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US politics

Authoritarianism
'Emperor has no Clothes:' Trump asked of Egypt's al-Sisi, 'Where's my Favorite Dictator?'

‘Emperor has no Clothes:’ Trump asked of Egypt’s al-Sisi, ‘Where’s my Favorite Dictator?’

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Trump has long been accused of having a soft spot for dictators, but now he has admitted it, even if only in the form of a jest. Nancy Youssef, Vivian Salama, and Michael Bender at the Wall Street Journal report that at the recent G7 meeting where Trump saw a […]

journalism
How TV cameras influence candidates' debate success

How TV cameras influence candidates’ debate success

The Conversation

By Patrick A. Stewart | – As the Democratic Party continues to winnow its field of candidates to challenge President Donald Trump, it’s important to remember that the way candidates are covered on TV can influence public opinion. That’s become increasingly apparent in today’s media landscape, with several candidates jockeying for coverage during their party’s […]

Espionage
Israel caught by FBI electronically Spying on Trump, White House

Israel caught by FBI electronically Spying on Trump, White House

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Daniel Lipmann at Politico dropped the bombshell that mysterious electronic spying devices placed throughout Washington, D.C. and close to the White House and the Capitol were traced by the FBI to Israel. The Israelis deployed StingRay mobile identity-catchers, devices that are mistaken for cell towers by cell phones, allowing them […]

Donald Trump
What John Bolton's exit reveals about Donald Trump's foreign policy priorities

What John Bolton’s exit reveals about Donald Trump’s foreign policy priorities

The Conversation

By Steven Hurst | – Everyone who works in the Trump White House eventually outstays their welcome and John Bolton was no different. In a series of tweets on September 10, Donald Trump announced he’d fired his national security advisor – although Bolton insisted he’d offered his own resignation the day before. The immediate catalyst […]

Donald Trump
With Bolton gone, will Trump meet Iran's Pres. Rouhani?

With Bolton gone, will Trump meet Iran’s Pres. Rouhani?

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – In the wake of the firing of national security adviser and full-time warmonger John Bolton, secretary of state Mike Pompeo and treasury secretary Dan Mnuchin held a press conference on Tuesday. Both reaffirmed that Trump is open to meeting Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani “without preconditions.” They also, however, affirmed that […]

Authoritarianism
Trump's NOAA reduced to agency of Tinpot Dictator like al-Sisi's Egypt

Trump’s NOAA reduced to agency of Tinpot Dictator like al-Sisi’s Egypt

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Last week Trump erroneously tweeted out that Alabama was in the path of Hurricane Dorian, which could have set off a panic in Alabama that led to people leaving their homes unnecessarily, and to economic harm. The Birmingham National Weather Service contradicted the president. It now transpires that Wilbur Ross, […]

Afghanistan
Will Trump Bring Peace to Afghanistan?  Don't Hold your Breath

Will Trump Bring Peace to Afghanistan? Don’t Hold your Breath

Reese Erlich

( 48hills.org) – Washington, DC is buzzing with talk of troop withdrawals and the impact on peace talks in Afghanistan. The US may start withdrawing troops within months, the start of what would be a gradual withdrawal of all 14,000 US troops from the country. President Donald Trump wants to leave the impression that he […]

Donald Trump
At Height of Hurricane Disaster Season, Trump moves $100 mn. from FEMA to Jailing Immigrants

At Height of Hurricane Disaster Season, Trump moves $100 mn. from FEMA to Jailing Immigrants

Jill Richardson

(Otherwords.org) – The Trump administration is moving money away from disaster relief to lock up more immigrants. Donald Trump discusses immigration as if the benefits of residence in the U.S. are a pie. When immigrants get more, the people who were already here get less. In general, that’s not true. When immigrants come here, they […]

Brazil
Burning Down the House: Far Right Nihilism in US, UK & Brazil Menaces the Planet

Burning Down the House: Far Right Nihilism in US, UK & Brazil Menaces the Planet

John Feffer

By John Feffer | – (Foreign Policy in Focus ) – Far-right governments in the U.S., UK, and Brazil are laying bare their nihilistic roots and full destructive potential. Doesn’t idiocy ever take a vacation? As August wound down, the populist troika of Donald Trump, Boris Johnson, and Jair Bolsonaro proved once again that the […]

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