Lawmakers from nine states announced on Wednesday that they would be forming a coalition to help pass carbon pricing at the local level, citing the importance of state-level policies in the face of federal inaction on climate. “This is the next logical step in terms of protecting our planet, not just for the people of […]
White House counselor Kellyanne Conway held a meeting with African diplomats on Tuesday, hoping to do damage control in the wake of President Trump’s derogatory “shithole” comments earlier this month. That plan seems to have backfired: according to Foreign Policy, Conway made little to no mention of Africa itself during the meeting, opting to discuss […]
While an undocumented teen seeking abortion was in custody, Trump administration officials discussed using a scientifically unproven abortion reversal method, according to a report by VICE News. Anti-abortion crusader and refugee office head Scott Lloyd talked to his staff about the possibility of reversing one pregnant teen’s abortion with the hormone progesterone — an idea […]
In an audacious move by a political leader who could potentially be held in contempt of court, Pennsylvania Senate President pro tempore Joseph Scarnati (R) informed the state supreme court on Wednesday that he will openly defy one of the court’s recent orders in a gerrymandering case. On January 22, the state supreme court struck […]
Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-SC), the chairman of the House Oversight Committee, announced Wednesday that he will not seek reelection, adding to the record-breaking number of Republican congressmen retiring ahead of the 2018 midterm elections, including eight other committee chairpeople. Gowdy, a former prosecutor, made his announcement in a statement released on Twitter, saying that he […]
On Wednesday, Chicago community activists are pressing Gov. Bruce Rauner (R) to support the repeal of a law that prohibits rent control. Advocates for rent control went to the James R. Thompson Center in Chicago, where the House offices of Illinois state government are located, with sleeping bags and blankets, as the governor delivered his […]
After a year in the White House during which he has repeatedly used racially divisive rhetoric to appeal to his far-right adorers, President Donald Trump wanted Americans to believe his first State of the Union address was an effort to unite the nation. “So tonight I am extending an open hand to work with members […]
When President Donald Trump took took to the podium to deliver his first State of the Union speech on Tuesday night, he made no reference to the largest shadow hanging over his presidency so far: The FBI’s investigation into possible collusion between Russia and Trump’s inner circle in the 2016 elections. In fact, in a […]
Donald Trump’s first State of the Union was a largely banal speech with few policy details and none of his signature asides and bravado. Overall, the reception to the speech has been cool. A CNN flash poll found it had “the lowest net positive rating for a State of the Union address since at least […]
President Donald Trump loves talking about “clean coal.” He talked about it as a candidate, claiming in a presidential debate in October of 2016 that “there is a thing called clean coal.” He’s talked about it a bunch as president, often calling it “beautiful, clean coal.” In his first State of the Union address, he […]
Automobile manufacturing jobs are a familiar ingredient in any politician’s grand rhetoric of inspiration. The age when middle-class families had greatest upward economic mobility is closely linked to the car industry in Americans’ minds. Detroit’s modern decay has been a damning omen for millions of people far from the Great Lakes for years, signifying as […]
A spokesperson for newly confirmed Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Alex Azar announced on Wednesday that the director for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Dr. Brenda Fitzgerald, had resigned earlier in the morning. The HHS spokesperson said that Azar had accepted Fitzgerald’s resignation, who resigned “due to the nature of…financial interests” from […]
President Donald Trump’s speech Tuesday night at the State of the Union left one thing clear: there is still no consensus on how to overhaul the immigration system. Trump focused on the White House’s recent new immigration proposal, first released last week, and said it “will create a safe, modern, and lawful immigration system.” The pillars […]
Latinx leaders and lawmakers slammed President Trump’s State of the Union speech after the president made only one throwaway reference to the struggles hurricane-ravaged Puerto Rico is facing. The remark came one day after the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced it would end food and water aid to Puerto Rico, which is still recovering from […]
An announcement Tuesday morning that three of the richest, most powerful companies in the United States are launching a new effort to break the health insurance industry’s stranglehold on the economy was greeted with great excitement. The new firm is the brainchild of Berkshire Hathaway tycoon Warren Buffett, JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon, and Amazon founder […]
Last week, after 156 of his victims came forward to deliver victim impact statements in court, former USA Gymnastics and Michigan State University doctor Larry Nassar was sentenced to up to 175 years in prison for seven criminal counts of sexual assault an Ingham County, Michigan courtroom. Since that sentencing hearing ended, most of the […]
After pointing out invited guests whose children were killed by undocumented immigrants, President Donald Trump said at his State of the Union speech Tuesday night that he would protect citizens because “Americans are Dreamers too.” “So tonight, I am extending an open hand to work with members of both parties — Democrats and Republicans — to protect […]
President Donald Trump spent the bulk of his first State of the Union address touting his tax policy and laying out an immigration proposal that would advance many white nationalist organizations’ top priorities. Buried within the speech, however, was a proposal that would fundamentally rework the balance of power between civil servants and political appointees […]
The Trump administration is fighting the opioid epidemic, President Trump said Tuesday in his first State of the Union address — but the Trump administration hasn’t actually done much to fight the epidemic beyond declaring a state of emergency, which is merely a bureaucratic formality. “In 2016, we lost 64,000 Americans to drug overdoses: 174 […]
“One of my greatest priorities is to reduce the price of prescription drugs,” President Trump said at his 2018 State of the Union address on Tuesday evening. In reality, this does not seem to be one of his biggest policy priorities — especially considering that just last week, Trump appointed former pharmaceutical executive Alex Azar as secretary of […]
During President Donald Trump’s State of the Union speech Tuesday, he welcomed Ji Seong-ho, an invited guest who endured torture and was able to escape North Korea. Trump ended Ji’s story by stating it was a “testament to the yearning of every human soul to live in freedom.” According to Trump’s speech, Ji stole coal […]
At his 2018 State of the Union address on Tuesday night, President Trump claimed he will call on Congress to produce a bill that “generates at least $1.5 trillion for the new infrastructure investment we need.” “Every Federal dollar should be leveraged by partnering with State and local governments and, where appropriate, tapping into private […]
At Tuesday night’s State of the Union, President Trump bragged that the unemployment rate for African Americans was at an all-time low. When the camera showed members of the Congressional Black Caucus, they were not applauding — and that’s probably because Trump is not the one who deserves credit for it. Indeed, African American unemployment […]
At his 2018 State of the Union address on Tuesday night, President Trump declared that he has “ended the war on energy” and “ended the war on clean coal.” He referred to clean coal as “beautiful.” It’s not clear what exactly Trump is taking credit for here, as neither war is rooted in reality. The […]
Trump touted the GOP’s tax overhaul in his State of the Union address Tuesday night, claiming it provided “tremendous relief” for middle class Americans. In fact, while the GOP tax plan does give most people a tax cut in 2018, the super wealthy will benefit the most — by a wide margin. Analysis by the […]
