Author: Common Dreams

In the hours after President Donald Trump yet again declared the press the “enemy of the people” in speech that incited his supporters to storm the halls of Congress on Wednesday, the pro-Trump mob chased journalists covering the chaos, destroyed their equipment, and even carved “murder the media” into a door at the U.S. Capitol. Reporters took to social media during and after the siege to share the alarming attacks, which were forcefully condemned by industry colleagues, union leaders, and journalism advocacy groups that have long condemned the president’s “media-bashing” and warned of its negative impacts on press freedom...

Hours after a violent mob stormed the U.S. Capitol Building in a flailing but dangerous attempt to overthrow the democratic process — an effort incited by President Donald Trump and abetted by GOP lawmakers — Congress certified President-elect Joe Biden’s decisive 306-232 Electoral College victory on January 7. The certification came after both the House and Senate resumed work following the eventual clearing of the Capitol, which was invaded and vandalized by Trump supporters on January 6 acting on the president’s incessant lies that the election was rigged and stolen from him—lies he continued to peddle even as his...

Demands that President Donald Trump be fully held to account for inciting the fascist mob that rampaged through the U.S. Capitol Building proliferated on January 6 as all utter turmoil gripped Washington DC, with members of Congress and journalists forced to seek shelter as the lame-duck incumbent’s supporters shattered windows and clashed with law enforcement. “Arrest the president,” tweeted New York Times columnist Jamelle Bouie. “I’m not joking. He incited a riot to try to sack the Congress and install himself in office. Our laws mean nothing if he can continue to live a free man.” Progressive activist Kai...

The United States will never be at peace so long as Trump is free to create mischief and mayhem. He needs to prosecuted to the full extent of the law. The problem of what to do with Donald Trump after he has left office has been a matter of heated debate. Do nothing, or prosecute him? Let him go, or hang him up? The stakes are extraordinarily high and we need to get it right. Fortunately, we have an excellent historical case that can give us guidance. It comes from the English Civil War of the 1600s. Charles I was...

During the Republican National Convention on August 26, Vice President Mike Pence closed out his acceptance speech with a biblical sleight of hand. Speaking before a crowd at the Fort McHenry National Monument in Baltimore, he exclaimed, “Let’s fix our eyes on Old Glory and all she represents. Let’s fix our eyes on this land of heroes and let their courage inspire.” In doing so, he essentially rewrote a passage from the New Testament’s Book of Hebrews: “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured...

“Ok, Republicans. If you want to talk about an election being rigged, let’s talk about it. You gerrymandered all of the red states, you suppressed the vote, you closed polling places, you removed drop boxes, you vilified mail-in voting, you disrupted the USPS, and you know what? You still lost.” – Mindy Fischer When the economy in a democratic but capitalist country fails, there are two alternatives. You can modify the economic system. Or, you can modify the political system. When you modify the economic system (capitalism) but retain the political system (democracy), you have the arrangement the U.S....