IMPORTANT READS

OTHER WORDS-There was this moment during the State of the Union Address that I can’t stop thinking about.

VIEW FROM HERE-Today, a memorial marks the spot in Birla House, New Delhi, where Mahatma Gandhi was assassinated at 5:17 p.m. on January 30, 1948.

GUEST WORDS-Like me — take a look at the pic above — right about now, you might be asking yourself: “Is America fixable?” 

GUEST WORDS--I wake every day and watch their implosion with a combination of fascination, horror, and disbelief.

WORLD WATCH-I have long maintained that Israel’s occupation of the West Bank defies the moral principle behind the creation of the state.

WHITE HOUSE POLITICS-Attorney General William Barr’s interview the other day in which he said Trump’s constant tweeting had made his job “impossible” has gotten mixed responses in the media.

WORLD WATCH-After three years in office, one can hardly be surprised at what Trump is capable of saying, doing, or scheming.

GUEST WORDS--My Spotify workout playlist is a time warp. Growing up in a blue-collar neighborhood of New York City in the 1990s and early 2000s, listening to popular East Coast hip-hop was practically required.

2020 ELECTION-For decades, Republicans have painted anyone left of Barry Goldwater as a “socialist.” Why? Because for a generation raised on the Cold War, “socialist” just seemed like a damaging label. 

POLITICS--When I look at America, when my friends from around the world look at America, we see the same thing. It makes us drop our jaws and shake our heads. How can a society be so deep in denial?

SPECIAL REPORT--Copies of President Trump's FY2021 budget are shown after being delivered to the House Budget Committee on February 10, 2020 in Washington, D.C.

VIEW FROM HERE-Due to massive incompetence and a catastrophic smart phone app glitch, as of this writing on Friday, February 7, there is still not a definitive winner from the Iowa caucuses. (With 99% reporting, Bernie Sanders is at 26.1% with 12 delegates and Buttigieg is at 26.2% with 13 delegates.)

EASTSIDER--Talk about pushback from the Iowa caucus. My goodness, the ever so supercilious wringing of hands of the same corporate media like CNN and NBC who brought us the debacle of the Democratic debates even as they & the DNC screwed the pooch in debate format, debate questions, and insipid commentary. 

GUEST COMMENTARY--Years from now, there will be a moment that you remember from the impeachment of Donald J. Trump. What will it be?

AMERICAN CRISIS-This is a make or break year for many migrants seeking to improve their families’ financial conditions. They say they’re being persecuted in their homeland, yet they fear being vilified for crossing the border. What to do? 

OTHER WORDS-President Trump is on trial. As in a real trial, charges have been asserted: The House alleges high crimes and misdemeanors. A judge presides: Chief Justice John Roberts sits in his fine black robe at the head of the chamber.

WORLD WATCH-Recently, I met with a group of officials from different countries who came to the US to learn about our political system and the decision-making process regarding US foreign policy under the Trump administration.

VIEW FROM HERE-By painstakingly outlining the architecture of the Ukraine scheme, the impeachment managers successfully described how Trump put self-interest ahead of the nation's priorities.

ROYAL SEPARATION-In a move that reflects the time-worn pathologies of powerful aristocratic families, the House of Windsor has agreed to allow the Queen’s grandson, Harry, currently sixth in line to the throne, and his California-born wife, Meghan, to leave the family business (The Firm) and attempt to establish independent lives in Canada, a former colony which remains a member of the British Commonwealth. This represents their exile from the territorial, ceremonial, financial, and emotional heart of the royal family. 

WORLD WATCH-Those who applaud the assassination of General Soleimani seem to simply equate him to a terrorist who certainly deserved to meet his fate.

CONSTITUTIONAL AFFRONT-In violation of the separation of church and state, American tax dollars are funneled to fundamentalist private schools teaching crackpot absurdities – such as a claim that Noah probably took two baby dinosaurs onto his ark.