Jeff Spross

On this week’s podcast from The American Prospect, Monica Potts, Adam Serwer, and Jamelle Bouie go over some new surveys on the state of African American education, as well as the ignominious end of Dr. Laura Schlessinger‘s radio show. Listen Now: Articles referred to: “New Report Shows Graduation Chasm for Black Males,” Jamelle Bouie “The […]

Palestinian refugees in Lebanon have won the right to claim free work permits for employment in the private sector. The status of the refugees has played a deeply divisive role in Lebanon’s politics, and until now the government limited them to menial labor. While experts describe the new law as an important step, it remains […]

Tim Fernholz counsels that the first step is admitting you need (government) help: Were the United States to ditch federal involvement in housing finance completely, as some critics have suggested, some of the trade-offs would include rising mortgage interest rates, reduced access to home loans, and a dearth of long-term credit for home loans; not […]

In the face of the BP oil spill’s aftermath, as well as a larger-than-usual dead zone, Louisiana’s white shrimp season has officially begun in the Gulf of Mexico. The shrimp industry, worth $100 million a year in Louisiana alone, is suffering from depressed market demand due to fears of oil contamination. Among possible relief options […]

A new interview with Defense Secretary Robert Gates in Foreign Policy has got chatter going again over the how’s and when’s of his possible retirement. Discussion of Gates’ attempts to streamline military spending has also continued apace, with plenty of kudos — save for a few conservatives who seem to think that complete disaster is […]

The Indian government is currently threatening to shut down BlackBerry service within its borders if the device’s maker, Research In Motion, does not provide it with access to data and encryption codes. The government is reportedly eyeing Skype and Google for similar demands as well. National-security issues linked to the 2008 terror attacks in Mumbai […]

In an interview with NPR, possible 2012 GOP candidate Mike Huckabee gave a blunt “no” to whether he would favor repealing parts of the 14th Amendment. “You do not punish a child for something the parent did,” he said. Nor is this the first time Huckabee has tee’d off his own party on immigration; as […]

Islam’s holiest month, which commemorates the revelation of the Qur’an to Muhammad by the Angel Gabriel, begins today. Or, it might begin today — there’s actually a lively debate going on among Muslims as to whether Ramadan’s start should be calculated by modern astronomical methods or by the traditional approach of observing the moon with […]

Facing ethics charges, the embattled New York representative took to the floor of the House today to defend himself. In a speech calling his actions “stupid” but “not corrupt,” Rangel refused to resign. He acknowledged the difficult position he’s put the Democratic caucus in and expressed eagerness for an expedited process, going so far as […]

Paul Kagame became president of Rwanda in 2000 and has since overseen the country’s recovery from the genocide and upheaval of the early 1990s. He is expected to win another term by a landslide in today’s elections, but that expectation has been marred by concerns over the legitimacy of the vote and the increasingly repressive, […]