Privatized public transit:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arriva

core of US power projection and intelligence gathering

This is what Biden and probably other Washington ghouls think but if Israel is "projecting" American power then to what end? Meaning, what US interests are served? Cheaper oil? That's our relationship with SA which is potentially hurt by Israel's behavior (Israel, importantly, has no oil, we'd be better off normalizing with Iran). US bases? We don't have any bases in Israel, that would be Turkey, Bahrain, etc. Do you think Israel ever considers US interests before acting? If they did historically they definitely do not under Netanyahu.

With regards to intelligence, I am sure that when intelligence is shared it's done so to craft a narrative that Tel Aviv wants Washington to believe. Also mossad is the most pervasive, aggressive, and successful spy agency in Washington. The flow of information is heavily one-sided.

Liberal never really meant left. Traditionally "liberal" was more an old-timey word for libertarian.

Even more recently "liberal" was just kinda an upper-class socially conscious do gooder who would always be reactionary if they felt personally threatened in any way.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3cdqQ2BdgOA

It was extremely obvious that he was going to be. He was Pelosi's pick.

Several theories:

1. Epstein was mossad. There are a lot of tapes with a lot of people.

2. Lots of Zionist billionaires: America is a plutocracy that acts on their behalf

3. Some sort of "great game" calculus of keeping a client state for regional instability (Biden apparently believes this based on old speeches)

4. Biden in particular has a melted brain. Many people have pointed out that Reagan was tougher on Israel than Biden has been. Reagan would set red lines and then say "you will comply."

Ezra Klein's picture is in the dictionary next to the "neoliberal" entry.

Right before the election he was on a Bloomberg podcast doing a premature endzone dance promoting Kamala's suburbs-and-cheney strategy. The Bloomberg person asked about unions and Ezra pretty much said there should be consequences for the Teamsters not endorsing her after Biden 'bailed out their pension.'

History has misjudged Jeffery Sachs according to... Jeffery Sachs!

Let's be real, he's the main guy pushing the "NATO expansion" theory of Russian aggression everywhere, and it exists mainly to cover for his own crimes.

What's more likely: that Russian revanchism came from anger over some arcane treaty negotiations, or that it came from the absolute collapse in material condition, civil society, population, daily lived experience and life expectancy that Russians experienced as Sachs and his evil clients dismantled the once-great civilization for their own enrichment? What do you think Marx's assessment of those two theories would be?

Sachs is a bag man. He helped the oligarchs destroy Russia and then he made himself useful to the new ruler when they were gone. He also spends a lot of time in Beijing and has a lot of good things to say about Xi as well. The guy's a serpent.

Democrats responded:

https://www.reuters.com/world/us/biden-signs-bill-block-us-railroad-strike-2022-12-02/

The U.S. Senate voted 80 to 15 on Thursday to impose a tentative contract deal reached in September on a dozen unions representing 115,000 workers, who could have gone on strike on Dec. 9. But the Senate failed to approve a measure that would have provided paid sick days to railroad workers.

"It was tough for me but it was the right thing to do at the moment -- save jobs, to protect millions of working families from harm and disruption and to keep supply chains stable around the holidays," Biden said, adding the deal avoided "an economic catastrophe."

Saw an interview with a guy (on Bloomberg actually) who explained that "ability to pay" and "willingness to pay" are two different things and that the pricing system doesn't target people who have a lot of money ("ability to pay") but rather people who have fewer options.

Like, if the app knows that you don't have a car and this is the only grocery store you can walk to, you will pay a higher price.

I shop at Jewel (which is currently under threat of being taken over by Kroger) and they're now doing this thing where there will be, for instance, peaches, under a huge sign showing an incredible deal. Then you look at it and realize that the price isn't discounted at all unless you install a "Jewel App" and use it to "claim" a "digital coupon."