Politics
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Frank Barry: The GOP must make amends with those who disavowed the Big Lie
The online schadenfreude that has followed the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson has been callous and crude — to put it mildly, a sad commentary on the state of civility. But it’s nothing compared to what we might see in the event of a presidential assassination. And that possibility, unfortunately, is very real.
Donald Trump ...Read more
Commentary: Biden should certify the ERA
As the nation braces for Donald Trump’s second presidential term, advocates across the land are asking President Joe Biden to shield us from the looming threats to women’s safety and reproductive rights. This can be done with just 24 words: “Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any ...Read more
Commentary: The influencer economy exposes a 70-year problem for women
The holidays are upon us, and more than ever the burgeoning influencer economy is having an impact on what consumers buy. Few reliable statistics can be found concerning the influencer profession, but several studies suggest the industry is dominated by women in their homes selling products related to the personal brand each has cultivated. ...Read more
Commentary: How South Korea's martial law and impeachment saga affects the US
South Korea, one of Washington’s closest allies in East Asia, is no stranger to scandal and political intrigue. But the last two weeks of political infighting in Seoul has made the previous 40 years look like a snooze-fest by comparison.
The latest saga started Dec. 3, when South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol inexplicably declared martial ...Read more
Commentary: What America can learn from 'Toyota Way' to improve education outcomes
The polling data tell us that the election was mostly about the economy. Now that we’re through election season, more attention will surely be devoted to what research shows is the best way of stimulating both economic growth and economic mobility: education.
No one should be happy with what we’re getting for the $800 billion a year we ...Read more
Noah Feldman: ABC's decision to settle Trump's defamation suit makes sense
Donald Trump loves to sue people for defamation to scare them out of making negative statements about him. In a settlement made public Saturday, ABC News agreed to pay $15 million to settle a lawsuit by Trump, arguing that he was defamed when anchor George Stephanopoulos said the president-elect had been found liable in court for raping writer E...Read more
Commentary: How RFK Jr. could reverse our nation's foolish approach to obesity
The river was swift and unrelenting, its currents carrying victim after victim downstream. Local villagers responded by stringing nets across the water to prevent further drownings. Yet, despite their efforts, the death toll continued to rise.
Eventually, a newcomer to the village asked a simple yet critical question: “Why are people falling ...Read more
Commentary: What will the military do if Trump gives unconstitutional orders?
Every American in the armed forces, and any veteran who has served, hopes and prays for peace and stability under the recently reelected, incoming commander in chief. Political leanings are no factor here. We salute and serve because that’s who we are — even as our oaths may soon be tested as the next frontline in the war for America’s ...Read more
Editorial: Solve the drone mystery: What is causing all these UFO sightings?
If you’re seeing and hearing drones or other such flying things flashing in the sky, it’s absolutely certain that you are not imagining it and you are not alone. However, what remains troublingly uncertain is what is actually going on and it’s a question that government has done a lousy job answering.
The future head of that government, ...Read more
Commentary: As Christmas and Hanukkah coincide, is it time for everyone to let there be holiday lights?
Hanukkah begins on Christmas this year, marking a rare coincidence of the Jewish and Christian holidays, which occur according to different calendars. The alignment invites reflection on how two traditions can inspire each other.
The Orthodox Jewish community I grew up in rejected Christmas lights as signs of unwanted assimilation. We lighted ...Read more
Nolan Finley: Drone sightings merit a more urgent response
It's been a month since reports began coming in about waves of mysterious drones appearing in the night skies over the East Coast.
Eyewitnesses have posted more than 5,000 videos and other accounts of such sightings. Most are centered on the New Jersey area, but unusual drone activity has popped up in Ohio, California and elsewhere.
Is this ...Read more
Editorial: Another year, another broken promise to curb air pollution from LA ports
Southern California air quality regulators are reneging on their promise to enact long-delayed rules to curb health-damaging and planet-warming pollution from the ports of L.A. and Long Beach by the end of this year.
In doing nothing once again, the South Coast Air Quality Management District has failed to do its only job, cowering in the face ...Read more
Commentary: Gov. Newsom, no more delays in shutting Aliso Canyon down
It was a cold, breezy October evening in 2015 when a foul odor swept through neighborhoods in the north San Fernando Valley. The smell — reminiscent of rotten eggs — invaded homes, forcing residents to seal windows and doors in vain. Soon many fell ill with headaches, rashes, nosebleeds and nausea. Those symptoms were only the beginning of a...Read more
Commentary: Animals are someone, not stocking stuffers
A few years ago, I heard about a family who had surprised their children with what they thought was the “perfect” Christmas present: a tiny calico kitten named Freya, complete with a big red bow tied loosely around her neck. The kids were delighted and spent hours caring for their new family member. But by New Year’s Day, they had lost ...Read more
Editorial: Clemency for traffickers undermines war on drugs
It’s time to stop treating the trafficking of deadly drugs as a non-violent crime.
President Joe Biden’s mass clemency spree last week included Lawrence, Massachusetts, woman Luz Perez DeMartinez, who was sentenced five years ago to 11 years in federal prison for participating in a large-scale fentanyl trafficking conspiracy. DeMartinez ...Read more
Editorial: One man's story exposes the brutal illusion of overly harsh drug sentences
Kaream Akton Moore probably knew that the plastic bag that a stranger paid him $30 to deliver, one August day in 2023, contained drugs. He probably didn’t care. Moore, 42, had been caught in the cruel grip of addiction for nearly three decades at that point; he was homeless and destitute, living behind a Merritt Island apartment complex and ...Read more
Commentary: People thought 'A Charlie Brown Christmas' would fail. Sincerity powered its success
It’s hard to imagine the holidays without “A Charlie Brown Christmas.” The 1965 broadcast has become a staple of the season for many generations.
But this beloved TV special almost didn’t make it to air. CBS executives thought the 25-minute program was too slow, too serious and too different from the upbeat spectacles they imagined ...Read more
Matthew Yglesias: Too many Democrats still don't get the working class
Defeated Democrats are looking for new ways forward, and one of their most articulate leaders is Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut. They should be “an aggressively economically populist party that builds a wide tent,” he says, “asking working class voters to come inside even if they don’t align with us on every social and cultural issue.�...Read more
Editorial: Texas attacks NY law: Attorney General Ken Paxton must fail in going after New York doc for abortion pills
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, the once-indicted and once-impeached attack dog for right-wing causes, is trying to use the courts to impose his state’s harsh abortion limits elsewhere with his specious state lawsuit against New Paltz Dr. Margaret Daley Carpenter for prescribing and sending abortion medications to a woman in Texas. He needs...Read more
Marc Champion: Europe needs to swiftly fulfill its aid pledges to Ukraine
A note to Europe’s leaders: When it comes to sending sufficient aid to help Ukraine end Russia’s invasion, if not now, when?
In October, I visited and wrote about a critical mine at Pokrovsk in eastern Ukraine, which had become the primary focus of Russia’s efforts to maximize the territory it holds amid looming economic pressures from ...Read more