IMPORTANT READS

OUR TAXES - Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Commissioner Charles Rettig vowed in a recent letter that the agency would “absolutely not” use the 87,000 new employees funded by the Inflation Reduction Act to target middle-class Americans.

GUEST COMMENTARY - Could somebody please get an extension ladder to help Senator Schumer down from the ceiling?

THE VIEW FROM HERE - The nation faces an unrecognized dilemma. Who is more dangerous to America – Donald Trump who is definitely a narcissistic histrionic or Nancy Pelosi who is probably a narcissistic psychopath? 

THE REPUBLICAN REPUBLIC - If this was just routine political corruption by a few rogue politicians, it would be a problem but not a crisis—however—this cynical embrace of strongman oligarchy has put America itself at risk. 

HOUSING CRISIS - As the median rent spikes to $2,000 across the country, housing justice activists double down on efforts to counter price-gouging landlords.

RELIGION POLITICS - In the run-up to the U.S. midterm elections, some politicians continue to ride the wave of what’s known as “Christian nationalism” in ways that are increasingly vocal and direct.

GUEST COMMENTARY - The Trump era was marked by the administration loading the federal judiciary with a seemingly endless number of right-wing extremists, many of whom weren’t remotely qualified to serve a lifetime on the bench.

US HOUSE REPORT - "These firms are buying up a lot of housing, and they're particularly buying up housing in places that have relatively weak tenant protections," said one eviction expert. "And I don't think that that is coincidental."

THE VIEW FROM HERE - In order to consolidate power, power needs to vanquish the rule of law. 

RACIAL RECKONINGS - What some Americans seem to have forgotten. 

OIL PRODUCTION - Will civilization collapse because it's running out of oil? That question was debated hotly almost 20 years ago; today, not so much.

PLANNING WATCH - Automobile companies in Asia, Europe, and the United States are investing over $500 billion in electric cars, led by two German car companies, Daimler and VW. 

WAR ON UKRAINE - What the mainstream media fail to see in the coverage of the current Ukraine crisis is that there is no text (narrative) without context.

HUMANS - The world is a mess, in both social and ecological terms, mired in unjust and unsustainable systems.

FOOD SUPPLY - The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) is holding its annual convention in Philadelphia starting on July 29.

SCOTUS VIEW - On June 30, the Supreme Court agreed to hear a case called Moore v. Harper.

GUEST COMMENTARY - Is an insurrection percolating in the MAGA universe? A civil war

LABOR WATCH - There was a big lie that modern corporations sold to American workers in the late 20th century and into the first decade of the 21st century:

RELIGION POLITICS - A potentially historic political shift is currently taking place within an unexpected group of Americans: evangelical Christians.

NO BUILD BACK BETTER - Last week, Senator Manchin blindsided his Democratic colleagues when he reversed course on his previous demands that their agenda be focused on tax reform and declared that he would not vote to raise taxes on the rich or massive corporations.

DROP OUT TUNE OUT - With inflation soaring, trust in governments plummeting, and the global economy teetering on the brink of collapse, one might expect to see the masses out in the streets, calling for the heads of their rulers.