Politics
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Editorial: Voters will punish Trump for attacks on institutional guardrails
What should concern Republicans heading into the midterms is not just policy disagreement; it’s pattern and posture.
President Donald Trump is once again attacking institutional guardrails, starting with the Federal Reserve. Publicly undermining Fed Chair Jerome Powell isn’t tough leadership; it’s a signal to markets and allies that ...Read more
Commentary: Washington loves blaming Latin America for drugs -- while ignoring the American appetite that fuels the trade
For decades, the United States has perfected a familiar political ritual: condemn Latin American governments for the flow of narcotics northward, demand crackdowns, and frame the crisis as something done to America rather than something America helps create.
It is a narrative that travels well in press conferences and campaign rallies. It is ...Read more
Noah Feldman: The Supreme Court won't end the debate over trans girls in sports
From the oral argument last week, it seems clear that the Supreme Court will likely uphold state laws that prohibit transgender girls from participating in girls’ sports, even if the transgender girls have taken puberty blockers that reduce their testosterone levels to the point where they would not have a physiological advantage.
The ...Read more
Commentary: Deadly rat poisons are pushing LA's mountain lion population to the edge
While many view Los Angeles as a concrete jungle, there’s another side of the city more akin to the wild. L.A. lies within a biodiversity hot spot, with ecologically rich habitats such as the Santa Monica Mountains boasting endemic plants and animals not seen anywhere else on Earth.
According to iNaturalist, a site where users identify and ...Read more
Commentary: Let judges reconsider long prison sentences
For people, myself included, who are serving long prison sentences in New York, years pass, circumstances change, and lives take on dimensions that were not discernable at the time of sentencing. Yet under current law, no judge has the power to revisit a sentence once it has been imposed, no matter how much time has passed or circumstances have ...Read more
Editorial: Attacking irresponsible student loan policies
Changes are coming to the federal student loan program. And it can’t happen fast enough.
President Donald Trump’s “one, big beautiful bill,” enacted and signed last summer, includes a number of provisions intended to protect taxpayers from student loan defaults. This is in stark contrast to President Joe Biden’s approach, which was to...Read more
Commentary: America's two economies -- Soaring stocks and slashed food stamps
The close of the 2025 holiday season has revealed a stark divide in the U.S. economy. As 2026 begins, the United States appears to be operating in two financial realities: record corporate profits and soaring stock values for the wealthy, alongside deepening hardship for millions of ordinary households.
For many Americans, Christmas was ...Read more
Gustavo Arellano: Even Grok thinks Elon Musk's claim that white men are persecuted is bull
Who the hell appointed Elon Musk to be the loudest defender of white men?
From the moment the South Africa native took over what was once called Twitter in 2022, the wealthiest human being on Earth has let neo-Nazi accounts flourish while repeating their insistence that white men are an endangered species as the world grows more diverse and ...Read more
Editorial: Sen. Hawley flirts briefly with courage on Venezuela -- then retreats as usual
Does Sen. Josh Hawley really believe in anything?
It’s a question we end up asking frequently about Missouri’s senior senator, whether the topic is health care, labor rights or — this time — the Trump administration’s military adventurism in Venezuela.
U.S. forces swooped into the Caribbean nation Jan. 3 to capture Venezuelan ...Read more
Beth Kowitt: America's à la carte economy is making everyone feel poorer
Over the winter break, I took my family to see the light show at the Bronx Zoo. Here, among the sea lions and penguins, holiday magic does not come cheap. I expected to have to negotiate some extras with my kids (yes to s’mores, no to the bubble wands). But there were the surprise add-ons, too, from the $4 train ride that went twice around the...Read more
Lara Williams: America is missing the real problem in the Arctic
President Donald Trump’s greedy stare at Greenland, with its mineral riches and strategic location, has put the world on high alert about what’s going on in the Arctic. Unfortunately, this obsession with the region’s geopolitics comes as the critical monitoring of its geography and climate is getting harder and harder.
Constructing a ...Read more
Mary Ellen Klas: The White House push to undermine the midterms is gathering steam
The Department of Justice is assembling a first-ever national voter database. It has demanded that states turn over their complete voter registration lists — loaded with private information such as driver's license and Social Security numbers linked to names, home addresses and dates of birth.
It has also turned the federal immigration ...Read more
Commentary: Trump tarnished the image of Christianity, and now he's dragging down the police
For a man who made millions by slapping his name on buildings and various products, President Donald Trump has a special knack for tarnishing iconic American brands.
It goes like this: He grabs some broadly respected institution, rebrands it in his own image, and then hands it back smelling faintly of burnt hair and regret.
Trump’s style of ...Read more
Stephen Mihm: Kraft Mac & Cheese doesn't need to feed our protein obsession
Kraft Heinz’s declining dominance in the mac and cheese industry has been blamed on cost-cutting and bad management decisions. But the company’s biggest challenge is that the rules of indulgence have changed. Comfort food, and increasingly all foods, are expected to do double duty.
Many Americans are no longer content with only eating a ...Read more
Commentary: What I learned playing liar's poker against AI
The most celebrated early successes of artificial intelligence were computers beating human champions in games such as chess and Go. Today we are all playing games against AI. The price you are offered on an item at Amazon, the chance of your home office deduction being accepted by the IRS, whether you get called for jury duty, what medical ...Read more
Editorial: Trump's sanctuary attack -- His new illegal threats to withhold funding
Once again, President Donald Trump threatens to break the law by trying to withhold appropriated funds to states with sanctuary cities. This time he is insisting on his Truth Social account that as of the start of next month, “NO MORE PAYMENTS WILL BE MADE BY THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT TO STATES FOR THEIR CORRUPT CRIMINAL PROTECTION CENTERS KNOWN ...Read more
Mark Gongloff: A stealth heat tax has already cost Americans $1 trillion
A hotter planet is making life more expensive. There’s the big-ticket stuff, of course, like the property losses and higher insurance premiums that come with supercharged natural disasters. But a deeper look shows that climate change is steadily draining wealth in ways that aren’t as obvious, like the hidden charges car dealers add to pad ...Read more
Editorial: DOJ probe threatens Fed's independence
The Trump administration’s escalating campaign against Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell is more than a personal feud over interest-rate policy.
It is an attack on the independence of the Fed, which wields enormous influence over the U.S. economy. The Fed has played a crucial role in keeping American monetary policy credible and the ...Read more
Editorial: Phase 2 begins -- 'Hamas is no longer appealing'
The recent whirlwind of international events — from Ukraine to Venezuela to Iran — has pushed the Gaza conflict off the front pages. But while circumstances unfold in Kyiv, Caracas and Tehran, the Middle East peace process initiated by President Donald Trump advances.
On Wednesday, U.S. officials announced that they were moving into the ...Read more
Editorial: If you believed the McRib was a real rib, we have some chicken nuggets to sell you
Another day, another class-action lawsuit, this time about what kind of meat is in a sandwich.
Four lead plaintiffs, including Chicagoan Dorien Baker, are suing McDonald’s, claiming the fast-food giant is misleading customers over what kind of meat it uses in its cult classic “McRib” sandwich.
“Despite its name and distinctive rib-...Read more




















































