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Do Republicans eat themselves? When it’s Texas, and the person in question is Attorney General Ken Paxton. There’s a deal in the debt ceiling debacle. Is it time to put the whole thing out to pasture? There’s the story of the lawyer who used ChatGPT in court. Suffice to say it did not go well. Why are judges rebuking Social Security for massive errors on disability claims? And finally, Geena Davis has been compiling data on inclusion in Hollywood. A New York Times article about what she found may open some eyes

Exploring Political Deception: Why Politicians Lie and Voter Reaction - Democratic Party's Immigration Divide - Post-Title 42 Border Challenges under Biden - Debt Ceiling Crisis: Possible Solutions and Impact - The Jordan Neely Case: A Closer Look

Good ol' USA...Mass Shootings, Abortion Rights, Clarence Thomas, Donald Trump, the Proud Boys, Tucker Carlson, and Texas. Did I leave anything out? 

Fox News settled with Dominion Voting Systems for $787 million dollars. This was just as the 1.6-billion-dollar lawsuit was set to get underway. What does it mean for Fox, Dominion, Smartmatic, which still has a suit pending, and journalism in general? Two knocks on wrong doors, two people shot. Is this really Stand Your Ground? War is ravaging Sudan, as old allies turn on each other. Around the world, various countries are angling for advantage as the fighting continues in Africa’s third largest country by area. The US Supreme Court has allowed mifepristone, the abortion pill. To stay on the market while they consider whether to ban or restrict it. Guess who voted against keeping it available? How exactly does a 21 year old Air National Guardsman procure and leak sensitive information about the war in Ukraine and more? And finally, what do older people think about Joe Biden’s age?

I’ve reluctantly, painfully concluded that America is creeping toward a form of fascism I think most of us would never imagine. The signs are there, and I’m not at all sure that most people see them. Over the past week or two, I’ve been thinking to myself, what has America come to? American democracy, criminal justice, healthcare, and more have been put under stress by people who believe they have the right to tell others how to live. Some do this, by the way, while flaunting the very rules that they tell us to live by.

I’ve reluctantly, painfully concluded that America is creeping toward a form of fascism I think most of us would never imagine. The signs are there, and I’m not at all sure that most people see them. Over the past week or two, I’ve been thinking to myself, what has America come to? American democracy, criminal justice, healthcare, and more have been put under stress by people who believe they have the right to tell others how to live. Some do this, by the way, while flaunting the very rules that they tell us to live by.

You know what leads this episode. The only former president in US history to be indicted on criminal charges, what else? But don’t go partying in the streets just yet. Donald Trump has been charged, but he’s nowhere near being convicted. Besides, the indictment helps him raise money from those suckers, ‘er, supporters who still back him. After the tragic and senseless killing of six people in a Nashville, Tennessee school, would you think Republicans might re-think their knee-jerk opposition to gun regulations? Nope! Their answer? More guns. Things are getting sticky for Fox News after a judge ruled Dominion Voting System’s lawsuit can go to trial. And the Saudis want nukes. For energy purposes, you understand. If the US won’t give it to them, guess who they’ll ask next?

Upheaval in France; why is the right wing linking the Manhattan District Attorney to George Soros. George Soros? How does that work? Members of Congress rake the CEO of Tik Tok over the coals, while Utah is thinking about banning the app for kids. And what’s this about the huge number of guns stolen from cars?

Will Donald Trump get indicted? He seems to think so and has called on supporters to protest. And as that unfolds, his Proud Boys supporters are turning their trials into shambolic spectacles. Top it off with the reports that Trump tried in a second phone call to get the results of the Georgia vote overturned in 2020 and you have a trifecta of rough road ahead for the former president. What exactly is going on with banks?  Two in the US fail, while Credit Suisse, one of Switzerland’s biggest banks, gets bought out by a rival. Are we seeing a repeat of 2008? Two tales of abortion rights. The North Dakota Supreme Court blocks a ban in that state, while Wyoming, a couple of states over, bans the medication abortion pill, or at least tries to.

As President Xi Jinping consolidates his power, the Chinese broker a deal between Iran and Saudi Arabia that leaves the US sitting on the sidelines. This as President Biden bans Tik Tok from all federal devices. Where is Tik Tok based. You guessed it. Speaking of the president, when he ran, he had a proposal to shore up Social Security’s finances. Presto chango, his latest budget has no tax or spending increases related to the popular program. What gives? Also, how do you feel about permanent Daylight Savings Time? Wouldn’t bother me, but I’m just one person. And what gives with the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank?

In this episode, golden chocolate bars, Trump Jr. mocks Fetterman, booing Nikki Haley, and Trump is staying. A clown show? No, CPAC! Lawmakers want more action on child migrant labor, and well they should! Google has bowed to pressure and is now auditing its products for racial biases. They’re only following Meta and Apple. What took it so long? And how many paid vacation days do you get? And how does the US compare with other nations? The answer may surprise you.

In this episode, we take a long look and a deep dive into the extraordinary erosion of the Republican Party in the United States.  A sitting member of Congress calls for what she says is a national divorce. Funny, I thought that was settled in 1865. The Speaker of the House decides to outsource the GOP revision of the January 6 th insurrection by granting exclusive access to surveillance footage to, Tucker Carlson??? A couple of simultaneous setbacks for the former president and vice president, as there’s some evidence, as we’ve talked about before, that the former guy’s iron grip on the Republican Party is slipping just a bit. And finally, how many lies has George Santos lied, and will it ever be enough to force him from Congress?

Some embarrassing communication among Fox News stars about the 2020 election and whether it was stolen. Democrats and Republicans have sharply differing views on how to “fix” Social Security and Medicare. What can US youth learn from an insurgent candidacy in Nigeria that’s drawn massive support from young people? And could an indictment of Donald Trump actually be in the cards in the near future?

The tragedy of Turkey and Syria. Beyond the number of people killed and left homeless, politics is rearing its ugly head. The US, and now he US and Canada are shooting flying objects out of the sky, including three just this past weekend. Are they all Chinese spy balloons? 21 Attorneys General, including New York’s formidable Leticia James, are asking a Texas judge to reject efforts to ban an abortion drug nationwide. Russia is bombarding Ukraine’s Donbas region, seemingly trying to get ahead of all those weapons the West is sending to the country. And what’s this? There are predictions that electric car prices will fall to the level of gas-powered vehicles by the end of this year.

Lots to talk about, starting with the Chinese spy balloon that the US shot down this past weekend. We talked before about the nation’s overall economic picture, and how it’s been getting better. Figures late last week show things are better than even expert economists thought. The question is, will the public notice? The College Board waffles on AP black studies in deference, I guess, to Florida. Anti-abortion activists now target states where abortion has been skyrocketing. Pro-choice groups may have underestimated their persistence. And finally, Republicans want term limits in Congress.

What’s up with presidents and classified documents, and why saying one is worse than the other is a zero-sum game. Andrew Tate is still detained in Romania, yet another example of why influencers should find something else to do. Another sad sack is George Santos, Republican Congressman from Long Island, at least for now. New reports say high level Republicans knew about his tissue of lies. The West is sending provocative weapons to Ukraine in anticipation of a new Russian offensive. Meanwhile, the Russians keep bombing.

Kevin McCarthy, the price of fame, and how low can one Speaker go? South Carolina’s Supreme Court rules the state’s constitution includes the right to abortion. The US economy isn’t as bad as some have predicted, with the latest jobs numbers telling an interesting story. 

In this episode, anti-abortionists want to jail people who traffic in the abortion pills that have become popular since the Supreme Court gutted Roe v. Wade. President Joe Biden wants to improve relations with countries in Africa, in part to keep up with China. Will it work? Florida Governor DeSantis facing opposition from, of all people, the right flank of his own party. A Republican gala in New York draws the sublime and mostly, the ridiculous. And of course, there are those Trump trading cards...

Donald Trump, remember him, now wants to shred the Constitution because, wait for it, voter fraud from 2020. He also got himself a couple of setbacks in recent days! Brittney Griner has been freed from a Russian gulag, but not everyone is happy. The House passes legislation to protect same sex and interracial marriages; and Germany arrests some right-wing coup plotters. 

In his episode, as we head into the Holiday season, are the gaps between haves and have-nots getting wider?  Why are some in Media just started to pay attention? The real heroes of the 2022 World Cup aren’t much talked about, and they’ll remain heroes no matter the outcome of the games. Wonder how many mass shootings there have been since the start of November? The answer may surprise you. I know it surprised me. And why are so many January 6th staffers angry with Liz Cheney?