WATCH LIVE: Trump’s Second Impeachment Trial Concludes in Senate | Day 5

by Nomad

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"Ordinary Political Rhetoric" 

On Friday, Trump's defense team took the helm and attempted to weaken the Impeachment managers' case against the former president in his second impeachment trial. 

LIVE: Trump’s Second Impeachment Trial Continues in Senate | Day 4 - Trump's Defense

by Nomad

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Remember This Day Forever 

Today is the fourth day in the trial of the Second Impeachment of former president Donald Trump. Trump's defense team now responds to the Impeachment Team's case against Trump and the charge of inciting the riot and attack on the Capitol Building on January 6.

WATCH LIVE: Trump’s Second Impeachment Trial Continues in Senate | Day 2 and Day 3

by Nomad

"Borderline"

Having voted in favor of the constitutionality of the impeachment of a former president, the Senate today will officially commence with the trial of Donald J. Trump. 

If yesterday is anything to go by, fur will be flying. The weak performance of Trump's defense lawyers reportedly infuriated the former president. 

WATCH LIVE: Trump’s Second Impeachment Trial Begins in Senate | Day 1

by Nomad

Today we will witness history when members of the Senate take on the role of both jurors and witnesses in the unprecedented second impeachment of ex-president Donald J. Trump.

Scenes from the Alexei Navalny Protests in Russia

by Nomad

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Throughout Russia, demonstrators launched a second round of protests calling for jailed opposition leader Alexei Navalny's release. This despite a growing crackdown and threats of prosecution by the authorities. 

CREW Draws a Roadmap for Presidential Accountability in the Post-Trump Era

by Nomad

The Lessons Trump Taught Us

The Trump era is finally over and the Biden era has begun. It is perhaps human nature not to want to look back over the previous four years. It was too horrible, too shameful, and too humiliating a period for America. We are exhausted and we need time to forget what happened.

  

And yet, it would be an enormous mistake not to review the failure to hold the executive branch accountable. It was, after all, not merely the criminality of one man, or one administration, or one party. It was a systemic failure of the entire oversight process.

 

WATCH LIVE: The Inauguration of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris

by Nomad

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Well, somehow we survived it.
Remember the night we thought the Trump presidency would be over no later than one year in? A person so unfit for office- as Trump unquestionably was- could not remain in power for longer than a year, we told ourselves. 

And here we are, four years later, bruised and exhausted. 

Can the 14th Amendment Be Used Against Insurrectionist Members of Congress?

 by Nomad

As civil rights lawyers will tell you, the 14th Amendment has been a bulwark against institutionalized racism in America. 

Ratified in the Reconstruction Era following the Civil War, the amendment granted citizenship to all persons born or naturalized in the United States—including formerly-enslaved people—and guaranteed all citizens “equal protection of the laws.” civil and legal rights for Black Americans were- (at least, in theory, if not in practice) guaranteed by federal law. 

In the 1950s and 60s, it was to prove a reliable foundation upon which to abolish the second-class status for African-Americans in the Deep South.

QAnon's Phony Shaman: A Portrait of an American Traitor

by Nomad

Imagine being stupid enough to purposely make yourself the most recognizable member of a crowd that's committing a serious crime. As we all know by now, you don't need to be smart to be a Trump supporter. 

In fact, that might just disqualify you.

You simply need to be willing to believe anything con artists tell you and, at least in this person's case, have a desperate need for public attention.

 

Farewell to 2020, Welcome to 2021

by Nomad

A Founding Father's Fear: Why Presidential Pardons Worried George Mason

by Nomad

The Atlantic posted an article on the following subject the other day and I thought it deserved a little more attention.

"In Order to Form a More Perfect Union"

Back in the summer of 1787, delegates of the Constitutional Convention came together in Philadelphia to draft the Constitution and thereby, address the problems of a weak central government under the Articles of Confederation. There were many vested interests in the crowd of delegates and getting the representatives from each colony to agree was not an easy task. 

  

The Articles of the Confederation had been written under the threat of war, as a means of uniting the colonies against the threat of British retaliation for the declaration of independence. 

It was, in effect, a contractual agreement among the 13 original states of the United States of America a set of clearly written rules for how the states' "league of friendship" would be organized. The Articles had stressed the sovereignty of individual member states, a prerequisite for any agreement. 

Seasons Greetings - 2020

by Nomad

Here's wishing you all a wonderful holiday season. There's no denying that this has been a hellish sort of year and I, for one, am glad it is coming to a close. We are still facing a few more grim months ahead of us before things settle down. My Christmas wish for all my friends in the community is that you stay healthy and stay positive and that you will be able to find joy and happiness amid these troubled times. 

How a Long-Forgotten Science Fiction Story from 1962 Imagined the Pandemic of 2020

by Nomad

While floating aimlessly around the Internet, I stumbled across a science-fiction short story written back in 1962 entitled "Pandemic." Obviously, it's a word we have all come to loathe but I was curious how 1962 imagined the 2020 pandemic.

 

The writer, Jesse Franklin Bone, imagines the consequences of a lab accident that releases a "virus pneumonic plague" (called Thurston's virus) which threatens to wipe out humanity. At the moment the story begins, the pandemic is in full bloom, laying waste to civilization. 

Welcome the 46th President of the United States - Joe Biden

by Nomad

LIVE: Coverage of the 2020 Presidential Election Night

by Nomad

The moment of truth has finally arrived and with it comes both hope and dread. The question: Will Trump somehow pull off another surprise victory or will there be a much-needed course correction with a Biden win?

LIVE: The Final Presidential Debate of the 2020 Election

by Nomad

The final presidential debate between President Trump and former Vice-president Joe Biden be held at Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee. This would have been the third in the series but is now only the second following the cancellation of the October 15 debate. Nevertheless, it will mark the last time the two candidates will appear on the same stage before the November 3 election.

LIVE: ABC News Town Hall in Philadelphia with Presidential Candidate Joe Biden

by Nomad

Former Vice-President and Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden will be participating in a town hall held in Philadelphia this evening. As per the town hall format, the event will allow voters to ask questions directly to the candidate.

LIVE: Confirmation Hearing for Supreme Court Nominee Judge Amy Barrett

by Nomad

Today is the first day of the Senate Judiciary Committee Confirmation hearing for Supreme Court nominee Judge Amy Coney Barrett. Barrett is an American attorney, jurist, and academic who serves as a circuit judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit. 

CNN has called her "a proven conservative with a compelling personal story." 

Barrett, the mother of seven children and a former law clerk to the late right-wing beacon Justice Antonin Scalia, Barrett, now 48, was a finalist for the Supreme Court spot that went to Brett Kavanaugh in 2018.

Democrats who are in the minority in the Senate allege Barrett's ultra-conservative views on such issues as abortion, same-sex marriage will disrupt the ideological balance of the high court.   

LIVE: The 2020 Vice-Presidential Debate

by Nomad

Tonight Vice President Mike Pence and Sen. Kamala Harris will go head-to-head at Kingsbury Hall in Salt Lake City. USA Today Washington Bureau Chief Susan Page will be the moderator for the event which will start at 9 p.m. ET ((8 pm CT, 7 pm MT, 6 pm PT). The debate will run for 90 minutes without commercial interruption.

LIVE: The First Trump- Biden 2020 Presidential Debate

by Nomad

President Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden will meet face to face in Cleveland on Tuesday for the first presidential debate. The debate -  the first of three - will start at 6 p.m. Pacific time, (and at 9 p.m. Eastern) on Tuesday. It will last 90 minutes, with no commercial breaks.  

Sanity Sunday: COVID CELLO PROJECT- 10 "Adagio for Strings" by Samuel Barber

by Nomad

With just 50 days remaining before the election, we are now entering the nail-biting part of the 2020 presidential election. If America gets lucky, in 129 days, we shall be able to start the long and tiresome process of rebuilding the country.

Meanwhile, the pandemic rages on and is expected to get much worse before peaking sometime in early January. The COVID Cello Project has grown from humble beginnings to its present size of 278 cellists from 29 countries. In this their 10th online concert, the cellists pay respect to all those who have passed.

 

How Covid-19 In South Texas Underscores Republican Apathy for Latino Families

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In the Twitter universe, accusations can be made that can never be properly substantiated. With that in mind, I wanted to share a series of tweets from a nurse in Texas, where medical professionals are struggling with the Covid-19 outbreak.

Serving the lower Rio Grande Valley, Doctor’s Hospital Renaissance (DHR Health) is a 500+ bed general acute care hospital, with a medical staff of over 700 physicians covering 75 specialties, based in Edinburg, Texas. In order to deal with the pandemic, a special facility was contracted and converted from a hospice facility into a Covid unit.

Unfortunately, according to this whistleblower, it soon became apparent that the facility was completely inadequate. Medical staff from outside of the area were appalled at the situation.

Shame of the Nation: The Surge in New Cases of Covid-19 Surpasses Our Worst Fears

by Nomad

The news media is today reporting a third straight day of record-high numbers across the United States with increases in 29 states. With more than 40,000 cases in one day, Vice-President Mike Pence told reporters on Friday:

“We have made truly remarkable progress in moving our nation forward.” 

Pence added that the US had “slowed the spread” and “flattened the curve”. The country, he declared, can “take some comfort” in the declining numbers of COVID-19-related fatalities. 

With 100,000 Dead, The Cost of Trump's Dithering is Both Undeniable and Indefensible

by Nomad

As the death count from the Coronavirus pandemic in the US exceeds 100,000, we should never forget how President Trump, instead of taking action, attempted repeatedly and consistently to downplay the approaching crisis.

CoVid-19: The Long Road to Recovery or Rush to Disaster?

by Nomad

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Demonstrators take part in an "American Patriot Rally," organized on April 30, 2020, by Michigan United for Liberty on the steps of the Michigan State Capitol in Lansing, demanding the reopening of businesses. - The group is upset with Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's mandatory closure to curtail Covid-19. (Photo by JEFF KOWALSKY / AFP) (Photo by JEFF KOWALSKY/AFP via Getty Images)

As the Corona Spring winds on, the questions on the minds of most Americans are "is this push to re-open the US after the outbreak too soon?" and "Will we be needlessly risking  lives solely for economic fears?"

CoVid-19 Pandemic: The Worst and the Best of Humanity on Display

by Nomad

Protesters, including Republican Senate candidate Melissa Acksion, left, stand outside the Statehouse Atrium where reporters listen during the State of Ohio's Coronavirus response update on Monday, April 13, 2020 at the Ohio Statehouse in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo: Joshua A. Bickel)

Sanity Break: Seven Days Walking by Ludovico Einaudi

by Nomad

We all need some relief from the depressing news.

This week I decided to highlight the work of Italian composer Ludovico Einaudi. His album, entitled Seven Days Walking, features Einaudi on piano, Federico Mecozzi on violin and viola, and Redi Hasa on cello.

Released on 19 April 2019. the impressionistic composition was inspired by winter walks in the mountains near Einaudi's Italian home. In the winter of 2018, he walked the same route in the Alps and experienced it differently every time.

A series of meditations based on seven walks on seven different days. (That's something we have somehow taken for granted until the Corona era.)

I hope you find this music calming as we find our own paths through these troubled times.

Covid-19: When the US Became Ground Zero

by Nomad

A grim milestone came and went at the end of this devastating week. On Friday, the coronavirus killed more New Yorkers than the terrorists who flew airplanes into the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001. The September 11 attacks killed about 2,700 people in New York state. In contrast, the coronavirus has so far killed 2,935 state residents of all age groups.

The Covid-19 Crisis and the Unraveling of a President

by Nomad

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As the Covid-19 crisis deepens, President Trump held another press briefing on Sunday in the Rose Garden and it went pretty much as anybody could have predicted. 

Coronavirus Comes to Washington

by Nomad

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US President Donald Trump speaks during the daily briefing on the novel coronavirus, COVID-19, at the White House on March 22, 2020, in Washington, DC. (Photo by Eric BARADAT / AFP) (Photo by ERIC BARADAT/AFP via Getty Images)

CoVid-19: Closures, Lock-downs and Panic Buying Around the World

by Nomad

Around the world, governments have been forced to take drastic measures to slow the spread of the Corona-virus. The graph on the left shows a comparison between the CoVid-19 spread in Italy, the USA and the UK.

As AP reports:

Officials across the country curtailed many elements of American life to fight the coronavirus outbreak on Sunday, with health officials recommending that groups of 50 or more don’t get together and a government expert saying a 14-day national shutdown may be needed.
Governors and mayors closed restaurants, bars, and schools as the nation sank deeper into chaos. Travelers returning home from abroad were stuck in line for hours at major airports for screenings, crammed into just the kind of crowded spaces that public health officials have urged people to avoid.  

2020: The Year of the Virus

by Nomad

According to the Centers for Disease Control, the current risk assessment:

• For most people, the immediate risk of being exposed to the virus that causes COVID-19 is thought to be low. This virus is not currently widespread in the United States.
• People in places where ongoing community spread of the virus that causes COVID-19 has been reported are at elevated risk of exposure, with increase in risk dependent on the location.
• Healthcare workers caring for patients with COVID-19 are at elevated risk of exposure.
• Close contacts of persons with COVID-19 also are at elevated risk of exposure.
• Travelers returning from affected international locations where community spread is occurring also are at elevated risk of exposure, with increase in risk dependent on the location.

Video of Roger Stone's Deposition Interview Reveals His True Nature

by Nomad

Politico offers this analysis of the deposition interview given last month by former Trump operator and friend, Roger Stone. Stone, as you probably already know, was convicted last fall of lying to Congress and threatening a witness regarding his efforts for Trump's 2016 campaign.
This deposition, given days before Stone was sentenced to 40 months in prison, was, in fact, related to six different civil lawsuits Stone is still facing,

As his demeanor demonstrates, Stone was under extreme stress and struggling to contain pent-up fury.

With no judge on hand, Stone was free to tear into his enemies as he did in an earlier era. He could be combative and hard-charging if he wanted. He could even spout vulgarities as he spared with his inquisitor.

Good News Break: Three Heroes Making a Difference

by Nomad

I decided to take a much-needed break from the dire news of the pandemic and the stomach-churning saga of the Trump presidency in order to throw a spotlight on three heroes. Hope you will take a moment to watch the videos and read their stories.

Where Kindness is Part of the Curriculum

by Nomad

Trump's Acquittal: The Ultimate Triumph of the Imperial Presidency

by Nomad

In 1973, in the throes of the Nixon scandal, author Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr. published a book entitled "The Imperial Presidency." in that book, he warned that the office of president of the United States had drifted far from the one envisioned by the Founding Fathers. Less of a servant of the people and into a king without the actual title. He argued that a presidency becomes imperial when it relies on powers well outside those allowed by the Constitution of the United States.

When We Close our Eyes and Ears to the Corrupt

by Nomad

Surveillance, Suppression and Intimidation: Tools for the Super-Rich?

by Nomad

If you haven't found time to read Ronan Farrow's latest book, Catch and Kill, it is certainly worth your time. In fact, it reads more like a John LeCarre spy thriller than a journalist's investigation.
Farrow's book actually deals with the story behind his expose of the allegations against media mogul and accused sexual predator, Harvey Weinstein. He reveals each painful step- from unsubstantiated rumors to firm allegation. To his credit, Mr. Farrow was relentless in seeking out women who privately claimed to have been sexually assaulted.

Yet, Weinstein had powerful friends who were willing to shelter him. And he also lots of tools at his disposal to block journalists and silence accusers. After all, sordid things that Weinstein did was pretty much of an inside secret in Hollywood. According to reports, wealthy Weinstein could afford to pay off his alleged victims (with non-disclosure agreements attached). If that didn't work, there was always the power of threats. According to his alleged victims, he could and would apply tremendous amounts of pressure on uncooperative individuals.
And he did just that... over decades. 

President Trump, the Republican Party and the Parrington Question

by Nomad

Most of you have probably never heard of Vernon Parrington. I know I hadn't until I stumbled upon an interesting quote. That's pretty remarkable because, in our grandparent's time, historian Parrington occupied a special place, particularly among the progressive-minded.

The Parrington Question

This Midwestern educator was also the author of the three-volume Main Currents in American Thought (1927) which went on to win the 1928 Pulitzer Prize for History  As his biography reminds us, for two decades this historical examination and analysis was one of the most influential books for American historians.

Progressive history was a set of related assumptions and attitudes, which inspired the first great flowering of professional American scholarship in history...His progressive interpretation of American history was highly influential in the 1920s and 1930s and helped define modern liberalism in the United States. After receiving overwhelming praise and exerting enormous influence among intellectuals in the 1930s and 1940s, Parrington's ideas fell out of fashion before 1950.

Protests Erupt in Iran After Airliner Calamity

by Nomad

History Has Shown Us the Dangers of a Weak Congress and Where It Leads

by Nomad

When the Democratic-led House of Representatives was attempting to investigate the allegations against President Trump in drawing up articles of impeachment, there was no mistaking contempt the president's and his allies had for Congress.

When Congress called key witnesses to testify, the president ordered them to ignore subpoenas. It was, Trump claimed, a witch hunt. Congress quite rightly pointed out it was simply fulfilling its legitimate, constitutional oversight role.
The House could have issued criminal and civil fines, including jail time. Instead, it allowed the president to block the inquiry with impunity. Wasn't this an unequivocal act of obstruction? No, said the administration, it was an assertion of executive privilege.

Goodbye 2019 - Hello 2020

by Nomad

A Holiday Message to My Wonderful Nomads

by Nomad

So how are you spending Christmas this year?
Even though I don't celebrate Christmas, I am helping to put together a New Years' "bash" at a local cafe. Looks like this party will be a lot of fun. 

WATCH LIVE: Final House Vote on Articles of Impeachment

by Nomad

Watch as history is made today.
The full House of Representatives will debate and vote on the articles of impeachment. If at least one of the articles passes, Trump will be the third president in U.S. history to be impeached. If the House decides to impeach, the Senate will hold a trial to consider if Trump should be removed from office.
No matter what the outcome in the Senate, one thing is undeniable: President Trump's lawlessness has caused an unprecedented constitutional crisis.  

Fears that President Trump's Racism is Undoing the Military's Anti-Extremist Policy

by Nomad

Social media erupted with outrage on Saturday after video footage seemed to show cadets from West Point and midshipmen from the Naval Academy flashing what some claim to be white supremacists hand gestures.
Was it a case of "much ado over nothing"- a harmless bit of horsing around, or yet another case of "everything Trump touches turns to crap"? President Trump had traveled to Philadelphia to attend the annual football game and reportedly received a standing ovation.

LIVE: House Judiciary Committee Impeachment Inquiry Evidence Hearing

by Nomad

The House Judiciary Committee holds a hearing to hear evidence in the on-going impeachment inquiry against President Trump. Watch LIVE at 9am ET.

LIVE: House Judiciary Committee Impeachment Hearings - Day One

by Nomad

Today, the House Judiciary Committee will hold its first public hearing in the impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump. With proceedings set to begin at 10 am ET, the hearing will feature several legal scholars who will testify about "the constitutional grounds for presidential impeachment."

According to experts, Trump could be impeached on a number of charges based on his actions, including violating campaign-finance laws, bribery, extortion, obstruction, and misappropriation of taxpayer funds. In an ongoing effort to de-legitimatize the process, the White House has announced that neither President Trump nor his lawyers will participate.

Is Netanyahu's Refusal to Step Down to Face Charges a Foreshadowing for the US?

by Nomad

What with the impeachment hearings and the non-stop insanity emanating out of Washington, you will be forgiven if you haven't been keeping up with the constitutional crisis unfolding in Israel.  Most of us would agree that we have enough on our plates, especially during Thanksgiving. 

The events in Israel might seem far away and trivial. However, they could well be a portent of what's to come in the US if Trump loses the 2020 election.  

Journalist Chemi Shalev, writing for Haaretz, observes that Israel is currently in a state of chaos with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu holding his own country hostage in his " unrelenting effort to avoid criminal prosecution"  after being charged with fraud and breach of trust. 

CNN Report: Non-Profit Group Brings Free Healthcare to Those Who Cannot Afford It

by Nomad

I am not sure whether this CNN story about the current state of healthcare in the US is depressing or inspiring. What do you think?

Second Week of Impeachment Hearings in Full Bloom

by Nomad

Last week, Democrats launched the public phase of the inquiry with testimony from three career public servants: William Taylor, the acting U.S. ambassador to Ukraine; George Kent, the deputy assistant secretary of state for European and Eurasian affairs; and Marie Yovanovitch, the former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine.

Monday is undoubtedly going to be a day of preparation and behind the scenes action.