Progressive search for action

26+ min ago (306+ words) Stephanie Ruhle immediately regretted what she called "gross" phrasing on her part during a discussion about President Donald Trump. Ruhle pointed to a Wall Street Journal column by conservative Peggy Noonan, who wrote that the president is in a precarious position. The host then turned to her panel, which included Trump biographer and Bloomberg editor Timothy L. O'Brien. "Wall Street Journal columnist Peggy Noonan has an op-ed out that says, "Trump may be losing his touch.'" Ruhle told O'Brien, referring to the title. "You know his touch better than anyone else here. What do you think?" "Um" O'Brien began, before the host interrupted. "You know, that sounded gross," she conceded. "Sorry. I did not" The rest of her sentence was drowned out by laughter among the panelists. "You know, it's always important to remember that Donald Trump ran a casino," O'Brien…...

32+ min ago (261+ words) The latest release'which is not officially from the "Epstein Files" that are scheduled to be released by the U.S. Justice Department on December 19'is part of the intensifying conflict within the American ruling class over what can be revealed about the depraved conduct of Epstein and his associates for decades involving the criminal exploitation of underage girls. Based on the descriptions in the corporate media, the following figures are depicted among the images released Friday: " "Richard Branson:"The British entrepreneur is seen on a beach with Epstein. By the early 2000s, police in Palm Beach had evidence of a serial sex predator, including victim testimony and physical evidence, yet the case was gradually diverted away from serious prosecution by state and federal officials."In 2006 he was finally arrested in Florida, but the outcome was a travesty. This arrangement was later condemned by…...

54+ min ago (1122+ words) During a National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU) branch meeting at Western Sydney University on Thursday, professional staff members spoke about the extra workloads and other onerous conditions being imposed on them as a result of the management's "Reset" restructuring. On top of nearly 200 redundancies, about 720 jobs are being "disestablished" at the largely working-class university. Many of those being displaced'almost a quarter of the workforce'are being shunted into lower-paid positions, face higher workloads or are yet to be allocated alternative positions. The comments made at the meeting provide a glimpse of what university workers and students are confronting, not just at WSU but across Australia, where some 4,000 jobs are being eliminated and courses are being cut, particularly in arts and humanities. This is part of the federal Labor government's reshaping of the entire tertiary education sector to cut costs and satisfy…...

54+ min ago (500+ words) 23 Democrats Voted Against Impeaching Trump Nearly two dozen House Democrats sided with Republicans against impeaching President Trump on Thursday. Posted by C0RI0LANUS at 11:33 PM | 6 COMMENTS | permalink | Comment on This Entry | The instant resolution put forward by Congressman Al Green (D-TX) did not mention the illegal attacks on Venezuela or Iran, but listed the following two grave articles: The first accused Dummkopf Trumpf of abusing presidential power by calling for the "execution of members of Congress" in response to a video posted by several Democratic lawmakers. Trumpf's post on Truth Social, which stated "SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR, punishable by DEATH," drew condemnation, though the White House later clarified he did not seek executions. The second article accused the Dotard Trumpf of threatening judicial independence by attacking federal judges online, an action the resolution claims led to threats of violence against judges. Full List of…...

54+ min ago (598+ words) Nurses at six private hospitals in New York City are participating in strike authorization votes, and similar votes will soon be held at six other hospitals in the city. Safe staffing, wages and retaliatory disciplinary measures are major issues for the nurses, whose contracts expire on December 31." Meanwhile, in Long Island, New York, nurses at Northwell/Huntington Hospital, Northwell/Plainview Hospital and Northwell/Syosset Hospital have been under contract talks for months. These workers and those in New York City all belong to the New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA). Nurses at Northwell/Long Island Jewish Hospital are preparing to vote on whether to join the union. The situation creates the possibility for a powerful, united struggle of thousands of nurses, but NYSNA has not raised this prospect. In fact, the union bureaucrats have a history of dividing and weakening…...

56+ min ago (282+ words) President Donald Trump is setting his sights on Washington, D.C.s public golf courses, with a particular focus on East Potomac Golf Links " situated on a prime stretch of riverfront real estate " according to an exclusive Wall Street Journal report. The president reportedly called the idea "brilliant." In an interview with the Journal on Friday, Trump said he wants to play a central role in redeveloping the citys municipal golf courses. "If we do them, well do it really beautifully," he told the outlet from the Oval Office, signaling an interest in turning the links into world-class destinations. The effort has raised alarms among some in Washingtons tight-knit golf community, who worry Trumps vision could drive up costs and limit access for local residents, according to the Journal. Trump has countered that D.C. residents would pay lower rates than outside golfers. At…...

1+ hour, 9+ min ago (242+ words) Fox Business host Maria Bartiromo insisted that all is well and good in the economy of President Donald Trump. Trump has been dogged by polls showing that the majority of Americans disapprove of his handling of the economy. Just 36% of Americans approve of his performance on the issue, according to a Fox News poll'last month. Meanwhile, nearly half of Americans'say Trump's policies have personally hurt them. But when asked this week what grade he would give the economy, Trump replied, "A-plus-plus-plus-plus-plus," and claimed that "prices are coming down substantially." On Friday's Hannity, the host and Bartiromo tried to counter prevailing popular sentiment. Sean Hannity pointed to falling gasoline prices and asked his guest, "What's your analysis?" Bartiromo began by slamming the Biden administration, during which inflation hit a 40-year high. She then pivoted to voters' concerns about affordability, which Trump…...

1+ hour, 12+ min ago (551+ words) The U.S. House of Representatives voted Wednesday to pass the 2026 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), authorizing $901 billion in military spending'the largest Pentagon spending bill in US history. The legislation, which is expected to pass the Senate next week, received overwhelming bipartisan support, with Democratic Party leaders voting in favor, as President Donald Trump threatens to launch a major new war in Latin America. The vote was 312-112, with 115 Democrats joining 197 Republicans to pass the act. Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York, Minority Whip Katherine Clark of Massachusetts and Democratic Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar of California all cast "Yea" votes. Combined with the $156 billion in supplemental military funding included in the reconciliation bill signed in July, the NDAA pushes total military spending for fiscal year 2026 to over $1 trillion'a new record in absolute terms and a level relative to GDP unseen since World…...

1+ hour, 15+ min ago (1159+ words) At meetings in Washington last week, the Trump administration and representatives of the UK and Australia declared that they would proceed at "full steam" with their AUKUS pact that is militarising the Indo-Pacific in preparation for war against China. The meetings were held just days after the Trump administration finalised a review into AUKUS. The review, which had been scheduled for 30 days, dragged on for several months. In that period, the Trump administration publicly demanded massive increases to military spending by the Australian government, while it leaked doubts to the media about the viability of AUKUS. The review has been provided to the Australian and UK governments, but not to the media so the outcome of the protracted backroom wrangling is entirely opaque. But the governments have declared their confidence in AUKUS and determination to proceed with it, including the…...

1+ hour, 36+ min ago (300+ words) A MAGA "civil war" is playing out across the right-wing ecosystem, sapping attention from the ideas that once powered the base and held GOP leaders to power. Now, the movement appears more consumed by infighting than achieving political goals. MAGA is being drained of "its political muscle, leaving it defenseless as the Trump administration revisits policies previously opposed by the base," according to Axios. The strength of MAGA "lies in its ability to rally influencers, politicians and activists behind a hard-charging conservative agenda." But that "superpower is faltering amid a cascade of bitter personal feuds." The National Pulse's editor-in-chief Raheem J. Kassam told Axios, "There's no focus on anything philosophical or even ideological right now." "It's all just a cacophony of grifters tussling over audience and ego," Kassam said. "So, corporate America gets to wield power with the admin virtually unencumbered…...