This is why I speak of christofascism. The evangelical Christian movement is one of the foundations of the MAGAt worldview, and melded with the Republican Party. From Reagan through Trump they have been a major force, but several other trends have come together, shrinking membership particularly amongst the young, women pastors, to create a schism in the church. The fundamentalists are a shrinking minority. But this shrinkage instead of dissuading a large percentage of the Southern Baptist Convention from their fundamentalism has made them double down, as this article describes very clearly. In my opinion this schism is a very important trend in the politics of the 2024 election.
Many messengers said they worry Trump is too much of a “lightning rod” to win a general election or are “disappointed” with his behavior on Jan. 6, 2021 – or with his blaming abortion for the GOP’s underperformance in the midterms.
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA — No one could accuse the Baptists of excessive cheeriness. Or underplaying their challenges.
Over the clanking of silverware and the smell of breakfast sausages on the sidelines of a major gathering of Southern Baptists here, several hundred pastors and other churchgoers welcomed a roster of speakers ruminating on a “teetering” nation, “sexual insanity,” “all this trans stuff” and the specter that the country’s largest Protestant denomination was on a “road to insignificance.”
At the evening get-together in the same hotel ballroom — where attendees sipped on bottles of water in this humid city better known for imbibing more intoxicating beverages — they used even more apocalyptic language.
The culture war the MAGAts are promoting and running on is stressing the American culture in many ways. Weight gain is just one manifestation of this toxicity, and it is affecting half the population.
Credit: Pixel-Shot / stock.adobe.com
NEW YORK, NEW YORK — Is stress ruling your life? Nearly half of Americans believe they’ll never feel stress-free ever again. A new poll of 2,000 people over the age of 30 revealed 57 percent of people feel stress more frequently now than they did five years ago and 47 percent live an unhealthier life because of the stress they experience.
Over four in 10 (43%) admitted to dealing with their stress in unhealthy ways, including sitting inactively and thinking about what stresses them out (37%) or turning to food for comfort (30%). Half the poll said stress has an effect on their social life and another 44 percent said it has an effect on their work life.
Commissioned by Nutrisystem and conducted by OnePoll, the study found most are often stressed by their general health (36%), the amount of money they make (36%), or their job (34%). One in four (26%) are worried about their weight, specifically.
ALEX GANGITANO and BRETT SAMUELS, Staff Writers - The Hill
Stephan:
Every day I do research on trends I think that matter, that I can give my readers information about. As I read the dozens of publications this requires, I am struck by the complete breakdown of the U.S. Congress and the Supreme Court as properly functioning institutions. In this piece I want to focus only on the Congress. There so many urgent trends the Congress, particularly the House, should be focused on. And yet, the Republicans are trying to block anything that will address the crises the country faces and, instead, like unruly children in a sand box they waste their time, the nation’s time, quarreling over nonsense like what is described in this article. But what I find even more alarming is that about a third of Americans voted these ignorant corrupt cretins into office and seem ready to do so again, just as they are willing to once again vote for Trump, a criminal sexual molester psychopath. The truth, I don’t want to face but must, is that America has become a different country than it was as recently as the 1970s, two countries really, and the age of its world leadership in so many areas appears to be passing.
U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) stands with fellow House Republicans during a news conference on the “Lower Energy Costs Act,” on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., March 30, 2023. Credit: Tom Brenner / Reuters
House Republicans are grappling over whether to move forward with impeaching President Biden and a host of his top officials, putting a spotlight on how the conference has turned to impeachment as a tool to target administration officials.
Republicans disagree over how hard to push for impeachment because some are worried the efforts could backfire after the party heavily criticized Democrats for their House impeachments of former President Trump.
Here’s a look at who House Republicans are targeting for impeachment, and why they are doing so.
President Biden
It’s far from clear that most Republicans want to move forward with impeachment proceedings against Biden.
Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) introduced a procedural measure to force a floor vote on her impeachment articles, which led to internal sparring and a days-long clash between GOP leaders and the congresswoman. The House voted to punt the resolution to committees and […]
Alicia Bannon, Director of the Judiciary Program - Brennan Center for Justice
Stephan:
While I think the number of justices on the Supreme Court should be increased to 13, I also think they should be term-limited, and bounded by strict ethics. In my view a proper term would be 12 years (basically three Presidential terms). The Brennan Center, as described here, thinks there should be term limits, but proposes 18 years, which I think is too long. One of the reasons I chose this article was that it showed one of the most prestigious legal centers in the country also supported term limits and, additionally, because this is the only commentary I have seen anywhere that makes what I consider to be a very important point. Justices are living longer now, because people are living longer today than they did in the 18th Century when the Founders designed the Supreme Court. Today there are justices serving what amount to generational terms of 35 years, and on average justices serve 10 years longer than they did in the past. I don’t think the Founders had anything like that in mind.
Illustration: Rudy Sulgan / BCJ / Getty
We’re in the final weeks of the Supreme Court’s term, waiting for rulings on affirmative action, LGBTQ+ rights, student loan forgiveness, and more. Alexander Hamilton wrote that the courts were the “least dangerous” branch of government. Not anymore. It’s hard to overstate the Supreme Court’s power and impact — or the damage done by its now-ensconced conservative supermajority.
As the Court has grown more powerful, so have individual justices, who now serve more than a decade longer on average than they used to. Some are likely to stay on the bench for as long as 35 years — covering nine presidential terms. All the while, they are shaping policies and laws that can endure for generations.
This is no way to run a democracy. A new Brennan Center report, which I wrote with my colleague Michael Milov-Cordoba, outlines a solution to restore balance and accountability to our nation’s highest court: adopting 18-year terms and regularized appointments for Supreme Court justices.
Aerial view of rice growing under solar panels at an agrivoltaic farm in Wenzhou, Zhejiang Province of China on Aug. 3, 2022. Credit: Cai Kuanyuan / VCG / Getty
China’s central government has set a target of 1,200 gigawatts (GW) of utility-scale wind and solar capacity by 2030, but a new Global Energy Monitor (GEM) report says the country is set to double its current capacity and meet the goal five years early, a GEM press release said.
Prospective projects that have already been announced or are in construction or pre-construction equal about 371 GW of wind capacity and 379 GW of solar capacity — approximately the same amount as the currently installed operating capacity of China, according to the Global Solar and Wind Power Trackers.
“This new data provides unrivaled granularity about China’s jaw-dropping surge in solar and wind capacity. As we closely monitor the implementation of prospective projects, this detailed information becomes indispensable in navigating the country’s energy landscape,” said Dorothy Mei, project manager at GEM, in the press release.
Almost all of the prospective capacity is included in the Chinese […]
