Skip to main content

The American Savings Crisis, Explained

Jeff Spross The Week
Americans didn't magically suffer a collective collapse in self-discipline over the last four decades. So what changed? The economy, stupid.

7 Words You Can't Say at Trump's CDC

Jon Queally Common Dreams
'Making America Stupid Again': Outrage Over Forbidden 7 Words You Can't Say at Trump's CDC The existence of a list of reportedly banned words—including "vulnerable," "entitlement," "diversity," "transgender," "fetus," "evidence-based" and "science-based"—was described by Sen. Kamala Harris as "downright ridiculous."

Friday Nite Videos | December 15, 2017

Portside
Black Women Save America from Roy Moore. "I Want a Marriage Like They Had in the Bible." Doug Jones Wins in Alabama; Moore, Bannon and Trump Lose. How to Be the Perfect Rape Victim. R.I.P. The Internet.

As the ANC Meets: Whither South Africa’s Historic Liberation Organization

Raymond Suttner Mail & Guardian
This weekend the African National Congress will choose a new president to replace Jacob Zuma, but all of the contenders have been, in varying degrees, complicit in Zuma's corrupt rule. While one needs to be cautious before suggesting an organization that has been at the center of freedom struggles for over a century will disappear, it is equally difficult to imagine the ANC ever regaining the moral stature and trust it once enjoyed, whoever is elected to lead the ANC.

Puzder Confirmation as Labor Secretary Pushed Back after Worker Protests Ignite

Janet Sparks Blue MauMau
The confirmation hearing for Trump's Secretary of Labor nominee, Andrew Puzder, was scheduled to start January 17 but has been pushed back and may not happen until next month. It may be that worker protest is having an impact. Critics have revealed that Puzder's company has frequently violated wage and hour, and safety and health laws.

Dr. Martin Luther King TODAY: Collection of Articles

SaVonne Anderson Mashable
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was one of the most influential black leaders in history. His legacy has inspired people around the world to fight for equality — but that hyper-visibility also led to the whitewashing and sanitization of his life. It's a disservice to King's memory to ignore the full scope of his beliefs and his complexity as a person. His words can teach us a lot about what it means to be an activist and advocate for social justice.

Next Time Trump Bashes Mexico, Remember This

Michael Hogan History News Network
Many US historians have advanced the theory that Lincoln spoke against the war for political reasons, subsequent speeches disprove that theory as do his letters to his law partner, William Herndon. He railed against the war a second time a month after his famous “spot resolutions” over objections of the younger members of his party, and even voted for an amendment condemning the war which was tacked on to a resolution honoring war hero Zachary Taylor, who would be next