IMPORTANT READS

RELIGION POLITICS--Reversing long-held church doctrine and aligning himself with progressive Catholic advocates, Pope Francis said Thursday that the death penalty is "inadmissable" in all cases.

CONSIDER THIS-For the record, I am against foreign interference in free elections.

GUEST WORDS--“We need to know the full extent of Senator Obama’s relationship with ACORN,” said Senator John McCain in his third presidential debate with Barack Obama in October 2008.

MY TURN-“The party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command.” -- George Orwell.

FIRST PERSON--The most leading-edge research, which will hopeful find a cure for cancer now starts out with the surprising realization that all human beings are normally exposed to cancer cells already within their own bodies daily.

THE BIZ OF PRESIDENT--President Donald Trump is subject to the Constitution’s emoluments clause, and any profit, gain or advantage that his hotel in Washington, D.C., obtains from a foreign or domestic government would implicate the clause, according to a ruling by a federal court on Wednesday.

GUEST COMMENTARY--Sigh. In this week's circus act of gonzoanti-diplomacy, our imbecilic Peacock-In-Chief has cited as the next great danger to world peace the newly proud member of NATO:

CONSIDER THIS-On both sides of the political aisle, Trump’s summit with Vladimir Putin in Helsinki has been cast as an utter failure. 

BY ANY NAME, A PROBLEM--My father and I always had a tacit agreement: “We will never speak of That Part of the World.”

NEW YORKER--Sitting in a stuffy, overpacked hall at the Presidential Palace, in Helsinki, watching Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump give a joint press conference after their meeting today, I was shocked but not surprised.

CORRUPTION WATCH-Aside from the fact that The Donald is upset with virtually everyone in the world except Vlady, why is he so mad at the courts?  

NEW YORKER--The latest indictment produced by the special counsel Robert Mueller is a brisk read.

TALKING THE TALK-Guys sometimes ask me for relationship advice.

YOUR EXCELLENCY--As an American, I believe I can speak for a great many of us who were appalled, embarrassed, and humiliated by the recent behavior exhibited by our so-called leader. 

A HISTORY OF INHUMANITY-When Donald Trump recently accused  “illegal immigrants” of wanting to “pour into and infest our country,” there was an immediate outcry.

MELTING ICE--Progressive mid-term election candidates like Cynthia Nixon(photo above)  and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez have roused constituents with campaign trail promises to work to abolish Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

NOT YOUR PARENTS’ GENTRIFICATION-About one year ago in June, I was in London, speaking at a conference on global inequality at the London School of Economics.

EDUCATION POLITICS--On May 22nd, 2014, Donald Trump announced to the world via his Twitter account that Hillary Clinton accused him of wanting to bring guns into classrooms.

CONSIDER THIS--Poor people do not need surveys, studies, research papers, websites, fancy buildings, grants, volunteer opportunities, art projects, lectures, and pats on the back. Poor people need cash. 

‘WE’D USE A COAT HANGER’--What would happen to women if the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade?

PRISONS FOR PROFIT-In 2016 two immigrant detainees died after receiving care at facilities run by Emerald Correctional Management, a small Louisiana-based for-profit prison firm that at the time managed detention centers for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.