Adam Serwer

Previously I’ve suggested that criticisms of Eric Holder’s involvement in the Marc Rich pardon were insignificant, but I was significantly mistaken. The New York Times reports today that Holder was deeply involved in the pardon process, to the point of recommending to Rich’s advocates that they retain the lawyer who Holder now says “played” him. […]

The wily Tim Fernholz draws our attention to this particular part of Obama‘s speech, in which he introduces his nominee for attorney general: [Eric Holder] also has the combination of toughness and independence that we need at the Justice Department. Let me be clear: the Attorney General serves the American people. And I have every […]

John Hinderaker doesn’t think that the terrorist attacks in Mumbai could happen here: I wondered earlier today how a mere ten terrorists could bring a city of 19 million to a standstill. Here in the U.S., I don’t think it would happen. I think we have armed security guards who know how to use their […]

Sometimes I enjoy what Stanley Crouch has to say, but rarely when it has anything to do with politics. His recent column attempts to remove Malcolm X from the context of the black rights movement, essentially acquiescing to Al Qaeda’s interpretation of what he stood for: Malcolm X was one of the naysayers to American […]

The New York Times is reporting that Mumbai was rocked by a series of terror attacks coordinated over a space of several hours: NEW DELHI — Coordinated terror attacks struck the heart of Mumbai, India’s commercial capital, Wednesday evening, targeting at least two five-star hotels, the city’s largest commuter train station, a historic movie theater […]

The results of former South African President Thabo Mbeki‘s AIDS denialism have been nothing short of devastating to South African citizens, resulting in hundreds of thousands avoiding the kind of treatment that could have kept them alive longer or prevented mothers from passing HIV onto their children: A new study by Harvard researchers estimates that […]

Via First Read, it looks like John Brennan won’t be head of the CIA after all, possibly because of questions raised about his positions on torture and extraordinary rendition. Brennan is unequivocal about withdrawing his name for any potential role in the intelligence apparatus of the new administration, writing, “I respectfully ask that my name […]

Apparently, CNN was forced to rehire more than a hundred workers it had fired for being part of a union: This report likely won’t be on CNN’s “Headline News,” but after five years, former workers at CNN have finally gained justice. In a decision made public today, an administrative law judge ordered the network to […]

On the heels of an open letter from a group of psychiatrists advocating against the potential nomination of John Brennan to head the CIA, Spencer Ackerman pushes back, pointing out that the group has taken several of the quotes it uses out of context: The psychiatric coalition is implying that Brennan means to preserve the […]

It’s official, barring a recount, Tom Perriello has unseated Virgil Goode in Virginia’s 5th congressional district: The State Board of Elections has certified challenger Tom Perriello as the winner over Republican Congressman Virgil Goode. The board on Monday certified Perriello as the winner by 745 votes in the 5th District congressional race. Goode is entitled […]