TheNextReport

Yes, he said that.  Donald Trump is ready to play God, the all-embracing figure upon whom the fate of mankind rests.  Now waiting in the wings of the most powerful office in the world, he is convinced that he is the ultimate negotiator, the powerhouse deal maker who pretends that he is willing to see his adversary's point of view. A passionate believer in his own myth, he is certain he will win in the end, because in the high stakes game of Chief Executive he thinks he holds all the cards. For an individual with all the manufactured sincerity and charm of a used car salesman, it's quite an accomplishment, especially when his opponent is Vladamir Putin. What's Donald's trump card? Nothing less than nuclear war. Though not yet sworn in as president, Mr. Trump arrogates to himself the right to toy with the nuclear weapons regime that has successfully kept humankind from destroying itself since 1945. Is the diplomatic dance being played by these ego-maniacal demagogues

The results are in: The Electoral College has met to confirm the election of Donald Trump as President of the United States. What an example for mankind--the world's most innovative culture, its most vibrant democracy, the steward of the most terrifying military arsenal chooses a loud-mouth semi-literate braggart to lead them. In the mysterious world of international poetry, Russia and the United States are referring to each, other as "frenemies." Now that the FBI, CIA and the office of National Security has verified that Russian hackers broke into secure American computer networks to tilt the presidential election in behalf of Donald Trump, it would appear that the president-elect has a serious problem to explain to the American people.  This happened at the highest levels of the Russian government according to President Obama. Just what is behind this odd non-rapprochement between the U.S. and the former Soviet state? It is no secret that Russian leader Vladamir

The Electoral College has confirmed the election of Donald J. Trump to the office of the presidency. The tenor of the campaign, as well as the personal conduct of Mr. Trump—before, during and since the election—has called into question the fitness of the president-elect to assume the office of the presidency when the president is inaugurated on January 20. On December 2, Christopher Suprun, an elector from Texas, announced his intention to withdraw his electoral vote for Mr. Trump, citing his objection to the president-elect's continuing involvement with his domestic and foreign business interests, his disturbing lack of discipline, his deficiency in foreign policy experience, his dalliance with national security matters, and other actions. Opposition to Mr. Trump is bi-partisan. During the campaign, more than 50 Republican former national security officials and foreign policy experts co-signed a statement opposing him. Mr. Trump has, in his words and actions, ignored s

The Emperor did a victory lap today, according to cable news, visiting and speaking in several of the states that had given him the slim margin of votes needed to win the White House. Nauseated, I quickly changed the channel. In a moment I had turned the speech back on, unable to avoid that voice ringing in my ears, compelling me to face once more the twisted results of the presidential election. There was Donald the 1st attacking the media, calling them liars. The signal was clear -- a highly questionable political victory and another threatened death knell for the First Amendment. I remembered our history. One of the first actions the beast from Austria took in 1933 was to grab control of the media -- news papers and radio at that time. Without a free press and an independent judiciary democracy is dead. During the 1930's the rightists in Germany dismantled the multi-party system then in place, a move that not only brought about the demise of hundreds of newspapers produced

Ever since he began his quest for the presidency, Donald Trump has made Twitter his digital platform of choice for launching the kind of strategic messages he cherishes most--attacking his critics and praising himself. Not long into his run for the White House, The Donald got hip to the potential impact of social media. Those who were assigned to monitor Trump discovered his habit of staying up all night reviewing the comments of his critics and firing off tweeted reposts. It was clear that the billionaire real estate magnate did not react very well to criticism; Twitter became a valuable weapon he could use to respond instantly to what he perceived as unwarranted criticism and personal slander, even if only limited to 140 characters. Mr. Trump shot his tweets fast and furious Friday night, responding to Broadway actor Brandon Victor Dixon after the star of the hit musical "Hamilton" gave an impromptu speech in the direction of VP elect Mike Pence who had attended that ni

It all started with the escalator. The semiotic implications of the moment couldn't have been more clear. Like some blow-dried potentate, J. Donald Trump, builder of towering buildings, reality television star, salesman and con-man, descended from the heavens, a few steps above his angelic wife ready to announce his candidacy for the office of President of the United States. Carefully managed dramatic entrances would come easily for the man who would eventually stun the world with his electoral victory. A master of marketing and manipulation, the Emperor Donald 1st must now feel a bit like Muhammad Ali right after he floored Sonny Liston -- captivated by his own image, surrounded by adoring sycophants, many on bended knee in search of a cabinet post or a cushy assignment as an American ambassador. Last summer, when it was questionable that Mr. Trump would have enough political support to be accepted into the debates, he decided that his way to stand out from the other Republica

“Democracy is the worst form of government, except for all the others.” Winston Churchill... The world now has the opportunity to prove Churchill's famous dictum. For many, the loss of the White House to Donald Trump outlines the failure of representative government revealing some serious flaws in the way we do democracy. An opportunist businessman, a demagogue with no political experience and no program to offer the country, has been placed on the throne by a confused and angry electorate eager to give the finger to anything resembling the establishment. The unexpected victory had surprised everyone. Like many, I needed some time to process the nightmare: Donald Trump, who managed to manipulate the press with daily stories of his life as a presidential candidate, had actually been elected! It couldn't have happened! What about all the calculations, all the projections, all the math? I soon realized that I had awakened to a different country, one that had seemingly lost i

Well the surprise was on me. I had stated in a post about the phenomenon of the October Surprise that the tale of Hillary Clinton's emails and the stories about Donald Trump's personal pecadillos would not be the factors that would ultimately define the destiny of their candidacies. I was certain that it would be Vladamir Putin who, like Ming the Merciless, would engage in some inter-galactic treachery designed to  sabotage the election of the  American president. I was sure that it would be Putin, that Trump supporting, Russian relic of the Soviet security machine, who would stake his claim to a red October. No, the true culprit, it turned out, was FBI director James Comey.  The Republican chief of the Bureau announced that it had found additional emails possibly belonging to Hillery Clinton on a laptop owned by former Congressman Anthony Weiner, better known as the pedophile husband of Hillery's assistant Huma Abedin.  It seems that Mr. Weiner was more concerned with e

It's still October. For those who follow the election of 2016, the month will be remembered as the time when American voters learned that the lurid details of Donald Trump's twisted libido were more important to the electoral discussion than the candidates' positions on a few minor considerations such as: the economy, jobs, the ongoing war in the Middle East, climate change, immigration, energy, domestic and foreign terrorism, trade, healthcare, education funding, tax policy, minimum wage, the budget deficit, and so on. Yet, it's still October and anything could happen. Now, most of the country is familiar with the term "October Surprise."  It refers to a potentially damaging news event or piece of controversial information that is deliberately timed for public release close to election day in order to scuttle an adversary's candidacy. The Surprise is a well-worn tradition in the circus of American politics. A noted example in the race for president is G

One of the fundamental tenets of the rapidly disintegrating Republican party is opposition to government regulation. Those on the Democratic team need to make sure that Hillary (and other party leaders) talk more about the relationship between Republican party philosophy and the near catastrophic financial meltdown of 2008. In fact, that should be done at every available opportunity.  Deregulation of the banking system and risky practices in the mortgage industry were directly responsible for creating the conditions that resulted in the global financial crisis. A greater collapse was prevented only by the intervention of the government led by George W. Bush's Secretary of the Treasury, Henry Paulson. The Emergency Economic Stabilization Act brought order to the chaos with a life raft of  bank bailouts and corporate rescues. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act was signed into law by President Obama in 2009, providing an unprecedented $832 billion for a vast program intende

The country is in an uproar.The release of an audiotape last weekend highlighting Donald Trump's crude behavior toward women has enabled  many Americans to believe that it is just what they have been waiting for:  that sucking you hear is the sound of the last straw... or is it? Obtained by a source at the Access Hollywood TV show, the tape made clear that the Donald believed he could behave with women any way he wanted to because he's a big celebrity. After all he has done for the sake of the nation during his run for the White House, Trump now has the country examining in intimate detail his predatory behavior, debating the meaning and impact of "dirty words" and what can sometimes be their criminal implications.  But don't count out the Sultan of Scowl yet. He has defied the authors of his political obituary many times before. With this latest scandal, Trump has touched a real nerve in the moral psyche of America. General Potty Mouth can clearly see the ima

With post-debate poll numbers moving positively for Hillary Clinton, it is clear that congressional Democrats should waste no time in augmenting efforts to wage the battle for control of Congress. During her campaign for president, Hillery has emphasized her ability to work with Congress to "get things done."  Could putting another Democrat in the White House spell the end of the hyper-partisan atmosphere that has crippled Washington for the past eight years, or would an electoral victory for Ms. Clinton be seen by Republicans as a clarion call to resurrect the "government by obstruction" regime that right-wing Tea Party conservatives forced on the American people during the Obama administration. As envisioned by Kentucky Senator Mitch McConnell in 2008, the GOP response to the election of Barack Obama would be to march in lockstep to the political right. The Republican strategy of strangling legislation in its infancy, blocking judicial appointments, cutting spen

Alicia Machado was 18 years old when she won the title of Miss Universe, better known as the most beautiful woman in the world. It was 1996 and ownership of the international beauty pageant had recently been secured by billionaire presidential candidate and Jabba the Hutt look-alike, Donald Trump. Some people were surprised when Trump added the pageant to his portfolio of real estate, luxury office buildings, business parks, golf courses, hotels, gambling casinos, television production companies, exclusive wines, signature apparel and other properties. Others who were familiar with the Donald's dalliances and his multiple marriages knew that the pageant acquisition was par for the course. Mr. Trump, who makes millions from licensing the Trump name, likes to collect beautiful things, especially beautiful women.  Like the aforementioned Hutt, he was known as a well-heeled fat-cat, a high-powered wheeler-dealer with questionable ethics and deep media contacts. Mr. Trump's approv

With sixty days left until the U.S. elections, the campaign for president has turned into an unprecedented circus of vicious personal attacks, bombastic jingoism, and racist rhetoric largely as a result of the deranged behavior of Donald Trump. One of the factors repeatedly cited by Mr. Trump as a justification for his candidacy has been his skill as a business man. Though it has never been shown exactly how business success translates into effectiveness as a statesman, this belief continues to be widespread, even when a business person has demonstrated questionable business ethics. Mr. Trump's business acumen has been shown in the four bankruptcies he has accumulated, in the lawsuits brought by numerous building contractors, trades-people and small businesses that Trump refused to pay over the years, and by students who were denied tuition refunds when Trump University shut down in 2012.    In the run-up to the presidential race, Donald Trump has surrounded himself with syco

   The 2016 presidential election (better known as the insane campaign) motored on with Donald Trump visiting a black Baptist church in Detroit where he made another appeal for the votes of the nation's African Americans. The visit was part of the candidate's effort to reach out to the nation's minorities.  It was reported that the event would include an interview with the pastor of the church with the questions and answers entirely scripted.  With polls showing that a hearty one percent of black people support Trump's candidacy, winning over the folks that he has insulted so often would be a long row to hoe. Reports indicated that Mr Trump was greeted with politely scattered applause from the church goers, a reflection it would seem of the profound discomfort felt by the black community aware of his refusal to disavow statements of support from the KKK and other extreme rightest groups. The video of the visit showed the yellow coifed New York real estate magnate and

According to certain informed sources, Republican Party soldiers believe they can arrange a meeting with Donald Trump and "reset" the presidential nominee's campaign. How they hope to accomplish this is not clear. The Donald has convinced the world that he doesn't like being told what to do and would likely not respond to an attempt at political arm-twisting. Beyond memorizing some basic data needed to get him through the debates, Trump will continue on his own chosen path, acting out, dodging questions about policy, playing for the adulation of his followers and anyone else who needs to be entertained. The party hacks who want to reset Donald Trump will not succeed. To do so they would have to erase the past Trumpian behavior that has amused and outraged so much of the public.  They will find out that history matters, even for the American people. He who believes otherwise is  as delusional as Trump himself.

Narcissistic personality disorder is characterized by exaggerated feelings of self-importance, an excessive need for admiration and a lack of understanding of others' feelings . People  afflicted with NPD typically value themselves over others to the extent that they disregard the feelings and wishes of others and expect to be treated as superior regardless of their actual status or achievements. People with NPD may exhibit fragile egos, an inability to tolerate criticism, and a tendency to belittle others in an attempt to validate their own superiority . Sound familiar?  Aside from single-handedly destroying the Republican Party, Donald Trump should be thanked by the nation for holding a mirror to the dark area of American culture, its obsessive cult of personality and its dangerous acceptance of hypocrisy. 

The killing of three police officers in Baton Rouge yesterday morning should be a matter of grave concern for every citizen of the United States. Coming on July 17th, just a few short weeks after the shooting of five police in Dallas, Texas, it could spell the beginning of a national crackdown on freedom of speech, freedom of assembly and other constitutional rights.  Authorities fear widening unrest as African American communities across the country seek to bring the nation's attention to the problem of racial profiling and police killings of young black men. Sources close to the story said there is evidence that the Baton Rouge shooter may have lured police into a trap by placing false 9-11 calls. Promising to prevent religious fanatics, right wing patriot extremists and other demented individuals from engaging in an all out war with police, law enforcement officials plan to ramp up efforts to hunt down those who pose a threat before they have the opportunity to strike. GOP n

The greatest country on the face of the earth; a shining city on the hill; the last great hope of mankind. These unseemly boasts have often been used by American politicians in describing the United States. They have been employed so often that the people who are running for office are expected to use them. While our country turns 240 years old today, there are many signs that this arrogant facade has begun to show widening cracks. It is true that America and its educational institutes have been responsible for some of the world's most bold innovations and scientific discoveries, unparalleled in the annals of human achievement. We have landed on the moon and sent probes to the deepest parts of space; we have connected our planet with a miraculous electronic network that permits human beings to get access to information representing the totality of human knowledge; we have developed complex instruments for medical research and associated technologies designed to fight disease and

June 6, 2016 D-Day Paratrooper private John M. Steele didn't expect to attend church that morning. His assignment had been straight forward: Jump out of the plane, sail to earth, land near the little village of Sainte Mere Eglise and join his unit. It was June 6, 1944, and Steele was part of the advance wave of soldiers who would storm the beaches of Normandy and begin the fight to eliminate the German occupation of Europe. The plan called for units from F-company to quietly secure the countryside to prepare for the larger landing and cut off German retreat from the beaches. It was some five to six hours before the beach landings. The orders had been changed twice by invasion commanders due to concern over the great concentration of German troops and uncertain weather conditions. It was these conditions that made Steele miss his mark. He found himself landing directly over the town filled with German infantry. He was shot in the foot as his parachute lines got tangled on th

New Yawk, New Yawk: It was reported today that Donald Trump has had a closed door meeting in New York with Megan Kelley, the Fox News reporter who has clashed with the hair-born moghul over women's issues and other topics during the months of last years' primaries.  Rumor has it that the blonds will engage in a form of civilized discussion to be revealed on Kelly's show tonight. Who here can spell ratings?

There was another deadly rampage in Europe this week. This time the carnage was small, but nonetheless significant, having occurred at the very heart of the European continent. The continuing, centuries-old, conflict between east and west poured its blood all over the headquarters of the European Union, proving once again that old wars, like old civilizations, never die --- they just get buried for a while. The senseless atrocity in Belgium pits a modern multi-national military against a battle-hardened horde of fanatic young warriors driving legions of armed Toyota pickup trucks, hell-bent on recreating a medieval desert kindom where religion ruled the roost. The west had learned how to moderate its fear from the years after 911; and still the west learned until the videos, until the knives, until the invitation to send troops to fight into the desert, and then came the politics...