Kamala Harris’ New Gun Control Proposal Takes on Domestic Terrorists and White Nationalists
Richard Vogel/AP In the wake of the latest deadly mass shootings—in Texas, Ohio, and California—2020 Democratic presidential candidates are ramping up their plans to curb the country’s gun violence problem. And now, Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) has gone a step further with a detailed plan that connects gun violence to combatting domestic terrorism and “violent hate.“ “We…
Is Sen. Richard Burr Investigating Trump’s Russia Ties—or Helping to Cover Them Up?
Tim Bower Richard Burr was contrite. It was late February 2017, and the Washington Post had just exposed the North Carolina Republican and chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee for running damage control for the Trump administration over its mounting Russia scandal. Along with Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.), his counterpart on the House Intelligence Committee,…
“Very Badly Managed”: Inside Chicago Elections Officials’ Battle with Facebook
Niall Carson/PA Wire via Zuma On October 20, 2018, just 16 days before that year’s midterm elections, Jim Allen, the spokesperson for the Chicago Board of Elections Commissioners, tried to boost a Facebook post on the board’s page announcing the opening of early-voting locations in the country’s sixth-largest elections jurisdiction. Boosting a post effectively turns…
Simone Biles’ Gravity-Defying Moves Almost Didn’t Happen
Simone Biles competes in the floor exercise at the 2019 US Gymnastics Championships.Charlie Riedel/AP Welcome to Recharge, a weekly newsletter full of stories that will energize your inner hellraiser. See more editions and sign up here. She had taken time off. She finished fourth on Dancing With the Stars. Her coach since age 7 had…
Flint Water Did Not Increase Stillbirths
A couple of years ago I wrote about a paper claiming that the fertility rate of women in Flint, Michigan, plummeted during their water crisis. Today I got a copy of a newly published study of lead levels in women of childbearing age during the Flint water crisis. It’s very carefully done and uses reliable…
Michael Flynn and George Papadopoulos Are Scheduled to Speak at a Conference Organized by a QAnon Supporter
Alex Wong/Getty, Alex Wroblewski/Getty Michael Flynn and George Papadopoulos, two former Trump foreign policy aides who both agreed in late 2017 to cooperate with special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation, appear to have found some new allies: QAnon conspiracy theorists. Flynn, a retired Army lieutenant general and former head of the Defense Intelligence Agency, briefly served…