Jen Golbeck, University of Maryland - College of Information Studies - HuffPost
Stephan:
This is the best fairest description of the MAGAt cult that I have read. This is the dim fantasy driven group that wants to end American democracy and turn the United States into a racist, christofascist, male dominant, authoritarian, nation. How could such a group exist and support a man who resembles a comic book villain? Remember these facts. The average IQ in the U.S. is 98, with 34% between 98 and 85. Remember also that 54% of Americans can’t read and understand anything written that exceeds 6th grade level and 43% can’t comprehend something written beyond 5th grade level. Also remember that Trump voters are notably uneducated at the college level.
A breakdancer in a Trump mask performs on the street before a rally for Trump in Johnstown. Credit: Jen Golbeck
Some people spend their summers following musicians on tour, meeting people and swapping friendship bracelets. I spent mine traveling around the country to attend Donald Trump rallies and interview his MAGA faithful in Florida, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Illinois.
I am a journalist and researcher working on a book about the psychology of the MAGA movement and the far right. I have been immersed in far-right internet forums for nearly a decade, studying how people are radicalized and identifying when there is a potential for violence. Even as a trained, objective observer, there are days when the bigotry, conspiracy theories, misogyny and hate speech in those spaces overwhelms me. But I also know online vitriol does not always reflect offline reality.
I started going to rallies this year because I wanted to talk with people face-to-face in hopes of understanding their points of view. I have discovered how unique of a phenomenon Trump rallies are — and what you see on […]
Alicia Victoria Lozano and David K. Li, Reporters - NBC News
Stephan:
I have been to Springfield, Ohio. It is a small city — about 60,000 people — built around manufacturing businesses. The city welcomed the Haitian immigrants when they came because the companies there were desperate for workers. Now, as a result of traitor Trump, his frankenstein Vance, and the MAGAt cult, this small quiet Ohio town is being driven into crisis because of the weird lies about Haitians stealing pets and eating pussycats. This is the state of American politics.
Springfield, Ohio Credit: Springfield News Sun
SPRINGFIELD, OHIO — Bomb threats on Friday forced the evacuation and closure of public schools and municipal buildings for a second consecutive day, as the city continues to deal with sudden national attention because of false claims involving its Haitian population.
Students at Perrin Woods and Snowhill Elementary Schools in Springfield “were evacuated from their buildings to an alternate district location,” school district spokesperson Jenna Leinasars said.
Roosevelt Middle School was “closed prior to the beginning of the school day” in relation to the information received from the Springfield Police Department, Leinasars added.
In addition to those school evacuations, several city commissioners and a municipal employee were the target of an emailed bomb threat, city spokesperson Karen Graves said.
A second email threatened multiple locations that included Springfield City Hall, Cliff Park High School, Perrin Woods Elementary School, Roosevelt Middle School, the Bureau of Motor Vehicles and the Ohio License Bureau Southside, Graves added.
“As a precaution, all affected buildings have been evacuated. Authorities, with the support of explosive detection canines, have conducted […]
Marjorie Cohn , Professor Emerita at Thomas Jefferson School of Law and Dean of the People’s Academy of International Law - truthout
Stephan:
I have wondered for some time about the climate impact of all the wars the United States has been involved in since George Bush started the “war on terror” but could not find anything I thought was fact-based. The one thing that did become clear to me is that all these wars have been insanely profitable for the military-industrial complex President Eisenhower warned us about, and these conflicts have resulted in the death of millions. Here is the first fact-based report I have ever seen on this important climate issue. It is a very nasty story.
A soldier in the Afghan National Army (ANA) walks past a burn pit at a command outpost recently handed over to the ANA from the United States Army on March 22, 2013, in Kandahar Province, Zhari District, Afghanistan. Credit: Andrew Burton / Getty
This week marks 23 years since George W. Bush declared a U.S.-led “war on terror” and the people of Afghanistan and Iraq are still suffering its consequences.
After the U.S. invaded Iraq, an estimated half a million Iraqis were killed and at least 9.2 million were displaced. From 2003-2011, more than 4.7 million Iraqis suffered from moderate to severe food insecurity. Over 243,000 people have been killed in the Afghanistan/Pakistan war zone since 2001, more than 70,000 of them civilians. Between 4.5 and 4.6 million people have died in the post-9/11 wars.
The U.S.’s “war on terror” also escalated the climate catastrophe, resulting in local water shortages and extreme weather crises that are only getting worse. In 2022, Afghanistan had its worst drought in 30 years and it is […]
Jet-powered aircraft are significant contributors to the alteration of our atmosphere and climate change. Here is a first report on what looks like a new technology that could be some very good news.
A rendering of the ES-30 regional airliner Credit: Heart Aerospace
It was just this July that we heard about the ES-30, a hybrid-electric airliner being developed by Swedish firm Heart Aerospace. Well, the company has now unveiled a full-scale demonstrator version of the plane, which should fly next year.
To recap our previous coverage, plans call for the 30-passenger ES-30 to utilize what’s being referred to as a “reserve-hybrid” configuration.
What this means is that for flights of up to 200 km (124 miles), the aircraft will just use two electric motors located relatively close in to the fuselage on each wing. For going farther – up to 400 km (249 miles) – two small turboprop engines located farther out on the wings will kick in to extend the aircraft’s range.
One charge of the aircraft’s BAE-Systems-designed batteries should take only 30 minutes.
Like other electric airliners, the ES-30 should produce fewer carbon emissions than its conventional counterparts, while also being quieter, cheaper to operate, and easier to maintain. Additionally, because its electric motors quickly deliver maximum torque, it […]
When I say Americans are not prepared for what climate change is going to do, here is the data on one aspect of that. But it is only one aspect. One has to also factor in not being able to get insurance, or the failure of the Red state governments to prepare properly. And then there is the impact of the interna migrations. The net-net of all of this is that unless we elect politicians committed to fostering wellbeing, which means making appropriate preparations for climate change, the coming years are going to be very painful and difficult.
A drone view shows houses and streets flooded as Hurricane Debby affects the gulf coast in Suwannee, Florida, on August 5. Credit: Ricardo Arduengo/Reuters
The United States is in the midst of both hurricane and wildfire season. And US homeowners are likely keeping their fingers crossed that they and their families will be spared — not just physically, but also financially.
A quarter of US homeowners (26%) said they are financially unprepared for extreme weather events, according to Bankrate, which surveyed a nationally representative sampling of nearly 1,300 homeowners at the end of July. Those most likely to say they were unprepared lived in the South (29%), the West (28%) and the Northeast (25%). Those least likely to say so were in the Midwest (19%).
In response to a separate question in the survey, another 15% indicated they would have to go into debt to afford the deductible they would owe under their homeowner insurance policy if their property ever did get hit. That group is on top of the 7% who said they don’t even […]
