Last night’s debate was a much-needed respite from the GOP clown car that has taken up too much of our bandwidth and time. Instead of talking about Carly Fiorina’s face or Donald Trump’s tweets, we heard the Democrats debate on foreign policy, social welfare, criminal justice reform, and other issues. Some did better than others […]
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Posted inMoney, Politics, and Power
The Democratic Debate Was Proof That Protests Work
Last night, five Democratic presidential candidates took to the stage for their first debate hosted by CNN. The candidates-Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders, Martin O’Malley, Jim Webb, and Lincoln Chafee-fielded questions from Anderson Cooper about a wide range of topics, including economic inequality and national security. However, one of the most telling moments during the two-hour […]
Posted inCivil Rights in America
Tamir Rice’s Killing Is Called “Reasonable” Because He Was Black
Last November, 12-year-old Tamir Rice was playing with a toy gun at a park in Cleveland. A person in the park called the police to report that a black male was pointing a gun at people. Cleveland police officers Timothy Loehmann and Frank Garmback responded to the call and, within two seconds-two seconds-Loehmann shot Rice. […]
Posted inMoney, Politics, and Power
This Just In: We Are Officially in a New Gilded Age
Yesterday, The New York Times dropped an investigative bombshell that confirmed in detail what most of us already know: The ultra-rich are in control of our electoral process. As the Times reports, just 158 families have contributed nearly half of all the money raised so far for the numerous presidential campaigns. “Not since before Watergate,” […]
Posted inEconomic Policy
To Protect Public Housing, Maxine Waters Calls For Greater RAD Oversight
Earlier this week, Maxine Waters, the Ranking Member of the House Financial Services Committee, sent a letter to the GAO requesting a review of the Rental Assistance Demonstration program (RAD). RAD, as I’ve written about previously, is the Obama administration’s plan to save public housing by injecting private capital. Currently 185,000 public housing units across […]
Posted inMoney, Politics, and Power
On Voting Rights, Carson is Actually the Sane Republican
Yesterday, at a campaign event in Iowa Republican contender Jeb Bush said he didn’t think the Voting Rights Act-a cornerstone of the Civil Rights Movement-should be reauthorized by Congress after the conservative Supreme Court gutted it in 2013. Here’s exactly what he had to say: ”If it’s to reauthorize it to continue to provide regulations […]
Posted inMoney, Politics, and Power
McCarthy’s Exit Sparks Liberal Schadenfreude and GOP Disarray
At about noon today, political Twitter and news junkies were offered a gift: Representative Kevin McCarthy, the presumed successor to House Speaker John Boehner’s throne, abruptly withdrew from the leadership contest. McCarthy’s election was by no means certain-just yesterday, the conservative Freedom Caucus decided to back Representative Dan Webster instead-but things were looking pretty good […]
Posted inEducation in America
Challenges to John King’s Integration Pilot
In August I wrote about the Obama administration’s record on school integration, and while it’s been mostly disappointing, there have been some encouraging recent developments. Specifically, the administration has moved to include diversity as a funding priority in more of its smaller grant programs. At the end of 2014, New York’s education commissioner, John King, […]
Posted inMoney, Politics, and Power
Your Constitutional Right to Privacy (Unless You Want an Abortion in Ohio)
The Ohio General Assembly is expected to vote soon on a bill that seeks to let the state government decide whether a woman’s reason for terminating a pregnancy is acceptable. Introduced in August, H.B. 135 would prohibit women from seeking an abortion because of a fetal diagnosis of Down syndrome; a doctor who knowingly performs […]
Posted inWorking in America
An Uber Union?
Last Friday, the Seattle City Council finance committee voted unanimously to advance a bill that would allow drivers for companies like Lyft and Uber to form a union. The final vote has yet to be scheduled, but if the proposed legislation were to become law, it would be the first of its kind in the […]
