Politics
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Editorial: On medication abortion, the Supreme Court may actually do the right thing
It always seemed farfetched that anti-abortion doctors could argue that they have the right to ask a court to severely restrict a drug approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration simply because they don’t want to treat women who might experience complications.
Do they even have standing to bring this case? Do they have any proof they ...Read more
Commentary: How to repair the Key Bridge without breaking the bank
The collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore came as quite a shock. After a massive container ship struck one of the bridge’s pillars, the entire span quickly fell apart, costing several lives.
It’s hard to overstate the bridge’s importance, particularly for the automobile industry. In addition to handling 11 million vehicles...Read more
Editorial: Ideology over medicine: Arguments against mifepristone for abortions are pretext
For more than two decades, the pharmaceutical mifepristone, used in tandem with misoprostol, has been allowing Americans to have safe and effective medication abortions at home, saving the expense and complexity of clinical visits. Medically speaking, the compound has side effects so infrequent that it is statistically safer than common over-the...Read more
Commentary: What I've learned about living alone after losing my wife of 42 years
This year, at the age of 72, I started living alone for the first time in my life.
For 42 years before that, I lived with my wife, Diane, who passed away in December. In college and as a young man, I always had roommates.
When my wife was diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer, about a year ago, she tried to prepare me for living alone. She taught me ...Read more
Michael Hiltzik: Social Security is again in the crosshairs of a GOP budget, even though a long-term fix would be simple
A hoary old chestnut in government circles describes all budgets as mostly political documents.
But what can you say about a budget that's nothing but political?
Therein lies the challenge in analyzing a document titled "Fiscal Sanity to Save America." It's the proposed federal budget for fiscal 2025 issued by the Republican Study Committee, ...Read more
Commentary: Trump just got a break in one case against him. But his luck was running out in another
The courts give, and the courts take away. And in a whirlwind couple of hours on Monday, they took a fair bit more from Donald Trump than they gave him.
The helping hand Trump got from one court, reducing the bond he had to post to protect his empire from a civil fraud penalty, was more than requited by the slap delivered by the judge poised to...Read more
Trudy Rubin: ISIS terror attack in Moscow and GOP obstructionists play into Putin's hands
Vladimir Putin and his intelligence agencies are already blaming Friday's hideous ISIS terror attack on a concert venue near Moscow on — you guessed it — Ukraine, the United States and Great Britain.
Putin needs to distract attention from either the incredible failure of his security agencies to prevent the attack or from their possible ...Read more
Allison Schrager: What are the odds of enjoying March Madness now?
Like many Americans, I love March Madness. I still consider the night of March 22, 1990, when my local college team won one of the greatest victories in NCAA basketball tournament history, one of the most exciting moments of my life. Of course, a strong emotional attachment to a particular team isn’t the only reason why people love March ...Read more
Editorial: Israel wonders: Whose side is President Biden on?
Hamas officials on Monday rejected the latest cease-fire proposal with Israel. And why not, when the terrorists have friends in high places?
The Biden administration has grown increasingly hostile to America’s most important Middle Eastern ally. In recent months, President Joe Biden and his foreign policy brain trust have publicly rebuked ...Read more
Editorial: Americans continue moving out of high-tax states
Owning a business in California has become a challenge — unless you’re running a U-Haul franchise.
The Census Bureau this month released its annual report on domestic migration — Americans moving from county to county and state to state. The report provides more evidence that the blue-state model of high taxes and a stifling regulatory ...Read more
POINT: Gig work doesn't have to be a race to the bottom -- but it's up to Congress
The gig economy is nothing new. Nor is it inherently bad for workers. Artists and tradespeople have relied on gig work for centuries. It provides much flexibility, which many workers need, and explains why it remains a popular option.
However, the rise of internet-based platforms that profit by mediating the relationship between gig workers and...Read more
Editorial: The humanitarian aid Gaza needs most is a cease-fire
In Gaza, famine is imminent.
To get urgently needed food, clean water, temporary sanitation facilities and medical supplies to more than 2 million Palestinians, President Biden ordered construction of a floating dock. Building it will take weeks.
In the interim, aid trickles into the narrow strip of land between southwestern Israel and the ...Read more
Commentary: The Goldilocks Constitution is no fairy tale
When the Framers sat down to think about the best form of government for America, they had few good reasons to think a republic would succeed. Looking back at historical examples of failed democracies and oppressive autocracies, James Madison and the other members of the Constitutional Convention quickly saw that building a durable government is...Read more
COUNTERPOINT: When it comes to the gig economy, the only thing to fear is fear itself
To the typical American, clicking a couple of buttons on your smartphone to snag a rideshare car to take you to the airport seems as unremarkable as it is uncontroversial. But since 2018, progressive politicians, in the name of protecting workers, have waged war on ridesharing and the so-called “gig economy” writ large. The problem with the ...Read more
Noah Feldman: Supreme Court scoffs at flimsy abortion pill argument
Abortion is back at the Supreme Court. The case contests decisions by the Food and Drug Administration to make the drug mifepristone available by mail and via telemedicine. But at oral argument on Monday, the court that overturned Roe v. Wade seemed poised to reject the arguments of the pro-life Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine.
No, the ...Read more
Commentary: Don't delay--now is the time to neuter or spay
Binnie was in big trouble. After six years of cycling in and out of heat and giving birth to litter after litter of kittens, this shy cat had developed a severe infection of the uterus called pyometra. This painful condition can afflict animals who haven’t been spayed, and without prompt and aggressive treatment, it’s almost always fatal.
...Read more
Editorial: America's energy boom has helped with global security. Biden should leave well alone
North America’s amazing energy boom has been a huge plus for U.S. domestic security over the past decade. Thanks to the rise of shale fracking and other game-changing technologies, the U.S. and Canada have produced more oil and gas than ever before, reducing the need for imports while breathing life into export markets.
This oil-and-gas ...Read more
Mark Z. Barabak: She can't stand Trump or Biden. Don't tell this 'double-hater' she's crazy voting for someone else
ROSEVILLE, Calif. — By now Victoria Thompson has heard it many times. She's crazy. She's throwing her vote away.
Worse, those who loathe Donald Trump say she's helping the unscrupulous ex-president reclaim the White House — even though she's never voted for him and never will — by refusing to back Joe Biden's reelection.
Thompson is ...Read more
Editorial: As minimum wage rises, robots work for $0 an hour
Having a cashier ring up your grocery store purchases feels like a luxury good these days. Don’t overlook the role rising minimum wages played in this development.
Major retailers such as Target and Walmart have replaced many checkout lanes with self-checkout kiosks. With customers doing most of the work, the company saves money. One employee...Read more
Commentary: Can they play Bach? Why bias in classical music must be dismantled
Johann Sebastian Bach continues to be a force of extraordinary influence across classical music, jazz and beyond.
Yet this consistency has often led to misconceptions about excellence as well as exclusion of many underrepresented musicians, scholars and concert patrons. It doesn’t have to be this way: Many communities are highlighting the ...Read more