Search focused on Liberal Politics

7+ min ago (345+ words) Oil is, and always has been, at the center of our concerns with Venezuela, which has the world's largest proven reserves (though much of it is in the incredibly dirty and hard-to-recover form of tarsands). At the moment it's a major supplier to China, and it claims sovereignty over a major oil field in Guyana which has attracted big investment from Exxon and Chevron. This kind of coercion on behalf of the hydrocarbon industry is becoming old hat for the Trump administration. It's used tariff policy, for instance, to force country after country to agree to buy huge quantities of American liquefied natural gas. As CNBC reported last spring regarding one deal with the EU: (Justin Mikulka has a pointed take on why this strategy won't work for the LNG industry, and new data emerged this week showing just how…...

15+ min ago (302+ words) The Department of War has cracked the code on making the perfect press corps by welcoming in only its biggest cheerleaders. The welcome was so warm it could've been the first day of school for a new class of kindergarteners, and with the so-called reporters' level of skepticism for the administration, they might as well have been. "I would also like to take a moment today to welcome all of you here to the Pentagon briefing room as official new members of the Pentagon press corps. We're glad to have you," Pentagon press secretary Kingsley Wilson said in her December 2 briefing. "This is the beginning of a new era." There was no further follow-up from the member of the "press" whom the House Ethics Committee found engaged in sexual activity with a 17-year-old girl in 2017. (Gaetz has denied wrongdoing.) Since…...

16+ min ago (590+ words) Taylor Swift didn't make an announcement " she didn't even post " but a quiet update to Reputation landed at a very specific moment. On Dec. 12, just one day before her 36th birthday, fans noticed lyric changes to two Reputation tracks as the first two episodes of her six-part Eras Tour docuseries, The End of an Era, premiered. The updates appeared on Apple Music's newly released Dolby Atmos versions of "I Did Something Bad" and "Delicate," quickly reigniting long-running speculation around Reputation (Taylor's Version). On "I Did Something Bad," the lyric "But if he drops my name, then I... Taylor Swift didn't make an announcement " she didn't even post " but a quiet update to Reputation landed at a very specific moment. On Dec. 12, just one day before her 36th birthday, fans noticed lyric changes to two Reputation tracks as the first two episodes of her…...

17+ min ago (385+ words) Salon reporter Sophia Tesfaye says "the speed and scale of Jared Kushner's re-emergence can't be overstated," and neither can his corruption. "In the first year of Donald Trump's second presidency, his son-in-law is casually consolidating economic and political power with staggering speed," said Tesfaye. "Kushner has positioned himself at the center of the biggest media merger in years and at the fulcrum of White House foreign policy, all while taking in multi-billion-dollar investments from autocratic governments." "The partnership is unprecedented," said Tesfaye. "Not even Rupert Murdoch's right-wing media empire was capitalized by foreign monarchies seeking political leverage. Kushner raised over $3 billion for Affinity Partners at the end of the first Trump administration, said Tesfaye, including $2 billion from the Saudi government's Public Investment Fund. The UAE and Qatar soon followed, "adding another $1.5 billion to the pot." "You could not design a…...

19+ min ago (223+ words) President Donald Trump lashed out on Truth Social over news of the death of three Americans in a "lone ISIS attack" on Saturday. "We mourn the loss of three Great American Patriots in Syria, two soldiers, and one Civilian Interpreter," Trump wrote. "Likewise, we pray for the three injured soldiers who, it has just been confirmed, are doing well." Trump continued, "This was an ISIS attack against the U.S., and Syria, in a very dangerous part of Syria, that is not fully controlled by them. The President of Syria, Ahmed al-Sharaa, is extremely angry and disturbed by this attack. There will be very serious retaliation. Thank you for your attention to this matter!" On his way to Saturday's Army-Navy game, Trump stopped to speak with reporters, saying: A reporter asked if the U.S. planned to retaliate against ISIS. " Selina Wang (@selinawangtv) December…...

20+ min ago (312+ words) U.S. President Donald Trump delivers remarks on the U.S. economy and affordability at the Mount Airy Casino Resort in Mount Pocono, Pennsylvania, U.S. December 9, 2025. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst The top priorities of MAGA adherents attending President Donald Trump's Pennsylvania rally were roughly in tune with those of the rest of American voters: Inflation. Conservative media company Right Side Broadcasting Network, known for their live stream coverage of Trump rallies and America First events, sent host Matthew Alvarez to Trump's Pennsylvania rally at Mount Airy Casino Resort on Tuesday to interview Trump fans waiting in line and inside the venue before Trump took the stage. What they caught on tape was not exactly the issue Trump focused on. Another fan, while demanding Trump "get rid of immigrant freeloaders," also asked Trump to "lower fuel prices." "And that's it?" asked Alvarez. "That's the biggest thing," the…...

20+ min ago (114+ words) The studio that helped build Hollywood is now in the middle of its very own drama. Whichever way this goes, the outcome isn't looking great. Contributors: Matt Craig " Reporter, Forbes Daheli Hall " Writer and director Lee Hepner " Antitrust lawyer Dominic Patten " Executive editor, Deadline This week, Australia became the first country in the world to impose a social media ban for children less than the age of 16. The Australian government says it is taking on Big Tech and safeguarding children, but some young people were able to quickly bypass the new rules. Ryan Kohls reports. Featuring:" Amber Rahim Shamsi " Pakistan Editor, Nukta Moeed Pirzada " Political YouTuber Mohammed Hanif " Author and journalist...

28+ min ago (238+ words) President Donald Trump issued a grave threat that there will be "serious retaliation" following the killing of two U.S. soldiers and one American civilian in Syria on Saturday, and the injury of several more. "We mourn the loss of three Great American Patriots in Syria, two soldiers, and one Civilian Interpreter," Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social. "Likewise, we pray for the three injured soldiers who, it has just been confirmed, are doing well. This was an ISIS attack against the U.S., and Syria, in a very dangerous part of Syria, that is not fully controlled by them. The President of Syria, Ahmed al-Sharaa, is extremely angry and disturbed by this attack. There will be very serious retaliation." According to Trump administration officials, the two soldiers and one civilian were likely killed by an ISIS gunman, ABC News reported....

37+ min ago (162+ words) As it was, DC Circuit Judge Royce Lamberth in September granted "rsted's request to lift the stop-work order while its suit against the government goes forward, and work has resumed on Revolution Wind. In fact, in November, the administration missed its chance to appeal Lamberth's order, although it remains just as insanely devoted to favoring oil and gas over renewable energy. That's virtually the same as the non-answer that fellow spokesbot Anna Kelly offered last month when asked if the administration would appeal to try to stop Revolution Wind: "In just a few months, President Trump has ended Joe Biden's war on American energy and restored American energy dominance," blah blah blah, with no mention of the wind farm or the judge's decision. Thanks for reading Wonkette! Send this post so people know what great taste you have! [Guardian / Ars…...

38+ min ago (492+ words) There's the real world version of dating, and then there's the BookTok version: dramatic, moody, and full of fantasy. A trend built around that idea has been circulating on TikTok, with creators staging the moment they "go for a drive" and someone follows behind. A Phoenix TikToker put her own spin on it, going viral with over 2.3 million views. In the clip, she films the window of her moving car while the "Is he cheatin'? Man I don't know" section of Rihanna's Breakin' Dishes plays in the background. She adds text over the video: "Told him I needed to go for a drive and turned my location off." As she continues filming, a car appears behind her on the road. The implication is that after she turned her location off, her partner got in his own car and followed her....