Politics
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Mark Gongloff: Harris is from Earth, Trump from Alpha Centauri on climate
If I had to grade the debate between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump from a climate perspective, I would give it a C, and that’s being generous. One candidate mainly looked backward and talked a little too favorably about fossil fuels. The other said solar panels take up too much space and something about the ...Read more
LZ Granderson: At the debate, Trump confessed he's unfit and unprepared
The most relevant moment of Tuesday's presidential debate between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Trump was their exchange about Obamacare. Specifically, moderator Linsey Davis asking Trump, "so tonight, nine years after you first started running, do you have a [repeal and replace] plan and can you tell us what it is?"
Trump ...Read more
Editorial: Debate absence highlights Biden's diminished capabilities
Joe Biden is still president, but it’s unclear if he’s still running the country.
On Tuesday night, Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump squared off in a presidential debate. Given how close the race is, that clash deserves every bit of media coverage and analysis it received. But it shouldn’t distract the public...Read more
Robin Epley: Kamala Harris plays to the middle and whips support, hope among faithful in debate
The more debates I watch, the less I believe they’re meant to showcase the candidate to undecided voters — those mythical beings upon whom the entire election hinges.
No, I think presidential debates are meant to rile up the already-won-over base of support for each candidate, so that they’ll be encouraged to go out and whip up support in...Read more
Ryan J. Rusak: Who won the Harris-Trump debate? From 'Run, Spot, Run' to a wild claim on immigrants
If this was the only Kamala Harris-Donald Trump debate, the country was the ultimate loser.
One candidate blustered and took the bait on every attack and diversion offered up. The other papered over her entire political record and faced no challenging questions in one of the most one-sided moderating jobs in presidential debate history.
The ...Read more
Editorial: At debate, Trump took the bait and resorted to misinformation on abortion and migrants
It took a short moment for Donald Trump to take the bait and go off script and unhinged during his first presidential debate against Vice President Kamala Harris Tuesday evening.
We lost count of the former president’s fabrications, exaggerations and outright lies in Philadelphia. Where do we begin?
He continued pushing his lies that he won ...Read more
Joe Battenfeld: Kamala Harris lands blows, gets help from moderators in debate clash
In their first and possibly final faceoff in Philly, a smiling, well-rehearsed Kamala Harris and a stern Donald Trump clashed bitterly on immigration, the economy and abortion – getting in numerous jabs but neither landing a knockout blow or committing a major gaffe.
An aggressive Harris looked much stronger than Joe Biden’s pathetic ...Read more
Mark Z. Barabak: Trump was Trump in his debate with Kamala Harris -- which is why he came across so poorly
It was ugly. It was inane. It was tone-deaf and uncouth.
And that's just briefly summarizing Donald Trump's performance in Tuesday night's debate.
The big question going into his face-off with Kamala Harris was which iteration of the perennially aggrieved, perpetually prevaricating ex-president would show up.
The one who manages to restrain ...Read more
Dan Rodricks: I listen for the candidate who speaks of children. All of us should
I listen for the candidate who speaks of children — not that Americans should have more of them, but that we should take better care of the ones we have. I listen for the candidate who speaks of children because elections are about the future.
You might vote in November based on a single issue or grievance, but the overriding issue is the ...Read more
Commentary: We must give students a mental health lifeline for the school year
As students return to school, it’s crucial to recognize the invisible struggles they may be facing, especially after the summer break. Navigating new academic and social environments can intensify mental health challenges or even trigger new ones.
Providing students with tools and emotional literacy to support one another and address ...Read more
Robin Abcarian: From 'fridgescaping' to egg parties, we've become social-media-driven parodies of ourselves
Does it sometimes seem as if social media has turned American popular culture into a perfectionist parody of itself?
Last week, I followed a social-media-spawned debate over whether a home decor trend called "fridgescaping" was worthy of media attention. I guess it must be, because Architectural Digest recently explored what it called "...Read more
Commentary: To prevent suicide, we have to change to a scientific approach
I’ve spent most of my medical career treating people who’ve tried to take their own lives or who are at risk of dying by suicide. What I’ve learned from my patients and research conducted in my lab is that the conventional approach to suicide prevention has been absolutely wrong.
We’ve certainly become more open to talking about suicide...Read more
Commentary: Contending with whiteness in 2024
The 2024 presidential campaign is shaping to be a racial reckoning for America.
With Vice President Kamala Harris positioned to shatter the glass ceiling as the first woman and person of color in the Oval Office and Donald Trump's candidacy fanning the flames of racial hatred, the election is laying bare the nation's ongoing struggle with ...Read more
Marc Champion: Putin's 'troll farm' isn't necessary. We've got our own
When it comes to disinformation warfare, Russian President Vladimir Putin is, of course, a pro. As a career KGB agent, it’s what he knows and what he does. That point was again underscored by the recent U.S. Department of Justice case alleging a systematic Russian effort to interfere in November’s presidential election.
That did happen in ...Read more
Editorial: Ukraine needs both more weapons and the permission to use them
Although President Joe Biden’s administration has pledged “unwavering support” for Ukraine, it has been cautious to a fault in practice. The latest example: supplying the Ukrainians with sophisticated long-range missiles but prohibiting their most effective uses.
Since last year, the West has been sending Ukraine British and French long-...Read more
Commentary: A summer of extreme heat and wildfire shows the cost of human folly
As Greece attempts to recover from the recent destructive wildfires around Athens, Southern Californians facing our own heat wave should take note of the pattern that enabled them. It should be well-known by now: sprawl into the urban-wildland interface where development collides with nature, the corresponding replacement of grass, shrubs and ...Read more
TNS commentary kill advisory
EDITORS: This is a mandatory kill for VANCE-COMMENTARY:TB (Chapman), which moved early Tuesday. That column moved in error. It is not available to Tribune Content Agency customers.
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David Fickling: You could power America with China's wasted energy
By any stretch of the imagination, the U.S. is one of the world’s biggest coal producers. Even after declining by about half since 2008, output last year was still about 527 million metric tons, the fourth-biggest total globally. And yet you could keep all of America’s coal boilers and blast furnaces going until Thanksgiving in 2025 with the...Read more
Editorial: Fraud prevention or dirty tricks? Florida abortion amendment might be under attack again
With weeks before Florida voters start casting mail and early ballots in the fall elections, Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration has pulled an unprecedented move that appears intent to undermine a proposed constitutional amendment to protect abortion rights.
Florida’s Department of State has sent requests to supervisors of elections in four ...Read more
Commentary: A summer of extreme heat and wildfire shows the cost of human folly
As Greece attempts to recover from the recent destructive wildfires around Athens, Southern Californians facing our own heat wave should take note of the pattern that enabled them. It should be well-known by now: sprawl into the urban-wildland interface where development collides with nature, the corresponding replacement of grass, shrubs and ...Read more