October 31—A key feature of efforts to reign in global warming, and a major accomplishment of last year's climate conference in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, is the setting up of a fund fed by richer countries, which are largely responsible for emitting the greenhouse gases which cause global warming, to aid poorer nations, which have contributed relatively little to the climate problem, with remediation efforts. The richer nations, led by the U.S., are reluctant to establish a legal regime that might find them responsible for restitution to poorer countries harmed by climate change. It would seem, to the Social Democrat, a clear matter of simple equity that those nations which have contributed, and continue to contribute, most to global warming should do whatever is required to make whole those which have suffered its consequences.

October 31—President Biden has come out forcefully in favor of the two-state solution which has eluded would-be peace makers in the Middle East for decades, saying that after the current carnage ends, a return to the status quo ante is not an option. Whether he can convince the current right-wing government of Israel, a major recipient of U.S. aid, is in question.

October 31—The Sagadahoc County Sheriff's Office was alerted by Lewiston Maine shooter Robert Card's family and his Army Reserve Unit about his deteriorating psychological state and large arsenal of lethal weaponry, with one of Card's co-reservists reporting that he feared that "Card was going to snap and commit a mass shooting."

October 31—The historic deal reached yesterday by the United Auto Workers with the Big Three U.S automakers (Ford, Stellantis and GM) is likely to have a significant spillover effect, forcing other automakers to increase compensation and encouraging unionization efforts in other sectors.

October 27—Historian Kristin Kobes Du Mez speaks with Politico about the new House speaker's conflation of nation and religion.

October 27—Wang Yi, the Chinese dictatorship's foreign minister, is in Washington for meetings with top U.S. officials, possibly to include President Biden. At Thursday's meeting with Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, the two top diplomats discussed such areas of tension as China's expansionist ambitions in the South China Sea, its refusal to condemn both the Russian invasion of Ukraine and Hamas' attack on Israel, and restrictions on American exports of sensitive technology. It is hoped that the meeting will ease growing tensions between the two world super-powers.

October 27—Centrist Democrat Dean Phillips has announced that he will challenge President Biden for the Democratic nonimation in 2024, making him the second Democrat, after spiritualism author Marianne Williamson, to throw his hat in the ring. Seasoned observers give Phillips little chance of upsetting Biden's progression to the nomination, in spite of widespread concerns about the President's viability.

October 26—President Biden is requesting $56 billion from Congress for extending pandemic-era subsidies to the teetering childcare sector, improving high-speed Internet acces, and funneling disaster relief to California, Florida and other hard-hit areas.

October 26—The United States Department of Agriculture reports a substantial rise in the number of Americans experiencing food insecurity from 2021 to 2022, from 13.5 to 17 million households, with 7 million households experiencing what the USDA terms "very low food security."

October 26—UAW leadership has called on its members to return to their jobs at Ford after a tentative agreement was reached with the automaker. The deal, which includes a 25% general wage increase and cost of living adjustments, could be a model for agreements with the other two auto manufacturers targeted by UAW's strike, now in its sixth week: Stellantis and General Motors. Unions matter, they bring real benefits to workers, and The Social Democrat strongly supports the right of organized labor to have a place at the table.

October 26—The right wing of the House Republican delegation has prevailed after all, with fiscal and social ultra-conservative election denier Mike Johnson chosen to wield the gavel. Expect more obstruction of social democratic measures that could make life better for average Americans.

October 25—A bipartisan collection of states' attorneys general has sued Meta over practices they claim manipulate children into unhealthy engagement with the social media giant.

October 25—The Albuquerque City Council is considering joining Kansas City in making all city buses fare free. The Social Democrat believes that pubic transit is a key factor not only in living sustainably but in creating built environments designed for human beings, not automobiles. The fact that a majority of bus riders subsist on low incomes is also a major consideration for Albuquerque City Councilor Tammy Fiebelkorn and other proponents of the measure.

October 25—With little opposition from fellow Democrats (Reuters article), President Joe Biden appears to be sailing toward the 2024 nomination. Meanwhile, in spite of a booming economic recovery from the pandemic and major legislative achievements in the areas of infrastructure, a number of recent polls (The Hill article) cast doubt on whether the President can win in a potential rematch against Donald Trump. The Social Democrat would like to see the Democrat field widened; Joe Biden has been a great champion of social democracy, but his age, the problems associated with his son Hunter, and his too-ready identification with various aspects of "woke" culture may make him an impossible sell in the purple states (Georgia, Arizona, Nevade, Pennsylvania) he will need to take the electoral college.

October 25—With Israeli air strikes on Gaza intensifying, antisemitic incidents are up sharply in the U.S., while Biden's wholehearted support of Israel is angering some Americans who identify as Muslim or Arab. An object lesson in the dangers of tribalism.