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From my cold dead hand: Gun groups perpetuate militia myth to keep whatever arms they dream of
About the Second Amendment: I have questions. I cannot wrap my lizard-sized brain around the notion that the reason for people to keep and own guns is to protect against tyranny. Spare me the historical discourses about the establishment of the Second Amendment, because I realize a bunch of a rag-tag colonists rose up against […]
Dumping Trump will not solve the Republican problem of leadership
Every once in awhile, I find myself longing to know German, a language known for its voluminous vocabulary of smashed-together words where one word perfectly encapsulates a deep, specific, and complex meaning. One of the best examples of this is schadenfreude, a German word that connotes taking pleasure in other people’s pain – and one […]
Racism, reproductive rights and inflation top concerns for voters of color heading into ’22 midterm
Leaders from six national racial justice organizations presented polling data they’ve conducted that shows widespread concern about racism, reproductive rights and eroding economic stability, while also suggesting that voters are increasingly concerned that leaders from both political parties are becoming more out of touch with the realities they face. The data presented by the Advancement […]
Snake oil salesmen have nothing on Congress as it tries to sell gun control to America
Whatever the National Rifle Association is paying for the votes in the U.S. Senate, it’s not enough. They’re getting one heck of a deal. And no organization should be more excited to support the measures that the Senate is contemplating than the NRA. It’s a bill that is all hype, no substance and won’t affect gun owners, gun safety or the NRA’s silent but co-equal partner, the gun manufacturers, in any meaningful way.
One-time sports reporter: I didn’t see any concerned lawmakers at women’s sports events
The people suddenly up in arms about trans athletes never seemed that interested in women’s sports in the past The game had just ended and it was brutal. I sat in the stands, and before the players had even cleared the field, head coach Pam McCreesh had already started in on me, yelling from the […]
Making the simple impossible: We don’t want to admit the real worker shortage problem
A week ago, I was talking to an educator whose job it is to run training programs for students and adults in higher education. She told me that around a dozen different companies and groups were sponsoring training courses for things like nursing assistants, medical workers, electricians and truck driving.
U.S. inspector general finds former Trump cabinet secretary broke ethics rules, wasn’t honest about real estate dealings
An investigation by the Inspector General of the Department of the Interior found that former Secretary Ryan Zinke, a native of Montana and current congressional candidate, committed multiple ethics violations and was not honest in disclosing real estate dealings while he served in the Cabinet of former President Donald J. Trump. The investigation, released Wednesday, […]
Election experts: Still more to be done on state, federal elections before 2022 midterms
A panel of experts on election security hosted a conversation on the anniversary of the Jan. 6 riots at the U.S. Capitol. Their goal was to provide an update on how election security had been updated or improved since the 2020 election. But really, their hope was to not let history repeat itself.
Why Desmond Tutu matters more than ever
One day after Christmas – in an event that seems particularly on-brand for 2021 – the world lost one of its living saints, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, whose work in South Africa helped bring about the peaceful dismantling of the institutionally racist apartheid. What would be even more tragic than his death is if we also lose the message and mission of his life.
Experts warn against ‘sham election audits’ movement
Experts from four different national nonprofits (the Brennan Center for for Justice, Protect Democracy, Fair Fight Action and States United Action) came together last week at an online panel discussion to examine the latest worrisome trend in undermining democracy: illegitimate election recounts.