Which brings us back to Mr. Trump, 2024, Haitian cat-eaters and the end of everything. Because this unmooring, this mixing of real and unreal, this taking things literally but not seriously, or seriously but not literally, also helps to explain a lot about current American politics. Politics, it can seem, has internalized the logic of reality TV, except now the future of the planet, rather than a bachelor's rose, is at stake. Mr. Trump clearly understands how to operate in this particular version of the upside down, collaborating with his audience to create shareable moments that are full of in-jokes and provocations, perpetual-motion meme machines. How could he say all those outrageous things? Doesn't he know people are going to be shocked? Well, of course, he says them specifically because people will be shocked. He has succeeded in making himself the most most-hated man in America, and the rewards, at least until this moment, have been huge.
Tech billionaire Jared Isaacman has completed the first civilian space walk. read more
Yesterday Patrick Gathara of Al Jazeera wrote about the presidential debate in the way the American press tends to describe the rest of the world. The televised face-off between the leading candidates for US president amplified widespread concerns over the state of democracy in the troubled North American nation. read more
Donald Trump's call for mandating free access to in-vitro fertilization has puzzled congressional Republicans, drawing a mix of skepticism and outright opposition across the party spectrum, from center-right to far-right lawmakers. Some worried about the high cost of such a policy. read more
Fifty years ago, newly installed President Gerald Ford simply got tired of questions about the legal fate of resigned predecessor Richard Nixon. read more
Pandering for the mean girl vote. Pathetic.