Trump favors corporations over workers. This is one influence that shapes the policies of Trump and his administration. 

Although it has a profound influence on what Trump does, it is not original with him. It is part of a Republican Party bias that extends back to the Gilded Age and the emergence of corporations in the late 19th Century. For in-depth analyses of this issue, among many others, see Sheldon S. Wolin examines this subject in his book, Democracy Inc: Managed Democracy and the Specter of Inverted Totalitarianism (publ. 2008), and Thom Hartmann does so in his book “The Hidden History of Monopolies (publ. 2020). 

And Chuck Collins’ new book is an eye-opener. It’s titled “Burned by Billionaires: How Concentrated Wealth and Power Are Ruining Out Lives and Planet” (publ. 2025). Collins writes this in “The Introduction,”

While Accra summoned the chargé d'affaires at the Israeli embassy to lodge a formal protest, the Ghanaian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Wednesday that the move was based on the principle of reciprocity and the protection of the dignity of its citizens, confirming that both sides had agreed to resolve the tension amicably. That's how you hold Israel accountable when it does abide by the rules of civilized nations.

The Ghanaian Foreign Ministry had previously announced that Ghanaian travelers had been subjected to "deliberate targeting and harsh treatment" at Ben Gurion Airport since Sunday, describing what happened as "inhumane treatment" that warranted a response.

I stare blankly at the news. Little men with guns once again stir the country – the world – into a state of shock and grief and chaos. Attention: Every last one of us is vulnerable to being eliminated . . . randomly,

On Saturday, Dec. 13, there’s a classroom shooting at Brown University, in Providence. R.I. Two students are killed, nine others wounded. A day later, in Sydney, Australia – in the midst of a Hanukkah celebration at Bondi Beach – two gunmen fire into the crowd of celebrants. Fifteen people are killed. The shock is global. The grief and anger flow like blood.

So do the questions: Why? How can we stop this? How can we guarantee that life is safe?

Usually, the calls for change after mass shootings focus on political action: specifically, more serious gun control. Ironically, Australia does have serious gun control. And, unlike the U.S., mass shootings there are extremely rare, but they still happen, which indicates that legal efforts can play a significant, but not total, role in reducing violence.

I learned that Columbus mayor was going to visit the 3rd Shift Warming Center and I was suspicious that he was doing so just for another Facebook “photo opportunity.”

Yeah, I was correct. He and his staff members (plus police bodyguards) arrived with pizzas so that he could be photographed giving them out. He also walked around to shake hands, but I don’t think he learned anything from the experience.

I sat at a round table watching his entourage coordinate his movements, all while a few boxes of pizza were sitting on a table. The smell of the pizza was everywhere, but instead of allowing people to eat they had to wait for the mayor to get photographs of himself walking around. Ever movement was choregraphed.

The funniest thing I heard was from an older man sitting next to me, “Great. We have to sit here smelling pizza and on top of that I’m allergic to tomatoes!”

The mayor’s chief of staff made sure that he made contact with specific people, but it was 3:30 in the afternoon and not late at night when the basement would be packed.