Political Accountability Isn’t Dead Yet

On September 22, when federal prosecutors accused Senator Robert Menendez of taking hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes, Representative Andy Kim, a fellow New Jersey Democrat, asked one of his neighbors what he thought of the charges. “That’s Jersey,” the man replied. The neighbor’s shrug spoke volumes about not only a state with a sordid history of political corruption but also a country that seemed to have grown inured to scandal. In nearby New York, George Santos had settled into his Republican House seat despite having been indicted on…

Read More...

Harris dashed to Dubai to tackle climate change and war. Each carries high political risks at home

Filling in for President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris flew to the Middle East to tackle a pair of challenges that have flummoxed White Houses for decades: climate change and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Each carries the risk of political blowback going into next year’s presidential elections. The Washington Times stories: White House

Read More...

Unprecedented Indictment of Trump Likely to Deepen Political Divisions

For the first time in our nation’s history, a former president has been indicted by the federal government. And not just a former president, but the current front-runner in the race for the Republican presidential nomination.    A federal grand jury in South Florida has returned a combined 38-count indictment against former President Donald Trump and his personal aide, Waltine “Walt” Nauta.   The 44-page indictment includes 37 counts against former Trump—31 counts alleging a violation of willful retention of national defense information, one count of conspiracy to obstruct justice,…

Read More...

Political Campaigns May Never Be the Same

Depending on whom you ask in politics, the sudden advances in artificial intelligence will either transform American democracy for the better or bring about its ruin. At the moment, the doomsayers are louder. Voice-impersonation technology and deep-fake videos are scaring campaign strategists, who fear that their deployment in the days before the 2024 election could decide the winner. Even some AI developers are worried about what they’ve unleashed: Last week the CEO of the company behind ChatGPT practically begged Congress to regulate his industry. (Whether that was genuine civic-mindedness or…

Read More...

Why federal employees are watching the political landscape more than ever

If you wonder why federal employees worry, along with everyone else, consider: mini financial crises, a stubbornly bear stock market, no breakthroughs on Social Security solvency, and the debt-ceiling debate dragging out. For one point of view, the Federal Drive with Tom Temin talked with John Hatton, vice president for Policy at the National Association of Active and Retired Federal Employees (NARFE). Interview transcript: Tom Temin People are concerned. I actually had a reader write to me asking, well, our TSP funds insured? Unfortunately, no. And nobody’s investments are insured yet,…

Read More...