In a truly cringe-worthy moment, President Donald Trump called on staff at a press conference yesterday to attest to his being calm and measured in a controversial meeting with Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Pelosi described Trump as throwing a “temper tantrum.” I am perfectly willing to accept that the portrayal was unfair, but the solution was not to have awkward testimonials of five staffers lined up like a firing squad. It took seconds for media around the world to portray the event as an American version of an impromptu moment with “the Dear One.”
Continue reading “Trump Holds Press Conference And Asks Staff For Testimonials Of His Calm Demeanor”
I have been highly critical of what I view as the erosion of the line between journalism and advocacy in cable news, including
With all of the criticism of asylum cases at the border, it is easy to forget that there are many worthy applicants for asylum and one that should get priority view is Asia Bibi and her family. After the Pakistani Supreme Court overturned her abusive death sentence for blasphemy, Muslims violently rioted demanding the reimposition of the sentence. Asia Bibi was 
I have 
Dr. Carol Christine Fair, an associate professor in the Security Studies Program at Georgetown, has created a firestorm of controversy after she called for the castration and “miserable death” of Republican senators. This is not her first such controversy in profanely attacking Republicans.
Below is my column in USA Today on the upcoming hearing on the allegations of Dr. Christine Blasey Ford against Judge Bret Kavanaugh. There has been a strange disconnect as Democrats denounce Republicans for prejudging Ford or denying her an impartial hearing while they announced in advance that they believe her — and by extension they do not believe Kavanaugh. While the Senate is not a court of law, both sides recognize that they are supposed to afford witnesses a fair and unbiased hearing, particularly when the subject is such a serious allegation as attempted rape.
There has remained considerable debate over the number of illegal immigrants in the country — a figure that obviously has great import in our ongoing debate over immigration policy. Now, Yale and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have completed a study that that doubles the prior estimate of 11 million. That figure was used to argue for the passage of amnesty legislation. However, the study finds that the actual number is roughly 22 million. 
After the Senate agreed to extend the last deadline on Friday to 2:30 today, Christine Blasey Ford has agreed to testify while seeking to continue to negotiate on some details with the Senate. It is not clear how much progress has been made since Ford previously said she would testify but would not agree on the date or conditions. Then she pulled back from that commitment while seeking conditions. Now she is saying again that she would testify but again asking for conditions and negotiations.