Politics, Moderate

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The Film 'Origin' Delves Deeply into the History of Man's Inhumanity to Man

Ava DuVernay's acclaimed film "Origin" has been digitally released, which should hopefully attract more viewers to examine its intricate themes connecting American racism to global caste systems. Based on Pulitzer Prize-winning author Isabel Wilkerson's 2020 book "Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents," "Origin" takes its audience on a riveting ...Read more

Expanding the Drug War to Include Tobacco Would Be a Big Mistake: The Judicially Approved Brookline Ban Reflects a Broader Trend Among Progressives Who Should Know Better

Politics, Moderate / Jacob Sullum /

Last month, New Zealand scrapped a law that would have gradually prohibited tobacco products by banning sales to anyone born after 2008. But Brookline, a wealthy Boston suburb, will implement a similar scheme now that the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts has cleared the way.

Brookline's bylaw, which bans sales of "tobacco or e-...Read more

Addressing the Loneliness Epidemic With Heart

One of the concerning health headlines toward the end of 2023 was the loneliness epidemic that is affecting millions of Americans, causing premature death in many cases. And it's not just the U.S. that is grappling with so many adults and young people feeling alone and isolated. The World Health Organization declared loneliness a "pressing ...Read more

Rounding Out Black History Month With National Geographic's 'Genius: MLK/X' Anthology

For the past two years, students in my Black history Sports Icons course have watched Regina King's Academy-nominated film "One Night in Miami" to begin our section on Muhammad Ali, formerly Cassius Clay. Since "One Night in Miami" has a detailed focus on Malcolm X, I suggested to students who had some extra time between their class assignments ...Read more

Texas and Florida Say the First Amendment Must Be Sacrificed to Save It: Supreme Court Arguments About Two Social Media Laws Highlight a Dangerous Conflation of State and Private Action

Politics, Moderate / Jacob Sullum /

A social media platform is like a telegraph, Texas Solicitor General Aaron Nielson told the Supreme Court on Monday, defending his state's restrictions on content moderation by Facebook, X (formerly Twitter) and YouTube. Paul Clement, speaking on behalf of the tech trade group NetChoice, rejected that comparison, saying a social media platform...Read more

The Gen Z Faith Pivot

A significant number of Gen Z Americans and college students appear to be doing a "pivot" back to religion, according to Jay Richards, the director of the Richard and Helen DeVos Center for Life, Religion, and Family at the Heritage Foundation.

In an interview with Fox News Digital, Richards explains that this is a trend that differs from ...Read more

Two New York Cases Lend Credibility to Trump's Complaint of Partisan Persecution: Neither Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg Nor New York Attorney General Letitia James Can Explain Exactly Who Was Victimized by the Dishonesty They Cite

Politics, Moderate / Jacob Sullum /

As Donald Trump tells it, all of the civil and criminal cases against him are part of a Democratic conspiracy to keep him from returning to the White House. Although some of the many charges against him involve credible allegations of serious crimes, they have been overshadowed recently by two New York cases that are much weaker.

In 2016, ...Read more

Gospel Music Is a Powerful Educator on Social Justice Struggles

One of the Black history documentaries that I had marked on my to-see list is the recently released PBS "Gospel" series that is hosted by Henry Louis Gates Jr., who serves as the Alphonse Fletcher University professor and the director of the Hutchins Center for African and African American Research at Harvard University.

"Gospel," as Gates ...Read more

Did Decriminalization Boost Drug Deaths in Oregon?: Recent Research Finds 'No Evidence' That It Did, Undermining a Key Claim by Critics of That Policy

Politics, Moderate / Jacob Sullum /

Oregon is considering legislation that would recriminalize low-level drug possession, reversing a landmark reform that voters approved in 2020. Although critics of that ballot initiative, Measure 110, cite escalating drug-related deaths, decriminalization is not responsible for that trend.

Opioid overdose fatalities have been rising ...Read more

Disputes Continue on the Inclusion of 'Lift Every Voice and Sing' at the Super Bowl

Controversy has arisen again regarding the upcoming performance of "Lift Every Voice and Sing" that is scheduled for Super Bowl 58. During last year's game, "Lift Every Voice and Sing," also referred to as the "Black national anthem," was sung by Sheryl Lee Ralph, affectionately known to "Abbot Elementary" fans as "Miss Barbara." Grammy Award-...Read more

Based on Loose Reasoning, a Federal Judge Upholds the Gun-Free School Zones Act: The Decision Likens the Federal Law to Reconstruction Era Restrictions on Firearms Near Polling Places

Politics, Moderate / Jacob Sullum /

A federal law prohibits gun possession within 1,000 feet of an elementary or secondary school. That restriction, a federal judge in Montana noted last week, "covers almost the entirety of every urban location in the United States, including many places that have nothing to do with the closest school."

U.S. District Judge Susan Watters ...Read more

Americans' Lack of Faith Indicates Many Still Need Spiritual Assurance

Toward the end of January, the Pew Research Center published results of a 2023 summer survey it conducted through its American Trends Panel on religious "nones," people who identify as "atheist, agnostic or nothing in particular." Out of a targeted sample size of 12,932 U.S. adults, 11,201 participated, resulting in an impressive 87% response ...Read more

The 5th Circuit Says Criminalizing Journalism Is Not Obviously Unconstitutional: The Appeals Court Dismissed a Civil Rights Lawsuit by a Laredo Gadfly Who Was Arrested for Asking Questions

Politics, Moderate / Jacob Sullum /

Five years ago, the Harris County, Texas, Institute of Forensic Sciences sent me reports on the autopsies of two people who had been killed in a Houston drug raid. After I wrote an article based on those reports, the county attorney's office told me they were not public information because they were part of an ongoing investigation.

Although ...Read more

Finding a Voice for Those Who Feel Left Behind in Poverty

PBS NewsHour's senior correspondent Judy Woodruff traveled the country for six months last year to get more insight on the partisan divisions, economic struggles and continued skepticism many people have regarding our nation's institutions. I had some time recently to watch one of her November reports on Steubenville, Ohio, which hit close to ...Read more

Accused of Dictatorial Ambitions, Trump Doubles Down on Authoritarianism: His Understanding of Effective Leadership and Policing Should Repel Anyone Who Cares About Civil Liberties and the Rule of Law

Politics, Moderate / Jacob Sullum /

Donald Trump, a longtime admirer of foreign autocrats, recently has been inveighing against the dangers of holding politicians and police officers accountable for breaking the law. If the all-but-certain Republican presidential nominee wants to convince general election voters that there is nothing to charges that he harbors dictatorial ...Read more

Some Thoughts on the 7th National Day of Racial Healing Town Hall

The W.K. Kellogg Foundation recently presented its seventh National Day of Racial Healing town hall on NBC News NOW, which was broadcast from Los Angeles. The town hall is always held following Martin Luther King Jr. Day, and this year it was hosted by NBC anchors Kate Snow and Zinhle Essamuah. Key topics that were discussed included educating ...Read more

The Chevron Doctrine Discomfits the Weak: Excessive Judicial Deference Gives Administrative Agencies a License to Rewrite the Law in Their Favor

Politics, Moderate / Jacob Sullum /

In two cases the Supreme Court is considering, herring fishermen in New Jersey and Rhode Island are challenging regulatory fees they say were never authorized by Congress. Critics of those lawsuits misleadingly complain that the sympathetic plaintiffs are "providing cover" for a corporate attempt to "disable and dismantle" environmental ...Read more

Yolanda Renee King Continues Her Family Legacy

I happened to catch the recent "CBS Mornings" news interview of Yolanda Renee King, the only grandchild of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King. While promoting her new children's book honoring her grandparents titled "We Dream a World," Yolanda gave a profound answer when asked what she would say to them if they were alive today. "...Read more

Gavin Newsom Defies the Supreme Court's 'Very Bad Ruling' on the Right to Bear Arms: California Made Carry Permits Easier to Obtain but Nearly Impossible to Use

Politics, Moderate / Jacob Sullum /

California Gov. Gavin Newsom thinks the Constitution should be amended to accommodate the gun regulations he favors. But in the meantime, he is trying out a different strategy: If we ignore the Second Amendment, maybe it will go away.

In 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the right to carry guns in public for self-defense, saying states ...Read more

Helping Young Men Reach Their Ambitions

Colleges and universities are preparing for the spring 2024 semester, and one current trend will be obvious at many campuses throughout the nation: there are fewer young men enrolled at four-year schools.

This downward curve of male students is viewed as a disturbing drop-off by many educators. Women now make up almost 60% of U.S. college ...Read more