u/north_canadian_ice

Source from Reuters:

[Moderna vaccine cuts recurrence and spread of high-risk melanoma, raising new treatment hope](https://www.reuters.com/legal/litigation/merck-moderna-say-melanoma-skin-cancer-vaccine-meets-goals-large-trial-2026-08-19/)

Public health & science has had a very rough decade. Grifters like Trump, Fauci & RFK Jr. have confused & misled so many Americans.

I think this is a moment where we can all come together and have a round of applause. Melanoma has much better treatments now & these personalized mRNA vaccines can be used as a prototype for other cancers.

Medicine, science & public health is a wonderful thing. Breaking Points has long discussed how Trump & Fauci did so much damage during covid.

Maybe now we will have better days ahead.

Krystal brought this up today when they talked about the state of the economy & Trump's plans to continue to cut taxes for the richest Americans.

Corporate profits as a percent of GDP are at an all time high & their taxes are at an all time low. With the knowledge that the government will bail them out if things go south.

Obviously the Michigan Senate Primary is a big topic recently on Breaking Points & across the country.

I saw this morning a video clip (credit to Aaron Rupar) with Abdul El-Sayed on Meet the Press where he promotes Medicare for All in a fantastic manner:

https://x.com/atrupar/status/2086455908272366078

Also from Aaron Rupar: I love this answer Abdul El-Sayed has when Jake Tapper brings up a bigoted meme Trump shared about El-Sayed:

https://x.com/atrupar/status/2086448092618862763

El-Sayed reframes the situation perfectly.

I am a big fan of Krystal but it is unfortunate that she won't critique Hasan Piker. Ryan is even more pro Hasan Piker.

To this day, I have no idea why this guy is given a pass by my side. Hasan has so many bad ideas & he is so arrogant. His defense of tyrannical-left governments is both horrible from a moral standpoint & it is electoral poison.

To be clear, Hasan is no worse than someone like Asmongold (who regularly dehumanizes people). The right-wing has many influencers who spread more toxicity than Hasan does. And then you have people like Destiny who also spread toxicity from a liberal standpoint.

But that doesn't give Hasan & the left a pass. I love Bernie, AOC & Zohran, I love seeing left-wing politicians win. What is the biggest risk of this movement being derailed? Edgelords like Hasan Piker using the left as a vehicle for their own fame.

To fans of Hasan Piker: how is he going to help in a general election? Hasan has said & done so many terrible things that the election becomes centered around Piker. Which is great for Piker as it gives him more attention, but terrible for the left.

Hasan Piker dragged down El-Sayed in Michigan. He would have done better without Piker.

I think this will be a big topic on Breaking Points next week as her campaign in Wisconsin has been a frequent topic.

It is a big topic this weekend that Francesca Hong has bipolar disorder & has had severe mental health struggles.

I think her openness about this is a wonderful thing. Mental health issues can be worked through with medication, therapy & perseverance.

Many Americans suffer from mental health disorders, and seeing people succeed while being open about their diagnosis is a great thing.

Right now, we have plenty of business leaders & politicians suffer from undiagnosed mental health disorders.

Instead of acknowleding their own suffering, they denigrate others & expect everyone to worship the ground they walk on.

That is seen as normal, which is unfortunate. What should be seen as normal is the openness of someone like Francesca Hong.

If you are feeling down, I find that melancholy is very helpful.

I have dealt with a lot of mental health issues throughout my life. Recently I have tried to embrace melancholy.

This often helps me process intense sadness without resulting in my mental health issues intensifying.

I think for people who feel depressed a lot, melancholy is letting yourself feel sad without anxiety. Easier said than done, for sure.

And melancholy is not fun by any means. But it can be peaceful & I often find myself motivated after my spirits start to raise.

Breaking Points has always done a great job talking about the origin of the pandemic.

For years, Dr. Fauci was on our TV every day. He has been pardoned. His diary shows that even he thought a lab-leak was possible.

A lab-leak as a result of GOF research he enabled at every turn. And he refuses to answer any questions under oath, about such an important question.

Did this pandemic that killed 20 million people come from a lab? If so, is this still going on? What can we do to prevent another pandemic?

Trump & Fauci both have done tremendous damage when it comes to public health.

The [National DSA Chair was on FOX News this Sunday where she indicated her support for ideas like abolishing all prisons & totally open borders.](https://x.com/greg\_price11/status/2081415349870739635)

Ryan & Krystal always deflect/downplay the unpopularity of these positions. These ideas are going to harm the whole American left.

These are not ideas that Bernie & AOC agree with. These are not ideas that anyone in the Democratic Party agrees with. These are not ideas that anyone supports outside of a small subset of activists.

The DSA is proposing deeply unserious ideas & hurting the reputation of the American left. Which is why AOC rightfully moved away from them.

I think in the past that Krystal made great criticisms of identity politics.

I have made many criticisms of identity politics. Which is why it is important we talk more about the maximalist misogyny we have seen embraced in recent years.

The number of prominent conservatives defending vile figures like Andrew Tate is horrifying. Dehuminization of women is given a pass far too often.

Even the way Trump & RFK Jr. handled their Tylenol/autism claims is troubling. They never talked about the pain of pregnancy and how Tylenol is the best pain medicine pregnant women have.

The 2020s right is also pushing an ideology where women should have as many children as possible, no-fault divorce should be banned, etc.

This creates a culture where women feel shamed if they don't marry young, have 4+ children & never leave their husband (no matter how the marriage goes).

Young women are turning left partially in reaction to all this.

I am really disappointed in both Krystal & Ryan for giving Hasan a pass for this.

I am on the left but opposing tyranny is the number one issue. Leaders with total power who commit mass murder is the worst thing imaginable.

Hitler was the most evil person who ever lived. His goal was to murder every Jewish person on earth. Hitler is rightfully seen as the epitome of evil.

Tyrants can come from both the right & the left. Mao is one of the worst tyrants we have seen, and he came from the left.

Mao enslaved peasants, stole all their harvests & gave those harvests to countries like the U.S.S.R. Mao enslaved & killed 50 million people.

To my fellow progressives: any thought leader on the left who is downplaying the evil of Mao is (at best) telling you that they have incredibly low standards.

If they can write off 50 million people dying as an "excess" then they are telling you that they can excuse anything.

Bernie Sanders catches a lot of flak from the same left-wingers defending Mao because Bernie rightfully condemns Hamas.

Because these thought leaders who minimize the horrible things that Hamas have done are tankies who have been misled by people like Hasan Piker. Now that Hasan Piker is defending Mao, they are defending Mao.

I strongly oppose Trump & I find Corporate Democrats incredibly frustrating. But that doesn't mean I want someone who thinks Mao is cool to take their place.

The Israeli government denying food into Gaza is one of the worst war crimes we have seen this century. Mao denied food to that peasants that were forced to harvest the food being denied to them.

If you can't criticize Mao for starving peasants to death, then your criticism of the Israeli government rings hollow. This criticism is aimed at tankies like Hasan Piker.

Don't let tankies like Hasan Piker destroy the good work of Bernie, AOC & Zohran.

I have been very critical of the max left. Breaking Points has often criticized identity politics.

The maximalist misogyny that has been embraced by some figures on the right is something that needs to be discussed more.

Andrew Tate has constantly dehumanized women throughout time. Yet some prominent conservatives defended Tate. Candace Owens constantly defends Tate.

The misogyny that has been tolerated in recent years is terrible. I will give credit to Ron DeSantis of all people for forcefully condeming Andrew Tate from the start.

In the Adam Smith interview, Krystal did not have much of an argument when trying to defend the new DSA platform.

As a Bernie progressive, I am so embarrassed by the DSA. Zohran Mamdani has done a great job as Mayor of New York City because he doesn't listen to the DSA. He grew up & abandoned maximalism, credit to him.

The DSA would rather lose on their maximalist policy litmus tests, rather than focus on practical ideas that help people. 99% of people want police & prisons, and rightfully so.

Krystal & other left-wing commentators look so partisan & goofy trying to deflect from the nonsensical DSA platform. At best, the people who made this platform live in la-la land.

The left is picking up wins, so here is the DSA to ruin that momentum with their Breadtube litmus tests : (

When is Breaking Points going to cover the tyrants that Hasan is celebrating?

We saw Hasan dress like Mao in the College Democrats meeting & now this video has been unraveled where [Hasan says Mao was one of the great leaders of the world.](https://x.com/RpsAgainstTrump/status/2079205206869307549)

As a left-winger who loves Bernie, I am horrified by all this. We all should be. I love Medicare for All, a New Deal, ending the forever wars. I also love America & I love liberty.

Hasan Piker seems to admire tyrants like Mao. He clearly tried to dress like him the other day. Mao killed 50 million people and Hasan is glorifying him repeatedly.

Stop letting people like Hasan Piker ruin the good work of people like Bernie Sanders.

Bernie Sanders had a famous slogan in his 2020 presidential campaign, which was "Not Me. Us".

It is a simple but powerful slogan. Bernie always prioritized the issues that affect all of us over his own ego.

Bernie never became president, but he never gave up on his goals. Which are goals for all of us. Medicare for All, a New Deal, ending the forever wars, dignity for all.

There is a beauty in the struggle. Sanders epiotmizes the perseverance of the human spirit. He is 84 years old and is still relentlessly campaigning & spreading awareness about the issues of the day.

In his early 80s, he became chairman of the Senate HELP Committee. Using that power, he constantly highlighted the struggles of everyday Americans. To this day, no politician is more in tune with the struggles of Americans than Sanders.

If a union is on strike, Sanders is talking about it. If someone in Vermont needs help, Sanders is there to lend a helping hand in any way he can. If a progressive is trying to win a tough race, Sanders is there to lend his support.

There is no end to his energy & his compassion. As long as he has the ability to do so, he is trying to help elect progressives & do anything he can to help struggling Americans. It is not about his ego, it is about the people.

Sanders could have run third party against Hillary Clinton in 2016. He could have won a few states and gotten 15-20% of the national vote. But he knows that this would have turned off loyal Democratic voters for a generation.

Because the DNC would blame him for 2016. They still did, but that only made them look petty. Because Sanders did all he could to elect Clinton, despite her mean-spirited campaign & her bad ideas on many issues.

And now, most Democratic voters agree with Sanders & see him in a very positive light. Because he set aside his ego & did what he thought was best for the long-term goals he cares about. Which is to alleviate suffering for all of us.

In March of 2020, the covid pandemic became the top issue & his presidential campaign had virtually no chance after Super Tuesday. What did Sanders do? He blocked Senate Republicans from stripping the $600/week unemployment benefit in the CARES Act.

During Obamacare, Sanders made sure to get community health centers funded. Obamacare wasn't the goal, but it was a step forward. And Sanders got extras thrown in that help make sure so many Americans can see the Doctor.

Sanders cares most about helping people. And that is why his pragmatism & perseverance is a lesson for us all. While he an immovable moral bedrock, he is also willing to work with anyone to help people.

That is why Sanders writes FOX News articles & talks to Republican voters. That is why he outperformed Harris by 10% in the Republican counties of northern Vermont. No one can question that Sanders has empathy for everyone.

And that there is no length he won't walk to lend anyone a helping hand, no matter where they come from or what they believe.

I am still astonished by Jeremy Scahill going after Ro Khanna because Khanna rightfully condemns October 7th.

I am just so sad for Ro Khanna. The man put his safety at risk in the West Bank & the thanks he gets is such a hostile interview from Scahill.

And now many are claiming that Ro Khanna is bad because he condemns Hamas. I was disgusted by Scahill's comments.

Drop Site has done so much important journalism. But Drop Site has never covered the people of Gaza who want to escape the tyranny of Hamas.

Why didn't Drop Site talk to Ihab Hassan? As I mentioned here:

https://www.reddit.com/r/BreakingPoints/comments/1u81ura/breaking\_points\_should\_invite\_on\_ihab\_hassan\_to/

Ihab Hassan is a Palestenian who is incredibly critical of Hamas. He also states the Israeli government is responsible for the Gaza Genocide.

Drop Site never covers how Hamas treats the people of Gaza. And now, Scahill is going after an honorable man in Ro Khanna because he rightfully condemns Hamas terrorism.

It sucks to see Jeremy Scahill condemn Ro Khanna. It sucks to see Ana Kasparian defend Hezbollah. It just sucks to see Bernie, AOC & Ro Khanna endlessly. condemned for their principled beliefs.

I wanted to write this post because I know many feel like I do. Where we can condemn war crimes no matter who commits them.

Kudos to Ro Khanna for keeping his cool during that interview.

I couldn't believe the way that Jeremy framed October 7th. October 7th was a terrorist attack and genocidal, where Hamas terrorists murdered as many Israeli's as they could at a music festival, in kibbutz, etc.

Ro Khanna is taking a principled anti-war stance that I strongly agree with. Ro Khanna is right that the way of MLK Jr. is how things get better. That interview was an absurdity.