If you read no further, understand this: Black Lives Matter = if anyone kills a Black person, their punishment should be the same as if they killed someone from any other race.
How the Supreme Court allowed police brutality to persist
Police violence in America stems from a judicial failing, not just the acts of individual bad actors.
We’re in a moment of collective trauma. But there are glimmers of hope
We need to remember that policing is but a single component of the larger system of oppression so acutely felt in the Black community.
Chaos or community? Where do we go from here?
Unlike the sixties, we instantly see footage of Ahmaud Arbery shot while jogging, Amy Cooper playing the victim, and the public execution of George Floyd. The assault on the senses is constant and relentless, exacerbated by Internet trolls and foreign interference. And, a president who daily rubs nerves raw as he misleads and incites.
Illusions of consent and COVID-19-tracking apps
COVID-tracking apps help identify parties with whom a COVID-infected person had contact. The apps do so by drawing on information about the location of a person’s mobile phone and its proximity to other devices. Experts, including the Bloomberg School of Public Health at John Hopkins, view this technology as a necessary boost to manual contract … Continue reading »
Does the rule of law apply to Trump? The U.S. Supreme Court must decide
In generations past, the high court ruled unanimously to limit the power of Nixon and Clinton. Now, in more volatile times, it must assess Trump’s claim of unprecedented power.
Protecting privacy on COVID-19 surveillance apps
COVID-19 tracking apps are here now and their impact on privacy and civil liberties is the focus of an emerging debate.
COVID: Arguing About the Invisible
Democracies are only as good as voters’ ability to see and judge for themselves. That’s why we’re at our best when citizens experience the issues firsthand. Like the economy. Political strategists have made a fortune telling clients “It’s the Economy, Stupid.” And they’re right. After all, most voters are bound to know someone who’s out … Continue reading »
Your credit card debt shouldn’t cost you your home
Under California law, your home can be taken away because of unpaid credit card, medical or other consumer debt. A bill pending in the Legislature would change that.
The clash over shelter-in-place rooted in slavery
The frightening demonstrations occurring outside state capitol buildings across the country in which right-wing hardliners are demanding governors lift shelter-in-place orders present a danger that goes far beyond immediate public health concerns. What we’re witnessing in fact threatens to dissolve whatever social cohesion we’ve managed to maintain as a country and ignite a new civil … Continue reading »
The COVID Crisis: What Next?
This past month Americans did something great and good and remarkably non-partisan. We changed the COVID disease’s infectivity – the dreaded “R0”. And we did it by an act of will. Very few politicians or journalists will admit this. The habit of finding fault – or more precisely, rival political parties to blame – is … Continue reading »
COVID-19: Could a perfect storm test European integration?
COVID-19 has put the European Union under unprecedented stress, but is the future of European integration now at risk?
If immigrants are not protected from COVID-19, everyone will suffer
Even though the virus is blind to people’s citizenship or visa status, immigrants can be especially vulnerable to infection, serious illness, financial hardship, and hateful discrimination. To mitigate the dangers that immigrants face — and the repercussions for everyone in the United States — we need more public-private partnerships.
Is California a nation-state?
Of all the American states, California is best-equipped to be a country by itself with its large territory delimited by ocean, mountains, and desert, and it has a disproportionate impact on the rest of the world as the fifth largest economy.
COVID-19: If We’re Truly ‘At War’ With the Virus, How Are Our Leaders Doing?
Pundits and politicians have spent weeks saying that the nation is “at war” with COVID-19. That said, some wartime leaders are better than others. Military history teaches us to judge them by at least four crucial issues.
Bernie, Jesse and the Democratic Party
I recently had an exchange with a Bernie Sanders supporter who had read my book on Jesse Jackson’s two presidential campaigns. It forced me to think of the similarities and differences between Jackson’s efforts and those of Sanders. The similarities are fairly obvious. Both ran campaigns to force the Democratic Party to shift to the … Continue reading »
How Gov. Newsom can help ease financial burdens for Californians
Following the COVID-19 economic freeze, the governor should aggressively restructure consumer contracts for loans, rent and utilities to provide relief to consumers.
As millions of students turn to online education, the FCC must implement bold changes to close the digital divide
With confirmed cases of coronavirus on the rise in the US, over 100,000 schools have closed, disrupting the education of over 55 million students. While many schools are turning to online instruction, the millions of students who fall into the “homework gap”— those who lack broadband access at home — risk falling further behind their … Continue reading »
The Supreme Court could work remotely during coronavirus crisis – and build rapport with citizens
On Monday, the United States Supreme Court announced that it was postponing the oral arguments scheduled for the weeks of March 23 and March 30 due to the coronavirus. But there was another alternative: It could have conducted the proceedings by remote technology and allowed the public to watch. There is precedent for postponing oral arguments. On … Continue reading »
The economic consequences of social distancing
Avoidance, social distancing and panic may have enormous economic consequences