Have you had an abortion? Missouri Republicans want to know. Planned Parenthood official could be arrested for not turning over names

www.salon.com|Amanda Marcotte

While major anti-choice activists and politicians are rushing to microphones to disingenuously declare, contra Donald Trump, that they would never try to punish women for abortions, their true punitive and frankly creepy side is coming out in Missouri. State legislators there are threatening to arrest Mary Kogut, the president and CEO of Planned Parenthood of the St. Louis Region and Southwest Missouri, because she won’t turn over a list of names of women who got abortions to them. Kogut’s lawyers are citing federal law protecting patient privacy to keep this list out of the hands of Republican legislators.

Hear this, Sanders supporters — you don’t need to back Hillary: You have every right to say “Bernie or bust”

www.salon.com|Brogan Morris

“Bernie or Bust!” That’s the defiant rallying cry of the Bernie Sanders hardcore, the pledge made by Sanders supporters that intend to vote for him and him alone in the general election – whether his name’s on the ballot or not. It’s not just a disaffected few making a stand either; these ‘Bernie or Busters’ don’t constitute a mere handful of the senator’s many devotees. In November, a reported 33% of Bernie Sanders supporters won’t give Hillary Clinton their vote if she wins the Democratic bid. That’s a sizable chunk of Dem voters – over 41% of them so far – saying it’s either Bernie Sanders for President, or nobody at all.

It’s a bold statement, especially as the alternative to the Democratic candidate in the general is now almost certain to be Donald Trump, aka the sexist, immigrant-bashing serial liar and current sixth-greatest threat to the global economy. Predictably, somehave been critical of the Bernie or Bust movement. By refusing to stump for HRC on Election Day, they say 33% of Sanders supporters increase the risk of Trump’s America. Just last weekend, Bill Maher admonished those of his fellow Sanders supporters that flat-out won’t ever vote Clinton. As Maher sees it, Bernie or Busters take issue with Clinton’s “insufficient purity” as a candidate. Arguably, there’s a bit more to it than that.

Former Nixon aide admits racist roots of America’s drug war: Bernie and Hillary must own this issue and fix this injustice — now

www.salon.com|Sean Illing

The drug war is an issue in this campaign, but it ought to be front and center. America’s war on drugs hasn’t worked – for anyone. It’s been a boon to the pharmaceutical companies, who don’t want the competition, and to the prison-industrial complex, who profit from locking up nonviolent offenders, but it’s been a disaster for everyone else.

The April cover story of Harper’s magazine explains not just how counterproductive the drug war has been but also, and perhaps more importantly, its racist roots. Written by Dan Baum, the article lays out the case for legalization, which is worth absorbing on its own. But it begins with a startling revelation from John Ehrlichman, one of Richard Nixon’s close aides and a Watergate co-conspirator.

“He is already a winner”: Why Paul Krugman’s attacks on Bernie Sanders miss the mark

www.salon.com|Elias Isquith

Now that the outcome of the primary seems considerably less up in the air than it did a month ago, the fight Sen. Bernie Sanders’ presidential campaign inspired between the Democratic Party’s self-styled populists and its wonks — Paul Krugman chief among them — has lost much of its urgency.

But that’s something of a mirage. Regardless of who wins this year’s primary (or the whole presidential campaign itself, for that matter) the fault lines within the Democratic coalition that were exposed during the back-and-forth are not going anywhere. And there’s little reason to suspect that when 2020 (or 2024) rolls around, the same disagreements over tactics and philosophy won’t rise up again.

Donald Trump tells Fox & Friends America must be “vigilant” or become “disaster city” like Brussels

www.salon.com|Scott Eric Kaufman

In the wake of a terror attack that took the lives of at least 26 people and injured over 130 in Belgium this morning, Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump called in to Fox News not to offer sympathy to the bereaved, but to warn viewers that if they don’t elect him in November, such tragedies will happen on American soil.

“I think it’s absolutely horrible,” Trump began. “I’ve been talking about this for a long time. Brussels was a beautiful place.”

Trump later told co-hosts Steve Doocy, Ainsley Earhardt, and Brian Kilmeade. It went from “zero crime,” but because of what he considers Belgium’s lax immigration policies, Brussels is now “a disaster city, it’s a total disaster, and we have to be very careful as to who we allow in this country.”

Hillary visits “Broad City”: Clinton makes Abbi and Ilana swoon in this wishful-thinking fantasy

www.salon.com|Sonia Saraiya

Weirdly, last night’s “Broad City” was full of public servants: Not just special guest star Hillary Clinton, presidential candidate, but also employees of the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles, at various stages of disaffection. As Ilana (Ilana Glazer) searched for a new job after being fired two weeks ago, Abbi (Abbi Jacobson) braved the DMV to renew her license. As is always the case with “Broad City,” the everyday events of the 20-something women quickly wandered into the surrealism of sketch comedy. But this week, with a former First Lady and presidential hopeful on set, “Broad City”’s immature aimlessness read all the more poignant.

Abbi and Ilana represent the youthful enthusiasm that Clinton so desperately has tried and failed to capture in her campaign; their haphazard enthusiasm for Hillary Clinton as a feminist icon exists in a mirror universe to our own where Senator Bernie Sanders hasn’t captured the screaming-college-student vote. And yet it is kind of a tantalizing one. The campaign office Ilana walks into is sleek, modern, and colorful, with a “HILLARY” poster on one wall that looks a lot like the famous Shephard Fairey “HOPE” poster of then-candidate Barack Obama. The arrow-H logo of the campaign is rendered in different color palettes around the office, and one is blown up to corporate-logo size, behind front desk. Anyone who has actually worked on a campaign would marvel at the luxe and trendy facilities enjoyed by the Clinton volunteers, as well as the distinct lack of clutter.

But for Ilana, and for “Broad City”’s vision of Hillary Clinton, the world of politics is one of positive energy and possible change, of optimism and acceptance. 

“Look like war crimes to me”: Congressman raises concerns over U.S. support for Saudi war in Yemen

www.salon.com|Ben Norton

For almost a year, a Saudi-led coalition of Middle Eastern countries, backed and armed by the U.S. and U.K., has been bombing Yemen, the poorest country in the region. Saudi Arabia hopes to destroy Yemeni rebel groups such as the Houthis, and has bombed hospitals, homes, schools and even a refugee camp in the process.

Civilians have paid a heavy toll for the conflict. Thousands have been killed, and human rights groups have for months accused the coalition of committing war crimes.

Less than three weeks ago, the Saudi-led coalition bombed a market near Yemen’s capital Sanaa, killing at least 40 people, most of whom were civilians. This week, the U.S.-backed coalition bombed another market, killing at least 41 civilians, wounding scores more.

The night the Rolling Stones fired Donald Trump: Keith Richards once pulled a knife to get the GOP-frontrunner out of Atlantic City venue

www.salon.com|Brendan Gauthier

In 1989, The Rolling Stones’ original members ended their seven-year hiatus and embarked on an ambitious and profitable 115-show tour of Europe and North America.

The American leg, named after their comeback album “Steel Wheels,” began in August in Philadelphia and ended in December in Atlantic City.

The final show, at the Boardwalk Hall (f.k.a Convention Center), aired on pay-per-view and — like the Miss America Pageant, also held at the Hall — was to be sponsored by the adjacent Trump Plaza Hotel and Casino.

Even in the late-‘80s, however, The Stones didn’t want to be associated with Trump. So they cut a deal with him, stipulating he wouldn’t be involved in any promotional capacity outside of Atlantic City and, amazingly, wouldn’t be allowed at the show itself.

I’m with Hillary in November: Listen up, fellow Bernie supporters — you must get behind Clinton to stop Donald Trump

www.salon.com|Sean Illing

I’ll be honest: I don’t like Hillary Clinton. Personally, there’s plenty to admire about the former secretary of state: She’s incredibly bright, broadly experienced, and undeniably competent. Politically, though, she represents a broken system, a system of capitulation and obfuscation. There’s no point in denying that.

I don’t consider myself a Democrat, though I vote for Democats almost without exception. Gore Vidal once said that “There is only one party in the United States, the Property Party – and it has two right wings: Republican and Democrat.” I tend to agree with that, now more than ever. And I suspect most people of the left do as well.

I’ve felt the Bern for months, and I’ve felt it publicly. If you’ve read any of my pieces on Sanders and Clinton, you know exactly where I stand. Bernie is the most authentic politician I’ve encountered – at any level of government. I had no illusions about his prospects of winning this race; it was always a long shot. Nor was I confused about Sanders’ ability to change government if he was miraculously elected. Everything about our system is resistant to change.

The right’s shocking admission: Stunned by Trump’s dominance, some GOP pundits concede that Dems have been right about Republicans all along

www.salon.com|Sean Illing

“America’s in the middle of a real political storm — a real tsunami — and we should have seen this coming.” – Marco Rubio

It was always inevitable, I suppose. The Republican Party has debased itself for decades – courting racists, placating religious lunatics, and using the culture wars as a political wedge. Candidates like Donald Trump and Ted Cruz and Sarah Palin are natural outgrowths of this conservative ecosystem; they’re exactly what you’d expect it to produce.

This is the climate Republicans have cultivated, and what we’re seeing now is the logical conclusion of those efforts.

Go ahead and call Caitlyn Jenner a delusional GOP shill — but don’t say she’s not a woman

www.salon.com|Nico Lang

Caitlyn Jenner is having a bad month. The former Olympian and reality star has become persona non grata in the LGBT community since coming out for Ted Cruz earlier this March. In an interview with Dawn Ennis for the Advocate (disclosure: I work there as a reporter), Jenner said, “I like Ted Cruz. I think he’s very conservative and a great constitutionalist and a very articulate man.” She also offered to serve as his “trans ambassador,” should the Senator be elected president in November. During a subsequent episode of “I Am Cait,” Jenner threw more logs on the growing social media firestorm by claiming that racist demagogue Donald Trump “would be very good for women’s issues.”

Black Lives Matters wins big at the ballot box: Tuesday’s elections prove the movement is more than protests

www.salon.com|Sophia Tesfaye

Cook County, Illinois, state’s attorney Anita Alvarez waited an entire year before bringing charges in the 2014 killing of 17-year-old Laquan McDonald, shot 16 times in just 13 seconds by a Chicago police officer. Alvarez resisted widespread criticism and endured months of protests by local Black Lives Matter activists to cover up the incident, only bring charges against Officer Jason Van Dyke on the eve of the release of explosive dashcam video showing an unarmed McDonald gunned down as he posed no immediate threat to officers.

Cuyahoga County, Ohio, prosecutor Timothy McGinty failed to secure a criminal indictment in the shooting death of 12-year-old Tamir Rice, shot by Cleveland police officer Timothy Loehmann while he played with a toy gun in the park in 2014. Rice’s case quickly gained national attention, serving as a galvanizing moment for a protest movement that would gain steam in the coming months.

Airlines’ brazen robbery: Fees are out of control and ticket buyers have no real choice — what a business model

www.salon.com|Jim Hightower

If you take the word f-r-e-e and rip the “r” out of it, what do you get? Two things, actually: One, instead of “free” you get “fee” — and then you get mad.This is happening to millions of airline passengers who’re discovering that the advertised price of a ticket is not the half of it. Beaucoup fees have been added, charging us for items that previously were (and still should be) free. People’s rage-ometers zing into the red zone when they see that these fees-for-former-freebies will often more than double the cost of a trip.

The agony & the ecstasy of Donald Trump: America is at a crossroads — and his is the path to hell

www.salon.com|Conor Lynch

There has been no shortage of articles comparing modern America to the Weimar Republic in recent years, from both left- and right-wing commentators. According to “goldbugs” on the right, for example, America will suffer Weimar-like hyperinflation any day now. These warnings have been regularly debunked by New York Times columnist Paul Krugman over the years, and have no basis in reality. They also make comparisons to the Weimar Republic seem a bit … paranoid.

However, now that a strongman like Donald Trump — who is being openly compared to Hitler and other fascist leaders by mainstream commentators across the political spectrum — is leading the Republican primary, it is hard not to draw some parallels. Modern America may not be the new Weimar Republic, and Trump may not be the second-coming of Hitler, but there are similarities worth looking at, if only to see how a modern democratic state can succumb to demagoguery in times of extreme polarization and discontent.

Keep protesting against Donald Trump — but do it the right way

www.salon.com|Elias Isquith

As you probably know already, a Donald Trump campaign rally in Chicago last week was called off at the last minute — and soon thereafter devolved into a street fight between anti-Trump protesters and pro-Trump zealots. (If this is all news to you, I’d recommend reading this report from Rolling Stone by Dan O’Sullivan.)

And, in general, the media’s response has been what you’d expect. Trump’s fondness for brutish rhetoric (which he especially likes to direct toward protesters) and his blasé attitude toward political violence have both been castigated. His most devoted supporters, meanwhile, have been criticized as wannabe Brownshirts and thugs.

But amid the chorus of denunciation, there have been some notes of dissent — especially from the Week’s Damon Linker and New York magazine’s Jonathan Chait, two of the more influential (and more self-consciously centrist) pundits in American journalism today. I think they’re mistaken; but they still deserve to be addressed.