Alexandra Gutierrez

It’s all echoes of 1963 in Honduras, as the coup situation remains tense. Ousted President Manuel Zelaya has made clear his intention to return to the country tomorrow, ignoring the threats of imprisonment made by Roberto Micheletti, the leader of congress-cum-interim president. Meanwhile, the Organization of American States has unanimously decided to suspend Honduras’ membership […]

Today, President Obama held an “online” health-care town hall in Annandale, VA, taking questions in person and via video. Over the next few hours and tomorrow morning coverage of Obama’s “pitch” on health-care reform will percolate to most media outlets, filled with quotes and video clips. The format was a smart choice for Obama, who, […]

Today marks the first day that Income Based Repayment (IBR) will be available for federal student loans. To learn what IBR is, watch the above video with the Green Debt Monster, who is a surprisingly apt visualization of the situation for millions of graduating students. In short, IBR allows students with federal student loans to […]

After eight months and $50 million dollars, today’s unanimous decision by the Minnesota Supreme Court declaring Al Franken the winner in his Senate race against Norm Coleman could be the first step toward ending the longest Senate vacancy in 34 years. But before Senate Democrats and liberal bloggers crow too loud over their oh-so-close filibuster-proof […]

In a lot of ways, the Iranian election saga seems to be winding down. The Guardian Council pronounced yesterday that Ahmadinejad was the official victor. National newspapers are increasingly featuring their protest coverage below the fold. And #iranelection has even fallen somewhere between “Neverland Ranch” and “Vibe Magazine” as a trending topic on Twitter. But […]

Last night, I talked to some participants at a march organized by “Where Is My Vote,” an international pro-Iranian democracy grass-roots campaign. The people there offered a mixed bag of political opinion on Iran’s political situation, ranging from an overall approval of Obama’s tempered handling of the matter to a more skeptical critique of the […]

Some good news to end a relatively slow news day: Harold Koh was finally confirmed as the State Department’s legal adviser in a 62-35 vote. It only took three and a half months, but hey, better late than never. —Alexandra Gutierrez

Whoa, boy. Gov. Mark Sanford‘s press conference was various shades of uncomfortable. After disappearing for a few days, the South Carolina Republican turned up on television to explain that — no, the Appalachian trail “ain’t where [he] went” — yes, he was off cavorting in Argentina — and, by the way, the jaunt had something […]

Our Voting Rights series continued: Heather Gerken, a law professor at Yale University, suggests an opt-in approach to the Voting Rights Act. An opt-in approach would create a simple, administrative procedure for enforcing the Voting Rights Act, allowing minority voters to opt into the VRA when there is a problem, rather than forcing states to […]

Our Voting Rights series continued: Michael McDonald, a professor of politics at George Mason University, proposes “proactive bailout,” where the Department of Justice actively reviews which jurisdictions merit continued federal scrutiny per Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act. Which jurisdictions should be required under Section 5 to receive federal approval before they can change […]