Nancy Pelosi touched down in Taiwan on Tuesday, ignoring the critics at home and abroad who strongly encouraged her not to go. Only days before Pelosi left for Asia, President Joe Biden acknowledged that “the military thinks it’s not a good idea right now.” China had a much angrier reaction: Latest footage circulating on Chinese […]
Author: Dan Spinelli
Senate About to Hit This Weed Bill. But Some Democrats Don’t Want to Be Part of the Rotation.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) introduced a bill Thursday to legalize weed on the federal level, finally opening the floodgates to a conversation that activists (and stoners) have been working toward for decades. The Senate bill goes further than just pure legalization too. It “expunges federal cannabis-related records and creates funding for law enforcement […]
Report: If Trump Wins in 2024, His Allies Want to Unmake the Entire Federal Government
When Donald Trump won in 2016, after fully not expecting to upon announcing his run, the transition period was a chaotic mess, leaving hundreds of government positions unfilled. This time around, Trump’s allies won’t be asleep at the wheel, according to a new Axios report. But the result might be the same. Trump’s team is planning on “purging […]
Antony Blinken Tried to Convince China to Reject Russia. It Went About as Well as You’d Expect.
As Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with his Chinese counterpart for a rare, bilateral chat on Saturday, the Associated Press said the two countries were seeking “to calm rising tensions on many fronts.” After a five-hour meeting in Indonesia, where talks were “exceptionally candid,” per Bloomberg, it doesn’t appear the rivals are any closer to […]
Why Is Donald Trump Trying to Clear the Way for Steve Bannon to Testify Before Congress?
With Donald Trump set to waive his claim to executive privilege, onetime adviser Steve Bannon may be due for a date before Congress. Trump had fought to prevent Bannon, a ringleader of the conspiracy to overturn the 2020 election, from appearing before the Congressional committee investigating the pro-Trump insurrection on January 6. Still, sources told […]
Elon Musk Trolled His Way Into Buying Twitter. Now He Wants Out.
After agreeing to buy Twitter for $44 billion, Elon Musk has decided that the deal is off. But his attempt to break this agreement has roiled the tech company and set up a future riddled with legal headaches and uncertainty. The mood inside Twitter is grim, as the Washington Post reported Saturday: After weeks of threats, employees have largely […]
America’s Top Anti-War Think Tank Is Fracturing Over Ukraine
Two prominent figures have resigned in protest from the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft—the only major think tank to promote a skeptical view of US power and military interventionism. In announcing their departures, Joe Cirincione and Paul Eaton criticized the organization’s dovish response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. “They take this indefensible, morally bankrupt […]
China Just Put Another Nail in the Coffin of Freedom in Hong Kong
In the nearly two years since the Chinese government imposed a draconian “national security” law on Hong Kong, the authorities have rounded up dozens of journalists, pro-democracy politicians, and other activists. The point of the law is to instill fear among those who would challenge Beijing and, by that count, it has succeeded. Since its […]
The Next President of the Philippines? The Son of a Dictator.
The Philippines is poised to elect Ferdinand Marcos Jr. its next president, elevating the son of a dictator to leader of the country. On Monday, with more than 86 percent of precincts reporting, Marcos Jr., known by the nickname “Bongbong,” and the son of Ferdinand Marcos Sr., who terrorized the country for two decades, had […]
Congress “Certainly Could” Ban Abortion Nationwide, McConnell Says
Since Politico published a draft Supreme Court opinion indicating that Roe v. Wade will likely be struck down, Republicans have been reluctant to take the usual victory tour, instead focusing their attention on just how the opinion leaked. But late last week, Sen. Mitch McConnell hinted at “possible” federal anti-abortion laws if Roe is overturned. “If the leaked opinion became the […]