It may be hard to admit that the rise of Donald Trump really was a singular event.
Two weeks ago, a political media moment occurred that gave many observers a flashback to the Trump presidency. The CDC issues guidelines on April 27 stating that outdoor mask usage outside of close groups was no longer necessary. Many liberals and conservatives had supported this change for months due to new research about the lack of outdoor coronavirus transmission.
But Fox News host Tucker Carlson took the suggestions further. He insinuated on his 8 P.M. television show that people should call out and…
Knowledge is essential to properly preparing for severe weather.
On March 18, calamity was predicted for the city of Raleigh, North Carolina. The National Weather Service issued a Level 4, or “moderate risk,” severe weather advisory for the greater Triangle area. This is the second-most serious advisory for severe weather that the National Weather Service issues. Meteorologists warned that the region would be subject to damaging winds, hail up to two inches, and a number of strong tornadoes. They pointed to similar damage shortly before in Alabama and Mississippi, where six people were injured among an outbreak of dozens of tornadoes.
Instead of undermining them at every possible opportunity, use and regulate them.
Elon Musk has made his presence known in the world again. The Tesla founder and one of the world’s few centibillionaires launched a group of astronauts to the International Space Station on Saturday. This launch was lauded as a breakthrough for privately funded space travel. It will give the United States an alternative to its previously embarrassing need to travel to space with other countries’ rockets following the retirement of the space shuttle program in 2011. …
Economic action works far better against corporations than it does against legislators.
The American political lens has once again turned to the Peach State in recent months. Georgia has found itself as a center of political controversy as a result of its new so-called election reform law. The Election Integrity Act of 2021, passed on March 25, enacts a number of harmful restrictions that will make it more difficult for poor people, African Americans, and other traditionally Democratic constituencies to vote. The bill became notorious for restricting volunteers from handing out food and water at the polls, sometimes to people…
Viral science will never be the same after the COVID-19 vaccines of the past year.
The world today does not know how to fully process the introduction of the vaccines that are on their way to ending the COVID-19 pandemic. Several recent articles have done an admirable job of explaining how the vaccines work and the many steps in the supply chain necessary to get a vaccine from idea to reality. But the idea that vaccines are effective and widespread enough to end the pandemic still seems farfetched to some scientists. In a recent Meet the Press interview, Dr. …
Parts of the party have changed. But will those changes matter?
Has the Republican Party actually changed?
The modern iteration of this idea has been floated since at least the late 1990s. The theory behind it was that the pro-corporate, low-tax, laissez-faire mindset that captured the party in the 1980s needed to be updated for the 21st century. George W. Bush called his approach “compassionate conservatism,” a movement that lasted until September 11, 2001. The famed 2012 Republican “autopsy” urged a more inclusive approach to immigration and other issues the party believed they needed to moderate on.
He might not go as big as the left wants him to. But he’s not going to start cutting taxes either.
Democrats have been pulling Joe Biden back and forth for the past two weeks. Ever since their first stimulus package passed, they have advised Biden on how to conduct the remainder of his presidency. The White House has settled on a multi-trillion-dollar infrastructure proposal that focuses on building both physical and human infrastructure, the former focused on roads and bridges and the latter focused on education and welfare. But questions remain about the trajectory of this bill. Should it…
New York is not dead yet.
The past year has seen a number of lamentations about the death of major American cities. Several commentators have argued that the coronavirus pandemic has irrevocably altered the fortunes of cities. These commentators point to the shining towers and sprawling office parks that power the economic engines of places such as New York, San Francisco, Seattle, and Chicago. These are cities built on people needing to live close to physical offices. The idea is that, with the rise of remote work, people will move to cheaper cities in states such as Texas, Idaho, and…
And what does he stand to gain if his gamble pays off?
The American Rescue Program (ARP) was signed by President Joe Biden on March 11. Its ramifications are still being analyzed and discussed this week. For many, the bill is the clearest way for the United States to build its way out of the economic calamity caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. It is a significant act of wealth redistribution that could become permanent. Many Democrats view the bill as necessary to avoiding a political bloodbath in the 2022 midterm elections.
He’s not vulnerable.
The Joe Biden presidency has started off in a manner that has shocked many on the left. Most writers and pundits believed that Republicans would launch an all-out assault against Biden like they did against Bill Clinton and Barack Obama. They would filibuster everything, threaten to shut down the government at every opportunity, and allege that Biden’s policies would kill grandparents. Even without a Senate majority, Democrats still believed Mitch McConnell could dictate the future path of the Biden administration.
But none of these predictions have come true. Democrats have passed their massive, $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief…
Eric Medlin
I’m a writer interested in the intersections of history, ideas, and politics. I publish every week. www.twitter.com/medlinwrites
