Professor of American Studies, City University of New York
Professor of English and American Studies at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York; author of Waking Giant: America in the Age of Jackson and John Brown, Abolitionist: The Man Who Killed Slavery, Sparked the Civil War, and Seeded Civil Rights
Celebrations Abound in Honor of Lincoln's Bicentennial In the Capitol Rotunda today, President Obama paid homage to the predecessor he admires most. "What Lincoln never forgot, not even in the midst of civil war, was that despite all that divided us -- north and south, black and white -- we were, at heart, one nation and one people, sharing a bond as Americans that could not break." Obama observed that he was speaking in a building constructed in part by slaves and immigrants, and that Lincoln insisted the work go on during the Civil War, even though the metal supporting the Capitol Dome might have been used for bullets.
Terrorism and tweets, hate speech and murder Just days before an election, Britain is coping with a rash of deadly terrorism, and Prime Minister Theresa May is on the defensive. And again today, President Trump has tweeted criticism of the Mayor of London. Later, a double murder in Portland, Oregon has revealed the ugly past of a supposedly “progressive” city. One immediate question: is “hate speech” protected by the First Amendment?
What is Trump's plan for Middle East peace? On his first foreign tour, President Trump has promised "peace" between Israel and the Palestinians. Are there any details for re-starting talks that have been stalled for the past three years?
Replacing Obamacare: Now you see it… now you don’t As the Senate deliberates replacing Obmacare, health coverage for millions of people is at stake. There've been no public hearings, and a draft measure won't be made public. Is the House version so unpopular that that Senate is hiding a version that looks much the same?
Is the threat from Russia missing from the Russia meddling probe? There's much being made about the Trump administration's possible ties with Russia. But the bottom line is Russia's effort to influence American democracy. Do the President and his aides care enough to take action before voters go back to the polls?