Professor of History, Boston College

Politics

All Trump’s Men

A potential Trump indictment in New York created many problems for the Republican Party leaders

March 21, 2023 • by Heather Cox Richardson

Trump's demands for his supporters to rally around him again have produced anemic results......

Politics

Right-Wing Accusations of Voter Fraud Are Not New

Republican opposition to the popular vote is a historical issue

October 19, 2022 • by Heather Cox Richardson

Republicans’ rejection of the idea that voters have the right to choose their leaders is not a new phenomenon. It is part and parcel of Republican governance since the 1980s, when it became clear to Republican leaders that their “supply-side economics,” a program designed to put more money into the ...

Migration

Migrants Need Safety, Not Stunts

There are two big stories behind DeSantis chartering planes to move migrants from state to state

September 20, 2022 • by Heather Cox Richardson

DeSantis apparently dispatched the migrants with a videographer to take images of them arriving, entirely unexpectedly, on the upscale island, presumably in an attempt to present the image that Democratic areas can’t handle immigrants (in fact, more than 12% of the island’s 17,000 full-time residents were born in foreign countries, ...

Politics

Are Republicans Sobering Up?

Trump’s star appears to be dimming, and there are more clouds on the horizon

July 26, 2022 • by Heather Cox Richardson

Trump’s star appears to be dimming, and there are more clouds on the horizon...

Capitalism

Capitalism Is Trumping Democracy at Home

During the Cold War, American leaders came to treat democracy and capitalism as if they were interchangeable

May 27, 2022 • by Heather Cox Richardson

All day, I have been coming back to this: How have we arrived at a place where 90% of Americans want to protect our children from gun violence, and yet those who are supposed to represent us in government are unable, or unwilling, to do so? This is a central problem ...

Democracy

“I’ve had enough”

When are we going to do something?

May 25, 2022 • by Heather Cox Richardson

Today, a gunman murdered at least 19 children and 2 adults at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas. For years now, after one massacre or another, I have written some version of the same article, explaining that the nation’s current gun free-for-all is not traditional but, rather, is a symptom of ...

Politics

Did a Republican Senator Really Say Interracial Marriage Should Be Left to States?

Republicans want to return power to the states, where those who are allowed to vote can impose discriminatory laws on minorities

March 25, 2022 • by Heather Cox Richardson

Right on cue, Republican Senator Mike Braun of Indiana today told a reporter that states not only should decide the issue of abortion but should also be able to decide the issues of whether interracial marriage should be legal and whether couples should have access to contraception. He told a ...

Did a Republican Senator Really Say Interracial Marriage Should Be Left to States?

Politics

Did Putin Dupe Xi?

Plus: “Catastrophic hunger,” Ketanji Brown Jackson’s path to the Supreme Court, the Putinization of US Evangelicals, and an 11-point plan that will make the hair stand up on the back of your neck

March 21, 2022 • by Heather Cox Richardson

This week, President Joe Biden and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping spoke about the Russian invasion of Ukraine, speaking personally for the first time since last November. In early February, before the invasion, Xi and Russian president Vladimir Putin met and issued a 5000-word statement pledging limitless “friendship.” But it ...

Race

The Implications of March 7, 1965

The history of Bloody Sunday and where we stand today

March 14, 2022 • by Heather Cox Richardson

The story of March 7, 1965, in Selma is the story of Americans determined to bring to life the principle articulated in the Declaration of Independence that a government’s claim to authority comes from the consent of the governed....

North America

The Future of the GOP

Has the Republic National Committee firmly dragged the Republican Party into Trump’s war on our democracy?

February 8, 2022 • by Heather Cox Richardson

Coming as the statement did, just after former President Trump said that Pence had the power to “overturn the election” and, that if reelected, Trump would pardon those who attacked the Capitol, it has put the Republican Party openly on the side of overturning our democracy....

The Internet

The Fall of Facebook

Plus the insurrection subcommittee prepares to confront Trump and the debt ceiling fight continues

October 5, 2021 • by Heather Cox Richardson

“hello literally everyone,” the official account of Twitter tweeted on Monday afternoon, after Facebook and its affiliated platforms Instagram and WhatsApp went dark at about 11:40 this morning. The Facebook outage lasted for more than six hours and appears to have been caused by an internal error. But the void ...

Politics

Battle of the Budget

What happens when the Republicans filibuster a necessary measure to keep the government operating?

September 29, 2021 • by Heather Cox Richardson

On September 27, the Senate considered a bill to fund the government until December and to raise the debt ceiling. The Republicans joined together to filibuster it. Such a move is extraordinary. Not only did the Republicans vote against a measure that would keep the government operating and keep it from ...

Heather Cox Richardson

All Trump’s Men

A potential Trump indictment in New York created many problems for the Republican Party leaders

Right-Wing Accusations of Voter Fraud Are Not New

Republican opposition to the popular vote is a historical issue

Migrants Need Safety, Not Stunts

There are two big stories behind DeSantis chartering planes to move migrants from state to state

Are Republicans Sobering Up?

Trump’s star appears to be dimming, and there are more clouds on the horizon

Capitalism Is Trumping Democracy at Home

During the Cold War, American leaders came to treat democracy and capitalism as if they were interchangeable

“I’ve had enough”

When are we going to do something?

Did a Republican Senator Really Say Interracial Marriage Should Be Left to States?

Republicans want to return power to the states, where those who are allowed to vote can impose discriminatory laws on minorities

Did Putin Dupe Xi?

Plus: “Catastrophic hunger,” Ketanji Brown Jackson’s path to the Supreme Court, the Putinization of US Evangelicals, and an 11-point plan that will make the hair stand up on the back of your neck

The Implications of March 7, 1965

The history of Bloody Sunday and where we stand today

The Future of the GOP

Has the Republic National Committee firmly dragged the Republican Party into Trump’s war on our democracy?

The Fall of Facebook

Plus the insurrection subcommittee prepares to confront Trump and the debt ceiling fight continues

Battle of the Budget

What happens when the Republicans filibuster a necessary measure to keep the government operating?

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