Democratic Party

Biden’s Cabinet could fix what Trump Broke, but can they get their Ambitious Agenda Past the GOP Senate?

By John Hawkins | – The “team of rivals” was the term historian Doris Kearns Goodwin used to describe US President Abraham Lincoln’s cabinet. It included three men who had run against Lincoln for the Republican nomination for president in 1860: William Seward (secretary of state), Salmon Chase (treasury secretary) and Edward Bates (attorney general). […]

Democratic Party

How Will Biden Change U.S. Policy On Russia, Iran?

Radio Free Europe Radio Liberty

By Todd Prince | – ( RFE/RL) – As a candidate, Joe Biden said he would reverse many of the foreign-policy initiatives of the Trump administration, such as withdrawing the United States from international agreements, and work to repair the transatlantic relationship that he contends has been the key to stability in Europe over the […]

Climate Crisis

How Biden and Kerry could rebuild America’s global climate leadership

The Conversation

By Dolf Gielen and Morgan Bazilian | – John Kerry helped bring the world into the Paris climate agreement and expanded America’s reputation as a climate leader. That reputation is now in tatters, and President-elect Joe Biden is asking Kerry to rebuild it again – this time as U.S. climate envoy. It won’t be easy, […]

Joe Biden

Can Progressives Push Biden to take on Washington’s Sacred Cows: Foreign Policy and the Pentagon?

Danny Sjursen

In this mystifying moment, the post-electoral sentiments of most Americans can be summed up either as “Ding dong! The witch is dead!” or “We got robbed!” Both are problematic, not because the two candidates were intellectually indistinguishable or ethically equivalent, but because each jingle is laden with a dubious assumption: that President Donald Trump’s demise […]

Anti-War Movement

Ten Foreign Policy Fiascos Biden Can Fix on Day One (and Should)

Medea Benjamin and Nicholas J.S. Davies

( Code Pink ) – Donald Trump loves executive orders as a tool of dictatorial power, avoiding the need to work through Congress. But that works both ways, making it relatively easy for President Biden to reverse many of Trump’s most disastrous decisions. Here are ten things Biden can do as soon as he takes […]

Democratic Party

The Other America: The New Politics of the Poor in Joe Biden’s (and Mitch McConnell’s) USA

Liz Theoharis

( Tomdispatch.com) – In the two weeks since Election 2020, the country has oscillated between joy and anger, hope and dread in an era of polarization sharpened by the forces of racism, nativism, and hate. Still, truth be told, though the divisive tone of this moment may only be sharpening, division in the United States […]

Democratic Party

The Federal Gov’t owns 92% of Student Debt. Will Biden Wipe it Out?

Inequality.org

By Sarah Anderson and Margot Rathke | – ( Inequality.org) – Washington is abuzz with ideas for actions the Biden-Harris administration could take that would not require Congressional approval. One of the buzziest: cancellation of student debts owed to the federal government. The U.S. Department of Education owns about 92 percent of the $1.6 trillion […]

Climate Crisis

Climate change: Joe Biden could ride a wave of international momentum to break deadlock in US

The Conversation

By Richard Beardsworth and Olaf Corry | – Joe Biden’s presidency is likely to be dominated by “the three Cs”: COVID-19, China and climate change. Each one of these behemoths could make or break him. Despite wildfires and hurricanes, this was not the long-awaited climate election. Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris campaigned on the […]

Democratic Party

Can Saudi’s Rogue Crown Prince Survive the Biden Presidency?

Jonathan Fenton-Harvey

London (Special to Informed Comment) – World leaders rushed to congratulate US President-elect Joe Biden and his running mate Kamala Harris for their victory in a nail-bitingly tense election. Many Arab leaders including Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed, Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, and figureheads in other countries such as Oman, Jordan, Lebanon […]