Politics
/ArcaMax
Commentary: The right laughs off its own offenders and takes umbrage at the left's
The phrase “kids will be kids” has long been used to excuse bad behavior. It grew out of a centuries-old idea that youth itself should confer some form of immunity — that immaturity, carelessness or even cruelty are simply part of growing up. What began as a forgiving nod to childhood mischief has evolved into a cultural permission slip, a...Read more
Commentary: Don't be a working class hero -- Just imagine!
Everyone knows John Lennon’s “Imagine.”
It floats through Times Square on New Year’s Eve, plays during Olympic ceremonies, and fills the air at corporate galas meant to celebrate “unity.” Its melody is tender, its message is simple, and its premise is seductive: If only we could imagine a world without possessions, borders, or ...Read more
Stephen Mihm: Threats of nuclear testing ignore its terrifying history
Should the U.S. and Russia resume nuclear testing?
The answer to that question must be a resounding “No.” Yet President Donald Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin, eager to project strength, have raised fears that they may be moving to revive the dangerous practice.
While the significance of testing nuclear weapons dwindled over 60 ...Read more
Mihir Sharma: China's trade model is built on keeping others poor
The world has, for the most part, welcomed the trade truce between the U.S. and China. Exporters, in particular, are hoping for a period of quiet that will allow them to adjust to a new world with higher tariffs and more restrictions.
Yet for workers and companies across the developing world, the possibility of a return to a status quo ante isn...Read more
Gustavo Arellano: Catholic Church puts foot down on Trump's mass deportation policy. That's a start
When millions of European immigrants came to the United States in the 19th century only to be scorned by mainstream society, it was the Catholic Church that embraced them, taught that keeping the customs of one's native lands was not bad and created systems of mutual aid and education for the newcomers that didn't rely on the government.
The ...Read more
Editorial: Fifty-year mortgage plan ignores real issue
Members of the Trump administration have floated a new proposal to address the nation’s housing crisis. It’s a dud. They should stick to the basics.
President Donald Trump took to Truth Social last weekend to advocate for the creation of a 50-year mortgage loan. Bill Pulte, director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, then called the ...Read more
Commentary: Rethinking drug policy -- From punishment to empowerment
America’s drug policy is broken. For decades, we’ve focused primarily on the supply side—interdicting smugglers, prosecuting dealers, and escalating penalties while neglecting the demand side. Individuals who use drugs, more often than not, do so out of desperation, trauma, or addiction. This imbalance has cost lives, strained law ...Read more
Editorial: Democrats, keep affordability focus as Americans' costs rise under Trump
The longest government shutdown in history is over following Sunday’s “Senate surrender,” as described by U.S. Rep. Marilyn Strickland, D-Tacoma. Seven Democrats and one independent voted with Republicans to advance the Senate’s short-term funding bill. The Tacoma Democrat piled onto a heap of intraparty condemnation, saying those ...Read more
Commentary: Horrifying violence returns to Sudan, exposing the deadly legacy of impunity
Twenty-two years ago, the devils came on horseback. Now they come on pickup trucks mounted with machine guns, funded by gold and assisted by drones. Now, the devils fight against the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) rather than for it, and they’re doing so with more efficient tools. But if you’re a civilian in Darfur, the outcome is the same: ...Read more
George Skelton: Sacramento scandal a wild card for Xavier Becerra and the governor's race
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — So far, gubernatorial candidate Xavier Becerra has escaped the bright spotlight focused on Gov. Gavin Newsom in the money pilfering scandal involving their former top aides. But that could change.
It seems only a matter of time before one of Becerra's campaign rivals seizes the federal fraud case for attack fodder. I can...Read more
Editorial: How redistricting could blow up on Maryland Democrats
Maryland Senate President Bill Ferguson has gotten slammed by more than a few of his fellow Democrats for displaying cold feet at the prospect of congressional redistricting in the state.
Critics include his Old Dominion counterpart, Virginia Senate President L. Louise Lucas, who recently accused him of echoing “MAGA talking points” after ...Read more
Commentary: Trump cut Nigeria's aid back in March. Now he wonders why it's so violent
On Truth Social earlier this month President Donald Trump ordered Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to “prepare for possible action” to protect Christians in Nigeria. (Hegseth’s social-mediated response: “Yes sir”). The order appears to have been prompted at least in part by a statement from Sen. Ted Cruz last month accusing the Nigerian ...Read more
Editorial: ICE's chilling surveillance tool hits home here
No good reason exists to secretly photograph millions of Americans. But under the paper-thin pretense of identifying non-citizens, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security has launched a chilling new surveillance tool to do that.
The Mobile Fortify biometric cell phone app marks a behind-the-scenes escalation in DHS’ brutal immigrant roundups...Read more
Trudy Rubin: Trump's Gaza peace plan is in danger of failing, unless he sees what's in front of his nose
“To see what is in front of one’s nose needs a constant struggle,” warned George Orwell, the famous British author of "1984." He was referring to politicians’ dangerous tendency to ignore facts that challenge their preferences or ingrained beliefs.
While that quote could refer to many aspects of President Donald Trump’s domestic ...Read more
Commentary: When teachers start self-censoring
As classrooms reopened this fall, many teachers returned to school with both new lesson plans and new boundaries — political ones.
According to EdChoice and Morning Consult’s most recent educator survey, which polled teachers at the end of September, about 40% of America’s teachers say they’ve had to change what they teach or discuss in...Read more
Commentary: The East Wing's demolition is a lasting scar of Trump's America
Great government houses are never still. They grow, age and change with their nations, each alteration leaving a trace of the ideals and anxieties of its time. Architecture is the archive that never stops recording. To tear down a part of it is to edit the story of who we are as a nation.
The recent demolition of the White House’s East Wing �...Read more
Editorial: Deceiving students, parents and communities
You might find the following question on a first-grade math test: “Fill in the box: 7+2=[blank]+6.” But what you wouldn’t expect is for 25 percent of incoming freshman at a highly ranked university to get the question wrong. But they did.
A report released this month by the University of California, San Diego, lays bare the fraud that ...Read more
Commentary: Don't turn back the clock on disability rights
Under the guise of reducing homelessness, President Donald Trump’s recent executive order, “Ending Crime and Disorder on America’s Streets,” removes protections against involuntary institutionalization. This threatens to undo decades of progress toward creating inclusive lives for people with disabilities.
In an interview with the Daily...Read more
Abby McCloskey: Too many kids can't read. Blame a lack of spelling tests
This month, I went to school for parent-teacher conferences. My second-grader’s self-evaluation form listed several categories: “I follow directions,” “I understand math,” “I like to read,” and one we hadn’t been asked about before: spelling. In fact, over the summer, he had literally asked me: “What is spelling?”
Most ...Read more
Editorial: Cyberattacks are up. So why are US defenses down?
America’s enemies are growing bolder and more sophisticated in cyberspace. To fend them off, the government must stop unilaterally disarming.
Two recent reports underscore the danger. In mid-October, Seattle-based cybersecurity firm F5 Inc. acknowledged a “catastrophic” breach of its systems, which may have allowed Chinese hackers to ...Read more






















































