Sanders wins Nevada in state caucus, New York Times runs post-mortem on his campaign; Kasich says brokered GOP convention would be cool; the Panama Papers: Who will investigate the investigators?

 

U.S. Fate 2016

Early Missteps Seen as a Drag on Bernie Sanders’s Campaign [NYT]

Bernie Sanders Still Has a Shot at the Democratic Nomination [Fortune]
Finally, a report without an agenda. Bottom line: It’s a long shot, but it’s not impossible.

Thousands turn out for Clark County Democratic Convention; Sanders gets more delegates than Clinton [KTNV]
Here’s the thing with caucuses: they’re not over ’til they’re over, and that’s not until the statewide convention. At any point in between, the numbers could change. The rules could change. Shit happens. Hillary needs to get Harry on the horn again and make sure this little glitch is corrected at the next level.

Hillary Clinton Just Insulted Young Voters in the Worst Way [U.S. Uncut]
I don’t know that I’d call it “worst.” I’d save that superlative for Madeleine Albright’s “special place in hell.” Nonetheless, it’s insulting. And untrue. Notice, too, that she cites corporate media as “proof” that she’s right. That’s more of an indictment on The New York Time and the Washington Post than on the voters who don’t read them (or, if they do, take the time to confirm their stories with real “independent” sources). Judging by my precinct caucus last week, I’d say it’s the Clinton supporters who aren’t doing their research. Bernie’s people came armed with facts and figures from a variety of sources, while Hillary’s supporters recited talking points from her campaign. I didn’t think to ask whether they got them from her website or from articles in the Post and NYT.

Democrats angle for power in Clinton administration [Politico]
The Clintons value loyalty. Anyone who has been in politics for a long time values loyalty,” said Rep. John Larson (D-Conn.), a close ally of former President Bill Clinton. “For anyone who has been involved [in helping to elect Clinton], they can see this as an opportunity.” And for the disloyal, there’s a special place in hell.

Donald Trump’s star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame continues to be defaced [LA Times]
Spit, piss, and all manner of bodily effluents, but my guess is that Donald couldn’t give a shit. Speaking of which, the star was pooped on by a dog named Hades! It’s killing me. Incidentally, in case you forgot your mythology 101, Hades was the Greek version of Pluto. Meanwhile, Bernie Sanders was visited by Tweety Bird.

Kasich says an open convention would be ‘so cool’ [Politico]
For obvious reasons…

Largely Forgotten and Hugely Influential: The Race for Marco Rubio’s Senate Seat [NYT]
The Democratic Party Establishment candidate is Rep. Patrick Murphy, who has served two terms in Congress. There’s also a progressive candidate, Alan Grayson, who is one of several congressional candidates riding on the coattails of Bernie Sanders (and who nearly every day sends e-mail to Sanders supporters asking for donations). Grayson is in the dog house in Congress for possible ethics violations, so I’m not sure this is the guy Bernie wants rooting for him.

Lunacy & Hysteria

Clinton: ‘Unborn person’ doesn’t have constitutional rights [The Hill]
It will be really hard to flip-flop on this one.

Pot activists light up at White House, none arrested [CBS News]
Hmmm … a peaceful demonstration with no arrests. Weird.

Propaganda Wars

How Israeli Propaganda Succeeds
[Consortium News]
Author Abba Solomon reviews a new documentary, The Occupation of the American Mind, produced by the Media Education Foundation and narrated by Roger Waters. The film explores how a concentrated Israeon of the Palestinians. The Israeli government’s drift toward the right is part of a disturbing global trend that’s reflected in planetary cycles, which I keep promising to write about as soon as I get into the groove on this new blog.

Phobos & Deimos

Cold-blooded killing puts Israeli military culture on trial [The National, UAE]
For decades Israel has trumpeted its army as uniquely “moral”. The claim was always risible. But in an era of phone cameras, hiding the systematic crimes of a belligerent occupying power has proved ever harder,” writes Jonathan Cook, who lives and works in Nazareth.

Blue Pill

Fuck enlightenment [Medium]
I’ve been saying this for years, but did anybody listen to me?

The Plutocracy

Giant Leak of Offshore Financial Records Exposes Global Array of Crime and Corruption [International Consortium of Investigative Journalists]
This is going to be the biggest story of the entire week, but not necessarily for the right reasons. Already, major media outlets are spinning it as a money trail leading to Russian President Vladimir Putin, when his name isn’t even mentioned in 11.5 million documents. But hey, it’s people he knows, so he must be getting some of the goodies, and he’s the president, which means he must have approved their activities. Meanwhile, not a single American official has been named. Odd, don’t you think? Maybe they prefer the Virgin Islands over Panama? Not likely, given the historical relationship between Panama and the United States. There’s something fishy here. Let’s see how long it will take for some enterprising journalist to figure it out, but it will have to be someone who doesn’t work for any of the 128 news outlets participating in this project or who has ties with any of the project’s financial backers. I guess that means we’re not going to hear anything meaningful from Glenn Greenwald or Lee Fang.

Corporate Media Gatekeepers Protect Western 1% From Panama Leak [Craig Murray]
Well, at least one reporter is thinking along the same lines. Two, actually, since I got this link via Jonathan Cook’s Facebook page. His brief commentary was scathing, which for some reason pissed a lot of people off. Here’s another. One reader commented, “Since when has the Guardian taken an interest in investigative journalism? Highly suspicious.” Particularly when the reporter is Luke Harding.

One-Minute Meditation