With the Passing of Justice Ginsburg, Democracy Just Got Harder, Again

“If an opening comes in the last year of President Trump’s term, and the primary process is started, we’ll wait to the next election.” — Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina), on filling a Supreme Court vacancy right before an election, October 2018 Right. Ol’ Lindsey nearly broke both legs walking that one back upon the passing of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. If Senate Republicans can seat a new Justice before the election, they will do it. If they can seat a new Justice before the end of January (in the event of a Trump loss), they...

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Ginsburg’s Death Sparks Renewed Calls for Reforms to the Supreme Court

As mourners left flowers and signs outside the U.S. Supreme Court building overnight following Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s death Friday evening, President Donald Trump and Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell vowed to force through her replacement with just weeks until the November election while progressive lawmakers and organizers promised to fight the GOP’s hypocritical effort to shift the court right. Acknowledging Ginsburg’s dying wish that she “will not be replaced until a new president is installed,” Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) declared that “we can, and must, fight.” And that fight to “preserve our democracy and move forward,” the congresswoman...

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2020 Election Could Decide Whether US Pursues Nuclear Escalation or Arms Control

In these final weeks of the 2020 presidential campaign, U.S. voters’ attention is being consumed by a maelstrom of crises — a merciless pandemic, a battered economy, a society ruptured by racist police violence and deadly structural inequalities, climate chaos and a fragile democracy. Who has time to worry about nuclear war? But just as warnings of a climate crisis and pandemics have been borne out, experts have long sounded the alarm about nuclear weapons, whether their use is triggered by impulse, accident or miscalculation. It took 140 years for the average global temperature to rise by 1.1° Celsius and just four...

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Mutual Aid Response During Fires Shows Black Lives Matter Is Building Community

One year after Occupy Wall Street spread to public squares across the nation, a spontaneous network formed to provide civilian disaster response during and after Hurricane Sandy. They called themselves “Occupy Sandy.” Now, in response to a different climate catastrophe, Black Lives Matter (BLM) protesters in Portland, Oregon, are making a similar transition. Shortly after rallies and direct action protests to celebrate 100 nights of Black Lives Matter protests in Portland, the region was hit with historic wildfires, sending thousands to seek shelter, and blanketing the metropolitan area with the worst air quality on the planet. Almost immediately, networks of...

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US Weighs Into Mediterranean Tensions With Weapons And Hypocrisy

US Weighs Into Mediterranean Tensions With Weapons And Hypocrisy Tyler Durden Sat, 09/19/2020 - 07:00 Via The Strategic Culture Foundation, Twice in the past week, the United States has clumsily weighed into mounting tensions in the East Mediterranean between Greece and Turkey. First, Washington announced last weekend the opening of a maritime security base on the island state of Cyprus, which is allied with Greece. Then the U.S. followed up by formally clearing the way to send weapons to Cyprus, ending a 33-year arms embargo. Washington claims the arms are “non-lethal”, but we have seen that semantic ruse played before...

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"Trying To Break Us Down": Mass Protests Hit Israel As 2nd Nationwide Lockdown Takes Effect

"Trying To Break Us Down": Mass Protests Hit Israel As 2nd Nationwide Lockdown Takes Effect Tyler Durden Sat, 09/19/2020 - 07:35 As Israel's second nationwide mandatory lockdown went into effect on Friday, hundreds took the streets in Tel Aviv to protest what citizens complain is unnecessary government overreach which will only harm businesses while achieving little positive effect. Israel's Health ministry cited a recent spike in COVID-19 cases in making the argument last week that a new national lockdown is warranted; however, government ministers concerned about the devastating impact on small businesses as well as freedom of worship clashed with factions pushing...