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Trump’s vengeance campaign: At least 470 targets and counting

Trump’s vengeance campaign: At least 470 targets and counting

Reuters reports: In his second term, Donald Trump has turned a campaign pledge to punish political opponents into a guiding principle of governance. What began as a provocative rallying cry in March 2023 – “I am your retribution” – has hardened into a sweeping campaign of retaliation against perceived enemies, reshaping federal policy, staffing and law enforcement. A tally by Reuters reveals the scale: At least 470 people, organizations and institutions have been targeted for retribution since Trump took office…

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‘Traitor’: GOP and Dem reps call for Witkoff to be fired after leaked Kremlin call

‘Traitor’: GOP and Dem reps call for Witkoff to be fired after leaked Kremlin call

The Guardian reports: A handful of US representatives have reacted furiously to a leaked recording in which the special envoy to Ukraine reportedly coached Moscow on how to handle Donald Trump, but most have so far remained mute on the revelation that American officials were advising a US adversary. Don Bacon, a Republican representative, called for Steve Witkoff’s immediate dismissal. “For those who oppose the Russian invasion and want to see Ukraine prevail as a sovereign & democratic country, it…

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Europeans’ views of the U.S. are now defined by their views of Trump

Europeans’ views of the U.S. are now defined by their views of Trump

Ivan Krastev writes: The Trumpian revolution has divided Europe. Unlike during earlier moments of friction, such as the United States’ 2003 invasion of Iraq, the split is not between pro- and anti-American countries. This time, it is between pro- and anti-Trump political camps. The most important change is that European perceptions of the U.S. political system are now starkly polarized. In a June survey by the European Council on Foreign Relations, supporters of far-right parties such as Germany’s AfD, Italy’s…

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MIT study finds AI can already replace 11.7% of U.S. workforce

MIT study finds AI can already replace 11.7% of U.S. workforce

CNBC reports: Massachusetts Institute of Technology on Wednesday released a study that found that artificial intelligence can already replace 11.7% of the U.S. labor market, or as much as $1.2 trillion in wages across finance, health care and professional services. The study was conducted using a labor simulation tool called the Iceberg Index, which was created by MIT and Oak Ridge National Laboratory. The index simulates how 151 million U.S. workers interact across the country and how they are affected…

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We can’t diet and exercise our way out of the next pandemic

We can’t diet and exercise our way out of the next pandemic

David Wallace-Wells writes: In the event of a sudden pandemic, what should we do? This month, Jay Bhattacharya, the director of the National Institutes of Health, offered a remarkably blunt answer: nothing. It’s been nearly six years now since the United States’ first reported cases of Covid-19, and the country is in a merciful lull when it comes to pandemic recriminations, as Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s ongoing war on vaccine confidence now dominates the public health culture wars. But Bhattacharya,…

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David Sacks’ power play to become America’s AI policy gatekeeper

David Sacks’ power play to become America’s AI policy gatekeeper

The Verge reports: On Wednesday, a rumor began popping up in Washington about a momentous policy change: the White House, it was said, would issue an executive order on Friday that would finally preempt state AI laws, handing over those regulatory powers to the federal government. The minute it leaked online, lawyers and policymakers began to scour every sentence of it. There was a lot about it that seemed politically unfeasible; there was even more that seemed overbroad, possibly illegal….

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Judge’s footnote on immigration agents using AI raises accuracy and privacy concerns

Judge’s footnote on immigration agents using AI raises accuracy and privacy concerns

The Associated Press reports: Tucked in a two-sentence footnote in a voluminous court opinion, a federal judge recently called out immigration agents using artificial intelligence to write use-of-force reports, raising concerns that it could lead to inaccuracies and further erode public confidence in how police have handled the immigration crackdown in the Chicago area and ensuing protests. U.S. District Judge Sara Ellis wrote the footnote in a 223-page opinion issued last week, noting that the practice of using ChatGPT to…

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Trump regime ends temporary immigration protections for Haitians

Trump regime ends temporary immigration protections for Haitians

Miami Herald reports: The Department of Homeland Security on Wednesday announced the end of temporary immigration protections for Haitians, adding them to a growing list of immigrant groups seeing their protected status revoked by the Trump administration. The decision, which becomes effective on Feb. 3, 2026, could affect more than a half million Haitians living in the U.S. under what is known as Temporary Protected Status. The designation was granted to Haiti after a string of natural and political disasters,…

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Mark Kelly is under investigation for telling the truth

Mark Kelly is under investigation for telling the truth

David Cole writes: On Monday Pete Hegseth, the secretary of defense, directed the Pentagon to investigate Senator Mark Kelly, a retired Navy captain who flew combat missions during the gulf war and took several spaceflights as an astronaut before he was elected to serve Arizona’s citizens in Congress. His potential crime? Telling members of the armed services that they do not have to follow illegal orders. But saying so is not a crime; it’s a true statement of the law….

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A short history of the long war on drugs in Latin America

A short history of the long war on drugs in Latin America

Greg Grandin writes: Today, Donald Trump presides over his own Murder Incorporated, less a government than a death squad. Many brushed off his proclamation early in his second term that the Gulf of Mexico would henceforth be called the Gulf of America as a foolish, yet harmless, show of dominance. Now, however, he’s created an ongoing bloodbath in the adjacent Caribbean Sea. The Pentagon has so far destroyed 18 go-fast boats there and in the Pacific Ocean. No evidence has…

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Failing state: More than a quarter of Israelis want to leave the country

Failing state: More than a quarter of Israelis want to leave the country

Sruli Fruchter writes: Amid this brutal cycle of war, trauma and sacrifice, more than 25% of Israelis are now considering leaving Israel behind. The stunning results of this survey, conducted in April 2025 and published on Sunday by the Israel Democracy Institute, reveal an existential fissure in the country. Israelis are losing faith in their nation’s future, and they don’t believe they can get it back. It’s a shocking turnaround, after narratives of Israeli society’s exemplary resilience and social cohesion…

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Research indicates a connection between wealth and selfishness

Research indicates a connection between wealth and selfishness

Steve Taylor writes: A few weeks ago, the millionaire Polish CEO Piotr Szczerek made headlines when he snatched a signed cap from a child at the American Open tennis tournament. A social media backlash followed, which threatened Szczerek’s business interests, prompting an apology. Is it strange that a wealthy businessman should behave with such apparent pettiness and meanness? In fact, research has found a clear link between wealth and unethical behaviour, including an increased tendency to cheat and steal. One…

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Bloomberg: Witkoff advised Russia on how to pitch Ukraine plan to Trump

Bloomberg: Witkoff advised Russia on how to pitch Ukraine plan to Trump

Bloomberg News reports: US presidential envoy Steve Witkoff, fresh from the triumph of the Gaza peace deal, held a phone call last month with a senior Kremlin official to suggest they work together on a similar plan for Ukraine — and that Vladimir Putin should raise it with Donald Trump. In an Oct. 14 phone call that lasted a little over five minutes, Witkoff advised Yuri Ushakov, Putin’s top foreign policy aide, on how the Russian leader should broach the…

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