Tag Archives: government

OpEd: Meet the Press? Don’t Bother

By Paul | Published April 24, 2019

Michelle Cottle, writing in the paper of record: Conducting daily briefings was once a core function of the press secretary. The White House put its spin on the news of the day; reporters pushed for more information or clarification. Somewhere in all the give-and-take, the public interest was served. Under President Trump, such sessions have […]

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The GOP Is the Anti-Vaxx Party Now

By Paul | Published April 18, 2019

Sophie Weiner writing at Splinter News: Six states now have bills authored by Democrats that would make forgoing vaccines for children more difficult. In nearly all of those states, which include Colorado, Arizona, New Jersey, Washington, New York, and Maine, the bills have faced Republican opposition. Meanwhile, in West Virginia and Mississippi, the GOP has […]

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Trump’s Work Days Are Mostly Empty

By Paul | Published February 4, 2019

Dan Friedman at Mother Jones: President Donald Trump claims he is working hard as president. His private schedules suggest otherwise. On Sunday, Axios published Trump’s private schedules for almost every working day since the midterm elections of November 2018. The documents show the president has spent a whooping 60 percent of his work days during […]

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Trump’s behavior regarding Russia has always presented a serious security concern

By Paul | Published January 16, 2019

Longtime conservative Republican Tom Nichols in USA Today, “All signs point the same way: Vladimir Putin has compromising information on Donald Trump”: Trump’s behavior regarding Russia has always presented a serious security concern. But when Trump fires the director of the FBI, and then brags about it to actual Russians, only the most stupid or […]

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Even the Apprentice Producers had to Struggle to Make Trump–and His Decisions–Seem Coherent

By Paul | Published December 29, 2018

Daniel Politi writing at Slate: “[Trump] had just gone through I don’t know how many bankruptcies. But we made him out to be the most important person in the world. It was like making the court jester the king.” Bill Pruitt, a producer on the show, said, “We walked through the offices and saw chipped […]

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Dear Young People, “Don’t Vote”

By Paul | Published October 3, 2018

This country belongs to whomever shows up. And do you know who shows up for every election? Old people. But only 46% of people 18-34 years old voted in the last election. Do vote. Please, please vote.

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A Version of Reality So Elaborately Embellished That it Qualifies as Fan Fiction

By Paul | Published October 3, 2018

New York Times Editorial Board: “I built what I built myself.” This boast has long been at the core of the mythology of Donald Trump, Self-Made Billionaire. As the oft-told story goes, young Mr. Trump accepted a modest $1 million loan from his father, Fred, a moderately successful real estate developer from Queens, and — […]

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Kavanaugh Lied to the Judiciary Committee—Repeatedly

By Paul | Published September 28, 2018

Thursday’s hearing didn’t prove whether Kavanaugh assaulted Ford. But we do know the Supreme Court nominee wasn’t honest in his testimony. William Saletan at Slate: Maybe Kavanaugh is an honest man in other contexts. Maybe he’s a good husband, a loving dad, and an inspiring coach. And maybe there’s no way to be certain that […]

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Taibbi: Why Did John McCain Continue to Support War?

By Paul | Published August 28, 2018

Matt Taibbi writing at Rolling Stone: But he did have one unshakeable conviction: Wherever America had a foreign policy problem, the solution was always to bomb the fuck out of someone. Long before he became a symbol of anti-Trumpism (despite having contributed significantly to the Trump phenomenon by unleashing Sarah Palin on national politics in […]

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Last Week Tonight with John Oliver: Prosecutors

By Paul | Published August 8, 2018

Unfortunately, John Oliver is—once again—right on point:

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