By Steven Harper | May 27, 2020 | Pandemic Timeline
Trump has persistently minimized the seriousness of COVID-19 by falsely comparing it to the seasonal flu. Initially, he used the tactic to downplay the virus as it threatened the stock market. This denial and obfuscation squandered precious time, worsened the crisis, and may have cost a number of lives. Read More
By Theresa Riley | May 26, 2020 | Poets & Writers
During these trying days of social distancing, self-isolating and quarantines, days rife with fear and anxiety, my colleagues and I thought you might like some company. So each day we will be introducing you to poets we have met over the years. The only contagion they will expose you to is a measure of joy, reflection and meditation brought on by “the best words in the best order.” Enjoy. — Bill Moyers In this clip from the 1995 Dodge Poetry Festival, poet Sekou Sundiata, who “oralizes” in polyrhythmic, jazz-influenced performances, performs "I Want to Talk About You," a poem about his home, Harlem. "I ... Read More
By Jeremy Gerard | May 25, 2020 | Moyers on Democracy
The coronavirus epidemic will have a lasting worldwide impact, to be sure, but it will have a unique native social impact as well, one equal to those brought about by the upheavals of the 1960s and the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Already it’s changed the way we see ourselves, and our nationhood. Read More
By Robert Edwards | May 22, 2020 | War & Peace
"I never expected that I would be writing about the needless deaths of almost 100,000 of our countrymen, rapidly approaching the number who died in wars from Korea to Afghanistan combined. It is bitterly appropriate that we should reach that grim milestone on this particular weekend." (Robert Edwards was formerly an infantry and intelligence officer in the US Army and a captain in the 82nd Airborne in Iraq during the first Gulf War.) Read More
By Kristin Miller | May 22, 2020 | Moyers on Democracy
With mounting deaths and unemployment at Depression-era highs there’s even more news flying under the radar. The team at BillMoyers.com brings you the news you need to know — some of it good, some of it outrageous, all of it important — that’s been covered up by COVID-19. Read More
By Heather Cox Richardson | May 21, 2020 | Democracy & Government
Trump threatens to pull state funds to stop mail-in voting in Michigan and Nevada, which he can't do. But his problem is not mail-in ballots. He's falling behind in the polls. Read More
By Theresa Riley | May 21, 2020 | Poets & Writers
In this original poem written for the pandemic, poet James Autry sees the beauty around us in the time of corona. Read More
By Karen J. Greenberg | May 20, 2020 | Moyers on Democracy
When it comes to Covid-19, an array of dangers, deprivations, and fears that have long beset the rest of the world are coming home to roost. What was "over there," is now "over here." Read More
By Steven Harper | May 18, 2020 | Pandemic Timeline
When the Centers for Disease Prevention and Control drafted detailed guidelines for reopening businesses in ways that prioritized public health, Trump rejected them. Instead, Trump issued broad suggestions for loosening state restrictions safely. Read More
By Kristin Miller | May 16, 2020 | Moyers on Democracy
At many critical junctures in our history Bill Moyers has talked with distinguished scholar Robert Jay Lifton — a society governed by falsehoods, the cimate crisis and 9/11. Together they try to piece together a fracturing world. Read More
By Theresa Riley | May 15, 2020 | Democracy & Government
In the new documentary film, Slay the Dragon, journalists Dave Daley, Ari Berman, Vann Newkirk and others explain how legislators in some key swing states used gerrymandering to draw districts favorable to Republican candidates. Former Wisconsin State Senator Dale Schultz (R) explains, “It really represents legislators picking voters rather than voters picking legislators.” Step One: Redraw the Maps Congressional districts are redrawn every 10 years after the US Census (which is another reason why it’s important that everyone fill out their Census forms). But in 2010, something different happened. Watch now Step Two: Win Elections New techniques in districting allow legislators to essentially pick ... Read More
