I’ve said this, but @fareedzakaria.bsky.social says it much better: we need to start recognizing the U.S. has “separate & perhaps incompatible” agendas for Iran War than Israel which is happy to destroy Iran as they did Gaza & Syria, which is not in the U.S. interest. www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mn-i...

Great news. Been following this story here for a while. Voice of America aired truthful news to authoritarian countries for 60+ years & promoted democracy🇺🇸. Congress created it, repeatedly embarrassing and failing MAGA ideologue Kari Lake could not kill it. (Washington Post)

For Netanyahu, and perhaps Trump, these attacks on Iran and Lebanon, including today's attacks on Tehran's energy infrastructure, are obviously not about traditional war or security. He wants to level Iran and Lebanon like he did Gaza. And must be stopped. www.theguardian.com/world/live/2...

Almost exactly a quarter century later, Gorillaz' "Clint Eastwood" is still banging--as is readily seen on last night's Saturday Night Live performance. Way too damn long since we've seen Del the Funky Homosapien @delhiero.bsky.social. www.youtube.com/watch?v=pMKA...

This shortening of healthy lives in the UK "is injustice. It could be improved, but British governments have made choices that mean poorer children get old sooner and die earlier than richer children. The fact our healthy lives are now getting shorter is also a political choice."

For 100 yrs, UK "made outstanding progress on life expectancy...outlook has just kept getting better...[but in] past 15 yrs, improvements in life expectancy have essentially stalled, while our allotment of healthy life is getting shorter." --Aditya Chakrabortty www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Trump is NOT protecting Iranians from a cruel regime; he’s introducing a new one⬇️.

@mehdirhasan.bsky.social: As Pete Hegseth says he wants to get rid of “rules of engagement” for the Iran War, U.S. & Israel have killed 160 schoolgirls, 1200 civilians in bombings, destroyed a Tehran elementary school, 12 hospitals... www.youtube.com/watch?v=u7LU...

Why does Israel get to piggyback their unconnected bombing of Beirut and removal of 500,000 citizens on the Iran War? Do they need the cover for yet another massacre of innocent civilians? We stupidly didn't stop them last time so they get to do it again?! www.theguardian.com/world/2026/m...

The Trump-appointed personnel in gov't health orgs such as CDC were also promoting "alternatives to the measles vaccine, which is known [for decades] to be safe and effective." No wonder so many kids are getting dangerously ill.

"The Trump administration has failed to take obvious steps to contain spread of measles, which is...accelerating in the U.S. as the number of cases climbed past 1,000." A Trump-appointed CDC leader said rises in measles were "the cost of doing business." www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...

The infectious brand-new single from Benin’s @AngeliqueKidjo is a glorious weekend starter. Can hardly wait to hear the entire LP “Hope,” her first in 5 years, next month. Guests on it include Pharrell, Nile Rodgers ETC! www.youtube.com/watch?v=4MKm...

I love to see @barackobama.bsky.social back in preacher mode, reflecting on America in 2026, inspired by his mentor the Rev Jesse Jackson, who lies in state before him. Did you hear Barack’s voice catch a couple times? Yeah, me too. Listen:

An interview with the hailed costume designer Ruth E. Carter, and how her work has helped bring to life the characters in “Sinners” “Malcolm X” “Black Panther” “Do The Right Thing” “Amistad” etc. No black woman has earned more Oscars. www.theguardian.com/fashion/cost...

Economist @justinwolfers.bsky.social explains how the loss of 92,000 jobs in the U.S. during February poses a strong possibility of a recession soon or now. There's been now six months now of “virtually no employment growth,” much of it because of the tariffs. And, I suspect, AI.

Hey Trump, read some history. Sometimes these badly planned wars of choice widen when you don't expect, causing more havoc and casualties, lengthening the short wars that so many U.S.presidents have promised in vain⬇️. Maybe you shoulda sided with Zelensky🇺🇦, Doofus President...

About 15 minutes ago, the @aclu.org sent me a wise message: "President Trump fired Dept of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem yesterday – a clear attempt to scapegoat her without actually calling for any reform." Expect the abuses by ICE to continue, if not ratchet up.

. @peterbakernyt.bsky.social: First, Trump said Iranians should rise up, take over their gov’t; then he had his own people he wanted to lead, but U.S. military killed most of those people; now Trump says he’ll pick Iran's new Supreme Leader. All in less than a week. www.youtube.com/watch?v=pGSh...

I know many of these people that apparently most Reform UK party members want to cruelly deport in Trump-esque style⬇️: they've been here for decades, built careers, paid taxes, bought houses, served the public. The UK would be severely injured without them. My partner is one of them.

I think @paranoiacs.bsky.social is correct to bring in Martin Amis’ “The Information” as a comparison to Belle And Sebastian’s songs, and I agree with her judgment that their musical structures and arrangements are better than critics usually give them credit for.

In celebration of its 30th anniversary, @paranoiacs.bsky.social dissects the deep poignant charms of Belle And Sebastian’s 2nd LP—"a streamlined juggernaut whose layered character studies were filled with exquisite literary & musical detail.” Still brilliant & moving. pitchfork.com/reviews/albu...

Historian Rutger Bregman is recommending we boycott Sam Altman’s OpenAI company, which runs ChatGPT. Bregman marshalls much evidence demonstrating why Altman is “bankrolling authoritarianism” as his company loses many billions yearly. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

By Trump having Khamenei killed in Iran, “the Supreme Leader has killed the Supreme Leader. His war is ultimately about himself, branded like everything from the Trump-Kennedy Center to the Trump Peace Institute.” --Sidney Blumenthal www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Nice to see that unqualified failing law-breaking profligate Trump cabinet members can be fired. More, please. (@nytimes.com)

A new film covers the career of Marianne Faithfull over 60 years, spotlighting musical works and witty statements of hers that are usually unfortunately neglected. The documentary also covers at length the historic sexism of the music industry: www.theguardian.com/film/2026/ma...

If you want to dive deep into Bob Power’s work over the decades, there is a 631-song quite eclectic playlist on Spotify entitled “A-yo,my mic is sounding bug…BOB POWER,you there?...” open.spotify.com/playlist/76t...

Last week, Anthropic “refused a deal with [US Dept of Defense] over concerns its model could be used for domestic mass surveillance or fully autonomous weapons,” while Sam Altman at Open AI gave free reign to whatever Trump/Hegseth want to do with AI. www.theguardian.com/technology/2...

Once again, Trump’s dumb irrational vengeance cases can’t meet the standard for the rule of law. President Doofus strikes again. (@nytimes.com)

Reporting on FBI Director Patel keeps getting more damning: @carolleonnig.bsky.social has discovered he is firing experienced important @FBI agents for no cause right after media reports show him as corrupt or inexperienced for his job, “endangering the FBI’s mission” www.youtube.com/watch?v=_rWJ...

King’s College London Principal Shitij Kapur’s vision of what college is now is disturbing: purely economic-based, ignoring the humanities. Getting a job is crucial, but what about the huge value of critical thinking, writing, opening up a student’s world? www.theguardian.com/education/20...

“More than half of Reform UK members believe non-white British citizens born abroad should be deported or encouraged to leave, according to the first publicly available poll of those in Nigel Farage’s party.” What a load of detestable unpatriotic racists. www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

"The UK competition watchdog launched a review into £8bn private dentistry market after price of a consultation increased ~25% over a 2-yr period. 1 in 5 people in Britain sought private dental care in 2024 in part because they could not access NHS treatment." www.theguardian.com/society/2026...

Too late, @nytimes.com. I already love the great Ray Barretto. Most of his best records were on the legendary indie salsa label Fania. For newcomers, I would highly suggest "Latin Soul Man," a 2007 compilation of Ray's 1960s singles.

New reporting by the @nytimes.com, with examples and evidence, indicates Netanyahu, as many have suspected, was a key factor if not the main factor behind Trump’s decision to go to war in Iran. Netanyahu was lobbying Trump on this for months. www.nytimes.com/video/world/...

Wow. Angry fact-brandishing GOP Senator Tillis gives Homeland Security Sec Kristi Noem hell on Capitol Hill yesterday for her terrible tragic management and cover-ups concerning ICE and FEMA. A very rare occurrence. Look out Trump, your base is sliding. www.youtube.com/watch?v=Of2r...

If you're looking for info: Long-time Middle East diplomat/advisor for Bush Sr and Clinton Dennis Ross calmly explains where Iran and its government stand now, where they could go from here, whether reform is possible and what could happen with their nuclear program: www.youtube.com/watch?v=nNjK...

Jack Hopkins reports: Why did @fbidirectorkashpat.bsky.social fire ~12 of the top Iran counter-intel experts in U.S. gov’t just before the Iran War began, when he knows Iran couldretaliate against USA? Why did he once again jettison expertise for loyalty? www.jackhopkinsnow.com/p/patel-fire...

Historian Timothy D Snyder on how we can keep Trump’s purposeful war on truth & democracy from winning in the Iran War. And how Trump and his authoritarian cabinet are foolishly damaging possible opportunities to improve conditions in Iran. snyder.substack.com/p/losing-the...

Historian Timothy D Snyder on how we can keep Trump’s purposeful war on truth and democracy from winning in the Iran War. And how Trump and his authoritarian cabinet are damaging long-term American excellence and security that may not be possible to rebuild. snyder.substack.com/p/losing-the...

Earlier today, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, accused yesterday by Trump of betraying the long-time "special relationship" between US and UK by not volunteering British bases for his Iran War, and of not being Winston Churchill🤣, laid out a wise policy: www.theguardian.com/world/2026/m...

Thanks to our president who openly enjoys ordering death and violence, America now has a Crazy Town foreign policy. www.youtube.com/watch?v=nNjK...

The great hip-hop engineer and sometime producer Bob Power has passed away at the age of 73. He brought us classic hip-hop and soul albums over the decades by A Tribe Called Quest, D’Angelo, De La Soul, Erykah Badu, The Roots, Meshell Ndegeocello ETC! pitchfork.com/news/bob-pow...

Jon Stewart, last night, after watching Trump in a news conference yesterday about the Iran war, sleepily speaking at length about drapes he has installed at the White House: “I can’t believe it. Our bombs are now smarter than our president.” www.youtube.com/watch?v=WCkc...

The Washington Post lost 300+ of their reporters last month, but is still publishing some truth:

As any informed person coulda predicted, Trump’s idiotic Iran war has already spread to several Middle East countries: Lebanon, Kuwait, Israel etc. Iran just closed the Strait of Hormuz, endangering oil distribution, driving up prices. It was never gonna be the 2-3 day war Trump predicted.

Political, diplomatic, military experts now on @deadlinewh.bsky.social made it clear Trump administration has NOT learned one of the main lessons of forever wars since the 1960s as seen in Vietnam, Iraq etc: Trump and his officials know nothing of the culture & history of Iran. Shameful. Stupid.

In revisiting the Blue Nile’s revelatory 1984 debut album, Sam Sodomsky explores more effectively than other writers have why the Scottish band is so different, emotionally and musically, why they have touched so many so profoundly for decades. pitchfork.com/reviews/albu...

Presidential historian Jon Meacham reminds us “successful war presidents” are ones who make clear, honest explanations of wars they start, & what their goals are, to the American people. Trump seems incapable of this w/his constantly shifting, false justifications. www.youtube.com/watch?v=UeDJ...

Ayman Mohyeldin reports that, contrary to what the US was hoping, the three leaders replacing Iran’s Supreme Leader and the 48 other Iranian leaders that Trump bombed and killed, are also political hardliners. Not much political progress. www.youtube.com/watch?v=nlQE...

How much you wanna bet billionaire Trump partisans Larry and David Ellison, architects of the deal, are already planning how to take down national treasure "Last Week Tonight With John Oliver," as they helped to destroy "Colbert Late Show" and "60 Minutes" when they took over CBS? (Washington Post)