Op-Ed

March 26, 2024 – You’re read­ing The Brief­ing, Michael Wald­­­­­man’s weekly news­­­­­­­­­let­ter. Click here to receive it in your inbox. There’s something scary online involving Kari Lake — and it’s not what you might expect. The nonprofit journalism site Arizona Agenda has a minute-long video from the TV news anchor turned GOP candidate, praising the site’s work . . . […]

March 13, 2024 – They ask, “Aren’t you afraid of what might happen to you after you die?”  Well, I don’t see that what will happen to me is anything particularly fearful. One way or another, my body will dissolve into its component atoms and be reabsorbed into the surrounding environment; and along with this […]

The United States still has one of the world’s most decentralized voter registration systems. We want voter rolls to be up-to-date and accurate. People move, die, change party identification, and so on. But election deniers exploit cracks in the county-by-county system. They challenge legitimate registrations, launch mass purges, and seek to weed the voter rolls […]

March 4, 2024 – On Thursday night, President Biden will deliver the 2024 State of the Union. Undoubtedly, the catastrophic war in Gaza that has followed the horrific October 7 Hamas attack will be front and center. The following is an open letter to the President regarding his consequential speech. Dear President Biden, I hope you […]

February 14, 2024 – On Sunday, while 100 million Americans were watching the kickoff of the Super Bowl, Israel took the opportunity to unleash the next stage in its genocide of Palestinians. Air strikes over Rafah killed at least 67 Palestinians, while Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered soldiers to prepare for a ground entry into […]

February 13, 2024 – Late last night, Democratic Senator Chris Van Hollen gave a remarkable speech on the Senate floor, condemning the government of Benjamin Netanyahu for deliberately blocking aid to civilians in Gaza. Van Hollen said: “Kids in Gaza are now dying from the deliberate withholding of food. In addition to the horror of that […]

February 7, 2024 – A little over a year ago, the College Board unveiled its long-awaited draft AP African American Studies curriculum. What happened next was sad — and all too predictable. Florida officials, led by Gov. Ron DeSantis, howled. They claimed the course “lacks educational value” and violated state laws against teaching about race and […]

January 26, 2024 – In response to the International Court of Justice’s initial ruling that stated that there is a risk of genocide in Israel’s assault on Gaza, and issuing six preliminary orders for Israel, IfNotNow national spokesperson Eva Borgwardt released the following statement: “Today’s historic decision by the ICJ makes it clear: Israel must end […]

January 5, 2025 – Last December, nearly three years after the January 6th insurrection, House Speaker Mike Johnson announced that he would be publicly releasing security footage of the mob that breached the Capitol. That could have been a positive step towards transparency—if Johnson hadn’t hired personnel to blur the faces of those who participated in the […]

January 3, 2024 – The name of the well-heeled Christian nationalist entity “Alliance Defending Freedom” is a textbook example of what George Orwell dubbed “doublespeak.” Defending freedom? Ha!  ADF is a dyed-in-the-wool extremist Christian nationalist outfit whose stated mission is to “keep the doors open for the Gospel by advocating for religious liberty, the sanctity […]

WASHINGTON D.C. — Today, the U.S. Supreme Court announced it would hear arguments in Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine et al v. U.S. Food and Drug Administration et al. This case centers around the anti-abortion movement’s effort to end FDA’s approval of mifepristone — a safe, effective medication. Mifepristone has been FDA-approved for more than 23 […]

December 1, 2023 – In response to news that Israel and Hamas resumed fighting, IfNotNow national spokesperson Eva Borgwardt released the following statement: We’re deeply dismayed to see that, just hours after Secretary Blinken met with political leaders in the region, Israel and Hamas have reignited a war that has already cost over 1,200 Israeli […]

November 20, 2023 – Many Americans are unhappy about the likely 2024 choice being offered them for president – Joe Biden versus Donald Trump. But two third party alternatives surfaced recently: Jill Stein of the Green Party and West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin, who appears to be seeking the “No Labels Party” nomination. They join […]

November 14, 2023 – For the last two years, the debate on the economy has centered around inflation. After reaching a 40-year high last summer, inflation as measured by economists is now approaching normal levels. But despite the rapid slowdown, millions still feel squeezed by a decades-long affordability crisis. Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, Americans struggled […]

November 8, 2023 – Hear it? What’s that sound? “Whoop-whoop-whoop.” It’s Washington’s revolving door, allowing corporate interests to come directly inside Congress to pervert public policy. That door is now spinning fast, because there’s a new boss operator in Congress. He’s Mike Johnson, who was recently unanimously chosen by Republicans to be their Speaker of […]

On Saturday, Hamas committed a shocking crime whose horrifying dimensions are slowly becoming clear. Hundreds of Palestinian militants entered Israeli territory and opened fire indiscriminately, killing hundreds of civilians and injuring thousands. They burned down homes with the occupants inside and kidnapped more than 100 people – including children, women and elderly people – to […]

WASHINGTON (September 8, 2023) — Today, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC) released the Global Stocktake synthesis report, which offers the most comprehensive overview of climate action since the Paris Agreement was adopted in 2015, as well as a roadmap for governments moving forward. The first of its kind, the UNFCCC report […]

August 14, 2023 – The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) was signed into law a year ago this week. It is widely seen as the crown jewel of the “industrial policy” agenda of the Biden administration. While no piece of legislation is perfect, the full potential of the IRA to deliver a radically better future is […]

July 27, 2023 – As John Mellencamp sings: “If you don’t stand for something, you’ll fall for anything.” True. And here’s an equally true twist on that aphorism: “If you stand for everything, you won’t amount to anything.” In a remarkable achievement, a newly formed political organization calling itself “No Labels” has managed to fall […]

Voters and politicians are reshaping America’s marijuana laws for the better. The possession and use of cannabis is now legal for medical purposes in 38 states and legal for adult recreational use in 23 of those.  Unfortunately, antiquated and discriminatory drug testing policies often haven’t kept up with these changes. It’s reasonable for employers to expect sobriety on […]