Professor of History, Boston College

Democracy

After the Election, New Leadership and Old Cronyism

Joe Biden steps up as the Trump administration manufactures lies in an attempt to hold on — and perhaps profit

November 11, 2020 • by Heather Cox Richardson

I had hoped that the days when the news came like a firehose were over, but so far, no luck. On Monday, the stock market jumped 1200 points in its first day of trading after the announcement of Joe Biden’s victory. Over the course of the day it was up as ...

After the Election, New Leadership and Old Cronyism

Democracy

Measuring the Health of Our Democracy

As Trump spins his conspiracist narrative, Biden prepares to assume the presidency and the GOP holds him at arm’s length

November 5, 2020 • by Heather Cox Richardson

Counting continues in the 2020 presidential race. There is a lot I’d like to say about what this election looks like, but I will wait until it's final. Remember: the fact that polling officials are taking time to count the ballots is a good thing, not a bad one. And ...

Democracy

The Thin Blue Line

The Trump campaign weaves evangelicals and the alt-right more tightly into the president’s increasingly fragile base

October 26, 2020 • by Heather Cox Richardson

------ Recognizing that he is losing the demographics he needs to win reelection, Trump has clearly decided that his best bet is to spur his base to turn out in vast numbers and vote. To that end, he has given up any pretense of appealing to voters outside his base. At ...

Democracy

It’s…It’s…His Emails!

As voters stream to the polls, the Trump campaign frantically distracts from the GOP’s attack on democracy

October 15, 2020 • by Heather Cox Richardson

Tuesday began with a breathless story from a Murdoch tabloid, The New York Post alleging that, according to Donald Trump’s lawyer Rudy Giuliani, Joe Biden’s son, Hunter dropped off three laptops for repair in 2019 and never picked them up again. Then, the story alleges,the FBI subpoenaed the hard drives, but ...

Democracy

A Battle for the Soul of the Nation

A rising number of White House–related COVID cases exposes a presidency in collapse

October 8, 2020 • by Heather Cox Richardson

All weeek, COVID-19 infections have continued to mount in the vicinity of the Oval Office. At least 34 people near Trump have tested positive for the virus in the past few days. The White House press corps is down to a skeleton crew as Press Secretary, Kayleigh McEnany and four ...

North America

Malarkey!

As Donald Trump spins increasingly wild fantasies, the campaign tries to contain him and the Proud Boys stand by

October 1, 2020 • by Heather Cox Richardson

----- So, what was happening while we were distracted by Donald Trump’s shocking performance in the first presidential debate this week? First, the President's tax returns, publicized daily by the New York Times since last Sunday, have taken a back seat to his support for the white supremacist gang the Proud Boys and his ...

Columnists

Joe Biden’s Campaign Moving to Solid Ground as the Trump Team Distracts

Let’s take a closer look at what the Republicans are distracting us from, shall we?

September 22, 2020 • by Heather Cox Richardson

The idea of defunding cities is vague and it is also odd, considering how many Americans actually live in cities. The U.S. Conference of Mayors wrote to Trump on September 7 to ask him to rescind his memorandum, noting that “attacks on America’s cities are attacks on America itself. America’s ...

Joe Biden’s Campaign Moving to Solid Ground as the Trump Team Distracts

Democracy

Feminist Legal Pioneer Ruth Bader Ginsburg Dies at 87

Progressives mourn a SCOTUS legend, famous for potent dissents, who saw gender equity as a path to civil rights for all

September 19, 2020 • by Heather Cox Richardson

----------- Today, flowers are strewn on the steps of the Supreme Court, where “Equal Justice Under Law” is carved in stone. More than a thousand people gathered there tonight to mourn the passing of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who died last night from cancer at age 87. Justice Ginsburg was born in ...

Feminist Legal Pioneer Ruth Bader Ginsburg Dies at 87

Democracy

While Trump Flails, Biden Quietly Moves Forward

Re-election initiatives increasingly look like spaghetti thrown against the wall — and it isn’t sticking

September 18, 2020 • by Heather Cox Richardson

————— It feels like power is slipping away from Trump and his administration, and they are trying desperately to claw it back. Meanwhile, Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden and his team are trying to criticize the president without getting sucked into his orbit, so they can focus on moving the country ...

While Trump Flails, Biden Quietly Moves Forward

North America

“Alternative Facts” Produce Real Disasters

As Trump officials hide the truth to support the boss’s re-election campaign, Americans become more ill-informed — and vulnerable — than ever

September 13, 2020 • by Heather Cox Richardson

----- Saturday night, at about 10:30, reporter Dan Diamond posted another blockbuster story in Politico. Political appointees at the Department of Health and Human Services have been altering the weekly scientific reports issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), reports that track the course of the coronavirus pandemic. These ...

“Alternative Facts” Produce Real Disasters

Politics

William Barr Will Follow Fake News with Fake Testimony

Settling into the role of Donald Trump’s fixer, the Attorney General takes his first walk up the Hill since confirmation

July 28, 2020 • by Heather Cox Richardson

Attorney General William Barr will testify before the House Judiciary Committee today for the first time. Democrats tried to get him to appear to explain why he had misrepresented what was in Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s Report about Russia’s interference in the 2016 election. He refused to show up after ...

William Barr Will Follow Fake News with Fake Testimony

Politics

Representative John Lewis, a Hero for Our Time

And what Donald Trump could still learn from him

July 18, 2020 • by Heather Cox Richardson

______________________ Last night, just before midnight, we heard the news that 80-year-old Georgia Representative John Lewis has passed away from pancreatic cancer. As a young adult, Lewis was a “troublemaker,” breaking the laws of his state: he broke the laws upholding racial segregation. He organized voting registration drives and in 1960 was ...

Heather Cox Richardson

After the Election, New Leadership and Old Cronyism

Joe Biden steps up as the Trump administration manufactures lies in an attempt to hold on — and perhaps profit

Measuring the Health of Our Democracy

As Trump spins his conspiracist narrative, Biden prepares to assume the presidency and the GOP holds him at arm’s length

The Thin Blue Line

The Trump campaign weaves evangelicals and the alt-right more tightly into the president’s increasingly fragile base

It’s…It’s…His Emails!

As voters stream to the polls, the Trump campaign frantically distracts from the GOP’s attack on democracy

A Battle for the Soul of the Nation

A rising number of White House–related COVID cases exposes a presidency in collapse

Malarkey!

As Donald Trump spins increasingly wild fantasies, the campaign tries to contain him and the Proud Boys stand by

Joe Biden’s Campaign Moving to Solid Ground as the Trump Team Distracts

Let’s take a closer look at what the Republicans are distracting us from, shall we?

Feminist Legal Pioneer Ruth Bader Ginsburg Dies at 87

Progressives mourn a SCOTUS legend, famous for potent dissents, who saw gender equity as a path to civil rights for all

While Trump Flails, Biden Quietly Moves Forward

Re-election initiatives increasingly look like spaghetti thrown against the wall — and it isn’t sticking

“Alternative Facts” Produce Real Disasters

As Trump officials hide the truth to support the boss’s re-election campaign, Americans become more ill-informed — and vulnerable — than ever

William Barr Will Follow Fake News with Fake Testimony

Settling into the role of Donald Trump’s fixer, the Attorney General takes his first walk up the Hill since confirmation

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