Below is my column in The Hill on the expected appearance of Michael Cohen in the Manhattan trial of former president Donald Trump. It will be a scene that is both mesmerizing and repellent for many, particularly in the bar.
Here is the column:
The backlash over the settlement of Northwestern University with pro-Palestinian protesters continues to mount. In a letter acquired by The Daily Northwestern, seven out of 11 members of the “President’s Advisory Committee on Preventing Antisemitism and Hate” resigned this week in protest. Continue reading “Majority of Northwestern’s Anti-Semitism Task Force Members Resign Over Deal With Protesters”
Dartmouth, history Professor Annelise Orleck this week became the latest academic arrested in the pro-Palestinian protests unfolding on campuses across the country. Orleck’s case presents an interesting twice. Her criminal charge came with an order not to return to campus. She is teaching 60 students this term. Continue reading ““Actions Have Consequences”: Dartmouth Jewish Studies Professor Arrested at Pro-Palestinian Protest” 
The Trump short list for vice presidential candidates is reportedly down to Ohio Senator, J.D. Vance, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott and North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum. Rubio is a favorite for many due to his record in the Senate and his appeal to hispanic voters (where the GOP is hoping to make gains in the coming election). The problem is not Rubio or his record, but his residence. Continue reading “Trump’s 12th Amendment Problem: The VP Short List Has a Residency Dilemma”
In recent years, there has been much discussion of the claims of “trauma” by students caused by court rulings and other events. These developments are often cited as a basis for the cancellation of exam or classes. Conservative speakers, case decisions, and protests have all been cited in the past for such demands as well as the creation of therapy tents and trauma counseling. Now, editors of the Columbia Law Review (and editors of other journals) have called for the outright cancellation of exams due to the trauma of watching recent protests on campus. This is indeed a learning moment. Law students need to be able to face such moments without shutting down due to the stress. Our profession is filled with stress and trauma. It is the environment in which we operate. In those moments, we do not have the option of being a no-show. We make our appearance and speak for others.
Now this could truly be educational. Students protesting on our campuses have been offered free scholarships at Shiraz University in Fars. So, while Northwestern has reached a settlement with protesters to give scholarships to Palestinian students and positions to Palestinian faculty, U.S. protesters can now go to Iran for their education.
A poll from the American Press Institute and The Associated Press-NORC Center has found that a majority of Americans are extremely worried or very concerned about bias in the media and the reporting of false or misleading information. Only 48% of Republicans and 34% of independents still receive their news from national news outlets and expressed the greatest trust of the media. Continue reading “Poll: Majority of Americans Distrust in the Media”
When Robert Mueller appointed Andrew Weissmann as one of his top advisers, many of us warned that it was a poor choice. Weissmann seemed intent to prove those objections correct in increasingly unhinged and partisan statements. This week, he ratcheted up the rhetoric even further in claiming that the nation is “one vote away” from the end of democracy if the Supreme Court does not embrace the sweeping claims of Special Counsel Jack Smith. Continue reading “Weissmann: “One Vote Away from … the End of Democracy””
Northwestern University has agreed to a controversial settlement with pro-Palestinian protesters encamped on its campus this week, including a commitment for scholarships for Palestinians, Palestinian faculty appointments, and special housing for Muslim students. The protesters will also be allowed to continue their protests while agreeing to stay in a particular area of campus. It will also put the students and supporting faculty on bodies to review any university investments and purchases, a major demand from supporters of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement. Continue reading “The Path of Least Resistance: Northwestern Reaches Controversial Settlement With Pro-Palestinian Protesters”
There has been a notable shift toward more and more extreme rhetoric in the media from predicting that democracy will end with this election to “disappearing” journalists and gays to ending all rights for everyone. On Monday, MSNBC host Nicolle Wallace added to this litany with a claim that “as with racists, all of the conspiracy theorists are Republicans.” Continue reading “MSNBC’s Wallace: “All of the Conspiracy Theorists are Republicans.””
Washingtonian Magazine has included me among the most influential persons on public policy … and made public a terrible secret that I wanted to address before it triggers an extraterrestrial scandal.
Below is my column in The Hill on the first week of testimony in the Trump trial. It is making Rube Goldberg’s 13 step self-operating napkin look like a model of efficiency and clarity. It is so convoluted and illogical it is mesmerizing.
Here is the column: Continue reading “Alvin Bragg and The Art of Not Taking Law Too Seriously”
Nina Jankowicz is back . . . with a vengeance. The former head of the infamous “Disinformation Governance Board” within the Department of Homeland Security is now heading a private disinformation group called the American Sunlight Project. With a close election looming in November, Jankowicz has found funding to “to expose and oppose efforts to weaponize disinformation in the United States.” The establishment of the group is only the latest example of how many in politics and media are doubling down on efforts to paint opposing views as dangerous for democracy as the nation readies for a historic election. Continue reading ““Disinformation Czar” Jankowicz Returns as Head of New Project Before Election”
Last night, I had the pleasure of attending the White House Correspondents’ Dinner at the Washington Hilton.
This dinner was memorable from past years in the huge number of anti-Israeli protesters around the hotel. I was dropped off a couple blocks from the hotel and immediately confronted with protesters with cameras demanding that I denounce Israel. Once guests made it to the security line, they walked next to protesters shouting insults and some tossing fake blood. In other words, it was not that different from my campus so there was a sense of familiarity. Continue reading “The 2024 White House Correspondents’ Dinner Meets As Protests Rage Outside”
A student leader at Columbia is under fire this week over a newly-resurfaced video declaring that “Zionists don’t deserve to live.” Khymani James has been one of the leaders at the anti-Israel encampment at Columbia and featured prominently by media outlets. He is reportedly the spokesperson for Columbia’s anti-Israel student group Apartheid Divest. While banned this week from campus, James embodies the type of radical chic culture that pervades higher education among both faculty and students. Continue reading ““Zionists Don’t Deserve to Live”: Columbia Student Leader Under Fire for Violent Rhetoric”