Politics
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Justin Fox: Flight of affluent taxpayers catches up with New York
New York has been losing people to other states for a while. But something new happened during the pandemic: The people who left had higher incomes than those who stayed behind — much higher.
The 2020-21 numbers here were released in late April by the Internal Revenue Service. They sort taxpayers by whether and where they moved between filing...Read more

Martin Schram: Radio daze messaging in the video age
This was the week when Americans were astonished to discover that the most famous Democratic elder statesman and Republican rookie in our national politics have something very basic in common. And it is driving their most fervent faithful bonkers.
We are talking, of course, to President Joe Biden and Florida’s Gov. Ron DeSantis. And what they...Read more

Commentary: Politicians must be on board before more long-distance trains roll
Ouch! Amtrak has been running the Capitol Limited with only four cars.
That’s atrocious. When I took my family to Washington in 2001 the Capitol had a baggage car, two double-decked, 44-passenger Superliner sleeping cars, three 74-passenger Superliner overnight coaches, a dining car and a Sightseer lounge car with big upper-deck windows for ...Read more

Commentary: Social Security needs our help now
The Social Security Administration, the federal agency serving the largest number of Americans, is facing its worst crisis in decades, due to underfunding and under-staffing.
SSA currently provides retirement, survivor, or disability benefits to 70 million people each month. The number of beneficiaries went up 21% between 2010 and 2021. Yet, ...Read more

Commentary: High-speed rail can curb America's summer travel woes
The summer travel season that gets underway Memorial Day weekend promises to be one of the most challenging ever. As transportation patterns return to pre-pandemic levels, millions of Americans will face the familiar miles-long traffic jams and labyrinthine airport security lines.
Following last summer’s chaos in the skies, with nearly 45,000...Read more

Commentary: Dick Durbin: Proposed Biden rules would protect students from debt, improve college programs
As a first-generation college student, Victoria Vences enrolled in the criminal justice program at Westwood College in 2007 believing it would help her land a job as a probation officer or with the immigration service. After three years of juggling a full-time job while being a full-time student, Victoria started applying for law enforcement ...Read more

Editorial: Virginia continues to shift the cost burden of higher education to students
This is a time of celebration. Tens of thousands of students graduated from Virginia public colleges and universities in recent weeks, joining with friends and family to mark the achievement as they become the next generation of professionals, academics and leaders.
That in-state students can receive a high-quality college education at a ...Read more

Editorial: Dear House GOP: Thanks so much for the advice on Baltimore car thefts; here's a tip in return
A lot of mail likely lands on Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott’s desk on a daily basis, but there was one recent letter that had us intrigued; it was sent by seven Republican members of the Maryland House of Delegates. As the nonprofit news site Maryland Matters reported, none of the signers actually live in Baltimore, and at least two of whom �...Read more

Andreas Kluth: The Kremlin offers a Trump-Putin ticket for 2024
The bizarre and unsavory strongman bromance between Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump continues. If you’re a MAGA Republican and not having second thoughts by now, something’s wrong with you.
The latest head-scratcher and jaw-dropper is a new list of sanctions slapped on American individuals by the Russian president. That’s already weird. ...Read more

Editorial: Nowhere to turn: South Carolina abortion ban leaves South with few options
South Carolina, a red state holdout on imposing draconian abortion bans, has now folded, with Gov. Henry McMaster expected to sign a six week ban that cleared the legislature this week. It was the second attempt, with the state Senate now overcoming the joint opposition of the body’s only five women — including three Republicans, one ...Read more

Editorial: Attorney general's report on Catholic clergy child sex abuse lays out a shameful chapter in Illinois history
The Illinois attorney general’s gut-wrenching 696-page report on Catholic clergy child sex abuse in Illinois is illustrated, incongruously but perhaps necessarily, with aspirational images of the Prairie State: cornfields at sunrise, the shimmering waters of Lake Michigan, sunsets over lakes and barns, gorgeous stained glass windows.
But the...Read more

Editorial: Can Miami's Republican congresswoman fix our broken immigration system? She's giving it a try
Offering creative and original solutions to closing one of the country’s biggest gaping wounds — its broken immigration system — has failed to gain traction in Congress for far too long, as both Republicans and Democrats who have attempted it can attest.
Just ask Florida’s Sen. Marco Rubio and Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart, and Democrat Bob ...Read more

Editorial: Bikes and scooters everywhere: New York City must find a way to keep everyone safe on the sidewalks and streets
Citi Bike turns 10 years old this week and we will celebrate the birthday. What’s far more tenuous is the overall status of two-wheelers in the five boroughs. While it’s perfectly fine that they have flooded the streets, riders and the city have done too little to keep those streets — and sidewalks, where pedestrians should rule — safe ...Read more

Jackie Calmes: When McCarthy's spending cuts are spelled out, even Republicans balk
Whether you're for the demand by House Republicans for deep spending cuts as a condition for raising the nation's debt ceiling or you're against it, there are some things you should know in assessing their gambit.
Perhaps the single most important fact is this: While Speaker Kevin McCarthy likes to claim that his debt limit bill would break ...Read more

Mark Z. Barabak: Ron DeSantis faces a sobering lesson on ambition, hubris and big talk
When you're the governor of a state, you're a big, important deal.
Your whims can assume the force of law. The stroke of a pen can open or close schools, help or harm major industries and, in cases involving capital punish-ment, decide whether a person lives or dies.
A governor who wins election in a big state, like, say, California, Texas or ...Read more

F.D. Flam: The spike in child mortality won't go away on its own
(Bloomberg Opinion) — For Americans under 20, an epidemic much deadlier than Covid-19 has raged over the last three years. Deaths among those aged 1 to 19 surged 20% — driven by an increase in car crashes, suicide, homicide and drug overdoses.
The combined toll of behavior-related deaths on children and teens hit home after a March report ...Read more

Mark Z. Barabak: Lawmakers in states are handcuffing voters and ignoring election results
Earlier this month, a group of Oregon lawmakers walked off the job, bringing the state Senate to a halt.
The move came after Democrats in the House passed bills on abortion, gun safety and medical care for transgender people that Republicans, a minority in Oregon's Legislature, strongly opposed.
There is ample room for discussion on each of ...Read more

Commentary: Ending masking requirements in hospitals and clinics is a step backward for health care
Recently, many of the hospitals and clinics in and around Chicago, including my own, have elected to discontinue universal masking requirements, noting the lowest rates of COVID-19 in the last three years. This is being hailed as a sign of moving on from the COVID-19 pandemic. But is it really “moving on?” Or moving backward?
For the last ...Read more

Lisa Jarvis: If TikTok, SnapChat aren't harming kids they should prove it
The US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy has issued a warning that social media could be harming our kids. His social media advisory is a welcome road map for what everyone — policymakers, tech companies, parents, kids and researchers — should be doing to better understand the impact of platforms like TikTok, Instagram and Snapchat on the ...Read more

Editorial: One answer to the migration crisis? Jobs
The Biden administration’s sensible new policy for asylum seekers — requiring them to submit applications in Latin American countries before arriving — seems to have preempted a wave of migration to the border, at least for now. But what about those the US has already legally admitted into the country, who are being blocked from doing what...Read more