Nicole Lafond
Where Things Stand: A Return To The Other Very American Problem 
The pandemic has brought to a head the complexities of one very uniquely American problem: the emphasis we as a country put on individual freedoms, which, this past year, has repeatedly run headlong into the need to care for our fellow man during a global health crisis.
It’s also revealed in new ways a more depressing American problem: mass shootings.
Where Things Stand: Anti-Trans Bills Are The GOP’s New Culture War. But Most Americans Aren’t On Board
Without any real policy agenda, Republicans in Congress have largely seized on various fronts in the culture war to distract from Biden’s successes. And GOPers at the state level are doing the same, with a new heightened focus on an element of their socially conservative base’s traditional values: Going after the LGBT community.
Lately, that’s meant a fresh wave of anti-trans rights bills.
Where Things Stand: Fortunately, It’s Not Just The Insurrectionists
While the Republican ringleaders of the Big Lie have seemingly fundraised in a big way following their efforts to overturn the results of the election, at least one Democrat is raking in substantial cash for doing, sort of, the opposite.
Where Things Stand: GOP Acknowledges Asian Hate Crime Bill Might Not Be Right Time To Force First Filibuster
Many Senate Republicans nonetheless argued the bill wasn’t necessary in the first place.
Where Things Stand: An Old Man With A Grudge Still Runs The Show
And Senate Republicans know it.
All hope of retaking the majority in the Senate lies with the former president’s ability to put aside his personal grievances for the sake of the Party.
Where Things Stand: That Raised Fist Pays Off
Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) is learning that, in 2021, sowing distrust in basic functions of democracy can be good electoral politics.
Where Things Stand: Suppressing Democracy To Appease The Faithful
Brian Kemp is up for reelection in 2022. And the true leader of the Republican Party, former President Donald Trump, has made it pretty clear that Kemp has fallen far outside of his good graces.
Where Things Stand: Traditional Conservative Values Butt Heads With The New Culture Wars
Asa Hutchinson’s veto of an anti-trans bill in his state, which we covered yesterday, proved to be for naught — it was promptly overridden by his GOP colleagues in the state legislature.
But his defense of his veto saw him position himself at a crossroads for conservatism, between libertarian values and the increasing desire on the right to punish one’s perceived enemies.
Where Things Stand: GOP Governor Steps In To Stop Anti-Trans Bill
As Republicans fling one culture war after another at the wall to see what sticks in recent weeks, at least one GOP governor isn’t playing along.