ArcaMax

He could summon all the oily debate tactics needed to evade questions and renovate lies. But one thing that J.D. Vance couldn't find in his toolbox was the courage to say something that is totally obvious: Donald Trump lost the 2020 election.

Until that point in the vice presidential debate, Donald Trump's running mate had gussied up some of ...Read more

There were fewer arrests at the Southern border in July than in the last month of the Trump presidency. Shelters have seen a massive drop in migrants. And Texas Gov. Greg Abbott is having a hard time finding enough recent arrivals to fill buses headed north.

The reason for this development is President Joe Biden's new border policy, which ...Read more

Donald Trump's "drill, baby, drill" mantra portrays fossil fuels as the magic road to lower energy prices. He's exactly wrong. Solar, wind and other renewable sources are.

Renewables already provide electricity to consumers in Europe that's so cheap, it's at times free -- this according to The Wall Street Journal, a decidedly non-socialist ...Read more

Back in the days when I was a moderate Republican, I still found Liz Cheney too far right-leaning for my tastes. And that went for her dad, former Vice President Dick Cheney, as well.

Even today, I may not agree with her on this issue or that, but we're on the same page on the primal importance of preserving our democracy. And this year, the ...Read more

Donald Trump said he wants the government or insurers to pay for in vitro fertilization treatments. For those lacking coverage, the American taxpayer would presumably pick up the entire cost.

Then, just this week, House Republicans blocked a bill that would have guaranteed a basic right -- never mind who's paying -- to IVF treatments across ...Read more

One evening, just over a week ago, I was walking in Midtown Manhattan when dozens of police cars, sirens blasting, lights flashing, descended on the area. Cops cut off entire avenues to traffic. Soon a phalanx of police vehicles, followed by a column of identical black SUVs, whooshed past red lights.

They were taking former president Donald ...Read more

As we tuned into the big debate, the Trump camp was peddling the claim that Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, were eating people's dogs and cats. When the debate turned to the subject of immigration, Donald Trump jumped on that hallucination without prompt.

"In Springfield, they're eating the dogs!" he howled. "The people who came, ...Read more

Americans focused on inflation seem especially tuned into the price of gasoline. While inflation has been fading away, many prices remain higher than they were two years ago.

But not for gasoline. That's getting cheaper.

The average price at the pump is now about $3.26, which is down $1.73 from the high in June 2022. MAGA will note that it ...Read more

Presidential elections of yore were not like this one. Would the media kindly get that into their collective skull? Many journalists seem to think that the reluctance of Kamala Harris to sit down for searing in-depth interviews on "the issues" is a major issue.

The one she did with CNN rested on the old gotcha questions. Harris said that she'...Read more

Hawaii charges tourists a variety of taxes and fees. It may soon add a $25 climate tax visitors would pay when they check into a hotel or short-term rental. It's meant to address the environmental impact of mass tourism and help in the rebuilding of Lahaina, the Maui town devastated last year by wildfires. You see a lot of griping about the ...Read more

How is it possible that the Teamsters still haven't made an official presidential endorsement? Really, are they going to choose Donald Trump, who conned them into believing he'd help save their pensions? Or Kamala Harris, whose boss, Joe Biden, actually did -- and to the tune of $36 billion? Doesn't sound like a tough decision to me.

I used ...Read more

The Democratic National Convention has been a lively dance party featuring the usual lineup of partisan speakers. Barack Obama, as usual, charmed the crowd, mocking Donald Trump's obsession over crowd size with a subtle but unmistakable hand gesture.

One of the most moving speeches, however, was a quiet address by Stephanie Grisham. Trump's ...Read more

Joe Biden's decision to leave the Democratic National Convention right after opening night makes sense. Being president is a full-time job, and he has to get back to the office.

But the more sexy story is that Biden's decision to not stick around reflects bitterness over how party officials pressured him to withdraw from the race. That he ...Read more

The Harris-Walz campaign radiates sunshine and good times to come. Donald Trump, on the other hand, spreads gloom through his lame insults and crazy delusions. What's happening is that Trump's nastiness now bounces like a pink Spalding ball off the Democrats' reinforced concrete of jubilation. The superior crowd sizes and tightening poll ...Read more

The 2024 presidential election, we are told, will be decided in a handful of battleground states. The race is so tight that a single Electoral College vote could determine the outcome. And that explains the great focus on Nebraska's 2nd congressional district, which often votes Democrat but not always.

Nebraska is one of only two states that ...Read more

Republicans handed Usha Vance the unenviable task of cleaning up her husband's history of hostile comments regarding women. Alas, she tried.

Specifically, Usha attempted to dismiss J.D. Vance's trashing of "childless cat ladies" as a "quip." A "quip" is a witty or clever remark, often characterized by its brevity. Had Donald Trump's running ...Read more

When Republicans took control of the House in January 2023, their first order of business was a bill was to cut additional IRS funding from the Inflation Reduction Act. President Joe Biden fought them off and managed to retain $60 billion of that needed money.

Had Republicans succeeded in keeping the IRS enforcement budget at starvation ...Read more

It all started with a claim by Anthony Rapp that while attending a party in the home of Kevin Spacey in 1986, the actor got drunk, threw him on a bed and jumped on top of him. Also an actor, Rapp was 14 at the time, and Spacey was 26. Spacey denied that happened.

In the wake of the charges, Spacey's talent agency and publicist dropped him. ...Read more

What follows here assumes that Kamala Harris carries out her stated intention to "earn the nomination" and not pretend that the crown is only in the shop. This gives her an opportunity to craft her image as a centrist with a spine, the sort of Democrat who can win national elections.

The Democratic nominee has two automatic advantages. One is...Read more

The hard-line pro-Palestinian group Within Our Lifetime has been protesting against, of all people, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Sen. Bernie Sanders. Where did the New York congresswoman and Vermont senator go astray? Didn't they denounce Israel's actions in Gaza as "genocide"? Didn't they call for halting military aid to Israel?

They ...Read more