Martha Burk

Money Editor, Ms. magazine; director, Corporate Accountability Project, National Council of Women's Organizations

House Speaker John Boehner told reporters the GOP's abortion ban that passed the House 228-196 on Tuesday won't change the party's relationship with women. He's half right. It won't change the party's relationship with women, because women already hate the GOP.

Viviana Hurtado

Host, Hispanic Business Today on NBC; blogger-in-chief, The Wise Latina Club, former ABC News correspondent

It is true that elections are tight and every vote counts. But does finding a few bad ballots trump the constitutionally protected right of the 30,000 Arizonans who were denied theirs or the millions of others living in the states and counties covered by the Voting Rights Act?

Melinda Gates

Co-chair, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation

When Germany and other wealthy nations came together to create the Global Fund a decade ago, AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria were leading causes of death in developing countries. But world leaders recognized that they could make dramatic gains against these three diseases.

Jeff Danziger

Political cartoonist syndicated by the NYTimes worldwide

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.

Lori Day

Educational psychologist and consultant, Lori Day Consulting

The people attacking others and their rights are always the ones awash in power, clinging to it, choking it off for others. Anyone else trying to get their fair share? They are not "waging war." They are doing everything they can, from a place of significantly less power, to stand up for themselves.

Richard (RJ) Eskow

Writer; Senior Fellow, Campaign for America's Future

Detroit, which grew and prospered for much of the last century, has become a wasteland of abandoned buildings, lawlessness, and municipal debts. Who'll pay the price for the fall of Detroit?

David Bier

Policy Analyst, Competitive Enterprise Institute

When legislators and regulators begin to discover the possibilities created by E-Verify, the end-product ultimately may be what few people who supported the original version envisioned.

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.

Gordon Whitman

Director of Policy, PICO National Network

Immigration reform is a big plus for the economy: The reason why immigration reform lowers the deficit by so much is that immigrants who no longer have to work under the table will earn more money and pay hundreds of billions of dollars more in federal taxes.

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.

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.

George Goehl

Executive Director, National People’s Action

Kris Kobach, a national figure in terms of anti-immigrant rhetoric and policy, has a choice. He can continue to stoke fear and hate or he can acknowledge that he has gone too far and apologize for his extreme and threatening comments.

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.