June 17, 2015. Though it wasn’t that long ago, far too many Americans only dimly recall what happened on that date, when a racist murderer sat down to pray with parishioners at the historically Black Mother Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, S.C., then pulled out a .45-caliber handgun and started shooting. He killed nine people […]
The dangers of a short memory in recognizing — and fighting — hate Read More »
If you’ve never seen a political pummeling on election day before… you now know what one looks like. All you have to do is turn to Virginia’s election results. Republicans ran the board from the governor’s race all the way to the house and have the political clout to do pretty much what they want
Virginia Elections Recap Read More »
Washington must seem increasingly irrelevant to citizens dealing with Life 101. For just one example, turn to a state where too many citizens can’t count on a basic commodity. What must the residents of Benton Harbor, Mich., be thinking as they observe their leaders in Washington debating infrastructure and reconciliation bills? They have been advised by state officials to continue to
Sometimes, it’s as simple as getting clean water Read More »
We teach our children lessons about leading with empathy and intelligence, about taking the high road, about playing fair. And we warn them that bullies never win in the end. Be the bigger person. Follow the right and righteous path, and you shall be rewarded. But the examples being set on very public stages tell
Will those who yell the loudest teach kids how the world really works? Read More »
On the Local News Roundup: a water main break disrupts service to much of Charlotte, creating a geyser taller than the trees. We were told to boil water before drinking, but that order has now been rescinded. Voting districts are being redrawn at all levels and, this week, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg school board got to work
My college roommate has been much in demand in the last few years. (In truth, the presidency of Donald Trump marked a definite uptick in her mainstream media popularity.) You see, her academic specialty is Sinclair Lewis. And if his 1935 novel, “It Can’t Happen Here,” was once seen as dystopian political fantasy, it became — in
Dysfunction in America is no longer just knocking on the door Read More »
President Joe Biden made clear from his first day in office that social justice issues are at the top of his economic agenda. A “human” infrastructure bill remains on Congress’ to-do list, which includes subsidies for child care, education, paid leave, health care and clean energy programs — in other words, a social safety net.
Reconciliation, infrastructure and the social safety net Read More »
Congress will be back in earnest next week with a lot on the to-do list, including two infrastructure bills. The first, a bipartisan, Senate-passed infrastructure package, would spend billions of dollars to improve roads, bridges, waterways — but it’s yet to be passed by the House. And then there’s the partisan “human” infrastructure bill that would provide sweeping
Explaining reconciliation and the social issues at stake, with Mary C. Curtis Read More »
The late great stand-up, actor and occasional philosopher George Carlin was known to cross the lines of what polite society would call good taste, but he himself drew a few lines when it came to his theory of funny. Asked by Larry King in 1990 about popular bad-boy comedian Andrew Dice Clay, Carlin, while defending Clay’s right to say
‘Punching down,’ the political weapon of so-called tough guys Read More »
If you missed it! A live remote reading and Q&A with editor Jerry Ceppos and contributors Mark Leibovich of The New York Times, Mary C. Curtis of CQ Roll Call, and Major Garrett of CBS, about our contributions to the new LSU Press book, “Covering Politics in the Age of Trump.”
‘Covering Politics in the Age of Trump’ Read More »
