The Bush tax cuts failed to juice the economy in the way Republicans promised they would, with growth in the 2000s stagnating relative to the Clinton years. But that hasn’t stopped today’s Republicans from arguing the tax cuts they’re pushing with President Trump’s help will produce a different outcome. During a news conference on Thursday, […]
On Thursday afternoon, one of Congress’ most infamous climate science deniers — Rep. Lamar Smith (R-TX) — announced that he would not seek re-election in 2018. Smith has served in Congress since 1986, and has served as chair of the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology since 2012. Since taking the helm of the […]
With U.S.-Iran tensions increasing over President Donald Trump’s quest to kill the multilateral 2015 nuclear deal, the timing of the release of CIA documents implicating Iran in al-Qaeda operations is being politicized, but it’s not actually “much news.” The CIA chose to first release the documents to the Long War Journal, backed by the Foundation […]
While the Trump administration and Republican lawmakers have failed to restrict abortion providers (in the United States, that is) from receiving any federal funds, it doesn’t mean they’ll stop trying. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) will likely release funding notices for the Title X program — which funds family planning services to […]
House Republicans have finally unveiled their tax reform plan and overhaul of the federal tax code. “The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act” is being promoted by the GOP as huge tax cut to the middle class, a point which many economists and tax experts have repeatedly pushed back against since details of what Republicans would […]
There has never been a more important time to have a strong progressive media — to hold the Trump administration accountable, to expose hatred and bigotry, and to provide a voice for the powerless. ThinkProgress is a small team of dedicated reporters and editors who wake up every day with one thing on their mind: […]
On Wednesday, a House subcommittee held a hearing on H.R. 490, a bill that would criminalize abortion at just six weeks — a cutoff earlier than when many people first realize they’re pregnant. And as usual, during the hearing, people who would be affected by this bill were missing from the conversation. During the hearing, […]
For the past two months, it appeared that the fake social media accounts run out of Russia only supported breaking off one state from the US: Texas. But that wasn’t true. As we learned yesterday, at least one of these fraudulent accounts pushed for the simultaneous secession of California, known colloquially as #CalExit. Amidst the […]
Senate Democrats backed away from an effort to slow-walk four of Donald Trump’s judicial nominees, the Washington Examiner reports, because they preferred not to work over the weekend. Their decision means that, likely by the end of Thursday, four Trump nominees will be installed on powerful appeals courts — at least three of whom are […]
A report published Wednesday by the U.S. Department of Agriculture included a recommendation to lift a 20-year ban on mining for uranium in the Grand Canyon watershed. The report was one of several requested by Trump’s “energy independence” executive order, which directed all agencies to identify regulations that potentially “burden” fossil fuel development. Among other […]
People who live in Atlanta, Georgia, once burned to the ground by Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman’s march through Dixie, envision themselves as a resilient lot. With good reason, the city’s omnipresent emblem is the phoenix, the bird of Greek mythology that constantly rises from its ashes to soar once again. Even discounting the horror and […]
Sam Clovis, former co-national chair of the Trump presidential campaign, has withdrawn his nomination for the top science post at the United States Department of Agriculture, citing the “political climate,” which he claims “has made it impossible for [him] to receive balanced and fair consideration.” “The relentless assaults on you and your team seem to be […]
Robert Mercer, the billionaire that has funded Breitbart and Milo Yiannopoulos, resigned from his role as CEO of the quant hedge fund Renaissance Technologies, according to the New York Times. Mercer’s resignation came just two weeks after ThinkProgress revealed 12 nonprofits, universities, and public retirement funds had invested millions of dollars into the hedge fund, […]
During an interview on Fox and Friends Thursday morning, NRA spokeswoman Dana Loesch tried to slam former first lady Michelle Obama’s comments on parenting and gender by claiming that American women were too demanding, and that, sometimes, people make fake rape claims. Speaking at the Obama Foundation’s youth leadership summit in Chicago on Wednesday, Mrs. Obama […]
In the days ahead, the Trump administration will have to decide whether to extend or terminate the Temporary Protected Status program for the four countries of Haiti, El Salvador, Nicaragua, and Honduras, impacting more than 300,000 beneficiaries who have received temporary legal status in the United States. The Temporary Protected Status (TPS) program is given […]
Energy Secretary Rick Perry said during an interview Thursday that fossil fuels can prevent sexual assault. At an event sponsored by the American Petroleum Institute put on by Axios in Washington, D.C., Perry was interviewed on stage by NBC’s Chuck Todd and Axios founder Jim VandeHei when he was interrupted by protesters. The protesters called […]
President Donald Trump is expected to appoint Federal Reserve governor Jerome Powell to the top position at the central bank on Thursday, according to reports in Bloomberg and the Wall Street Journal. Powell would replace the current Federal Reserve chair, Janet Yellen, who was appointed by former President Barack Obama in 2014. Her predecessor, Ben […]
I have “one of the greatest memories of all time,” President Trump said just a few days ago. But, according to the White House, he has no recollection of a critical campaign meeting that could implicate him in the Russia probe, despite previously tweeting about it and posting a photo to Instagram. The meeting at […]