Paul Krugman Congress

[T]he broader Republican quagmire — the party’s failure so far to make significant progress toward any of its policy promises — isn’t just about Mr. Trump’s inadequacies. The whole party, it turns out, has been faking it for years. Its leaders’ rhetoric was empty; they have no idea how to turn their slogans into actual legislation, because they’ve never bothered to understand how anything important works.

The New York Times, March 6, on the Republican policy agenda in Congress.

Rev. William J. Barber Voter suppression

After the Supreme Court’s Shelby decision in 2013, which nullified the preclearance requirements of the Voting Rights Act, the lie of “voter fraud’’ became justification for dozens of other voter suppression tactics, which the Department of Justice was no longer able to prevent from going into effect.

Montgomery Advertiser, March 7, on systemic voter suppression.

Sen. Dianne Feinstein nuclear war

There is no such thing as “limited use’’ nuclear weapons, and for a Pentagon advisory board to promote their development is absolutely unacceptable. . . . When it comes to nuclear weapons, victory is not measured by who has the most warheads, but by how long we last before someone uses one.

The Washington Post, March 3, responding to calls for increased investment in nuclear weapons.