Maxwell Tani

journalist, currently at Huff Post

United States of America

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Business Insider
A major Democratic group is taunting Republicans who skipped the RNC with fake 'Texts from Trump'

A major group backing Democratic candidates isn't letting Republican members of Congress off the hook for skipping the Republican National Convention. Emily's List, a political group that backs female Democratic pro-abortion rights candidates, rolled out a new digital campaign on Wednesday called "#TextsFromTrump" aimed at reminding voters that while many Republican candidates aren't attending Trump's convention, they share some of Trump's policy views.

Business Insider
A major Democratic group is taunting Republicans who skipped the RNC with fake 'Texts from Trump'

A major group backing Democratic candidates isn't letting Republican members of Congress off the hook for skipping the Republican National Convention. Emily's List, a political group that backs female Democratic pro-abortion rights candidates, rolled out a new digital campaign on Wednesday called "#TextsFromTrump" aimed at reminding voters that while many Republican candidates aren't attending Trump's convention, they share some of Trump's policy views.

Business Insider
08/08/1287
Top environmental groups are meeting with the Democratic party to push for bold changes

Environmental groups are taking a step closer to uniting behind Hillary Clinton - but not before they push the Democratic party to adopt a more aggressive agenda for tackling climate change. On Friday, several top environmental groups and activists will present their official policy recommendations to Democratic National Committee's party platform drafting committee.

The Huffington Post
03/09/2015
Texas Lawmaker Proposes Giving Lawyers To Some Fetuses

A Texas state lawmaker proposes giving fetuses legal representation when the mother is brain-dead. State Rep. Matt Krause (R) introduced a measure requiring the state to appoint a lawyer to " represent the unborn child's interests" in the event of the mother's brain death, the Dallas Morning News reported Wednesday.

The Huffington Post
03/09/2015
Republican Governors Propose Deep Spending Cuts To Universities

If proposals by two Republican governors are approved, public universities in Illinois and Wisconsin could soon experience sweeping layoffs, program eliminations and possible campus closures. This month, Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner (R) and Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) unveiled budgets with deep spending cuts for public universities.

Washingtoncitypaper
11/20/2014
Does D.C. Really Need Two More Punk Retrospectives?

Last month, Henry Rollins packed the National Museum of Natural History for a speaking gig on the early days of punk. The event had all of the warmth of a homecoming show-Rollins shouted out friends in the audience; people in the crowd shouted out details from anecdotes that Rollins himself only half-remembered.

Wamu
09/18/2014
Could Bombay Knox Give D.C. Hip-Hop The Boost It Needs?

On a narrow road off Rhode Island Avenue in Hyattsville, Maryland, a plain, squat building sits nestled in a grubby industrial zone. Surrounded by a wood-plank fence, the structure dwells just beyond a cluster of auto-repair garages and scrap shops that's bisected and isolated by railroad tracks.

Washingtoncitypaper
09/10/2014
The DC Shorts Film Festival, Reviewed

The DC Shorts Film Festival features 17 collections of shorts, each showing several times over the event's 11 days. Here: a few reviews of full programs. Show 1 The Cold Heart, the first film of the first DC Shorts showcase, kicks off the fest in spectacular fashion.

The Huffington Post
03/09/2015
Senators Race To See Who Can Ban Taxpayer-Funded Oil Portraits First

Someone get Chuck Hagel a frame for his government ID card. If some members of Congress get their way, that might be the only official portrait taxpayers will pay for. This week the Senate introduced not one but two new bills that would ban federal spending on traditional oil portraits for cabinet-level officials.

Washingtoncitypaper
12/01/2014
What Marc Eisenberg Learned from a Year of Free 9:30 Club Shows

For the past 11 months, Marc Eisenberg has been living a concertgoer's dream: He's attended at least 135 shows at the 9:30 Club since January without paying a dime or suffering any noticeable hearing damage. "I'm an incredibly lucky guy," he says. As the winner of the 9:30 Club's annual holiday raffle, the longtime D.C.

Washingtoncitypaper
10/10/2014
Laughing Man's Be Black Baby, Reviewed - Washington City Paper

A rock band committed to experimentation in 2014 has its work cut out for it. Sure, artists can flavor rock 'n' roll with pedal tech or substitute a six-string for something more exotic, but can a band make a rock record that expands as much as it rehashes?

The Huffington Post
03/09/2015
GOP Governor Blames Undocumented Immigrants For Spreading Disease

Maine Gov. Paul LePage (R) went after undocumented immigrants during his State of the State speech Tuesday, suggesting they were spreading HIV and other diseases. LePage veered from his prepared remarks to rail about "illegal aliens," who he claimed deprive his state of valuable resources.

The Huffington Post
03/09/2015
Texas Governor Dedicates Day To Controversial American Sniper

Groundhog Day isn't the only holiday on Feb. 2 this year. In Texas, it is also Chris Kyle Day. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) signed an official proclamation Monday commemorating the death of Navy Seal sharpshooter Chris Kyle, the subject of Clint Eastwood's blockbuster film "American Sniper."

Washingtoncitypaper
10/29/2014
Screen Vinyl Image's New Release is Moody and Well-Constructed, But Predictable

Screen Vinyl Image chose an opportune moment to reemerge. D.C. is a much kinder place for experimental dance music now than when the band first formed from the ashes of Alcian Blue in 2007. The numerous independent electronic groups making off-kilter tunes with danceable beats constitute a small, yet significant wave within the city.

Wamu
01/12/2015
Did Led Zeppelin Play A Maryland Youth Center In 1969? Jeff Krulik Thinks So

Long before Led Zeppelin was riding motorcycles through hotel rooms and clothing middle schoolers everywhere, the band played a show for 50 people in Wheaton, Maryland. Or did it? The strange, disputed tale of Led Zeppelin's show at the Wheaton Youth Center is the subject of Led Zeppelin Played Here , the latest documentary by Heavy Metal Parking Lot co-director Jeff Krulik.

The Huffington Post
03/09/2015
House Democrats Want Republican Women To Help Pass Paid Leave Legislation

Though GOP lawmakers generally panned the proposals in last week's State of the Union address, House Democrats are hoping that a coalition of Republican women may work with them on one of the main priorities that President Barack Obama outlined in his speech: paid leave legislation. Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.)

Washingtoncitypaper
12/22/2014
Sounds About Right: The Best Local Albums of 2014

There was experimental jazz, sludge, and soul; there were fresh takes on punk and new renderings of jazz classics. There was the wistful darkwave of winter, the synth-pop sing-alongs of spring, the crunchy hip-hop beats of summer, and the bright, straight-ahead barre chords of fall. Replay the year in D.C.

Washingtoncitypaper
08/15/2014
It's Arcade Fire Weekend in D.C.

Arcade Fire is all about the District this weekend. Before the Montreal group takes over the Verizon Center this Sunday with Dan Deacon, you can spot a few of the band's members at smaller gigs at the Rock & Roll Hotel. Dj Windows 98 (Win Butler of @arcadefire) will be our special guest Dj tonight on the 2nd floor.

Washingtoncitypaper
09/25/2014
Smoke on the Roof of Hole In the Sky in Laughing Man's New Video for "Brilliant Colors"

What's more punk rock than skateboarding to Dean & Deluca for some artisanal Sicilian grapefruit jam? Probably quite a few things, but then, the members of Laughing Man never were punk rock purists. The genre-bending D.C. quartet released a new video yesterday for its latest single "Brilliant Colors," a propulsive, surprisingly straightforward track that's been floating around the Internet since May.

Washingtoncitypaper
09/12/2014
The Garden: Sept. 20 at Black Cat - Washington City Paper

From garage-rock kingmakers Burger Records comes the latest heirs to the throne: minimalist punk duo the Garden, a set of lanky twins riding high off several solid releases and a high-profile stint in the fashion world.

Washingtoncitypaper
D.C. Fall Arts Guide

Photo: Kelly Towles @ Crafty Bastards Kushi Will Close After This Weekend The Needle: Stale Snyder Mayoral Power Rankings, General Election: Week 3 Chatter: The Schwartz Is Strong With This One

Washingtoncitypaper
09/26/2014
Time Covers the 1960s at National Portrait Gallery: Thursday, Oct. 2 - Washington City Paper

Almost four decades before the National Portrait Gallery opened its doors in 1962, Time magazine was already doing much of the museum's job, capturing noted figures of the era in weekly portraits. The Smithsonian has collected nearly 2,000 of these original portraits since the late 1970s, and has been steadily rolling them out in a series of rotating exhibitions.

Washingtoncitypaper
10/09/2014
Six Degrees of Separation from Ex Hex

Making a killer rock record helps when you have friends like Ex Hex's. Need a star for your music video? How about D.C. punk icon Ian Svenonius? Need someone to record your debut album, Rips, which dropped this week? Call up Mitch Easter, who's produced for R.E.M., Pavement, and Wilco.

Washingtoncitypaper
09/12/2014
David Bazan and the Passenger String Quartet: Oct. 28 at Sixth & I Historic Synagogue -...

Club-circuit perks (free drinks! rowdy crowds!) be damned-David Bazan's graduated to the seated concert. Although he's never been as technically ambitious as Built to Spill or as popular as fellow Pacific Northwesterners Death Cab for Cutie, the former Pedro the Lion frontman's reflective, guitar-driven indie rock has helped him maintain a fan base for almost two decades.

Washingtoncitypaper
09/12/2014
Pond: Oct. 17 at Rock & Roll Hotel - Washington City Paper

The next best thing to a new Tame Impala album or another Led Zeppelin reunion, Pond is an Australian five-piece made up of several past and present members of the former band, and its reinterpretations of classic '60s and '70s psych rock rival those of its better-known Aussie compatriots.

Washingtoncitypaper
09/12/2014
Donald Antrim: Sept. 16 at Politics & Prose - Washington City Paper

There are few contemporary authors who traverse form and mode as gracefully as Donald Antrim. Originally published piecemeal in the New Yorker, the short stories in Antrim's new collection The Emerald Light in the Air highlight the author's strengths as a keen observer of the barely noticed and those unfortunate individuals who are doomed to make the same decisions again and again, with full knowledge of the consequences.

Washingtoncitypaper
07/09/2014
How Did D.C.'s DIY Venues Get Their Weird (and Awesome) Names?

The couch is pushed aside. The lights are strung up. The cat's locked upstairs. The ottoman becomes a merch table. And, voila: An ordinary rowhouse has become a concert space. But when a DIY venue doubles as a living room or a basement, as so many do, it needs a moniker to set it apart from [...]

Kcrw
12/10/2012
Playing on Prefix: Foxygen

Playing on Prefix is a feature on KCRW's Music Blog in which writers from the eclectic music site Prefix hip you to what's coming out of their computer speakers each week. One of the primary issues in writing about great rock 'n' roll bands is that there's an element of intangible energy in the songs that simply doesn't translate well onto the page.

Washingtoncitypaper
09/12/2014
Slowdive: Oct. 22 at 9:30 Club - Washington City Paper

Did the great '90s shoegazers finally run their residual bank balances dry this year? After decades of inaction, several of the genre's biggest bands have reunited, reclaiming festival headliner slots and dropping lots of new music.

Nationalgeographic
05/09/2014
Nature's 5 Most Expensive Wild Foods

In this week's episode of Filthy Riches , mushroom hunters Chris Matherly and Levena Holmes go searching through the forests of Michigan to find a species of rare wild mushroom fungus called Laetiporus or "chicken of the woods." The duo's quota could yield up to $1,000 for a day's work.

Nationalgeographic
05/22/2014
10 Appalachian Slang Words You've Never Heard Before

On this week's episode of , ginseng hunter Billy Taylor and his family trek deep into the Appalachian Mountains for a late season haul. While the frustrating nature of ginseng hunting requires patience, the Taylors turn the trek into a celebration: roasting pork on the fire, capturing rattlesnakes and getting into mud fights.

Nationalgeographic
06/06/2014
The 5 Basics of Ice Car Racing

On tonight's episode of Ice Holes, the anglers prove that their fears of falling through the lake ice know few bounds. To kill some time and wait for fish to bite, the guys decide to go ice car racing on the same lake that they're fishing.

Nationalgeographic
06/27/2014
Influential and Famous Political Pups

The three-part series "Wonder Of Dogs" examines the roles that dogs play in human society, and how these roles have evolved and changed in strange, exciting and unexpected ways. President Harry Truman is widely thought to have said "if you want a friend in Washington, get a dog."

Nationalgeographic
08/27/2014
Drug Trafficking - How Drugs Get Here

Passing through security in the airport or subjecting your luggage to screening at the border is a notoriously serious affair in the U.S. And while this has only increased since 9/11, these transit hubs and points of entry (POEs) remain highly important in the federal government's war on drugs, as law enforcement attempts to make bulk busts that will cripple illegal narcotics distribution on the street.

Washingtoncitypaper
07/08/2014
The Inaugural In It Together Fest's DIY Lineup

"Do It Yourself" is a time-tested ethos that has borne much principled, underground art and activism, but sometimes, it takes a village to raise a music scene-and a collaborative network can support more creativity than any lone actor ever could.

Washingtoncitypaper
07/14/2014
Listen: Teen Mom's "I'm In Love With His Dreams"

Teen Mom carved out a nice, fuzzy indie pop niche two years ago with its debut EP Mean Tom. The band's continued to tinker with their sound since, exploring shoegaze à la the Jesus and Mary Chain and Ride on 2013's Gilly.

Washingtoncitypaper
09/10/2014
One Track Mind: Furniteur's "Secret Plans"

Standout Track: No. 2, "Secret Plans," a modern space-disco cut from Furniteur's self-titled debut EP. A hybrid project from visual artist Brittany Sims and members of D.C.-synthpop group Brett, Furniteur's been kicking around for the past few months, jamming in a Columbia Heights basement studio and digging through old disco record crates.