Opinion

On January 2, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz announced that he would join Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley and nine other Republican senators objecting to the certification of Joe Biden's Electoral College victory. Attempting to revive the ghost of 1876's genuinely disputed presidential election, these senators have called for a congressional "electoral commission" to investigate the presidential vote that has been counted and recounted in key battleground states.

When President Donald Trump called Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and implored him to somehow "find" exactly enough votes for Trump to win the state, Trump certainly abused his power and, beyond that, might well have committed criminal offenses. We can no longer write off Trump's dangerous, potentially criminal conduct as merely "Trump being Trump." It's time for prosecutors to do their jobs.

The lived effects of racism and inequality constitute America's biggest public health and safety crisis, and it demands bold, courageous action in 2021. The Biden-Harris administration's first 100 days should be devoted to developing, unveiling and implementing a National Racial Truth, Justice and Healing Commission, with executive authority charged with three broad missions. The commission could be run out of the Oval Office, perhaps overseen by senior domestic adviser Susan Rice, and have a staff that included a congressional liaison to help pursue legislative programs while simultaneously using executive authority wherever possible to achieve its objective.