Politics
-
BuzzFeed’s Plagiarism Report Probably Isn’t the Way Ben Carson Wanted to Kick Off His Campaign
A few months back, I reviewed Ben Carson’s latest book, One Nation: What We Can All Do to Save America’s Future—and before reading that, I pored over a pretty good chunk of his prior work, America the Beautiful: Remembering What Made This Nation Great. But I confess that I was looking for bread crumbs that…
-
The Root’s 7 People to Watch in 2015
In 2015, rubber will meet road as a new Republican-dominated Congress convenes, state legislatures open for business, and the grind of political process forces fresh legislative and legal decisions. Of course, there will be countless players on the field. The Root narrows it down to seven; nothing biblical or metaphysical about that number, just a…
-
Obama: US Sen. Edward Brooke ‘Led an Extraordinary Life’
Updated Sunday, Jan. 4, 7:45 a.m. EST: While mourning the loss of former U.S. Sen. Edward Brooke, President Barack Obama and others praised him as a giant who left an outsized footprint on America’s political landscape. “Michelle and I were saddened to learn of the passing of former Senator Edward Brooke,” the president said in a…
-
La. Black Republican Defends Scalise Against White Supremacist Controversy
A black Louisiana state senator is coming to House Majority Whip Steve Scalise’s defense after the congressman was discovered to have given a speech before a white nationalist group founded by former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke in 2002, the Daily Caller reports. “It is a desperate attempt to create something that does not…
-
DNC Slams La. Rep. Steve Scalise’s Explanation for Speaking to White Supremacist Group
Rep. Steve Scalise (R-La.) is facing a backlash after attempting to explain that he was unaware he was speaking to a white supremacist group when he appeared at its convention in 2002 while still a state legislator. But the Democratic National Committee isn’t buying it. The controversy began Monday when the recently elected House majority…
-
Projected 2016 GOP Presidential Hopefuls Are a Diverse Bunch
The short list of Republicans who are expected to throw their hats into the presidential ring come 2016 is awfully diverse, the Associated Press reports. A quick sizing up of the potential GOP contenders produces “two Hispanic senators, an Indian-American governor, a female business leader and an African-American neurosurgeon,” AP explained. That roundup describes Sen. Marco Rubio…
-
NYC Mayor Jeered at Police Graduation
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio faced a tough crowd at Monday’s police graduation ceremony: He was subject to boos and catcalls as he addressed the new NYPD officers, CBS New York reports. According to the report, when de Blasio was introduced at the Madison Square Garden ceremony for the graduating class of more…
-
GOP Lawmakers Warm to Loretta Lynch for US Attorney General
Loretta Lynch, President Barack Obama’s pick to replace outgoing U.S. Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr., is reportedly winning over some key Republican lawmakers ahead of what is expected to be contentious nomination hearings early next year, according to Politico. The U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of New York reportedly has met with several…
-
Cuba Won’t Hand Over Assata Shakur
New Jersey officials might have been hoping that with warming relations between the U.S. and Cuba, one of the FBI’s most wanted criminals, Assata Shakur, would be extradited to face judgment after fleeing the country. However, according to the Associated Press, Cuba’s head of North American affairs, Josefina Vidal, has reiterated her country’s sovereign right…
-
President Obama’s Best 2014 Moments
This is by no means an exhaustive list. And I’m not suggesting that there’s consensus about the positives and negatives of President Barack Obama’s various initiatives—although I’m guessing that folks on both sides of the aisle were tickled by his exchange in October with that overzealous boyfriend in the Chicago voting station—but here are a…