Writer, author, father, husband. Retweets = noteworthy, newsy, not endorsement. Author of "Imperfect Union" & the upcoming "Life Painted Red"
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Articles by Chuck Raasch
Winyan
Elizabeth Winyan (standing) was long associated with the Riggs family, caring for young Thomas in Minnesota and later joining him at Oahe Mission. On a spring day in 1830 a family, including a 3-year-old girl, was harvesting sweet syrup from maple trees along the banks of the Minnesota River near present-day Mankato. Suddenly and viciously, they were attacked by an unidentified rival tribe. The girl’s father was one of several Dakota Sioux killed in that attack.
Chuck Raasch: America could be a better country than we are
Forty-eight years ago this month, Hubert Horatio Humphrey died. A former mayor of Minneapolis, senator from Minnesota, vice president and 1968 Democratic candidate for president, known as the “Happy Warrior,” he had been one of the major figures in American politics, with a vision for our nation we badly need now.
Minnesota’s ‘Happy Warrior’ Defined America. Would Anyone Listen Today?
At the time I was a young reporter at the Sioux Falls Argus Leader, the largest newspaper in South Dakota, the state where Humphrey was born. In 1978, my editors sent me 152 miles northwest to his hometown of Doland, a typical Midwestern hamlet of 430 people to find out what its citizens would say about the man they still called “Pinky.” It was a bitterly cold day in the deep freeze of a Great Plains January. Pinky died during one of the coldest winters on record in the Upper Midwest.
Minnesota's ‘Happy Warrior' Defined America. Would Anyone Listen Today?
AP Forty-eight years ago this month, Hubert Horatio Humphrey died. At the time I was a young reporter at the Sioux Falls Argus Leader, the largest newspaper in South Dakota, the state where Humphrey was born. In 1978, my editors sent me 152 miles northwest to his hometown of Doland, a typical Midwestern hamlet of 430 people to find out what its citizens would say about the man they still called "Pinky." The honor guard walks down the steps of the Capitol in Washington Sunday, Jan.
Illegal migrants built South Dakota. Has DHS chief Kristi Noem forgotten? | Opinion Original
If Kristi Noem can so callously brush aside the actual history from where she came, then this new history of the United States that she and Donald Trump are trying to write can't be dressed up. Chuck Raasch Opinion contributor “There will never be amnesty under President Trump.
After reporting around the world, journalist and S.D. native Chuck Raasch says he is still inspired by those who cared for others — The South Dakota Standard
My notebook is filled with firsts. On one trip into a new camp, the plane I was on that was carrying food and aid workers was the first plane many Ethiopians covering a vast mountainous steppe had ever seen. The morning of our arrival an impromptu runway a mile long had been stomped and packed in the soft dirt and sand by lines of hundreds of those refugees still capable of walking.
On dismantling USAID: What happened to the American soul? Why has cruelty gained such a firm grip? — The South Dakota Standard
Part 1 of 2 It must have been pure chance. The discovery of an old reporter’s notebook made me sad, to tears. It exposed a hollowness in our American soul that average people like me often seem helpless to fill. A hollowness that our current elected leaders and their impossibly wealthy compatriots in power mock as weakness.
Book chronicles how a frontier woman’s life in South Dakota morphed into a national scandal
Editor’s note: Chuck Raasch is an author and journalist. A native of South Dakota, he was a national correspondent for USA TODAY, Gannett and the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, and has had bylines from 49 states and five continents. Raasch was a Knight Fellow in Journalism and Stanford University, and currently leads tours for the Smithsonian Institution. This is the backstory on his latest work.
Book chronicles how a frontier woman’s life in South Dakota morphed into a national scandal
This story is reported by South Dakota News Watch, a non-profit news organization. Find more in-depth reporting at www.sdnewswatch.org. Editor’s note: Chuck Raasch is an author and journalist. A native of South Dakota, he was a national correspondent for USA TODAY, Gannett and the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, and has had bylines from 49 states and five continents. Raasch was a Knight Fellow in Journalism and Stanford University, and currently leads tours for the Smithsonian Institution.
New book chronicles how a frontier woman’s life in South Dakota morphed into a national scandal
Editor’s note: Chuck Raasch is an author and journalist. A native of South Dakota, he was a national correspondent for USA TODAY, Gannett and the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, and has had bylines from 49 states and five continents. Raasch was a Knight Fellow in Journalism and Stanford University, and currently leads tours for the Smithsonian Institution.
Book chronicles how a frontier woman’s life in South Dakota morphed into a national scandal
Editor’s note: Chuck Raasch is an author and journalist. A native of South Dakota, he was a national correspondent for USA TODAY, Gannett and the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, and has had bylines from 49 states and five continents. Raasch was a Knight Fellow in Journalism and Stanford University, and currently leads tours for the Smithsonian Institution. This is the backstory on his latest work.
Life Painted Red: The True Story of Corabelle Fellows and How Her Life on the Dakota Frontier Became a National Scandal|Paperback
In 1884, twenty-three-year-old Corabelle Fellows left her family in Washington, DC, and journeyed out West to teach Native children in Nebraska and Dakota Territory. She hoped her missionary work would improve the lives of the Dakota and Lakota Sioux people by helping them assimilate into white culture, following the predominant government policy at the time. But after years of living among the Native people, it was Cora’s perceptions of life, love, and faith that were transformed.
Campus sexual assault under fresh scrutiny after new survey shows lower incidence
WASHINGTON • When President Obama announced in September his “It’s On Us” initiative to combat college sexual assault, he declared that “an estimated 1 in 5 women has been sexually assaulted in her college years.” “One in 5,” Obama repeated, to drive home the point. But now, in the wake of a new federal Department of Justice report showing the incidence of rape and sexual assault on campus at far lower levels and trending down over the last decade, that statistic is being called into question.
Florida NAACP calls for travel advisory amid political tensions
The NAACP Florida Chapter wants its national board to ask people not to visit or move to the Sunshine State in light of recent proposals targeting diversity and racial issues. At the organization's state conference on Saturday in Orlando, members proposed asking the national board to issue a travel advisory - especially for people of color. When the vote came back unanimously, Hillsborough County NAACP President Yvette Lewis said she felt relief.
Army of lobbyists helped water down banking regulations
WASHINGTON - It seemed like a good idea at the time: Red-state Democrats like Missouri's Claire McCaskill facing grim reelection prospects would join forces with Republicans to slash bank regulations - demonstrating a willingness to work with President Donald Trump while bucking many in their party. That unlikely coalition voted in 2018 to roll back portions of a far-reaching 2010 law intended to prevent a future financial crisis.
Todd Akin, whose ‘legitimate rape’ comment derailed his US Senate run, dies at 74
ST. LOUIS — Todd Akin, a former six-term U.S. congressman from suburban St. Louis who lost a U.S. Senate race to Democrat Claire McCaskill in 2012, died late Sunday. He was 74. Akin had battled cancer for several years and died at his home in Wildwood, surrounded by family, his son Perry said in a statement.
Former US Rep. Todd Akin, sunk by 'legitimate rape' comment, dies
Former US Rep. Todd Akin, sunk by 'legitimate rape' comment, dies U.S. Rep. Todd Akin (right) and his wife Lulli arrive to give his concession speech after losing to Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill at his election party at the DoubleTree Hotel in Chesterfield on Tuesday, Nov. 6, 2012.
Todd Akin, whose ‘legitimate rape’ comment derailed his US Senate run, dies at 74
ST. LOUIS — Todd Akin, a former six-term U.S. congressman from suburban St. Louis who lost a U.S. Senate race to Democrat Claire McCaskill in 2012, died late Sunday. He was 74. Akin had battled cancer for several years and died at his home in Wildwood, surrounded by family, his son Perry said in a statement.
From the 9/11 archives: Sept. 11 is settling into the history of a calamitous 21st century
From the 9/11 archives: Sept. 11 is settling into the history of a calamitous 21st century This column was originally published on Sept. 11, 2017. As part of our coverage for the 20th anniversary of 9/11, we're republishing content that highlights how we covered the day and its aftermath, plus its cultural meaning in American history.
A Father’s Search for His Son in the Aftermath of the Battle of Gettysburg : Raasch, Chuck: Amazon.sg: Books
Review The book is well-written and offers a very different, sombre perspective on the famous battle: it contains vivid descriptions of the suffering and grief that tabletop wargames with miniature armies cannot possibly portray but which players of such games should never forget are the inevitable results of war. ― Miniature Wargames - Arthur Harman 02/08/2021 About the Author Chuck Raasch is the chief Washington correspondent for the St. Louis Post Dispatch.
Former USA TODAY MLB reporter who lived for baseball dies at 64 Original
WASHINGTON — Mel Antonen, family man, friend to the world, and renowned sports journalist, died Saturday of a rare acute auto-immune disease and complications from COVID-19. He was a longtime USA TODAY Sports and MASN-TV baseball reporter who covered nearly three dozen World Series. In a half century in journalism, he reveled and excelled in telling others’ stories. He was 64. Mel Richard Antonen’s own story became the best of all. It began in the tiny town of Lake Norden, South Dakota, on Aug.
New report alleges illegal ad-buying coordination between NRA and Hawley Senate campaign
New report alleges illegal ad-buying coordination between NRA and Hawley Senate campaign Republican candidate and attorney general Josh Hawley greets residents at a Stop Schumer, Fire Claire rally on Tuesday, Oct. 23, 2018, at the West St. Louis Republican Office in Ballwin, MO. Hawley is seeking to unseat Democratic incumbent Sen. Claire McCaskill.
What's Jason Kander really up to?
1 of 18 Freshman Stefan Abarbierite asks Jason Kander "how do you win as a democrat in a red state," January 23, 2018 at American University in Washington D.C. Kander is a 2002 graduate of American University. Photo By Emily Rasinski, special to the Post-Dispatch Jason Kander speaks to a packed room at the McDowell Residence Hall at American University in Washington D.C. Kander is a 2002 graduate of American University.
10 things to not bring with us into 2021 or any other year Original
I finally have found a use for Al Gore’s lockbox. Remember that special container where your Social Security was supposed to have been put away for safekeeping 20 years ago? Gore’s lockbox never got used, so rather than let it gather more dust, it is time to retrofit it for a new use. I propose filling it with things to leave behind with 2020. Literal 2020 hindsight. Here are 10 things to start: ►Karens.
Politicians Should Leave Gettysburg at Peace
In the summer of 1865, Atlantic Monthly correspondent J.T. Trowbridge visited the battlefield at Gettysburg, two years after the brutal fighting over three sultry July days had reversed seasons of Northern losses in the Civil War, turning a divided nation back toward re-unification. Trowbridge was surprised at how quiet the rocky ridges and rolling fields were on a “soft and peaceful” summer day.
St. Louis native faces tough task heading Trump’s federal procurement, facilities office
WASHINGTON — St. Louis native Emily Webster Murphy, flanked by her family, spoke before a Senate confirmation hearing Wednesday, hoping to become the next head of the government agency that oversees workspace, supplies, technology and other services for the federal government. She got wide praise for her qualifications to head the General Services Administration, but also warnings from senators about the challenges in the job.
Remember When . . . We Could Laugh at Ourselves?
Culture By Chuck Raasch for RealClearPolitics Do you remember when some journalists assigned to Barack Obama’s White House worried that covering “No Drama Obama” would be boring? When there was such a thing as a news cycle, and presidential messages were often so carefully written and vetted that they were sometimes criticized as calculating and contrived? Remember these other signposts along the roadway of America’s modern political life?
Remember When . . . We Could Laugh at Ourselves?
COMMENTARY Do you remember when some journalists assigned to Barack Obama’s White House worried that covering “No Drama Obama” would be boring? When there was such a thing as a news cycle, and presidential messages were often so carefully written and vetted that they were sometimes criticized as calculating and contrived? Remember these other signposts along the roadway of America’s modern political life?
What I Learned About CovidMerica Across 8,550 Miles
It was the final August morning in a rented cabin on a South Dakota lake, and as half a dozen family members sat talking and overlooking the water’s placid glass surface, a visitor interrupted the serenity. “It’s an eagle,” my brother-in-law said in his quiet way. He pointed to a majestically gliding creature overhead in a soft Sunday sun. Very soon, majesty turned to fury, and the bird swooped, accelerating toward the water, attempting to grab a breakfast of surface-feeding fish.
Raasch: Russian expert says Trump's tweets provide adversaries 'golden' intelligence
Raasch: Russian expert says Trump's tweets provide adversaries 'golden' intelligence President Donald Trump speaks during a school choice event in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington, Wednesday, May 3, 2017. The president Donald planned to meet with lawmakers who authored a plan aimed at preventing another collapse of the Republican health care bill.
Mueller Report exposes a fake Twitter account with a Missouri twist
Mueller Report exposes a fake Twitter account with a Missouri twist WASHINGTON • It had a Midwestern-sounding handle, @MissouriNewsUS, and it posted tweets during the 2016 presidential campaign favorable to Democratic candidate Bernie Sanders, and critical of eventual nominee Hillary Clinton. On May 14 of that year, just as the nomination fight was reaching its climax, the site posted a warning: “You Know Those Missing Hillary Emails?
St. Louis region shows the budget priority fights confronting Trump, Congress
WASHINGTON • As Congress confronts bottom-line priorities, the St. Louis region is a good example of how the spending choices it will make this year have competing, long-term effects.
Raasch: Presidents, patriotism and the Fourth of July
CHUCK RAASCH CHUCK RAASCH IS THE AUTHOR OF “IMPERFECT UNION: A FATHER’S SEARCH FOR HIS SON IN THE AFTERMATH OF THE BATTLE OF GETTYSBURG.” July 4, 2019, 12:03AM The "Follow This Story" feature will notify you when any articles related to this story are posted. When you follow a story, the next time a related article is published — it could be days, weeks or months — you'll receive an email informing you of the update. If you no longer want to follow a story, click the "Unfollow" link on that story.
Chuck Raasch: Trump’s predecessors knew better than to make July 4 about themselves
(Jose Luis Magana | AP Photo) In a Tuesday, July 4, 2017 file photo, fireworks explode over Lincoln Memorial at the National Mall in Washington, during the Fourth of July celebration. President Donald Trump tweeted Sunday, Feb. 24, 2019 that he'll host a July Fourth celebration at the Lincoln Memorial.
Chuck Raasch, Washington Post: How Trump can save the 4th of July
Four days after the Battle of Gettysburg, a Union victory that turned the Civil War toward eventual national reunification, a large crowd gathered at the White House to serenade Abraham Lincoln and demand a speech. There was much to celebrate: It was three days after the Fourth of July, four months before Lincoln would forever link the sacrifice of those who gave the “last full measure of devotion” in his Gettysburg Address. Ulysses S.
Trump's predecessors knew better than to make July 4 about themselves
Placeholder while article actions load Four days after the Battle of Gettysburg, a Union victory that turned the Civil War toward eventual national reunification, a large crowd gathered at the White House to serenade Abraham Lincoln and demand a speech. There was much to celebrate: It was three days after the Fourth of July, four months before Lincoln would forever link the sacrifice of those who gave the "last full measure of devotion" in his Gettysburg Address. Ulysses S.
Raasch: What's your bumper sticker?
WASHINGTON — Are you old enough to remember when it was Morning in America? When Americans yearned for A Leader, For a Change? When A Kinder, Gentler Nation was illuminated by a Thousand Points of Light? When it was About the Economy, Stupid? In Your Heart, You Knew He was Right. In Your Guts, You Knew He Was Nuts. She was Unbought and Unbossed. People Voted Like the Whole World Depended On it. It was Not Just Peanuts. But Where Was the Beef?
In Blunt and Hawley, a tale of two GOPs
In Blunt and Hawley, a tale of two GOPs Sen. Roy Blunt shakes hands with Josh Hawley after winning his election on Tuesday evening, Nov. 8, 2016, at the Sen. Blunt watch party at the Oasis Convention Center in Springfield, Missouri.
Area congressional members' votes on Obamacare repair, Title IX, judges
WASHINGTON • How St. Louis-area members of Congress voted during the week of May 13-17. House Democratic Repair of 2010 Health Law • The House on May 16 voted, 234-183, to bolster Affordable Care Act provisions that the administration has allowed to deteriorate while it pursues dismantlement and repeal of the law.
Area congressional members' votes on Obamacare repair, Title IX, judges
WASHINGTON • How St. Louis-area members of Congress voted during the week of May 13-17. House Democratic Repair of 2010 Health Law • The House on May 16 voted, 234-183, to bolster Affordable Care Act provisions that the administration has allowed to deteriorate while it pursues dismantlement and repeal of the law.
Across five decades of journalism, six people who stood out
WASHINGTON * The memory is as vivid as if it happened last night. This correspondent was in St. Louis for a presidential debate three weeks before the 2000 election, when a tip came that the Democratic governor of Missouri, Mel Carnahan, had gone down in a plane crash. We did what journalists do in the worst moments: We went to work, late into that stormy night, on the first draft of history.
Area congressional members' votes on Obamacare repair, Title IX, judges
WASHINGTON • How St. Louis-area members of Congress voted during the week of May 13-17. House Democratic Repair of 2010 Health Law • The House on May 16 voted, 234-183, to bolster Affordable Care Act provisions that the administration has allowed to deteriorate while it pursues dismantlement and repeal of the law.
Roy Blunt's cultural geography lesson on Missouri
WASHINGTON — Missouri Sen. Roy Blunt gave what could only be described as a one-minute description of Show Me geography and culture on the Senate floor Wednesday. The Republican senator was congratulating his new seatmate, Sen. Josh Hawley.
Roy Blunt's cultural geography lesson on Missouri
WASHINGTON • Missouri Sen. Roy Blunt gave what could only be described as a one-minute description of Show Me geography and culture on the Senate floor Wednesday. The Republican senator was congratulating his new seatmate, Sen. Josh Hawley.
Roy Blunt's cultural geography lesson on Missouri
WASHINGTON • Missouri Sen. Roy Blunt gave what could only be described as a one-minute description of Show Me geography and culture on the Senate floor Wednesday. The Republican senator was congratulating his new seatmate, Sen. Josh Hawley.
Roy Blunt's cultural geography lesson on Missouri
WASHINGTON • Missouri Sen. Roy Blunt gave what could only be described as a one-minute description of Show Me geography and culture on the Senate floor Wednesday. The Republican senator was congratulating his new seatmate, Sen. Josh Hawley.
Roy Blunt's cultural geography lesson on Missouri
WASHINGTON • Missouri Sen. Roy Blunt gave what could only be described as a one-minute description of Show Me geography and culture on the Senate floor Wednesday. The Republican senator was congratulating his new seatmate, Sen. Josh Hawley.
Roy Blunt's cultural geography lesson on Missouri
WASHINGTON • Missouri Sen. Roy Blunt gave what could only be described as a one-minute description of Show Me geography and culture on the Senate floor Wednesday. The Republican senator was congratulating his new seatmate, Sen. Josh Hawley.
Roy Blunt's cultural geography lesson on Missouri
WASHINGTON • Missouri Sen. Roy Blunt gave what could only be described as a one-minute description of Show Me geography and culture on the Senate floor Wednesday. The Republican senator was congratulating his new seatmate, Sen. Josh Hawley.
Hawley says Silicon Valley offers little good while monetizing social media addictions
WASHINGTON — Stepping up his anti-Silicon Valley rhetoric, Sen. Josh Hawley said recently that the engineers and scientists who created the social media universe have provided questionable value to American culture and society, and that they are essentially capitalizing on the addictions of their consumers.
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