States

An Arkansas girl in migrant camp near Greenfield, Salinas Valley, Calif., 1939

How Reading “The Economist” Helped Me to Stop Worrying About White Supremacy How Reading “The Economist” Helped Me to Stop Worrying About White Supremacy

A recent viral sensation identifies the migration of poor whites as the cause of the problem—letting the rest of us off the hook!

Apr 21, 2023 / Sarah Taber

A woman, seen in silhouette, works down a staircase in a home.

The Long-Feared Eviction Tsunami Is Here The Long-Feared Eviction Tsunami Is Here

Pandemic-era protections are gone and rental assistance has dried up. Eviction filings increased by nearly 80 percent last year compared to the year before.

Apr 20, 2023 / Bryce Covert

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis at a podium, seen from below, with his image on a large TV screen above him.

Ron DeSantis Might Have Already Blown His Shot at 2024 Ron DeSantis Might Have Already Blown His Shot at 2024

A top donor backs off over the governor’s six-week abortion law and book banning. A threat to build a state prison adjacent to Disney World seems unhinged. “Pudding fingers” is mak...

Apr 19, 2023 / Joan Walsh

Live to fight another day: A scene from the Texas Observer’s victory party.

The Brief Death and Miraculous Resurrection of the “Texas Observer” The Brief Death and Miraculous Resurrection of the “Texas Observer”

Progressive media is not a “business.” It’s a labor movement.

Apr 13, 2023 / Gabriel Arana

Kristi Noem speaks at a podium

States Were Adding Lessons About Native American History—Then Came the Anti-CRT Movement States Were Adding Lessons About Native American History—Then Came the Anti-CRT Movement

Educators worry new efforts to teach Native American studies could be undermined by legislation to restrict discussion of race and ethnicity.

Apr 12, 2023 / Lourdes Medrano

Three protesters with signs reading

A Conservative Christian Judge Rules Against Medication Abortion. How Hard Will Democrats Fight Back? A Conservative Christian Judge Rules Against Medication Abortion. How Hard Will Democrats Fight Back?

Debate has erupted over how the Biden administration, blue states, and the abortion-rights movement should respond to this unprecedented decision.

Apr 11, 2023 / Amy Littlefield

Students protesting gun violence make their way through the state capitol in Nashville on April 3, 2023

Is a New Civil Rights Movement Taking Hold in Nashville? Is a New Civil Rights Movement Taking Hold in Nashville?

We see the work of John Lewis and Diane Nash in the multiracial movement behind Justin Jones and Justin Pearson. Simplistic comparisons are dangerous. Hope is not.

Apr 11, 2023 / Joan Walsh

Scott Walker campaigning for Senate candidate Leah Vukmir in 2018

Wisconsin Is Finally Coming Out of Its Scott Walker Nightmare Wisconsin Is Finally Coming Out of Its Scott Walker Nightmare

The ex-governor seems terrified that the state’s recent elections could threaten the conservative domination he helped create—and he should be.

Apr 11, 2023 / John Nichols

A woman wearing a shirt saying

The GOP May Be Losing on Abortion, but It’s Winning Extremist Abortion Bans Anyway The GOP May Be Losing on Abortion, but It’s Winning Extremist Abortion Bans Anyway

Since Dobbs, abortion has proven to be a major motivating factor in elections—but the Republican Party keeps finding crueler ways to take abortion rights away.

Apr 10, 2023 / Joan Walsh

Senator Megan Hunt

Democrats Can Win on Trans Issues—but Only if They Fight Democrats Can Win on Trans Issues—but Only if They Fight

Though culture war bigotry loses at the ballot box, centrist Democrats have been too quick to surrender.

Apr 7, 2023 / Jeet Heer

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