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 […]
Op-Ed
Toni Van Pelt: Stop Brett Kavanaugh and End the Toxic Culture of Male Fury
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 […]
Robert Reich: America’s Bullies
October 1, 2018 – As a kid I was always a head shorter than other boys, which meant I was bullied – mocked, threatened, sometimes assaulted. Childhood bullying has been going on forever. But in recent years America has become a culture of bullying – the wealthier over the poorer, CEOs over workers, those with privilege […]
Jamie Williams: Congress fails to save nation’s most effective conservation program
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: On the Supreme Court, difficult nominations have led to historical injustices
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 […]
Robert Reich: Kavanaugh, Ford, and Power
Sept. 27, 2018 – Make no mistake: The drama that took place in hearings before the Senate Judiciary Committee on September 27, 2018 was about power: On one side, the power of men who harass or abuse women and get away with it, the power of privileged white men to entrench their power even more on […]
Feinstein Statement on Handling of Kavanaugh Sexual Battery Allegations
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 […]
Aniqa Raihan: The Strength of Kavanaugh’s Accusers Is Truly Amazing
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, […]
Feinstein Statement on Scheduling of Kavanaugh Vote for Friday
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 […]
Liz Hayes: Values Voter Summiters Make The Case For Using Religion To Harm Others
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 […]
Melissa Boteach: Trump’s radical “public charge” rule for immigrants prioritizes wealth over family
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 […]
Noah Bookbinder: For the president to fire a law enforcement official to derail an investigation into himself is obstruction of justice
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: Building a comprehensive profile of conspiracy thinkers
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 […]
Robert Reich: Why I’m Betting on Millennials, this November 6th
Sept. 24, 2018 – Millennials (and their younger siblings, generation Z’s) are the largest, most diverse and progressive group of potential voters in American history, comprising fully 30 percent of the voting age population. On November 6th, they’ll have the power to alter the course of American politics – flipping Congress, changing the leadership of […]
Wilderness Watch: National Park Service’s inhumane plan to capture and exile mainland wolves to Isle Royale
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, […]
Robert Reich: Three reasons why reducing capital gains taxes would be another tax scam for the rich (VIDEO)
Sept. 21, 2018 – Hard to believe, but the Trump administration is proposing yet another massive tax windfall for the rich. It would be to reduce their capital gains taxes. Those are taxes on the increased value of their stocks and bonds, businesses, and other valuables, when they sell them. Trump would do this by […]
Bruce W. Dearstyne: The US Senate Has Passed a Resolution Backing Freedom of the Press
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 […]
Wallace Hettle: Donald Trump: Troll-in-Chief
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 […]
Vanita Gupta: Senators Must Respect Wishes of Dr. Blasey Ford and Support FBI Investigation before Hearings
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, […]
Mary Giovagnoli: Trump Administration Justifies Lowest Refugee Admission Target Ever, Arguing That America’s Generosity Remains Boundless
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 […]