Attention to the Unseen

Bess Levin writes: A sitting U.S. president who can’t stop attacking black and brown people. A never-ending trade war that has necessitated more than one multibillion-dollar farm bailout. A humanitarian crisis on the border of his own state. These are just a handful of the many issues that Senator Ted Cruz could be focused on. Instead, he’s currently devoting his efforts to a much more important cause: demanding another tax cut for the rich, this time without Congress’s approval. In…

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Donald Trump and Republicans in Congress claim that America spends too much on things like food stamps, welfare, and foreign aid. But let’s look at how the government actually spends your federal tax dollars each year. pic.twitter.com/yHPOvPZvRN — Robert Reich (@RBReich) July 30, 2019

In his letter of resignation, Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats, writes: I am pleased with the accomplishments the ODNI and the broader Intelligence Community have achieved. We have established a shared vision called IC 2025 and focused our initiatives to ensure that the Intelligence Community is best positioned to address the continuing evolution of threats facing our nation. I have ensured that we have the capabilities necessary to protect against those who would do us harm, including through reauthorization…

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The New York Times reports: For what is supposed to be perhaps the most nonpartisan job in Washington — the director of national intelligence — President Trump has selected one of the fiercest political warriors in the capital. Mr. Trump’s choice, Representative John Ratcliffe of Texas, has established himself during his nearly five years in Congress as a tough partisan and as one of Mr. Trump’s most effective defenders. A relentless critic of the Russia investigation, Mr. Ratcliffe has shared…

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David A. Graham writes: Faced with a series of headlines that he doesn’t like, Trump endeavors to change the subject, by whatever means necessary. It’s reminiscent of the old parody motivational poster that reads, “The beatings will continue until morale improves.” Or, in Trump’s case: “The tweeting will continue until the chyrons improve.” In the past, this has worked well for Trump. His ability to change the subject has managed to prevent sustained attention on some of the biggest scandals…

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Timothy L. O’Brien writes: Back in February, Representative Elijah Cummings, a black Democrat, stood up for his friend, Representative Mark Meadows, a white Republican. Members of Congress were fielding the testimony of President Donald Trump’s former attorney, Michael Cohen, when Representative Rashida Tlaib, a Democrat, accused Meadows of racism for trotting out a female black Trump appointee as a stage prop during the hearing. “My nieces and nephews are people of color, not many people know that,” Meadows responded, fuming….

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Jamelle Bouie writes: Trump is explicitly operating in the old American political tradition of race baiting, which used to go by another name — of denouncing blacks, immigrants and other hated groups to win votes and turn attention from the actual material agendas at work. This type of politics dominated the South from the end of Reconstruction until the civil rights era, electing generations of Southern politicians, including now obscure but once infamous names like Senator James K. Vardaman of…

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Ayman M. Mohyeldin reports: Prince Khaled bin Farhan al-Saud sat in one of the few safe locations he frequents in Düsseldorf and ordered each of us a cup of coffee. With his close-cropped goatee and crisp gray suit, he looked surprisingly relaxed for a hunted man. He described his constant fear of being abducted, the precautions he takes when venturing outside, and how German law enforcement officials routinely check on him to make sure he is all right. Recently, bin…

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Gillian Brockell writes: It was December 1861, a Tuesday at noon, when President Abraham Lincoln sent his first annual message ⁠ — what later became the State of the Union ⁠— to the House and Senate. By the next day, all 7,000 words of the manuscript were published in newspapers across the country, including the Confederate South. This was Lincoln’s first chance to speak to the nation at length since his inaugural address. He railed against the “disloyal citizens” rebelling…

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