The Big Picture – By Glynn Wilson – WASHINGTON, D.C. — Another American media outlet is rocked by a self-inflicted scandal. It’s not clear what National Public Radio’s business editor Uri Berliner was thinking when he decided to bash his employer as “liberal” on a Substack newsletter run by a known conservative flame thrower, Bari…
Media Transformation from the O.J. Simpson Trial of the Last Century to Trump’s Hush Money Trial
Biden Administration Releases Stronger Clean Air Rules for Chemical Plants and New Standards for Regulating Chemicals in Drinking Water
By Glynn Wilson – WASHINGTON, D.C. — For 25 years since I was first hired by newspapers to cover the environment as a news beat activists have begged, pleaded and prodded the federal government to pass and enforce laws and regulations to force polluting industries to do more to protect public health. Progress had been…
There’s a 99.9 Percent Probability That Machine Learning Will Destroy Humanity
But Let’s All Focus on the Sensational Clickbait on Social Media and Ignore the Threat – The Big Picture – By Glynn Wilson – WASHINGTON, D.C. — You know, if I actually thought sensational tabloid news would make a difference in this crazy world, I might have gravitated in that direction myself many years ago.…
Trump the Bible Salesman: Ridicule Could Mark the End of The Donald
“No God and no religion can survive ridicule. No political church, no nobility, no royalty or other fraud, can face ridicule in a fair field, and live.” – Mark Twain The Big Picture – By Glynn Wilson – WASHINGTON, D.C. — We will see if Mark Twain’s satirical wisdom holds water still in these craziest…
While Attorney General Merrick Garland Plays It Safe and By the Book, Trump Browbeats His Way Toward the Presidency Again
The Big Picture – By Glynn Wilson – WASHINGTON, D.C. — If Donald Trump somehow avoids bankruptcy, a criminal conviction and prison time and wins the support of enough voters in key battleground states to assume the presidency in November and move into the White House again in January, 2025, no doubt commentators may blame…
Maryland Man Pleads Guilty to Assaulting Law Enforcement During Jan. 6 Capitol Attack
Staff Report – WASHINGTON, D.C. — A young Trump supporter from Bethesda, Maryland with Asperger’s syndrome, a neuro-developmental disorder, has agreed to plead guilty to criminal charges of assaulting law enforcement officers during the breach of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Steven Patrick Cook, 24, of Bethesda, pleaded guilty in the District of…
Biden Administration Announces Tough Auto-Emissions Standards to Combat Climate Change and Promote Electric Vehicles
By Glynn Wilson – WASHINGTON, D.C. — The stakes could not be higher for the future of the United States and humanity. There is a consensus based on an overwhelming amount of scientific evidence that continuing to burn fossil fuels for energy and transportation will doom the next generation of humans to living through a…
Interior Department Announces $195 Million in Spending on America’s National Parks
Staff Report – WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Biden administration this week announced the allocation of $195 million in climate restoration and resilience projects over the next decade in America’s national parks. President Biden’s “Investing in America” agenda calls for national parks across the United States to use this funding to prepare for the impacts of…
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly of Social Media
The Big Picture – By Glynn Wilson – WASHINGTON, D.C. — Social media. What is it? What good is it? Does it help the public become more informed and enhance democracy? Or does it just help spread fake news, misinformation and disinformation and help the spread of authoritarianism and fascism? Is it a good way…
Voyager 1 Goes Dark: First Craft in Interstellar Space Loses Contact
The Big Picture – By Glynn Wilson – WASHINGTON, D.C. — Space exploration occupies some of my thoughts of late. Wonder what’s become of Voyager 1? The first of its kind space probe launched in 1977 when I was right out of high school? Is it out there somewhere past Pluto, still transmitting? This is the…
Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is: President Biden Follows State of the Union With Budget Proposal
Federal agencies react positively to proposed federal budget even though it’s dead on arrival in the Republican House – Staff Report – WASHINGTON, D.C. — Not wasting any time and showing what federal leadership looks like, President Joe Biden released a $7.3 trillion budget proposal on Monday for fiscal year 2025 that is packed with…
Senator #KatieBritt Sticks Feet in Mouth in Alabama Kitchen Responding to President Biden’s State of the Union Address
The Big Picture – By Glynn Wilson – WASHINGTON, D.C. — Uh, I’m not sure this is what politicians usually have in mind when they talk about “kitchen table” issues. I asked former Senator Doug Jones of Alabama about this on Twitter(X). He talked a lot about kitchen table issues back in 2017. But there…
Prepare Yourself for Battle With an Army of Bots
The Big Picture – By Glynn Wilson – WASHINGTON, D.C. — In preparation for President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address on Thursday, I went back and rewatched Star Trek: The Motion Picture, released in 1979, recalling that it was one of the first science fiction movies to depict a computer machine nearly destroying…
President Joe Biden Delivers Super Hero State of the Union Address
By Glynn Wilson – WASHINGTON, D.C. — The moment could not have been more critical for American democracy and the future of the planet. President Joe Biden rose to the occasion, seeming to summon a Super Hero power in standing up to the anti-democracy forces sitting in the United States Capitol building sneering, and jeering…
Attorneys General in 41 States Demand that Facebook Take Action Against Scammers
Staff Report – WASHINGTON, D.C. — Maryland Attorney General Anthony G. Brown joined a bipartisan coalition of 41 Attorneys General around the country to demand that Meta address the recent increase in Facebook and Instagram platform account takeovers by scammers. Account takeovers happen when bad actors break into a user’s account and change passwords, effectively…
Cyber Terrorism Viewed as a Top, Critical Threat by the American Public
By Glynn Wilson – Public Opinion Analyst – WASHINGTON, D.C. — There was a time not that long ago when researchers could draw a statistical correlation between what the press in America was reporting about problems facing the country and the world and how the public responded to public opinion survey questions naming the top…
Hacking Knocks Out Facebook, Instagram, Messenger and Threads on Tuesday
Cyberattack and ‘Security Breach’ Cited on Day Two – Staff Report – WASHINGTON, D.C. — What will poor people do who have become totally dependent on social media accounts when the accounts go down and don’t work? Maybe get outside and go for a hike? Millions of people were locked out of their Meta accounts…
Global Warming With Crows: How To Survive All Of It
A Painting and Poem by Janet Mego – Hurt feelings. Cancer. Never knowing What’s the answer. Highway 43: rush hour Politicians: too much power. Record Heat Spoiled meat Tax breaks available to The Elite Severe depression Textbook obsession Making it on time to Your next session Climate change World War III Smog, fear, and pestilence…
U.S. Supreme Court Strikes Down Colorado Court Ruling Banning Trump From Ballot as an Insurrectionist
By Glynn Wilson – WASHINGTON, D.C. — The United States Supreme Court avoided the question of whether Trump incited an insurrection on Jan. 6, 2021, but struck down a Colorado Supreme Court ruling saying he was an insurrectionist and could therefore be banned from the Republican primary ballot in that state. In an unusual move…