Rights and Democracy
The History of Taxes, in One Mega-Rich Family
David Rockefeller has just passed away. You may have already heard that news. You may have not. America’s major media outlets haven’t treated Rockefeller’s death — at age 101 — as a top-of-the-news story. How things change. Once upon a time, any breaking news that...
Emperor Trump
Funny, There Are No Workers on the White House Jobs Panel
By golly, The Donald delivers. Trump and his new blue-ribbon panel of working-class champions have announced a bold new initiative to create millions of American jobs. A spokesman for the panel, Steve Schwarzman, praised Trump as a leader who wants to "do things a lot...
Muslim Ban 2.0
Going After the Opioid Profiteers
Travis Bornstein never told his friends about his son Tyler’s drug problem. He was too embarrassed. Then, on September 28, 2014, Tyler’s body was found in a vacant lot in Akron, Ohio. The 23-year-old had become addicted to opioid pain killers after several...
A Movement for ‘Sanctuary Campuses’ Takes Shape
With spring midterms on the horizon, this time of year is often stressful enough for college students. Yet for some students this year, the stress goes far beyond the normal pressures of tests and quizzes. For many immigrant students and their families, it's now an...
The President Is Fooling Himself. Is He Fooling Us, Too?
Some people who attain high public office grow in their position of trust. Some, however, just bloat. Bloat has been on spectacular display in the first months of Donald Trump's presidential tenure. He had a disastrous start, choosing a cabinet and staff mostly made...
Trump’s Claims Are All Wet
Getting the Brush-off on Health
The Republicans just introduced a new plan to "repeal and replace" the Affordable Care Act, or ACA — aka Obamacare. The rollout came after many members of Congress caught an earful from constituents trying to stop them. Although I’ve voted for people in both parties...
A Double Deuce to Working Families (and Math)
The political theater that passes for serious policy debate is about to run into an unfortunate reality as Donald Trump’s budget plan comes face to face with its arch-nemesis: arithmetic. It's impossible to cut taxes, increase spending, and balance the budget. That’s...
