The Kyrsten Sinema Theory of American Politics

Kyrsten Sinema knows what everybody says about her. She pretends not to read the press coverage—“I don’t really care”—but she knows. She knows what her colleagues call her behind her back (“egomaniac,” “traitor”). She knows how many articles The New York Times has published about her wardrobe (five). She feels misunderstood, and she would like to explain herself. We’re sitting across from each other in her “hideaway,” a small, windowless room in the basement of the U.S. Capitol Building. Every senator gets one of these subterranean, chamber-adjacent bunkers, and most…

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Critical Race Theory And The Afterlives of Slavery

<p class=”is-style-sans-serif”>This article is part of TPM Cafe, TPM&#8217;s home for opinion and news analysis. </p> <p>The outpouring of protest following the death of George Floyd last year made it painfully obvious that we are far from the postracial dream of not long ago. Those intense divisions have moved from the streets to the classrooms, as <a href=”https://www.brookings.edu/blog/fixgov/2021/07/02/why-are-states-banning-critical-race-theory/”>half the states</a> have passed or are considering legislation restricting the study of critical race theory. With Governor Doug Burgum’s signature, <a href=”https://www.democracynow.org/2021/11/17/headlines/north_dakota_bans_teaching_about_structural_racism_in_schools”>North Dakota</a> becomes the latest state to ban CRT in public…

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Trump stokes ‘birther’ conspiracy theory about Kamala Harris

President Donald Trump says he has “heard” Democratic candidate Kamala Harris “doesn’t qualify” to serve as US vice-president, amplifying a fringe legal theory critics decry as racist. She was born in the US to a Jamaican father and Indian mother in Oakland, California, on 20 October 1964. As such, she is eligible to serve as president or vice-president. For years, Mr Trump promoted a false “birther” theory that ex-President Barack Obama was not born in the US. Ms Harris, a California senator, was named on Tuesday as the first woman…

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