At a House hearing regarding expanding broadband internet access across the country on July 25, Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai said that closing the “digital divide” was a “top priority” during his tenure as chairman. If that’s the case, then he certainly has a surprising approach to doing so. In November 2017, the Republican-dominated […]
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Posted inMoney, Politics, and Power
Why Dems Should Make a $15 Wage Their First Order of Business
Let’s make the increasingly likely assumption that Democrats take back the House in November. Nothing symbolizes concern for working people better than a higher minimum wage. And nothing jams Republicans quite as starkly as making them take a vote on this. Do you doubt that? Here is a true fact. In the election of 2004—that’s […]
Posted inEconomic Policy
The Tax Act’s Unfinished Business
The wealthiest Americans were already pretty happy with the 2017 Republican Tax Act. It bequeaths corporations with $1.7 trillion in tax cuts at the expense of funding for social programs, and 83 percent of the law’s benefits will go to the top 1 percent by 2027, when most of the individual income changes will have […]
Posted inBooks, Arts and Culture
Is ‘Jeopardy!’ Crossing Racial Lines?
Alex Trebek, longtime and iconic Jeopardy! Host, announced his possible retirement on Sunday. At 78 years old and recently having had brain surgery, Trebek told Fox News that he is “50-50” for remaining host after his contract expires in 2020. Trebek’s departure, of course, wouldn’t be the end of the show, but it would leave […]
Posted inEconomic Policy
With Massive Merger, the Prison Phone Industry Could Become Even More Lucrative
The prison phone industry, which has come under fire for the exorbitant fees it charges prisoners calling home, may be set to become even more profitable. This month, the giant inmate phone services company Securus petitioned the FCC to approve its plan to buy a smaller competitor, ICSolutions. If the Trump administration’s Federal Communications Commission […]
Posted inMoney, Politics, and Power
The Nation’s Youth Demand Action on Climate Change
Dreary weather and constant rain did not stop hundreds from turning out for Saturday’s Youth Climate March in Washington, D.C. The diverse crowd included families from Kansas City, youth who protested the Dakota Access Pipeline on the Standing Rock Reservation, and residents of the Marshall Islands who have seen firsthand how rising sea levels threaten […]
Posted inEconomic Policy
A Nonprofit Group (and Not the Government) Saves SNAP at Farmers Markets—For Now
Food justice advocates breathed a sigh of relief Thursday as a pending disruption in farmers markets accepting SNAP benefits was narrowly averted for the time being. Has the Trump administration stepped in and provided a solution to the markets nationwide that were threatened? Of course not! A nonprofit group has cleaned up after the government’s […]
Posted inMoney, Politics, and Power
Trump Didn’t Flout GOP Norms — He Epitomized Them
When the Cold War ended and the Soviet Union collapsed, the American Right was faced with a conundrum. For most of the 20th century, it had defined itself by its anti-communism, the sole idea on which all wings of the disparate conservative community could agree. Moreover, anti-communism gave the Republicans a handy club with which […]
Posted inBooks, Arts and Culture
NPR’s Mary Louise Kelly Goes Ballistic in Interview with London Mayor Sadiq Khan
On July 13, an NPR interview with London Mayor Sadiq Khan turned into a debate over the right to peaceful protest. While the topic of the interview was purportedly Trump’s U.K. visit and his harsh criticisms of Khan, reporter Mary Louise Kelly instead used the opportunity to pick a fight with the mayor over whether […]
Posted inMoney, Politics, and Power
Putin Must Love Having Trump on His Side
It must be nice to have Washington on your side. Vladimir Putin has to be heading home scratching his head. His meeting with Trump was choreographed to be cordial. But why on earth did Trump need to repeat, in even stronger terms, that he believes Putin’s denials over the extensive investigations of the entire U.S. […]
