IN THE NEWS

Blessed are the young, for they shall inherit the national debt.

-President Herbert Hoover

How Fascism Works Now: A Note about Trump as the Healing Christ

Stephen F. Eisenman © Counterpunch
April 24, 2026

Hidden in plain sight

The image of a youthful Donald Trump, laying his hand on the forehead of a sick or dying man has by now been interred in the meme graveyard. By the time you read this, another will have taken its place, and then another, and so on. That’s one purpose of the AI barrage: misdirection. By attending to obvious outrages – the supposed blasphemy of an image of Trump as Healing Christ — the public is more likely to overlook bigger, but less promoted ones, like weakened pollution standards, cuts to disease research, and of course, war. But there’s another, equally important communication strategy at work, and it’s hiding in plain sight: insipidness or kitsch. That’s the language of fascism now.

... full article

We know there are known knowns: there are things we know we know. We also know there are known unknowns: that is to say we know there are things we know we don’t know. But there are also unknown unknowns — the ones we don’t know we don’t know.’

-Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, Defense Department briefing, Feb. 12, 2002

Philippines: Confirmation of Duterte Trial Offers Victims Prospect of Long-Awaited Truth and Justice

© Amnesty International
April 23, 2026

Responding to the International Criminal Court confirming all crimes against humanity charges against former Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte, paving the way for full trial proceedings, the Director of Amnesty International Philippines, Ritz Lee Santos III, said:

“Families of victims and survivors of the ‘war on drugs’ have waited far too long for justice. The ICC’s confirmation of all charges against former President Duterte is a historic moment for victims and international justice. It sends a clear message that those who are alleged to have committed widespread and systematic murder as a crime against humanity will one day find themselves in the dock, facing trial. Justice may be slow in coming, but it cannot be delayed forever.

... full article

I was under medication when I made the decision to burn the tapes.’

-Richard Nixon

Trump’s War on Immigrants Has Shifted From Spectacle to Bureaucratic Blitz

By Sasha Abramsky , © Truthout
April 23, 2026

In the face of deep public opposition, the notorious Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) surges that culminated in the siege of Minneapolis have been deep-sixed, at least for now. Yet that doesn’t mean that the most anti-immigrant administration in modern U.S. history isn’t still looking for less dramatic (but at least as effective) methods to pursue its war against immigrants. In fact, on a near-daily basis it becomes clear that the Trump team’s strategy is now cooler, calmer, and perhaps more ruthlessly effective than were the spectacularly violent city surges of 2025 and early 2026.

... full article

Facts are stupid things.’

-Ronald Reagan (at the 1988 Republican National Convention, attempting to quote John Adams, who said, ''Facts are stubborn things’')

‘Worth a thousand words’: Trump photo obscuring women’s tennis team sparks backlash

© The Guardian
April 23, 2026

A White House photo celebrating a champion women’s sports team has drawn backlash due to the positioning of Donald Trump and a group of men, who overshadowed the female athletes by lining up in front of them.

The University of Georgia women’s tennis team was one of several collegiate teams to visit the White House on Tuesday to mark a recent NCAA championship win. In a photo shared by press aide Margo Martin, Donald Trump and five Georgia staffers and coaches took up the front row of a stage setup, with 11 women standing in the background on a riser.

... full article