Barack Obama
Cleveland debate: Fact checking claims from Trump, Biden
President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden squared off in their first General Election debate in Cleveland on Tuesday night. There were plenty of fireworks throughout the night, most coming from the debate stage and not from Progressive Field three miles away. (Sorry, Indians fans.) Here is a look at several claims with […]
Grief over Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and dread for what comes next
Bereft. That’s the only word I can think of that fits how I felt at the news of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s death. It’s not just about the loss of a stalwart warrior for equality and justice for people like me. Without Ginsburg, perhaps our country still would not recognize a constitutional right against sex […]
Control over the federal courts is about raw political power, nothing more
U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has used his leadership position to exercise raw political power in shaping the federal judiciary for many decades to come, and he’s been enormously successful. The death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has brought McConnell to the zenith of that power. A question never existed as to whether he […]
Portman, Brown flip on issue of filling Supreme Court vacancy
U.S. Sens. Rob Portman and Sherrod Brown are singing much different tunes this week than they did in 2016. The recent death of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg has led to an unexpected vacancy with the General Election just six weeks away. Both parties are gearing up for a legislative and presidential showdown — […]
The health care long game: Biden, Harris, and Medicare for All
Former Vice President Joe Biden’s selection of Sen. Kamala Harris as his running mate has meant different things to differently situated liberals and progressives. But as regards health care, the message is clear. Harris’s presidential run failed in large part because she couldn’t stake out a coherent place in a crowded field of health care […]
Demilitarize the police? Two Ohio lawmakers have this goal in mind
State Rep. Casey Weinstein recalls driving to work during the recent protests and being shocked at what he saw. “When I would get down to Columbus, I saw these armored personnel carriers stationed downtown,” the Hudson Democrat said. “It just felt like I was entering a warzone. It felt escalatory. It felt worrying. “Where are […]
U.S. Supreme Court hands victories to religious employers in health care, employment
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday upheld a Trump administration effort to exempt employers with religious or moral concerns from complying with a “birth control mandate” in the Affordable Care Act, the Obama-era law that requires employer-provided insurance plans to cover contraceptives. Reproductive rights advocates say the ruling potentially affects hundreds of thousands of […]
Police officers accused of brutal violence often have a history of complaints by citizens
As protests against police violence and racism continue in cities throughout the U.S., the public is learning that several of the officers involved in the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis and Breonna Taylor in Louisville share a history of complaints by citizens of brutality or misconduct. Decades of research on police shootings and brutality […]
Militarization has fostered a policing culture that sets up protesters as ‘the enemy’
The unrest sparked by the death of George Floyd after being pinned to the ground by the knee of a Minneapolis police officer has left parts of U.S. cities looking like a battle zone. Night after night, angry protesters have taken to the street. So too have police officers dressed in full riot gear and […]
Trump war on Obamacare front and center during COVID-19 pandemic
The coronavirus is a double whammy. Many are losing health coverage at the same time they’re threatened with a disease that often leads to hospital stays that can be ruinously expensive. So, amid spiraling job losses, millions are expected to buy individual health plans on exchanges under the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare. […]
Latest ‘scandal’ a reminder of the Obama we know and the one in Trump’s head
We’ve known for a long time that former President Barack Obama lives rent-free inside Donald Trump’s brain. From trying to tear down the Affordable Care Act to his bizarre and baseless accusation that the prior administration didn’t leave him the testing apparatus or counsel to prepare for the current COVID-19 pandemic, there’s no problem too […]
Universities get aid they can’t share with DACA students
WASHINGTON — Colleges and universities across the country are getting emergency federal aid for COVID-19, but some of the most vulnerable students won’t be eligible for assistance. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos has said the emergency grants — part of the $2 trillion coronavirus relief act that Congress approved last month — can’t go to undocumented […]