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It's Time for Action
In his first 10 days in office, Joe Biden has launched an intense effort to address the "cascading crises" that America faces. In addition to issuing executive orders to reverse several of Trump's most poisonous acts -- ending federal contracting with private prisons, reviving enforcement of discrimination laws, ending the Muslim ban, re-entering the Paris Climate Accord, and much more -- Biden has put forth a bold rescue plan to deal with the human and economic costs of the pandemic. He has declared climate change an existential threat and a national security priority and has promised a renewed effort to address systemic racism and other forms of discrimination.
Trump Trains His Sights On Affirmative Action
Campaigning for the presidency, Donald Trump argued that blacks and other people of color should vote for him. Given their current conditions, he argued, "What the hell do you have to lose?" Since winning election, however, Trump seems intent on proving over and over again just how much African-Americans and other minorities have to lose.
A New Alabama Is Emerging, And Doug Jones May Ride It to Victory
Can Doug Jones, a Democrat, win a Senate seat in Alabama when voters go to the polls in a special election on December 12?
Time to Strike a Blow Against Hate
Now Americans get to decide. Our democracy is corrupted by big money, scarred by efforts to suppress the vote or to gerrymander districts and stained by scurrilous campaigning, led in this instance from the president himself.
Risking Lives In Endless Wars Is a Moral Violation and Strategic Failure
We just celebrated Veterans Day, paying tribute to the young men and women who have served our country. Across the country, families gathered at the gravesites of those who gave their lives. Veterans drank toasts to their fellow soldiers. In football and basketball stadiums, crowds offered a moment of silence for the fallen. The rituals are heartfelt, but far from complete. Too often ignored is the far greater number of lives that are lost not on the battlefield but at home, not from the enemy's guns but from our veterans' own hands.
Why Should Iowa Always Be First?
Today, after more than a year of campaigning, debates, polls, fund-raising and ads, voters cast their first votes in the Iowa caucuses. Iowa is always first because it demands that it be first, but no matter who wins, this profoundly distorts the race.
Face the Truth to Move Toward Reconciliation
If we don't know the whereas, the therefore doesn't make sense. Witness the ovens in Auschwitz and Treblinka, and then you can understand the creation of Israel.
After Trumpcare Debacle, President Must Reach Out to Democrats
The decision of House Republicans to torpedo the American Health Care Act (AHCA), their own leadership's plan to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act (ACA), is a stunning defeat for President Trump and House Speaker Paul Ryan.
Voter Suppression a Social Injustice and Civic Indignity
In this critical election, Americans are busting all records for early voting and voting by mail. Yet, over 700,000 Americans have the right to vote but many are denied that right not only in this election, but in every election. An average of 746,000 Americans is held in local jails, most of whom have not yet been convicted of a crime or are held only for minor offenses.
We Don't Need the President's Thugs in Chicago
"Hitler had his Brown shirts and Mussolini had his Black shirts, now Donald Trump has his camouflage shirts." Thus began a statement signed by 15 distinguished interdenominational religious leaders in Chicago that I joined, including ministers, priests, and rabbis.
Kerner Report Set Standard for What a Serious Leader Would Champion
As the Democratic Presidential Primaries move onto Nevada, South Carolina and the many Super Tuesday states, candidates turn their attention to people of color, and particularly African Americans.
The New NAFTA Gets a Few Things Right, and Falls Short Elsewhere
Donald Trump announced a new NAFTA draft treaty -- renamed for showtime as the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement.
It Is Time for Congress to Act to Defend Free Elections
Jan. 6, 2022 marks one year since the deadly riot at the U.S. Capitol, incited by a president voted out of office by the vast majority of the American people. What is now clear is that Donald Trump and his tong of zealous aides and complicitous right-wing legislators were deadly serious about overturning the results of that vote and keeping Trump in office. They failed but have since launched a systematic campaign in states across the country to make it possible to succeed the next time.
The Woke Derangement Syndrome
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has been touted as the presidential candidate who offers Trump without the drama, a Trump who can win rather than lose. He was supposedly able to forge a majority by uniting Trump’s MAGA base with disaffected Republican suburbanites. In recent weeks, he’s rolled out his presidential campaign platform, promising Americans a “war on woke.”
RIP Frank Watkins
When we think about movements that change the course of history, we naturally think of their leaders. Yet every movement is dependent on unsung heroes - creative, dedicated and passionate people who devote their energy to the cause, beneath the glare of the camera. With the passing of Frank Watkins this week, RainbowPush lost one of the greatest of its heroes - and I lost a piece of my soul. Frank was more than a friend; he was my brother for 52 years in the struggle.
Democratic Future Lies in Speaking From the Moral Center
The media is now reporting on the debate among Democrats and activists about what the party should stand for, and how it will win elections.
Trump Does the Right Thing with North Korea Move
Donald Trump is taking a lot of heat for his snap decision to talk face to face with Kim Jong-un of North Korea. His aides caution that the meeting may never take place, that concrete conditions must be met for it to happen.
Trump's Erratic Foreign Policy Is Putting America at Risk
In his campaign, Donald Trump promised that "we're going to start winning again." In office, he has defined winning largely in military terms. His budget decimates the State Department while adding billions to the Pentagon. He boasts that he's delegated decisions on force levels abroad to the Pentagon. Secretary of Defense Mike Mattis recently announced that 4,000 more troops would be sent to Afghanistan. Four thousand more troops won't produce a "win" in Afghanistan. The president has it wrong. America's military is already the best in the world. But for America to "start winning," we need more smart diplomacy, not more smart bombs.
George Floyd Justice in Policing Act Would Set National Standards for Police Behavior
Even as Derek Chauvin is on trial for the murder of George Floyd, police 10 miles away fatally shot an African American man, Duante Wright, after pulling him over for an alleged traffic violation. That triggered protests that led to confrontations with police, despite Wright's family pleading for non-violence. The Washington Post reports that 985 people have been shot and killed by police in the past year, with blacks more than two times as likely to be shot and killed than whites. Fundamental reform is long overdue.
