Steven Mikulan

2 weeks ago | capitalandmain.com | Steven Mikulan

Jim Crogan was the classic reporter: a relentless digger who never failed to “follow the money.” Crogan, who died Feb. 7 at his Valley Village home at 73, was a graduate of Notre Dame who found his stride with stories published in the LA Weekly during the 1990s and aughts. His coverage often focused on malfeasance in district attorneys’ offices or at police departments.

3 weeks ago | laprogressive.com | Steven Mikulan |Rob Maurer

Will the old prison be reborn as America’s Devil’s Island or as a theme park for the carceral state? Since Donald Trump retook the White House, there’s been no such thing as a slow news day. Just when the apple cart of political civility is patched up from his last Truth Social monologue, Sean Hannity interview or executive order, out come new demands or malarial musings that send Democrats running to the microphones and CNN to summon back its on-call panels of experts and pundits.

3 weeks ago | capitalandmain.com | Steven Mikulan

Every week since Inauguration Day there’s been some “high noon” reckoning that shines a spotlight on people who must decide whether to acquiesce or to make a difference. It may be a powerhouse law firm caving to the president’s demands for free legal services, or the refusal of a lowly civil servant to turn over the personnel files of citizens to DOGE. In High Noon in America, Capital & Main looks at the individuals and institutions that succeeded or failed to stand up against intimidation.

1 month ago | capitalandmain.com | Steven Mikulan

Since Donald Trump’s return to the White House, every week has come with some “high noon” reckoning — a lonely, do or die moment when Americans face a choice between fight or flight. Suddenly and unfairly, history shines a spotlight on us, and all the reassuring civics lessons we learned in school fly out the window.

1 month ago | laprogressive.com | Steven Mikulan |Rob Maurer

One day years ago I joined a long line in Moscow to buy cigarettes. The idea of having to wait for a pack of lowly White Sea Canals seemed a bit absurd but, I figured, people at this state-run tabak kiosk were probably used to queueing for everything. (Russia was still the USSR back then.) As soon as the vendor opened his window for business a shouting match erupted between him and the head of the line.