Text Messages Dive Deeper Into Trump’s Extortion of Ukraine
The House Intelligence Committee has obtained a series of text messages that went back and forth this summer between the acting ambassador to Ukraine, Bill Taylor, and two of Donald Trump’s roving troubleshooters for Ukraine, Gordon Sundland and Kurt Volker. These came after Rudy Giuliani had already spent months trying to get the Ukrainians to…
Trump Signed an Executive Order to “Protect” Medicare. Good Luck if You Have Any Other Type of Insurance.
Trump addresses supporters before signing an executive order in The Villages, Florida.Octavio Jones/Zuma In an apparent attempt to appeal to senior voters—and to divert attention away from the impeachment inquiry rocking the White House—President Donald Trump signed an executive order Thursday that changes aspects of Medicare Advantage, the private-sector health plan that covers one third…
White Judges and Donald Trump
The Center for American Progress released a report today about the diversity of the federal judiciary, and you will be unsurprised to learn that it continues to be more male and more white than the general population. You can read the whole report here, but I want to highlight just a single chart: As you…
Following Trump’s Threat, the EPA Suddenly Cares a Lot About Water Quality in SF
A general overview of the Golden Gate Bridge from the Marin Headlands in San Francisco, California on Saturday, Sept. 17, 2011. Alex Menendez/AP Photo On Wednesday, the Environmental Protection Agency issued a notice of environmental violation to San Francisco after President Donald Trump claimed that the city’s large homeless population was causing water pollution. Addressed to Harlan Kelly…
EITC or $15 Minimum Wage? Why Not Both?
The Earned-Income Tax Credit is one of the largest social welfare programs run by the federal government. It’s available only to people who work—primarily those with children—and takes the form of a tax refund that generally amounts to a few thousand dollars each year. Conventional wisdom has long held that the EITC motivates people to…
Los Angeles, a City Known for Its Freeways, Is About to Plant a Shit Ton of Trees
Downtown Los Angeleschoness/Getty Los Angeles, the sprawling city of freeways, thinks its future depends on trees. And it may be right: Research shows trees improve air and water quality, store carbon, and can even reduce stress. All these benefits don’t seem to be lost on Mayor Eric Garcetti, who in late April announced his version of…