journalist and author
Author of The Age of American Unreason, Freethinkers: A History of American Secularism and, most recently, The Great Agnostic: Robert Ingersoll and American Freethought; former writer of the "Spirited Atheist" column for the Washington Post and former program director of the Center for Inquiry-New York City, a rationalist think-tank
Is America More Religious than Ever? The Gallup Poll says more than 90 percent of Americans believe in some kind of God, but more and more don't identify with any particular denomination. Maybe that's why there's increasing tolerance of one group for another. Religion can be a unifying force in America. It can also be divisive, and the more isolated one religion becomes the less acceptable it is to the others. How do "outsider" or "fringe" groups affect other religions? And how does religion relate to politics, gender, race and even geography?
Is America More Religious than Ever? The Gallup Poll says more than 90 percent of Americans believe in some kind of God, but more and more don't identify with any particular denomination. Maybe that's why there's increasing tolerance of one group for another. Religion can be a unifying force in America. It can also be divisive, and the more isolated one religion becomes the less acceptable it is to the others. How do "outsider" or "fringe" groups affect other religions? And how does religion relate to politics, gender, race and even geography?
The Academics of Textbooks Get Political School boards often toil outside the spotlight, but that has not been case recently for the Texas State Board of Education . Almost half of the elected group are conservative Christians, who, along with the rest of their colleagues take an active role in determining the contents of textbooks used in schools across the state and, by extension, many of the books that end up in schools across the country. How much control should elected officials have over what’s taught in class? Is this breaking down the barrier between Church and State? What part should scientists, historians, and other experts play in the debate over curriculum? Do public schools too often ignore the role of religion in American history?
Questions for the President? President Barack Obama made political theater last week when he fielded questions from Republicans. Politics watchers on both sides of the aisle loved the sparkling Q&A, and now a coalition of Democrats and Republicans is demanding he repeat the process , in regular debates akin to Britain’s Questions for the Prime Minister . But the White House says no. Why? Could more direct dialogue help Obama get his message out? Could it benefit the republic?
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?
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?
Ex-FBI Director Comey tells his side of the story Today, former FBI Director James Comey came close to calling the President who fired him a liar. The White House denied the claim and called it insulting, but Republican Senators did not challenge Comey’s truthfulness. Many questions remain: did the President try to obstruct a federal investigation? Later, we’ll go behind the “velvet rope” for a look at 5-Star health care for the richest Americans.