Here’s a new (to me) news aggregator that puts up the latest 3 stories from a bunch of different sites (sadly, not this one). It’s run by Oliver Willis.
Stacy Mitchell wrote a piece about food deserts at the Atlantic. If you’re paywalled, her thread on Bluesky has the basics. As with a lot of bad things, it started with the Reagan administration, specifically, with the rollback of antitrust enforcement. Unfortunately, the Reagan hagiography has completely obscured what a retrograde administration that was.
This story of a rogue prosecutor in Kansas City, KS, and how her misconduct is intertwined with a whole lot of police misconduct, is a hell of a tale.
That’s all I have, but at least it isn’t about butter knives, pick me’s or pardons.
WaterGirl
I don’t know, I thought the butter knife quote from Jasmine Crockett was the best thing I’ve read all day!
rikyrah
The food deserts one was really interesting.
You want to know when it truly became a problem?
You’ll never guess.
Something bad that has happened in the last 45 years?
Of course….it goes back to Reagan.
I just sighed and went
‘of course’
when she pinpointed the time where things went left and never got back on track.
There is absolutely nothing bad in the past 45 years that can’t be traced back to him.
JKC
The Michael Harriet story is riveting, as was a very similar thread he posted on BlueSky.
If you haven’t read his book “Black AF History” you should find a copy as an early Yuletide gift to yourself. I can’t recommend it enough.
karen marie
@JKC: Reading Harriet’s story about the Kansas business was shocking. I’d seen an article just prior to seeing Harriet’s that made it appear that the criminal behavior was limited to Golubski – “nothing to see here, folks, the bad guy is dead, move along.” It said nothing about anyone else having been involved. Absolutely horrifying. I sure hope it continues to be investigated and more charges are brought.
rikyrah
Myron Clifton:
It’s more than daddy issues that causes left and far left democrats, especially but not exclusively, wm to be so vocal and upset about the pardon.
They hated Joe’s unconstitutional love. His public affection. His willingness to cry, be vulnerable, and his acceptance & understanding of addiction.
schrodingers_cat
@rikyrah: He started dismantling the regulatory state put in place after the Great Depression. The media worships him. They have always been pro white supremacy
@rikyrah:
The far left hates the base of the Democratic party than it does the Republicans.
Betty
Going OT: new stories on Hegseth are absolutely impossible for Republican Senators to ignore. According to his colleagues on Fox, the guy is basically a somewhat functioning alcoholic. Unreliable even as a host for a TV show. Why the nomination is even being discussed at this point is unbelievable.
Jackie
Here’s news that will lift our spirits a bit!
Bill Arnold
Russian propagandists, happy about the incoming Trump 47 administration:
The Kremlin Celebrates Trump’s Cabinet Picks – Russian state TV propagandists are ecstatic about Donald Trump’s Cabinet selections, especially Kash Patel who the incoming president has appointed to be FBI director. (Julia Davis, Dec. 2 2024)
Bold mine:
karen gail
I remember when Regan was elected governor; the comments from locals in Bay Area were not good. Too many people knew what kind of person he was, he was a mediocre actor willing to do anything to get a role. (He turned other actors in as communists to Joe McCarthy to get revenge and land roles.)
My father always said that he was as good a governor as the scriptwriters around him made him; the consensus seemed to be that Nancy wanted more and after being first lady of state she wanted to be first lady of country.
We can blame Regan for many things but what he mostly did was follow the script and do the “movie star” thing that made people see the image he projected and not the person behind the act. A friend always used the line from “Wizard of Oz” to explain why Regan did what he did both as a governor and president. “Pay no attention to the person behind the curtain.”
I have to say that personally it looks like most people see Trump the same way, they see a golden business man, an all powerful rich white man, they see what they want to see and not the reality.
zhena gogolia
@karen gail: Yeah, Trump is a grotesque caricature of what we all thought was already a caricature with Reagan. At least Reagan didn’t suck up to the Russians.
SiubhanDuinne
@Betty:
I’m thinking he’ll “withdraw his name from consideration” within the next 18 hours or so. (I would add “I hope so,” but the gods only know whose even worse name TCFFG will belch out next as SoD nominee.)
Michael Bersin
Bill pre-filing has started for the 2025 session of the Missouri General Assembly. Democrats do file bills. This one bans book banning in public libraries. The odds of this bill even getting a hearing – with the right wingnut super majority in control – approaches zero.
HB 95: a ban on banning
It’s a pathetic sign of the times that this is even a thing.
karen gail
I find myself somewhat surprised that Lindsey Graham hasn’t come up as a pick; he has been going all out on threatening those who don’t fall in line with Trump’s wishes, he has even threatened countries if they go against Trump’s wishes. He has brown nosed to point few others have reached.
sab
@karen gail: He wants to keep his Senate seat and undoubtedly has already turned down offers.
Leto
@Michael Bersin: I take heart in the fact that a subplot to both Field of Dreams and Footloose dealt with book bans and book burnings. Glad not much has change in 40 years on the right.
rekoob
@karen gail: Indeed. Hard to believe that nigh-on 45 years ago, we elected a scripted Republican buffoon who promised to “change Washington”, took a wrecking ball to it, and successive Democratic Administrations had to work like hell to keep the worst from happening and do what they could for the most vulnerable, only to have to do it *again* now.
Not claiming any personal virtue, but I voted Carter, Mondale, Dukakis, Clinton, Clinton, Gore, Kerry, Obama, Obama, Clinton, Biden, Harris during those times.
Geminid
@sab: I suspect Lindsey Graham will retire in 2026. I guess we’ll know for sure this time next year.
Geminid
@rekoob: I’d say that if nothing else, your voting history makes you part of “the Democratic Base.”
Gloria DryGarden
@rikyrah: a rare gem, an adult male who can cry, and be vulnerable and tender and loving.
and in spite of his legal principles, to adjust his tack for the prevailing winds. Man’s already has multiple family losses.
i wonder about our values when legal principles and norms,( when no longer respected by most , and are thus basically void) are weighed against love and kindness, acceptance and tolerance.
that was a cumbersome sentence. Perhaps someone has a way with words.
sadsadsad
https://raindropio.canny.io/feature-requests/p/1-8555465620-united-cancellation-policy-2025-process