Richard Wolff: The Final Case Against Donald J. Trump

Oct 20, 2024 | Richard Wolff is Professor Emeritus of Economics at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and a visiting professor at The New School, where he works on economics in the Marxist tradition. This is Richard’s fifth appearance on Robinson’s Podcast. He and Robinson discussed some of the most profound criticisms of capitalism. They focused on the myths surrounding Marxism and Marx himself. They covered the Israel-Palestine conflict from a Marxist perspective.

Dr Richard Worlff is a Marxist economist. He has a brilliant mind. However, the mere fact that I am posting this discussion on my blog should IN NO WAY be construed as an endorsement of Marxism. It is not an endorsement; I do not endorse it. I do, however, find Dr Richard Wolff a fascinating character and a man who is extremely intelligent and insightful. Do I agree with his take on everything discussed in this video? Certainly not! But, as my regular visitors should know by now, I do not post videos on this blog simply because I agree with everything discussed in them. Were I to adopt that strategy, I should find it very difficult to post ANYTHING!

As a person, I like to have my thinking challenged. If I think something is particularly good, insightful, or interesting, then I usually post it. Even if the video is controversial. In fact, a little controversy can stimulate one’s thinking. Controversy is to thinking what spice is the food! I hope that you enjoy the discussion. – © Mark Alexander

'He Proved It. Events Prove It.': Woodward on Milley Calling Trump 'Fascist to His Core'

Oct 15, 2024 | MSNBC's Lawrence O'Donnell is joined by Washington Post Associate Editor Bob Woodward to discuss the bombshell revelations about both the Trump and Biden presidencies in his new book "War" including Trump's former Joint Chiefs chair Gen. Mark Milley saying Trump is "dangerous" and "a total fascist."

US President Biden Gives Emotional "Farewell" Speech | DW News

Aug 20, 2024 | Joe Biden has given an emotional speech at the Democratic National Convention to endorse Kamala Harris as the party's presidential candidate. Biden wiped away tears as he was brought to the podium by his daughter Ashley. He rallied the crowd around Harris's campaign, saying a vote for her was a vote for democracy. Just two months ago, Biden had expected to clinch the Democrats' nomination for a second term, but concerns about his fitness led the party to back Vice President Harris instead.

Biden Out, Harris In: “This Is Exactly What the Trump Team Feared” | Amanpour and Company

Jul 24, 2024 | Tim Alberta has had a front-row seat at what has been a dramatic turn of events for Donald Trump and his team. Alberta spent months behind the scenes of Trump's campaign, and just two weeks ago reported that they were planning for a landslide victory -- on the condition Joe Biden didn't drop out. Now that their worst fears have come true, Alberta discusses with us how the Trump campaign is shifting its approach to confront a new Democratic nominee. | Originally aired on July 24, 2024

Biden Says It Is Time to Step Aside for a Fresh, Younger Voice

THE NEW YORK TIMES: In an Oval Office address, President Biden praised Vice President Kamala Harris and said “it’s been the privilege of my life to serve this nation for over 50 years.”

President Biden told the American public in an Oval Office address on Wednesday that he had abandoned his re-election campaign because there is “a time and a place for new voices, fresh voices — yes, younger voices.”

His words, lasting 11 minutes in all, were the first extensive ones from Mr. Biden since his decision to step aside, and expanded on his initial announcement, delivered in a post on social media on Sunday, that he was dropping out of the race. His tone was wistful and his speech was an early farewell.

“It’s been the privilege of my life to serve this nation for over 50 years,” he said.

Sitting behind the Resolute Desk and surrounded by photos of his family, Mr. Biden ticked through the accomplishments of his term, ranging from the choice of the first Black woman to be a Supreme Court justice to pulling the country out of a paralyzing pandemic. He expressed gratitude to the American people for allowing a “kid with a stutter” from modest beginnings in Scranton, Pa., to reach the pinnacle of American politics.

Just beyond the camera, dozens of aides and several members of his family, including Jill Biden, the first lady, watched as Mr. Biden said he would walk away from the office they had worked to help him reach for decades. » | Katie Rogers, Reporting from Washington | Wednesday, July 24, 2024

Listen to the address here.

Kamala Harris Speaks for the First Time since Biden Left the Presidential Race

Kamala Harris speaks.

Reaction: President Biden Drops Out | The Warning with Steve Schmidt

Jul 22, 2024 | With President Biden officially dropping out of the race, the door is wide open for the Democrats to regain their ground against Trump. Steve Schmidt breaks down the road ahead for the Democratic party and who stands the best chance to defeat Trump in November.

Joe Biden Ends Re-election Campaign | BBC News

Jul 21, 2024 | US President Joe Biden ends re-election campaign, saying "it is in the best interest of my party and the country.”

THE NEW YORK TIMES: Biden Drops Out of Presidential Race, Endorses Harris: President Biden wrote on social media that he was ending his campaign for re-election after intense pressure from within his own party. He endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris to replace him atop the Democratic ticket. »

Biden Vows to Run as 8 More Democrats Call for Campaign's End

BBC: US President Joe Biden is looking forward to "getting back on the campaign trail next week", fortifying his commitment to stick in the race despite calls from top Democratic leaders to step aside as the party nominee.

The president referenced former President Donald Trump's Republican National Convention speech to say he will continue "exposing the threat" of the former president while "making the case" for his record.

"Donald Trump’s dark vision for the future is not who we are as Americans. Together, as a party and as a country, we can and will defeat him at the ballot box," he said in a statement.

“The stakes are high, and the choice is clear. Together, we will win," he added. » | Rachel Looker, BBC News, Washington | Friday, July 19, 2024

America! Stand by your President! The mere thought of a Trump presidency is too awful even to contemplate! Biden for a second term! The forces of evil must be vanquished. – © Mark Alexander

Joe Biden Tests Positive for Covid and Cancels Campaign Event, White House Says

THE GUARDIAN: President, who has mild symptoms, returning to Delaware to self-isolate but will ‘continue to carry out full duties’

Joe Biden has caught Covid-19 and cancelled a speaking engagement at the last minute, before he was due to address a conference in Las Vegas on Wednesday afternoon, the White House has confirmed.

The US president had developed symptoms, and just before he was going to address the UnidosUS annual conference in Nevada – after a long delay – the organization’s president and chief executive, Janet Murguía, told those gathered he would not be taking the podium.

Shortly afterwards, the White House press secretary, Karine Jean-Pierre, issued a statement saying, in part: “Earlier today following his first event in Las Vegas, President Biden tested positive for Covid-19.”

She added: “He is vaccinated and boosted and he is experiencing mild symptoms. He will be returning to Delaware where he will self-isolate and will continue to carry out all of his duties fully during that time. The White House will provide regular updates on the president’s status as he continues to carry out the full duties of the office while in isolation.” » | Maanvi Singh and Joanna Walters | Wednesday, July 17, 2024

Biden Says He’d Consider Dropping Out if a ‘Medical Condition’ Emerged

THE NEW YORK TIMES: President Biden has said none of his doctors have told him he has a serious medical condition. But his debate performance last month raised questions about his health and acuity.

President Biden said in an interview released on Wednesday that he would re-evaluate whether to stay in the presidential race if a doctor told him directly that he had a medical condition that made that necessary.

Mr. Biden has said repeatedly that none of his doctors have told him he has a serious medical condition. Dr. Kevin O’Connor, the White House physician, wrote after the president’s physical in February that Mr. Biden is “a healthy, active, robust, 81-year-old male who remains fit to successfully execute the duties of the presidency.”

But his disastrous performance at a debate with former President Donald J. Trump last month, which prompted a wave of calls by Democratic allies to step aside, raised questions about his health and acuity.

In an interview with Ed Gordon of BET News, Mr. Biden was asked if there was anything that would make him re-evaluate staying in the race.

“If I had some medical condition that emerged, if somebody, if doctors came to me and said, you got this problem and that problem,” Mr. Biden said, according to a brief excerpt released by the network. » | Michael D. Shear, Reporting from Washington | Wednesday, July 17, 2024

Poland Urges EU to Spend on Eastern Border Defense

Jul 12, 2024 | Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski joins Balance of Power with Joe Mathieu and Kailey Leinz to discuss the just-concluded NATO summit in Washington and the state of the alliance.

Joe Biden Says Kamala Harris 'Qualified' to Take Over as President If Needed | BBC News

Jul 12, 2024 | US President Joe Biden insists he will not end his re-election bid because he believes he is best placed to beat Donald Trump in November.

But at a high-stakes press conference at the NATO summit in Washington, he told reporters his vice-president, Kamala Harris, was qualified to take over the top job if necessary. US President Joe Biden mistakenly referred to Vice-President Harris as 'Trump' at the event.

Earlier, he misnamed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as 'President Putin' while speaking to reporters about NATO’s support for Ukraine.

Biden Introduces Zelenskiy as ‘President Putin’ at Nato Summit

THE GUARDIAN: US president says ‘Ladies and gentleman, President Putin’, before realising mistake and correcting himself


Joe Biden has accidentally introduced the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, as “President Putin” in a gaffe that will fuel further concerns about his mental acuity that have threatened to scuttle his presidential campaign.

Biden made the mistake while flanked by Nato leaders during a signing ceremony alongside Zelenskiy on the final day of the Nato summit in Washington. It came just an hour before a rare press conference by Biden that has been called “make-or-break” for his campaign, as a growing number of political allies and donors have been calling for him to drop out of the race.

Concluding his opening remarks, Biden handed over to Zelenskiy with the words: “Now I want to hand it over to the president of Ukraine, who has as much courage as he has determination.” » | Andrew Roth Dan Sabbagh and Pippa Crerar in Washington | Friday, July 12, 2024

Some Biden Advisers Are Discussing How to Convince Him to Step Aside

THE NEW YORK TIMES: Close allies of the president are developing a case for why he should end his re-election campaign, though it is not clear that the discussions have reached him.

Some longtime aides and advisers to President Biden have become increasingly convinced that he will have to step aside from the campaign, and in recent days they have been trying to come up with ways to persuade him that he should, according to three people briefed on the matter.

A small group of Mr. Biden’s advisers in the administration and the campaign — at least two of whom have told allies that they do not believe he should keep trying to run for a second term — have said they would have to convince the president of several things.

They said they have to make the case to the president, who remains convinced of the strength of his campaign, that he cannot win against former President Donald J. Trump. They have to persuade him to believe that another candidate, like Vice President Kamala Harris, could beat Mr. Trump. And they have to assure Mr. Biden that, should he step aside, the process to choose another candidate would be orderly and not devolve into chaos in the Democratic Party. » | Michael S. Schmidt, Katie Rogers and Peter Baker | Michael S. Schmidt is an investigative reporter. Katie Rogers and Peter Baker are White House correspondents. | Thursday, July 11, 2024

NYT Editorial Board: Donald Trump Is Unfit to Lead »

'Hard to Imagine' US President Biden Serving Full Term, Says Critic | BBC News

Jul 11, 2024 | Actor Michael Douglas has said it would be "hard to imagine" US President Biden serving his full term as president if he is re-elected.

Mr Douglas, who has previously fundraised for the president, said he was disappointed at his "inability" to "challenge all the lies" of Donald Trump during the first debate.

His comments follow an op-ed written in the New York Times by George Clooney, who is a major fundraiser for the Democratic party, calling for President Biden to stand aside.

US President Joe Biden has admitted he "screwed up" in last week's debate against Donald Trump, but has vowed to fight on in the election race and moved to reassure key allies.


George Clooney’s opinion piece in the NYT here.

NATO on the Edge: Biden Praises and Trump Denigrates a 75-Year Alliance

THE NEW YORK TIMES: As leaders gathered in Washington to mark the anniversary of the organization, they heard starkly different messages from two American presidents on NATO’s future.

As NATO leaders gathered in Washington this week, one American president hailed the 75-year defensive alliance as the greatest “in the history of the world.”

Another described it as a virtual protection racket and declared that he would abandon “delinquent” members to the mercies of Russian invaders.

President Biden was the official host, greeting his European and North American counterparts in Washington with smiles, handshakes and solidarity, posing for grip-and-grin pictures and boasting of the progress and principle underlying the historic partnership. Former President Donald J. Trump was nowhere to be seen, not part of the formal events, but adding his voice from afar at a rally and in an interview.

“The fact that NATO remains the bulwark of global security did not happen by accident,” Mr. Biden said at an opening ceremony in the Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium, where the North Atlantic Treaty was signed in 1949. “It wasn’t inevitable. Again and again, at critical moments, we chose unity over disunion, progress over retreat, freedom over tyranny and hope over fear. Again and again, we stood behind our shared vision of a peaceful and prosperous trans-Atlantic community.”

Just two hours after Mr. Biden finished, Mr. Trump took the stage at a campaign event in Doral, Fla., and denigrated the alliance. He made no mention of its contributions to history, its victory in the Cold War or its role in defending Europe today as the war in Ukraine continues. Indeed, he acknowledged that he had been largely ignorant about the organization until he became president. But he then boasted about how he berated the allies as deadbeats. » | Peter Baker, Reporting from Washington | Thursday, July 11, 2024

Biden Says NATO Will ‘Protect Every Inch’ of Its Territory

Jul 10, 2024 | NATO chief outlines priorities to strengthen defence and future security at the anniversary meeting. Jens Stoltenberg notes 23 allies now meet the 2% GDP defense spending target, up from 3 in 2014.

The US president has hailed a pledge by NATO members to develop plans to boost domestic defence production. He said the move is needed to avoid falling behind Russia.

“This new pledge sends an unmistakable message to the world that every NATO member is committed to doing its part to keep the alliance strong,” Biden said in his brief opening remarks. “We can and will defend every inch of NATO territory and do it together.” Biden also began his address by saying Russia is “on a wartime footing about defence production”. “They are significantly ramping up their production of weapons, munitions and vehicles, and they’re doing it with the help of China, North Korea and Iran,” he said.

George Clooney: I Love Joe Biden. But We Need a New Nominee.

OPINION : GUEST ESSAY
THE NEW YORK TIMES: I’m a lifelong Democrat; I make no apologies for that. I’m proud of what my party represents and what it stands for. As part of my participation in the democratic process and in support of my chosen candidate, I have led some of the biggest fund-raisers in my party’s history. Barack Obama in 2012. Hillary Clinton in 2016. Joe Biden in 2020. Last month I co-hosted the single largest fund-raiser supporting any Democratic candidate ever, for President Biden’s re-election. I say all of this only to express how much I believe in this process and how profound I think this moment is.

I love Joe Biden. As a senator. As a vice president and as president. I consider him a friend, and I believe in him. Believe in his character. Believe in his morals. In the last four years, he’s won many of the battles he’s faced.

But the one battle he cannot win is the fight against time. None of us can. It’s devastating to say it, but the Joe Biden I was with three weeks ago at the fund-raiser was not the Joe “big F-ing deal” Biden of 2010. He wasn’t even the Joe Biden of 2020. He was the same man we all witnessed at the debate.

Was he tired? Yes. A cold? Maybe. But our party leaders need to stop telling us that 51 million people didn’t see what we just saw. We’re all so terrified by the prospect of a second Trump term that we’ve opted to ignore every warning sign. The George Stephanopoulos interview only reinforced what we saw the week before. As Democrats, we collectively hold our breath or turn down the volume whenever we see the president, who we respect, walk off Air Force One or walk back to a mic to answer an unscripted question. » | George Clooney | Mr. Clooney is an actor, director and film producer. | Wednesday, July 10, 2024

The Secret Family Member of US President Joe Biden | 60 Minutes Australia

Jul 7, 2024 | Why isn’t President Joe Biden’s granddaughter, five-year-old Navy Roberts, welcome at the White House?