Politics
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Mark Gongloff: Texas is the new Arizona, and not in a good way
Humans can survive whole days without food, shelter or internet, but they can’t last long without water. Which is why it’s so weird that American humans keep rushing to live in places where water is increasingly scarce. The latest dry hot spot is Texas.
Two fast-growing Texas towns have been in the news recently for being dehydrated. The ...Read more
Editorial: Gold Star families rebuke Harris over cemetery attack
Kamala Harris is now attacking Donald Trump for mourning with the families of fallen service members. Even in a heated political environment, that’s shameful.
Last week, former President Trump participated in a wreath-laying ceremony to honor the 13 fallen heroes murdered in Afghanistan three years ago. A suicide bomber killed them as they ...Read more
Editorial: Yes, killings were singularly horrific. But more typical crime continues to proliferate on the CTA
CTA leadership keeps telling us our public transit system is getting safer.
A scan of CTA news releases on crime statistics over the past few years shows that the agency reports to the public only when reported crimes on the system fall in a given month. The timing of the releases seemingly is random; there’s no discernible schedule. That ...Read more
Commentary: Adults can also embrace a 'back to school' attitude
Going back to my days as a schoolboy, the close of summer has always felt to me like a time of beginning. We tend not to think of the incoming autumn this way. Already, we’re nostalgic for the vacation we just took. If we’re headed for school, there’s a certain bemoaning that occurs. There will be all of that structure again! Homework! ...Read more
Francis Wilkinson: Trump could destroy the anti-abortion movement
It’s doubtful that any contemporary political faction has been betrayed by its host party more often, or more publicly, than the anti-abortion movement.
The history of Republican presidents appointing Supreme Court justices — Sandra Day O’Connor, David Souter, Anthony Kennedy — who uphold abortion rights is too uncanny to be accidental...Read more
Editorial: While Biden tanned, Hamas brutally murdered an American hostage
American weakness gets Americans killed. That’s a running theme of the Biden-Harris administration.
On Saturday, the civilized world mourned after learning that Hamas had brutally murdered six hostages it kidnapped during the Oct. 7 terror attack. The Israeli military found the bodies in a tunnel below Rafah. Among the deceased was Hersh ...Read more
Editorial: Californians need electric bill relief. Lawmakers failed to deliver it
Californians already pay some of the nation’s highest electricity rates, and thanks to another year of inaction by state lawmakers there is still no end in sight to the steep hikes in monthly power bills.
Pacific Gas & Electric’s average residential electric bill has risen 77% since 2020, while the average Southern California Edison bill ...Read more
LZ Granderson: Trump keeps talking about bacon prices, but that's not making the point he intends
When it comes to the price of bacon, Donald Trump is absolutely right: It's too damn high. What he doesn't tell you when he brings this up on the campaign trail — which is a lot — is that the sharp increase was headed our way while he was in the White House.
In 2018, 61% of California voters passed Proposition 12, which required the space ...Read more
Commentary: Would you chain your child?
This won’t come as a surprise to many parents, but a study found that by mid-August each year, kids reach “peak boredom.” Fortunately, a new school year has started in most parts of the country (or soon will). And most kids have plenty of options for passing the time in the summer — from running through the sprinklers to gaming online.
...Read more
Commentary: The Paralympics are a unique manifestation of global cooperation
In a world increasingly marked by polarization and rising nationalism, the Paralympic Games stand as a vital symbol of the rules-based liberal international order.
Despite the growing controversy and challenges that surround the Olympics, these Games continue to represent an enduring commitment to global cooperation, inclusivity and shared ...Read more
Editorial: Death of hostages amplifies call for peace
The hearts of the commonwealth and of the nation are with the family of Hersh Goldberg-Polin today. The 23-year-old former resident of Richmond was among six hostages killed recently by Hamas terrorists, his body located in a tunnel underneath the city of Rafah, in southern Gaza.
His bright light, now extinguished, reminds us all of what has ...Read more
Commentary: How students can address their backgrounds on college applications, even without affirmative action
MIT is the first college to release racial data on the class of 2028 since the Supreme Court ended affirmative action in admissions last year. To no one’s surprise, the school’s percentage of Black, Latino, Native American and Pacific Islander students dropped from 25% to 16% in just one year.
MIT is not alone; it is just the first ...Read more
Patricia Murphy: Failing our students, one school shooting at a time
It was every parent’s nightmare — news Wednesday morning of a lockdown at Apalachee High School turned into reports of gunfire, then injuries, then deaths. As of Wednesday afternoon, four people at the Winder high school were reported dead, including students. Nine were injured, and, horrifically, the shooter was confirmed to be a 14-year-...Read more
Commentary: We're living under a flawed Constitution. Let's start fresh and rewrite it
No matter the outcome of the November elections, it is urgent that there be a widespread recognition that American democracy is in danger and that reforms are essential. No form of government lasts forever, and it would be foolhardy to believe that the United States cannot fall prey to the forces that have ended democracies in many other ...Read more
Mark Z. Barabak: Kamala Harris embraces Oakland -- and this time the feeling is mutual
OAKLAND, Calif. — The first time she ran for president, Kamala Harris launched her candidacy with a splashy rally that filled downtown Oakland with more than 20,000 cheering supporters.
It was a wholehearted embrace of her birthplace and a nod to the city's aspirational history.
But the feeling wasn't necessarily mutual. For some — mindful...Read more
Jackie Calmes: Why Trump's 'leave it to the states' abortion stance ties him in knots
Watching Donald Trump regularly twist himself into a pretzel to reach a politically safe position on abortion rights would be comical if the issue weren't so serious for the lives of countless women.
In any case, his political gymnastics are doomed; Trump can't stick this landing. He is, after all, the former president whose three Supreme Court...Read more
COUNTERPOINT: Harris's price controls won't tame inflation
Right problem, wrong solution. It’s one of the most familiar stories in politics.
Thanks to inflation, every American is paying higher prices for groceries and housing than before the pandemic. But politicians’ proposed solutions would make those problems even worse.
The right solution is to attack inflation’s root cause, a money supply ...Read more
POINT: An economic agenda for the people
As the warmth of summer finally begins to ease, an already feverish election season will continue heating up. So, let’s do a temperature check on the sliver of folks still deciding about their voting based on finances. Which candidate has articulated an economic agenda that will be most helpful to you?
The answer is that Vice President ...Read more
Matthew Yglesias: Even a Harris transition would be challenging
If she wins, Kamala Harris will face one of the rarest tasks in American politics: the same-party presidential transition. Although it wouldn’t be as chaotic as the transition her opponent appears to be planning, it would come with its own set of challenges — both professional and political.
Outgoing presidents are almost never succeeded by...Read more
Tyler Cowen: AI culture will be weirder than you can imagine
There are two radically different visions of our AI future, and they depend on the cost of energy.
In one scenario, low energy prices lead to a lot of slack. At the margin, people don’t need to be so careful about how they deploy their AIs. Right now, for instance, I don’t pay extra for using my current LLMs more. So I am willing to play ...Read more