Types of News: Analysis Archives

Crypto, AI, and Israel All Spending Big to Influence U.S. Elections

6Oct

By Patti MohrNo Comments

Big Tech, Digital Economy, Democracy, Domestic Politics, Finance, Currency, Debt, National Budgets & Interest Rates, Types of News: Analysis, United States

Crypto, AI, and Israel All Spending Big to Influence U.S. Elections

Spending by political action committees far outpaces what candidates running for office can and do spend. Follow the Money: PACs Lead Spending in the 2026 Midterms October 5, 2026—Campaign finance is where powerful interests intersect with government. The money spent does not just influence elections, it can also shape policies affecting society as a whole. In terms of money flowing through the campaign-finance system, political action committees (PACs) direct nearly three times as much money as candidates running for reelection or office. That concentration of money gives PACs considerable potential influence over which candidates reach—and remain in—office. The Power of the PAC Purse In terms of spending, candidates for office paid out$2 billion, while PACs reported $6.5 b...

Trump’s Taxpayer-Funded Ads Flout Democracy

30Sep

By Patti MohrNo Comments

Communism, Dictatorship, authoritarian, Democracy, Types of News: Analysis, United States

Trump’s Taxpayer-Funded Ads Flout Democracy

The Strange Irony of Using Government Funds for Self-Promotion Ads Against ‘Communism’ and ‘War’ President Trump is using $20 million from the Homeland Security Department to finance political ads promoting himself ahead of the midterm elections. September 30, 2026—Democracy is built on the notion that the government represents the will of the people in a system of checks-and-balances and adheres to a rule-of-law. It is not a given that democracies survive. In fact, modern-day dilemmas such as corruption, the increasing power of technologies and the firms that run them, and consolidation of power in the executive branch of government test the foundation. In the lead up to the nationwide November elections for Congress, President Donald Trump is also pushing the limits of what is a...

Business in Occupied Territories Tests the Limits of International Law

27Sep

By Patti MohrNo Comments

Human rights, Legal Battles, International Law, Justice, Types of News: Analysis

Business in Occupied Territories Tests the Limits of International Law

More than 200 companies are doing business in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, supporting illegal settlements, according the the United Nations. Photo by Levi Meir Clancy courtesy Unsplash. Airbnb, Booking.com, Expedia and other major companies appear in a UN database examining business activities connected to Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, raising questions about corporate responsibility for human rights. September 28, 2026—Businesses operating in occupied Palestinian territories are not bound by international law in the same way that UN-member states are, but they are not exempt from upholding human rights either. Hundreds of companies headquartered in 11 countries conduct business in or near Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, according to an u...

BRICS, De-Dollarization and the Future of the US Dollar

25Sep

By Patti MohrNo Comments

Diplomacy and International Law, Finance, Currency, Debt, National Budgets & Interest Rates, Geopolitics, Organizations, IMF, WTO, G7, UN Security Council, Types of News: Analysis

BRICS, De-Dollarization and the Future of the US Dollar

September 25, 2026—The model of a U.S.-led global economy, long established since the start of the 1944 Bretton Woods system, is coming under significant strain. It is not just wars disrupting freedom of navigation and the price of oil causing cracks in the system. Nor is it only a reflection of the mounting U.S. debt and annual deficits. It is also a growing movement towards multilateralism. What gives that momentum are shifts toward competing financial infrastructures, new geopolitical alliances, and novel methods of settling cross-border payments. These pose challenges to the existing order and the dollar-dominated trading system. In the past month, we’ve witnessed the greatest acceleration this change. We see new strategic alliances, less trust in the U.S. defense, and a ground-up i...

U.S. Government Makes Claim for Venezuelan Oil And Sovereignty

8Sep

By Patti MohrNo Comments

Domestic Politics, Energy Policy, Oil & Gas, Geopolitics, Types of News: Analysis

U.S. Government Makes Claim for Venezuelan Oil And Sovereignty

Trump announces historic deal and claims Venezuelan oil. September 8, 2026—When the U.S. government announced an historic deal for tapping Venezuelan oil in August, the White House cheered it as a means to expand U.S. oil reserves while critics complained the deal smacked of 19th Century imperialism. The United States has long engaged with Venezuelan politics, aiming to push the country away from a communist economy towards an open, democratic society. What is clear today is that U.S. policy has shifted away from influencing Venezuelan politics toward a model of ownership, not only of the country’s natural resources but also its diplomatic standing with the rest of the world. The circumstances of the invasion and capture of natural resources leave observers questioning the legalit...

ICE Detentions Hit Record Levels as Deaths and Medical Failures Mount

2Sep

By Patti MohrNo Comments

Human rights, Immigration, Migration, Types of News: Analysis, United States

ICE Detentions Hit Record Levels as Deaths and Medical Failures Mount

Private Firms Profit, Prisoners Beg for Medical Help, and DHS Investigates Deaths Aug. 26, 2026 ICE announced its agents detained 1,328 people in Virginia and Maryland over a two-week period. September 2, 2026—As the number of people taken and held by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement soared this Summer amid reports of “abysmal” conditions at the detention centers. Since President Donald Trump started his second term in office in January 2025, 57 people have died in ICE custody. Last week, a Chinese national by the name of Lianyong Wei died hours after ICE arrested him in Saipan, a U.S. commonwealth in the Western Pacific. Meanwhile, thousands of others have suffered medical emergencies, such as head injuries, dehydration, strokes, and malnutrition, while in ICE custody, ac...

Where Is The US-Canada Trade Dispute Headed: A Spat or a War?

1Sep

By Patti MohrNo Comments

Global Trade, Types of News: Analysis

Where Is The US-Canada Trade Dispute Headed: A Spat or a War?

A Guide to New Tariffs on Cross-Border Trade Tariffs are escalating, trade talks have collapsed and the rhetoric has become personal. But the bigger question is whether Washington and Ottawa can preserve the North American economic integration built over three decades. Photo of the Detroit River by realafm courtesy Unsplash September 1, 2026—The U.S.-Canada trade dispute is garnering a lot of attention, due in no small measure the highly-charged rhetoric over the breakdown in trade talks. Both sides increased tariffs on segments of each other’s products. But just how significant are the new tariffs in terms of trade and cost? Where does that leave the review of the larger North American trade pact? Trade Talks Break Down The trade talks are taking place at a critical time: T...

The Human Rights Case Against Nicolás Maduro

2Jun

By Ernesto RodriguezNo Comments

Domestic Politics, Human rights, Immigration, Migration, Types of News: Analysis

The Human Rights Case Against Nicolás Maduro

A Venezuelan Expat Makes A Case for Justice That Can Bring About Real Democratic Change Editor’s Note: Venezuelan expat Ernesto Rodriguez reflects on the U.S. military’s Jan. 3, 2026 capture of Nicolás Maduro, recounts the authoritarian leader’s grip on power from 2013-2026, makes a case against the years of torture and political corruption, and calls for justice. Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, are facing U.S. federal charges in New York for narco-terrorism, drug trafficking, and weapons offenses. Let's picture the scene. I'm sleeping back home in Madrid, and I get woken up by a call from Caracas, where the time is around 3 o'clock in the morning. As anyone knows, calls at those hours are usually some form of bad—or at the very least urgent—news. This wasn't an except...

Trump to Headline Controversial Memecoin Event at Mar-a-Lago

14Apr

By Patti MohrNo Comments

Corruption, Bribes, Illicit Finance & Money Laundering, Finance, Banks, Cryptocurrency, Metals, Types of News: Analysis, United States

Trump to Headline Controversial Memecoin Event at Mar-a-Lago

Event Highlights Questions About Pay-For-Access April 14, 2026—President Donald Trump is expected to headline an upcoming cryptocurrency memecoin conference giving top investors exclusive access at a luncheon at the Trump family’s Mar-a-Lago estate later this month, according to advertisements for the event. It’s an indication that even as the president implements public policy, he takes time off his official role to make money from sales of his personalized, celebrity memecoin. It is another sign of the merging of government and business. Furthermore, it raises concerns about political influence-for-sale amid the opaque world of cryptocurrency. Exclusive Gamified Invite The April 25 event is an exclusive, invite-only gala for people holding the $TRUMP token. It is the second ...

U.S. Shadow Diplomacy by Billionaire ‘Volunteers’

11Apr

By Patti MohrNo Comments

Corruption, Bribes, Illicit Finance & Money Laundering, Diplomacy and International Law, Middle East, Types of News: Analysis, Types of News: Videos

U.S. Shadow Diplomacy by Billionaire ‘Volunteers’

Trump Envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner Dominate U.S. Foreign Policy Making April 11, 2026—As the world remains on pins and needles, awaiting the outcome of peace talks mediated by Pakistan in a US-Israel-Iran war that has lasted nearly a month and a half, observers are beginning to question why diplomacy failed and who is responsible. One of the most apparent things is that U.S. diplomacy is largely outsourced to two billionaires serving as special envoys without government pay: Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. Both are billionaires with interests that extend beyond U.S. priorities. Witkoff, President Trump’s assistant and special envoy for peace missions, receives no government salary. Kushner does not even have an official title other than the president’s son-in-law and un...