Tag Archives: politics

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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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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How the Case for Voter Fraud Was Tested — and Utterly Failed

By Paul | Published June 20, 2018

Jessica Huseman at ProPublica: That made the trial a telling opportunity to remove the voter fraud claims from the charged, and largely proof-free, realms of political campaigns and cable news shoutfests and examine them under the exacting strictures of the rules of evidence. That’s precisely what occurred and according to [Chief District Judge of the […]

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More Than Just Russia

By Paul | Published June 12, 2018

Jeremy Scahill at The Intercept: Did Trump directly conspire with Vladimir Putin and Russia to influence the 2016 election? That is certainly possible. Will we see concrete evidence of that, especially evidence that would stand up in a court? That also is possible. […] But this much is clear: It is a major mistake to […]

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Trump made it easier for the mentally ill to buy guns…

By Paul | Published February 15, 2018

Annalisa Merelli and Heather Timmons writing at Quartz: In a tweet early this morning, Trump framed the shooting it as he has done in the past, describing Cruz as a disturbed and “erratic” individual. The trouble is, Trump has made it much easier for mentally-disturbed Americans to buy guns in the United States.

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Donald Trump Jr., Sub-Master of the Universe

By Paul | Published July 13, 2017

Matt Bai, writing at Yahoo News: Say what you will about President Trump, and I’ve said plenty; you can’t say he ever lacked for what New Yorkers call chutzpah. He had the brass ornaments to risk his modest inheritance, to plow through bankruptcies, to court public humiliation in pursuit of far-flung enterprises. I actually admire […]

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