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Everything we know about work is wrong. The pandemic proved it
So what can the plight of a little cafe tell you about the state of the American economy and the changing face of work? A lot, as it turns out. The other week, the bistro where my family and I have been grabbing brunch every Sunday since the start of the pandemic announced that it […]
In our mad, polarized, COVID surge summer, the only way out is through
It all kind of piled up: COVID hospitalizations and deaths are up. We’re still trying to convince the unvaccinated to get vaccinated, even as intensive care units fill beyond capacity. As the Delta variant of the implacable virus attacks our children. Florida’s governor threatens the withhold the wages of educators who want to protect the lives of young people in their charge. People […]
Billionaires slipped the surly bonds of Earth, but couldn’t escape its problems
Billionaire space cowboys Jeff Bezos and Richard Branson have rightfully been taking some flack for sub-orbital jaunts earlier this month that garnered plenty of headlines but little in the way of actual scientific advancement, apart from trying to normalize the idea of routine spaceflight for other, exceptionally rich people. With all the power of the rockets that propelled them […]
Voting against medals for cops, 21 Republicans hit a new low in insurrection denial
So just how desperate are some Republicans to deny the reality of the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol? Desperate enough that 21 of them voted against a slam-dunk of a bill earlier this week awarding one of the country’s highest civilian honors, the Congressional Gold Medal, to the law enforcement officers who defended […]
The return of work requirements: The GOP gets its Herbert Hoover on
Having tired of the culture wars, state and national Republicans have returned to the familiar and comforting battlefield of the class wars, using last week’s disappointing jobs numbers as an excuse to call for the end of extended unemployment benefits, based on the slender and debunked premise that it has discouraged people from seeking work. Neil Bradley, the […]
In speech to Congress, Biden bet on democracy. It’s up to America to prove him right
During his anything-but-typical address to a joint session of Congress on Wednesday night, President Joe Biden used the word “democracy,” over and over again. Some were run-of-the-mill evocations, as was the case when he spoke of “revitalizing” our democracy — a promise made by more than one more president, and a bromide meant to soothe […]
While the GOP carps about Biden’s infrastructure plan, voters already are saying ‘Yes, please’
Here’s a quiz for the Republican politicians among you, check as many as apply. Do you support: Repairing and rebuilding America’s deteriorating network of roads and bridges, including the interstate highway system brought to life by GOP President Dwight D. Eisenhower? Ensuring that every American public student isn’t drinking water out of lead pipes and […]
Transitional? Biden is on his way to being the most transformational president in decades
What caretaker presidency? If you thought that President Joe Biden was going to be content whiling away his four years at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, serving, as he once described himself, as a “transition[al]” candidate and president, then the last few weeks should put that misconception to rest. Even if he stopped at the $1.9 trillion American […]
Congressional Dems bent the universe toward justice last week. We need to keep pushing
Hopes of getting an increase to the piteously low federal minimum wage tucked into the $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill were dealt a serious blow last week when the U.S. Senate’s Parliamentarian ruled that it couldn’t be included in the massive legislative package now moving through Congress. The announcement that came Thursday night was widely […]
‘Is this America?’ A Black Capitol police officer’s question is what the Trump trial is all about
Earlier this week, in an emotional moment among emotional moments, lead U.S. House Impeachment Manager, U.S. Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., shared the story of a Black Capitol police officer and the racist abuse he endured when a mob with murder on its mind sacked the seat of government last month. “I sat down with one […]
Biden’s executive orders aren’t the problem. A broken Congress is.
It was tough not to chuckle at a New York Times editorial this week chastising President Joe Biden for the barrage of executive orders that have gone flying out of the Oval Office during his first week behind the Resolute Desk, as if he were the first president ever to do so. “This is no way to make law. A […]
A return to decency with Biden’s win? Not yet. But we’re on the way
HARRISBURG, PA — I was walking along the Susquehanna River in Harrisburg on the Saturday afternoon that we, and the world, learned that Joe Biden had bested Donald Trump to become the president-elect of the United States. The November sun was unseasonably warm on my face, and a cool breeze blew in from the west. […]