Politics
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The Fresh, New and Very White World of Startup Journalism
It’s a fascinating and bizarre development to watch, an emerging clique of the world’s smartest, snarkiest and data-driven geek-journalists battling for domination as Masters of the Wonkverse. While it’s been happening for some time, recent elections and the constant cycle of fact-checked talking points have created a rather lucrative market place for these startup operations.…
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Obama Goes Solo in His 2nd Term
In the weeks since his State of the Union, President Barack Obama has issued a series of executive orders designed to stem a tide of growing economic and racial inequality that threatens to undermine the fabric of American society. Obama’s efforts to pivot the political narrative toward a focus on economic injustice reflects the fact…
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Oprah to Headline at Virginia Democrat’s Fundraiser
All other Virginia Democrat campaigns, move aside: Oprah Winfrey is raising funds for Lavern Chatman, who is hoping to replace retiring Rep. Jim Moran, also a Democrat, New York’s Daily News reports. The talk-show icon will be the headliner at an April 5 fundraiser in Arlington. Chatman, former president of the Northern Virginia Urban League, says…
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President Obama Awards Medal of Honor to 24 Overlooked Minority Veterans
On Tuesday, President Obama awarded 24 minority U.S. soldiers, who collectively served in three of the nation’s wars and were never rewarded for their courage, with the Medal of Honor, reports the Associated Press. Only three of the 24 were alive for President Barack Obama to drape the medals and ribbons around their necks; the…
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Florida Lawmakers Push to Change ‘Stand Your Ground’
Florida is making progress in attempts to tweak the state’s notorious “Stand your ground” law, Mediaite reports. Proposed modifications include the ability for law enforcement agents to conduct a proper investigation every time the law is invoked and allowing local enforcement departments to set guidelines for neighborhood-watch groups. The changes unanimously went through a Senate…
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GOP State Senator Has No Issue If Business Owners Exclude Customers
One Republican lawmaker is so trusting of the free market that he doesn’t see a problem if businesses choose, based on their beliefs, to deny service to certain customers, Talking Points Memo reports. South Dakota Sen. Phil Jensen, who is a self-proclaimed “free market absolutist,” believes that these decisions are between business owners and the market.…
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White House Promotes Affordable Care Act With Basketball Campaign
The White House will be catering to all the basketball junkies with a “March Madness” campaign to bump up insurance enrollment through the Affordable Care Act, The Hill reports. According to the news site, the “16 Sweetest Reasons to Get Covered” bracket will be released on Monday. It will be updated daily based on online…
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US Imposes Targeted Sanctions, Rejects Crimean Vote to Join Russia
President Obama warned Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday against making further military advances toward Ukraine, the Associated Press reports. Obama also told Putin that the referendum for Crimea to secede from Ukraine to join Russia “would never be recognized” by the United States. Swift sanctions were expected from the U.S. and the European Union,…
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8 Sneaky Racial Code Words and Why Politicians Love Them
When Paul Ryan talked about a “real culture problem” in “our inner cities in particular” this week, he wasn’t the first American politician to be slammed for using racially coded language to get a point across. Far from it. Ian Haney López, author of Dog Whistle Politics: How Coded Racial Appeals Have Reinvented Racism and…
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Frauds Try to Get Attorney General Eric Holder’s Tax Refund
Two Georgia men were caught trying to get U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder’s tax refund, the Wall Street Journal reports. Holder wasn’t the only person targeted by Yafait Tadesse and Eyaso Abebe, who somehow got a hold of Holder’s private information, including his Social Security number, and filed a tax return in his name. According to…