THOUGHTS About The News.

Previously posted on my Facebook Page.

A day’s BAD news or "Trump demonization imperatives" in today's journalism, and my response/s: <>Politico: “Urgent motion filed to stop carving of Trump's name into Institute of Peace building.” Again, what’s the big deal? Fact: Numerous landmark U.S. structures, federal buildings, and facilities are named in honor of Presidents of the United States (POTUS). <>Associated Press: “Senators from both parties unsettled by lack of clear answers from Pentagon.” The SOP (that journalists like me are aware of): The Pentagon does not reveal everything to lawmakers, and communication is heavily restricted and filtered through official channels. Especially in these internet/partisan fire days.

      <>Associated Press: “Trump's new rule reverses decades of endangered species enforcement.” Historically, the U.S. position on endangered species enforcement has evolved from early localized game management into one of the most stringent, legally binding federal frameworks in the world. This evolution is marked by a shift from loose, voluntary interstate trade coordination to strict federal mandates that prioritize species survival over economic and industrial interests. (Most of these words are “googled” from previous media data.)

      <>CBS: “Farmer who voted for Trump says farmers are all just in survival mode.” Survival mode, uh huh? Fact: An average of roughly 100,000 undocumented border encounters or apprehensions are tallied per year, until the Joe Biden years when the numbers spiked to 1 million+ average. (But note that online data has been “edited,” saying a million cross each year.) Ergo, as Mr Trump’s ICE brought back numbers to pre-2021-2024, apparently farmowners (and factory owners) lost their “illegal” laborers that they used to pay measly coins with no benefits. And so on and so forth. 📰💻📰

Politico: “House passes Russia sanctions bill, overcoming significant Democratic opposition.” Political blah. The fact is, the U.S. still trades with Russia (war or no war), though at significantly reduced levels compared to past years due to ongoing sanctions and restrictions. Official data from the U.S. Census Bureau: The U.S. continues to record monthly transactions. For instance, U.S. goods exports to Russia were around $66 million last month. Direct trade is largely restricted to non-prohibited goods, such as specific agricultural products, fertilizers, or certain raw materials that are exempt from broad sanctions.

       You might argue that the House bill is more recent, right? How much “more recent” news the media tossed to blur the facts, anyway? In fact, the Trump administration disclosed months ago that the U.S. has resumed importing oil from Russia. (Russia was ranked 4th in oil imports to the U.S. during Mr Trump’s first POTUS years.) And during the first year of the Ukraine war, Russian processed oil products were still finding their way to America, via India. You may also Google EU countries that haven’t really stopped buying oil/natural gas from Moscow, regardless of so-called sanctions. 🏛🗽🏛

Associated Press: “Hundreds of thousands rally in Iran amid call to take up arms.” So what is this? Propaganda war, AI-induced “visuals,” or the world is simply whacked? This photo tells the world that the Iranian people (mostly women?) have forgotten the IRGC savagery in January? Iranian security forces committed widespread mass killings and crimes against humanity during the suppression of countrywide anti-government protests that escalated dramatically early this year. That’s according to a report by the UN Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Iran. 

       Moreover, human rights organizations have documented that thousands of protesters and bystanders (12,000 and 30,000) were killed by state security forces using live ammunition, sniper fire, and heavy weapon crackdowns across all 31 provinces. Additionally, tens of thousands were arbitrarily detained, facing severe torture and expedited execution sprees. This massive wickedness, I insist, forced the U.S. or President Trump to launch a military hit in February–but only after negotiations to avoid it didn't work. 

       So what is this AP “report” actually saying? I get the “anti-U.S.” hate ingrained in Shia Iran’s hardliners. That is a historical given, but it doesn’t mean I’d just bite an obvious “doomsday pitch,” such as this. ☮️🇮🇷☮️

Reuters: “Trump responds to the EU suggesting Canada could be an associate member.” Says The D: “A hostile act.” Uh huh. As for my take on this drama, I am baffled that the EU, while lodged in individual internal strife and a collective economic “growth” steady at below 1 percent, still entertains Mark Carney’s whinings (versus Mr Trump). Clearly, the West is into political Netflix-styled episodes, while "rival" China and the BRICS bloc remain hot and high on trade, quietly.

       Sure, G7 still rules the global economic roost, but BRICS is relentlessly progressing, or expanding. BRICS member countries control approximately 24 percent to 25 percent of total global exports and trade. So while the EU’s NATO upgrades the military expansion and wastage of resources, China and India et al focus on business. 

       As of 2026, BRICS comprises 11 official member countries: Founders Brazil, Russia, India, and China, plus South Africa (joined 2010), and recent buddies Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, and Indonesia. Partner countries: Belarus, Bolivia, Cuba, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Nigeria, Thailand, Uganda, Uzbekistan, and Vietnam.

       But these “rivals” don’t need to fight or be quarrelsome with each other. Yet they may compete or be partners in trade, regardless of political “differences.” ☮️☮️☮️

Deadline: “Sydney Sweeney’s sports betting ad has female athletes pushing back.” I reckon, those females are driven by the culture war caterwaul, and that Ms Sweeney is essentially stereotyped as a Conservative. The whiners argue that the ad “sexualizes women's sports and undermines years of work to be taken seriously on athletic merit rather than physical.” Come on now, let’s not be hypocrites, okay? Must I start my rant by pointing at women’s gear in athletics? This is a non-issue to me.

      Or maybe some women are “pushing back” because they don’t admit to the fact that they (also, like men) gamble? So just for the sake of data, here: Gambling Commission surveys show that about 42 percent to 44 percent of women have gambled within a four-week period, largely driven by lotteries, scratchcards, and bingo. Meanwhile, women now make up roughly one-third (around 32 percent) of all sports bettors in the U.S., according to recent data from industry surveys like Morgan Stanley and the American Gaming Association. Those are significant percentages.

      But then, if you got extra dough, just place a bet and enjoy. Okay? Let Sydney earn some endorsement $. It's legal. (Photo: Yahoo.) 🤨😞🤨

THOUGHTS About The News.

Previously posted on my Facebook Page.

In my younger years, when I was so busy with so many activities (personal, professional), I didn’t really pay much attention to animals. I wasn’t dismissive or unconcerned of them, but I wasn’t as attached as I am these days. Never did I imagine that I’d be living under one roof, 24/7, with dogs and cats in my old age. They are now my daily life.

      And I can’t deny their sensitivity to us. Oh yes, Arrow is so showy of her love. Fizz never leaves the bed with me, especially when I am sick or feeling down. And Ching could be everywhere, but when it’s time to cuddle with Cindyrella, she’s there, no time. And when I stay out longer than a few minutes, on Arrow’s last bathroom time at night, she cries by the door, calling us. 🐕🥰🐈

Politico: “Senate Democrats shrug off John Fetterman party-switch chatter.” Mr Fetterman can be a bit weird to many, of course. Different? Unique? Yet I see a politician who precariously straddles the polar extremes in Congress, and I see why. Sure, party switchers or turncoats are a fact of traditional politics, nothing so big a deal. But John exemplifies the disrepair in the Left. They say the JF chatter is “a waste of energy.” Indeed. But the Democratic Party’s bigger problem isn’t about the “floor-crossers.” But the two main conflicting groups inside the organization.

       The centrists and moderates or the "establishment" Democrats versus the left-wing progressives and new democratic-socialists. Meanwhile, the Republican Party contends with its internal schism as well. MAGA loyalists versus the Never Trumpers, but their quarrel is mostly within Congress, not outside or among their voters. 🏛🗽🏛

I am not affected at all by today’s so-called "cancellation" of writers, musicians, artists, actors/actresses, sports people etcetera. I judge them by their work. Beyond their work, they may espouse contrary politics or against my own personal politics but still I consume their work (Neil Young, Bruce S., Clint Eastwood etcetera). It’s their art, their craft that matters to me. Or I don’t really give a hoot about how they lived their life, unless they have been convicted of a crime. 

       You see, I believe Ernest Hemingway and Pablo Picasso have also “played around” or had unpopular sexual shenanigans in their days but why is it they aren’t “outed” by the new moralists? Meanwhile, how many rock songs have “my little girl” (little girl as love interest or pedophilia) on them but the songs and singer-songwriters aren’t cancelled? 

       Moreover, there are many super-popular (younger) musical artists these days but I don’t like their music, that’s all. And I am not a fan of hip hop or rap. Whether these younger artists hate Trump or they are MAGA, I don’t pay attention to their work at all. I still go for 1960s-1970s or before 21st century work. And since I have erased my “ideological paradigm” or politics (from the mid-1990s), I don’t go by Left or Right anymore. I judge politicians by the effectiveness of their specific policies or if their programs favor the majority. I still define “populism,” the way it was defined. The people. (Visual: Rolling Stone.) 🙂🙃😎

USA Today: “A Virginia mom's conviction is reigniting the debate over free-range parenting.” I guess, “free-range” parenting is simply just letting moms and dads do whatever? Of course, you may do “whatever” in the house, that is your family. What can we do? (Unless you get reported to DSS?) Anyhow, this is the issue: Mom Karyann Parkinson was convicted of contributing to the delinquency of a minor after allowing her 5-year-old son to walk about half a mile alone to a neighborhood pond in their gated community to collect goose feathers.

       The case: Karyann’s son Samuel walked along a familiar sidewalk with crosswalks in their secure neighborhood. A passerby spotted him and called private security, who walked the boy home. Police and Child Protective Services (CPS) investigated the home. CPS substantiated a finding of lack of supervision. The Sentence: A six-month jail sentence (which was suspended) and placing her name on the Virginia Child Abuse and Neglect Central Registry for seven years.

       I don’t agree with the “punishment.” I think it is too harsh. However, I ain’t diggin’ “free-range parenting” on this one. Whether their area is “secured,” letting out a 5-year old is still a no-no to me. As though predators don’t live in gated communities? Come on. Anyhow, we don’t know what was found inside the house after the probe, so I can’t judge that. Oh well. Fundamental right and wrong is now very complex. Complicated. Primal common sense or basic reflex is gone. Parenting? Need we intellectualize or politicize, or toss this in the culture war arena? 🤨😞🤨

Fox: “After 'Lake America,' Trump suggests a new name for the state of New Mexico.” Another name-change drama that Left-wing media love to exaggerate. My thing? When I was in grade school in the Philippines, I actually wondered about the names of states in America. New Mexico? But it is not located in Mexico. We have a New Manila somewhere but I don't think there was a New Madrid or New America in the Philippines although we were colonized by Spain (over 300 years) and the U.S. (more than 50 years). Just saying. 🏛🗽🏛

THOUGHTS About The News.

Previously posted on my Facebook Page.

Yahoo Sports: “2 former NBA players declared for the WNBA draft. The league says they're ineligible.” Of course, Enes Kanter Freedom and Royce White are just obviously rabble-rousing for media/public attention. Yet who started the fire? What has league commissioner Cathy Engelbert gotta do about this “defocus” from the actual game? All the culture war drama! 

       Anyhow, per that Chicago Sky/Indiana Fever incident the other night that gained another one-click brouhaha for Enes? This: Mr Freedom (ha!) clapped or applauded after the Fever’s Sophie Cunningham scored. Sky’s Natasha Cloud didn’t like that, and so she yelled at the dude: “She's not gonna sleep with you!" Okay now. Should pro athletes at play engage hecklers like that? Of course they do. Go ask Russ Westbrook and Draymond Green, for example. But is that smart at all? Nope. 

       Hecklers are, sadly, parts of the game. But let the arena/field security and officials deal with them. Of course, we know the mere presence of Enes in the crowd pissed off some of the WNBA players, but as long as the guy didn’t crash into the event or he paid to get in, let that be. You see, there’s a lot more infuriating heckles, for sure. 

       Meanwhile, can we just stick to this ball game-related news? Yahoo Sports: “Angel Reese sets WNBA single-game rebound record, 26.” That was last night’s Atlanta Dream/L.A. Lakers game. Okay? 🏀⛹️‍♀️🏀

ABC: “Family of Alex Pretti speaks out in interview.” They said: “The videos are pretty clear.” I do understand the grief of losing a loved one, especially in a violent manner that could have been avoided. Now let’s talk about the “videos” or the events that led to the tragic day.

      On January 13, Alex Pretti broke a federal immigration agent's vehicle taillight during a protest in Minneapolis. Alex shouted at ICE officers and kicked their SUV. Yes, the videos were “pretty clear.” Ergo, Mr Pretti was already sort of “marked” for any untoward shenanigan (sic). On the 24th of the month, he again showed up in a protest rally, with a handgun (concealed or not), and then he approached an active federal operation. Since he’s already on a “watch list,” what do you expect? What’d I expect? But Alex resisted attempts to disarm him. Whether there was a firearm involved or not, can’t activists simply chill? Comply.

      I was a longtime activist (and organizer) until the late 1990s. My obligatory reminder to my colleagues? Stay on our side of the line, yell but don’t engage. Don’t resist when approached by a riot cop. Don’t get hurt, don’t die. On top of these, no deadly weapon in your backpacks or hidden in your body. I was a Left-winger person from age 16 to almost 40. I never stopped “protesting” even after I gave up my Leftist “tag” to be unaligned in the late-1990s.

      Deaths in legit protests or civil disobedience won’t happen if we observe common sense. That’s all. ☮️🗽☮️

The Wrap: “Washington Post ordered to reinstate columnist fired over Charlie Kirk comments.” Whether the columnist or opinion-sharer maligns or mourns the death of Mr Kirk is an internal company (or organizational) matter. Employees and management agree on rules and regulations before a contract is signed. The editorial board decides. The First Amendment is a rationale, of course. 

       But reportage or news reports are a different matter. It has evolved into “cool murk-throw” that was unimaginable in my time. That is my problem with current journalism. News feeds aren’t 4 Ws and 1 H or “spade is a spade” anymore. News now is highly-opinionated, partisanship-bias, and mostly about disparaging or insulting the POTUS. ☮️🗽☮️

CBS: “White House set to unveil major Iran sanctions as Tehran warns countries not to join.” The gargantuan, bizarre stupidity of war! This is all geopolitical narcissism that Big Business (Wall Street, arms manufacturers, and oil giants) take advantage of. Oh well, yeah? Regional bilateral agreements are signed on the basis of “protection from security threats,” with emphasis on “threats.” Need I go on? Shall we discuss “arms for oil” that exponentially heightened from (Western) discovery of oil in the desert in the 1920s? Oil: The grand excuse for armed conflicts that are not that easy to erase, of course! 

       Yet the end of a war means the immediate obvious: Human (+ animal life) collateral damage and environmental destruction stop. Billions of dollars, or taxpayer money, saved for gut-level imperatives. “Reopening” of the Strait of Hormuz isn’t just good for the global humanity but good as well to Iran, whose economy has been in the pits for decades–the reason why Iranians were protesting in the streets (and then wasted by the IRGC in thousands early this year). Meanwhile, before this crisis, the region was hot and high with renewed business and fun (showbiz and sports), which is the Arab League’s major playbook. And didn’t Iran join the BRICS trade bloc in 2024? 🇺🇸☮️🇮🇷

NBC: “White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt will return to Trump super-PAC,” By now, in case you are paying close attention, that's President Trump's style. “You’re fired!” Then the “terminated staff” is moved elsewhere. Shuffling, reassignments, role modification. Nothing’s wrong with that. I would probably do the same if I were the POTUS, uh huh. Until you place an individual in a designation/assignment, you will never know if that person is effective or not. Or maybe they’d be better off somewhere? (Photo: CNN.) 🏛🗽🏛