In The News (21)

Alaska becomes second state to approve ranked-choice voting as Ballot Measure 2 passes by 1% Starting with the 2022 election, the measure will merge the state’s two primary elections into one, and the top four vote-getters regardless of political party will advance to the general election. Some states have so-called “top two” primaries. Alaska will be the only state with a “top four” primary. ........... In the general election, voters will be asked to rank the four candidates in order of preference. Maine already uses that system. Ranked-choice voting would apply to legislative races, and all statewide races, including governor, U.S. Senate and U.S. House. The 2024 presidential race will also be ranked-choice but is not subject to the top-four primary. ........ In Massachusetts, a statewide ranked-choice measure was defeated by a wide margin. 

Trump's Potential Criminal Liability but how to deal with his predecessor’s flagrant and relentless subversion of the rule of law is in many ways the most vexing. ......... there is nothing to protect a former president from prosecution. No ex-president has ever been indicted before, but no president has ever left office with so much potential criminal liability. ........... a growing sense that his moment of reckoning was coming. He was, after all, already the subject of a criminal investigation by the district attorney of Manhattan as well as a civil investigation by the attorney general of New York State. Both of those inquiries concern his conduct as a private businessman. ............ The visions of Donald Trump in an orange jumpsuit were more fantasy than reality. ...........  The damage to democracy that would be caused by a failed prosecution of a former president is hard to even fathom. An acquittal could also set back future efforts at accountability, and embolden aspiring abusers of authority. Even once he’s out of office, Trump is going to be a powerful force in the country’s political life; putting him on trial for his conduct as president would be tantamount to putting on trial the more than 72 million Americans who voted for his re-election. ......... Prosecuting a former president could mean convicting him, and the idea of sending a former president to prison does indeed seem fantastical. .......... how does the country move on from a president whose disregard for the law has been so constant and pervasive? ......... Trump’s conduct as president was a product of his unique character. But it was also enabled by the office. .......... The stakes of prosecuting Donald Trump may be high; but so are the costs of not prosecuting him 

Obama chides Democrats for giving AOC short convention speaking slot  

Trump's 2024 begins

Trump's Election-Fraud Business Is Booming The president needn’t risk his own money as long as others are willing to chip in. 

Diego Maradona, Argentina’s Hero, and Mine Through him, I was able to experience the incomparable joy of being champion of the world in the sport I loved. ........... I spent the next four days rewatching Maradona’s most memorable goals and interviews.  

Democrats, Stay United Even though significant compromises will be required in Congress and not every progressive idea will be embraced. ......... All committed Democrats agree that Black lives matter, that every American is entitled to good health care and that climate change represents our greatest existential threat.  

In The News (20)

Groupthink Has Left the Left Blind A constricted view of the world leaves progressives surprised by the world as it is.

IVANKA TRUMP WAS MY BEST FRIEND. NOW SHE’S MAGA ROYALTY We met at an all-girls school on the Upper East Side and were inseparable for more than a decade. Gradually, though, our differences divided us—“Why would you tell me to read a book about fucking poor people?” she once asked—and I watched her blow up her carefully curated image of refined privilege to embrace her father wholesale. 

Pfizer to seek Covid-19 vaccine approval 'within days' as trial shows 95 percent efficacy "With hundreds of thousands of people around the globe infected every day, we urgently need to get a safe and effective vaccine to the world," Pfizer said.

In Georgia, a Republican Feud With Trump at the Center Double-crossing. Accusations of lying and incompetence. And a bitter divide over whether to endorse President Trump’s false claims of fraud. The G.O.P. in Georgia has a messy feud unfolding, with two Senate seats up for grabs.

शव व्यवस्थापनमा सेना : मुस्किलको घडीमा मलामी

गल्ती कमजोरीको गम्भीर समीक्षा गरौं, समय नलम्ब्याऔं : माधव नेपाल

पार्टीभित्रै आरोप लागेपछि ओलीलाई हटाउनैपर्छ : बाबुराम भट्टराई

महाधिवेशनतिर अग्रसर कांग्रेस, विवाद भने कायमै

China-Australia relations: Canberra reached out to Beijing at ‘every possible level’, minister says Australian trade minister Simon Birmingham reiterated claims that the ‘ball is in China’s court’ in their ongoing trade dispute Canberra will not change positioning on human rights issues, after China said statements on issues like Hong Kong and Xinjiang are fraying ties

China’s R&D, tech investment inflows show deepening global economic integration despite US decoupling push Incoming foreign direct investment to China rose for a seventh consecutive month in October to US$12.4 billion, despite rising geopolitical tensions Investment in China’s hi-tech service industry led the way in the first 10 months of the year, while money flowing to the industrial sector slowed

China now has the nuclear strength to hit back at a first strike, former PLA colonel says The military has built an ‘underground Great Wall’ of tunnels to hide and move its arsenal of ballistic missiles, Wang Xiangsui tells Moganshan forum The defences add up to a credible ability to mount a second strike, resulting in a deterrent effect, he says

Coronavirus hunters pick up another piece of the trail in Italy New research suggests the pathogen infected people across the country months before it was detected in China Antibodies specific to the coronavirus were found in blood samples from lung cancer screening tests going back to September last year

French president takes China rhetoric off the table in low-key meeting with US Secretary of State Pompeo Macron is among world leaders to congratulate Joe Biden on winning US election but meets key Trump administration member on post-election tour Global security and terrorism among subjects discussed as Macron faces radical Islamists in his own country

Ant Group IPO resumption will depend on how company adapts to new fintech rules, CSRC official says International investors have reacted to the suspension of Ant’s IPO ‘quite well’ Fang Xinghai says Ant’s dual listing in Hong Kong and in Shanghai was expected to be the biggest fundraising on record

Here’s Why People Are Calling Elon Musk a “Space Karen” "What's bogus is that Space Karen didn't read up on the test before complaining to his millions of followers." ....... “Two tests came back negative, two came back positive,” the mercurial billionaire tweeted on November 13. “Same machine, same test, same nurse.”

UN OFFICIAL WARNS OF “FAMINES OF BIBLICAL PROPORTIONS” IN 2021  WFP head David Beasley told The Associated Press that the agency needs to raise $5 billion just to avert global famine, and another $10 billion to feed malnourished children around the world. Otherwise, he said, “we are going to have famines of biblical proportions in 2021.” 

This Pandemic Board Game From 2017 Is Almost Too Perfect for 2020 The impossible, made possible: A timely board game, that's fun as hell.

What’s Ahead for the U.S. Economy?  “When your R is bigger than 1, you get explosive growth,” Ricco said. “Our analysis shows that the number of states where R is greater than 1 — in that danger zone — is almost near 50 right now. It’s a pretty dire situation.” ....... “We’re basically stuck in neutral right here until the virus is suppressed.” ........ over the 10-year budget window of 2021–2030, the Biden platform would raise $3.375 trillion in additional tax revenue and increase spending by $5.37 trillion. .......... Over a 10-year period, the largest new revenue-raisers in the Biden tax plan are the corporate tax ($1.4 trillion), payroll taxes ($992.8 billion) and individual income taxes ($944 billion). Over that same period, the two biggest areas of new net spending would be education ($1.9 trillion) and infrastructure and R&D ($1.6 trillion). ...............  “It’s the older rich people that don’t like Biden’s world,” he noted. “They face a lot of taxes, and they don’t get a lot of benefits from the spending program. At the other end, the lower-income folks really do like Biden’s world.” ....... Almost 80% of the increase in taxes under the Biden tax plan would fall on the top 1% of the income distribution. ......... 75% of the tax falls on capital owners and 25% falls on workers in the form of lower wages over time. ............ the top 0.1% of households, who will experience a bump from 30.6% to 43% if the tax changes are implemented in 2021. ......... The education plan, which will boost spending by $1.9 trillion over 10 years, includes provisions for universal pre-K schooling, two years of debtless college education and free public college for students from low-income families. The infrastructure and R&D plans totaling $1.6 trillion cover investments in water infrastructure, high-speed rail, clean energy R&D, 5G and artificial intelligence. ...................... In health care, the study estimated that Biden’s proposals would lower average prescription drug prices by about 60%, by allowing consumers to import those drugs from abroad and for Medicare to negotiate prices. .......... A stimulus focused on lower-income people who are more likely to consume that money will prove more effective

Beyond Philanthropy: How Corporate America Can Advance Racial Equity