Politics
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Editorial: Yes, NBC erred on McDaniel. But need remains to bridge the partisan news gap
NBC made the right decision in reversing course on hiring former Republican National Committee Chair Ronna McDaniel to be a regular contributor.
McDaniel’s support for Donald Trump’s claims that the 2020 election was stolen from him in the lead-up to the appalling Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol made her unfit to opine on political...Read more
Commentary: American happiness just hit a new low. Don't blame your parents
Lately I’ve been looking forward to turning 60 and celebrating with a slug of strong black coffee, the way I once aspired to turn 21 with a rum and Coke. Why? Because I’m retiring? I wish.
No, it’s the fact that, according to Gallup’s worldwide happiness rankings released March 19, I’ll join the ranks of some of the happiest people in...Read more
Commentary: If TikTok is banned, Elon Musk's influence over election will grow
As Congress revisits the notion of banning TikTok over security concerns and potential influence on the 2024 elections, it is crucial to widen our lens to include the equally concerning dynamics at X, formerly Twitter, under Elon Musk’s ownership.
Although a forced sale of X, given its U.S. ownership, is not on the table, ignoring the ...Read more
Marc Champion: Putin's conspiracy theories make Russians less safe
It’s been more than 20 years since al-Qaida’s Osama bin Laden boasted of his success in bringing down New York’s twin towers, and there are still millions of people who prefer to believe that the CIA or Jews were responsible. So it’s no surprise that conspiracy theories are multiplying just days after terrorists murdered at least 139 ...Read more
Jackie Calmes: Is this the worst Congress ever? Let's count the ways
More than halfway through the current two-year Congress, the "lawmakers" there bring to mind the old schoolyard quip about slacker students: They're really good at recess.
This pre-Easter week is the first of two that the House and Senate are taking off, though it seems like only yesterday they recessed for two weeks to mark Presidents Day. ...Read more
Sarah Green Carmichael: Attacks on Baltimore's mayor are just racism in disguise
Something ugly is unfolding in the anti-DEI movement. More and more governors across the US have banned diversity, equity and inclusion from schools and other places serving the public places and using it as a bogeyman to justify government censorship in the classroom. High-profile critics such as billionaire hedge fund investor Bill Ackman and ...Read more
Editorial: Another budget-busting porkfest on Capitol Hill
President Joe Biden laughably passes himself off as a budget hawk. The soaring national debt and recent spending bills prove such assertions to be a glaring example of misinformation.
Last week, Congress passed a $1.2 trillion measure to avert another government “shutdown.” Not surprisingly, it includes billions in pork backed by both ...Read more
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