Saturday, November 30, 2024
Mexican president claims ‘no potential tariff war’ with US after call with Trump
Sheinbaum says she had cooperative talks with president-elect who threatened 25% tariff against Mexico on Tuesday…
Epistemology Test: Anthony Fauci Edition • Richard Carrier Blogs
Anyone who thinks Anthony Fauci is "a fraud" has a broken epistemology.
You have selected to respect dogmatism and disrespect the scientific method; you have failed to fact-check your own assumptions about timelines and the content of actual statements made; you have selectively ignored things that actually were or weren't said; you've conflated different things as the same one thing, and conveniently in just such a way as supports rather than tests your presuppositions; and you have preferred your own emotionally satisfying narrative to anything resembling a reality-based belief-system (the signature of all tinfoil hat).
I have seen this pattern in many other people and groups, who think (even boast!) that they are reasoning rationally but are actually reasoning illogically, often in wilful ignorance of the actual facts (exhibiting even a persistent disinterest in actually fact-checking anything they feel should be true), and all quite in slavery to their emotions, letting their desires and preferences and assumptions dictate their perceptions and inferences, and letting their anger or embarrassment or pride steer them away from ever fixing their epistemology or ever paying attention to the actual evidence and arguments presented for any position they dislike.
Please stop. Get on the rope ladder. Climb out of that trap. Your whole life and the whole world will be better for it.
Sanctuary cities respond to Trump deportation plans: ‘We’re preparing to defend our communities’
The Trump administration is likely to try to deny federal funds to cities and states to get them to play ball. One idea floated in Project 2025, the conservative manifesto, called for withholding federal emergency assistance grants as a way to compel cities to detain undocumented immigrants and share sensitive data with the federal government for immigration enforcement purposes...
Trump victory not a mandate for radical change, top election forecaster says
US expert who predicted outcome says models showed voters were unhappy with economy but did not seek sweeping transformation…
‘Would you survive 72 hours?’ Germany and the Nordic countries prepare citizens for possible war | Europe | The Guardian
Apps and booklets are offering advice on how to build a bunker, stockpile food and live without electricity in case the worst happens…
Republicans headed for a $4.6 trillion brawl over Trump tax cuts - POLITICO
Whether to pay for extending provisions of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act — and even figuring out the cost — is dividing GOP lawmakers...
Trump’s former FDA commissioner warns RFK Jr. could ‘cost lives’ if confirmed - The Washington Post
"You're going to see measles, mumps and rubella vaccination rates go down," Gottlieb said on CNBC, referencing Kennedy's longtime criticism of federal recommendations for childhood immunizations, and noting a recent decline in childhood vaccination rates. The nation is approaching a "tipping point," Gottlieb said, where a continued decline in childhood vaccines could soon lead to measles outbreaks and deaths of children.
"We're going to start seeing epidemics of diseases that have long been vanquished, and, God forbid, we see polio reemerge in this country," he said...
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Elon Musk calls to ‘delete’ US finance consumer watchdog agency
Tech billionaire tapped by Trump posts on X about wanting to eliminate Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB)…
Women arrested by Taliban for begging report rape and killings in Afghan jails
Draconian new laws allow mass incarceration of women and children forced to beg because of work ban…
FTC going after more scammers after closing a major loophole
The agency says the expanded scope of the Telemarketing Sales Rule (TSR) will be of particular benefit to seniors, who disproportionately fall victim to fake tech support calls …
Tesla owners turn against Musk: ‘I’m embarrassed driving this car around’
The electric car brand was once a liberal favourite – but the CEO's embrace of Trump has led to an angry backlash…
Friday, November 29, 2024
The Scary Truth about Critical Thinking • Richard Carrier Blogs
…if you try really hard to refute yourself before trying to defend yourself, then the mere act of avoiding such methods of defending false beliefs will land you in methods of detecting them. Which is exactly where you want to land—if true beliefs are what you want to have...
… And this is the key lesson for today. It is as important to pay attention to how people are defending false beliefs—the methods they are using to do that (and thereby to avoid discovering or admitting their beliefs are false)—and not just the methods used to catch their mistakes and debunk them…
Under tariff threat, US wholesaler warns: 'People will pay' | Reuters
"People will have to pay a higher price. Whatever they charge us, we will pass on to the consumer," Flores said from his section of the larger complex, the Los Angeles Wholesale Produce Market...
Putin says he does not believe Trump is safe after assassination attempts | Reuters
"By the way, in my opinion, he is not safe now," said Putin.
"Unfortunately, in the history of the United States various incidents have happened. I think he (Trump) is intelligent and I hope he's cautious and understands."…
Trump’s Ukraine envoy pick proposed forcing peace talks by withdrawing US weapons | Trump administration | The Guardian
In a co-authored document presented to Trump in April, Kellogg also said the US should give Ukraine more weapons if Russia didn't join negotiations…
RFK Jr. attacked the CDC's ‘fascism’, likened vaccinating children to abuse by the Catholic Church
Kennedy, an anti-vaccine activist, has been known to use — and sometimes apologize for — extreme language and metaphors when speaking about what he perceives as a threat from vaccines. It's misinformation about autism and mass injury that doctors and public health officials have disproven over and over again. Numerous studies across countries and continents have found that vaccines are safe, prevent injury and save lives, and do not cause autism...
Tommy Tuberville Called Out For Pushing 1 Of The 'Oldest False Choices' In Politics | HuffPost Latest News
"[He's] apparently unaware that many of the weapons that are bought and sent to Ukraine are made in Alabama," Nichols said.
"People don't realize that most of American foreign aid, which is less than 1% of our budget, is spent in the United States on American workers for American products," he continued. "And the idea that you can simply say, 'Well, things happening in other parts of the world will never affect us,' is foolish and shortsighted."…
Why are eggs getting more expensive again? | PBS News
Egg prices are rising once more as a lingering outbreak of bird flu coincides with the high demand of the holiday baking season…
Weekly Roundup: President Elon Musk, “Freedom Cities,” and the End of Expertise (Bradley Onishi and Daniel Miller; Straight White American Jesus podcast)
Brad goes solo this week to discuss the overlap between tech elites like Elon Musk, Peter Thiel, and Christian nationalists, examining their shared vision and the implications for American society.
The episode also explores Elon Musk’s involvement with Donald Trump’s inner circle, including attempts to influence cabinet picks, and the vision of tech moguls wanting to create sovereign ‘freedom cities’ on federal land.
Brad gives a critical view of Musk’s transformation from admired innovator to perceived supervillain and how these powerful figures aim to transcend historical limitations.
He also highlights the long-term strategies of radicalized Christian nationalists attempting to build a theocratic society in Jackson County, Tennessee, drawing parallels between their goals and those of the tech oligarchs.
Interview:
DC’s Catholic Power Center (w/Gareth Gore) (Conspirituality podcast episode #233)
Josemaria Escriva founded Opus Dei, an ultra-conservative, high-demand, secretive Catholic organization in Madrid, Spain, after receiving a supposed vision from God in 1928. His small inner circle initially initiated university students into strict obedience, celibacy, medieval practices of self-flagellation, and deceptive recruitment techniques to convert their friends.
Operating outside of the mainstream church, Opus Dei rose to prominence under Spain's authoritarian dictator, Francisco Franco. Escriva was eventually canonized as a saint while the group amassed enormous wealth and influence around the world.
Today, their reactionary religious and political mission has established a foothold in Washington DC through the Catholic Information Center—the tabernacle closest to the White House.Bill Barr, Leonard Leo, and Project 2025 mastermind, Kevin Roberts, all visit for spiritual guidance. Meanwhile, scandals and lawsuits involving child sex abuse, money laundering, and human trafficking plague Opus Dei's reputation. Gareth Gore joins us to discuss his controversial new book on the past and present of this secretive organization, Opus.
Interview:
Operating outside of the mainstream church, Opus Dei rose to prominence under Spain's authoritarian dictator, Francisco Franco. Escriva was eventually canonized as a saint while the group amassed enormous wealth and influence around the world.
Today, their reactionary religious and political mission has established a foothold in Washington DC through the Catholic Information Center—the tabernacle closest to the White House.Bill Barr, Leonard Leo, and Project 2025 mastermind, Kevin Roberts, all visit for spiritual guidance. Meanwhile, scandals and lawsuits involving child sex abuse, money laundering, and human trafficking plague Opus Dei's reputation. Gareth Gore joins us to discuss his controversial new book on the past and present of this secretive organization, Opus.
Interview:
Thursday, November 28, 2024
Trump’s Gorka pick met with outrage: he’s ‘as dangerous as he is unqualified’ | Trump administration | The Guardian
…John Bolton, the former UN ambassador who was Trump's third national security adviser in his first term, told CNN that Gorka was "a conman" who should not be "in any US government" and whose selection does not "bode well for counter-terrorism efforts"...
How to make yourself scam-proof in 45 minutes or less
"The steps I took are straightforward, free and most only take only a few minutes to set up.
Here's what I did..."
COP29: Climate change could kill millions — and world leaders must work to limit fatalities
"…we found that climate change could result in around one billion premature deaths by the end of the century unless serious action is taken to reduce emissions…"
Trump’s tariff plan will send prices ‘through the roof’, warn US firms
US manufacturers are bracing for disruption and sounding the alarm that customers will be hit by price increases…
Catholic priest accused of sexual assault fathered children of victims, court hears
Odiong at the time sought to falsely persuade his parishioners that his removal resulted from his opposition to efforts endorsed by Pope Francis to make the church more welcoming to the LGBTQ+ community...
Wednesday, November 27, 2024
‘We learned the hard way’: Samoa remembers a deadly measles outbreak and a visit from RFK Jr
Kennedy has spread false claims that the MMR vaccines cause autism. According to the Centre for Countering Digital Hate, he is one of the world's top disinformation super-spreaders. Public health officials in Samoa said anti-vaccination activists had been empowered by Kennedy, which had affected vaccine uptake...
Taxpayers spend 22% more per patient to support Medicare Advantage – the private alternative to Medicare that promised to cost less
"… For every extra dollar that taxpayers pay to Medicare Advantage companies, only roughly 50 to 60 cents goes to beneficiaries in the form of lower premiums or extra benefits.
As Medicare Advantage becomes increasingly expensive, the Medicare program continues to face funding challenges.
In our view, in order for Medicare to survive long term, Medicare Advantage reform is needed..."
Mexico vows to retaliate if Trump imposes 25 percent tariffs - The Washington Post
U.S. imports from Mexico include cars, machinery and electrical equipment, as well as more than half of its fresh fruit, according to the Agriculture Department. Canada supplies oil, gas and machinery, while China provides electronics, toys, furniture and plastics. Economists warn that tariffs on these goods could raise grocery prices and disrupt supply chains, key concerns during the recent election...
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Rural students’ options shrink as colleges slash majors - The Washington Post
Many of the comparatively few universities that serve rural students are eliminating large numbers of programs and majors, blaming plummeting enrollment and resulting financial crises. Nationwide, college enrollment has declined by 2 million students, or 10 percent, in the 10 years ending in 2022, hitting rural schools particularly hard. An increasing number of rural private, nonprofit colleges are not only cutting majors, but closing altogether…
Utilities build flow batteries big enough to oust coal, gas power plants - Washington Post
"It looks like flow batteries are finally about to take off with interest from China," said Michael Taylor, an energy analyst at the International Renewable Energy Agency, an international group that studies and promotes green energy. "When China starts to get comfortable with a technology and sees it working, then they will very quickly scale their manufacturing base if they think they can drive down the costs, which they usually can."…
Trump, DOGE would make a huge mistake waging war on remote work
Ramaswamy's proposal also dismisses the documented success of remote work in the federal sector. During the COVID-19 pandemic, telework allowed agencies to maintain productivity while reducing overhead costs associated with maintaining fully staffed physical offices, according to OMB's findings. This transition proved that flexible work arrangements could sustain and even enhance operational efficiency…
Tuesday, November 26, 2024
Not quite religion, not quite self-help: welcome to the Jordan Peterson age of nonsense
"Critics agree the writing is nigh on unintelligible. But the source of its success, I think, is that, like Peterson's previous works, it comes up with a set of spiritual "rules for living", which, in this case, he claims to find encoded in various religious texts. The tone, too, may be part of the appeal: it is grandiose, high-flown and at times near-hysterical, but also mesmerising in the manner of an evangelical preacher, whipping his audience into a spiritual frenzy..."
Congresswoman says GOP attack on trans rights is ‘attempt to misdirect’ voters
"Every single time we hear them say the word 'trans', look at what they're doing with their right hand. Look at what they're doing to pick the pocket of American workers, to fleece seniors by privatizing social security and Medicare. Look at what they're doing, undermining workers."
"Every bit of time and energy that has been used to divert the attention of the federal government to go after trans people is time and energy that is not focused upon addressing the cost of living for our constituents, and we have to be clear that there is a real cost to the American worker every time they focus on this."
Hegseth’s views on women in combat ‘flat-out wrong’, Senator Duckworth says
She said that Hegseth served at a low level in the military and did not command any group larger than a platoon.
"Mr Hegseth is not qualified for the position because he doesn't understand, apparently even after having served, that women are actually vitally important to an effective military."…
Popular vote totals make Trump’s ‘mandate’ look like a mirage
Donald Trump won the popular vote, but more Americans voted against him than for him — discrediting Republican talk about an electoral "mandate."…
Trump is trying to control Congress. Republicans are quietly pushing back. - POLITICO
Republicans opted to quietly push back rather than vocally denounce a questionable Cabinet pick. Look out for that same strategy when it comes to spending and other nominees...
Federalist Society’s Leonard Leo wants to “crush liberal dominance” : NPR
His plans involve the Teneo Network, which describes itself as a "talent pipeline" for the conservative movement, with ambitions to influence Hollywood, Silicon Valley and other cultural power centers that he and fellow conservatives see as dominated by liberals.
The proposed technique is similar to Leo's network of judicial nominees: raising money from conservative donors to help identify, connect and promote the careers of like-minded people. In the language of Teneo's one-page website, the group exists "to Recruit, Connect, and Deploy talented conservatives who lead opinion and shape the industries that shape society."…
Texas woman dies after receiving inadequate treatment for a miscarriage | Texas | The Guardian
Porsha Ngumezi, 35, is the fifth pregnant woman ProPublica reports to have died in connection to the fall of Roe v Wade…
Feminism and Religion (Dan Barker and Annie Laurie Gaylor, Freethought Radio podcast)
We talk about Trump’s cabinet picks and report on state/church news around the country.
FFRF’s Senior Litigation Counsel Sam Grover joins us to talk about our recent complaint over Oklahoma Superintendent of Education Ryan Walters pushing religion in public schools.
Then, we hear Annie Laurie Gaylor and Maryam Namazie (Council of Ex-Muslims of Britain) debate the topic “Feminism and Religion are Incompatible” at Cambridge University last week.
Interview:
Paper Shredding Truck (Andrew McCabe and Allison Gill; Jack: A Special Counsel podcast, Episode #104)
This week: 
- Texas AG Ken Paxton files a FOIA request for Jack Smith’s files and sued to make sure documents weren’t destroyed…because he saw a “paper shredding truck Matt Gaetz is out;
- It’s a sad day when Pam Bondi is an upgrade as Trump’s pick for Attorney General; plus
- Listener questions about ongoing civil suits against Trump and more.
- A Sitting President’s Amenability to Indictment and Criminal Prosecution
Interview:
David Axelrod on The Trump Transition (Al Franken podcast)
Donald Trump’s Cabinet selection is about as chaotic as we expected it to be. Matt Gaetz withdrew his name for Attorney General after a number of Republican Senators expressed concern with the pick.
We’re joined by David Axelrod, who says that Republicans in the Senate have more power than you might expect.
David also examines how Democrats, the party of working people, lost so many working class voters in the Presidential election.
Interview:
Monday, November 25, 2024
How millions of US children would be hurt by Trump’s mass deportation plan: ‘Deep harm is intentional’
When Trump executes his sweeping agenda, 4 million children who are US citizens may have their lives upended…
Women urged to strike over ‘betrayal’ on ordination
"There are women who prepare people for the sacraments, such as baptism and marriage, and they do a whole host of other work.Women are already doing priestly work but by virtue of their gender they are never recognised."…
Sunday, November 24, 2024
Trump hush-money case sentencing postponed indefinitely
Merchan said in his decision that Trump's lawyers had to file their argument for dismissal by end of business on 2 December. Prosecutors have one week to respond...
Islamic State is primed to be thorn in the side of incoming Trump administration
One IS supporter on RocketChat brought up the assassination attempts on Trump this past summer, which he called "lazy", hypothesizing about the potential for future opportunities.
"I believe if somebody is dedicated and smart enough he could do it," the user went on. "Intelligence and security are human, they can make a lot of mistakes … It was that easy."
"Hopefully one of them is successful," said another user...
Trump selects key Project 2025 figure Russ Vought to head budget office
Donald Trump has chosen Russ Vought, a key architect of Project 2025, the controversial conservative plan to overhaul the government, to be director of the US Office of Management and Budget, a powerful agency that helps decide the president's policy priorities and how to pay for them...
Reasons for hope as Democrats prevent Trump-led red wave in state races
The mixed results could help Democrats push back against Republicans' federal policies at the state level, and they offer potential insight on the party's best electoral strategies as they prepare for the new Trump era...
Trump Taps Far-Right Commentator Sebastian Gorka To White House | HuffPost Latest News
Gorka will serve as deputy assistant to the president and senior director for counterterrorism, Trump said in a Friday statement...
Saturday, November 23, 2024
The News Roundup – Domestic and International (The 1A) 2024-11-22
Domestic
This week President-elect Donald Trump signaled he intends to make good on his campaign promise to use the military and a declaration of national emergency to carry out mass deportations.Former Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz announced he is withdrawing from consideration as President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for attorney general. And the Senate isn’t paving the way for Trump to fill his administration with loyalists.
Reporting indicates New York prosecutors are open to the possibility of pushing Trump’s sentencing in his hush money case to 2029 when his second term in the White House will end.
Interview:
International
This week marked 1,000 days since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. This week the Biden administration made a two major U-turns on Ukraine’s military aid policy – allowing missiles to be used in Russia territory and a decision to supply Zelenskyy with landmines. Both decisions that have put pressure on the European Union.Russian President Vladimir Putin issued a new nuclear doctrine that lowered his bar for using nuclear weapons.
In Gaza eyewitness accounts indicate that the Israeli military has deployed so-called sniper drones that have guns attached and can shoot people remotely.
Interview:
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