Among Bernie Sanders' greatest strengths is his old-fashioned honesty. That's why it's so puzzling that he would only release one year of tax returns. After all, most presidential candidates publish many years of their tax records. (Across all of their elections, Hillary and Bill Clinton combined have now made 38 years available.) In any event, […]

In the wake of last week's New York primary, Hillary Clinton's path to securing the Democratic nomination for president seems increasingly clear. What is less certain is how the candidates, their campaigns, and their supporters will handle that looming outcome between now and the close of the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia on July 28. […]

Republican and Democratic leaders in Congress signed a landmark agreement codifying new rules for the House and Senate under the next GOP President. Negotiated by Senators Mitch McConnell (R-KY), John Cornyn (R-TX), Harry Reid (D-NV) and Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and House Reps. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and Paul Ryan (R-WI), the 10-point deal provides guidelines for […]

As his presidency neared its end, George W. Bush unveiled his plans for life after the White House. "I'll give some speeches, just to replenish the ol' coffers," the multi-millionaire told Robert Draper, adding, "I don't know what my dad gets - it's more than 50-75" thousand dollars a speech, and "Clinton's making a lot […]

From the very beginning of the debate over what would become the Affordable Care Act, the conservative crusade to kill health care reform has been defined by an inescapable irony. For years, health care has been worst in those reddest of states where Republicans poll best. Study after study has shown that red state health […]

If nothing else, today's conservative movement may be the greatest talking point generator in American history. Judging by the conservative choir now singing in unison, the aftermath of the sometimes violent protests in Baltimore is providing just the latest case in point. The tried and untrue sound bites predictably include GOP favorites like "blame the […]

Over the past few years, two topics have come to dominate the discourse about religion in America. The implementation of the Affordable Care Act and especially the rapid acceptance of marriage equality have prompted social conservatives to decry the supposed threat to "religious liberty." At the same time, the rise of "the Nones"--the growing numbers […]

For four decades, American public opinion on the issue of abortion has been largely unchanged. As the numbers from Gallup, the Pew Research Center and other polls show, roughly half of Americans have identified themselves as "pro-choice" even as consistent majorities support keeping abortion legal in all or many circumstances. But now, a new survey […]

On April 15th, Congressional Republicans missed their deadline for the fiscal year 2016 budget resolution. Nevertheless, and despite their differences on defense spending and the voucherization of Medicare (absent from the Senate bill), the GOP conferees aim to balance the budget in 10 years by slashing over $5 trillion in social programs and safety net […]

When it comes to the Iranian nuclear program, the United States is rapidly approaching a point of no return as the P5+1 talks are coming down to the wire. But if the negotiations in Geneva fail or if their opponents in Congress succeed in blowing them up, leaders of both U.S. political parties will have […]