Paul Stern

In national politics last week there was talk of little else than gun violence, white nationalism and gun control following the fatal shootings of 31 people in Dayton, Ohio and El Paso, Texas. There was little more than talk, too.

President Donald Trump insists he is not a racist, but 51 percent of Americans believe he is, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released last week. Certainly his “send her back” comments about Somalia-born U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota and last week’s jabs at U.S. Rep. Elijah Cummings of Baltimore did nothing to dispel that […]

Special Counsel Robert Mueller was the major political news of the week, and if the Democrats were hoping he would provide them with a big sound bite to underscore their assertion that President Donald Trump obstructed justice and committed other crimes, they were probably disappointed.

In government and politics, appearances count for a lot, as they did last week.

Nothing like a long holiday weekend celebrating American independence — or an ice cream, cold beer or dip in the ocean — to take the edge off a week of otherwise standard divisive politics.

In a two-night, four-hour quizzing, 20 Democrats tried to persuade TV viewers they were worthy of being the next president of the United States — mostly by saying how they differ from the current President, Donald Trump.

The realization that some 150 people might die caused President Donald Trump to call off a military strike against Iran last week, but military action remains one possible response to Iran’s downing of an unmanned U.S. drone over the Strait of Hormuz – the world’s busiest oil transport corridor.

The week after a Connecticut legislative session ends is typically pretty slow on political news, but the politicians always have time for a few ceremonial signings and press conferences to keep things stirred up. In Washington, D.C., stirred up is the daily normal – in this case on both national and international fronts.

Gov. Ned Lamont and state lawmakers wrapped up the legislative session with a new budget, but there is still some difficult decision-making to be done.

Former Special Prosecutor Robert Mueller threw another log on the impeachment fire last week, while Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont struck a budget deal.

As if it were possible, relations between President Donald Trump and Democrats worsened last week when Trump angrily announced he would no longer work with them on infrastructure improvements or other projects until they drop their multiple investigations of his conduct. At the State Capitol, there is little rancor and even some bipartisan agreement.

Does one good “witch hunt” deserve another? Veteran prosecutor and U.S. Attorney for Connecticut John Durham has been assigned to, in President Donald Trump’s parlance, “investigate the investigators” who initiated the investigation into Russian involvement with the 2016 elections – an inquiry Trump has always called a “witchhunt.”