Robert, thank you for the extraordinary effort that you put forth every week to help me (and thousands of others ) better understand and make sense of these fraught times. I find that I get most of my news and analysis these days from Substack — HCR, Joyce Vance, you, Jay Kuo, Simon Rosenberg, Jessica Craven — are my daily reads. Together, I find I get a broad mix of legal, statistical, historical context and optimism that I need. I don’t have to be jerked around by ‘click worthy’ headlines and other forms of disinformation. Does it take longer each day to digest what is going on reading several newsletters than scrolling headlines? Yes, but I feel much better informed and more energized to do my part to help the cause of defending our democracy. Your newsletter is an important part of the mix - each writer has their own style and focus — all important. Thanks again. (PS— your “opportunities for engagement” have helped my channel my efforts — my chosen work is to write postcards — I write 20-25 per week.).
Hi Linda, you and I have the same daily reading list. And I'm a postcarder, too! :-)
I also recently discovered a new-to-me substack "what did Biden do today?" It is helpful if you are following Simon's advice to be Information warriors. It is very information dense, so I am really just skimming it for things taht resonate with me.
Excellent, Linda! I have a similar diet, and one of the things I like about Robert's writing (aside from being insightful and incisive) is that it's thought-provoking. More than once it's inspired me to develop and express my own views, and the exchanges I've had with Robert and other readers have been enlightening. We do need these fine thought leaders to keep us motivated and engaged.
I'm truly grateful for their dedication to our mutual well-being.
Robert, for what it’s worth, YOU are a national treasure. How you and Jill do what you do is a constant amazement to us. And I’m hard pressed to remember ANYTHING you have written that hasn’t been well researched and thought out. And consistent with what are “American” values for Jane and myself, at a time when these values are trampled right and left by people and institutions at all levels of the country. I get more out of your column and HCR’s every morning than I do out of all the rest of the news media in a week. We are uniquely well informed on the issues that truly matter. And we Thank You for that.
I'm not sure what Johnson "deserves credit for" except finally letting go of the Republican effort to stop helping Ukraine. It's an unanticipated backing away from a devastating 6 months of having to watch the United States continue not supporting the Ukrainian people. I am wondering if this colossal change is a result of Johnson's recent trip to Mar-a-Lago, where he perhaps saw something which opened his eyes. It is a head scratcher, but if aid to Ukraine is expedited, it's an extraordinary relief.
Hi, Pam. Your reservations about Johnson are understandable. As I wrote, a lot of people are scratching their heads about his sudden backbone. It could have been otherwise, so while it doesn't feel like we should be grateful for his actions, it is where we are in this upside down world.
I was gratified to read your discussion about Mike Johnson's recent change of heart regarding Ukraine funding. It was a big head scratcher for me too.
It has been excruciating to see how difficult Speaker Johnson and his brat pack in the House have made it for the brave Ukranians to continue their successes against Putin's army. I couldn't believe Johnson cared about turning his back on Ukraine since he has waited SO long without budging on this issue.
I believed if he continued to block aid to Ukraine, Johnson would be branded now and throughout history as the person most responsible for the resulting fall of Ukraine and the devastating effect that would have on the rest of the free world.
Could Johnson have no conscience about his major support for the horrors of January 6, but somehow find being branded as the reason Ukraine fell to Putin to be too much to carry on his shoulders?
As long as Ukraine gets their weapons to fight Putin, I'm satisfied. But it's a very interesting question as to what is motivating Johnson to finally do the right thing in this situation.
Even a broken clock is right twice a day. I'm confident his choice in this case was a Hobson's one, and he realized that he was vulnerable either way. I think he gambled that his acceptance of help from Democrats would be begrudgingly okay to the Republicans who haven't completely abrogated our democracy, and as long as he didn't (doesn't) stab the Democrats in the back as McCarthy did, he'll keep his seat. So I don't think he finally put the best interests of the country before his personal ambitions - he realized that the two were aligned for a brief moment. Opportunists are like that.
It's possible, although this is purely guesswork, that there is beginning to be a change on the part of the GOP infrastructure with people realizing that the failed insurrectionist is no longer a strong, positive electoral factor. If such is the case and, if people in that position in Louisiana expressed their support for Mr. Johnson's action in belatedly supporting aid to our various allies, that would explain his sudden display of intestinal fortitude and the accompanying change in attitude. Hard to believe, but, unlike Bibi N., I'll take the win if that's what it is.
Yes, we should take the win and not over-analyze. My trust in Johnson may have ticked up a notch, but there are a lot of ticks between rock bottom and minimally acceptable.
I’ll give him this one. However he got there it’s wonderful that the aid is going forward. However, you could dress him up as Bowpeep with a big pink bow and thousand dollar bills falling from his outstretched hands but I will never in a thousand million years find his morally reprehensible opinions and devastating stonewalling acceptable. Nope. Picture this. A children's playfield. Mikey is the big kahuna. He won’t let the girls or anyone go to help the baby birds that have fallen out of a tree. Jesus beams down and gives him a choice. All the children, the teachers and the whole school building will fall gradually into a deep pit of fire and die horrible painful deaths. How long does it take for him to decide to get some of his gang together to help the girls save the birds? How many of his little friends teeter into the abyss before his thousand mile stare swivels away from his job, power, his own self interest? Too long. I have send Jesus a memo. If He really knows Mikey he should sit him down for a chat. Meanwhile I have put him on my Scrooge altar. Candle burning now…he should be getting some interesting vision dreams very soon.
There has been much expressed recently by informed members of the media and even some more moderate GOP House members about how the hard-liners are parroting Russian propaganda regarding Ukraine. While Johnson might feel no regret about participating in false rigged election activities and his hard-line Christian Nationalist beliefs, perhaps this sudden change reflects a brief desire to prevent further promotion of Russian interest in the downfall of Democracy.
It would be wonderful for MTG to finally overstep her position AND be called on it. Now if other Republicans start to stand up to her, maybe we can see positive change in the House.
Weird, hey? I get the same feeling when SCOTUS makes a ruling that makes sense and then goes right back to ending Roe. They will throw a ‘bone’ in there, smooth everyone’s feathers and then go after Chevron. I’m not thankful, I’m terrified- so thanking them when they do the right thing seems asinine.
I agree wholeheartedly. The House is still a big mess, and I'm sure there will be evidence revealed for his abrupt turn of action on aid to these countries.
Robert, you write: "I make a conscious effort to provide a positive view of the news to counterbalance the relentless negativity of the media. I also attempt to give voice to the outrage felt by readers as each new Orwellian development is treated with boredom and dismissiveness by the media." And thank goodness that you do!
I am heartened by the news that Ukraine aid seems to be forthcoming. However, I won't fully celebrate until something is on President Biden's desk ready to be signed.
In the meantime, I continue to be grateful for your daily missives, Robert. If nothing else, they keep the dust from settling inside my brain!
Robert you never ever have to defend yourself to me or most of your readers. Today’s Edition is informative and insightful and yes opinionated and is a point of view that you either accept or reject but it factual. We all formulate our own opinions about what is going on based on the sources of information we read and Today’s Edition is one knowledgeable individuals opinion of the situation. It’s an opinion I respect and enjoy.
"[A]ll citizens, called upon to participate in these proceedings, whether as a juror, a witness, or in some other capacity, must now concern themselves not only with their own personal safety, but with the safety and the potential for personal attacks upon their loved ones. That reality cannot be overstated."
I’m deeply saddened and actually feel like I have been punched in the stomach that you posted the newest anti-trans piece from The NY Times. And it is anti-trans. The NY Times has printed one article after another that is eroding the positive approach to and progress that has been made in treatment of youth and adults in America. England had been in the forefront of treatment but has been backing down, changing laws, and with anti-trans mouthpieces (like JK Rawling) has been taking away treatments that are lifesaving and affirming. After a brief period of support for the trans community and trans care during the Obama years, the US is also backtracking in dangerous ways. I will work on getting some scientific information as you requested. First treatment for youth will be restricted, and not long after trans adults will be fighting for care . This is already happening in our country.
Hi, Janice. As you know, I am a strong supporter of the trans community. What I am looking for is help from readers to respond to David Brooks's view that the Cass Report is reasonable report. I haven't had time to read the entire report; even then, I am not a scientist or researcher, so I may not be in a position to evaluate the report on my own.
I am looking for help in responding to the report. I agree that the Cass Report is being treated as anti-trans propaganda--because readers who oppose trans rights have thrown it in my face as the "latest, best thinking" on the subject of trans care.
Help me with the substantive evidence necessary to evaluate and respond to such statements.
Thanks Robert - I know you are an ally and appreciate now that you are trying to get more info to shed light on what seem to be subtle and not so subtle anti-trans articles and rumours going around. Thank you.
I think those who support abortion rights have to support trans rights: the same principles apply: Bodily autonomy is an essential right and we have to let medical experts do what they see as best in consultation with their patients.
I am very sorry for the rolling back of respect and support for the trans community.
I have stopped reading David Brooks' pieces a long time ago and therefore, as a matter of principle, didn't click on the link provided by Robert. Brooks is one of those ultra-conservatives who is spreading his venom couched in excellent prose. Scratch a bit the seemingly respectable surface and you find he is the Chris Sununu of op-ed writers. He is one of them.
Brooks is *not* an ultra-conservative (unless everyone to your right, politically, is ultra). He is a ‘traditional’ conservative, which, among other things, means that he’s unalterably opposed to Trump.
Please don’t denigrate and alienate potential allies (shades of Hillary Clinton’s “deplorables” blunder).
Agree about NYT coverage. I’m grateful for Robert’s support of the LGQBT community and his commitment to understanding.
I follow Erin In The Morning. She is trans, but also an excellent investigative reporter who has read the Cass Review.
“To support these recommendations, the report was released alongside “reviews” of the evidence surrounding transgender care, using these reviews to assert that there is "no good evidence" for gender-affirming care. A closer inspection of the reviews released alongside the Cass report reveals that 101 out of 103 studies on gender-affirming care were dismissed for not being of "sufficiently high quality," based on the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale—a subjective scale criticized for its flaws and potential unreliability due to a high risk of bias. This critique is particularly significant given the contentious political nature of the subject and connections between reviewers, Cass, and anti-trans organizations.”
Thanks, Kathy. This is the type of help I was seeking in responding to the Brooks' article. Erin's analysis of the Cass Report is excellent and raising many troubling aspects of the report and connections of the author with the anti-trans community.
Glad to hear that. I emailed you a little while ago. I wanted to add that a critical question that must be asked is whether the risks associated with providing gender-affirming health care outweigh the risks of not providing it. Based on actual evidence-based research, the answer is a resounding yes. Also, it is important to wonder why it is that her report and recommendations are at odds with the respected medical and psychological organizations in the country? https://glaad.org/medical-association-statements-supporting-trans-youth-healthcare-and-against-discriminatory/
Thank u for this- I am also working on resources that will shed light on gender the science behind and safety of affirming care. Btw Brooks writes with a gentle voice but his pen a weapon.
Along your thought line this is an additional mental health issue on top of many others. Excluding individuals that the GOP pushes for is additional to the terrible job we have towards all mental health. Encouraging these kids to twist in the wind due to a callus pretend Christian’s and bigotry leaves many families searching for professional help. I have every hope when this years election is over it is truly a new beginning for this country. The far right cruelty will begin to dissipate slowly and along with many dropped programs begin to be corrected.
A "remedy" for Trump exists. 30 days in Riker's Island, preceded by a "jailhouse haircut" for public health reasons to insure none of the icky critters that live in that haystack get into the jail.
It's a good thing the Fwee-dumberer's didn't fart - it would be a real stinkeroo.
Robert, you do a lot of good--make sense of a huge amount of information each day --for just a "guy with a laptop!" To me, each newsletter I read brings something different and I don't read them to fact-check or opinion-check them against each other.
Thank you Robert for your unrelenting and astute commentary on current events. It is much appreciated. It is 9:30 am in Wales and I sit in bed with my ipad and coffee and brood about good and evil. Every generation has its chance to make moral choices in that realm. I have shoeboxes full of the letters my dad sent to my mother during the 3 years he was in Europe during world war ll. In 1969, aged 19 I traveled to San Francisco for the Moratorium on the Vietnam War in a VW van with 3 guys and a german Shepard. I quite naively thought that would be my moment. But as time as gone on I see that it was small potatoes to the current evolving state of good and evil in the world.
Ephesians 6:12
For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
Mike Johnson has chosen to welcome the darkness into his heart and mind. He chooses to serve his own interests irregardless of the enormous human suffering it has caused. His source of revelation is not God or the good. It is the darkness whispering in his ear. ‘Is this best for me?” This is so far from Christianity to be laughable if it was not so tragic. As Woody Allen said in one of his movies. ‘If Jesus came back and saw what was being done in his name, he'd never stop throwing up.’
So, as the miasma of evil seems to envelop the world there is still the wind of hope and love building to blow it away. We all have the ability to choose what we allow to inhabit our bodies and souls.
What is your source of revelation? Who do you serve?
Excellent ruminations. Add to the list Dostoevsky’s "The Grand Inquisitor", the short story in The Brothers Karamazov. In the story, Jesus returns 1,500 years after his death to appear to the priests running the Inquisition. It doesn't end up well for Jesus. I suspect the same thing would happen if Jesus showed up a Christian nationalist meeting today.
Thanks. You're right. "The challenges we face are exacerbated by a political dynamic and media environment that exalt negativity, promote disinformation, and revel in fearmongering."
We have the capacity to sweep. We can be proactive. Add potentially millions of unregistered folks who trend heavily Democratic to our base in swing states and we can do it.
I suspect that a deal has been reached with several Democratic Congressmen to prevent Mike Johnson from losing his speakership. We know of at least two who have publicly stated so. So the head-scratching can stop with regard to his supposed altruism.
That's exactly what I came here to suggest. I think Jeffries and the Dems have made a deal with Johnson. And good for them. And maybe, just maybe, the avowed Christian realized that "Whoever seeks to preserve his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life will keep it." (Luke 17:33) might have bearing on trying to keep his speaker role? Maybe?
His premise is that ordering some type of community service would be least likely to martyr him.
It could be extended with each violation, really highlight his transgressions and hinder his campaigning.
I think it’s a brilliant- better than fines or jail time. Have seen nothing else regarding this approach and wonder if it’s something the judge is considering.
(If not, how could it be brought to his attention?)
I'm just guessing on what is happening, but this is a credible understanding to me: Putin asked Trump for a six months delay of weapons to Ukraine, Trump scared the s**t out of Mike Johnson and doubled down on Taylor Green. Now, Johnson has delivered enough for Putin to take command and fulfill his plans in Ukraine, and establish as a fact that the USA is an unreliable partner. It only takes for the speaker of the house to refrain from doing his job to make the president powerless.
As Robert wrote today “…the best place to find a community of like-minded people who can provide a safe and supportive forum for processing these challenging times is your local grassroots volunteer group. If you belong to one, you know the truth of that statement. If you do not, I urge you to join one. They need you, you need them, and our nation needs you both. It is a win, win, win.” Markers For Democracy is one such group. We meet five times or more a week so we can really chat, get to know each other, write a lot of postcards, hear candidates and other speakers and learn about other forms of activism (like sharing the news of our group as I’m doing right now!). Learn more here
Robert, thank you for the extraordinary effort that you put forth every week to help me (and thousands of others ) better understand and make sense of these fraught times. I find that I get most of my news and analysis these days from Substack — HCR, Joyce Vance, you, Jay Kuo, Simon Rosenberg, Jessica Craven — are my daily reads. Together, I find I get a broad mix of legal, statistical, historical context and optimism that I need. I don’t have to be jerked around by ‘click worthy’ headlines and other forms of disinformation. Does it take longer each day to digest what is going on reading several newsletters than scrolling headlines? Yes, but I feel much better informed and more energized to do my part to help the cause of defending our democracy. Your newsletter is an important part of the mix - each writer has their own style and focus — all important. Thanks again. (PS— your “opportunities for engagement” have helped my channel my efforts — my chosen work is to write postcards — I write 20-25 per week.).
Hi Linda, you and I have the same daily reading list. And I'm a postcarder, too! :-)
I also recently discovered a new-to-me substack "what did Biden do today?" It is helpful if you are following Simon's advice to be Information warriors. It is very information dense, so I am really just skimming it for things taht resonate with me.
https://open.substack.com/pub/whatdidbidendotoday/p/what-did-joe-biden-do-today-2fe?r=1aiy5t&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web
Thanks, Cheryl. I just became a. paying subscriber to What did Biden do Today?
Thanks, Cheryl. This newsletter is new to me, but full of good information!
Thanks, Cheryl. I’ll check it out!
Is there a similar one for the Quadefendant? A blank page perhaps?
Excellent, Linda! I have a similar diet, and one of the things I like about Robert's writing (aside from being insightful and incisive) is that it's thought-provoking. More than once it's inspired me to develop and express my own views, and the exchanges I've had with Robert and other readers have been enlightening. We do need these fine thought leaders to keep us motivated and engaged.
I'm truly grateful for their dedication to our mutual well-being.
Anything to do with his son going off to a military academy? Maybe makes war more real?
Aren't bone spurs hereditary?
Yes yes yes! Thank you Robert!
Robert, for what it’s worth, YOU are a national treasure. How you and Jill do what you do is a constant amazement to us. And I’m hard pressed to remember ANYTHING you have written that hasn’t been well researched and thought out. And consistent with what are “American” values for Jane and myself, at a time when these values are trampled right and left by people and institutions at all levels of the country. I get more out of your column and HCR’s every morning than I do out of all the rest of the news media in a week. We are uniquely well informed on the issues that truly matter. And we Thank You for that.
I'm not sure what Johnson "deserves credit for" except finally letting go of the Republican effort to stop helping Ukraine. It's an unanticipated backing away from a devastating 6 months of having to watch the United States continue not supporting the Ukrainian people. I am wondering if this colossal change is a result of Johnson's recent trip to Mar-a-Lago, where he perhaps saw something which opened his eyes. It is a head scratcher, but if aid to Ukraine is expedited, it's an extraordinary relief.
Hi, Pam. Your reservations about Johnson are understandable. As I wrote, a lot of people are scratching their heads about his sudden backbone. It could have been otherwise, so while it doesn't feel like we should be grateful for his actions, it is where we are in this upside down world.
I was gratified to read your discussion about Mike Johnson's recent change of heart regarding Ukraine funding. It was a big head scratcher for me too.
It has been excruciating to see how difficult Speaker Johnson and his brat pack in the House have made it for the brave Ukranians to continue their successes against Putin's army. I couldn't believe Johnson cared about turning his back on Ukraine since he has waited SO long without budging on this issue.
I believed if he continued to block aid to Ukraine, Johnson would be branded now and throughout history as the person most responsible for the resulting fall of Ukraine and the devastating effect that would have on the rest of the free world.
Could Johnson have no conscience about his major support for the horrors of January 6, but somehow find being branded as the reason Ukraine fell to Putin to be too much to carry on his shoulders?
As long as Ukraine gets their weapons to fight Putin, I'm satisfied. But it's a very interesting question as to what is motivating Johnson to finally do the right thing in this situation.
i agree. this is a head-scratcher. i'm curious. who is whispering in whose ear about what? seems that someone must have "got to him".
Like Pence he should not be rewarded for finally doing the right thing once.
Even a broken clock is right twice a day. I'm confident his choice in this case was a Hobson's one, and he realized that he was vulnerable either way. I think he gambled that his acceptance of help from Democrats would be begrudgingly okay to the Republicans who haven't completely abrogated our democracy, and as long as he didn't (doesn't) stab the Democrats in the back as McCarthy did, he'll keep his seat. So I don't think he finally put the best interests of the country before his personal ambitions - he realized that the two were aligned for a brief moment. Opportunists are like that.
It's possible, although this is purely guesswork, that there is beginning to be a change on the part of the GOP infrastructure with people realizing that the failed insurrectionist is no longer a strong, positive electoral factor. If such is the case and, if people in that position in Louisiana expressed their support for Mr. Johnson's action in belatedly supporting aid to our various allies, that would explain his sudden display of intestinal fortitude and the accompanying change in attitude. Hard to believe, but, unlike Bibi N., I'll take the win if that's what it is.
Yes, we should take the win and not over-analyze. My trust in Johnson may have ticked up a notch, but there are a lot of ticks between rock bottom and minimally acceptable.
In addition to the ticks, there are some spiders and snakes to deal with before Mr. Johnson joins the generally socially acceptable.
I’ll give him this one. However he got there it’s wonderful that the aid is going forward. However, you could dress him up as Bowpeep with a big pink bow and thousand dollar bills falling from his outstretched hands but I will never in a thousand million years find his morally reprehensible opinions and devastating stonewalling acceptable. Nope. Picture this. A children's playfield. Mikey is the big kahuna. He won’t let the girls or anyone go to help the baby birds that have fallen out of a tree. Jesus beams down and gives him a choice. All the children, the teachers and the whole school building will fall gradually into a deep pit of fire and die horrible painful deaths. How long does it take for him to decide to get some of his gang together to help the girls save the birds? How many of his little friends teeter into the abyss before his thousand mile stare swivels away from his job, power, his own self interest? Too long. I have send Jesus a memo. If He really knows Mikey he should sit him down for a chat. Meanwhile I have put him on my Scrooge altar. Candle burning now…he should be getting some interesting vision dreams very soon.
Seems reasonable.
Fair enough…
There has been much expressed recently by informed members of the media and even some more moderate GOP House members about how the hard-liners are parroting Russian propaganda regarding Ukraine. While Johnson might feel no regret about participating in false rigged election activities and his hard-line Christian Nationalist beliefs, perhaps this sudden change reflects a brief desire to prevent further promotion of Russian interest in the downfall of Democracy.
Or a fear that the demise of democracy at his hand might not be a good look for his legacy. Maybe MTG pushed a little too far.
It would be wonderful for MTG to finally overstep her position AND be called on it. Now if other Republicans start to stand up to her, maybe we can see positive change in the House.
good thinking. that's a plausible scenario. helps put my (curious) mind to rest. thank you.
The deal should be Jeffries getting the speakership & the funding.
Weird, hey? I get the same feeling when SCOTUS makes a ruling that makes sense and then goes right back to ending Roe. They will throw a ‘bone’ in there, smooth everyone’s feathers and then go after Chevron. I’m not thankful, I’m terrified- so thanking them when they do the right thing seems asinine.
I agree wholeheartedly. The House is still a big mess, and I'm sure there will be evidence revealed for his abrupt turn of action on aid to these countries.
Robert, you write: "I make a conscious effort to provide a positive view of the news to counterbalance the relentless negativity of the media. I also attempt to give voice to the outrage felt by readers as each new Orwellian development is treated with boredom and dismissiveness by the media." And thank goodness that you do!
I am heartened by the news that Ukraine aid seems to be forthcoming. However, I won't fully celebrate until something is on President Biden's desk ready to be signed.
In the meantime, I continue to be grateful for your daily missives, Robert. If nothing else, they keep the dust from settling inside my brain!
agree wholeheartedly!
Robert you never ever have to defend yourself to me or most of your readers. Today’s Edition is informative and insightful and yes opinionated and is a point of view that you either accept or reject but it factual. We all formulate our own opinions about what is going on based on the sources of information we read and Today’s Edition is one knowledgeable individuals opinion of the situation. It’s an opinion I respect and enjoy.
Agreed!
100%
From Judge Merchan's Trump gag order:
"[A]ll citizens, called upon to participate in these proceedings, whether as a juror, a witness, or in some other capacity, must now concern themselves not only with their own personal safety, but with the safety and the potential for personal attacks upon their loved ones. That reality cannot be overstated."
I’m deeply saddened and actually feel like I have been punched in the stomach that you posted the newest anti-trans piece from The NY Times. And it is anti-trans. The NY Times has printed one article after another that is eroding the positive approach to and progress that has been made in treatment of youth and adults in America. England had been in the forefront of treatment but has been backing down, changing laws, and with anti-trans mouthpieces (like JK Rawling) has been taking away treatments that are lifesaving and affirming. After a brief period of support for the trans community and trans care during the Obama years, the US is also backtracking in dangerous ways. I will work on getting some scientific information as you requested. First treatment for youth will be restricted, and not long after trans adults will be fighting for care . This is already happening in our country.
Hi, Janice. As you know, I am a strong supporter of the trans community. What I am looking for is help from readers to respond to David Brooks's view that the Cass Report is reasonable report. I haven't had time to read the entire report; even then, I am not a scientist or researcher, so I may not be in a position to evaluate the report on my own.
I am looking for help in responding to the report. I agree that the Cass Report is being treated as anti-trans propaganda--because readers who oppose trans rights have thrown it in my face as the "latest, best thinking" on the subject of trans care.
Help me with the substantive evidence necessary to evaluate and respond to such statements.
Thanks Robert - I know you are an ally and appreciate now that you are trying to get more info to shed light on what seem to be subtle and not so subtle anti-trans articles and rumours going around. Thank you.
I think those who support abortion rights have to support trans rights: the same principles apply: Bodily autonomy is an essential right and we have to let medical experts do what they see as best in consultation with their patients.
I am very sorry for the rolling back of respect and support for the trans community.
I have stopped reading David Brooks' pieces a long time ago and therefore, as a matter of principle, didn't click on the link provided by Robert. Brooks is one of those ultra-conservatives who is spreading his venom couched in excellent prose. Scratch a bit the seemingly respectable surface and you find he is the Chris Sununu of op-ed writers. He is one of them.
I am so with you on David Brooks.
Brooks is *not* an ultra-conservative (unless everyone to your right, politically, is ultra). He is a ‘traditional’ conservative, which, among other things, means that he’s unalterably opposed to Trump.
Please don’t denigrate and alienate potential allies (shades of Hillary Clinton’s “deplorables” blunder).
NO he’s moved to the ultra category 1000%
Agree about NYT coverage. I’m grateful for Robert’s support of the LGQBT community and his commitment to understanding.
I follow Erin In The Morning. She is trans, but also an excellent investigative reporter who has read the Cass Review.
“To support these recommendations, the report was released alongside “reviews” of the evidence surrounding transgender care, using these reviews to assert that there is "no good evidence" for gender-affirming care. A closer inspection of the reviews released alongside the Cass report reveals that 101 out of 103 studies on gender-affirming care were dismissed for not being of "sufficiently high quality," based on the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale—a subjective scale criticized for its flaws and potential unreliability due to a high risk of bias. This critique is particularly significant given the contentious political nature of the subject and connections between reviewers, Cass, and anti-trans organizations.”
https://www.erininthemorning.com/p/cass-met-with-desantis-pick-over?r=fqsxl&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web
Thanks, Kathy. This is the type of help I was seeking in responding to the Brooks' article. Erin's analysis of the Cass Report is excellent and raising many troubling aspects of the report and connections of the author with the anti-trans community.
I’ll be reading that asap.
BTW, I just became a paying subscriber to Erin in the Morning
Me too.
Glad to hear that. I emailed you a little while ago. I wanted to add that a critical question that must be asked is whether the risks associated with providing gender-affirming health care outweigh the risks of not providing it. Based on actual evidence-based research, the answer is a resounding yes. Also, it is important to wonder why it is that her report and recommendations are at odds with the respected medical and psychological organizations in the country? https://glaad.org/medical-association-statements-supporting-trans-youth-healthcare-and-against-discriminatory/
Thank u for this- I am also working on resources that will shed light on gender the science behind and safety of affirming care. Btw Brooks writes with a gentle voice but his pen a weapon.
Some good news-- check this out: https://www.erininthemorning.com/p/dr-cass-backpedals-from-review-hrt?utm_source=post-email-title&publication_id=994764&post_id=143743897&utm_campaign=email-post-title&isFreemail=false&r=41xpd&triedRedirect=true&utm_medium=email
Thanks, I missed your post.
Janice,
Along your thought line this is an additional mental health issue on top of many others. Excluding individuals that the GOP pushes for is additional to the terrible job we have towards all mental health. Encouraging these kids to twist in the wind due to a callus pretend Christian’s and bigotry leaves many families searching for professional help. I have every hope when this years election is over it is truly a new beginning for this country. The far right cruelty will begin to dissipate slowly and along with many dropped programs begin to be corrected.
A great summary of the Cass report is here: https://cass.independent-review.uk/home/publications/final-report/
A "remedy" for Trump exists. 30 days in Riker's Island, preceded by a "jailhouse haircut" for public health reasons to insure none of the icky critters that live in that haystack get into the jail.
It's a good thing the Fwee-dumberer's didn't fart - it would be a real stinkeroo.
Robert, you do a lot of good--make sense of a huge amount of information each day --for just a "guy with a laptop!" To me, each newsletter I read brings something different and I don't read them to fact-check or opinion-check them against each other.
Thank you Robert for your unrelenting and astute commentary on current events. It is much appreciated. It is 9:30 am in Wales and I sit in bed with my ipad and coffee and brood about good and evil. Every generation has its chance to make moral choices in that realm. I have shoeboxes full of the letters my dad sent to my mother during the 3 years he was in Europe during world war ll. In 1969, aged 19 I traveled to San Francisco for the Moratorium on the Vietnam War in a VW van with 3 guys and a german Shepard. I quite naively thought that would be my moment. But as time as gone on I see that it was small potatoes to the current evolving state of good and evil in the world.
Ephesians 6:12
For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
Mike Johnson has chosen to welcome the darkness into his heart and mind. He chooses to serve his own interests irregardless of the enormous human suffering it has caused. His source of revelation is not God or the good. It is the darkness whispering in his ear. ‘Is this best for me?” This is so far from Christianity to be laughable if it was not so tragic. As Woody Allen said in one of his movies. ‘If Jesus came back and saw what was being done in his name, he'd never stop throwing up.’
So, as the miasma of evil seems to envelop the world there is still the wind of hope and love building to blow it away. We all have the ability to choose what we allow to inhabit our bodies and souls.
What is your source of revelation? Who do you serve?
Excellent ruminations. Add to the list Dostoevsky’s "The Grand Inquisitor", the short story in The Brothers Karamazov. In the story, Jesus returns 1,500 years after his death to appear to the priests running the Inquisition. It doesn't end up well for Jesus. I suspect the same thing would happen if Jesus showed up a Christian nationalist meeting today.
Thanks. You're right. "The challenges we face are exacerbated by a political dynamic and media environment that exalt negativity, promote disinformation, and revel in fearmongering."
We have the capacity to sweep. We can be proactive. Add potentially millions of unregistered folks who trend heavily Democratic to our base in swing states and we can do it.
https://www.fieldteam6.org/
I suspect that a deal has been reached with several Democratic Congressmen to prevent Mike Johnson from losing his speakership. We know of at least two who have publicly stated so. So the head-scratching can stop with regard to his supposed altruism.
That's exactly what I came here to suggest. I think Jeffries and the Dems have made a deal with Johnson. And good for them. And maybe, just maybe, the avowed Christian realized that "Whoever seeks to preserve his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life will keep it." (Luke 17:33) might have bearing on trying to keep his speaker role? Maybe?
There’s a piece by Jonathon Alter in the Washington Monthly entitled: Make Donald Trump Pick Up Trash if He Violates the Gag Order
https://washingtonmonthly.com/2024/04/05/make-donald-trump-pick-up-trash-if-he-violates-the-gag-order/
His premise is that ordering some type of community service would be least likely to martyr him.
It could be extended with each violation, really highlight his transgressions and hinder his campaigning.
I think it’s a brilliant- better than fines or jail time. Have seen nothing else regarding this approach and wonder if it’s something the judge is considering.
(If not, how could it be brought to his attention?)
I'm just guessing on what is happening, but this is a credible understanding to me: Putin asked Trump for a six months delay of weapons to Ukraine, Trump scared the s**t out of Mike Johnson and doubled down on Taylor Green. Now, Johnson has delivered enough for Putin to take command and fulfill his plans in Ukraine, and establish as a fact that the USA is an unreliable partner. It only takes for the speaker of the house to refrain from doing his job to make the president powerless.
As Robert wrote today “…the best place to find a community of like-minded people who can provide a safe and supportive forum for processing these challenging times is your local grassroots volunteer group. If you belong to one, you know the truth of that statement. If you do not, I urge you to join one. They need you, you need them, and our nation needs you both. It is a win, win, win.” Markers For Democracy is one such group. We meet five times or more a week so we can really chat, get to know each other, write a lot of postcards, hear candidates and other speakers and learn about other forms of activism (like sharing the news of our group as I’m doing right now!). Learn more here
https://linktr.ee/markersfordemocracy?fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0BMQABpjNFaTwX85uV53f_a125j0jqu24n1fsktMzredY3iBhP1NEJwSGrh14iRQ_aem_ASX3940jO2fmW2W0nsgoSAM4fQeCY3pDuYkHXjNLaUSD0jBEQLXBi1xpD1pYbRO9gws