Philadelphia Ended Cash Bail for Minor Offenses and the Sky Didn’t Fall
New crusading DA Larry Krasner believes bail reform actually makes the city safer. And now he has proof. So you’re...
The Record Blog
The 27 Club: A Rock Club That Nobody Joins Willingly
It just so happens that rockers who died at age 27 left us the most wanting. Here are the first...
Hey Trump, Kamala Harris Has Your Number
While California AG, Kamala Harris put the hammer on for-profit college scams like Trump U. Amid the endless stream of...
Satirical Rock Is About Subversion, Pushing Boundaries
Frank Zappa was the godfather of satirical rock. When he died, the genre went with him. For the record, folks:...
Bruce Springsteen Joins Clive Davis at Columbia Records
Bruce Springsteen, an unknown bar musician from New Jersey, plants a flag on the label of Bob Dylan. At...
Like the Berlin Wall, Trump’s Fetish Is an Affront to Humanity
The only ‘border emergency’ is inside the White House. Let’s be clear: There is no “border emergency.” Our country is...
For Your Consideration: Senator Sherrod Brown of Ohio
There’s way too much at stake for Democrats to make the wrong choice. One of the things I like about...
Compiling the Lies and Havoc of the Trump Presidency
Seven articles from this website spotlight “alternative facts,” corruption, incompetence and a sneering disrespect for democracy. Prologue I watched shell-shocked...
Paul McCartney’s “Wonderful Christmastime”
Paul’s holiday ditty is a gift that keeps on giving. Musicians who are able to write catchy songs are usually...
AG Nominee William Barr to Rehash Uranium One Sham
Facts don’t get in the way of right wing mythology. Just ask Hillary Clinton. With Jeff Sessions out the door...
PHILLY SPECIAL: DA Larry Krasner Reviving Prosecutor’s Moral Compass
Krasner is changing the culture by emphasizing fairness over notches on a prosecutor’s belt. The prisons of this country are...
Not ‘Happy,’ Trump? Pharrell Still Wants His Song Back
Pharrell Williams joins a long line of artists infuriated by Republican misuse of their songs. The campaign season isn’t really...
Midterm Elections 2018: Closing Arguments
Gross Negligence? Fear-mongering the crisis at our southern border can’t hide the fact the fact that Trump and the Republicans...
Main Line Artist Had Brush with Chaplin Greatness
Dolya Goutman’s odyssey included a stop at Charles Chaplin’s mansion and a friendship with the screen legend’s two eldest...
The Trump Administration’s Covert War on Weed
Like the Affordable Care Act, Trump is sabotaging something Americans clearly want. There are lies, damned lies and…policy statements from...
A Partisan Warrior on the Supreme Court?
Here is the infamous “crying” video of Brett Kavanaugh at his confirmation hearings, in which he blames a left-wing conspiracy...
Impeachment Quagmire: Trading a Bad Liar for a Good One
Short of a Mueller smoking gun, Mike Pence takes impeachment off the table. Prologue There’s no better summary of the...
When The Rolling Stones Crossed Over to Atlantic
The label switch came with a cast of characters: Ahmet Ertegun, Marshall Chess and Prince Rupert Loewenstein. The first meeting...
Teachers Inciting ‘Blue Wave’
With midterms looming, Americans can show their overwhelming support for public education. Isn’t it time the largest profession in the...
Aretha Franklin Found Greatness with Atlantic R&B Pioneer
Atlantic Records producer Jerry Wexler’s breakthrough: Let Aretha be herself. As the old saying goes, there are no guarantees...
VA Update: Are the ‘Mar-a-Lago Three’ VA’s Shadow Rulers?
Trump’s cronies at his Florida country club have no US military or government experience. Well, it seems Donald Trump is...
Remember Helsinki! ‘The Appeasement Summit,’ Revisited.
The following video, 3 minutes, 10 seconds long, was published by Guardian News and shown here courtesy of YouTube. It...
VA Privatization: Conservatives’ Dream, Veterans’ Nightmare
This veteran, along with just about every veterans group out there, oppose this scheme. You know the Trump administration is...
Arena Superstar Billy Joel Looks Back Fondly on Writing and Recording
Joel on long-time producer Phil Ramone: “He was the king.” Among legacy rock stars and bands still performing, Billy Joel...
Is PA Sen. Bob Casey Once Again Courting Presidential Star Power?
Presidential prospect Kamala Harris came to Philly last week to support Casey’s reelection. Twelve years ago, it was Senator Barack...
Trump’s Smears of Immigrants Recall ‘Red Scare’ a Century Ago
It turns out ICE isn’t the only goon squad in American history. Here’s the latest outrage: LinkedIn published a Seattle...
An Early Summer Snapshot of Democrats’ Electoral Prospects
“Civilization as we know it is at risk in this election. We have to win.” Prologue The following quote has...
Private Prisons the Only Winner in Immigrant Children Tragedy
An industry that makes money when more people are imprisoned and imprisoned longer. It is still breaking America’s heart. Fathers,...
Joni Mitchell Is Doing Fine, Thank You
“I sing my sorrow and I paint my joy.” Seven enduring essentials about Joni Mitchell. In a respite from...
Nilsson, Schmilsson & Lennon: Weighing Another ‘Fifth Beatle’
Harry Nilsson, an unsung singer-songwriter, is perhaps better known for the company he kept. Prologue At a 1968 press conference...
North Korea is Trump’s Reality TV Show. But What About America?
Nuclear diplomacy is a bit harder than running a hotel or golf course. May I present North Korea’s Supreme leader...
Stone Sculpture by Steve Flom
There’s beauty in those rocks This story starts at the demolition site of the Bulletin building in Philadelphia. As...
How Background Checkers Have the Goods on One of Three Americans
End up on one of their lists and you could be branded for life! Criminalizing Human Behavior Think about...
Libertarian Millennials: Rand Paul Just Sold His Soul to Donald Trump
Libertarianism isn’t “cool”: Just isolationist conservatism. During the Iraq War, Rand’s father, Ron Paul, got a lot of mileage out...
Public Education a Winning Issue for Democrats
“We’ll remember in November,” vowed a striking teacher in West Virginia. Winning back the US Senate in the upcoming midterm elections...
Bite of the Apple: First iPods, Now iTunes?…All Gone
Is Spotify the spoiler in Apple’s U2 victory dance? $165 per share. That was the opening price for Spotify’s Initial...
Community Radio: Music With That Personal Touch
Good News! Public radio remains viable as it competes with a multitude of platforms Community radio. Also called public radio....
The Beatles’ Rooftop London Serenade
Despite rugged conditions, The Beatles gave it a shot. Abbey Road would follow. It started out as a solution...
California Gives Middle Finger to Sanctuary City Hypocrisy
States’ Rights backer Jeff Sessions comes to California preaching Federal Supremacy The irony wasn’t subtle. Not at all. In...
Barack Obama, a Nation Turns Its Lonely Eyes to You
A random sampling of what our beloved president has been up to these days As it becomes more and more...
Russia Probe: Paul Manafort’s Secrets are Trump’s Nightmares
“Treason’s just another word for nothing left to lose…” The Grim Reaper seems to be at the White House doorstep,...
Republican Congressman Devin Nunes: Trump’s Chump
Like his mentor in the White House, California House Republican Nunes has some problems with the truth. Here is our...
It Was 50 Years Ago Today! Rock Scaled New Heights in 1968
1968 marked the year when the Beatles topped the charts with a seven-minute single, Hendrix exquisitely covered Bob Dylan and...
Opioid Crisis: Deadly Fentanyl Justifies Philly’s Safe Injection Sites?
Logical next step in harm reduction: Remember The Wire’s ‘Hamsterdam’? Editor’s note: This is the 7th article published on...
Trump’s Phony Embrace of Dreamers to Come with a Grim Price Tag
White House and Congressional tormentors of Dreamers want to turn back the clock on immigration. At a press briefing on...
Trump’s ‘Election Integrity’ Panel Put Out of its Misery
Voting panel conceived out of blind hatred for people of color. A boondoggle to New Hampshire sealed its fate. This...
The Making of Queen’s ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’
The vision of a shy Indian schoolboy named Bulsara became a pop masterpiece. Here is Queen’s official video of...
James O’Keefe’s Bad Faith Efforts to Embarrass Liberals Usually Go Down in Flames
Still waiting to hold this fraud accountable for ACORN’s demise. I’m sure you’ve heard of this guy. His specialty is...
Taxing Trump: How Do You Lie to the Face of the American People Like That?
(Video, my title, “The President Tells a Whopper,” courtesy of YouTube.) Trump’s assertion that the tax bill would hurt him...
Tax Scam Will Cost Republicans Big-Time in the 2018 Midterms
Even flagrant GOP lies can’t rescue the poll numbers of this legislative turd. Like thieves in the night, the Republican...
Sinclair Broadcasting: A Much Bigger Threat Than Fox News
Trump TV? Pending television merger would have right wing provocateur Sinclair infiltrate 72% of American households Just when we had...
The Uranium-to-Russia Uproar Lacked Hillary’s Fingerprints
There’s no ‘there’ there. Republicans have abandoned any allegiance to the truth. Spin Cycle With the Fox News-driven Republican echo...
Overturning Net Neutrality a Solution in Search of a Problem
‘All internet traffic shall be treated equally’ – Trump’s FCC begs to differ What a delightful quirk to the continuing...
GOP Tax Plan: Savaging Medicaid to Transfer Wealth Upward
Trump’s tax scam would enrich himself and fulfill Paul Ryan’s keg party fantasy Ah, the kegger in college. You always...
Kansas Loses Jobs, Revenue as Right Runs Amok
What’s the Matter With Kansas? Editor’s Note: This article was originally published on July 17, 2014. I changed the date...
The Battle for Springsteen Tickets Premieres on Broadway
Is Bruce’s ‘Verified Fan’ a scalper-beater, or a windfall for Ticketmaster? We’ve seen this movie before. So you want...
Liberal Democracy Will Ultimately Prevail
Even with (or because of) a hard-right administration, Americans increasingly prefer liberal policies. There is no turning back. We’ll get...
Dump Trump? Winning Back the House Is Our Most Urgent Priority
The Republicans are sure to weaponize voter suppression and demonize our leadership. Democrats would be wise to deal with both....
Glen Campbell & ‘The Wrecking Crew’
The late hit-maker was once a part of an elite group of LA session musicians. We mourn the passing of...
Trump’s Constant Lying Has Roots in the Kremlin & Senator Joe McCarthy
‘Tail Gunner Joe’ would tip his hat to fellow con man Trump, who ironically cozies up to despised ex-KGB Vladimir Putin...
Local News No Easy Conquest for Trump’s War on Media
Will Donald Trump’s poisonous scapegoating of our media ‘trickle down’ to state and local coverage? Maybe not. As we gird ourselves for...
Paul McCartney Gets His Songs Back!
Beatle Paul lost the rights to his song catalogue twice, actually. Paul McCartney has reached a settlement with Sony/ATV...
A Glimpse Into the Fanatical Hatred of ‘Alt-Right’ Trolling
Enabled by a president willing to tweet violent images, right wing trolls go after a Montana Jewish woman and get...
Voting Rights and Wrongs, from White House to Wisconsin
“In a democracy, there is one right that stands atop all the rest: the right to vote.” –Russ Feingold, the...
Donald Trump’s Incompetence Can Be Useful to Democrats
 As Trump continues to unravel, Impeachment becomes the Republicans’ dilemma, not ours. When I say Donald Trump is “useful,” most...
ZZ Top: Two Beards and a Drummer named Beard Wrote the Story of Texas Boogie
After Hitting It Big with Eliminator, the Eighties Caught Up With Them I remember so well that ZZ Top concert in Dayton,...
Civil Asset Forfeiture Update: States Shunning ‘Policing for Profit’
While the Feds Continue to Seize Staggering Amounts from Innocent People, Many States Are Taking Measures to Moderate The Practice...
Chuck Berry’s Gift: The Soundtrack for Our Time
A Philly Blues Musician and Former History Teacher Measures the Late Rock ‘n’ Roller’s Greatness Editor’s Note: John Colgan-Davis is a harmonica player...
Canned Heat: Sex, Drugs & The Blues
Even a Famed Dalliance with Blues Great John Lee Hooker Couldn’t Prevent the Tragic Deaths of Their Star Performers...
Unions Are a Valued Partner in The Resistance
Plagued by Republican Attempts to Destroy Them, Labor Unions are Employing Creative Ways to Equate Workers’ Rights with The Common...
President Pence: From Chaos to White Christian Supremacy
His Boss Vows to Build a Wall, but Pence Wants to Tear Down the Only Wall That Matters: The Separation of...
Can the United States Senate Tame Trump?
The Senate is the Last Line of Defense Against a Wannabe Crime Family. Here, in two quotes by prominent conservatives,...
Nuclear Brinkmanship: “My Button Is Bigger Than Yours”?
The Doomsday Clock Ticks as the World Watches Two Small Men Puff Out Their Chests Lying atop a Twitter trash heap, one particular tweet...
Trumpsters Now Claim All Mainstream Media Is “Fake News”
By Turning Their ‘Fake News’ Election Trickery on Its Head, Right Wingers Seek to Erode a Pillar of Accountability Perhaps...
The Resistance
No Cooperation. No Compromise. Learn From the Past and Let Trump and His Confederates Bury Themselves. Obviously… The most important...
Silver Linings Payback
What’s Done Is Done. Could This Election Disaster Be a Blessing in Disguise? Prologue On election eve at Independence Hall in my...
Third Party Candidates Might Make Things Interesting Out West
But There’s No Way They’ll Earn Ralph Nader’s Title of ‘Spoiler’ The presidential election of 2000 still manages to occupy a tiny...
Conservative Voter Suppression Group Humbled in Philadelphia Courtroom
Ignorance of the Law Almost Brings Sanctions Against ACLU ‘Alternative’ A conservative advocacy group that tried mightily to purge incarcerated felons from...
Republicans Stir Voter Intimidation Pot
Meanwhile, Kansas Secretary of State Continues Quest for White Voters Oblivious to traditions and core principles that make American democracy...
Marijuana Remains a Schedule I Narcotic? Malarkey!
The War on Drugs’ Number One Casualty After much anticipation (and with more and more states openly flouting federal law),...
Neil Young & Lynyrd Skynyrd: The Friendliest of Feuds
Mutual admiration made them pivot to damage control. Sweet Home Alabama At the center of it all was a 1974...
The Democratic Convention: Up Close and Very Personal
A Philly Guy Takes Pride In His Host City, Warts and All The Democratic Party holding its big convention in...
Addiction Epidemic: A Little Help Here
As Attitudes Slowly Change, the Government and Drug Companies Have to Do Much More Prologue When President Richard Nixon declared a “war...
Did the Media Create Their Fame Monster?
When It Comes to Ratings and Clicks, Entertainment Trumps News Every Time Just when you thought the 2016 presidential campaign...
Are Dems Inciting a ’68 Chicago Outcome?
The Parallel Between Then and Now Is Striking At this point in the 2016 presidential election, it now seems that...
‘Progressive Rock’ – A Wayward Link in Rock ‘n’ Roll’s Saga?
The Rock Hall of Fame Seems to Be in No Hurry to Find a Place for Prog Rock Editor’s update:...
Don’t Dare Say You’re Not Voting!
Let’s Not Forget the Hard-Fought Battles Over Voting Rights I’m sure you’ve heard this is various forms: respected progressive columnist Robert...
Completing Two Imperfect Candidates
Democrats Have a Deep Enough Bench to Cover Some Blemishes A year ago, Team Blue couldn’t have wished upon a star...
Jerry Garcia, Owsley & Mountain Girl
How a lysergic moment in time helped create rock’s ultimate jam band. People who came of age in the...
Suboxone: Big Pharma Strikes Again
The Seductive Opiate ‘Cure’ That’s Causing Its Own Epidemic A heroin epidemic has taken hold in this country, affecting the...
VINYL VIBE – Jazz Composer’s Orchestra
Karl Jones Riffs on His Vinyl Treats Editor’s Note: Welcome to VINYL VIBE, an occasional column reviewing hand-picked jazz records from the personal collection of...
Abbey Road’s ‘The End’ – A Beatles’ Farewell
The song was crafted to bring Beatles fans back to where it all began. Here is one version of...
Veteran Candidates on Mission To Turn US Senate Blue
Can Democrats Retake the Senate? If you look closely at the numbers in the map, it would seem that super-pollster Larry Sabato’s...
Uber and the ‘Sharing Economy’ – It’s Complicated
American Companies Have Mostly Forsaken Their Share of the Safety Net At first blush, it has all the pedigree of a...
Republicans’ Only Viable Election Strategy for 2016 is Low Turn-Out
There is a disturbing similarity between the Planned Parenthood videos and the demise of ACORN. Both were designed to keep...
Fleetwood Mac’s Tour Stirs Memories of the Original Blues Version
Christine McVie Is the Essential Link Between Old and New Indisputably, the band is named for its founding rhythm section: Mick Fleetwood...
The Billionaire Boys’ Club
How is It That About 158 Wealthy Families Control the Bulk of Election Spending in America? Rubio, Cruz Leading the Billionaire Lottery...
California Leads Nation on Climate Change
New Law Puts State on Path to 50% Renewable Energy by 2030 Sunny California, the 8th largest economy in the...
Philly Muralist Pete Smith’s 90-Day Feat
The Artist Created 90 Portrait Studies in 90 Days As I sat in Hymie’s Delicatessen with my good friend...
Higher Wages Key To Robust Economic Growth
But Republican State Legislatures Heed the Call of ALEC There remains a frustrating disconnect between the stream of cheerful economic data...
Good Riddance: House Republican Leadership Goes ‘Poof’
Memo to Kevin McCarthy: Truth-Telling and GOP Politics Don’t Mix Memo to Eric Cantor: That’s Why They Hold Elections Editor’s Note:...
Colorado Student Protests Force School Board Recall Election
Students & Teachers To Get Last Word Against Conservative Rewriting of History Curriculum Well, it wasn’t like this. Oh, them...
Solar Battle Heats Up in Arizona
Fossil Fuel Group Declares War on Solar Users You’d think that in a state where there are anywhere between...
PA Senate Race: Joe Sestak No Longer Walks Alone
Kathleen McGinty Enters the Race With Key Dem Endorsements Admiral Joe Sestak Still Hopes the Second Time’s the Charm Ever since...
Spinners Thrived After Motown Exit
Only a Matter of Time Before Spinners Join ‘Soul-Mates’ in Rock Hall of Fame It would be quite natural to assume...
Politicized Churches Should Answer Nation’s Calling
It’s Time to Tax Churches Organized Religion’s Tax Subsidy: $71 Billion Annually When a religion is good, I conceive it...
