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University of Delaware
Associate director for Research at the University of Delaware's Center for Political Communication and author of Value War: Public Opinion and the Politics of Gay Rights
PROFILE
Paul Brewer
Guest
FROM Paul Brewer
To the Point
Same-Sex Marriage: Who Should Decide? The first time same-sex marriage was officially recognized was in Holland in 2001. Now, it's permitted in 36 American states and the District of Columbia. Today, the US Supreme Court was asked to overturn bans on the practice in Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and Tennessee — essentially legalizing it for the entire country. History and the speed of change were on the minds of justices including Anthony Kennedy, who observed, "I don't even know how to count the decimals when we talk about millennia. This definition has been with us for millennia, and it's very difficult for the court to say, 'oh well, we know better'." Can nine justices rule that gays and lesbians should be able to marry — or is that a right granted to individuals by the Constitution? Should the US Supreme Court let the democratic process continue state by state? These were some of the questions raised today in a case asking the Court to overturn gay-marriage bans in Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and Tennessee. We hear about some arguments rooted in ancient history and others based on the recent sea-change in public opinion.
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Left, Right & Center
How was the trip? President Trump's travels got less fun as he went from the Middle East to Europe.
To the Point
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?
Left, Right & Center
President Trump: US to withdraw from the Paris Climate Accord Trump says he was elected to serve Pittsburgh, not Paris.
To the Point
Trump plays scolder-in-chief with NATO allies At the opening of NATO’s dramatic new headquarters in Brussels today, President Trump acknowledged that Article 5 — promising that “an attack on one nation is an attack on all” -- has only been invoked one time: in the aftermath of September 11. But the President failed to provide what 27 other Alliance members have been waiting for: a re-commitment by America’s new leader to Article 5. Instead, they got a scolding.