What's Been Happening 7-14-25
“The omission of good is no less reprehensible than the commission of evil.” — Plutarch
I’m late, I’m late for a very important date. Hey, it’s my elder daughter’s birthday—sue me.
Regime Change in Iran Would Endanger America
“Less attention was paid to how toppling the Iranian state would work to the advantage of terrorist groups that have declared their intent to attack the U.S. homeland and interests. The relative lack of attention is odd, considering how large the disastrous U.S. war in Iraq still looms in political discourse. After all, one reason that war turned into a calamity is that the ouster of the dictator Saddam Hussein enabled Al Qaeda to establish a foothold in the country.”
The Forces Finally Driving Down Deaths from Overdose
“In February, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported there had been about 87,000 overdose deaths from all types of drugs between October 2023 and September 2024, which represented a 24 percent drop from the previous year. An update in May brought the number still lower, showing a decrease of 27 percent. The news was even better regarding opioids specifically, with the overdose death toll down by 35 percent.”
I don’t think whoever approved that headline was paying attention.
Russia took Afghanistan without firing a shot
“For Moscow, recognition is not just about diplomacy – it’s about security. With formal ties in place, Russia now has a channel for demanding real cooperation from the Taliban on issues that matter most: containing radical groups and protecting Central Asia’s fragile stability.”
Attention, US alleged leftists: This is how you win against entrenched political parties.
Communist Party Candidate Jeannette Jara Wins Chilean Primary Elections
“Jara’s victory made her the candidate of the Communist and Humanist Action parties, which supported her in the primary elections. She will also represent the rest of the left-wing alliances: Broad Front, Green and Social Regionalist Front, Socialist Party, Party for Democracy, Radical Party, and Liberal Party.”
Opinion
PATRICK LAWRENCE: Trump Dead-Ends Putin
“Ressentiment is a potentially dangerous sentiment when it animates a society that feels itself wounded over a sustained period of time. We need look no further than the extreme Russophobia evident today among some segments of the Ukrainian population for a case in point.
“Against this historical and social backdrop, I do not see the Ukrainians as capable of reaching a settlement to end the war that has already torn apart the nation and its people. I do not see that they can achieve peace, either with others or among themselves, because they do not know peace and they are not capable of it.”
If You Like Zohran Mamdani, You’re Going to Love His Dad
“Whilst the rest of the world was dancing with Nelson Mandela and falling in love with the romanticism of the rainbow nation, Mamdani warned that in its rush to move on from a period of intense racial violence, post-apartheid South Africa was minimising the importance of addressing material harm to celebrate symbolic reconciliation. When it came to South Africa’s much-lauded Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), Mamdani saw its focus on a Christian ethics of forgiveness, compassion and absolution as a material failure that allowed those who got rich off apartheid to keep their wealth as long as they apologised…”
Just like all the Advantage companies have been “accidentally” overbilling Medicare (not to mention making up treatments for that purpose) for ages. Just coincidence, I’m sure, that this is the private equity scenario.
Humana agrees to purchase bankrupt Florida provider The Villages Health for $50M
“CenterWell has entered into what’s known as a ‘stalking horse’ purchase agreement to add TVH’s eight primary care centers and two specialty care centers to its portfolio of medical offices. A stalking horse bid sets the floor for a subsequent action of a bankrupt company’s assets and as such is not final.”
Learn something
China is not a monolith
“The aim of this article is…to inspire readers to engage more deeply with the many voices coming from China, rather than attempt to reduce the entirety of the PRC or the CPC to something which can fit inside of an ‘either this or that’ box.”
Rights Group Applauds Vote by Largest US Teachers Union to Cut ADL Ties
“The NEA's 7,000-member Representative Assembly voted for the measure on Sunday, finding that ‘despite its reputation as a civil rights organization, the ADL is not the social justice educational partner it claims to be.’"
Weird Names You Never Knew for Stuff You Use Every Day
“As Shakespeare famously wrote, ‘What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other word would smell as sweet.’ Juliet may have been lamenting the weight of Romeo’s family name, but to lexicographers, her question applies to everything. Even the most ordinary objects have names with surprising histories.”
Can One Angry Dad Fix The Drug Industry?
“In recent years, PBMs and their business practices have faced mounting scrutiny from lawmakers, experts, and patient advocates for inflating drug prices, colluding with health care behemoths, putting independent pharmacies out of business, and restricting patient access to critical medications. But many attempts to reform these companies have failed, thanks to the money and power these firms have amassed — and their sheer inscrutability. PBMs are formidable because they go unnoticed — they’re as unobtrusive and opaque as the bland OptumRx office building that towers over Bil in his ‘Angry Dad’ video.”
BRICS Forges Ahead Building a Different Order
“During his inaugural speech, Lula called BRICS a successor of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM). He claimed that since there are growing attacks on multilateralism and international laws, and the world is witnessing ‘unprecedented’ conflict since World War II, it is necessary for ‘BRICS to contribute’ to bring peace and development in the world through strengthening multilateral forums.”
Medicaid enrollees targeted for forced farm work under Trump immigration crackdown
“A top Trump administration official is proposing what critics call a thinly veiled form of forced labor, suggesting that millions of low-income Americans on Medicaid should be used to replace undocumented immigrants the government is deporting en masse from U.S. farms.”
Yes, I know this is full of anti-capitalist language, but that doesn’t change the facts; and if you’re a centrist or conservative just hold your nose and read it anyway. If the shoe fits…
Texas flood disaster: A crime of capitalism
“At every level of government—county, state and federal—the interests of big business and the strategic concerns of American imperialism have blocked any effort to protect the population from deadly storms and floods.”
The quiet violence of peace deals
“While some peace deals ought to be celebrated, behind the press conferences and applause, we must also ask: What is actually being exchanged in the name of peace? Whose lives continue to be disposed of in the name of peace deals?”
One of the reasons global warming causes climate change is that the polar ice caps melt, reducing the amount of sunlight reflected back into space. What makes more sense than replacing those reflective surfaces with a substitute that also keeps cities cooler?
YOU LOVE TO SEE IT: Sunblock For Cities
“Cool roofs, as they are called, don’t just reduce temperatures on top of and inside buildings, but can also cool down the surrounding urban environment, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. One UK study found that cool roofs could have prevented 249 heat-related deaths during London’s 2018 heat wave. In the United States, extreme heat kills twice as many people annually as hurricanes and tornadoes combined, making extreme heat the most lethal natural disaster.”
11 Peaceful Protests and Their Historic Results
“Let’s look through the past 200 years of peaceful protests—from tragic to triumphant to just plain weird—and remember their historic impacts.”
Stay safe, help your neighbor, hug your friends and loved ones, and we’ll see y’all next week. And if you buy me a cuppa, it will be welcome and greatly appreciated.
