curated news excerpts & citations
Bill McKibben: A different kind of leader gives a different kind of speech
An afternoon with the Pope
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If you’d told me 20 years ago that the Roman Catholic Church would emerge as perhaps the most progressive large global institution, I would have giggled. And I am well aware of the Church’s myriad defects (though feel free to enumerate them further in the comments section below; you won’t offend me, a sometime Methodist). But beginning with Francis’s noble gestures and continuing with his mighty encyclical Laudato Si—a thorough and scathing critique of modernity, and probably the most important document of this millennium so far—the Vatican has been out in front in many ways.
And the sense I got from listening to the Pope speak this afternoon is that that will continue.
(Bill McKibben more…)
RNS: Pope Leo XIV enters US political fray, challenging ‘inhuman treatment of immigrants’
Charlotte Clymer: Pope Leo Makes Mistake of Emulating Christ
How dare he.
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Jennifer Rubin: No Wonder We Have a Shutdown
Trump’s abject ignorance and narcissism made this inevitable
With Donald Trump in the White House and congressional MAGA Republicans afraid to cross him, no one should be surprised that the federal government has shut down. Aided and abetted by MAGA Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (who sent his members out of town rather than stick around for a vote and risk swearing in the new Democratic representative…who would be 218th vote for a discharge petition to release the Epstein files), Trump made no effort to keep the government open.
(Jennifer Rubin more…)Heather Cox Richardson: Letters from an American – October 1, 2025
Last night, as the government barreled toward a shutdown, President Donald J. Trump posted yet another doctored video on social media. …
The president does not appear to be taking the government shutdown very seriously.
Republicans are though: not to resolve it, but to use it to attack Democrats. Republicans control the Senate and could end the filibuster for the continuing resolution that would fund the government, thus enabling them to pass it through the Senate with a simple majority if they wanted to. Instead, they want Democratic votes for it, evidently wanting to make sure Republicans alone do not take the blame for their budget reconciliation bill of July as its deeply unpopular measures are becoming clear.
…Administration officials are making sure the shutdown doesn’t affect their own priorities. They have prioritized the $20 billion bailout of Argentina’s failing economy as essential, so it will proceed. The bailout will help right-wing leader Javier Milei, a Trump ally. Judd Legum of Popular Information reported Monday that the bailout will also help billionaire hedge fund manager Rob Citrone, an associate of Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent who has invested heavily in Argentine companies and in Argentine debt.
The White House says construction of Trump’s ballroom in place of the East Wing of the White House will also continue during the shutdown.
Director of the Office of Management and Budget Russell Vought has weaponized the shutdown by continuing his illegal impoundments of congressionally approved funding, but this time using them solely against states with Democratic senators. Today he said he is canceling $8 billion in funding for programs that he claims “fuel the Left’s climate agenda.” …
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The publication of a new document today shows that the administration has launched another power grab, this one in foreign affairs. On September 29, Trump signed an executive order giving to Qatar security guarantees that are much like those guaranteed by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).…
An executive order is not a treaty and can be overturned by another president, but the declaration of a military commitment to a foreign nation without ratification by the Senate as the Constitution requires shows the belief of administration officials that they can act as they wish without consulting Congress.
(Heather Cox Richardson more…)Fast Company: Why this government shutdown is different
With Congress and the White House controlled by a party that has already been trying to slash government, where is the incentive to get it running again?
Robert Reich: Why this is not a normal government shutdown
The United States government has shut down. But in reality, it has been shut down ever since Trump took office the second time. For over eight months he has been funding programs he likes and defunding programs he doesn’t like. That’s effectively a shutdown. With the government now officially shut down, we’re simply seeing what Trump has already been doing. …
Bloomberg: Trump Keeps Oil Permits Moving in Shutdown, Halts Renewables
Verge: Trump admin adds banner attacking ‘Radical Left Democrats’ to government websites
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Rebecca Solnit: Dumb and Dumber Before the Generals and Admirals
(Rebecca Solnit more…)Guardian: Veterans react to Hegseth’s ‘insulting’ address to generals and admirals
Defense secretary’s speech touching on physical fitness and doctrine of lethality was seen as ‘egotistical’ and ‘dangerous’
Atlantic: The Commander in Chief Is Not Okay
Trump put on a disturbing show for America’s generals and admirals.
Terrence Goggin: The U.S. military’s silent fury: a Trump-Hegseth disastrous event
Dispatch: Hegseth’s Audience of One
The defense secretary gathered generals from across the globe for a speech aimed solely at the commander in chief.
NJ.com: Why Trump was ‘likely rattled’ during rare speech, according to retired military general
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WSJ: U.S. Lost 32,000 Jobs in September, Says Payroll Processor
Dean Blundell: The US Jobs Engine Just Coughed Blood As The Government Shuts Down: The Collapse Of The “Hottest Country In The World” Is En Route
ADP just printed negative private payrolls, the “hottest economy in the world” is ice-cold, and Trump’s government shutdown is about to kneecap public-sector jobs next. This is how America dies.
(Dean Blundell more…)
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Kyiv Post: ‘This Is a Threat to Absolutely Everyone’– Zelensky Warns of ‘Malfunctioning’ Nuclear Power Plant
“It has been seven days now. There has never been anything like this before,” Zelensky said in his nightly address on Tuesday about the Zaporizhzhia plant. “The situation is critical.”
(Kyiv Post more…)
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Slate: There’s a New Lawsuit Against “Kavanaugh Stops.”
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Perhaps the most comprehensive account of Kavanaugh stops so far arrived last Thursday, in the form of a new lawsuit against the Trump administration brought by victims of racial profiling in the District of Columbia. The plaintiffs, a group of citizens and legal residents, describe ICE and Customs and Border Protection agents detaining them for hours—or even overnight—because they happen to be Latino. These accounts make a mockery of Kavanaugh’s insistence that these stops are brief and painless for those who have a right to live in this country.
(Slate more…)
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Al Jazeera: Israel begins to intercept Global Sumud Flotilla vessels
Activists on the Global Sumud Flotilla shared a video they said showed Israeli vessels approaching the fleet to intercept it before reaching Gaza. Such interceptions by Israeli forces in international waters are considered illegal.
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arsTECHNICA: FCC chairman leads “cruel” vote to take Wi-Fi access away from school kids
FCC Republicans kill funding for Wi-Fi hotspot lending and Wi-Fi on school buses.
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Decoding Fox News: The Escalator that Almost MURDERED Donald J. Trump
Timeline: Tracking the Trump Justice Department’s Anti-Voting Shift
Tracking the Lawsuits Against Trump’s Agenda
Trump Pardons Database
Project 2025 Tracker
DOGE Tracker
ProPublica: Elon Musk’s Demolition Crew
Wired: 6 Tools for Tracking the Trump Administration’s Attacks on Civil Liberties