CHANGE AGENCY-Assume, for the sake of argument, that Mueller’s team believes Donald Trump is a crook. They’ve discovered evidence of something  --  obstruction as president, collusion as a candidate, money laundering that leaves him compromised, whatever -- that convinces them Trump should be removed from office.

RELIGION AND POLITICS--Today, just about everyone -- including lobbyists, state legislators, and Supreme Court litigants -- assumes that freedom of religion naturally means opposition to same-sex marriage and reproductive rights, and sits in tension with anti-discrimination and civil rights laws. 

RACISM AND POLITICS--In the past couple of weeks, thanks to the president’s racist comments about Haiti and African countries he can’t even name -- remember “Nambia”? -- as well as the stamp of approval he awarded future immigrants from Norway, we’ve seen a surprising amount of commentary about that fortunate country.

MEDIA WATCH--American mass media journalism is broken. There are some simple elements of U.S. journalistic practice that have proved easy for special interests to hack, and the editors at least have allowed themselves to be used by sinister forces. (I am speaking primarily of television news here, and primarily of the 24 hour channels).

DC WATCH--If you google the phrase “locker room talk,” (LRT)  you won't see an image of a sunset-hued Neanderthal dressed in a  kosovorotka, but a definition put forth by the Urban Dictionary. This method of communication is defined as “any manner of conversation, that polite society dictates be held privately - with small groups of like-minded, similarly gendered peers - due to its sexually charged language, situations or innuendos.” 

THE END OF CIVIL DISCOURSE-The funeral has begun. The casket lies open on the altar of decency and the asterisk rests quietly within, while the officiant prepares to close the coffin and lower it into its grave.