Rights and Democracy
The Press Is Essential, Whether Presidents Like It or Not
The U.S. has a robust, free, and fair media. No wonder that makes Donald Trump angry. Trump has such notoriously thin skin that some have taken to calling him Trumplethinskin. His staff says he watches TV and reads the news obsessively, looking for praise for himself....
It’s Only My Health
I'm one of the 27 percent of Americans with a pre-existing medical condition. Pre-existing conditions range from life-threatening illnesses like cancer or multiple sclerosis to chronic conditions like diabetes or cerebral palsy. They can also include life events like...
My Novel (Accidentally) Predicted Trump
It’s terrifying when your dystopian nightmares begin to come true. Donald Trump is consolidating a circle of extremist advisers. Hardline restrictions on immigration are going up, regulations on Wall Street are tumbling down, and ordinary Americans can no longer agree...
The Best Education Our Money Can Buy
Most of us know folks who owe everything they have in life to education. That explains, I suspect, why we nod in agreement whenever we hear somebody describe education as the ultimate antidote to inequality. Education certainly can serve as a brake on our widening...
Nobody Needs a Lecture on Morality from Paul Ryan
For nearly half a century now, America's middle-class working families have been pummeled by corporate greedmeisters and their political henchmen. Indeed, during the recession, the typical median-income family has lost 40 percent of their wealth. Haven't they been...
The Hunt for Black Family History
Simple genealogy searches don’t work for people whose ancestors were treated like property. But some new tools could help.
Cities Can Fight Federal Crackdowns
Shortly after Donald Trump's order to ban thousands of documented, vetted immigrants and refugees from our shores, crowds rushed to airports all over the country to protect those who'd just arrived. Soon after, crowds in Phoenix and other cities surrounded federal...
Trump Proved He Doesn’t Think Much of Working People
On February 15, Donald Trump’s first nominee to be secretary of labor, Andrew Puzder, withdrew his name from contention when it became clear that the Senate would vote him down. The next day, Trump selected Alexander Acosta, a new nominee who looks to fare better. Of...
To Save Main Street, Tax Wall Street
All too often these days, large U.S. corporations and Wall Street banks seem more interested in tapping overseas markets than in growing a customer base at home. When local communities in America's heartland suffer, it's no skin off their backs. By contrast, our...
The Human Cost of Trump’s Muslim Ban
Legal challenges to Donald Trump's "Muslim ban" are mounting. Federal judges have suspended the order, which blocks immigration from seven Muslim-majority countries and suspends refugee settlement from everywhere, while federal cases wind their way through the courts....
