Founded Shakesville, an intersectional feminist progressive political blog, in 2004. Follow her on Twitter @shakestweetz.
Oil and gas companies raked in huge profits as a result.
By Jesse Valentine - September 09, 2026
Women voters are expected to play a major role in this year’s midterms.
By Jesse Valentine - September 08, 2026
Nearly 30 years after having an abortion at 18, Las Vegas writer and activist Beth Osborne is sharing her story to push back against abortion stigma—and urging Nevada voters to approve Question 6, which would enshrine abortion rights in the state Constitution.
By Bonnie Fuller - September 04, 2026
The Kansas Senator initially voted against releasing the files, deriding the effort as a "political stunt.”
By Jesse Valentine - September 04, 2026
A lobbying group thanked Derek Wulf for supporting a glyphosate immunity bill.
By Jesse Valentine - September 03, 2026
The state’s districts were proposed by Republicans.
By Jesse Valentine - September 03, 2026
Garrity was an executive at Global Tungsten & Powders when it laid off hundreds of Pennsylvania workers.
By Jesse Valentine - September 02, 2026
Paraquat has been linked to Parkinson’s disease.
By Jesse Valentine - September 02, 2026
More than 15,000 Americans have contracted cyclosporiasis since May.
By Jesse Valentine - September 01, 2026
Republicans have repeatedly lied about Turek’s record.
By Jesse Valentine - September 01, 2026
Millions of Social Security recipients say they would not survive if the program was cut.
By Jesse Valentine - September 01, 2026
This is not the only time Arenholz’s business dealings have come under scrutiny.
By Jesse Valentine - September 01, 2026
Lawler supports the war in Iran.
By Jesse Valentine - August 31, 2026
There is no evidence that abortion pills are unsafe.
By Jesse Valentine - August 28, 2026
Biggs initially voted against releasing the Epstein files too.
By Jesse Valentine - August 27, 2026
Epstein associates have donated $90,000 to Hinson’s U.S. Senate campaign.
By Jesse Valentine - August 27, 2026
Both James and the DeVos family want to overhaul public education.
By Jesse Valentine - August 25, 2026
Chace Jackson was not paid $200,000 by special interests.
By Jesse Valentine - August 25, 2026
Luria has never been accused of insider trading and her net worth did not increase while serving in Congress.
By Jesse Valentine - August 25, 2026
Only 20% of voters like the idea, according to a 2025 Data for Progress survey.
By Jesse Valentine - August 24, 2026
The Sununu family has long been scrutinized for mixing business and politics.
By Jesse Valentine - August 19, 2026
Thomas Limehouse pleaded guilty and served a 20-month prison sentence.
By Jesse Valentine - August 18, 2026
Harvey West says North Carolina Republicans knew about his criminal record.
By Jesse Valentine - August 18, 2026
Nearly all of Begich’s 150 employees worked overseas.
By Jesse Valentine - August 17, 2026
Rogers consistently voted to advance oil and gas interests in Congress.
By Jesse Valentine - August 14, 2026
Policy experts say privatization would threaten the long-term solvency of the program.
By Jesse Valentine - August 13, 2026
Timko says his small business record qualifies him to hold public office.
By Jesse Valentine - August 13, 2026
She was absent for crucial committee decisions on AI child porn, crime, and health care.
By Jesse Valentine - August 13, 2026
Such a change could make mortgages more expensive and home loans harder to come by.
By Jesse Valentine - August 12, 2026
A devastated Texas dad says his wife’s death after a miscarriage was preventable—and that the state’s abortion ban helped create the dangerous “gray area” that kept doctors from giving her the care she needed.
By Bonnie Fuller - August 12, 2026
The programs provide health insurance to 123 million people.
By Jesse Valentine - August 12, 2026
Shea said struggling Americans are “impatient.”
By Jesse Valentine - August 11, 2026
Sununu’s net worth is $36.3 million.
By Jesse Valentine - August 10, 2026
Consumers' water bill could go up as a result.
By Jesse Valentine - August 06, 2026
A recent Gallup poll found that Americans’ ability to afford health care is at a five-year low.
By Jesse Valentine - August 04, 2026
Turek did not support voting rights for undocumented immigrants.
By Jesse Valentine - August 04, 2026
Ollivant is challenging incumbent Rep. Eugene Vindman.
By Jesse Valentine - August 03, 2026
Using insider knowledge to game the crypto or stock markets can be illegal.
By Jesse Valentine - August 03, 2026
Jessica Alexander also made offensive remarks about the LGBTQ community.
By Jesse Valentine - July 31, 2026
Husted gutted a bill intend to help survivors abused by Catholic priests.
By Jesse Valentine - July 31, 2026
The Life at Conception Act could jeopardize access to in vitro fertilization and other fertility treatments
By Jesse Valentine - July 30, 2026
Agriculture is the economic driver of Finstad’s district.
By Jesse Valentine - July 29, 2026
President Obama’s full letter to the American people: It’s a long-standing tradition for the sitting president of the United States to leave a parting letter in the Oval Office for the American elected to take his or her place. It’s a letter meant to share what we know, what we’ve learned, and what small wisdom […]
By Melissa McEwan - January 19, 2017
Donald Trump started his day by tweeting someone else claiming that he is not divisive: "It wasn't Donald Trump that divided this country, this country has been divided for a long time!" Stated today by Reverend Franklin Graham. — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 19, 2017 In an expected irony, the man he quoted, Franklin […]
By Melissa McEwan - January 19, 2017
An increasing number of House Democrats will be skipping Donald Trump’s inauguration in an act of principled protest. Rep. Gwen Moore will not be among them, because she has chosen a different path of resistance. In a statement Wednesday, she explained her decision (emphasis mine): I support my colleagues in their decision to boycott the […]
By Melissa McEwan - January 18, 2017
At the end of his last (scheduled) press conference today, President Obama handed the final question to the LA Times’ Christi Parsons, who has been covering Obama since he was a state senator in Illinois. She asked him about his daughters, and how they had responded to the election. The President started his response by […]
By Melissa McEwan - January 18, 2017
Donald Trump spent the weekend preceding Martin Luther King, Jr. Day attacking Rep. John Lewis, a lifetime Civil Rights activist, because Lewis criticized Trump and questioned the legitimacy of his presidency. This morning, without a shred of irony or self-awareness, Trump tweeted: Celebrate Martin Luther King Day and all of the many wonderful things that […]
By Melissa McEwan - January 16, 2017
Reince Priebus, who will serve as Donald Trump’s chief of staff, is, like many of his fellow Republicans, outraged that Democrats would, based on a consensus view of the intelligence community that Russia intervened in the presidential election on Trump’s behalf, question the legitimacy of his presidency. Brushing aside the breathtaking hypocrisy that his party, […]
By Melissa McEwan - January 15, 2017
As a second week of confirmation hearings for Donald Trump’s nominees proceeds, many Americans have watched with disbelief and horror as a parade of unqualified, corrupt, and/or destructive candidates have submitted themselves for (limited) questioning, offering answers that are at turns offensive and chilling, but rarely reflective of the radical changes Trump has threatened to […]
By Melissa McEwan - January 18, 2017After President-elect Donald Trump attacked Rep. John Lewis in response to Lewis saying Trump’s presidency is not legitimate, Democrats outpoured messages of solidarity with Lewis. The strong and widespread support for Lewis is now being denounced by Democratic opponents as partisan politicking. This could not be more wrong. It is wrong because there is nothing […]
By Melissa McEwan - January 14, 2017
In a powerful statement on Attorney General-designate and her Senate colleague Jeff Sessions, Senator Tammy Duckworth, a disabled Iraq veteran, shared her deep reservations about Sessions’ commitment to protecting disability rights. As an American living with disabilities, my life isn’t like many of my colleagues’ in Congress. Getting around can be difficult; you saw what […]
By Melissa McEwan - January 13, 2017
In this clip from an interview with NBC’s Chuck Todd, which will air in its entirety on Meet the Press, Rep. John Lewis said, like his Congressional colleague Rep. Barbara Lee, he will boycott Donald Trump’s inauguration. “I don’t see this president-elect as a legitimate president,” Lewis said, telling Todd he believes that Russian interference […]
By Melissa McEwan - January 13, 2017
The Washington Post reports that D.C. National Guard Commander Maj. Gen. Errol R. Schwartz has been ordered to vacate his post during the inauguration. Schwartz, whose removal was ordered by the Pentagon for reasons which remain unclear, has served in his position since being appointed by President George W. Bush in 2008. The U.S. Army […]
By Melissa McEwan - January 13, 2017
President Obama is making fine use of his final days in office. He has issued a permanent ban on offshore oil and gas drilling in much of the Arctic and Atlantic Seaboard; signed landmark mental health care legislation; issued a ban on withholding federal funds from family planning clinics; and designated two national monuments protecting […]
By Melissa McEwan - January 13, 2017
Days ago, senior officials in the incoming Trump administration said that the White House press briefing room would be moved from the West Wing. The ostensible justification for the move was that Donald Trump is so popular, the small room cannot accommodate all the press who want access. But, given Trump’s infamous enmity toward the […]
By Melissa McEwan - January 18, 2017
Rep. Barbara Lee issued a statement announcing that she will be boycotting Donald Trump’s inauguration, and explaining her reasons why. Below, that statement in its entirety, as every word deserves to be read. Inaugurations are celebratory events, a time to welcome the peaceful transition of power and honor the new administration. On January 20th, I […]
By Melissa McEwan - January 12, 2017
During his confirmation hearing to head the CIA, Rep. Mike Pompeo (R-KS) was asked by Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) if he would comply if Donald Trump asked him to reinstate torture. “Absolutely not,” he replied. Pompeo’s answer signified a major break with Trump, who bluntly advocated resuming the use of waterboarding and “much worse” in […]
By Melissa McEwan - January 12, 2017
After Senate Republicans schemed to protect Donald Trump’s Cabinet nominees from ethics scrutiny, fast-tracking their confirmation hearings, they continued their brazen campaign to assist Trump’s dreadful nominees by limiting Senate Democrats’ questions, and the time in which they had to ask them, at Secretary of Education nominee Betsy DeVos’ hearing. Ahead of the hearing, the […]
By Melissa McEwan - January 18, 2017
Following two days of testimony during Senator Jeff Sessions’ confirmation hearing for U.S. Attorney General — which included Senator Al Franken catching Sessions in rank misrepresentations of his civil rights record; Senator Pat Leahy busting him on trying to rewrite his LGBT record; Senator Dianne Feinstein grilling him on his dismal reproductive justice record; and […]
By Melissa McEwan - January 12, 2017
Giving his first press conference since last July, Donald Trump seemed rattled when he first appeared in front of reporters. Though the presser was ostensibly called to present how he would address his vast conflicts of interest as a result of his business, he almost certainly expected to be grilled about new reports on his […]
By Melissa McEwan - January 11, 2017
Donald Trump has been waging an appalling — and deeply self-serving — campaign to discredit the U.S. intelligence community. The end game is, as was admitted by his senior advisor Kellyanne Conway, to replace the intelligence community with “his own people.” Now, following a report that Trump may be compromised by Russia, and that his […]
By Melissa McEwan - January 11, 2017
Every sworn-in House Democrat has now signed on to sponsor Rep. Elijah Cummings’ and Rep. Eric Swalwell’s Protecting Our Democracy Act, which would establish a “12-member, bipartisan, independent commission empowered to interview witnesses, obtain documents, issue subpoenas, and receive public testimony to examine attempts by the Russian government or others to use electronic means to […]
By Melissa McEwan - January 10, 2017
Donald Trump is creating havoc with our European alliances by virtue of his radical diplomatic shift that favors Russia, and stands to leave the United States isolated and much less safe. His abrupt departure from the “One China” policy, followed by a continuing, reckless escalation of such provocations, has also risked the delicate relationship with […]
By Melissa McEwan - January 17, 2017
Senator Jeff Sessions, if confirmed to serve as President-elect Donald Trump’s Attorney General, will be tasked with enforcing the laws of the United States, and a major concern of his critics has been that he does not seem to understand or concern himself with those laws, especially around protecting equality. In an yet another alarming […]
By Melissa McEwan - January 10, 2017
Senator Al Franken is not a lawyer. He made this point repeatedly while grilling Senator Jeff Sessions during his confirmation hearing, in order to underscore that Sessions’ carefully parsed questions about his claimed involvement sounded like nonsensical rubbish to his layman’s ears. But Franken laid out his case that Sessions has exaggerated his civil rights […]
By Melissa McEwan - January 10, 2017
During a fiery interview with MSNBC’s Tamron Hall, Rep. Maxine Waters did not hold back about her profound reservations about Donald Trump. She passionately urged for further investigation into Trump’s sinister affinity for Vladimir Putin, his advisors’ ties to Russia, and whether there was collusion with Russia to interfere in the election to affect its […]
By Melissa McEwan - January 17, 2017
At the end of the last Congressional term, Rep. Elijah Cummings, the ranking member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, and Rep. Eric Swalwell, the ranking member of the CIA Subcommittee of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, introduced legislation calling for the creation of a bipartisan, independent commission to investigate […]
By Melissa McEwan - January 10, 2017
In the two months since I observed that Donald Trump won the Electoral College, but is losing by every other metric, his then-terrible 42 percent favorability rating has dropped to an even worse 40 percent in the new Washington Post-ABC News poll. Trump will enter the Oval Office on Friday with his image upside down. […]
By Melissa McEwan - January 17, 2017
For the first time, a sitting Senator will testify against another sitting Senator when Cory Booker (D-NJ) appears before the Judiciary Committee during Jeff Sessions’ (R-AL) nomination hearing for Attorney General. Booker explained his remarkable decision to MSNBC’s Chris Hayes: .@CoryBooker will testify against his colleague @SenatorSessions: “These are extraordinary times” #inners https://t.co/7uhCLf8PaX — All […]
By Melissa McEwan - January 10, 2017
Senate Republicans are proceeding full steam ahead to railroad Donald Trump’s cabinet nominees through a fast-track confirmation process, shielding them from ethics scrutiny and financial disclosure requirements. Voters have raised their voices in opposition, and Democrats — including Senator Elizabeth Warren — have forcefully criticized Senate Republicans for abetting the Trump transition ethics crisis. Senator […]
By Melissa McEwan - January 09, 2017
Team Trump loves ethics loopholes, like the one it claims exists to allow Donald Trump to employ his son-in-law as an advisor, despite a federal anti-nepotism statute. Now, it has remarkably found yet another ethics loophole, to justify announcing the expansion of Trump’s Scottish golf resort, mere days after having promised there would be no […]
By Melissa McEwan - January 16, 2017
Meryl Streep was awarded the Cecil B. DeMille award for lifetime achievement at the Golden Globes, and, during her acceptance speech, she criticized President-elect Donald Trump for having mocked disabled reporter Serge Kovaleski, who suffers from a congenital joint condition, on the campaign trail. There was one performance this year that stunned me. It sank […]
By Melissa McEwan - January 09, 2017Except where otherwise noted, content on this site is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License .