JEFF J. BROWN / LEO ZHAO—Marxism, the scientific understanding of who produces what and who gets paid and who reaps the benefits and who gets exorbitantly rich, and who remains very, very poor and working in terrible conditions. Marxism the understanding of this is the only real threat in all of human history that has seriously posed to this 6,000, 10,000 years old power structure. And socialism, the path, the transition period from capitalism to communism was under attack from the beginning.

JOHN RACHEL—With the nation divided into red and blue states, the news robots now have the solemn and putatively critical duty to keep us up to date on any shifting of allegiances and rebalancing of the color scheme, milking any incremental addition of a splotch of blue or dash of red for whatever drama they can generate, before cutting to a commercial break. What has this got to do with the mounting crises we find ourselves in?

ERIC ZUESSE—Whereas Republican billionaires demand that all federal expenditures except for ‘defense’ get slashed, Democratic billionaires demand that all federal expenditures get slashed but that ‘defense’ spending must never be reduced. So: what’s the real difference (except for the hypocritical rhetoric on the Democratic or “liberal” side)?

BRUCE LERRO—Small business owners are also caught in a bind. In a contracting economy, compared to corporate capitalists, the small business owner is likely to go under. They are also faced with two ways to make sense of things. One is to choose a structural response which is to demand that the state give them more protection so that they are not gobbled up by corporate capitalists. But the other is to blame their workers for wanting more money.

JIMMY DORE—Fox News Channel’s Tucker Carlson recently talked about what he learned during his career in media during an appearance on the “Full Send” podcast, lighting into his corporate media colleagues (and former self) for lying at the behest of the establishment and expressing regret over his past defense of the Iraq War.

BEN NORTON—Mexico’s leftist President AMLO condemned “hypocritical” Republicans who want the US military to invade, declaring “Mexico is an independent and free country, not a US colony or protectorate!” In a massive rally, López Obrador also celebrated the expropriation of oil and lithium, condemning exploitative foreign corporations.

SEYMOUR HERSH—It’s been six weeks since I published a report, based on anonymous sourcing, naming President Joe Biden as the official who ordered the mysterious destruction last September of Nord Stream 2, a new $11-billion pipeline that was scheduled to double the volume of natural gas delivered from Russia to Germany. The story gained traction in Germany and Western Europe, but was subject to a near media blackout in the US. 

The views expressed herein are solely those of the author and may or may…

SABBY SABS—Sabby discusses the expanding protests in France, now engulfing most cities, large and small, and showing no sign of disbanding. The French are clearly setting an example that Americans, in particular, show follow. Democracies, as Jefferson warned, need periodic rebellion, or vigorous protests, and certainly an alert citizenry to survive. 

CALEB MAUPIN—Attacks on infrastructure like power plants have been a serious concern in the United States in recent months. January 18th saw attacks on power substations in North Carolina. The Electricity Information Sharing and Analysis Center reported that attacks on electric facilities in the United States had increased by 71% in 2022 over 2021. At a time when serious fears that critical infrastructure across America might be targeted and the public put at risk, US officials are laughing off serious allegations that they went and destroyed a natural gas pipeline, hurting not just Russia, but countries they are in alliance with.