Cori Bush never wanted to be a politician. She watched her dad, a mayor and city councilman, work long, thankless hours doing it. Instead, she became a nurse, a pastor, and later, an activist in Ferguson, Missouri, after the police killing of Michael Brown. It was in Ferguson that Bush …
Read More »Useful Idiots: George Floyd Protests, Dems' Failures, and 2020 Election
In this week’s quarantine episode of ourUseful Idiots podcast, Matt Taibbi and Katie Halper are joined by two guests: former Democratic presidential candidate Marianne Williamson and historian Dr. Gerald Horne, from the University of Houston. Our hosts discuss the George Floyd protests and rebellions happening for racial justice across the …
Read More »Sorry, Bernie. You Can't Win the Democratic Nomination Without Loyal Black Voters
WASHINGTON — Senator Bernie Sanders was well on his way to winning the Democratic Party nomination … and then black voters had their turn. It began with Joe Biden‘s decisive victory in the South Carolina primary, where a strong turnout by a predominantly black electorate performed life support on Biden’s …
Read More »No Malarkey: It's Probably Going to Be Joe Biden
Inevitability is in the air. Joe Biden scored a series of victories Tuesday night, building a delegate lead over Bernie Sanders and putting himself on course to become the 2020 Democratic presidential nominee. Biden won by large margins in Mississippi and Missouri, where he was expected to do well. More …
Read More »The Mike Bloomberg Black New Yorkers Know
Mike Bloomberg is finally being vetted as a presidential candidate. It took years-old audio tweeted by a journalist, not attack ads released by his feckless Democratic competitors, to make it happen. But it’s long overdue. Podcast host Benjamin Dixon released previously obscure audio on Monday from a Bloomberg speaking engagement …
Read More »The 10 Laws of New Hampshire Primary Reporting
1. The candidate references Tom Brady. 2. The candidate drops the name of a local eatery (“So, I was eating the Hash Benny at the Red Arrow the other day…”). 3. Reporters (in vain) scan the crowd for African-American faces. 4. Reporters ask each other what “the ethanol of New Hampshire” is. 5. The phrase “right here in …
Read More »Beto O'Rourke Drops Out of Presidential Race
Beto O’Rourke is dropping out of the presidential race, a surprising move from the former U.S. Senate candidate from Texas who was once considered among the frontrunners to land the Democratic nomination. “Our campaign has always been about seeing clearly, speaking honestly, and acting decisively,” O’Rourke wrote on Twitter. “In …
Read More »Trump Threatens to Sue After Being Asked to Pay Security Costs for His Rally
The Trump campaign is indignantthat it is being expected to help cover the cost of extra security for a rally planned in Minneapolis Thursday. According to the campaign, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey is “attempting to extort President Trump’s re-election campaign by conjuring up a phony and outlandish bill for security.” …
Read More »There Have Been 800-Plus Political Cyberattacks in the Past Year Alone
WASHINGTON — In the past year, political campaigns, parties, and pro-democracy groups around the world have faced more than 800 cyberattacks, according to new data provided to Rolling Stone by tech giant Microsoft. “The threat is real and it’s not stopping,” Tom Burt, a vice president of customer security and …
Read More »For a Upstart Voter Non-Profit, a New Chairman Leads the Way
When Pete Shapiro co-founded the youth voter registration non-profit HeadCount in 2004, he hoped to merge his twin passions: live music and political activism. “The idea,” says the music industry veteran, “was to use shows, festivals, arena concerts and club gigs to reach people, get them activated, engaged and registered.” …
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