Mark Sumner

Chicago, Imperial, St. Louis

Senior Staff Writer at Daily Kos

Host at Remarkable! Radio

Author, journalist, old guy.

Articles

American economic carnage

2 weeks ago | unchartedblue.com | On Whetsday |Mark Sumner |Hunter Lazzaro |Laura Clawson

At this moment, the United States is in the middle of a concerted financial meltdown driven entirely by the destructive policies of Donald Trump. Trump's massive tariffs and incoherent actions are threatening a global recessionâif not depression. But they have already resulted in enormous, irreprabable harm to the United States. That's not a threat. It's a done deal.
Jeff Bezos has billions of reasons to grovel

1 month ago | dailykos.com | Mark Sumner

Jeff Bezos is currently the third richest person on Earth with a net wealth over $220 billion. In addition to being an absolutely obscene number, this seems like a very good reason Bezos should not have to get on his knees in front of anyone. Except there he is, putting a "libertarian" pro-Trump stamp on The Washington Post so blatant that editors are heading for the exits.
Elon Musk Is A Sophon

1 month ago | dailykos.com | Mark Sumner

On Friday, The Wall Street Journal published a detailed look at what Elon Musk and his DOGE bags have sliced from federal spending. As might be expected from a Rubert Murdoch propaganda outlet, the results were couched under the title "DOGE Claims It Has Saved Billions. See Where." However, no massaging of the headlines could make the truth of these cuts look good.
Ukraine Update: Trump And Putin Negotiate The Destruction Of The West

2 months ago | dailykos.com | Mark Sumner

Since the election—and especially since the inauguration—many people have been waiting for the moment Donald Trump begins arguing with Elon Musk. Those people are likely to be waiting a long time. Yes, Musk has assumed most of the authority of the White House. Yes, he's running on his own agenda, closing down whole departments and parking his anklebiter corps in one agency after another. He's assumed power beyond that legally available to the entire executive branch.
This Is What A Coup Looks Like

2 months ago | dailykos.com | Mark Sumner

In films—and too often in history—a coup d'état comes accompanied by the sound of explosions and gunfire. Military forces make their way through a capital city. The bearded colonel at the head of some new junta or rebel faction announces that he's now in charge. But it's not the only variety of coup. A coup can also come in the form of a "putsch," where the followers of a failed politician attempt to impose their candidate on the nation by force.
Media capture is no joke

Nov 28, 2024 | dailykos.com | Mark Sumner

For the past week, Elon Musk has repeatedly commented about buying MSNBC. At the same time, Musk accused the news outlet of peddling "puerile propaganda" and derided MSNBC's ratings, which have—as might be expected—dropped since the election. The result has been a string of comments on Twitter and Fox News in which Trump supporters chortle over the thought of replacing Rachel Maddow with Joe Rogan and exult in the distress they believe Musk's comments must be generating on the left.
Look up! SpaceX may be NASA's greatest achievement

Nov 19, 2024 | dailykos.com | Mark Sumner

Several years ago, my wife took her sixth-grade science class to Huntsville, Alabama for a week-long stay at Space Camp. Two giant bus loads of kids, five hundred miles from home, delivered the expected number of kids getting sick, girls sneaking into the boy's dorms, boys sneaking into the girl's dorms, and parents calling to complain that little Jonnie had not checked in.
If only Democrats would stop talking and start hating

Nov 14, 2024 | dailykos.com | Mark Sumner

There is no shortage of post-election analyses. Pundits, politicians, and armchair tacticians continue to trot out their hot takes on how Democrats can come in out of the marginal wilderness and recapture the hearts and minds of working-class Americans.
Ukraine Update: The Next Big Battle Carries Real Consequences

Oct 31, 2024 | dailykos.com | Mark Sumner

In the last week, Russian forces moved around the town of Selydove, south of the strategically important city of Povrosk. Ukrainian forces caught in a narrowing strip of land under attack from three directions were forced to withdraw. As of Monday, Russia has occupied much of Selydove. Russia forces now control the critical crossroads 13 kilometers south of the Pokrovsk. At Krasnyi Yar, they are only 8 kilometers east of the city.
Bezos and Musk: It's all about space

Oct 29, 2024 | dailykos.com | Mark Sumner

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