Cities are the problem, President Donald Trump told a typically riled-up crowd Thursday night in Cincinnati, and their problems are Democrats’ fault. The latest iteration of the president’s evolving attack on urban — and specifically majority-black — communities expanded past Baltimore to encompass Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Chicago. In each case, he said, “these […]
Prior to this week, in California, if a sex worker used a condom during a transaction, that life saving contraceptive could have enabled law enforcement to bring criminal charges. But on Tuesday, California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) signed legislation that outlaws the practice of using condoms as evidence of prostitution when prosecuting someone for crimes […]
In another blow to its guardianship laws, a series of royal decrees published by Saudi Arabia’s state media on Friday allow women 21 and older to get a passport and travel without permission from male family members. It’s unclear if any hurdles might remain in place preventing women from traveling. For instance, when the Gulf […]
2020 Republican gubernatorial candidate and North Carolina Lt. Gov. Dan Forest (R) came under fire recently for comments, first reported by ThinkProgress, warning that America’s diversity was a huge threat to its continued existence. Now, a newly unearthed video makes clear that his xenophobic views are nothing new. Forest first ran for lieutenant governor in […]
The White House signaled this week that it may choose a loyalist as interim director of national intelligence after departing Director Dan Coats steps down on August 15. Under current law, Coats would be replaced by Sue Gordon, principal deputy director of national intelligence and a widely respected career official, until the Senate can confirm […]
Kentucky coal miners have spent days blocking a railroad that serves coal trains in Harlan County as they demand unpaid wages from their bankrupt employer. The dispute highlights the disproportionate impact the collapsing coal industry is having on its workers, many of whom are caught in the crossfire. Coal has been on the decline for […]
Interior Secretary David Bernhardt’s ethics recusal will expire on Saturday. The ethics pledge banned Bernhardt from decisions involving his former firm’s clients for two years. Bernhardt was also not able to meet with these companies, unless five or more other stakeholders were present and nothing relating specifically to the companies was discussed. But all of […]
Microsoft has suspended its political action committee giving to reassess its donation criteria after a pro-LGBTQ grassroots group launched a campaign to urge it and other companies to stop bankrolling anti-LGBTQ extremists. These companies would otherwise have a laudable pro-equality track record of conduct and spending. The group, Zero for Zeros, just released its third […]
At a campaign rally in Cincinnati, Ohio, Thursday night, President Donald Trump painted a wildly inaccurate picture to his supporters of how the diversity visa lottery program works. The diversity visa lottery program awards roughly 50,000 green cards each year to citizens from various underrepresented countries to legally live and work in the United States. […]
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) regulatory agenda this fall includes a new rule which says shelters that receive, manage, or operate HUD grants can essentially ignore nondiscrimination protections for unhoused trans people. But legal experts say that it is unconstitutional and likely to be challenged. An analysis published this week from […]
The last remaining African American Republican in Congress, Rep. Will Hurd of Texas, announced he will not run for reelection, a decision that could further shift Texas’ political landscape blue. Hurd, a former CIA officer, was elected in 2014 to represent one of the most racially gerrymandered districts in the country along the U.S.- Mexico border, […]
Two new analyses from Bloomberg this week make clear just how bad President Donald Trump’s policies are for the domestic electric car market and U.S. workers. In the first report, Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF) explains that Trump’s plan to roll back Obama-era fuel efficiency and emissions standards for vehicles would eliminate any federal requirement […]
For the first time, an FBI intelligence bulletin has assessed that fringe, internet-based conspiracy theories pose a domestic terror threat that “[encourage] the targeting of specific people, places and organizations, thereby increasing the risk of extremist violence against such targets.” The intelligence bulletin was written by the FBI’s Phoenix Field Office and released in May, […]
