rounded out the bottom five. Of the bottom 10, seven voted blue in the last election.
The value of sleep consistency
NY Times - Sleep consistency refers to how well you maintain the same bedtime and wake-up time, give or take 30 minutes — and that includes weekends, said Jean-Philippe Chaput, a professor of medicine at the University of Ottawa.
Research suggests that most adults in the United States do not have a consistent sleep schedule. And that may be harming their health, Dr. Chaput said...
In a 2020 study, researchers analyzed the sleep patterns of nearly 2,000 adults aged 45 to 84 in the United States. They concluded that those with the most irregular sleep schedules were more than twice as likely to develop cardiovascular disease than those with more regular sleep patterns.
In another study published in 2024, researchers analyzed sleep data from more than 88,000 adults in the United Kingdom and assigned “sleep regularity” scores to all of them. Those who scored lowest, meaning they had the most irregular sleep schedules, were about 50 percent more likely to develop dementia than those who scored in the middle of the range.
Word
New Republic - When the Trump administration says “our interests,” they’re not talking about your or my interests, and they’re not talking about the nation’s interests. They’re talking about the interests of corporate elites. The Donroe Doctrine is a racket—nothing more and nothing less—designed to make the U.S. taxpayer underwrite resource imperialism for Trump’s billionaire buddies.
Trump's appeal court judges have backed him 92% of time
Axios - Appeals court judges chosen by President Trump in his first term are reliably reversing rulings by district court judges in his second —133-12 in 2025, or 92% of the time, a New York Times tally finds.
- These judges form "a nearly united phalanx to defend his agenda … clearing the way for his policies and gradually eroding a perception early last year that the legal system was thwarting his efforts to amass presidential power," The Times notes.
The Times analysis found that district courts ruled for Trump policies 25% of the time last year … appeals courts, 51% … and the Supreme Court, 88%
- Trump appointees voted pro-Trump 92% of the time … other GOP appointees, 68% … and Democratic appointees, 27%.
Leonard Leo, the Federalist Society co-chair who guided Trump's first-term judicial picks under the banner of "originalism," told The Times: "The Supreme Court's docket is so tiny, and there's so little attention paid to the appellate courts … Trump has filled them with these superstar judges. They're not buffoons. They're very effective. And they are going to be there for a long time."
Trump's limitless view of power
Axios - The first week of 2026 left little ambiguity about what President Trump thinks of power — or whether there are any limits on his. Just listen to him and top aide Stephen Miller this week:
Trump to The New York Times, when asked if there are any checks on his global ambitions: "Yeah, there is one thing. My own morality. My own mind. It's the only thing that can stop me."
Miller to CNN's Jake Tapper: "[Y]ou can talk all you want about international niceties and everything else. But we live in a world, in the real world, Jake, that is governed by strength, that is governed by force, that is governed by power."
That worldview drove one of the most frenetic, forceful starts to a year. Through it all, the White House barreled forward with swagger, speed and open disdain for guardrails, Axios' Zachary Basu writes. Full story
Hegseth’s fight against Kelly moves into untested legal waters
The Hill - Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is forgoing a promised court-martialing and taking a behind-closed-doors track to attempt to punish Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.).
The administrative move - which seeks to reduce Kelly's retirement rank and military pension - is the latest in the bitter back-and-forth between the Trump administration and the retired Navy captain after he joined five other Democratic lawmakers in a November video reminding service members that they were obligated to refuse illegal orders.
While Hegseth is taking Kelly into uncharted legal waters, using an action typically meant to scrutinize service members' active-duty conduct, a Pentagon packed with President Trump loyalists could unfairly tip the scales against the Arizona Democrat, according to military law experts.
"The bottom line is, this is not lawful," Rachel VanLandingham, a retired Air Force lieutenant colonel and former judge advocate, said of Hegseth's bid to reduce Kelly's rank under the military code. "It's just never been done."
Hegseth on Monday issued a letter of censure to Kelly, claiming the senator's actions were prejudicial to good order and discipline. The letter kicks off the proceedings against Kelly, with Navy Secretary John Phelan to make a recommendation to Hegseth within 45 days as to whether a reduction in retired grade is warranted. Hegseth will then decide if he will reduce Kelly's grade.
January 10, 2026
Housing
Elizabeth Warren - Under Donald Trump, the median age of a first-time homebuyer hit a record 40 years old. There’s a housing crisis in every state across the country.
ICE
Phiiadelphia Sheriff - “No law enforcement officer may wear a mask. We will arrest those who wear masks to hide their identity. If you come to this city and commit a crime, the criminal in the White House cannot keep you from going to prison.”
The Guardian - More than a thousand protests are planned across the US this Saturday and Sunday after ICE agents shot three people, one fatally, in Minneapolis and Portland, Oregon, this week.
“This weekend, people all over are coming together not just to mourn the lives lost to ICE violence, but to confront a pattern of harm that has torn families apart and terrorized our communities,” said Leah Greenberg, co-executive director of Indivisible, an organizer of “ICE Out for Good Weekend of Action”.
The partisan media outlet Alpha News first posted the video on X, a 47-second clip that showed the perspective of the ICE agent – and captured a man’s voice calling Good a “fucking bitch” after she was mortally wounded. It was then shared by the White House’s official Rapid Response X account as well as JD Vance, with the vice-president writing in part that he agreed with the notion that Good’s death was “a tragedy” but accused the media of dishonestly covering the circumstances of her killing.
In a statement to the Guardian, the Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin confirmed that the footage was authentic while claiming that Good “was impeding law enforcement and weaponized her vehicle in an attempt to kill or cause bodily harm to federal law enforcement” and the “officer was in fear of his own life”.
“The American people can watch this video with their own eyes and ears and judge for themselves,” McLaughlin added.
Donald Trump
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| Trump Underwater in Most States: Approval Craters Amid Mounting Economic Fears — Economist |
Federal judge blocks White House freeze of childcare subsidies in Democratic states
The Guardian - A federal judge ruled on Friday that the Trump administration cannot block federal money for childcare subsidies and other programs aimed at supporting low-income families with children from flowing to five Democratic-led states for now.
The states of California, Colorado, Illinois, Minnesota and New York argued that a policy announced on Tuesday to freeze billions of dollars in funds for three grant programs was having an immediate impact on them and creating “operational chaos”. In court filings and a hearing earlier on Friday, the states contended that the government did not have a legal reason for withholding the money from them.
The US Department of Health and Human Services said it was pausing the funding because it had “reason to believe” the states were granting benefits to people in the country illegally, though it did not provide evidence or explain why it was targeting those states and not others....
US district judge Arun Subramanian, who was nominated to the bench by Joe Biden, did not rule on the legality of the funding freeze but said the five states met a legal threshold “to protect the status quo” for at least 14 days while arguments are made in court.
Trump announces one-year 10% cap on credit card interest rates
The Guardian - Donald Trump announced a one-year cap that would limit credit card interest rates to 10% this week, in a move that has prompted mixed reaction from lawmakers and beyond.
The president’s social media post on Friday night said the restriction would take effect on 20 January, but he did not provide specifics on how the government would implement it or ensure that companies comply...
During his campaign for a second term, Trump said he would implement such a cap, as American credit card debt hit a record of more than $1.1tn. US credit card debt surpassed that and reached a whopping $1.17tn in the third quarter of 2024, growing from $770bn in the first quarter of 2021.
After not seeing action on that campaign promise, senators Bernie Sanders and Josh Hawley introduced a bipartisan bill in February 2025 to cap credit card interest rates at 10% for the next five years.
“When large financial institutions charge over 25 percent interest on credit cards, they are not engaged in the business of making credit available. They are engaged in extortion and loan sharking. We cannot continue to allow big banks to make huge profits ripping off the American people. This legislation will provide working families struggling to pay their bills with desperately needed financial relief,” the lawmakers wrote in a statement announcing the bill.
Trump regime suspends $129m in benefit payments to Minnesota
The Guardian - The Trump administration announced it is suspending $129m in federal benefit payments to Minnesota amid allegations of widespread fraud in the state.The secretary of the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), Brooke Rollins, shared a letter on Friday on social media that was addressed to Minnesota’s governor, Tim Walz, and the mayor of Minneapolis, Jacob Frey, notifying them of the administration’s decision and citing investigations into alleged fraud conducted by local non-profits and businesses.
“Despite a staggering, wide-reaching fraud scandal, your administrations refuse to provide basic information or take common sense measures to stop fraud. The Trump administration refuses to allow such fraud to continue,” Rollins wrote.
Rollins asked Walz and Frey to provide the USDA with justification for all federal spending from 20 January 2025 to the present within 30 days. She is also requiring that all federal payments to the state moving forward require the same justification.
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