Democrats have proposed a bill to tax businesses to cover the costs of any public assistance their employees are eligible for.

I hope it covers indirect employees and supposed "independent contractors". If not, it will encourage uberization.

Navalny was sentenced to 30 days jail for launching a protest in Moscow. Hundreds more were arrested and some face prosecution.

Getting permission for a protest in Russia is not easy.

Jeremy Corbyn has won the first battle in a long war against the ruling elite.

Maryland and Washington DC have sued the troll for violations of the Constitution. They demand release of the troll's tax returns so that the violations can be measured.

Democrats in Congress are suing too.

France and the UK both want to force tech companies to impose censorship according to their specifications. This time the specific target is Islamist ideology, but the use of words such as "inflammatory" shows they aim to suppress more.

They also want to work together to abolish privacy of communications world-wide.

Once privacy and freedom of speech are rejected as principles, what target will be next? Corbyn? Quoting Aneuran Bevan? Will saying that global heating is likely to kill billions of people, and that the victims have the right to fight to prevent killing them, be forbidden too?

There could be one good effect. Since global heating denial promotes mass murder, that too could be censored. Austerity policies kill far more people, in the US and UK, than terrorism. (It may not be true in France because it is not so right-wing — but Macron may establish that.) If publications arguing for austerity and neoliberalism were banned, it might become more difficult to radicalize people to become Tories or Republicans.

Even so, I am still opposed to censorship. Respecting freedom of speech includes letting people say things that we despise.