the Guardian
Democrats sift through shutdown’s ashes after resistance finally breached
After 42-day standoff, government is back open – and minority party won no concessions from party in power
 Democrats had a chance to restore medical Funding for millions of poor people, but a few of them chickened out and threw away the month-long struggle.
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the Guardian
Turkey likely to be excluded from Gaza stabilisation force after Israeli objection
Doubts over whether Ankara will be part of 5,000-strong force to be deployed to prevent postwar power vacuum
 *Turkish disaster response specialists sent to help locate Palestinian and Israeli [dead] bodies inside Gaza remained near Egypt's border with the strip on Thursday, awaiting Israeli authorization to enter. The 81-member team from Turkey’s AFAD disaster management authority are waiting to enter with life-detection devices and trained search dogs.* Israel is citing HAMAS's failure to return
Glossary
the Guardian
Taylor Swift’s silence on the Trump administration using her music speaks volumes | Alim Kheraj
Official Trump social media accounts have been using The Life of a Showgirl snippets to promote his agenda. Why has Swift, who once wanted ‘to be...
 Various music and movie stars that formerly spoke up against the persecutor are now not taking a stand. They knew how bad he is and they cannot have forgotten it. I suspect that they see speaking up as dangerous or unprofitable.
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Why Democrats are undisciplined and Republicans are regimented
The asymmetry explained
2025: July - October Political Notes
2025: May - August Political Notes
2024: May - August Political Notes
2018: March - June Political Notes - Richard Stallman
Glossary
Glossary
 Robert
Glossary
the Guardian
Venezuelans sent by Trump to El Salvador endured systematic torture, report finds
Human rights groups accuse Trump officials of complicity and draw comparison with scandal at Abu Ghraib prison
 *Venezuelans sent by the persecutor to El Salvador endured systematic torture, report finds.* Human rights groups accuse his henchmen of complicity.
the Guardian
Israel breaching international law by limiting Gaza aid, says Unrwa official
Natalie Boucly says supplies are ready but only about half of what is needed is getting into territory
 *Israel is breaching international law by continuing to impose restrictions on aid flows into Gaza, where the population remains critically short of food and life-saving goods as winter sets in,* according to UNRWA.
the Guardian
Icelandic is in danger of dying out because of AI and English-language media, says former PM
Katrín Jakobsdóttir and her co-author want the 350,000 people who speak the language to fight for its future
 A warning that Icelandic could be forgotten and lost in just one generation, because the unwise tendency to use bullshit generators is leading Icelanders to read English instead.
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Patrick Breyer
CHAT CONTROL 2.0 THROUGH THE BACK DOOR – Breyer warns: "The EU is playing us for fools – now they’re scanning our texts and banning teens!" [updated]
Just before a decisive meeting in Brussels, digital rights expert and former Member of the European Parliament Dr. Patrick Breyer is sounding the a...
Free Software Is Even More Important Now - GNU Project - Free Software Foundation
 Various countries blocked the EU's Orwellian "chat control" proposal, so they have redrawn the proposed legislation to achieve similar pervasive surveillance with changes in the details. For instance, companies offering email or messaging accounts would
Take Action: Protect Affordable Health Care!
On January 1, health insurance premiums will double or even triple for working Americans. The premium notices are already going out. For example,...
Online Letter Campaign, no JavaScript
 US citizens: press your congresscritter to protect affordable medical treatment by signing a discharge petition, or thank per if perse already did so. See the instructions for how to sign this letter campaign without running any nonfree JavaScript code--not trivial, but not hard.