Occupy Banksters & Crony Capitalism & GREED

Lula looks to restore Brazil's tarnished global stature
Axios | Dave Lawler | 10/31/22

The shift from President Jair Bolsonaro to President-elect Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva brings a sea change not only for Brazil itself, but also for the global role of Latin America's largest country, economy and diplomatic power.

Why it matters: Lula's victory means that all of Latin America's largest countries and economies will be led by left-wing leaders. He has big ambitions to bring that burgeoning bloc closer together and to restore Brazil's tarnished global stature, especially on environmental issues.

"It was my government that gave citizenship to Brazil in the realm of international relations. Never before in the history of Brazil was Brazil so respected in the world," he claimed in one presidential debate. ... Read more

Trump asks Supreme Court to block House Dems from getting tax returns
Axios | Erin Doherty | 10/31/22

Former President Trump on Monday filed an emergency application asking the Supreme Court to temporarily block a House committee from obtaining his tax returns.

The big picture: Trump has been fighting for years to block the release of his tax returns to the House Ways and Means Committee.

His request comes after a federal appeals court last week declined the former president's request to block the release of his tax returns, CNN reports.

Driving the news: "This case raises important questions about the separation of powers that will affect every future President," Trump said in the filing.

The filing argues that the House committee is seeking his tax returns solely for the purpose of "releasing the President's tax information to the public." ... Read more

Officials brace for unprecedented efforts to disrupt 2022 vote
Axios | John Frank | 10/28/22

Why it matters: Efforts to intimidate voters and spread misinformation can erode the public's trust in the democratic process, and safety concerns are making it hard to recruit election workers in some states.

Zoom in: In Colorado, Pennsylvania and other states, officials report that election deniers are signing on as poll watchers, which could create tense situations at polling places.

The "greatest fear" is that election conspiracy theories "could incite somebody to do something violent," said Matt Crane, the associate director for Colorado's association of county clerks. ... Read more

Interest rates yank Wall Street moon shots back down to Earth
Axios | Matt Phillips | 10/28/22

As the leaders of Ford Motor and Meta are finding out, high-interest rates have changed the capitalist calculus for big bets on money-losing projects.

Why it matters: Low rates make speculative, long-shot bets far more attractive. High rates kill investors' tolerance for such investments.

What's happening: Shares of social networking giant Meta crashed Thursday in part because its floundering virtual reality environment lost nearly $4 billion, with the red ink still to grow "significantly."

The stock suffered its second-worst single-day drop on record, collapsing by nearly 25%.

Separately, Ford - which posted a loss Wednesday - saw its shares go up after shuttering Argo AI, the autonomous driving startup that it had invested billions. ... Read more

Brainwashing, Drunks & Madness: Memoirs of a Medical Icon - May 1, 2004 by William E. Mayer, $899.99

This is a book about revolutions, told by a medical man at the forefront of those battles, many still in progress, that have affected the lives of millions. Termed a "stormy petrel" of his profession by a great university, he was a major player in revolutionary changes in the treatment of the mentally ill; the medical approach to the disease of alcoholism; the unraveling of the methods used by Communist tyrants to enslave nearly a third of the earth's peoples, including some of our own; and, working within the labyrinth of power that is the Pentagon, assuring that those who serve the nation in battle, if wounded, have better than a 97% chance to survive their wounds: unprecedented in the history of war.

This is a book about revolutionary changes in our world in the century just ended, that will continue in the new one ahead. Dr. William Mayer is a citizen-physician-soldier who, often at great professional (and at times, personal) risk, plunged into battles to change centuries-old ideas and practices having to do with insanity and the disease of alcoholism; methods of military training needed to respond to mind-altering tyrannies; and competition with our top war-fighters for the huge resources to assure our soldiers the finest medical care in history. These tales of changes that affect the lives of all in the free world are essential to the understanding of what can be accomplished by a free people, and what our adversaries would destroy.

These revolutions touch the lives of all of us. They must be understood, and they must be remembered. For it is all too often that people forget these revolutions and history...thus are doomed to repeat them. Often with horrible consequences.

Glenn Greenwald broke the story of widespread NSA surveillance while working for The Guardian U.S. His stories, based on documents provided by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden, won the 2014 Pulitzer Prize for public service. Greenwald is a founding editor of The Intercept and the author of No Place to Hide about his experience reporting on the Snowden story. He spoke to FRONTLINE's Jim Gilmore on Feb. 16, 2014. Read more

World close to 'irreversible' climate breakdown, warn major studies
TheGuardian | Damian Carrington | 10/27/22

Key UN reports published in last two days warn urgent and collective action needed - as oil firms report astronomical profits

The climate crisis has reached a "really bleak moment", one of the world's leading climate scientists has said, after a slew of major reports laid bare how close the planet is to catastrophe.

Collective action is needed by the world's nations more now than at any point since the second world war to avoid climate tipping points, Prof Johan Rockstrom said, but geopolitical tensions are at a high.

He said the world was coming "very, very close to irreversible changes - time is really running out very, very fast". ... Read more

Housing is hammered in the Fed's war on inflation
Axion | Neil Irwin | 10/27/22

The new GDP numbers are out, and one striking thing to draw from them is this: The housing sector is overwhelmingly bearing the brunt of the Federal Reserve's efforts to slow down the economy, especially with mortgage rates topping 7%.

Why it matters: The Fed's rate hike campaign is succeeding at slowing the overall economy, but the burden disproportionately falls on those trying to buy, sell or build houses. That makes the policies less effective at bringing down inflation than they might be if the impact were wider. ... Read more

'The truth is they're vulnerable': inside America's mobile home crisis
TheGuardian | Lauren Mechling | 10/25/22

As the opening of Terry's film lays out, 4.7 million Americans lost their homes in the recession of 2008. Investors spent $60bn buying up the foreclosed houses. While American households are falling in size, the typical house has moved in the opposite direction, with premiums placed on mega residences that are accessible to a tiny segment of the population.

institutional investors made up 23% of housing park purchases over the previous two years, up from 13% in the two years before that. "The easiest homes to grab are the ones that are most needed by the people who have the least capacity to defend themselves," ... Read more

Markets get stark reminder that China is a Communist dictatorship
Axios | Matt Phillips | 10/25/22

Global capital fled China en masse Monday in the aftermath of Xi Jinping's quasi-coronation as the sole power in charge of China.

Why it matters: Market moves suggest investors were surprised by the extent to which Xi's elevation signaled a coming period of conflict with the West — and a backdrop that could make it increasingly difficult for investors to extricate themselves from what's been the most important growth market for decades.

Investors seem to be getting out now, while the getting is good.

State of play: A violent selloff hit Chinese markets Monday, as a riptide of capital rushed out of the People's Republic. ... Read more

Prophets of War: Lockheed Martin and the Making of the Military-Industrial Complex by William D Hartung (Author)

Enthralling and explosive, Prophets of War is an expos' of America's largest military contractor, Lockheed Martin. When President Dwight D. Eisenhower gave his famous warning about the dangers of the military industrial complex, he never would have dreamed that a company could accumulate the kind of power and influence now wielded by this behemoth company.

As a full-service weapons maker, Lockheed Martin receives over 25 billion per year in Pentagon contracts. From aircraft and munitions, to the abysmal Star Wars missile defense program, to the spy satellites that the NSA has used to monitor Americans' phone calls without their knowledge, Lockheed Martin's reaches into all areas of US defense and American life. William Hartung's meticulously researched history follows the company's meteoric growth and explains how this arms industry giant has shaped US foreign policy for decades.

The Monetary System Visually Explained | Iconz Global Network, LLC. | Michael Maloney | 10/02/18 | 21:28

Drought to tighten its grip on U.S. this winter, forecasts show
Axios | Ben Geman, Andrew Freedman | 10/21/22

The third straight La Nina winter in the U.S. is likely to cause drought to expand and deepen from California to the Plains, branching out across the Southeast, NOAA said Thursday.

How it works: Currently, water levels along certain stretches of the Mississippi River are so low that centuries-old shipwrecks are being revealed, and modern-day barge traffic is imperiled.

After a dry winter, if spring rains falter in Texas, there would be a growing possibility of summer water supply constraints, experts warn.

The big picture: The new seasonal drought outlook through January depicts a weather pattern that is heavily influenced by a rare, three-winter "triple dip" La Nina in the tropical Pacific Ocean. ... Read more

UK Prime Minister Liz Truss resigns | PBS | 10/20/22 | 1:35

UK Prime Minister Liz Truss resigns after failed budget and market turmoil
NBC | Jenni Reid | 10/20/22

LONDON - U.K. Prime Minister Liz Truss resigned Thursday following a failed tax-cutting budget that rocked financial markets and which led to a revolt within her own Conservative Party.

Truss said in a statement outside Downing Street: "We set out a vision for a low-tax, high-growth economy that would take advantage of the freedoms of Brexit."

"I recognize though, given the situation, I cannot deliver the mandate on which I was elected by the Conservative Party. I have therefore spoken to His Majesty the King to announce that I am resigning as leader of the Conservative Party." ... Read more

Things Aren't Looking Great for the UK | ColdFusion | 10/05/22 | 11:05

Russian attacks destroyed 30% of Ukrainian power stations, Zelensky says
Axios | Ivana Saric | 10/18/22

Russian attacks on Ukraine over the past eight days have destroyed 30% of the country's power stations, causing "massive blackouts across the country," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky tweeted on Tuesday.

Driving the news: Russia has stepped up its attacks since Oct. 10, when Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered a missile bombardment on Kyiv and cities across Ukraine in retaliation for the explosion of a bridge linking mainland Russia with occupied Crimea — which Moscow blamed on Ukrainian forces.

Zelensky wrote in a Telegram post Monday that kamikaze drones and missiles were "attacking all of Ukraine."

The big picture: Zelensky described the attacks on energy and critical infrastructure as "another kind of Russian terrorist attacks," adding that there is "no space left for negotiations with Putin's regime." ... Read more

Beijing speeding up plans to seize Taiwan, Blinken says
Axios | Rebecca Falconer | 10/18/22

China's ruling party plans to annex Taiwan on a "much faster timeline" under Chinese President Xi Jinping than previously thought, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Monday.

Of note: Blinken's comments at an event at Stanford University in California come days after Xi said during a Chinese Communist Party congress speech the "wheels of history are rolling on towards China's reunification" with Taiwan and "we reserve the option of taking all measures necessary."

What he's saying: "There has been a change in the approach from Beijing toward Taiwan in recent years," Blinken said at the Stanford forum with former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. ... Read more

Trump Supporters Short-Circuit Over INSANE Conspiracies At Rally | | 10/04/22 | 3:59

Transgender Rights II: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver | John Oliver | 10/17/22 | 26:32

DOJ seeks 6-month prison sentence for Steve Bannon.

WHAT!! A kid in Texas can get 10 years for a bag a weed, and Bannon get 6 months for stealing $1,000,000.00 dollars?

Trump's business charged Secret Service "excessive" hotel rates, docs show
Axios | Jacob Knutson, Andrew Solender | 10/17/22

Former President Trump's business charged Secret Service agents "excessive nightly rates" at its properties during dozens of trips, according to documents released Monday by the House Committee on Oversight and Reform.

Driving the news: Some charges were as high as $1,185 per room per night at the former Trump International Hotel in Washington, D.C — more than five times the government rate, according to the committee.

Why it matters: Trump maintained ownership of the Trump Organization throughout his presidency through a revocable trust, with his oldest sons, Eric and Donald Jr., at the helm.

The documents released were not a full account of the Secret Service's expenses at Trump's properties throughout his presidency. ... Read more

Biden addresses Putin's nuclear threats in Ukraine | CNN | 10/11/22 | 15:20

War in Ukraine: Making Sense of a Senseless Conflict by Medea Benjamin (Author), Nicolas J. S. Davies (Author)

Russia's brutal February 2022 invasion of Ukraine has attracted widespread condemnation across the West. Government and media circles present the conflict as a simple dichotomy between an evil empire and an innocent victim. In this concise, accessible and highly informative primer, Medea Benjamin and Nicolas Davies insist the picture is more complicated.

Yes, Russia's aggression was reckless and, ultimately, indefensible. But the West's reneging on promises to halt eastward expansion of NATO in the wake of the collapse of the Soviet Union played a major part in prompting Putin to act. So did the U.S. involvement in the 2014 Ukraine coup and Ukraine's failure to implement the Minsk peace agreements. The result is a conflict that is increasingly difficult to resolve, one that could conceivably escalate into all-out war between the United States and Russia-the world's two leading nuclear powers.

Skillfully bringing together the historical record and current analysis, War In Ukraine looks at the events leading up to the conflict, surveys the different parties involved, and weighs the risks of escalation and opportunities for peace. For anyone who wants to get beneath the heavily propagandized media coverage to an understanding of a war with consequences that could prove cataclysmic, reading this timely book will be an urgent necessity.

Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant loses external power for 2nd time in a week
Axios | Ivana Saric | 10/12/22

The external power supply at Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station was cut for the second time in five days on Wednesday, according to International Atomic Energy Agency chief Rafael Grossi, who called it a "deeply worrying development."

Why it matters: The loss of the external power supply forced the plant to once again rely on its emergency diesel generators for necessary safety and security operations, such as reactor cooling.

State of play: The development came a day after Grossi met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in St. Petersburg.

The plant has been in a cold shutdown for the past month after intermittent shelling - for which Russia and Ukraine blame each other - has sparked international outcry and fears of a nuclear disaster. ... Read more

Hold the Line: The Insurrection and One Cop's Battle for America's Soul by Michael Fanone (Author), John Shiffman (Author)

When Michael Fanone self-deployed to the Capitol on January 6, 2021, he had no idea his life was about to change. When he got to the front of the line, he urged his fellow officers to hold it against the growing crowd of insurrectionists-until he found himself pulled into the mob, tased until he had a heart attack, and viciously beaten with a Blue Lives Matter flag as shouts to kill him rang out.

Now, Fanone is ready to tell the full story of that fateful day, along with exploring our country's most critical issues as someone who has had firsthand experience with many of them. A self-described redneck who voted for Trump in 2016, Fanone’s closest friend was an informant-a Black, transgender, HIV-positive woman who has helped him mature and rethink his methods as a police officer. With his unique insight as an undercover detective and intense desire to do the right thing no matter the cost, Fanone provides a nuanced look into everything from policing to race to politics in a way that is accessible across all party lines.

Determined to make sure no one forgets what happened at the Capitol on January 6th, Fanone has written a timely call to action for anyone who wants to preserve our democracy for future generations.

New round of Russian missiles hits civilian infrastructure in Ukraine
Axios | Ivana Saric | 10/11/22

Russia launched another barrage of missile strikes in Ukraine on Tuesday, hitting residential buildings in Zaporizhzhia and electrical infrastructure in Lviv, Ukrainian officials said.

Why it matters: The strikes come on the heels of Russia's largest bombardment of Ukraine since the start of the war on Monday, which hit cities all across the country, including the capital Kyiv.

An estimated 19 people were killed and another 105 wounded in the missile attacks on Monday, Ukraine's state emergency service wrote in a Telegram post. ... Read more

Debt, Coups & Colonialism in Haiti: France & U.S. Urged to Pay Reparations for Destroying Nation | DN | 05/24/22 | 32:11

US is headed for a recession, says head of JP Morgan Chase bank: 'This is serious'
TheGuardian | Edward Helmore | 10/10/22

The US and global economy is facing a "very, very serious" mix of headwinds that is likely to cause a recession by the middle of next year, warned Jamie Dimon, chief executive of JP Morgan Chase, the largest US investment bank, on Monday.

Dimon pointed to the effects of runaway inflation, sharp interest rate rises and Russia's war in Ukraine, as factors that informed his thinking. But he added that the US was "actually still doing well" and consumers were likely to be in better shape compared with the global financial crisis in 2008.

"You can't talk about the economy without talking about stuff in the future - and this is serious stuff," Dimon told CNBC at a conference in London.

"These are very, very serious things which I think are likely to push the US and the world - I mean, Europe is already in recession - and they're likely to put the US in some kind of recession six to nine months from now," he added. ... Read more

Project aims to shed new light on Indigenous enslavement
Axios | Russell Contrer | 10/10/22

Why it matters: The death of George Floyd two years ago drew attention to systemic racism and the legacy of slavery, but the general public knows very little of Indigenous enslavement in the U.S. and Latin America.

Details: "Native Bound-Unbound: Archive of Indigenous Americans Enslaved" promises to digitize and piece together stories of the millions of Indigenous people whose lives were shaped by slavery.

Using documents, baptismal records, letters and oral histories, the site will allow people to search for Native Americans who were enslaved and locate possible descendants. ... Read more

The Withdrawal: Iraq, Libya, Afghanistan, and the Fragility of US Power by Vijay Prashad, and Noam Chomsky

Not since the last American troops left Vietnam have we faced such a sudden vacuum in our foreign policy-not only of authority, but also of explanations of what happened, and what the future holds.

Few analysts are better poised to address this moment than Noam Chomsky and Vijay Prashad, intellectuals and critics whose work spans generations and continents. Called "the most widely read voice on foreign policy on the planet" by the New York Times Book Review, Noam Chomsky is the guiding light of dissidents around the world. In The Withdrawal, Chomsky joins with noted scholar Vijay Prashad-who "helps to uncover the shining worlds hidden under official history and dominant media" (Eduardo Galeano)-to get at the roots of this unprecedented time of peril and change.

Chomsky and Prashad interrogate key inflection points in America's downward spiral: from the disastrous Iraq War to the failed Libyan intervention to the descent into chaos in Afghanistan.

As the final moments of American power in Afghanistan fade from view, this crucial book argues that we must not take our eyes off the wreckage-and that we need, above all, an unsentimental view of the new world we must build together.

Will Putin Use Nuclear Weapon? Featuring Ali Velshi | 10/08/22 | 3:08

Crime Reporting: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver | 10/10/22 | 27:08

AI becomes a political "super-weapon"
Axios | Lachlan Markay | 10/07/22

The big picture: Consultants for both major parties are hoovering up voter data to hone advanced fundraising and persuasion tactics. These data tools are especially useful in down-ballot local races.

Consultants say they can dramatically improve campaigning by asking machines to synthesize huge amounts of data - from incomes to consumer purchasing habits - to predict how individuals will donate and vote.

What's happening: A host of consultancies are now marketing their use of AI and machine learning to boost political clients. ... Read more

Republicans' lawless leaders at odds with midterm law and order message
TheGuardian | author | 10/07/22

"John Fetterman wants to release convicted murderers from prison," warns the narrator, as a black-and-white photo of Pennsylvania's lieutenant governor is shown beside pictures of convicted killers. A caption adds darkly: "Socialist John Fetterman loves free stuff... but we can't let him free murderers."

The campaign ad from Mehmet Oz, candidate for the US Senate in Pennsylvania, is vintage Republican strategy: casting a Democratic opponent as soft on crime. The party is zeroing in on fears over public safety ahead of November's midterm elections in an effort to change the conversation from abortion, climate or democracy.

But Republicans' own claim to be the party of law and order is this time undermined, critics say, by the behavior of its party leaders. Former president Donald Trump, who is under myriad criminal, civil and congressional investigations, is not alone. Many senior Republicans have rallied to his defence or displayed their own contempt for the rule of law. ... Read more

Climate change fingerprints found on this summer's scorching droughts
Axios | Andrew Freedman | 10/06/22

Human-caused climate change made the drought conditions that gripped large portions of the Northern Hemisphere this past summer far more likely to occur, a new study found.

Why it matters: The study, published Wednesday, found human-caused global warming dramatically upped the odds of drought throughout the hemisphere outside of the tropics — making them at least 20 times more likely compared to the preindustrial era.

The Northern Hemisphere summer of 2022 brought extreme heat and drought to Europe, China and North America. ... Read more

More than 30 killed in mass shooting at Thailand child care center
Axios | Ivana Saric | 10/06/22

More than 30 people - including at least 22 children - were killed in a mass shooting at a child care center in northeast Thailand, police said Thursday.

Driving the news: Authorities identified the gunman as a former police officer and said that, after the attack in the province of Nong Bua Lamphu, he killed his wife and child, then shot himself, Reuters reports. ... Read more

YIKES: Tudor Dixon Ad Backfires | TYT | 10/05/22 | 4:43

Trump melts down on Truth Social over Mar-a-Lago probe: "I want my documents back!"
Salon | Brad Reed | 10/05/22

Former President Donald Trump is demanding that the National Archives and Records Administration give back the top-secret documents he improperly took from the White House and stashed at his Mar-a-Lago resort.

In a new rant posted on Truth Social, the former president cited past instances in which the National Archives had lost information from past White Houses as evidence that documents, which included secrets on another country's nuclear program, were safer being stored at his luxury resort in Florida.

"NARA lost a whole hard drive full of HIGHLY SENSTITIVE information from the Clinton White House," Trump fumed. "More than 100,000 Social Security numbers and addresses, Secret Service and White House operating procedures (EXTREMELY SENSITIVE!)." ... Read more

FBI data shows U.S. violent crimes decreased slightly in 2021
Axios | Russell Contreras | 10/05/22

The estimated number of violent crimes in the U.S. decreased slightly in 2021, according to statistics released by the FBI.

Why it matters: The figures from President Biden's first year come as Republicans seek to make crime a major issue before the midterms, an issue that polls show voters give an edge to the GOP.

By the numbers: Violent crime volume decreased by 1% in 2021, from 1,326,600 in 2020 to 1,313,200.

The estimated number of murders increased from 22,000 in 2020 to 22,900 in 2021, a 4.3% increase.

Rates of robberies decreased 8.9% from 2020 to 2021, contributing significantly to the decrease in overall violent crime. ... Read more

key takeaways from Haberman's Trump book
TheGuardian | Martin Pengelly | 10/05/22

Maggie Haberman's new book, Confidence Man: The Making of Donald Trump and the Breaking of America, was published in the US on Tuesday. As is now customary for books about the 45th president, its revelations have been widely reported.

Here are the key points: ... Read more

Trump attorney lawyers up - and says she's willing to cooperate with DOJ in Mar-a-Lago case: report
Salon | Igor Derysh | 10/03/22

At least one member of former President Donald Trump's legal team has hired her own attorney — and allies are urging another to follow suit, according to The Washington Post.

Trump attorneys Christina Bobb and Evan Corcoran affirmed to the Justice Department that Trump had handed over all classified records from his Mar-a-Lago residence in response to a May subpoena. But prosecutors said their response was "incomplete" after the FBI searched and found more documents at Mar-a-Lago and cited evidence of "obstructive conduct" in response to the subpoena.

Bobb has since hired her own lawyer, Florida-based former prosecutor John Lauro, and "made it known to Trump allies that she is willing to cooperate and be interviewed by the Justice Department," ... Read more

'She say anything about me?'' Trump raised Ghislaine Maxwell link with aides
The Guradian | Martin Pengelly | 10/04/22

At an Oval Office meeting in July 2020, Donald Trump asked aides if Ghislaine Maxwell, the former girlfriend of the financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein who had been arrested on sex trafficking charges, had named him among influential contacts she might count upon to protect her.

According to a new book by Maggie Haberman of the New York Times, Trump asked “campaign advisers ... 'You see that article in the [New York] Post today that mentioned me?'

"He kept going, to silence. 'She say anything about me?'" ... Read more

National Archives asked Trump's lawyers for Kim Jong-Un correspondence in May 2021
Axios | Shawn Chen | 10/04/22

The National Archives asked former President Trump's lawyers to account for correspondence with North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un in May 2021 as part of a bid to locate boxes of presidential records, according to email correspondence released Monday.

Why it matters: Exactly eight weeks since the FBI's search of Mar-a-Lago, the former president and his legal team have still not explained why he took more than 11,000 government documents and refused to return them on request.

The National Archives said it released email correspondence in response to more than 50 freedom of information requests related to the FBI's search of Mar-a-Lago this summer. ... Read more

Republicans' lawless leaders at odds with midterm law and order message
TheGuardian | David Smith | 10/03/22

But Republicans' own claim to be the party of law and order is this time undermined, critics say, by the behavior of its party leaders. Former president Donald Trump, who is under myriad criminal, civil and congressional investigations, is not alone. Many senior Republicans have rallied to his defence or displayed their own contempt for the rule of law.

"The Republican party is quickly becoming a party of anarchy and lawlessness," said Larry Jacobs, director of the Center for the Study of Politics and Governance at the University of Minnesota. "This is supposed to be the party of conservative principles, of tradition, of respect for customs and rules that make society governable.

"The idea that the law does not apply to Republicans is something that has now become part of the mainstream of the Republican party. We see it in terms of the approach to elections. We see it in terms of the treatment of immigrants. Some of the actions with regard to abortion may approach that level. The Republican party appears to consider the law and the constitution to be optional and to have lost legitimacy."

Over seven years Trump has refashioned the party in ways obvious and subtle. ... Read more

Hundreds of thousands without power in Florida as Ian death toll climbs
Axios | Jacob Knutson | 10/03/22

The death toll from Hurricane Ian has risen to 68, days after it pummeled Florida's western coast as a major storm before barreling through the Carolinas, according to AP.

The latest: Nearly 719,000 customers were without power in Florida on Sunday evening as affected states shifted toward recovery efforts in the hurricane's aftermath.

Of those confirmed dead, 61 were in Florida, while another four occurred in North Carolina, according to AP. Another three people had died in Cuba as a result of the storm.

The big picture: Ian made landfall as a high-end Category 4 storm in Florida last Wednesday. On Friday, it made landfall in South Carolina as a Category 1 storm, carrying a "life-threatening" storm surge of 4 to 7 feet, Axios' Andrew Freedman writes. ... Read more