Peace and Security
Who in Their Right Mind?
My immediate reaction to James Holmes’s 2012 shooting rampage at an Aurora, Colorado movie theater was twofold: horror and incomprehension. Who in their right mind could do such a thing? Who in their "right mind," indeed. This summer, a jury found Holmes guilty of...
All Working People Should Support the Iran Deal
This Labor Day, like others before it, finds American workers squeezed on many fronts. Inequality is rising, union membership is dwindling, and wages aren’t keeping up with job growth. Naturally, addressing all those challenges is a huge priority for the labor...
When Travel Means Putting Your Life on the Line
Millions of Americans travel overseas every year, whether it’s across the border to the Canadian side of Niagara Falls or Tijuana or to more exotic locales. But nobody expects to die violently while abroad, and especially not a 17-year old. That’s what happened to...
Going Nuclear Again
Let’s Talk About Torture
The CIA’s torture-era leadership won’t repent. Even after the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence released its report saying in no uncertain terms that the CIA had tortured its prisoners, that torture was official U.S. government policy, and that torture never...
Clear Warning Signs
For many people of color, it was with a sickening sense of familiarity that we watched the video of yet another routine traffic stop that would come to a tragic end. Two days before authorities discovered Sandra Bland’s lifeless body in her Texas jail cell, the...
Supporters of Diplomacy over War Must Speak Up
Members of Congress are fleeing Washington's steam bath for their August recess, making this a key time for constituents to raise their voices on crucial issues. Right now, the biggest thing lawmakers must decide is whether they'll join the 54 percent of voters who...
An Extraordinary Diplomatic Feat
The nuclear agreement with Iran is an extraordinary feat of diplomacy. First and foremost, non-proliferation experts agree that the deal blocks all of the routes to making an atomic bomb. There are provisions for rigorous inspections — so if Iran cheats, the world...
Mr. Obama Goes to Prison
Correcting Unfair Sentencing Laws
In becoming the first president ever to visit a prison with his trip to the medium-security El Reno Federal Correctional Institution near Oklahoma City, President Barack Obama has signaled that he's serious about pushing prison reform before he leaves office. Together...
