Sen. Josh Hawley / Getty Images
Joined by two Democratic colleagues, Sen. Josh Hawley (R., Mo.) on Thursday officially floated his proposed ban on “pay-to-win” monetization in video games that explicitly target children.
Institute for Justice Scores Free Speech Wins
The Institute for Justice won two free speech cases for entrepreneurs this week: one against licensing laws, the other against the “mural police.”
Sanders Campaign Manager Hits Biden for High-Dollar Fundraisers
Presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders’s (I. Vt.) campaign manager Faiz Shakir took aim at Democrat presidential primary front runner Joe Biden for recent high-dollar fundraisers the former vice president has held since joining the race.
Former Clinton Adviser and Feminist Author Realizes Giant Error In New Book While On-Air
Former Bill Clinton adviser and feminist author Naomi Wolf saw a central part of her upcoming book debunked during a BBC interview that aired Tuesday.
Mark Kelly Attended Fundraiser Hosted By Canadian ‘Deadbeat’ Dad
Mark Kelly, the former astronaut running as a Democratic candidate for Senate in Arizona, appeared at a May 15 fundraiser hosted by a man who previously made headlines for being one of Ontario, Canada’s “worst deadbeat parents.”
Senate Makes Earmark Ban Permanent
A Republican initiative in the Senate, led by Sen. Ben Sasse (R., Neb.), passed an amendment on Thursday renewing and codifying a Congressional ban on earmarking bills.
Gabbard Blasts Daily Beast for ‘McCarthyist Witch Hunt’ After Piece on Pro-Russia Donors
Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D., Hawaii) pounced on The Daily Beast in a fundraising email after the publication highlighted pro-Russia donors supporting her campaign.
U.S. Commander: Al Qaeda Operating ‘Across’ Afghanistan
Al Qaeda is operating “across” Afghanistan in several regions, according to Gen. Austin Scott Miller, the commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan.
Sen. Feinstein Dines with Iranian FM Amid Tensions
Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D., Calif.) had dinner with Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif, Politico reported Thursday.
Toomey Reintroduces Bill to Crack Down on Sanctuary Cities
Sen. Pat Toomey (R., Penn.) reintroduced a proposal Thursday to cut off funding to the nation’s sanctuary cities, whose policies he said “make it harder to stop illegal immigration and keep dangerous criminals off the streets.”
Spiritual Guru Williamson Surpasses Both DNC Debate Thresholds Before Gillibrand
Self-help author and spiritual guru Marianne Williamson essentially guaranteed herself a spot at the first Democratic primary debate next month with a 1 percent showing in a new poll, doing so before experienced politicians like Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D., N.Y.).
Left-Wing Groups Push 2020 Dem Candidates to Back Defense Spending Cuts
Nearly two dozen liberal groups on Thursday wrote to all 2020 Democratic presidential candidates, pushing them to support massive cuts to the defense budget.
DCCC Chair Cancels Fundraiser for Pro-Life Democratic Congressman
After facing backlash from progressive activists and her fellow Democrat colleagues, Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) chairwoman Rep. Cheri Bustos (D., Ill.) canceled a planned fundraiser on Wednesday for Rep. Dan Lipinski (D., Ill.), one of the few remaining pro-life Democrats in Congress.
Report: Obama Wants His Memoir to Beat Michelle’s Book Sales, Points Out She Used a Ghostwriter
Former President Barack Obama wants to beat the book sales of his wife Michelle’s bestselling memoir when he publishes his own and even dings her for using a ghostwriter, according to a new report.
Ocasio-Cortez Mocks Reporter’s Salary, Rips Media Report on Warren’s Lucrative Legal Career
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D., N.Y.) ripped a media report Thursday on the past lucrative legal career of Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D., Mass.) and mocked a reporter’s salary in the process.
GOP Sees Positive Signs for 2020 in Pa. Special Election Win
Democrat Marc Friedenberg was on the ballot again in Pennsylvania’s 12th Congressional District on Tuesday—this time facing a relatively unknown state lawmaker rather than a four-term incumbent congressman—and he lost by an even bigger margin, a sign to Republicans that 2020 will not be a repeat of 2018.
America’s Best Defense Against Socialism
The United States of America has flummoxed socialists since the nineteenth century. Marx himself couldn’t quite understand why the most advanced economy in the world stubbornly refused to transition to socialism. Marxist theory predicts the immiseration of the proletariat and subsequent revolution from below. This never happened in America. Labor confronted capital throughout the late nineteenth century, often violently, but American democracy and constitutionalism withstood the clash. Socialist movements remained minority persuasions. When Eugene V. Debs ran for president in 1912, he topped out at six percent of the vote. Populist third-party candidates, from George Wallace in 1968 (14 percent) to Ross Perot in 1992 (19 percent) have done much better.
Tlaib Targets Payday Lenders With Amendment to CFPB Reform Bill
Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D., Mich.) introduced a bill amendment on Wednesday targeting payday and car-title lenders by requiring the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to provide quarterly reports to Congress with information about these lenders.
‘The Quintessential American Drink’
Prior to a conference, I was at a hotel bar with a colleague who had just turned 21. When the bartender came to take our order, I asked for a martini up with olives. My friend, on the other hand, said, “Long Island Iced Tea.” The bartender promptly asked for his I.D.
Herman Wouk, 1915-2019
Herman Wouk was a good writer. He could spin a compelling tale, and he could embroider some serious ideas onto that tale. His prose was clean, and his characters recognizable. But he wasn’t Proust. Or Tolstoy. Or Saul Bellow. He was just good, producing—with The Caine Mutiny (1951), for example—solid American middlebrow work much better than, say, Sloan Wilson’s The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit (1955).
Congress Seeks to Stop Feds From Releasing Convicted Terrorists From Prison Early for Good Behavior
Congress is seeking to prevent the federal government from releasing Americans convicted of terrorism from being released from prison for good behavior, legislation that comes in reaction to the recent release of American Taliban fighter John Walker Lindh, who was let out of prison after serving 17 years of a 20-year sentence.
‘Aladdin’ Review
As someone who was expecting to hate Aladdin, allow me to say right off the bat: I didn’t hate Aladdin.
Conservative Group Creates Project to Counter Investors Who Target Gun Companies, Others
Americans for Tax Reform announced a new project designed to counter activist investors who have passed resolutions potentially damaging to gun companies and other corporations as a means of achieving a political goal.
Workplace Overdoses on the Rise, New Study Says
The drug crisis touches every aspect of Americans’ lives, with the workplace being no exception, a new study shows.
Emails Show Colo. Official Asking Planned Parenthood to Help Craft Press Release
A Colorado official asked Planned Parenthood to help write the Alabama travel ban in the wake of that state’s new abortion limits, according to documents.
VOA Fires Two More Reporters for Chinese Dissident Interview
The official Voice of America radio has fired two more reporters for their role in a broadcast interview with a dissident Chinese billionaire amid charges radio executives caved to Chinese government pressure in canceling the broadcast midstream.
White Dems Oppose Charter Schools; Minority Dems Support
While Democrats are often thought of as opponents of school choice, new data show the story is not so simple: an examination of trends from 2016 through 2018 revealed that while white Democrats have grown staunchly opposed, their Black and Hispanic peers remain in favor of charter schools.
Bill Would Allow 529 Savings to Be Spent on Training Instead of College
Congress will vote on bipartisan legislation that would allow families to invest in jobs training through funds that were previously limited to college education.
Expert: Government Numbers Keep Us In the Dark About Criminal Justice System
There are millions of people in America today with a criminal record, yet government statistics shed almost no light on their lives and experiences, an expert demographer argued in a Congressional hearing Wednesday.
Democracy Alliance Members Fund ‘American Oversight’ Investigations of Trump
Two members of the Democracy Alliance contributed seed money in 2017 to a new organization created to file hundreds of Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests in hopes of unearthing scandal on the Trump administration.
Northam Donor Knew About Racist Yearbook Picture, Kept It Secret
An investigation into Virginia governor Ralph Northam’s Eastern Virginia Medical School yearbook found that the school president, a political donor to Northam’s campaign, was aware of the racist picture and decided to keep it secret.
America’s Best Defense Against Socialism
The United States of America has flummoxed socialists since the nineteenth century. Marx himself couldn’t quite understand why the most advanced economy in the world stubbornly refused to transition to socialism. Marxist theory predicts the immiseration of the proletariat and subsequent revolution from below. This never happened in America. Labor confronted capital throughout the late nineteenth century, often violently, but American democracy and constitutionalism withstood the clash. Socialist movements remained minority persuasions. When Eugene V. Debs ran for president in 1912, he topped out at six percent of the vote. Populist third-party candidates, from George Wallace in 1968 (14 percent) to Ross Perot in 1992 (19 percent) have done much better.
Tlaib Targets Payday Lenders With Amendment to CFPB Reform Bill
Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D., Mich.) introduced a bill amendment on Wednesday targeting payday and car-title lenders by requiring the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to provide quarterly reports to Congress with information about these lenders.
‘The Quintessential American Drink’
Prior to a conference, I was at a hotel bar with a colleague who had just turned 21. When the bartender came to take our order, I asked for a martini up with olives. My friend, on the other hand, said, “Long Island Iced Tea.” The bartender promptly asked for his I.D.
Herman Wouk, 1915-2019
Herman Wouk was a good writer. He could spin a compelling tale, and he could embroider some serious ideas onto that tale. His prose was clean, and his characters recognizable. But he wasn’t Proust. Or Tolstoy. Or Saul Bellow. He was just good, producing—with The Caine Mutiny (1951), for example—solid American middlebrow work much better than, say, Sloan Wilson’s The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit (1955).
MSNBC Host Incorrectly Claims Trump Tweeted Slowed-Down Video of Pelosi
MSNBC Host Gushes Over Beto O’Rourke: ‘What Can We Do Better?’
Institute for Justice Scores Free Speech Wins
The Institute for Justice won two free speech cases for entrepreneurs this week: one against licensing laws, the other against the “mural police.”
Sanders Campaign Manager Hits Biden for High-Dollar Fundraisers
Presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders’s (I. Vt.) campaign manager Faiz Shakir took aim at Democrat presidential primary front runner Joe Biden for recent high-dollar fundraisers the former vice president has held since joining the race.
Congress Seeks to Stop Feds From Releasing Convicted Terrorists From Prison Early for Good Behavior
Congress is seeking to prevent the federal government from releasing Americans convicted of terrorism from being released from prison for good behavior, legislation that comes in reaction to the recent release of American Taliban fighter John Walker Lindh, who was let out of prison after serving 17 years of a 20-year sentence.
Former Clinton Adviser and Feminist Author Realizes Giant Error In New Book While On-Air
Former Bill Clinton adviser and feminist author Naomi Wolf saw a central part of her upcoming book debunked during a BBC interview that aired Tuesday.
Mark Kelly Attended Fundraiser Hosted By Canadian ‘Deadbeat’ Dad
Mark Kelly, the former astronaut running as a Democratic candidate for Senate in Arizona, appeared at a May 15 fundraiser hosted by a man who previously made headlines for being one of Ontario, Canada’s “worst deadbeat parents.”
Omar: ‘Religious Fundamentalists’ Practice ‘Hypocrisy,’ Only Pro-Life to ‘Control’ Women
Spaulding (D): National Democrats Have Questioned Me Running for Office As a Black Woman
Senate Makes Earmark Ban Permanent
A Republican initiative in the Senate, led by Sen. Ben Sasse (R., Neb.), passed an amendment on Thursday renewing and codifying a Congressional ban on earmarking bills.
‘Aladdin’ Review
As someone who was expecting to hate Aladdin, allow me to say right off the bat: I didn’t hate Aladdin.
Planned Parenthood Helped Edit News Release from Colorado Secretary of State’s Office
The Colorado Secretary of State’s office reached out to Planned Parenthood before publishing a news release calling for a boycott of Alabama over its recently passed abortion ban.
Trump: I Will Send Troops to Counter Iran ‘If We Need Them’
Gabbard Blasts Daily Beast for ‘McCarthyist Witch Hunt’ After Piece on Pro-Russia Donors
Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D., Hawaii) pounced on The Daily Beast in a fundraising email after the publication highlighted pro-Russia donors supporting her campaign.
Continetti: Pelosi’s ‘Big Problem’ Is Polls Showing the Public Opposes Impeachment
Trump: People Dealing With Pelosi See Her ‘Disintegrating Before Their Eyes’
Mauro to Tracker: ‘Shame on You’ for Sharing My Attack on Ernst’s Military Service
Conservative Group Creates Project to Counter Investors Who Target Gun Companies, Others
Americans for Tax Reform announced a new project designed to counter activist investors who have passed resolutions potentially damaging to gun companies and other corporations as a means of achieving a political goal.
