Politics
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Editorial: Amid the chaos, America's elite campuses can't educate. University presidents have to turn that around
On Monday afternoon, New York’s Columbia University looked like a military installation, not one of the most storied institutions of learning in the United States.
The campus gates, festooned with balloons designed to “welcome” newly admitted students, all were padlocked shut. Columbia’s main, beaux-arts campus occupies more than six ...Read more
Commentary: More than 2 million workers are missing. Who are they, and how are they affecting the economy?
If I were a mystery novelist instead of an economist, I’d call it “The Case of the Missing Workers.”
I’m referring to the fact that there are 2.3 million fewer people employed today than if the employment-to-population ratio had stayed the same as it was four years ago, just before the COVID-19 pandemic. This lack of workers is hurting ...Read more
Michael Hiltzik: As taxpayers tire of handouts to billionaires, Major League Baseball demands public funding for a Vegas stadium
The longest-running melodrama in sports is less about events on the field of play than on machinations in the ownership suite of baseball's Oakland A's, who are close to finalizing a move to Las Vegas three or four years from now.
At least, that's the hope of Major League Baseball and the team's billionaire owner, John Fisher. That the deal ...Read more
Editorial: The cruelty of exposing outdoor workers to extreme heat
It won’t be easy to find another Florida governor who inflicted so much cruelty on its people as quickly as Ron DeSantis did with a single signature.
One of the worst single actions by the 2024 Legislature, House Bill 433, prohibits all local governments from taking any steps to protect outdoor workers from heat or from requiring their ...Read more
Editorial: When protest turns to hatred: There's far too much antisemitism in the free Palestine movement
Monday, with all classes being held remote, the environs of Columbia University were anything but quiet. On the South Lawn in front of Butler Library was the tent city of students with the misguided idea to boycott Israel. These students were visited by leftwing councilmembers, who hold the same wrongheaded stand.
But far worse, outside the ...Read more
Editorial: Stinky Florida? DeSantis paints scary picture of weed amendment but misses key point
Gov. Ron DeSantis is appealing to voters’ fears of streets and businesses being overcome by the stench of pot smoke if a proposed Florida constitutional amendment is approved this fall.
It’s classical DeSantis: Amp up mental images of children under threat, choking on second-hand smoke — except he fails to mention that he and lawmakers ...Read more
Tom Philp: What happens when Google censors your California news to protect its bottom line?
Search engines like Google have always selectively censored content by limiting what its users can find. Usually, the censored material has been either sexually explicit, intellectual property guarded by copyright, disinformation or sensitive personal information.
Last week, Google stopped being a neutral aggregator of the internet and began ...Read more
Commentary: The immigration system can bend toward justice. One man's case shows how
On a sunny January morning, in the windowless office of a nondescript government building, Jose Franco Gonzalez was sworn in as a United States citizen. There is not a lot of good news in immigration these days, with President Joe Biden doubling down on proposals that would gut remaining asylum protections and former President Donald Trump ...Read more
Commentary: Wireless spectrum policy is vital to national security and the economy
While it may not get the dramatic headlines that other topics garner, few public policy issues will affect the future of our country the way telecommunications infrastructure will, specifically considering the current regulatory path for 5G and wireless spectrum.
How American policymakers handle spectrum will affect national security and ...Read more
COUNTERPOINT: Bible blasphemy or act of godliness?
Donald Trump was recently accused of “Bible blasphemy” for selling a version of the Bible, which prompted me to write this article on his motivations for such an act. Is this truly blasphemy? Or is it a way to encourage his followers to study the Holy Scriptures to “Make America Great and Godly Again”?
In a court of law, I believe this ...Read more
Editorial: 9th Circuit went too far with homelessness ruling
The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals — which has jurisdiction over nine states, including Nevada — has a reputation as one of the most liberal courts in the country. It also has the dubious distinction of being the appellate court most likely to be reversed by the U.S. Supreme Court.
Expect the 9th Circuit’s creative ruling in a case ...Read more
Patricia Murphy: The Georgia Senate race where democracy really is on the ballot
ATLANTA -- The statement that “democracy is on the ballot in 2024″ may have no more literal example than that of state Sen. Shawn Still’s upcoming race. Still is a first-term Republican lawmaker from Johns Creek who is currently under indictment, along with former President Donald Trump and 13 others on charges involving his alleged role ...Read more
Commentary: Gen Z is key to securing America's elections
America's elections are under unprecedented threat. From foreign interference in the 2016 presidential race to the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection, the integrity of our democratic process has been repeatedly targeted in recent years. Safeguarding it against future attacks requires an often-overlooked resource: Generation Z.
Young Americans have come...Read more
POINT: Perverting God's word for politics is a sin
In March, former President Donald Trump began hawking a “God Bless the USA” Bible online for $59.99, a King James Version that also includes the Constitution, the Declaration of Independence and the Pledge of Allegiance.
“Let’s make America pray again,” he said. “We must defend God in the public square and not allow the media or the...Read more
Robin Abcarian: Criminalizing homelessness is unconscionable, but is it unconstitutional?
On Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments about whether a small Oregon city can cite and prosecute homeless people for sleeping in public places when they have nowhere else to lay their heads.
If the case reveals nothing else about the state of our country, it reveals this: We continue to fail the homeless people who live among us, and ...Read more
Commentary: The case for going vegan on Alien Day
Have you ever pondered the iconic image of a UFO beaming up a cow? I often wonder whether the aliens aboard that craft are actually rescuing the cow from humans. As many of us consider the possibility of life beyond this planet on Alien Day (April 26), let’s also remember the intelligent life all around us—and resolve to make Earth a kinder,...Read more
LZ Granderson: Republicans aren't protecting elections. They don't want democracy
The next time Speaker Mike Johnson stands in front of a microphone to talk about election integrity, I want you to remember this: Nearly a third of voters in Louisiana are Black, and yet Black voters had control over less than 20% of the state's congressional districts. White voters make up less than 60% of the electorate yet had control over ...Read more
Editorial: SCOTUS smacks down California in property rights case
Property rights are an inalienable right and a fundamental part of this nation’s political tradition. Yet they face ongoing attacks from government busybodies.
This month, a unanimous Supreme Court ruled that legislative governments can’t impose excessive fees on property owners looking to build on their own land. The ruling in Sheetz v. ...Read more
Editorial: LA officials lied to justify seizing homeless people's belongings. That's despicable
For homeless people, the only place to store their belongings is on the ground or inside a tent. When city workers clean up a sidewalk and take those belongings and destroy them, the effect is devastating. People have lost their tents, clean clothes, personal records, IDs, medications and more, according to a lawsuit accusing the city of Los ...Read more
Leonard Greene: Caitlin Clark's paltry $76K salary shows WNBA players deserve more money
Before we launch a GoFundMe page for Caitlin Clark, who will make a comparatively paltry $76,535 as a WNBA rookie this season, consider that the basketball phenom is poised to sign an eight-figure endorsement deal with Nike that will include her own signature shoe.
Caitlin Clark will be just fine.
It’s the other women’s basketball players ...Read more