Today’s Water Cooler: Open thread
Sunday, February 8, 2026
A Texas Lawsuit Being Heard This Week Could Mean Life Or Death For The ACA
Another Republican effort to wreck the ACA might succeed.
The Victory of Privilege
Privilege has gone from an idea discussed by a few activists to an entirely mainstream concept enjoying great respect. How does the idea actually work out in practice? What is its history? The focus is on the seminal work of Peggy McIntosh.
Nick Turse: The U.S. Military is Winning. No, Really, It Is!
The US military disproves the notion “the conventional army loses if it does not win,” and now wins simply by not losing.
Witch Hunts in the Western World, Past and Present
Identifying the driving forces behind historical witch hunts and assessing their relevance to today.
2:00PM Water Cooler 9/4/2018
Today’s Water Cooler: Open thread.
Second Circuit Narrows Reach of Foreign Corrupt Practices Act
Second Circuit last week narrowed the reach of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, but will not redirect the DoJ to focus on enforcement of more significant violations that occur closer to home.
Fear and Loathing — Mostly Loathing — with Chris Hedges at the Harvard Club
A conversation with Chris Hedges about his apocalyptic new book America: The Farewell Tour (Simon & Schuster, August 2018).
Trans Mountain Pipeline a Serious Misstep for Trudeau
Inept political maneuvering by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has turned what was a longstanding controversy in Canada over Kinder Morgan’s Trans Mountain pipeline project into a complete and utter quagmire.
Why We Should Worry About Monopsony
Why the Fed is, rather late in the game, concerned about monopsony power.
Reminder for Portland (Maine) Meetup This Thursday with Lambert and Yves
Announcing location of Portland meetup.
UN to Launch Talks on Treaty to Regulate High Seas
Talks kick off in New York on Tuesday to negotiate a UN treaty on the high seas by 2020; this would extend the existing law of the sea framework beyond each nation’s territorial waters.
