Corruption is sometimes just an isolated scandal. But the coronavirus pandemic and the government’s response are illustrating just how corrupt the functioning of our government has become — and just how high the stakes are. Unfair advantages that the well-connected and wealthy have accumulated over decades produced a system that gives the “have-mores” even more in the middle of a global health crisis. Continue reading
In January 2018, I spoke with the Emmy Award-winning filmmaker Peter Nicks about The Force, his feature documentary about Oakland’s deeply troubled police department and its history of violence. This is a new interview with Pete, discussing those issues in the post-George Floyd world. Continue reading
As the Democratic Joe Biden-Kamala Harris team began to campaign together to win the 2020 election, the contours of the upcoming political contest became clearer. Continue reading
As the pandemic rages throughout the country, voting by mail has become a particularly appealing option. But a big turnout is Donald Trump’s electoral enemy, so his administration has launched an attack on the US Postal Service — making it a central player in the preservation of American democracy. Continue reading
Kamala Harris is perceived as solidly in the moderate wing of the Democratic Party. A former DA, she can battle the GOP on issues of law and order. Harris is the first Democratic nominee for the top of the ticket who has ever hailed from California, and one of the first from the far West. The right took aim at her selection immediately. In other news, Russia and Ukraine are back on the top of the president’s topic list. Continue reading
