Rebecca Traister

Lots of news this week.

Greta Thunberg inspired Fridays for Future--school strikes around the world.  Were the leaders of major polluters paying attention? Not according to what they told the United Nations.

A cartoon on the cover of the Economist says it all: leaders of the world’s two foremost democracies are scrambling to hold on. President Trump is faced with the possibility of impeachment. In the interests of Brexit, Boris Johnson is accused of lying to the Queen and defying Parliament. In both countries, voters are losing trust not just in their elected leaders but in their governments. The UK and the US aren’t alone, as the ideals of western democracy are being challenged by demagogues in other parts of the world.

In a world in which global opinion reigns, public diplomacy rooted in nationalism and propaganda will not save us from pressing crises.

Absolute immunity, executive privilege, crony privilege?

Despite mounting evidence, Republicans in the House and the Senate are defending President Trump or keeping their heads down. Veteran GOP conservatives accuse them of sacrificing morality for short-term political gain. Meantime the Trump Administration calls the impeachment inquiry “unconstitutional,” while legal scholars point out that it’s part of Article II. And how did Ukraine, an obscure former Soviet republic, become so important? Money.

President Trump is holding a press conference at the United Nations General Assembly in New York. In a speech to the U.N.

Trump’s sometimes, maybe lawyer Rudy Giuliani clearly needs an attorney himself as the investigations involving the former New York City mayor mount.

“Midnight Traveler” tells the harrowing story of Afghani director Hassan Fazili and his family’s displacement as filmed on their cell phones.