You’re not crazy. And you are not alone.

 LOTS OF POSTS IGNORED BY BLOGGER.....

ALL POSTS ARE AVAILABLE ON 

MIDDLEBORO REVIEW AND SO ON

INTERNET ACCESS WAS OFF FOR A FEW WEEKS DUE TO IDENTITY THEFT...

JUST GETTING CAUGHT UP ON THE REAL NEWS! 

Every day, it seems there’s another reason to think the world has lost its mind. We see masked immigration thugs kidnapping students and tear-gassing children, the national guard occupying US cities, the president openly taking bribes and selling pardons…. It’s enough to make you question your own sanity. Common Dreams is the place you go to remember that you’re not crazy, and you’re not the only one freaking out. We don’t sane-wash Trump’s chaos, corruption, and cruelty, and we’ll never try to gaslight you into thinking that any of this is normal.  But we must also never forget that the world is still a place full of exhilaration and discovery, that we are surrounded by people who care for their neighbors and live lives of integrity and generosity.  Those forces will be ascendant again, and together we will make it possible.  Common Dreams was founded to fuel progressive change by lifting up voices of hope and goodness. Every day, our reporters fearlessly stand up to the powerful and inspire action – and your donations make everything we do possible. If you’re with us, please donate to our End-of-Year Campaign today. We’re doing some of the most essential, high-impact journalism that we’ve ever done, but to stay strong in the year ahead, we must not fall short of our must-hit goal. DONATE With solidarity and gratitude, Kimberly Monaghan Board Chair on behalf of the entire Common Dreams team P.S. One of the very best ways to support Common Dreams is to become a monthly donor. By giving monthly, you’ll provide us with the ongoing support we need to plan for the future — and you’ll receive far fewer fundraising emails. If you believe in this mission, become a monthly donor today. Share this email with a friend

Call 207.775.0488 to donate by phone or mail a check to: Common Dreams · PO Box 443 · Portland, ME 04112-0443 · USA Common Dreams is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Your contribution is tax-deductible. EIN: 20-3368194 ■ Today's Top News  'An Absolute Joke': Trump DOJ Partially Releases Epstein Files, Many Heavily Redacted “Trump’s failure to release the Epstein files is an insult to survivors and a further stain on an administration that continuously bends over backwards to protect abusers," said one critic. By Brett Wilkins As Wage Growth Slows and Unemployment Rises, Trump Tax Cuts Deliver Big for Mega-Rich Retail CEOs "At the same time prices have soared for consumers and retail workers remain stuck in low-wage jobs, big-store CEOs and shareholders have reaped higher profits and lower taxes." By Jake Johnson Tanking Economy and Higher Prices Put Trump on ‘Naughty List’ This Holiday Season, Group Says "Families are heading into the holidays facing snowballing costs on everything from toys and groceries to health care and utilities, yet Trump continues to call affordability a hoax." By Brad Reed Mamdani Taps 'Unafraid and Unbought' Julie Su as First NYC Deputy Mayor for Economic Justice "What a thrilling day for the working class of New York City," said one local labor leader. By Brett Wilkins 'Another Backdoor Deal'? Billionaire Trump Ally Larry Ellison at Center of TikTok Spin-Off "TikTok has officially been sold to the worst people on Earth," wrote one activist, "and no this is not an Onion headline." By Jake Johnson Rights Groups Warn FBI Probe of Anti-ICE Activity Portends New Crackdown on Lawful Dissent "People who are entirely innocent of any wrongdoing can be subjected to surveillance or investigation," said one critic of the FBI memo. "That imposes stigma." By Brad Reed JOIN THE MOVEMENT As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover the issues the corporate media never will. Your contribution supports this bold media model—free, independent, and dedicated to reporting the facts every day. Stand with us in the fight for economic equality, social justice, human rights, and a more sustainable future. JOIN WITH US TODAY ■ More News 'This Is a Desecration!' DC Residents Rage After Trump Slaps His Name Atop Kennedy Center House Dems 'Deeply Concerned' About Death in For-Profit ICE Processing Center Dems Call to Investigate Commerce Secretary Boosting AI Data Centers That 'Enrich His Entire Family' Gaza No Longer Officially Facing Famine—But 1.6 Million Palestinians Still in 'Man-Made Hunger Crisis' VIEW ALL NEWS ■ Opinion The Science Equivalent of Tearing Down the East Wing of the White House The Trump administration’s decision to shut down the National Center for Atmospheric Research is the most traumatic item on a list of recent climate defeats. By Bill Mckibben Trump's Murder Spree Must Be Stopped The danger is not just the body count, horrific as it is. It’s the precedent: a president asserting the power to redefine civilians as “combatants,” and pretend he has the authority to grant advance immunity to federal officials for killing people. By Jeffrey Stein,Christopher Anders Who Will Side With the People Over the 'Architects of AI'? In a functioning democracy, we would have at least one political party that would fly the banner of the 53% of us who are wary of unchecked artificial intelligence. By Will Bunch Authoritarianism Feeds on a Bloated Military Budget Squeezed domestic spending and extravagant military spending have widened inequality, with dire consequences for democracy. By Catherine Lutz,Anne Lutz Fernandez VIEW ALL OPINION Thursday, December 18, 2025 ■ Today's Top News  'Throwback to McCarthyism': Trump DOJ Moves to Treat Leftist Dissent as Criminal A former official from Trump’s first term said the FBI will be able to throw the full might of the surveillance state at “Americans whose primary ‘offense’ may be ideological dissent.” By Stephen Prager 'No War With Venezuela,' Says Maine US Senate Candidate Graham Platner "It should not be an option in our government to allow a failing presidency to just start a war because they feel like it's politically expedient," said the progressive running to unseat Republican Sen. Susan Collins. By Jake Johnson ‘Feckless’ Ken Martin Rebuked Over DNC Decision to Bury Autopsy of 2024 Election Disaster "You can’t run as the party of democracy and transparency and then stick your own election autopsy in a drawer," said one critic. By Brad Reed 'It's All About the Oil,' Says Venezuelan Defense Minister After 'Incoherent' Trump Claims The minister also echoed Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro's declaration that the US seizing oil tankers is "piracy." By Jessica Corbett House GOP to Skip Town Early for Holiday Recess as Healthcare Premiums Soar, Epstein Files Loom "The same GOP that voted last summer to give the richest Americans and most profitable companies trillions of dollars in tax cuts somehow can't find the funds this winter to ensure 20 million Americans can afford their health insurance." By Jake Johnson 63% of US Voters Oppose Attack on Venezuela as Trump's March to War Accelerates The new poll comes as the US president openly plots to seize Venezuela’s oil supply. By Brad Reed JOIN THE MOVEMENT As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover the issues the corporate media never will. Your contribution supports this bold media model—free, independent, and dedicated to reporting the facts every day. Stand with us in the fight for economic equality, social justice, human rights, and a more sustainable future. JOIN WITH US TODAY ■ More News 'Gross': Critics Recoil After Trump-Appointed Board Adds His Name to Kennedy Center 'Cruel and Unconstitutional': Trump, RFK Jr. Escalate War on Trans Youth With Threat Against US Hospitals FTC Opens Investigation Into Instacart Pricing After 'Bombshell Report' China Rips US ‘Warmongers’ as Trump Admin Proposes $11 Billion Taiwan Arms Sale VIEW ALL NEWS ■ Opinion There Is Something Deeply Wrong With Donald Trump—We Must Act Like It Democracies survive only when citizens decide that character still matters, that truth still matters, that children deserve better examples than tantrums and threats and gold-plated vulgarity. By Thom Hartmann The Coup Matures: the Destruction of the Legislative Process By undermining core constitutional legislative processes, authoritarianism supplants democracy, thereby clearing a path to fascism. By Tim Kipp It's Obvious the US Healthcare System Isn't Working, So Why Not Try Medicare for All? In a moment when the boundaries of what is “reasonable” or “possible” have been completely blown open, universal healthcare no longer seems so unrealistic. By Helena Addison The Battle Over Public Education Is Loud; the Work of Teachers Is Louder Even when faced with pressure and threats from almost all sides, the actual, individual people shaping the education of our children will not let themselves be cowed. By Jasmine Hernandez,Shea Woolley,Celia Mcdermott-Hinman VIEW ALL OPINION