MEDIUM 09/23/15 By Michael Shank As Pope Francis arrives in Washington this week, the buzz about what he’ll say to the U.S. Congress and the United Nations is ubiquitous. One need not veer far from what Francis has already summoned in his encyclical, Laudato Si’, to know his exact delivery, […]
US NEWS & WORLD REPORT 10/28/14 By Michael Shank and Julia Trezona Peek Members of Congress should refuse campaign donations from fossil fuel industries. Despite the fact that the American people mobilized in historic numbers last month to demand climate solutions, with the march in New York City drawing up […]
REUTERS 08/14/14 By Michael Shank and Elizabeth Beavers The article originally ran last October. It has been updated by the authors. There is a growing bipartisan public outrage about the local police force’s fiercely militarized response to protestors in Ferguson, Missouri. From Democrats to Republicans, progressive to libertarian, citizens across […]
WASHINGTON TIMES 11/12/13 By Michael Shank and Kate Gould WASHINGTON, November 12, 2013 — Even without a final nuclear deal with Iran, this weekend’s intensive negotiations in Geneva resulted in major diplomatic achievements that warrant mention. First and foremost, since direct contact between U.S. and Iranian diplomats has long been […]
US NEWS & WORLD REPORT 10/10/13 By Michael Shank and Lawrence Wilkerson As inspectors begin destroying Syria’s chemical weapons stockpile, the days and weeks ahead are absolutely critical. While we laud the progress initially instigated by talks between the U.S. and Russia, we feel strongly that our diplomatic efforts going […]
FOX NEWS 09/01/13 By Michael Shank and US Congressman Raul Grijalva (D-AZ) Now that President Obama has made up his mind about taking America to war with yet another Muslim country, he wants Congress to get on board. To his credit, he’s seeking congressional authorization, as required by the War […]
THE NEW REPUBLIC 08/20/13 By Marin Cogan On most days, a vegetarian hill worker’s lunch options are depressing: soggy salad-bar greens, a greasy grilled cheese, or maybe—just maybe—a wrap from the sandwich station made of cheese and leftover garnishes. A few months ago, Michael Shank, then an aide to California […]
USA TODAY 07/23/13 By Michael Shank and Kate Gould Congress should join the 70% of Americans who oppose arming Syrian rebels, an act that will come back to haunt us. The Senate and House Intelligence committees’ about-face decision this week to arm the rebels in Syria is dangerous and disconcerting. […]
POLITIX 07/05/13 By Michael Shank President Barack Obama’s decision to suspend trade relations with Bangladesh due to worker safety concerns sets new a precedent for two major trade deals on the administration’s docket – the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and the U.S.-EU Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP). These proposed pacts […]
FOX NEWS 05/28/13 By Michael Shank and Kathy Zager United States-Russia diplomacy is finally making headway on Syria. Monday, as U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov met in Paris to discuss their joint proposal for peace talks, they were encouraged by news over the […]