Common Cause has undertaken the monumental task of undoing the Supreme Court’s 5-4 decision in Citizens United vs. Federal Election Commission, the ruling that gives corporations and the wealthy unprecedented clout in U.S. elections. The self-described people’s lobby is zeroing in on two high court justices in the majority, Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas, and [...]

Plank 10.11 of the Iowa Republican Party platform says, “We believe public university, college and school buildings should not restrict possession of firearms by those legally possessing a concealed carry permit, as this endangers our children.” Mary had a little Glock With an extended clip. And everywhere that Mary went She packed it on her [...]

Here we are marking the 50th anniversary of John F, Kennedy’s inaugural address and his challenge, “And so, my fellows Americans, ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.” The “Ask not” line will be subject to more replays on our TVs and in our newspapers [...]

Unless they are diehard supporters or detractors, the first thing some people say when they talk of Julian Assange—which seems curious to me—is that he is creepy or weird looking, and then there is a quiet murmur of dissent: “What if he releases something that could damage someone or get people killed? My answer is: [...]

It was all over the news when Federal Judge Henry E. Hudson of Richmond, Va., ruled unconstitutional a key part of the recently-enacted federal health care law. The mainstream press was a lot less diligent in reporting Judge Hudson’s connection to an outfit, Campaign Solutions, whose favored candidates worked to defeat the law. The multiple [...]

A world-wide thriller is taking place right now. We are all in the middle of it. These are the elements, more or less: Julian Assange began Wikileaks a few years ago and released important, secret documents, getting some attention but not a great deal, and attracting some followers. One of them was a young American [...]

How excellent it is that Media Matters for America devotes so much space to ridiculing Fox News. No group is more deserving. The individual stories are juicy, the news endless. Putting it all in one place is a public service. It won’t stop Murdoch and Ailes as they go about dumbing down America, but – [...]

Two letters in the Washington Post Nov. 27th told editors something they should know without reminding: Just because somebody says something stupid or crude that is picked up here and there doesn’t mean it has to go in the paper. The letters were referring to what ran as the “Quote of the Week” in a [...]

News often needs context and/or perspective, and a recent Wall Street Journal report provides a memorable example. The article identified the 20 corporate CEOs who “had the most total direct compensation in their most recent fiscal year.” Leading the list, with a mind-boggling $87,095,882, was Liberty Media’s Gregory B. Maffei. Five others head media or [...]

In an email to Meet the Press on Oct. 26 and in a snail-mail letter the next day, I wrote: “For an article I am doing for niemanwatchdog.org, I want to ask: “Why has Newt Gingrich been the most-booked guest on Meet the Press during the first year of Barack Obama’s presidency? “Why has Speaker [...]