David Atkins

When I am asked my recommendations for political non-fiction books, the top of my list is almost always Naomi Klein’s The Shock Doctrine (Chris Hayes’ Twilight of the Elites is a close second.) Seven years after its publication, no other book better explains the state of the modern political world. The thesis of the book is simple: […]

It seems like a minor footnote in the context of Donald Trump’s racist, objectivist primal scream against Puerto Ricans this morning, but the president humiliated himself further in another tweet about the Alabama Senate race that should not go unremarked: In analyzing the Alabama Primary race,FAKE NEWS always fails to mention that the candidate I […]

There will never be a clearer illustration the delusions of rich white male conservative privilege–and the depth of Donald Trump’s depravity–than the events of  this weekend. Puerto Rico has already long been the victim of predators and scoundrels, mostly white men in finance, feeding off the misery and degradation of poor, working class people of […]

It was hard not to feel a bit sorry for Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell as the Republican primary drew to a close in Alabama last week to replace Jeff Sessions in the Senate. The establishment candidate Luther Strange had received the endorsement of President Donald Trump, and despite some hedging and hesitation Trump did […]

On Sunday morning the President of the United States went on a twitter rampage that could only be described as crude, violent, misogynistic and wholly unbecoming of his office. Most widely discussed among the many outrages was his retweet of a anti-Semitic troll who posted a spliced video pretending to show Donald Trump hitting Hillary […]

While most of America looks the other way, Republicans are once again trying to pass tax cuts for the rich by way of taking away the healthcare of millions. Though it has flown mostly under the radar until the last few days, the Republicans’ last-ditch effort at Obamacare repeal called Graham-Cassidy has reportedly far greater chances […]

Imagine you worked for a shady supposed billionaire who ran his family enterprises like a mob boss. Imagine that you did immoral and even illegal things for this self-styled Don as he as ran a sleazy campaign for public office. Then imagine that once the fuzz caught on and starting investigating you, your exposed tycoon […]

Increasingly, Washington DC seems like the place where innovative and transformative policy goes to die. From 2008 to 2010, Democrats controlled the Presidency, House and Senate and had little more than healthcare to show for it. In the first nine months 2016, Republicans have likewise held the Presidency, House and Senate and have almost nothing to […]

Infinite pixels have been spilled over what motivated Trump’s voters in the 2016 election, with an endless barrage of research and anecdotes to bolster each competing analysis. But Trump’s reported deal with Democrats to salvage the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program will provide a real-world test of what motivates most Trump partisans and what […]