The Comrade Courant

Ballot Brouhaha: How Basic Voting Rules Became 'Evidence' of Fraud Ballot Brouhaha: How Basic Voting Rules Became 'Evidence' of Fraud When social media magnates and election skeptics scrutinized New York City's ballots, they mistook voting laws for conspiracy—and exposed a dangerous pattern of disinformation. On November 4, 2025, as New Yorkers lined up to vote in their mayoral election, billionaire X owner Elon Musk took to his platform with an alarming declaration: "The New York City ballot form is a scam!" He pointed to candidates appearing twice on ballots and former Governor Andrew Cuomo's placement at the bottom as undeniable proof of election rigging. The New York City ballot form is a scam! - No ID is required - Other mayoral candidates appear twice - Cuomo's name is last in bottom right pic.twitter.com/676VODWFRI — Elon Musk (@elonmus...

Trump’s Thanksgiving Lie? Is the 25% ‘Savings’ Built on Smoke and Mirrors? Trump’s Thanksgiving Lie? Is the 25% ‘Savings’ Built on Smoke and Mirrors? Three days after the original claim—and just in time for holiday prep—here’s what’s really on the menu. On November 7 and 8, 2025, Donald Trump repeated a rosy economic promise to voters: “Thanksgiving this year will cost 25% less than last year,” he declared, pointing to Walmart’s promotional meal basket as proof. It sounds like good news. But it’s not true—not in any meaningful way. Yes, Walmart’s 2025 basket is priced about 25% lower than its 2024 version. But that’s only because the 2025 basket contains fewer items, smaller portions, and cheaper substitutes. In short: it’s not the same meal. It’s a bait-and-switch dressed up as generosity—as the Associated Press fact check confirms. The Walmart Supercenter on Richmond Ave...

Debunking the Myths: Zohran Mamdani and the Fog of New York Setting the record straight on NYC's new mayor Zohran Mamdani at the Resist Fascism Rally in Bryant Park, October 27, 2024 Photo by Bingjiefu He – CC BY-SA 4.0 On November 4, 2025, New York City made history. Zohran Kwame Mamdani—a 34-year-old democratic socialist, state assemblyman, and the son of Ugandan and Indian parents—was elected as the 111th mayor of the nation's largest city. He is its first Muslim, first South Asian, and youngest mayor in over a century. His campaign, powered by a grassroots movement and a platform focused on radical affordability, successfully toppled the political establishment, first in the Democratic primary against former Governor Andrew Cuomo, and then in the general election. Naturally, such a seismic shift was met not with sober analysis, but with a tidal wave of bad-faith attacks, Islamophobic conspiracy theories, and outright lies. The fog o...

The Emperor’s New Magnets Trump’s wet physics and the theater of power Aboard the USS George Washington this week, Donald Trump—rambling incoherently—revived a claim he first made at an Iowa rally in January 2024: that water disables magnets. “Give me a glass of water,” he said then, “drop it on the magnets—that’s the end of the magnets.” Now, he’s using that same myth to argue that U.S. aircraft carriers should abandon electromagnetic catapults and elevators in favor of steam and hydraulics. Never mind that the Navy’s Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS) operates flawlessly in rain, salt spray, and full oceanic conditions. Never mind that magnets do not stop working when wet —a fact confirmed by centuries of physics and every refrigerator on Earth. This isn’t a gaffe. It’s a worldview. Desi Lydic eviscerates Trump’s “wet magnets” claim on The Daily Show (November 2025). “Do You F–k With Magnets?” On Tuesday’s Daily Show , hos...

What Is a Tankie—and Why You Don’t Want to Be One On authoritarianism, anti-imperialism, and the betrayal of socialist principles In leftist discourse, few terms carry as much heat as “tankie.” It’s hurled in online arguments, whispered in organizing meetings, and increasingly invoked to describe a certain strain of pro-authoritarian “leftism” that defends dictators under the banner of anti-imperialism. But the term isn’t just internet slang. It has a precise historical origin—and a political meaning that every socialist should understand. “Maximum Tankie” by Red & Black Salamander (9mmballpoint.blogspot.com). Used under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. The Origin of the Term The word “tankie” emerged in 1956, when Soviet tanks rolled into Budapest to crush the Hungarian Revolution—a popular uprising of workers and students demanding democratic socialism. Members of the Communist Party of Great Britain who defended this violent suppression were derisively ...

The Facebook Duct Cleaning Scam Is a Karachi-Based Fraud Operation Fake “local” duct cleaners are flooding small-town Facebook groups—but digital forensics trace them to coordinated cells in Pakistan. This isn’t side-hustle entrepreneurship. It’s transnational fraud. If you’ve scrolled through a “Buy Nothing,” yard sale, or community group on Facebook recently, you’ve likely seen it: a post from “Jimena Zarco” or “Alex Dylan” offering “whole house duct cleaning” at a suspiciously low price, complete with a photo of someone holding black dust and a plea: “Your support is crucial!” Some of these posts used near-identical language, allowing us to fingerprint what appears to be a single, sloppy operator within the cell: “We’ve been proudly serving the community with air vents cleaning… Act now to enjoy a complementary service when booking for tomorrow. For more details, PM or text us. Email: freshairductcleaners1122@gmail.com” ...

OHISAMA’s Orbital Experiment: A Technical Milestone, Not a Climate Solution Japan’s OHISAMA satellite —expected to launch in 2025—will conduct the first end-to-end test of space-to-Earth wireless power transmission . But its true aim is lunar infrastructure , not climate salvation. Later this year, Japan is expected to launch OHISAMA —a compact, 180-kilogram satellite roughly the size of a household washing machine—in what would be the first verified demonstration of wireless solar power transmission from low Earth orbit to a ground station on Earth . Developed under the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) and executed by Japan Space Systems , the mission builds on decades of Japanese research into space-based solar power (SBSP), including JAXA ’s 2015 ground test that beamed 1.8 kW over 50 meters and Mitsubishi ’s 10 kW transmission over 500 meters. OHISAMA will deploy a 2-square-meter photovoltaic array to charge an onboard battery, then conver...

What Happens Now That a Government Shutdown Is Underway With Congress deadlocked over Medicaid cuts and health care subsidies, the federal government has shut down—furloughing hundreds of thousands of workers and disrupting critical services. WASHINGTON — The federal government has officially shut down after lawmakers failed to pass a funding bill by the midnight deadline. Republicans backed a short-term measure to keep agencies funded through November 21 at current levels, but Democrats blocked it, demanding action on health care: reversing Medicaid cuts from President Donald Trump’s summer tax and spending package and extending Affordable Care Act premium tax credits that help millions afford insurance. Republicans dismissed the Democratic proposal as fiscally reckless, estimating it would cost over $1 trillion. With neither side willing to budge, the shutdown began Wednesday. The U.S. Capitol at sunset, where funding negotiations colla...

Trump’s AI Playbook: Deepfakes, Conspiracy, and the Weaponization of Desperation From fabricated Obama arrests to phantom “medbeds,” Donald Trump has turned AI-generated disinformation into a tool of political warfare—and predatory grift. In an era where reality can be convincingly simulated with a few lines of code, Donald Trump has emerged as the most powerful practitioner of synthetic media as political strategy. His use of AI isn’t about innovation—it’s about narrative control. Whether sharing deepfakes of Barack Obama being arrested in the Oval Office or promoting fictional “miracle cure” devices like the so-called “medbed,” Trump leverages generative AI to dominate attention, stoke outrage, and exploit the very real vulnerabilities of a fractured society. A fake AI-generated clip of Barack Obama being arrested in the Oval Office as Donald Trump laughs. (Screenshot/Truth Social/AI) The Deepfake Surge: From Absurdity to Allega...

Solidarity in the Face of Hate: Manchester Attack a Symptom of a Failing System Why socialist solidarity, not empty rhetoric, is the true answer to antisemitic violence Published: October 3, 2025 | Category: Analysis & Commentary The violent attack on a synagogue in the heart of Manchester this past Friday has sent shockwaves through the community, leaving a nation grappling with a familiar and ugly spectre. As socialists, we condemn this act of antisemitic terror in the strongest possible terms. An attack on a house of worship, on people gathered in peace, is an attack on the very notion of community and solidarity we strive to build. According to reports from the scene, a 42-year-old man armed with a makeshift weapon stormed the synagogue during a service, stabbing a man in his seventies and a police officer who responded with immense bravery. The swift intervention of these officers undoubtedly prevented a greater tragedy. The assail...