The Nunes memo, to be released as early as today, is a political hit job authored by the White House and its closest ally in congress, House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes. The memo purportedly claims that the FBI illegally investigated Trump aid Carter Page. A cursory Google search on Carter Page quickly reveals his … 
On Sunday morning, “Oprah for President” was the punchline of a joke. By Sunday night, it was a remote possibility. By Monday, it felt weirdly plausible. Things move fast in American politics. Everyone knows Oprah. So when she took the stage at the Golden Globe Awards to accept the Cecil B. de Mille Award she …
Well, we’re not dead yet. The world has not been consumed by a nuclear conflagration. The White House has not been struck by lightning. I guess we made it through the first year. This is not a detailed, analytical assessment of the costs and benefits of the Trump presidency – I’ll leave that heavy lifting …
In “The Last Jedi,” the latest installment of the Star Wars series, something powerful hidden in plain sight is revealed. It’s all there in the opening battle sequence, and the theme never lets up until the closing credits. In this heartening vision of the future, inclusive, multi-racial pluralism is unabashedly championed over white male-centric mono-culture. …
Breitbart, the largely super-PAC funded media site, gave its full-throated and defiant support to beleaguered US Senate candidate Roy Moore. It didn’t matter how many credible victims of his sexual predation came forward, or how many ghastly things he said about Muslims and member of the LGBT community, or that he publicly lamented both woman’s …
Five years ago I was standing at the altar of a church. I was the Sunday morning guest speaker. The minister had the day off. I had my sermon prepared of course. It was about Christmas, and the beautiful metaphor of seeing God in the form of a tiny child. But a few days earlier, …
As the smoke clears from last night’s bellwether election in Alabama, one thing is clear — this is a victory for old fashioned mainstream Democratic Party politics. From Tom Perez and the DNC all the way down to the newest kid walking precincts and working the phones, Doug Jones’s thin margin of victory was hard-won …
As wildfires rage throughout California, back in Washington Republican lawmakers have eliminated the deduction for property losses due to wildfires or other natural disasters. I know California didn’t vote for Trump, and is overwhelmingly Democratic, but seriously? This feels personal. As the Thomas Fire, the fifth largest fire in American history, continues to rage this …
Our more adamant Christian friends defensively remind us that “Jesus is the reason for the season.” Then they load their kids up in the SUV and take them to the mall to see Santa. “It’s tradition,” they say. It certainly is. In religious studies there’s a word for this. It’s called henotheism. You’ve heard of …
There’s an old saying in politics – Democrats fall in love, Republicans fall in line. And it’s never been truer. All of my left-leaning friends, people who normally agree about everything, are deeply divided over the Al Franken resignation. Facebook and other social media platforms were a veritable blood bath yesterday as Democrats passionately argued …
Al Franken left all of us Democrats in an untenable and unseemly position — to have to again and again attempt to make distinctions between the relative severity of various forms of sexual misconduct. “Well yeah, that was bad, but this other thing’s worse…” I for one am sick of differentiating between forced kissing, unwelcome …
Today the US Supreme Court is hearing arguments pro and con about a Colorado baker’s alleged right to refuse to make a wedding cake for a same-sex couple. LGBT advocates and allies argue that no American can legally be discriminated against for their innate, inherent qualities, like race, gender, height, or sexual orientation. You can …
If you’re a politics-watcher like me, you need to know about whataboutism. It’s spreading like a cancer and threatening the most vibrant and crucial component of our democracy — dispassionate, accurate, and rational discourse. Invented by the Nazis and perfected by the propaganda arm of the Soviet-era KGB, whataboutism is a rhetorical tactic more traditionally …
Maybe you remember the despicable t-shirt often seen at Trump rallies. “Rope. Tree. Journalist. Some Assembly Required.” And maybe you were wondering what to get for your Fox News watching uncle. Well Walmart sells them. They did anyway. Until now. Walmart has pulled the hideously fascist garb from its otherwise top-notch sartorial offerings. I guess …
President Trump cast a wide net by describing all news media outlets as “fake.” Except Fox. Then Fox News re-posts a New York Post editorial by Trump acolyte Kyle Smith entitled “Unhinged Coverage of Trump is Hurting Media.” I guess Kyle’s been reading Inside The Beltway. Thanks Kyle! One man’s unhinged is another man’s eternal …
They wanted a pro-business President they said. Well they sure got one, and boy are they gonna pay for it. As Trump’s FCC prepares to end net neutrality, at the request of the big ISPs (internet service providers), or “telecoms,” prepare for sweeping changes across all of your internet usage and all of your devices, …
Fox News host Ainsley Earnhart told her television audience that if you’re going to get slaughtered by semi-automatic weapon fire, getting slaughtered by semi-automatic weapon fire in a church is a good place to do it. Because you’re already so close to Jesus. It makes it easier for Him to scoop you up in his …
It happens every time. Within minutes after news breaks of yet another American mass shooting; when people start raising legitimate questions about the gaping holes in American gun regulations, gun proponents solemnly chastise the inquiry with the scold “Don’t politicize it.” People who say that think that they’re taking the high road, that they’re respecting …
Gun laws don’t work because criminals ignore them. Rape laws don’t work because rapists ignore them. Murder laws don’t work because murderers ignore them. Anti-fraud laws don’t work because con men ignore them. Speed limits don’t work because speeders ignore them. Laws protecting private property from theft don’t work because criminals ignore them. The concept …
If I ever meet that customer service rep at Twitter who on his last day deactivated Trump’s Twitter account for eleven minutes, I’m buying him a beer. But what this really shows is a far more serious danger. That our President likes using an easily hackable social media platform to communicate directly with his base …
Presidential progeny and “Children of the Corn” extra Eric Trump sent an email this morning to Trump supporters saying “Just $1 would help.” Yep, he’s turning the terror of this morning’s Mueller indictment-storm into a fundraising opportunity. As the noose tightens around this international criminal conspiracy and its fake President, Trump loyalists are going to …
Fox News Network’s “Fox and Friends” has become the all-but-in-name media wing of the Trump White House. They craft a narrative out of current events designed to comfort their most important audience member (the President). An hour or two later Trump Tweets out his praise for their so-called “coverage.” The next day Trump’s Tweet becomes …
When Bob McNair, owner of the NFL’s Houston Texans and multi-million dollar Trump campaign contributor said, regarding kneeling players, “We can’t have the inmates running the prison,” he pretty much meant, “We can’t have the slaves running the plantation.” So much for dog whistles and coded language — these guys are coming right out and …
Maybe you’ve seen it. All over social media, ever since the Harvey Weinstein story broke, victims of sexual assault have been posting the phrase “Me too.” It’s a chilling reminder that sexual assault, abuse, and harassment is far more common than we are comfortably willing to admit. Yeah, well, fuck comfort. I’ll take truth over …
When the first bullets ripped into the crowd in Las Vegas last Sunday night, country music superstar Jason Aldean and his band were wowing their fans with their stalwart brand of down and dirty country pop rock. When the initial confusion and disbelief gave way to abject terror Jason and his band-mates fled the stage. …
On the morning after the Las Vegas Massacre, by all counts the deadliest mass-shooting in modern American history, social media is abuzz with death counts, shock, grief, thoughts, prayers, and the bone-wearying gun debate. Those in favor of even the most moderate gun law reforms timidly make their case, and are blown back by enemy …
Controversy continues to swirl around a handful of NFL players who take a knee during the National Anthem, a peaceful, silent, and non-violent protest initiated last year by quarterback Colin Kaepernick. In interviews, Kaepernick and others say that the aim of these very visible demonstrations of non-compliance is to draw attention to racial inequities throughout …
A free and vigorous press is an essential feature of any vibrant democracy. Everybody knows that. But with liberty comes responsibility. In an attempt to navigate the maelstrom of conflicting perspectives that constitute the modern media landscape, many traditional media outlets stick to the tired trope of “fair and balanced.” But is neutrality even a …
DACA, (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals), is on the chopping block. All indications are that Trump will bow to anti-immigrant pressure and suspend DACA tomorrow even though 80% of Republicans favor DACA, including 75% of Trump’s base. It’s time for a little review. Just what is DACA anyway? DACA was an executive order signed by …
