Against the Odds: All Passengers and Crew Accounted For After Mississippi Riverboat Rolls Onto Its Side and Sinks

By Yiannis Damellos

November 14, 2026

Source CBS News

NEW ORLEANS — What began as the end of an eight-day Mississippi River cruise turned into a frightening rescue operation Friday after a tanker struck the American Heritage, an American Cruise Lines paddlewheel riverboat, while it was docked at the Port of New Orleans.

The impact sent the five-deck passenger vessel listing violently before it rolled onto its side and became largely submerged in the Mississippi River. Passengers and crew scrambled to escape as the boat took on water, with some falling into the river and others climbing over railings in an effort to reach safety. The collision occurred at approximately 12:30 p.m. local time on November 13. The tanker was identified as the Atlantic Asphalt.

US has floated Ukraine ceding Donbas for Nato membership, Zelensky says

40 minutes ago

Aleks Phillips

US negotiators have touted the idea of Ukraine withdrawing its remaining forces from the eastern Donbas region in exchange for NATO membership, Volodymyr Zelensky has said.

The Ukrainian president's comments come after US President Donald Trump's envoys met Russian President Vladimir Putin and Zelensky as part of US efforts to end the war between Russia and Ukraine.

Two Dictators and a Wannabe: The Great-Power Bargain of the 21st Century

November 14, 2026

By Mars Strangelove Jr. and Yiannis Damellos

Why would the supposed leader of the Free World want a place at a global power-bargaining table with his two authoritarian adversaries? It's like FDR seeking a summit with Hitler and Hirohito to negotiate the outcome of World War II. Now we have three presidents, three nuclear superpowers and a negotiating table that could reshape the international order. Putin wants to control European affairs, Xi wants global influence, and Trump wants the recognition his own citizens deny him but a League of Tyrants would gladly grant him. The rest of us should be paying attention, because these three are making the globe look like a prison cell.

Who Owns the Runway? From Athens to Vancouver, Carney Opens Canada's Airports to Private Capital

By Yiannis Damellos

November 14, 2026

Greece offers a revealing precedent for Mark Carney's airport concession plan: the state can retain ownership while private investors collect substantial returns and exercise majority control. And in Athens, the majority investor is ultimately Canadian.

Prime Minister Mark Carney wants private capital to operate Canada's four largest airports under concessions lasting between 40 and 50 years. Toronto Pearson, Vancouver International, Montréal-Trudeau and Calgary International are at the centre of the government's plan. Ottawa insists that Canadians will retain ownership of the underlying land and assets, while private investors will bring in capital, expertise and operational efficiency. The government promises that the proceeds will be reinvested in regional airports, transportation infrastructure and other national projects. It is an ambitious proposition, but there is a question Canadians should ask before accepting it: what happens when the operation of essential public infrastructure becomes a long-term commercial investment? Greece has already conducted an experiment that offers some important answers.

America Grounds Its Flights: A Technical Failure Triggers Global Travel Chaos

By Yiannis Damellos

November 14, 2026

A nationwide air traffic shutdown lasting more than four hours disrupted thousands of flights, stranded passengers and exposed the vulnerability of America's aging aviation infrastructure.

The United States experienced its most extensive nationwide aviation shutdown since the September 11, 2001 attacks on Friday, after technical problems crippled elements of the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) air traffic control systems. For more than four hours, aircraft across the continental United States were prevented from taking off, triggering widespread disruption that extended well beyond American airports and into international air travel.

Chips, Spies and Political Favors: Did Trump's Government Leave America's AI Secrets Exposed to China?

By Yiannis Damellos and Mars Strangelove Jr. on Night Duty

November 13, 2026 11:00 PM

Isn't It Ironic? Nvidia's Chips Are Designed to Make Machines Smarter. Yet Those Entrusted With Protecting Them Have Failed to Do the Same

There are spy stories to tell, especially on a rainy night like this, in which a beautiful woman enters a room, a powerful man loses his judgment, and somewhere in the shadows a government collects secrets. Then there is the modern American billionaire version, in which the woman may be a spy, the powerful man runs one of the most important technology companies on Earth, and the government has wasted a considerable amount of time arguing over whether the business should be allowed to sell its most valuable products to the country suspected of trying to steal them. The plot is still developing, yet the comedy is already on the record.

Trump Wants No Deal with Iran — and the Gulf Is One Drone Away From Exploding

By Yiannis Damellos and Mars Strangelove Jr.

November 13, 2026

Iran claims to have destroyed a US early-warning radar in Bahrain, Washington says it intercepted the incoming drones, and Trump is threatening renewed military action while diplomatic efforts unravel. From the Strait of Hormuz to Gaza, the region is once again moving toward a dangerous confrontation.

Iran has sent Washington another warning that the Gulf remains dangerously exposed to escalation. On Friday, November 13, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps claimed it had destroyed an American early-warning radar installation in Bahrain, in retaliation for what Tehran described as a US attack on a telecommunications tower in the southern Iranian port city of Sirik. Washington rejected the claim. US Central Command said American forces intercepted and shot down two Iranian drones heading toward Bahrain, reporting no injuries or damage. There is no independent confirmation that the radar was struck or destroyed. But the attempted drone attack itself is significant: it marks the first such Iranian claim against American military assets in a Gulf state since early September and demonstrates that the confrontation remains far from over.

NVIDIA Is Not Too Big to Fail: Wall Street's Gambling Debts Are Not America's Responsibility

By Yiannis Damellos and Mars Strangelove Jr.

November 13, 2026

As Washington examines the chipmaker's financial exposure and corporate crisis, American taxpayers must not become the insurance policy for shareholders, executives and an overheated AI industry.

The question raised by Senator Jack Reed of Rhode Island deserves serious attention: Is Nvidia too big to fail? The senior Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee wants Congress to examine the consequences of a possible Nvidia collapse for American banks, credit markets and retirement funds. He is concerned about the chipmaker's complicated financing arrangements and its growing role in supporting the wider artificial intelligence industry. It is a legitimate question. But it must not become an invitation to another taxpayer-funded rescue of private wealth.

Enigmas of the Cosmos, Part 3: Telescopes, Egyptian Mummy Cats and Toxic Maya Waters

From the invisible architecture of the universe to the hidden lives of ancient Egyptian cats and the toxic legacy of the Maya

By Yiannis Damellos and Mars Strangelove Jr.
November 12, 2026
Sources: ESA, Reuters, AP

1. Euclid: The Telescope That Is Mapping the Invisible Universe

The European Space Agency's Euclid space telescope is beginning to transform our understanding of the universe, producing an enormous cosmic map that could help scientists answer some of the most fundamental questions in modern physics.

Congress Owes Americans Change. Schumer Must Go. Jeffries Too. Democracy Depends on It.

November 12, 2026

Democrats owe America more than a victory celebration. 

They owe the voters the change they demanded.

By Yiannis Damellos and Mars Strangelove Jr.

The American people have spoken. After years of political confrontation, economic insecurity and growing disillusionment with Washington, voters have handed Democrats a historic opportunity to change the direction of the country. But winning an election is not the same as earning a mandate to govern. The mandate must be fulfilled. And that is precisely where the Democratic Party now faces its most consequential test: whether it will listen to the people who elected it or return to the familiar political arrangements that helped produce the crisis in the first place.

Exclusive: Bernie Sanders on Why It’s Vital for Democrats to Replace Chuck Schumer

In an interview with The Nation, the progressive icon says that the Senate leader is “way out of touch with where the American people are at.”

Politics

November 11, 2026

John Nichols

US Senator Bernie Sanders, who inspired and helped to elect many of the young insurgent candidates who surfed this month’s Democratic “blue wave,” announced Tuesday that he will not support New York Democrat Chuck Schumer’s bid to lead the party’s majority Senate caucus in the next term of Congress.

Reuters: North Korean hackers steal more than $400 million using video images, FBI says

By A.J. Vicens

November 12, 2026

2:40 PM PDT Updated 5 hours ago

Nov 12 (Reuters) - North Korean state-backed hackers have stolen more than $400 million in cryptocurrency over the past 18 ​months using surreptitiously recorded images of people which ‌are then used to target their contacts, the FBI said Thursday.

As part of a social engineering scheme, which the FBI refers ​to as “FaceStealer,” targets are lured to video chats ​on imposter versions of video meeting software such as ⁠Zoom, Microsoft Teams and Google Meet.

DemocracyNow!: Top U.S. & World Headlines — November 12, 2026

Democracy Now! is an independent global news hour that airs on over 1,500 TV and radio stations Monday through Friday. Watch our livestream at democracynow.org Mondays to Fridays 8-9 a.m. ET.

Nvidia shares tumble as Jensen Huang steps down as CEO

By Doloresz Katanich
Published on 12 November 2026 - 8:51 GMT+1•Updated 16:02
US stocks fell at the open, led by tech shares, as investors weighed what Jensen Huang’s resignation as CEO could mean for Nvidia and the wider AI industry.

Robert Reich: Thank you, Bernie!

By Robert Reich
You’re last week’s single biggest winner
18 hours ago
Substack

Friends, if there’s one person most responsible for last week’s blue tidal wave it’s Bernie Sanders. Thank you, Bernie. Let me just come right out and say it: I love Bernie. For years now, he has been leading us into the future. I love his authenticity. Some people have liked Donald Trump because he says whatever he wants, but he’s an asshole. Bernie’s authenticity comes from saying what he wants and speaking the truth. Although Bernie is blunt, when he growls “this grotesque level of income and wealth inequality is immoral,” he means it. And he’s right.

Reversal of Fortune at The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

by Yiannis Damellos and Mars Strangelove Jr.

November 11, 2026

There is something almost Shakespearean about Hegseth's twist of fate. Pete fought hard to save his skin today and survived, with considerable help from both friends and enemies who, for their own reasons, helped keep him in place. Yet, on the very day he could have considered another battle won, amongst the many that he's lost, he found himself publicly reprimanded at Arlington National Cemetery, in a place where military discipline, dignity and respect are not optional courtesies but sacred obligations.

Now, Pete, as the country's top civilian defence official, responsible for overseeing the military establishment, should have known better. It does not look good for a man who gives lessons to his subordinates to experience such reversal of fortunes: after fighting so hard to remain standing, to be reminded, in front of an audience, that sometimes the fall begins not with a defeat, but with a moment of hubris. What goes up, after all, can come down.

At least 2 people dead, several more injured after Brooklyn building collapse

Wednesday, November 11, 2026 5:19PM

FLATBUSH, Brooklyn (WABC) -- A partial building collapse in Flatbush, Brooklyn has left at least two people dead, and at least 10 others injured as firefighters continue efforts to rescue any additional victims who may still be trapped in the rubble, according to officials.

The FDNY says it happened just after 4 p.m. after a three-story building at 1321 Flatbush Ave. collapsed into an open construction site at 2625 Bedford Ave.

Mississippi Blue: Scott Colom's Upset Victory Is One for the Ages

By Yiannis Damellos and Mars Strangelove Jr.

November 11 2026

JACKSON, Miss. — Democrat Scott Colom will win a U.S. Senate seat in Mississippi, unseating Republican incumbent Cindy Hyde-Smith in one of the biggest upsets of the 2026 midterm elections, according to projections by CNN on Wednesday.

The victory makes the 43-year-old Colom the first Black person elected to statewide office in Mississippi since the Reconstruction era, CNN reported. He will also be the first Democrat to represent the state in the Senate since John Stennis retired in 1989.