Asserting that the Republican plan to hold the US hostage over the debt ceiling represents the the power of right-wing billionaires who put ideology over their own interests.

Proposed federal and California laws supposedly intended to "save local journalism" would instead help the Sinclair broadcast chain wipe it out.

Robert Reich argues that the fact that the UK has a king, and a royal family, is a minor side-issue as regards everything important. He also criticizes the US tendency to idolize the president's family.

I'm with both points.

*Royal occasions aren’t really about the royals at all. What we love is our own reactions.* Most Britishers are content with the royal family because it is a sort of play-acting which makes no real difference.

The exception is whan a royal occasion becomes an occasion for repression.

The US hires mercenaries to fight in its wars, but it is hard to find out how many. The mercenaries are lumped together with the contractors that only cook and serve food, and the ones who work for the CIA or the State Department are not listed.

A large fraction are not Americans, but rather hired in the countries where military actions take place.

Contrary to what many say, running into the US debt ceiling will not make the US default on its debts. Rather, it will stop the US from doing the normal daily borrowing that is necessary to make daily payments that the government has to make.

Social security payments, like purchases, are rather payments that the US will have an obligation to make, but they are not for debts because they are not repayment of loans.

Failing to pay them could be considered a default in some sense, but it would not be defaulting on debt.

What the 14th amendment says about this, I don't know.