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Woman, 95, Indicted on 10,000 Counts of Accessory to Murder in Nazi Camp

"Public prosecutors in Germany have indicted a 95-year-old woman for her role supporting the Nazi killing machinery as a secretary in a concentration camp, charging her with 10,000 counts of being an accessory to murder, and complicity in attempted murders."

The San Francisco School-Renaming Debate Is Not About History

"In fact, the way that the San Francisco school names are being talked about, fretted about, and competed over seems to have little to do with history at all. It has more to do with another realm of public life: celebrity."

And in the Beginning, There Was Gordon Parks

"What astounded the actor Richard Roundtree about Parks when he was cast to play a suave and unflappable Harlem detective — and, in a sense, the first Black superhero — in “Shaft,” was how closely the character resembled the director himself."

If Senators Won’t Kill the Filibuster, They Should at Least Sweat for It

by Elie Mystal

The Nation's law and politics columnist Elie Mystal examines the changes in Senate rules that have made the filibuster a low-effort, low-cost, and high-frequency event since the 1970s. Democrats can get more freedom to legislate without abolishing the filibuster if they change the rules. 

Navy Task Force Calls for Changing Ship Names that Honor Confederacy

"Most sailors -- and Navy leaders -- have little idea of [John Stennis's] background, but the Navy, as an institution, has a moral obligation to know," Green argued. "And, it should act."

Rennie Davis, ‘Chicago Seven’ Antiwar Activist, Dies at 80

Mr. Davis was most famous as an organizer of the protests at the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago which led to his trial for conspiracy and inciting riot. 

Group Asks Florida Police Department to Remove Confederate Flag from Badges

Pensacola's Citizens Police Advisory Board recommended that the badge design be changed to remove the image of the flag of the Confederate States of America.

A First Amendment Case that May be the Key to Trump's Impeachment Trial

by Tony Mauro

A First Amendment researcher offers a brief primer on Brandenburg v. Ohio, a case which Trump's legal supporters argue shields his January 6 rhetoric from criminal sanction because it was not purposefully aimed at inciting "imminent lawless action" – a claim critics say is blatantly contradicted by the subsequent actions of a mob a mile away from where Trump spoke.

No ‘Social Justice’ in the Classroom: Statehouses Renew Scrutiny of Speech at Public Colleges

"This flurry of activity, in states like Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, and Iowa, shows lawmakers’ intense focus on campus culture wars amid broader national clashes over how America’s history is taught and remembered."

Controversial NC Social Studies Guidelines Strike A Nerve With Public And Officials

"Members of the state Board of Education say they’ve gotten thousands of emails about proposed new social studies standards just since last week’s special meeting. The debate over how to address racism, oppression and gender identity is clearly striking a nerve."

Lawmakers Push to Ban ‘1619 Project’ From Schools

"Attempts to ban the materials 'stem from a really unfortunate misreading of the project itself,' said Mark Schulte, the Pulitzer Center’s education director. The lessons aren’t designed to convince students to believe certain ideas, but rather to encourage them to question, he said."

Reintroducing Sonia Sotomayor

by Irin Carmon

After nearly 12 years since her appointment to the Supreme Court, writer Irin Carmon reviews Sonia Sotomayor's role on a changing court and the media outrage over her suggestion that purely color-blind justice is an illusion. 

The GOP Might Still Be Trump’s Party. But That Doesn’t Mean There’s Room For Him

Political scientist Julia Azari, a scholar of presidential mandates, suggests that while the grievance politics Donald Trump exploited will remain part of the Republican Party's strategy, the GOP will probably find another standard bearer; even popular ex-presidents have been eclipsed in their parties. 

North Carolina Stops Issuing Confederate Flag License Plates

"North Carolina will no longer issue new license plates bearing the Confederate flag and will stop renewing plates that already have the symbol, the state’s department of motor vehicles said."

San Francisco’s Ridiculous Renaming Spree

If those on the right were looking for an example to condemn the trend of renaming public facilities because of the misdeeds of prominent historical figures, they couldn't have asked for more than the slapdash actions of the San Francisco school board, writes journalist Gary Kamiya. 

Only Accountability Will Allow the U.S. to Move Forward

by Mitch Landrieu

Full accountability for the Capitol Riot is essential lest white supremacists and other extremists take the lesson that their actions are accepted and permitted. The white supremacist massacres of the post-Reconstruction period show that moving on without accountability is impossible. 

Corky Lee, Who Photographed Asian-American Life, Dies at 73

Corky Lee viewed his camera as a weapon in the fight against stereotyping and discrimination against Asian Americans, and documented many important moments in the histories of Asian communities in New York and the US. 

A New Photo Exhibit Looks At Decades Of FBI Surveillance On American Citizens

Christopher Gregory-Rivera's new exhibit documents the FBI's surveillance, in concert with Puerto Rican authorities, of private citizens suspected of involvement in the island's independence movement.

Hope And Skepticism As Biden Promises To Address Environmental Racism

"The federal government has known of environmental injustice for decades. Presidents have promised to address it. But a legacy of weak laws and spotty enforcement has left Black, brown and poor communities mired in pollution and health hazards."

Texas Attorney General: Collin College Must Release Records of Legislator ‘Contacts’ about Professor’s Pence Tweet

A Texas community college will be required to disclose which state legislators supposedly contacted the adminstration to complain about a tweet by history professor Lora Burnett. The alleged pressure from legislators was a key talking point in administrative actions which Burnett has characterized as retaliation and intimidation against her free speech rights.