I am not writing about the Israel-Hamas war, or as of yet, the protests on college campuses. But I know everyone has strong feelings about the protests. And many readers do want to discuss them. So here's an open thread for those of you who do want to discuss these topics. Keep in mind TalkLeft is not the government and what you consider free speech may differ from my interpretation of acceptable speech. And since this is my site, my interpretation prevails. [More...] As a related side-note, I still follow the Twitter feeds of several ISIS/Syria researchers, most of whom are now covering ISIS ..read more

When covering a trial, there is nothing better to read for accuracy than the court transcripts. In almost all federal trials, transcripts are guarded like hawks, because that's how court reporters make their money. By the page. In major trials, the major media companies form a consortium and pitch in together to share the cost. But they rarely share, due to the court reporter's right to charge for each copy. The Trump hush-money trial is not in federal court, and some state courts are better attuned to transparency with their citizens. So let's give thanks to the New York State Court system, w ..read more

Forget the $5 million the first Jean Carroll jury ordered Donald Trump to pay for defaming her. That's bupkis compared to Friday's verdict by jury # two which decided, after only 3 hours of deliberation, that Trump should pay Carroll a total of $83 million in damages: $18.3 mil in compensatory damages and $68 million in punitive damages. <p> Now here's the important thing for Trump: He can shed as many tears of a clown as he wants, but if he intends to appeal this verdict (and he appealed the first verdict), I would imagine he's going to put up a much heftier appeal bond in this caase th ..read more

I've joked a few times I wouldn't be surprised if Trump were to make Ivanka his running mate -- or appoint Don Jr.'s girlfriend Kimberly Guilfoyle to be Attorney General if he gets re-elected (because she would dismiss the federal indictments against him, relieving him of the need to spend years in court debating whether he has the power to pardon himself). But I missed the real mark: It's Eric's wife Lara Trump who Donald Trump is promoting for Co-Chair of the Republican Party. Can no one in this family get where they want to go on their own credentials and experience? Apparently not. Except ..read more

A New York Judge has rejected Donald Trump's request to delay his trial in the "Hush Money" - Stormy Daniels case. Trump faces 34 felony counts of falsifying business records related to hush payments to adult film actress Stormy Daniels. He denies the charges. Prosecutors intend to prove that Trump resorted to business fraud as a means of concealing the true nature of the payments so as not to hurt his chances of winning the presidency in 2016. What a difference a year makes. When this Indictment was announced, it was a big deal. Now, it seems so hum-hum. Trump indicted? What else is new ..read more

Sad news. Singer and 60's icon Melanie (Safka) has passed away at age 76. She was one of a kind. Her voice was so rich, so unique and powerful. I loved listening to her albums, especially the ones with "Brand New Key" and Beautiful People. Her children posted the news on Facebook. They ask: ... that tonight (Jan. 24), at 10 p.m. CT, “each of you lights a candle in honor of Melanie. Raise, raise them high, high up again. Illuminate the darkness, and let us all be connected in remembrance of the extraordinary woman who was wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother and friend to so very many ..read more

Your turn, all topics welcome. I’ll be back later or over the weekend ..read more

The media is over-playing the significance of Trump's win among the 15% (110,000) of Iowa's Republicans who showed up to vote in yesterday's Republican caucuses, and in its entrance polls. The last contested Iowa caucus was in 2016, and 187,000 Republicans showed up to vote. Winning the Republican caucus vote in Iowa does not translate to winning the Republican nomination for President. Caucuses are different than primaries and mean a whole lot less. Just look at the statistics for Iowa Republican caucuses in 2008, 2012 and 2016. Also, the candidate with the most number of delegates is the on ..read more

For much of the world, this was not a good year. In welcoming 2024, let's hope it brings peace to the Middle East and the Ukraine. And hope that we finally can put the corona-virus and all its mutations behind us. And last but not least, can disaffected and marginalized Americans, as well the rest of the Republican party, please shake off their bitterness and discontent long enough to realize that Donald Trump is nothing more than a dulled and failed artifact of the past. With that, TalkLeft wishes everyone everywhere a happy, healthy and prosperous new year ..read more

Update: Our server was down for most of today and this evening. Thanks to Colin, our webmaster, for restoring it! Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all. If I had my choice of somewhere else to be this holiday season, I think it would be the Arctic Circle-- Finnish Lapland, maybe, home of Santa Village, to see the reindeer. Or on a cruise from the southernmost tip of Ushaia, Argentina, across the Drake Passage, to Antartica. Or maybe, to Tasmania, the Australian island that sits just below it. When I look at the photos of the ocean there, it seems like it is situated at the absolute edge o ..read more