Culture & Society
As DeSantis heads to the Lone Star State next week, the GOP presidential field will be expanding
As Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis continues his travels around the nation as a full-fledged presidential candidate, the GOP field likely will expand rapidly, with former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and former Vice President Mike Pence expected to announce their own candidacies. DeSantis’ strategy includes a three-day trek to Texas — the second largest state in the […]
DeSantis signs bill renaming FL road after Rush Limbaugh, but some Dems couldn’t honor a ‘racist’
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has signed legislation that will rename a road in Central Florida’s Hernando County after the late conservative talk-show host Rush Limbaugh, though some Democratic lawmakers said they couldn’t support a bill to honor a man they described as being ‘racist.’ Nevertheless, as of July 1, a stretch of U.S. 41 and […]
Ron DeSantis plans 3-day fundraising swing through Texas next week
Some of Texas’ biggest Republican donors are getting behind Ron DeSantis as he plans his first fundraising trip to Texas as a presidential candidate. The Florida governor is set to visit Texas from June 7-9 for a six-city fundraising tour, according to a schedule obtained by The Texas Tribune. He will be in Midland on […]
New work requirements for some SNAP recipients included in debt limit deal
WASHINGTON — The holiday weekend debt ceiling deal struck by President Joe Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy preserves in part new work requirements for some food stamp recipients but now with exceptions for certain populations, including veterans. The agreement released late Saturday night showed concessions from both sides — from GOP members, who wanted […]
Rosalynn Carter, former first lady and lifelong mental health advocate, diagnosed with dementia
Former First Lady Rosalynn Carter has been diagnosed with dementia, the Carter family announced through the Carter Center Tuesday. In a written statement, the family did not share details, such as exactly when Rosalynn Carter was diagnosed or what type of dementia she was diagnosed with. But the letter did point out that one in 10 […]
Debt limit deal hits turbulence in Congress as leaders prep for vote
WASHINGTON — Congress began moving the bipartisan debt limit package forward Tuesday, though frustrations with provisions in the bill could make for narrow passage in the U.S. House and U.S. Senate. Conservative Republicans and progressive Democrats both aired their disappointment with the agreement forged over the weekend, but only GOP lawmakers are looking to possibly remove […]
Billboard outside Orlando airport warns travelers of DeSantis’ anti-abortion policy
Following travel advisories warning visitors that Florida might not be a welcoming place for Black, Hispanic, and LGBTQ+ people, now comes a warning that anyone capable of getting pregnant might also be better off in another state. Michigan, to be precise, according to a billboard just erected outside Orlando International Airport. It features Dr. Tim […]
America’s baleful exports to the United Kingdom: xenophobia, censorship, racism
LONDON — The British have long enjoyed complaining about American cultural imperialism. Blue jeans, beer in cans, saying “French fries” instead of “chips,” or “elevator” instead of “lift,” and other assaults on the mother tongue. Then again, Americans fuss about British shows all over HBO and PBS, and British actors playing Americans in beloved entertainments […]
Western lands fight erupts over Bureau of Land Management’s conservation proposal
One thing opponents and proponents of a recently proposed U.S. Bureau of Land Management rule agree on: It would be a major shift in how the agency manages nearly 250 million acres of federal lands. The rule would allow for conservation leases, similar to how the agency auctions off parcels of land for mining, livestock […]
The Gettysburg Address: On Memorial Day, Lincoln’s short but immortal speech still resonates
Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth, upon this continent, a new nation, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that “all men are created equal.” Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived, and so dedicated, can long endure. We […]
GOP-led states plan new voter data systems to replace one they rejected. Good luck with that.
So far this year, seven states, all Republican-led, have left the Electronic Registration Information Center, an interstate compact for sharing voter registration data, and more could follow. Amid the exodus, some states, including Texas and Virginia, have said they plan to create their own data-sharing networks to replace ERIC. Pledging to build a new system […]
DeSantis OKs FL State Guard expansion — controlled by the governor; benefits for military veterans
Gov. Ron DeSantis has signed legislation expanding his Florida State Guard from its existing strength of 400 members to 1,500 members, one of a raft of military-related bills he approved on Friday as the Memorial Day holiday looms. DeSantis persuaded the Legislature last year to revive the State Guard, moribund since the end of World […]