Author Archives: Paul Deaton

Physicians For AI Safety

Posted on October 4, 2026 by Paul Deaton

At the Make America Healthy Again summit on Sept. 29, 2026, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. stated that AI offers a second opinion “much better informed than any doctor in the country” and claimed an OpenAI … Continue reading →

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Protecting Democracy And Fighting Authoritarianism

Posted on October 4, 2026 by Paul Deaton

U.S. Senator Elissa Slotkin (D-MI) delivered remarks at Carnegie Endowment for International Peace on her takeaways from a recent trip to Hungary and Poland, and how we can use lessons from those countries to protect democracy here in the United … Continue reading →

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Three Things About Iowa Politics This Fall

Posted on October 4, 2026 by Paul Deaton

Three things are on my mind now and for the remaining 31 days until the general election. In case you missed it, last Wednesday was the closing day of the fund raising quarter. I had to tell Mary Peltola, Sherrod … Continue reading →

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People’s Tribunal on Gaza

Posted on October 3, 2026 by Paul Deaton

Community members in Des Moines and Iowa City are invited to gather on Oct. 10, for a public watch event accompanying the People’s Tribunal on Government Complicity in Gaza, a local and national effort to examine the role of the … Continue reading →

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What If WOTUS Definitions Change?

Posted on September 27, 2026 by Paul Deaton

This is the beginning of the final push toward the general election, with 37 days to go. Democratic victories are in the air, and the scent is intoxicating. But we can’t get drunk on victory until it actually materializes. Keep … Continue reading →

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Today Is Nuclear Abolition Day

Posted on September 26, 2026 by Paul Deaton

New Documentary Featuring Daniel Ellsberg on the Increasing Danger of Nuclear War Earlier this year, growing concerns about the increased potential for the use of nuclear weapons led the respected Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists to move its Doomsday Clock … Continue reading →

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Podcasts Are… Something

Posted on September 26, 2026 by Paul Deaton

I recently wrote some friends, “I watch/listen to zero podcasts. Unbeknownst to me, this has become mainstream media consumed by hundreds of millions of people monthly.” In hindsight, I didn’t understand how “podcast” fit into the media landscape. If I … Continue reading →

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The NDAA Is Abominable, Absurd, And Abhorrent

Posted on September 20, 2026 by Paul Deaton

The U.S. House of Representatives passed the FY 2027 National Defense Authorization Act. or NDAA, in July.  The Senate must now take it up.  The House-passed NDAA is abominable, absurd, and abhorrent.  The US Senate must reject the House version, … Continue reading →

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Power Plants And The EPA

Posted on September 19, 2026 by Paul Deaton

On Monday, Sept. 14, the Environmental Protection Agency did two things that were expected since President Trump was re-elected. EPA finalized repeal of the Biden-era greenhouse-gas standards for coal-fired power plants and newly built natural-gas power plants. It also proposed … Continue reading →

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Protecting The Midterm Vote

Posted on September 13, 2026 by Paul Deaton

My first assignments as a poll worker dropped this week, a reminder of how soon election day will be here. Early voting starts October 14 in Iowa. I drew three shifts helping in the lobby at the county administration building, … Continue reading →

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