Op-Ed

Oct 2, 2018 – Since Trump announced his nomination, Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation campaign has been defined by an obvious effort to prevent the Senate and public from learning about large chunks of his professional and personal life. The coverup has included setting an egregiously rushed schedule while concealing 90% of the documentary record from his […]

WASHINGTON, Oct. 2, 2018 – Statement by NOW President Toni Van Pelt Donald Trump Jr. just said that the current debate over sexual assault has made him more worried for his sons than his daughters. Ann Coulter mocked the “snickering at white men” and asserted “there has never been a more pacific, less rapey creature […]

WASHINGTON, September 28, 2018  –  Congress has failed to preserve America’s most effective conservation program, the Land and Water Conservation Fund, which will expire at midnight on Sunday. Statement from Jamie Williams, President, The Wilderness Society It’s simply inexcusable that Congress would fail to save the nation’s most effective conservation program. Every day this 54-year-old […]

Calvin Schermerhorn, Arizona State University September 28, 2018 – Far from being unusual, the hurried and partisan Supreme Court confirmation process for Brett Kavanaugh mirrors several notable examples of similarly politicized confirmations in U.S. history. Those conflicts, which ultimately placed justices on the court, yielded some of the most damaging civil rights decisions in our […]

Washington September 27, 2018 – Senate Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) today released the following statement: “The constant drumbeat by Republicans that sexual battery allegations against Brett Kavanaugh were mishandled is clearly an effort to discredit the women who have come forward over the past couple weeks. “Dr. Blasey Ford asked that her […]

Sept. 26, 2018 – Christine Blasey Ford has shown remarkable bravery in speaking out about an attempted rape she experienced over 35 years ago. But it’s hard not to fear what comes next. She will tell her story — one she no doubt remembers with painful clarity — but there will be no smoking gun, […]

Washington September 25, 2018 – Senate Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) today released the following statement after Republicans scheduled a vote on Brett Kavanaugh for Friday morning: “For Republicans to schedule a Friday vote on Brett Kavanaugh today, two days before Dr. Blasey Ford has had a chance to tell her story, is […]

Sept. 24, 2018 – During the Values Voter Summit (VVS) over the weekend, leaders and followers of the Religious Right made clear they plan to continue their attempts to weaponize religious freedom as a means to justify discrimination, particularly against LGBTQ people and women. Undermining the wall of separation between church and state was a […]

Washington, D.C. Sept. 24, 2018 — Yesterday, the Trump administration announced a proposal, known as the “public charge” rule, that would reverse long-standing precedent and disqualify immigrants applying for permanent residency for choosing to meet the basic needs of their families. Melissa Boteach, senior vice president of the Poverty to Prosperity Program at the Center for American Progress, issued the […]

Washington, Sept. 24, 2018 – In response to the reports of Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein leaving the Justice Department, apparently in anticipation of a firing by the president, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) Executive Director and former federal corruption prosecutor Noah Bookbinder released the following statement: There is much that is […]

Joshua Hart, Union College September 24, 2018 – Here’s a theory: President Barack Obama was not born in the United States. Here’s another: Climate change is a hoax. Here’s one more: The “deep state” spied on Donald Trump’s campaign, and is now trying to destroy his presidency. Who believes this stuff? Conspiracy theories have been […]

Sept. 24, 2018 – The National Park Service has decided to move ahead with its ill-advised plan for heavy-handed manipulation of the Isle Royale Wilderness in Michigan. The Park Service is beginning to plan for its initial capture of six wolves from other places in the region, which will then be released on Isle Royale, […]

Dr. Bruce W. Dearstyne is a historian in Albany, New York. His most recent book is The Spirit of New York: Defining Events in the Empire State’s History September 21, 2018 – The U.S. Senate has put history to work to help protect freedom of the press. On August 18, the Senate unanimously passed a resolution affirming […]

September 20, 2018 – Wallace Hettle, Professor of History at the University of Northern Iowa, is the author of The Confederate Homefront: A History in Documents (LSU Press, 2017). Democracy requires deliberation, an appreciation of complex ideas, and a willingness to learn from others. In other words, it requires communication. Communication requires one to develop ideas worth […]

WASHINGTON, Sept. 18, 2018 – Vanita Gupta, president and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, issued the following statement on Dr. Christine Blasey Ford’s attorney’s request that an FBI investigation be a ‘first step’ before hearings are held: No survivor of sexual assault should be forced to share their story in public, […]

Sept. 18, 2018 – Mary Giovagnoli, Esq. is the Executive Director of Refugee Council USA. She previously served as Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Department of Homeland Security from 2015 to 2017 and worked for legacy Immigration and Naturalization Service and U. S. Citizenship and Immigration Services from 1996 to 2008. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced Monday evening […]