Nation in the News

Dave Zirin: Why Did NBC Air a Deadpan Interview With a Convicted Rapist?

Nation in the News on March 26, 2013 - 11:55 AM ET

Touting it as an “exclusive” segment, the Today show aired snippets from an interview of convicted child abuser and former Penn State coach Jerry Sandusky. As Nation sportswriter Dave Zirin argues on Viewpoint, NBC’s move throws fire on those hurt most by the Sandusky scandal. “Whatever the opposite of credible is,” he says, “I wish I could use a word that would express the acidic nature of what NBC did to its own reputation by airing this interview.”

—James Cersonsky

What’s so funny about Steubenville? Read Jessica Valenti’s take.

Ross Tuttle: The Heavy Hands Behind Stop-and-Frisk

Nation in the News on March 25, 2013 - 4:12 PM ET

The trial over New York’s stop-and-frisk practices is shining a light on the rampant injustices faced by communities of color—and the heavy demands put on NYPD officers. As Nation contributor Ross Tuttle explains, “They’re told to go out there and do these stops based on nothing more than getting quotas, meeting numbers, meeting these objectives—and if they don’t, they’re under threat.” Tuttle joins a panel on The Melissa Harris-Perry Show to break down what’s at stake in Floyd v. City of New York.

—James Cersonsky

Listen to TheNation.com’s exclusive audio of the police union’s accedence to hard-and-fast “collar” quotas.

John Nichols: The Death and Rebirth of Journalism

Nation in the News on March 20, 2013 - 4:15 PM ET

“We are constantly told that we should believe that there is a future for journalism—it’s online,” Nation writer John Nichols says. “Unfortunately that future for journalism, by and large, doesn’t pay anybody.” Nichols moderates a panel at this year’s Tucson Festival of Books, aired on C-SPAN, on the death—and new life—of the craft. (The panel begins six hours into this clip.) As newsrooms and news desks close, what new models are arising? What does this mean for political discourse? And where do women fit in?

—James Cersonsky

Chris Hayes, Ed Schultz and the “47 percent” man are on the move. Read Leslie Savan’s take.

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Greg Kaufmann: What's Next for the Anti-Poverty Contract?

Nation in the News on March 20, 2013 - 12:15 PM ET

Why the call for an “Anti-Poverty Contract”? “We need to develop a platform, something affirmative, that brings people together—not just people in poverty and not just the middle class, but that really shows that our interests are converging,” The Nation’s Greg Kaufmann says. “We really have to figure out a way to get more power and put more progressive policies out there.” Appearing on The Matthew Filipowicz Show, Kaufmann discusses the crisis facing tens of millions of Americans living in poverty—and the unified effort to resolve it.

—James Cersonsky

What does Thomas Perez’s nomination for Labor Secretary mean for domestic workers? Read Bryce Covert’s analysis.

Jeremy Scahill: Democrat Leaders Are Also to Blame for the Iraq War

Nation in the News on March 20, 2013 - 11:54 AM ET

On the tenth anniversary of the invasion of Iraq, Nation Institute fellow Jeremy Scahill explained to MSNBC’s Martin Bashir the fallout of the conflict, including $800 billion wasted and 4,475 US personnel and more than 100,000 Iraqis killed.

“I don’t see this as the tenth anniversary of the Iraq War,” Scahill said. “This was a war that started in 1991 and was waged consistently by the United States, and it was a bipartisan war.”

In the 1990s, Bill Clinton led a long bombing campaign and imposed a brutal regime of economic sanctions that disproportionately targeted the Iraqi people, Scahill said. Then during the lead-up to the war, key members of the current administration, notably former senators Joe Biden and John Kerry, failed to debate its rationale and question unfounded claims of weapons of mass destruction.

—Alec Luhn

Jeremy Scahill’s book Dirty Wars will be published on April 23, and his documentary film of the same name won a top prize at the Sundance Film Festival in January.

Josh Eidelson: Will Justice Be Served for McDonald's Guest Workers?

Nation in the News on March 18, 2013 - 7:41 PM ET

When we talk about the conditions of guest workers, “they’re often talked about as a dirty little secret,” The Nation’s Josh Eidelson says. “But the truth is, what’s happening to guest workers reflects a lot about what’s happening to work in the United States—in terms of precarity, the decline in security, let alone a union contract.” Eidelson joins an Al Jazeera panel to discuss the struggle of McDonald’s workers on “cultural exchange” and the federal program that leaves them vulnerable to abuse.

—James Cersonsky

In Olympia, Washington, healthcare workers are on strike—for better healthcare. Read Greg Kaufmann’s take.

Katha Pollitt: Is 'Leaning In' Enough for Workplace Equality?

Nation in the News on March 13, 2013 - 5:34 PM ET

“I think a lot of the writing and conversation about women and work—it’s a real downer,” says Nation columnist Katha Pollitt. Sheryl Sandberg’s Lean In, she says, provides some much-needed optimism. Even so, “there are plenty of women who have leaned in very hard” but still experience discrimination, and Sandberg’s book could have put more emphasis on policies like affirmative action. Pollitt joins a PBS News Hour panel to discuss the challenges women face in the workplace—and where men fit into the equation.

—James Cersonsky

What can sports coaches do to stop rape? Read Dave Zirin’s take.

Katrina vanden Heuvel: Stopping Rape by Addressing Its Causes

Nation in the News on March 12, 2013 - 5:05 PM ET

Political analyst and TheGrio.com contributor Zerlina Maxwell’s recent comments on Fox News that rape solutions should focus on men’s behavior, not arming women, have inspired scurrilous attacks in right-wing media. Nation editor and publisher Katrina vanden Heuvel appeared on The Ed Show with Maxwell, where she argued that the blowback illustrates the Republican Party’s disregard for women and for the issues that affect them most.

“This political culture fosters attacks like we’ve seen against Zerlina, and it’s hateful and repulsive,” vanden Heuvel said.

According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one in five women in the United States have been sexually assaulted, and three in ten assaults on women come from an intimate partner.

—Alec Luhn

Read Katrina vanden Heuvel on drone strikes, big banks’ immunity from prosecution and how this government considers itself above the law.

John Nichols: How Can the Republican Obstructionists Be Defeated?

Nation in the News on March 8, 2013 - 12:56 PM ET

This week, President Obama dined with Congressional Republicans to wheel-and-deal on policy and budget priorities. Are Republicans getting served? Or vice versa? President Obama has “harkened back to an older kind of politics,” The Nation’s John Nichols says, “and that is where strong presidents, who have a mandate—and this president does have an electoral mandate—reach around the leadership of the opposition party into its ranks.” Nichols joins The Ed Show to debate the nuts and bolts of the partisan squabble.

—James Cersonsky

Is it possible to change a broken system from within? Katrina vanden Heuvel analyzes the Democrats’ new mobilization plan.

Katrina vanden Heuvel: Where Are the Women in the Sequestration Debate?

Nation in the News on March 5, 2013 - 7:44 PM ET

“Too much of the media has been focused on the Washington blame game,” Nation editor-in-chief Katrina vanden Heuvel says, “and women and children’s voices have been absent from so many of the conversations.” Speaking on To The Contrary, vanden Heuvel sheds light on the panoply of programs integral to women’s lives that are getting the axe.

—James Cersonsky

The Republican Party is trying its hardest to attract women voters, quips Tom Tomorrow.