Whatever news gods decided that the cable television stars Tucker Carlson and Don Lemon should be fired the same week that President Biden was scheduled to give a funny speech ribbing the news media certainly were generous in providing fresh material. And Mr. Biden took advantage on Saturday night as he gleefully mocked some of…
Month: April 2023
States’ Push to Protect Kids Online Could Remake the Internet
People in Louisiana who visited Pornhub in recent months were met with a surprising new demand. Before they could stream sexually explicit videos, they had to provide proof that they were at least 18. That’s because Louisiana lawmakers had passed legislation last year requiring publishers of online material that could be “harmful to minors” to…
Campaign, Interrupted: Pence May Run, but He Can’t Hide From Trump’s Legal Woes
Former Vice President Mike Pence, seemingly in his element as he addressed a gathering of evangelical Christians in Iowa this month, was speaking of “the greatest honor of my life,” serving in “an administration that turned this country around” by rebuilding the military, securing the southern border, and unleashing “American energy.” “But most importantly, most…
Correspondents’ Dinner Promises Jokes and Celebrities. (Also, the President.)
Expect more presidential ribbing this year, and more hooting. This spring, the coronavirus was shoved to the side along with the world’s other roiling problems, and the plan to party was back in full force. Reporters ran all over Washington like it was a high-powered Sadie Hawkins dance, asking administration officials to sit at tables…
South Carolina Democrats Elect First Black Woman to Run State Party
The News South Carolina Democrats elected Christale Spain, the former executive director of the state Democratic Party, as state party chair at their convention on Saturday. She ran with the backing of the party’s top brass, including Representative James E. Clyburn, and will be the first Black woman to lead the state party. Why It…
As Biden Runs for Re-election, Black Voters’ Frustration Bubbles
President Biden began his re-election campaign this week vowing to “finish the job” he started in 2021. No one wants him to do that more than Black voters. Long the most loyal Democratic constituency, Black voters resurrected Mr. Biden’s struggling presidential campaign in South Carolina and sent him to the White House with his party…
Top Republicans Balk at WinRed’s Plan to Charge More for Online Donations
A battle over a threatened price increase has exposed growing tensions between top Republican Party officials and the company with a virtual monopoly on processing Republican campaign contributions online. Party leaders have risen up in opposition to the plan to raise prices, which would siphon millions of dollars from G.O.P. campaigns less than 20 months after…
Prosecutors in Jan. 6 Case Step up Inquiry Into Trump Fund-Raising
As they investigate former President Donald J. Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election, federal prosecutors have also been drilling down on whether Mr. Trump and a range of political aides knew that he had lost the race but still raised money off claims that they were fighting widespread fraud in the vote results, according…
Florida Lawmakers Clear a Potential Presidential Roadblock for DeSantis
On Wednesday, State Senator Joe Gruters, a Republican who is a close ally of Mr. Trump, made an open show of defiance against Mr. DeSantis by voting no on a bill related to Disney. The bill — part of a yearlong feud between the company and Mr. DeSantis that has energized segments of the Republican…
How Randi Weingarten Landed at the Heart of America’s Political Fights
A frequent knock on the A.F.T. is that it puts teachers before students, a framing neatly encapsulated by a quote attributed to the union’s former president Al Shanker: “When schoolchildren start paying union dues, that’s when I’ll start representing the interests of schoolchildren.” Shanker’s biographer, Richard Kahlenberg, found no record of Shanker’s ever saying this…