The Democratic Party elected the establishment candidate, Tom Perez, as chair.

I fear he will rig the 2020 primaries against Sanders or whoever is the progressive candidate.

More of the Raqqa diaries.

The author says that PISSI and the Assad regime practice similar cruelties. That may be true in terms of what they do to those they consider enemies. However, my understanding is that the regime defines people as enemies only for opposing it, not for religion.

Leaked documents show how the Heatland Institute operates to promote denial of global heating, and that this is one of its priority missions.

The organization calls itself the "Heartland" Institute, but "Heatland" describes it more accurately. The organization describes itself as "libertarian", but I won't call it that. Global heating denialism has nothing to do with liberty, and little to do with the views of the people that call themselves "libertarians", since most of them are not denialists.

However, I have decided not to refer to them as "libertarians", since I reject their claim to support liberty more than I do. Their basic philosophy is that the state should not actively help people have better lives.

Since they call all state programs to help people "socialist", I am thinking of calling them "antisocialists".

There is pressure to stop the tiny "flood" of Central American asylum seekers from the US to Canada.

I am suspicious of exaggerated citation of tiny "dangers". For instance, one MP says "it is not safe" for the refugees who trek across the border, but they are not in much danger and they think staying in the US is more dangerous. She also says it is "not safe" for the community, but what danger is there? All these refugees wish to do is find Canadian authorities to surrender to, away from the border. They are not going to hurt anyone.

But it would be a good thing for Canada to suspend the agreement with the US to return refugees to the US when they go through border crossings. Then they could seek asylum that way.

The Long History of Deportation Scare Tactics at the U.S.-Mexico Border.