We complain about the state of American politics; about a mentally ill billionaire in the White House and a Republican Party crawling with hustlers and conmen, and a few in the Democratic Party as well. The complaints are legitimate, but most people don't realize why the situation is as bad as it is.

The democratic debate, operating entirely within the context of corporate TV stars' questions and largely Republican frames, shows once again why a for-profit "news" operation shouldn't be running a presidential debate.

Fascism has often been defined as the merger of corporate and state interests, combined with belligerent nationalism. Donald Trump has now put an unprecedented number of lobbyists - nearly 300 - according to a ProPublica and Columbia Journalism Investigation - in powerful positions throughout government.

Donald Trump's pathetic betrayal of our Kurdish allies in northern Syria highlights the importance of Congress taking seriously it's constitutional obligation to define and authorize war.