Over the first two weeks of the Donald Trump administration, Steve Bannon has emerged as one of the most powerful figures in the White House. The New York Times ran an editorial posing the question, "President Bannon?" wrote, quote, "We've never witnessed a political aide move as brazenly to consolidate power as Stephen Bannon - nor have we seen one do quite so much damage so quickly to his putative boss's popular standing or pretenses of competence."

A typical Ponzi scheme involves taking money from investors, then paying them off with money taken from new investors, rather than paying them from actual earnings.

[The media can be] the greatest force for peace on the earth [for] it is how we come to understand each other.

The media is absolutely essential to the functioning of a democracy. It's not our job to cozy up to power. We're supposed to be the check and balance on government.

The media—stenographers to power.

Beyond the borders of wealthy countries like the United States, in developing countries where most people in the world live, the impacts of climate change are much more deadly, from the growing desertification of Africa to the threats of rising sea levels and the submersion of small island nations.

But for the media to name their coverage of the 2003 invasion of Iraq the same as what the Pentagon calls it — everyday seeing 'Operation Iraqi Freedom' — you have to ask: 'If this were state controlled media, how would it be any different?'