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January 20, 2025
Letter From A Birmingham Jail - Martin Luther King
"I think I should indicate why I am here In Birmingham, since you have been influenced by the view which argues against "outsiders coming in."...more basically, I am in Birmingham because injustice is here...I am cognizant of the interrelatedness of all communities and states. I cannot sit idly by in Atlanta and not be concerned about what happens in Birmingham. Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere."
Go to discussionJoe Biden's Bittersweet Farewell
It is a bitter irony that one of the last public acts of the Biden administration was to eulogize President Jimmy Carter, the last one-term Democratic President. The parallels do not end there. Two men of deep faith with significant and even landmark accomplishments, who left office in defeat partly due to economic forces beyond their control and conflict in the Middle East.
Go to discussionHarris and Emhoff headed back to California after inauguration
(CBS News) Vice President Kamala Harris and second gentleman Doug Emhoff are heading back to California after the inauguration, a senior administration official confirmed Sunday. Harris, the official said, will take time to decide her next move. She is expected to write books about her time in politics and her interest in food and cooking, according to multiple sources. There have been discussions among her allies about a possible run for California's open gubernatorial seat in 2026. Harris has yet to say whether she'll run.
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Biden pardons Fauci and Milley in an effort to guard against potential 'revenge'
(AP) President Joe Biden has pardoned Dr. Anthony Fauci, retired Gen. Mark Milley and members of the House committee that investigated the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, using the extraordinary powers of his office in his final hours to guard against potential "revenge" by the incoming Trump administration.
Go to discussionDOGE already cracking at the seams? Vivek Ramaswamy reportedly plans to step aside after 'friction' with staff
(The Independent) Former presidential candidate and biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy is reportedly expected to leave his post at the Department of Government Efficiency. President-elect Donald Trump appointed Ramaswamy to co-lead the agency — which will operate outside of government — alongside the world’s richest man, Elon Musk. Trump and the co-chairs have promised to slash the federal budget, primarily through drastic cuts to agencies and mass firings.
Go to discussionAP-NORC poll shows no mandate
(AP) Donald Trump will start implementing a far-reaching agenda when he takes office for the second time on Monday, but a poll finds that despite his claims of an “unprecedented and powerful mandate,” the incoming Republican president lacks broad support for some of his top priorities.
Go to discussionAmericans favor deporting undocumented immigrants, until they're asked how
(Axios) Most U.S. adults (9 in 10 Republicans and close to half of Democrats) say they support mass deportations of immigrants living in the country illegally — but that enthusiasm quickly erodes when presented with options over how to carry them out, according to a new Axios-Ipsos poll. Just 38% of Americans support using active-duty military to find and detain undocumented immigrants in U.S. cities and towns; and only 28% want to use money allocated for the military to pay for deportations. Just one in three endorse separating families or sending people to countries other than their country of origin in the interest of speed. And just one in three support deporting those who came to the U.S. as children.
Go to discussionEconomists: Inflation Outlook Higher
(Wall Street Journal) Economists are starting to model the effects of President-elect Donald Trump’s plans to raise tariffs, cut taxes and restrict immigration. The upshot: Inflation and interest rates are likely to be higher for at least the next two years than forecasters anticipated before the election. The consumer-price index is now expected to rise 2.7% in December 2025 from a year earlier, according to the average forecast of 73 economists who answered The Wall Street Journal’s quarterly survey. In October, the panel saw consumer prices rising 2.3% in 2025.
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