American Spectator Young Journalists Training Program

04/11/2019

07/21/2014

A Tribute to the Onion

A Tribute to the Onion's Middle East coverage: "We laugh, only that we should not cry."

http://spectator.org/blog/60023/tribute-onion

Let the world take note of the Onion and its incredible commentary on the Middle East. On Friday, it tackled the escalating conflict in Gaza with the headline: “Palestinians Starting To Have Mixed Feelings About Being Used As Human Shields.” The piece employs sarcastic understatement with aplomb, po…

07/17/2014

Darrell Issa, Subpoenas, and Political Theater

Micah Meadowcroft concludes that "this administration doesn’t take subpoenas and compulsions of testimony seriously." Read his analysis here:

http://spectator.org/blog/59983/darrell-issa-subpoenas-and-political-theater

Congressman Darrell Issa, the chairman of the House Oversight Committee, issued a subpoena to White House senior adviser David Simas, compelling him to testify at a Wednesday morning hearing exhaustively titled, “White House Office of Political Affairs: Is Supporting Candidates and Campaign Fund-Rai…

07/15/2014

The Middle East's Christian Diaspora

Check out Lucy's featured article! What happened to the 1.3 million christians in Iraq?

http://spectator.org/articles/59960/middle-easts-christian-diaspora

Anyone who obtained too much power in Saddam Hussein’s Iraq had two choices: join the Ba’ath Party or die. Joseph Kassab, a medical researcher at the University of Baghdad, chose a third option—flee to the United States. Thirty-five years later, he describes his success here as “an American dream st…

07/09/2014

Thanks to Lou Ann Sabatier of DC Media for inspiring us in our last career lunch of the summer!

07/09/2014

American Spectator Young Journalists Training Program's cover photo

07/04/2014

Happy 4th of July from all of us here at The American Spectator!

07/02/2014

Ahh, the political pun in its natural habitat...

A public service announcement about .

07/01/2014

Salon's writers have been breathlessly issuing stories decrying the erosion of women’s rights and the weakened power of unions, with the sky falling down and “unwanted babies” lining the street and that darned “one-percent.” Ben Smith explores what this single-celled brain trust is up to:

http://spectator.org/blog/59815/saloncom-has-very-bad-day

06/30/2014

Happy Week.

Thanks England.

06/30/2014

ThinkProgress Tries to Figure Out This Whole Minimum Wage Thing

"But in all seriousness, how can anyone, even the bloggers at ThinkProgress, with their craniums so far up their rectums, be surprised that large, competitive businesses would raise their minimum wages even when there was no legislative mandate?"

Editorial Intern Micah Meadowcroft explores:
http://spectator.org/blog/59792/thinkprogress-tries-figure-out-whole-minimum-wage-thing

ThinkProgress would like you to know that Ikea will be raising its average minimum wage to $10.76 an hour for its American employees. The company has said it will calculate base pay by considering the cost of living at each of its store locations. In other words, Ikea’s goal is to provide a living w…

06/27/2014

Sectarian War Across the Middle East: A Matter of Semantics

Lucy Schouten explores the danger of the long-term goal of Sunni extremist group : to take over the Levant.

http://spectator.org/blog/59783/sectarian-war-across-middle-east-matter-semantics

There is something going on that I may not have told you about.It is really a matter of semantics, but it has turned out to be rather significant. You may have noticed the multiplicity of English translations for ISIS, the extremist Sunni group that has been terrorizing Syria and especially Iraq in…

06/27/2014

Lois 's innocence, answers on , and Obama's balanced walked into a bar...

06/23/2014

Rand Paul Wants Ex-Cons to Have Voting Rights

New Media Intern Megan Cairns explores Rand Paul's bill aimed at restoring Ex-Cons' right to vote. Take a gander!

http://spectator.org/blog/59738/rand-paul-wants-ex-cons-have-voting-rights

Rand Paul is hoping to rebrand the Republican Party as a party of opportunity and second chances with a bill that would restore the vote for those convicted of minor drug offenses.Currently, states have felony disenfranchisement laws with varying levels of severity, resulting in approximately 5.85 m…

06/18/2014

Summer interns enjoying today's career lunch at the Daily Caller!

06/16/2014

The "lost" years of 's emails. Ben Smith, editorial intern, reports: http://spectator.org/blog/59649/who-lois-lerner-kidding

Lois Lerner and the IRS claim that a computer crash caused years of emails to be deleted. There are multiple problems with this story. Ben Smith explains: http://spectator.org/blog/59649/who-lois-lerner-kidding

06/13/2014

Iraq's Deadly Geography

Check out Lucy's first feature article! http://spectator.org/articles/59620/iraqs-deadly-geography

The demographics of the Middle East have long clashed with the region's geography. Nowhere is this clearer than in Iraq, where the arbitrarily drawn borders enclose three distinct ethnic groups. Now, with violence from Syria spilling into Iraq, the region, and the world, are learning a tough geograp…

06/13/2014

Summer interns at The American Spectator!

06/06/2014

"The Tea Party is not dead yet!" writes Ben Smith, McDaniel is likely to prevail in Mississippi Runoff. Read more:

http://spectator.org/blog/59491/mcdaniel-likely-prevail-mississippi-runoff

06/06/2014

A Letter From Gun Country

Editorial Intern Lucy Schouten writes "A Letter from Gun Country": Dear urban citizens…
http://spectator.org/blog/59507/letter-gun-country

Dear urban citizens,I’m about as violent as a summer breeze. There are no fewer than three “animal cemeteries” at my parents’ home because I insisted that all local road kill be properly interred. But I have shot shotguns and hand guns of various sizes in the woods with family, friends, and college…

06/03/2014

Seattle's $15 an Hour: This is Not Bleeping Awesome

Welcome to new intern Micah Meadowcroft, joining us from Hillsdale College and the Collegiate network.

Read his latest on Seattles $15 minimum wage: "Popping tags à la Macklemore will soon be the only affordable shopping experience for young people in Seattle."

http://spectator.org/blog/59479/seattles-15-hour-not-bleeping-awesome

Thrift shops have always been cool in the Pacific Northwest, but with the Seattle city council’s resolution to hike the city’s minimum wage to $15 an hour and tie the wage’s growth to inflation, popping tags à la Macklemore will soon be the only affordable shopping experience for young people.The oh…

05/16/2014

What Happens to Illegal Immigrants Who Seek Sanctuary in Churches?

Welcome to editorial intern Lucy Schouten! Her first post is about what happens to illegal immigrants who seek sanctuary in churches: http://spectator.org/blog/59241/what-happens-illegal-immigrants-who-seek-sanctuary-churches

An illegal immigrant on the run from federal immigration agents has taken up residence in Southside Presbyterian Church in Tucson, Arizona. The congregation welcomed Daniel Nyoy Ruiz and his family on Tuesday, according to Tucson News Now:Pastor Alison Harrington said the church hasn't given someone…

05/15/2014

Who Holds the Government Accountants Accountable?

Who holds the accountants accountable?

05/06/2014

It's Official: 8.1 Million Haven't Signed Up for Obamacare

Natalie deMacedo's last post at The American Spectator. And it's a doozy! http://spectator.org/blog/59027/its-official-81-million-havent-signed-obamacare

Republicans have the data. Only two-thirds of those Obamacare enrollees who bought insurance through the federal marketplace have paid their first premium.The report, compiled by Republicans on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, discovered that 67 percent of enrollees paid their premiums by ta…

04/25/2014

What's the Matter With Rand Paul?

Natalie deMacedo argues that Rand Paul’s new chatter is risky and perhaps better suited for a third-party political candidate.

http://spectator.org/blog/58861/whats-matter-rand-paul

The generally likable winner of the CPAC straw poll who hates the NSA and has garnered support from college-aged libertarians has taken a turn for the worse.First, despite his clear pro-life beliefs, Rand Paul implied he has little or no intention of supporting bans on abortion:“The country is in th…

04/23/2014

Because regular justice just isn't good enough...

Don't worry everyone, the Climate Justice League is here!

http://spectator.org/blog/58843/unlikely-bedfellows-slavers-and-frackers

04/22/2014

Intern Natalie deMacedo gives a news report in front of a green screen at the Newseum in DC.

04/18/2014

Damned Statistical Lies

Natalie deMacedo reveals how Obama snatched the Census Bureau out of the hands of the commerce secretary and decided to change the healthcare survey questions so data post-obamacare won't match up with pre-obamacare data. Alas, the road to serfdom!

http://spectator.org/articles/58777/damned-statistical-lies

Back in 2009, President Obama made one of his first of many unprecedented executive moves: He snatched the Census Bureau out of the hands of the commerce secretary and placed it in the White House.Conservatives were outraged. They predicted that this consolidation of power could result in skewed and…

04/15/2014

Have a...happy ?

04/14/2014

Eric Holder Oversteps

On a vote on an amendment that would reduce the number of prisoners by 6,500 over the next 5 years, Eric Holder overstepped his constitutional boundaries. Natalie deMacedo explores: http://spectator.org/blog/58710/eric-holder-oversteps

Eric Holder has overstepped his boundaries and the U.S. Sentencing Commission is not pleased.Last month Holder was invited to the Commission’s meeting regarding a proposed amendment to reduce drug trafficking sentences by two levels. The Commission was not informed, however, that the night before th...