<div dir="ltr"><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:georgia,serif"><span id="gmail-docs-internal-guid-4bd37b71-7fff-2b61-7c87-a8b1c9bf00c7"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;vertical-align:baseline">The Today\u2019s Issues group will meet this Sunday, August 24, 9:30 to 10:50 am, to discuss recent events. A lot is going on in the world. Here are some topics and articles you might find interesting, but no particular reading is expected.                                                     </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;vertical-align:baseline"> </span></p><ul style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px"><li dir="ltr" style="list-style-type:disc;font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt" role="presentation"><span style="font-size:12pt;background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;vertical-align:baseline">The ongoing decline of the Democratic Party. Reading: T</span><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/20/us/politics/democratic-party-voter-registration-crisis.html?unlocked_article_code=1.f08.olU5.DQOBaiAD9yLn&amp;smid=url-share" style="text-decoration-line:none"><span style="font-size:12pt;background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;text-decoration-line:underline;vertical-align:baseline">he Democratic Party Faces a Voter Registration Crisis:</span></a><span style="font-size:12pt;background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;vertical-align:baseline"> The party is bleeding support beyond the ballot box, a new analysis shows.</span></p></li><li dir="ltr" style="list-style-type:disc;font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt" role="presentation"><span style="font-size:12pt;background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;vertical-align:baseline">Donald Trump\u2019s turn to socialism (defined as government ownership of the means of production) . </span><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/23/business/trump-intel-us-steel-nvidia.html?unlocked_article_code=1.gU8.FI_9.-vugrrlJr8L1&amp;smid=nytcore-ios-share&amp;referringSource=articleShare" style="text-decoration-line:none"><span style="font-size:12pt;background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;text-decoration-line:underline;vertical-align:baseline"> Corporate America\u2019s Newest Investor: Donald Trump</span></a><span style="font-size:12pt;background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;vertical-align:baseline">.  </span></p></li><li dir="ltr" style="list-style-type:disc;font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt" role="presentation"><span style="font-size:12pt;background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;vertical-align:baseline">Sherrod Brown\u2019s announcement that he\u2019s running for the Senate. </span><a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2025/08/22/ohio-senate-race-sherrod-brown-jon-husted-00518510" style="text-decoration-line:none"><span style="font-size:12pt;background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;text-decoration-line:underline;vertical-align:baseline"> Brown trails Husted at start of Ohio Senate race, new poll shows</span></a></p></li><li dir="ltr" style="list-style-type:disc;font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt" role="presentation"><span style="font-size:12pt;background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;vertical-align:baseline">The Trump/Putin and Trump/Zelenskyy and European Leaders discussions about Ukraine.  Tom Friedman,</span><a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1_zykOXdG2Q2pbgp9y3rRbrKbiimYfD9myl4x12UGmm4/edit?usp=sharing" style="text-decoration-line:none"><span style="font-size:12pt;background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;text-decoration-line:underline;vertical-align:baseline"> Ukraine Diplomacy Reveals how UnAmerican Trump i</span></a><span style="font-size:12pt;background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;vertical-align:baseline">s.  Also: Bret Stephens, </span><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/18/opinion/trump-israel-ukraine-zelensky.html?unlocked_article_code=1.f08.CNus.ZugpGP1EvBIe&amp;smid=url-share" style="text-decoration-line:none"><span style="font-size:12pt;background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;text-decoration-line:underline;vertical-align:baseline">Trump Just Reminded Me While I\u2019m Still a Neocon</span></a><span style="font-size:12pt;background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;vertical-align:baseline">. </span></p></li><li dir="ltr" style="list-style-type:disc;font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt" role="presentation"><span style="font-size:12pt;background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;vertical-align:baseline">The ongoing famine/genocide in Gaza.  </span><a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2025/08/21/netanyahu-says-he-will-push-ahead-with-gaza-city-takeover-and-renewed-ceasefire-talks-00519368" style="text-decoration-line:none"><span style="font-size:12pt;background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;text-decoration-line:underline;vertical-align:baseline">Netanyahu says he will push ahead with Gaza City takeover and renewed ceasefire talks</span></a></p></li><li dir="ltr" style="list-style-type:disc;font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt" role="presentation"><span style="font-size:12pt;background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;vertical-align:baseline">Trump\u2019s ongoing abuse of presidential power.  Reading: O</span><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/21/opinion/trump-constitution-unitary-executive.html?unlocked_article_code=1.f08.eiS4.CGQRIfmUWE-u&amp;smid=nytcore-ios-share&amp;referringSource=articleShare" style="text-decoration-line:none"><span style="font-size:12pt;background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;text-decoration-line:underline;vertical-align:baseline">ne Sentence in the Constitution is Causing America Huge Problems</span></a><span style="font-size:12pt;background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;vertical-align:baseline">.  To give away the punch line, Here is the key sentence: \u201cThe executive power shall be vested in a president of the United States of America.\u201d That sentence immediately raises two questions: What is executive power? And crucially, what are its limits?</span></p></li></ul><br><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.2;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;vertical-align:baseline">The Today\u2019s Issues discussion group meets on occasional Sunday mornings at 9:30  in the parlor of the Religious Education building next to the Unitarian Universalist Church at 232 Third St. in Marietta or you can join us on Zoom. </span></p><br><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.2;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;vertical-align:baseline">Click on this link if you wish to join the discussion on Zoom. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.728;margin-left:36pt;text-indent:18pt;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><a href="https://zoom.us/j/92505235702?pwd=RmUyN1FOUjhBVHRYSDBWY2dUZWxFQT09" style="text-decoration-line:none"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;text-decoration-line:underline;vertical-align:baseline">https://zoom.us/j/92505235702?pwd=RmUyN1FOUjhBVHRYSDBWY2dUZWxFQT0</span></a></p><br></span></div></div>