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Back when I was a high school English teacher, I had a white female colleague (“Katie”) who not only dated black men but was one of those white women who exclusively dates black men and lets everyone know that she only dates black men whatever chance she gets. Example: “Hey, were you able to download the newest version of GradeQuick?” “Brothas just have so much swag.” “Huh?”

During the final months of the U.S. race for the presidency, both major candidates claimed the “middle class” for their own, but what either meant by the term itself was left for voters to puzzle out. Confusion about the middle class—specifically, white suburban families—is nothing new, says Matthew Lassiter, a Research Fellow and associate professor of history at the University of Michigan. “For more than half a century, American political culture has celebrated white middle-class suburban families as the heart and soul of the nation, the hard-working, tax-paying heroes of Middle America, who safeguard traditional family values and maintain a...

Could the Democrats' search for a candidate to take on Donald Trump lead them to North Carolina? Gov. Roy Cooper made it sound as though he thinks he'd be a sought-after candidate — at some point, anyway — during a Politico event at Duke University on Thursday. Cooper also offered a take or two distancing himself from the Trump administration. When the event moderator asked Cooper which Democratic candidates should run for the presidency, Cooper replied, "Being the governor of a swing state, I’m sure I'll get some calls."

JEFFERSON CITY Leaders in Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens’ own party plan to call for a special session to weigh whether to impeach the governor following a bombshell report detailing allegations of sexual coercion and blackmail that has both Republicans and Democrats calling for his resignation. House Speaker Todd Richardson, R-Poplar Bluff, held a press conference Wednesday on the heels of a report detailing allegations he called "beyond disturbing" that were made by the woman at the center of the scandal. He said a special House committee investigating allegations against Greitens would need to continue its work beyond the May 18...

U.S. Rep. Ann Wagner has joined the chorus of Missouri leaders calling on Gov. Eric Greitens to step down in the wake of a legislative report that details allegations of sexual and physical abuse. Wagner, a Republican from the St. Louis area, said that she was disgusted and disheartened after reading the report.

We don’t always delve down to the level of state and local politics, but this rather curious story caught my attention this week. A Democratic state representative in New Hampshire, Katherine Rogers, has stepped over the line and dared to tread where most Granite State residents would never set foot. She’s not just pushing for tougher gun control laws, but suggesting that recent talk about repealing the Second Amendment is “a discussion we should have.” (New Hampshire Journal)

Republican strategist Steve Schmidt tore into Donald Trump while appearing on MSNBC today — calling the president an “imbecile” for his trade wars and adding that he has “no idea what he’s talking about.” As news circulated this morning that the stock market dropped dramatically after China responded to Trump’s tariffs with trade restrictions of their own, the president denied that there is a “trade war” happening, despite all evidence pointing to the opposite being true. Schmidt noted this while discussing the issue with a fired-up Stephanie Ruhle this morning:

Republican political strategist Rick Wilson has become one of the avatars of the “Never Trump” movement on cable news telecasts. And on August 21, via the Simon and Schuster Free Press imprint, Wilson will have a book to plug during his frequent TV hits. “Everything Trump Touches Dies is my take on the damage Donald Trump has done to our nation, our politics, and our sanity. I pull no punches, take no prisoners, and show how Donald Trump has led Republicans off a political cliff, broken our institutions, and shattered the lives and reputations of everyone around him,” Wilson wrote...

f all the artwork Cubs manager Joe Maddon has introduced to his players this spring, the most powerful display appeared Thursday at Marlins Park during batting practice before the Cubs’ 8-4 victory. In a walking exhibit of empathy, Cubs players wore maroon T-shirts with “Stoneman Douglas” on the back and “#MSDStrong” on the front, an opening-day tribute to the 17 victims of the Feb. 14 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla. Maddon’s foundation, “Respect 90,” purchased the shirts for the Cubs.

Two GOP-held congressional seats in Kansas are up for grabs this election, according to a national website that tracks races. Democrats, who have not won a congressional race in Kansas in a decade, could prevail in the 3rd District, which covers the Kansas City suburbs, or the 2nd District, which includes Lawrence and Topeka. RealClearPolitics, a site that aggregates polling data, shifted both races Wednesday from “leans Republican” to “tossup” in its electoral map for the 2018 election.

Missouri sits in the middle of America. The heartland of America. The pulse of America. Is the March For Our Lives popular in Missouri? Is the MSM overrating the movement? Do you see any support or

By most standard political metrics, U.S. Rep. Ann Wagner, R-Ballwin, should be able to safely count on re-election to a fourth term in November. But at least four Democrats are banking on this not being a standard political year, with a historically unpopular Republican president, an even less popular Republican Congress — and Wagner tied to both.

Marjory Stoneman Douglas student and #NeverAgain activist David Hogg told Axios founder Mike Allen at an event in Washington on Friday that his high school feels "like a prison" since the shooting last month, with "hundreds of police officers" patrolling the campus. He said this is a problem because the police are racist against black students: "What I'm very concerned about is the racial disparity between white and black students. For example, black students get suspended at a rate three times higher than white students."

Americans rarely, if ever, agree on anything. But a recent Quinnipiac survey showed that 97 percent support universal background checks for gun ownership. And yet the U.S. Congress remains paralyzed by inaction. The same Quinnipiac survey showed that nearly 7 in 10 Americans want a nationwide ban on assault weapons, including 43 percent of Republicans. And yet the Republican-controlled Florida legislature, along party lines, refused to debate the banning of assault weapons, like AR-15s, the weapon of choice for many mass shooters, including the Parkland shooter who killed 14 high-school students and three adults. During a meeting with victims of...

WASHINGTON — The weapon used to kill 17 people in last month’s rampage at a high school in Parkland, Fla., was banned from manufacture and sale in the United States for 10 years under a law written by Sen. Dianne Feinstein.

Parkland student Jaclyn Corin encouraged protesters to “keep screaming at your congressman” so they will listen to pleas for gun control after the deadly shooting at her high school. Corin was one of many Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School student organizers who developed the "March for Our Lives" rally in Washington, D.C. on Saturday. “There is strength in numbers and we need each and every one of you to keep screaming at your congressman,” Corin said. “Don’t be scared just because they have ‘Senator’ in front of their name.” Corin hit Congress for refusing to act despite American deaths to...

A number of Marjory Stoneman Douglas students made speeches at today’s March For Our Lives rally for gun reform. One of those students, Alex Wind, took particular aim at pro-gun politicians and the NRA, using some very strong words in the process. “In the wake of the tragedy on February 14th, we as students, as youth, decided that if adults weren’t going to take action, we would,” Wind said, referencing the tragic Parkland shooting. “No gun-related legislation has been passed in this country since 2008. Ten years ago!” Saying mass shootings need to stop, Wind criticized those proposing the solution...

The reactions from Left and Right are all too predictable in the wake of the Parkland shootings. My social media feeds are overflowing with self serving proclamations, dubious statistics, hateful name calling, and all around foolishness. As usual, both sides are screaming at each other and no one is really listening. I get the Left’s position on gun control. If we want to prevent these national tragedies, we should make it as difficult as possible for people to get their hands on assault rifles. Even if these guns can be obtained via illegal channels, why make it easy for a...

WASHINGTON — When Lauren Greene, a former communications director for Representative Blake Farenthold, sued him claiming sexual harassment, among her complaints was that he “disclosed that a female lobbyist had propositioned him for ‘a threesome.’” Mr. Farenthold, in legal documents, said that Ms. Greene had it wrong. The woman wasn’t a lobbyist, he said. As allegations of sexual misconduct rock Capitol Hill — three lawmakers announced their resignations last week alone — Mr. Farenthold, Republican of Texas, stands out as the survivor. He was sued over accusations of sexual harassment three years ago, paid out an $84,000 settlement, financed by...

The allocation of culpability for the violence that resulted in the tragic death of Heather Heyer at a protest/counter-protest rally in Charlottesville, VA by the media last week really should not have come as a surprise. In the case of Republicans, the news-cycle will consisted of the following phases: If the violence is perpetrated by a hate group(s) whose members are racists, anti-Semites, and white supremacists, first, implicitly tie the Republican Party and its leaders (or if it is President Trump, explicitly) to the offending hate group; secondly, insist he or she publicly renounce the group; third, if the Republican...