Jared Bernstein

Fmr. Obama administration economist; CNBC and MSNBC contributor

Opponents who wanted to make the case that comprehensive reform of our current "system" would be a net cost just got some pretty bad news.

Jeff Danziger

Political cartoonist syndicated by the NYTimes worldwide

Joshua Graham Lynn

Program Director, Represent.Us

Do I really believe that Limbaugh has evolved beyond partisanship? No, the sun still rises in the East. But I'm grinning because I've learned that at the end of the day America only works when it represents its people, and it's fun to see Rush learn that lesson too.

Lee A. Saunders

President, American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees, AFL-CIO

Once again, the facts speak for themselves: Unions are the first and last line of defense for America's workers.

Robert Reich

Chancellor's Professor of Public Policy, University of California at Berkeley; Author, 'Beyond Outrage'

It's as if they didn't learn a thing from 2012. Republicans are on the same suicide mission as before -- trying to block immigration reform, roll back the clock on abortion rights, and stop gay marriage wherever possible.

Jeff Schweitzer

Scientist and former White House Senior Policy Analyst; Ph.D. in marine biology/neurophysiology

By today's standards my political views are considered liberal, perhaps even far to the left of center. Yet just a few decades ago I would have been (and was) labeled a moderate or even slightly right of center for holding the same positions I hold today.

Neill Franklin

Executive Director, Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (LEAP)

How to Make Money Selling Drugs makes the argument that we should end the war on drugs. As a former cop, my reasons are simple: Drug prohibition is bad for public safety, and it's never going to work. We can't arrest our way out of this problem. Take it from someone who tried for 34 years.

Jeff Cohen

Author and media critic

If Bradley Manning can be charged with "aiding the enemy" for leaking evidence of war crimes to the public, is it a big jump for the spies to electronically monitor the 70,000 of us who've signed a petition saying that Manning is a hero?

Rep. George Miller

Rep. George Miller (CA-11) is the senior Democratic member of the House Education and the Workforce Committee.

As our economy continues to recover from the 2008 economic crisis, we cannot afford these drastic budget cuts that jeopardize America's leading role in scientific research. Instead, America needs a bold new approach to ignite our innovative capacity.

Catherine Schreiber

Producer, writer, actress

Of all the shows I've worked on, The Scottsboro Boys Musical is the one I'm most passionate about because of its historical significance, its artistic brilliance, its ability to change lives, to make an impact, and to keep the conversation going.

Will Bunch

Author, 'Tear Down This Myth'

In both Turkey and Brazil, it has been the reckless brutality of the security forces -- captured on smartphones and broadcast to a whole world that's watching -- that has caused the protests to grow. Will the United States go down the same road?

William Astore

Writer, Professor, Retired Lt. Colonel, Air Force

How about some truly fresh thinking on national security? Here are five ideas that are more visionary than anything our sclerotic and self-absorbed bureaucracy will ever produce.

Hon. Richard Gottfried and Nathan M. Schaefer

Would you believe that in 2013, in the progressive state of New York, discrimination is still legal? It's true. One group of New Yorkers can be fired from their jobs, turned away from services and even evicted from their homes -- simply for being who they are: transgender New Yorkers.

Mary Kay Henry

President, Service Employees International Union

As a country that counts equality among our basic values, we should never single out one group for harsher treatment. We're better than that.

Natalia Brzezinski

writer, mother, wife of U.S. Ambassador to Sweden, women's empowerment activist

Our hour-long conversation ranged from how to effectively empower women to reach for the C-suite to education to positive role models and examples of best practices that the United States and Sweden can share.

Shan Wells

Nationally syndicated political cartoonist

Susan D. Blum

Professor and chair, Department of Anthropology, Notre Dame

After his James Bond-like escape from house arrest with a broken foot in the dark last spring, blind Chinese lawyer Chen Guangcheng slipped to the U.S. embassy in Beijing -- and special arrangements took him to asylum at NYU Law School. And now Chen is being asked to leave NYU.