The Editors

TAPPED is dark today as we take a day to celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Jamelle Bouie has a piece up on how King paved the way for other minority groups to demand equality: [King’s] legacy for other minority groups is less obvious. In public policy, we group racial and ethnic minorities together, even when […]

We at TAPPED bid a fond farewell to Tim Fernholz, who leaves us for National Journal today. Tim’s dogged reporting and trenchant analysis of the financial crisis and congressional politics has been invaluable — he is one of the talented voices people come to TAP for, and he’ll be missed. Here’s a hit parade of […]

TAP Executive Editor Mark Schmitt and Slate‘s David Weigel on bloggingheads.tv talking about the WikiLeaks cables, the Tea Party’s rebranding of the GOP, and Obama‘s brand of American exceptionalism. — The Editors

A federal judge in California has issued an injunction on the enforcement of “don’t ask, don’t tell.” We’ll have more to say later, but in the meantime, read Paul Waldman on why the public no longer supports DADT and Gabriel Arana on how the law never protected soldiers. –The Editors

Today, Alyssa Katz is being awarded the Harry Chapin Media Award for her piece on housing speculators undermining revitalization efforts. Here’s an excerpt: HUD’s new Neighborhood Stabilization Program is Washington’s answer to the swaths of decimation created by hundreds of thousands of repossessed, empty homes nationwide. Last year, as part of the emergency legislation authorizing […]

TAPPED will be closed Monday while we take some well-deserved rest. If you’re itching for something to read, please check out our special report on jobs, featuring Robert Kuttner on how Obama can create jobs without legislation and Harold Meyerson on the next battle against Wal-Mart’s labor practices. We’ll see you Tuesday. –The Editors

In a recent bloggingheads, Mark Schmitt debated Rich Lowry of National Review on the merits of the “Ground Zero mosque” and its potential to familiarize Americans with the Muslim community. Watch the whole thing Watch the whole thing here. — The Editors