John Hatchard

Why journalists are reluctant to call Trump an authoritarian – and why that matters for democracy Media framing shapes people’s understanding of the world. A political communication scholar says that journalistic outlets’ failure to call Donald Trump an authoritarian is a problem for democracy.

Much of what President Trump has done fits classic signs of authoritarianism.

Journalists hesitate to use the word, but a communications scholar argues the U.S. is “well past that point.”

Vast majority of Canadians no longer consider the United States an ally The vast majority of Canadians no longer consider the United States to be an ally.

Vast majority of Canadians no longer consider the United States an ally

Trump: "The ones that are run by radical left Democrats -- what they've done to San Francisco, Chicago, New York, Los Angeles. They're very unsafe places & we're gonna straighten them out one by one. This is gonna be a major part for some people in this room. That's a war too. It's war from within"

How a warming planet has made home Insurance increasingly unaffordable Years of underestimating climate risk has left the industry in turmoil.

“We are marching toward an uninsurable future in this country and across the globe, marching into the abyss.”

You’re Comparing Trump to the Wrong Fascist Dictator The “Is Trump Hitler?” debate misses his sinister parallels to another 20th-century European tyrant.

You’re Comparing Trump to the Wrong Fascist Dictator slate.trib.al/gSav5lD

YouTube video by The Daily Show Jimmy Kimmel's Suspension Was Always About Censorship (Just Ask Trump) | The Daily Show

Jimmy Kimmel's Suspension Was Always About Censorship (Just Ask Trump)

youtu.be/DK9TkLPJY6w

White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller spoke at Charlie Kirk’s memorial service in Arizona on Sunday, stating that the conservative activist's assassination has "awakened" an army that is determined "to save the West."

STEWART: “Comedy doesn’t change the world, but it’s a bellwether— we’re the banana peel in the coal mine… authoritarians are the threat to comedy, music, art, thought… progress.”

Nailed it.

Hey DOJ, today would be a great day to honor Charlie Kirk by releasing the Epstein Files.

KIRK: "The DOJ should immediately move to unseal all the Epstein documents in the SDNY. I think every file should be released to the public."

We must not let the shooting of Charlie Kirk become Trump’s Reichstag fire | David Van Reybrouck Take heed from European history: this could be the pretext for the repression of the US president’s political opponents, says Belgian author and philosopher David Van Reybrouck

"Trump has long thrived on chaos and disorder. Where real crises do not exist, he fabricates them – including imagined crime pandemics in Los Angeles, Washington DC and Chicago. Fake chaos fuels his power grab. Now he has been handed chaos on a silver platter."

I've been watching a series about Hitler with my 13 yr old the past week lol. Let me know how the book was once you're done it looks very interesting

Thanks for the message and yes been on an extended break I suppose. I love being in the loop on everything but it takes a toll mentally. I should start a new book you have any suggestions there?

Charlie Kirk: Joe Biden should be "put in prison and/or given the death penalty for crimes against America"

I hadn’t seen this. Kirk, the moderate free speech guy who did politics the right way per some liberals (!), called for Biden to be executed.

Meanwhile Joe Biden put out a very strong statement condemning Kirk’s killing.

Both sides!

What is a 'groyper? What to know about Nick Fuentes' alt-right movement Fuentes' band of extremist followers take their name from the underbelly of internet meme culture.

"The Groyper Army consists of "alt-right, white nationalist, and Christian nationalist activists" who hold virulently antisemitic, racist, and homophobic views, often cloaked in rhetoric about traditional values and family."

How ‘South Park’ could help Democrats win back the young voters the party lost to Trump A cartoon built on skewering the powerful and self-righteous isn’t taking its foot off the pedal.

"The appeal of both Trump and South Park to many young men is not in the positive ideas they offer, but the way they both humiliate their opponents. Now, South Park is owning Trump, and with each new lurid reveal in the Jeffrey Epstein saga, it will have plenty of fodder as the season progresses."

Well done Brazil. One can only imagine just how much better off America would be right now if they had the conviction to do the same with Trump after Jan 6th 2021.

Fascism.

Top Democrat Calls for Congressional Probe Into Ties Between Jeffrey Epstein and Peter Thiel Thiel was one of many whose financial ties to the dead financier should be probed, a prominent senator believes.

"One of those people is Thiel, whose venture capital firm is reported to have previously taken a large amount of money from the dead financier. In June, the NYT reported in 2015 and 2016, not long before his death, Epstein invested $40 million with a company Thiel had co-founded, Valar Ventures."

Why journalists are reluctant to call Trump an authoritarian – and why that matters for democracy Media framing shapes people’s understanding of the world. A political communication scholar says that journalistic outlets’ failure to call Donald Trump an authoritarian is a problem for democracy.

"Because authoritarianism is most visible in hindsight, people often don’t recognize it until it’s too late. When it comes to democratic backsliding, “there are no bright lines … people often find out the world they’re in after the fact. In Trump’s case, I believe the U.S. is well past that point.”

House Passes NDAA to Push Military Spending Approved This Year Beyond $1 Trillion | Common Dreams Nearly all Republicans and 17 Democrats in the US House of Representatives voted for a military bill that would push the figure for defense spending approved this year beyond $1 trillion.

"Nearly all Republicans and 17 Democrats in the US House voted Wednesday evening for a military bill that would push the figure for defense spending approved this year beyond $1 trillion. Just four Republicans opposing the bill, which will still need to be reconciled with the Senate's version."

Tesla's Market Share Has Fallen So Badly That It's Back to 2017 Levels New data shows Tesla's EV sales have fallen below 2017 levels, when it was struggling to sell even 30,000 vehicles.

"Though the EV company once commanded a whopping 80 percent of the US EV market, its market share fell to 38 percent in August, well below the 40 percent it held in October 2017"

"In other words, Tesla has completely destroyed its hard-won lead in the EV market."

Carney plans to announce the first series of major projects on Thursday The first major industrial projects under the federal government's strategy to reduce Canada's economic reliance on the U.S. will be announced Thursday, Prime Minister Mark Carney told his caucus on W...

"Carney said he wants to “turbocharge” Canada’s economy through “major nation-building projects that connect our regions, that diversify our products and build new markets and create those hundreds of thousands of high-paying careers for our workers, from the trades to technology.”"

Global press freedom suffers sharpest fall in 50 years, report finds The International IDEA’s survey of democratic markers finds US is offering ‘encouragement’ to populist leaders

"Democracy has declined in 94 countries over the last five years and faces a perfect storm of autocratic resurgence and acute uncertainty, due to massive social and economic changes,”

"The survey is published every 5 years and considered the most comprehensive of its kind, covering 174 countries."

YouTube video by The Daily Show Trump's Pervy Epstein Bday Card Released & MAGA Allies Run Cover | The Daily Show

Trump's Pervy Epstein Bday Card Released & MAGA Allies Run Cover

youtu.be/28CWM6df2tk

Poland is west of Ukraine.

Good advice for sure. I definitely need to start capping my exposure per day as I've definitely become a news junkie and it's not exactly conducive to mental health when you're staring into the heart of fascism 8+ hrs a day which I've done for a year straight through Bluesky.

So I basically took a mental health break from Bluesky and predominantly kept the app closed the past week. It was a conflicting experience including feeling guilt in 'looking away' from fascism and being out of the loop on the day to day this past week. Can anyone relate there? And wtf did I miss?

Putin meets Modi, Xi at China's SCO summit, again blames 'NATO expansion' for Russia-Ukraine war Putin met both Xi and Modi during the summit as he seeks to strengthen ties with India and China amid the war in Ukraine and in the face of Western pressure.

"Putin met both Xi and Modi during the summit as he seeks to strengthen ties with India and China in the face of Western pressure. The two major economies have become a crucial economic lifeline for Russia during the full-scale war and are leading buyers of its oil."

"The Great Resegregation: The Trump administration’s attacks on DEI are aimed at reversing the civil-rights movement."