Politics
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John M. Crisp: Entitlement to power is always terrible for democracy
When Texas legislators lit out for New York and Illinois in order to deny Republicans the quorum that they need to enact a mid-decade redistricting map, I wasn’t thrilled. The cause is righteous, but when has quorum-busting actually worked?
Democrats fled Austin in 1979, 2003 and 2021 in efforts to prevent Republicans from railroading bad ...Read more

Marc Champion: Putin is about to outplay Trump again in Alaska
Ukrainian and European leaders are worried President Donald Trump will get played for a second time when he meets his Russian counterpart in Alaska on Friday — and they’re right to be nervous.
Indeed, if Trump wants to emerge from the talks a master negotiator rather than a pushover, his smartest move may be to postpone the summit until it...Read more

Andreas Kluth: The US will regret throwing India under the bus
President Donald Trump just threw India under the bus. After months of affronts and barbs, Washington now treats New Delhi more as foe than friend, undermining a relationship that several American administrations — including Trump’s first — tried to strengthen, not least to contain China in the Indo-Pacific. Instead, India will now ...Read more

Commentary: Immigration spying has inglorious past
In the early 1900s, the U.S. Bureau of Immigration created a special “Chinese Division” to enforce the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, which was the first major U.S. immigration law to ban entry based on race and nationality. Federal agents were sent to Mexican border towns and tasked with secretly photographing, tracking and cataloging ...Read more

Commentary: Innovating America's democracy is our tradition and our responsibility
The American story is one of constant innovation and renewal, where democracy rises to meet the challenges of each new age. Our history documents a journey of transformation, inviting us to reflect on centuries of innovation in American democracy.
Citizens have routinely amended outdated practices, reinforced core tenets, and forged new ...Read more

Commentary: Newsom's cynical redistricting ploy should be rejected by voters
Gov. Gavin Newsom’s political ambitions have reached a new low. In his efforts to look like a “fighter” ahead of a potential run for the presidency in 2028, he’s willing to ignore democratic rules in pursuit of political aims, setting aside the state’s independent redistricting system to counter Texas Republicans’ proposed partisan ...Read more

Editorial: Spare vaccines, focus on ultra-processed foods
One of the more notable successes of President Donald Trump’s first term was how the administration was able to develop effective COVID-19 vaccines so quickly.
That impressive speed — less than one year compared to the decade or more of research and development that other vaccines have required — likely saved millions of lives worldwide....Read more

Editorial: Mamdani's shifts aren't believable -- 'Changed' views on cops and Israel are hollow
Zohran Mamdani’s sudden 180-degree turn on defunding the police, from supporting the foolish concept to opposing it, coincides with his political necessity and rank opportunism as he tries to be elected mayor.
At least the old anti-cop Mamdani was consistent, if wrong. And it’s not the only area where the Democratic mayoral nominee and ...Read more

Commentary: PETA at 45 -- We're just getting started
PETA is celebrating a milestone this month: 45 years of pushing, persuading and provoking for animal liberation. I’ve been here for 33 of those. My son, now 22, grew up vegan and is going to protests with me. We’ve made world-changing, lifesaving progress in his lifetime alone. I’m now stepping into my new role as PETA’s president, ...Read more

Commentary: Welcome to American politics without norms
President Donald Trump wants new congressional maps in Texas — now. Not in the next decade. Not after the next census. Not when it’s traditionally done. He wants it done smack dab in the middle of the decade.
Why the odd timing? Because he wants it done in time to help his presidency.
In Trump’s mind, Texas is a vending machine: insert ...Read more

Mark Gongloff: The Earth is drying out and we need to act urgently
You might not believe it if you've experienced one of the flash floods hammering the planet from Texas to Vietnam this summer, but the Earth is becoming drier — at least the parts where most people live. Given how this can affect every aspect of human existence, from farming to geopolitics, it’s past time we started treating this like the ...Read more

Commentary: Avoiding policy malpractice in the age of AI
Nature abhors a vacuum, rushing to fill it often chaotically. Policymakers, similarly, dislike a regulatory void. The urge to fill it with new laws is strong, frequently leading to shortsighted legislation. There's a common, if flawed, belief that "any law is better than no law." This action bias—our predisposition to do something rather than ...Read more

Commentary: How postsecondary opportunities for students are changing for the better
Americans are losing faith in higher education. Nearly half of adults believe a college degree is less important to get a well-paying job than it was 20 years ago, and only a quarter believe a four-year degree is a very important part of getting a job that pays well.
The question of value is front and center for policymakers across the country ...Read more

Commentary: Dogs are drafted into police work, and they are dying on the job
On a sweltering day in Georgia last month, a police K9 named for the state she worked in died on the job. A deputy reportedly left her in a patrol car for “an unacceptable amount of time.” The air conditioning unit in the vehicle failed. So did the heat alarm that was supposed to prevent such a tragedy.
Baking to death in a hot car is a ...Read more

Editorial: Putin blocks Trump's peacemaking -- Another blown deadline shows Ukraine truce is not easy
President Donald Trump’s deadline of today for Russian leader Vladimir Putin to agree to a ceasefire deal between Russia and Ukraine seems ready to come and go with no deal. We wish the president’s desire for peace was fulfilled, for as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says: “the war must end. And it must be done honestly,” ...Read more

Steve Lopez: 'Silence is violence' -- Teachers, retirees, first-time activists stand up to immigration raids
"Thank you so much for showing up this morning," Sharon Nicholls said into a megaphone at 8 a.m. Wednesday outside a Home Depot in Pasadena.
As of Friday afternoon, no federal agents had raided the store on East Walnut Street. But the citizen brigade that stands watch outside and patrols the parking lot in search of ICE agents has not let down ...Read more

Joe Battenfeld: Is Elizabeth Warren a closet socialist?
Sen. Elizabeth Warren has secretly been embracing socialism for years, and now is finally admitting that is the path of the Democratic Party going forward.
Appearing with New York City mayoral candidate and prominent socialist Zohran Mamdani this week, the multi-millionaire Warren enthused over him and his far left extremist views, going where ...Read more

Editorial: Will Nevada drivers pay price for California's folly?
California Democrats are slowly waking up to the consequences of their green energy pipe dreams. Let’s hope the epiphany can save Nevada from soaring gasoline prices.
As recently as last October, Golden State Gov. Gavin Newsom was beating up that reliable progressive bogeyman, Big Oil. California traditionally has the highest gasoline prices ...Read more

Editorial: Trump chips away at reality to mold his authoritarian America fantasy
President Donald Trump’s first term began with a laughable lie about inauguration crowd size and ended 30,573 falsehoods later with a violent insurrection fueled by his Big Lie about the stolen election.
Just six months into his second term, Trump has moved from daily whoppers to a full-on rewriting of reality.
He fired the Bureau of Labor ...Read more