People from across the sports world have spoken out, raised money, and taken part in demonstrations after the police murder of George Floyd. One voice that we hadn’t heard yet has been perhaps President Donald Trump’s most outspoken critic in the wide world of sports, as well as someone who has never shied away from speaking about institutionalized racism or police brutality, San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich.Late last night my phone rang, and it was Coach Pop. He was ready to say something.“The thing that strikes me is that we all see this police violence and racism, and we’ve...…People from across the sports world have spoken out, raised money, and taken part in demonstrations after the police murder of George Floyd. One voice that we hadn’t heard yet has been perhaps President Donald Trump’s most outspoken critic in the wide world of sports, as well as someone who has never shied away from speaking about institutionalized racism or police brutality, San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich.Late last night my phone rang, and it was Coach Pop. He was ready to say something.“The thing that strikes me is that we all see this police violence and racism, and we’ve...WW…

This article originally appeared at . To stay on top of important articles like these, to receive the latest updates from TomDispatch.It’s July 2020 and I’m about to turn 76, which, as far as I’m concerned, officially makes me an old man. So put up with my aging, wandering brain here, since (I swear) I wasn’t going to start this piece with Donald J. Trump, no matter his latest wild claims or bizarre statements, increasingly white nationalist and positions (right down to the of the rebel Stars and Bars), not to speak of the Covid-19 slaughter of Americans he’s helped facilitate. But then I...…This article originally appeared at . To stay on top of important articles like these, to receive the latest updates from TomDispatch.It’s July 2020 and I’m about to turn 76, which, as far as I’m concerned, officially makes me an old man. So put up with my aging, wandering brain here, since (I swear) I wasn’t going to start this piece with Donald J. Trump, no matter his latest wild claims or bizarre statements, increasingly white nationalist and positions (right down to the of the rebel Stars and Bars), not to speak of the Covid-19 slaughter of Americans he’s helped facilitate. But then I...WW…

n day one, we will end the prosecution of low-level drug offenses here in Travis County,” district attorney candidate José Garza, at a February forum on criminal justice reform in Austin. “We will end the prosecution of possession and sale offenses of a gram or less.”That may have sounded to some like a bold statement, but Garza argued it was the rational response to a “broken system.”On Tuesday night, voters in the state capital of Texas and the surrounding county agreed. Garza, a former federal public defender, immigrant rights activist, and executive director of the Texas , swept to...…n day one, we will end the prosecution of low-level drug offenses here in Travis County,” district attorney candidate José Garza, at a February forum on criminal justice reform in Austin. “We will end the prosecution of possession and sale offenses of a gram or less.”That may have sounded to some like a bold statement, but Garza argued it was the rational response to a “broken system.”On Tuesday night, voters in the state capital of Texas and the surrounding county agreed. Garza, a former federal public defender, immigrant rights activist, and executive director of the Texas , swept to...WW…

Last fall, Netflix premiered a three-part documentary that promises viewers a rare look at the inner life of one of history’s most controversial businessmen. Over three hours, Inside Bill’s Brain shows us a rare emotional side to Bill Gates as he processes the loss of his mother and the death of his best friend and Microsoft cofounder, Paul Allen.Mostly, though, the film reinforces the image many of us already had of the ambitious technologist, insatiable brainiac, and heroic philanthropist. Inside Bill’s Brain falls into a common trap: attempting to understand the world’s second-richest...…Last fall, Netflix premiered a three-part documentary that promises viewers a rare look at the inner life of one of history’s most controversial businessmen. Over three hours, Inside Bill’s Brain shows us a rare emotional side to Bill Gates as he processes the loss of his mother and the death of his best friend and Microsoft cofounder, Paul Allen.Mostly, though, the film reinforces the image many of us already had of the ambitious technologist, insatiable brainiac, and heroic philanthropist. Inside Bill’s Brain falls into a common trap: attempting to understand the world’s second-richest...WW…

There is nothing unique or interesting about the defense strategy employed by the lawyers for Derek Chauvin. The trial has produced no made-for-television stunts or rhetorical flourishes. There’s no bloody glove, no rhyming couplets. Chauvin’s defense is so basic that an attorney straight out of law school could pull it off. His lawyers are simply arguing that cops have the right to kill people, if they think they need to.That strategy might seem foolish to the untrained eye. After all, there is incontrovertible video evidence that Chauvin did not “need” to kill George Floyd. The video...…There is nothing unique or interesting about the defense strategy employed by the lawyers for Derek Chauvin. The trial has produced no made-for-television stunts or rhetorical flourishes. There’s no bloody glove, no rhyming couplets. Chauvin’s defense is so basic that an attorney straight out of law school could pull it off. His lawyers are simply arguing that cops have the right to kill people, if they think they need to.That strategy might seem foolish to the untrained eye. After all, there is incontrovertible video evidence that Chauvin did not “need” to kill George Floyd. The video...WW…

In 2002, The Arizona Republic published from Kyrsten Sinema, then a social worker preparing to run for a seat in the state House of Representatives, putting forth a critique of capitalism. Capitalism, she wrote, gave us NAFTA, the World Bank, and the World Trade Organization, which benefit the American ruling class at the expense of workers in the United States and abroad. “Until the average American realizes that capitalism damages her livelihood while augmenting the livelihoods of the wealthy, the Almighty Dollar will continue to rule,” she concluded. “It certainly is not ruling in our...…In 2002, The Arizona Republic published from Kyrsten Sinema, then a social worker preparing to run for a seat in the state House of Representatives, putting forth a critique of capitalism. Capitalism, she wrote, gave us NAFTA, the World Bank, and the World Trade Organization, which benefit the American ruling class at the expense of workers in the United States and abroad. “Until the average American realizes that capitalism damages her livelihood while augmenting the livelihoods of the wealthy, the Almighty Dollar will continue to rule,” she concluded. “It certainly is not ruling in our...WW…

The right to a jury of your peers is a central feature of the American system of justice. Steven Donziger, the environmentalist lawyer who is by Chevron and two New York federal judges, is going on trial, again. He could be sentenced to six months in prison, and, again, a jury will not decide his fate.Because of Covid-19, there has not been an in-person criminal trial in the Southern District of New York federal courts since March. Donziger’s latest trial, for “contempt,” was set to begin on September 9. Back in July, Donziger’s attorneys asked for a postponement, arguing that the health...…The right to a jury of your peers is a central feature of the American system of justice. Steven Donziger, the environmentalist lawyer who is by Chevron and two New York federal judges, is going on trial, again. He could be sentenced to six months in prison, and, again, a jury will not decide his fate.Because of Covid-19, there has not been an in-person criminal trial in the Southern District of New York federal courts since March. Donziger’s latest trial, for “contempt,” was set to begin on September 9. Back in July, Donziger’s attorneys asked for a postponement, arguing that the health...WW…

This article originally appeared at . To stay on top of important articles like these, to receive the latest updates from TomDispatch.How can you tell when your empire is crumbling? Some signs are actually visible from my own front window here in San Francisco.Directly across the street, I can see a collection of tarps and poles (along with one of my own garbage cans) that were used to construct a makeshift home on the sidewalk. Beside that edifice stands a wooden cross decorated with a string of white Christmas lights and a red ribbon—a memorial to the woman who built that structure and...…This article originally appeared at . To stay on top of important articles like these, to receive the latest updates from TomDispatch.How can you tell when your empire is crumbling? Some signs are actually visible from my own front window here in San Francisco.Directly across the street, I can see a collection of tarps and poles (along with one of my own garbage cans) that were used to construct a makeshift home on the sidewalk. Beside that edifice stands a wooden cross decorated with a string of white Christmas lights and a red ribbon—a memorial to the woman who built that structure and...WW…

President Biden is being told that, in the interest of “,” he must cooperate with Senate Republicans who engaged in a seditious scheme to overturn his 2020 victory and who are now hellbent on preventing him from delivering on the campaign promises that won overwhelming support from the American people.That’s absurd. Biden does not have to bargain away his mandate in order to pass the $1.9 trillion relief package he has proposed to address the coronavirus pandemic and the economic turbulence that extends from it. He is in a position to secure direct payments to American families, a $15...…President Biden is being told that, in the interest of “,” he must cooperate with Senate Republicans who engaged in a seditious scheme to overturn his 2020 victory and who are now hellbent on preventing him from delivering on the campaign promises that won overwhelming support from the American people.That’s absurd. Biden does not have to bargain away his mandate in order to pass the $1.9 trillion relief package he has proposed to address the coronavirus pandemic and the economic turbulence that extends from it. He is in a position to secure direct payments to American families, a $15...WW…

Were the irredeemable task of mounting a defense for Donald Trump at his Senate impeachment trial to fall to me, I would simply point to the presence of Josh Hawley among the jurors. Then I would rest my case.If Trump’s chief accomplice in the incitement to insurrection on January 6 is allowed to continue to serve in the chamber, the cynical argument would go, how can senators seriously argue that the 45th president should be held to account?Needless to say, I won’t be making that defense, or any other, for Donald Trump. I couldn’t with a straight face recommend that the disgraced former...…Were the irredeemable task of mounting a defense for Donald Trump at his Senate impeachment trial to fall to me, I would simply point to the presence of Josh Hawley among the jurors. Then I would rest my case.If Trump’s chief accomplice in the incitement to insurrection on January 6 is allowed to continue to serve in the chamber, the cynical argument would go, how can senators seriously argue that the 45th president should be held to account?Needless to say, I won’t be making that defense, or any other, for Donald Trump. I couldn’t with a straight face recommend that the disgraced former...WW…