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Welcome, readers, to the Good Men Project Daily News Brief! In this new column, we will be distilling and listing current important stories we feel are affecting Democracy.
Thomas Jefferson is attributed as saying “The cornerstone of democracy is a well-informed electorate.” This is something I believe in the very fabric of who I am. This country, this great experiment in self-governance, relies on one thing above all else: the choices we make at the polls are driven by the information we are provided as a citizenry.
Therefore, it is my great honor and privilege to be tasked with collecting for the Good Men Project what I feel are the previous day’s most important stories that affect our democracy and offer them to you as close to daily as possible.
My name is Mckay Williams, I’m an editor here with the Good Men Project and this is your daily brief.
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French President Macron’s State Visit
French President Emmanuel Macron has come for President Trump’s first hosting of an official state visit. France was the first country to recognize the United State’s sovereignty and is our oldest ally. This is important because it is our first glimpse into how the Trump Administration will receive foreign dignitaries and is diplomatically important as France pushes for the United States to rejoin the Paris Climate Accords. It will be interesting to see how the Administration reacts in the coming days to President Macron’s speech before Congress, a rare event for a foreign leader.
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W Kamau Bell’s Personal Essay on Race in America
W Kamu Bell is a comedian, and social justice powerhouse in my neck of the woods, I’ve eaten at this cafe and have some direct links there, so this one is personal as well as being an important commentary on the overall struggles of implicit bias in our Democracy. This is perhaps one of the largest challenges to our republic.
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President Trump’s personal pick for VA job has withdrawn.
Admiral Ronny Jackson, the President’s official doctor has been nominated to head up the Department of Veterans Affairs, which happens to be the largest department in the Federal Government. Adm. Jackson has no career experience managing anything as complex or large as the VA, and reports from the Washington Post claim that he has mounting personal problems such as drinking on the job and over-prescribing of pills, not required for medical treatment, and a possible intoxicated car crash in a government vehicle. This is important because traditionally the White House vets nominees before announcing them, the Trump Administration opting for vetting by the press which he calls “Fake News”.
More from Mckay Williams
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