Politics
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Editorial: Talk of invading Greenland is irresponsible
There is nothing inherently wrong with President Donald Trump’s pursuit of Greenland. But threatening to seize the island through military force is ridiculous, counterproductive and anathema to America’s values.
U.S. attempts to purchase Greenland — an autonomous territory of Denmark, a NATO ally — date to the 19th century. The United ...Read more
Lynn Schmidt: Trump's push for Greenland risks breaking NATO's core pact
Step back and try to make sense of President Donald Trump’s foreign policy and national security objectives when it comes to acquiring Greenland.
It's not easy.
If stopping Russia and China are the objectives for taking control of Greenland, there are much smarter ways to do it, including increasing U.S. support for the NATO and backing ...Read more
George Skelton: New California Senate leader Monique Limón, 'kind, generous' and a 'badass'
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — People often ask me how things have changed at the state Capitol since I began covering news there many decades ago. My latest short answer: Look at the new California Senate leader.
In fact, look at the entire Senate. Actually, the other legislative house, too, the Assembly.
There was only one female legislator when I ...Read more
Mary McNamara: My travel nightmare made me realize that self-service culture is capitalism's greatest con
The sun is shining, the fire threat is low and for the first time in 25 years, no part of California is experiencing drought. Except of course in the hope and joy department.
It’s the middle of January, which means the holidays are well and truly over and whatever fanciful shine the prospect of a “new” year held as it approached has ...Read more
Commentary: Congress and Trump could both get behind this concrete step to cut housing costs
Nearly 70% of American adults polled recently said that the central promise of the American Dream — that hard work can earn a good life — is no longer true or never was.
It’s easy to understand why. Decades of policy choices, rising costs and stagnant wages have eroded the path that once led from work to security. An affordability crisis ...Read more
Commentary: The Cuban people's resilience is a strength but also a trap
When I heard President Donald Trump boast early this month that Cuba, without the aid of a decapitated Venezuela, appears “ready to fall,” I immediately thought of Joseito, a Cuban man in his mid-30s I got to know a few years ago while doing research for a book. He lived in Havana with his wife and two young daughters in the rooms adjacent ...Read more
Lisa Jarvis: The push for lower US drug prices uses bad logic
The need to address the high cost of prescription drugs is one of the rare areas of concordance in our divided country. Americans across the political spectrum can agree that seniors shouldn’t have to ration pills, cancer patients shouldn’t need a GoFundMe campaign to afford treatment, and that too many Americans are making steep sacrifices ...Read more
Commentary: It's a police state in Minnesota
On Jan. 8, in the White House press room, Vice President JD Vance declared that the ICE officer who shot and killed Renee Good in Minneapolis on Jan. 7 “is protected by absolute immunity.” His assertion came before any investigation was conducted and before all the facts were known.
“Absolute immunity”? In the United States? In a ...Read more
Commentary: The misadventures of a couple looking to donate blood in Israel
Getting old can be a touch terrifying — if you don’t embrace it. So the morning I turned 65, I was desperate to ease the sting by rolling up my sleeve and donating blood for a good cause.
I hatched this feel-good scheme months earlier as the perfect way to mark the moment and show some gratitude for being here. Giving blood offers people ...Read more
Editorial: NASA's new moon mission is riskier than it should be
Wish them well. Next month, four astronauts are expected to board a space capsule called Orion, blast off on a rocket known as the Space Launch System, and exit low-Earth orbit for the first time since 1972, en route to a 10-day flyby of the moon. Unfortunately, their mission will be riskier than it should be.
The planned flight is a crucial ...Read more
Commentary: This time the US isn't hiding why it's toppling a Latin American nation
In the aftermath of the U.S. military strike that seized Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro on Jan. 3, the Trump administration has emphasized its desire for unfettered access to Venezuela’s oil more than conventional foreign policy objectives, such as combating drug trafficking or bolstering democracy and regional stability.
During his ...Read more
Mark Z. Barabak: They were like oil and water. Then Harry Reid wanted someone to tell his life story
To say Harry Reid and Jon Ralston had a fraught relationship is like suggesting Arabs and Israelis haven't always been on the best of terms.
Or there's a wee bit of tension between fans of the L.A. Dodgers and San Francisco Giants.
Reid, the former Senate majority leader and most powerful and important lawmaker ever to emerge from Nevada, went...Read more
Editorial: Weakened and weary: America a year later
President Donald Trump’s second inauguration one year ago found our nation more divided and apprehensive than at any time since the Civil War.
For his followers, it was a time for jubilation. For others, it foreshadowed grave danger for our republic.
The fears weren’t idle after Trump tried to overturn the 2020 election he had lost and ...Read more
Trudy Rubin: The view from Greenland: Trump's yen to take over makes no economic or security sense
Here’s the glaring sign of how drunk President Donald Trump has become on his own power: his ongoing threat to seize Greenland for security reasons, “whether they like it or not.” Anything else is “unacceptable,” Trump ranted last week.
Never mind that this icebound island is an autonomous territory of Denmark, one of our longest-...Read more
Leonard Greene: The champ gets a stamp -- honor for Muhammad Ali is well deserved
What round he would knock out his opponents in wasn’t the only thing boxing legend Muhammad Ali used to predict.
He once said the U.S. government should put his picture on a stamp.
“That’s the only way I’ll ever get licked,” he bragged.
Well, the U.S. Postal Service went ahead and did it. The champ is on a stamp.
“Those of you ...Read more
Editorial: DePaul gets ensnared in a sports gambling scandal that should raise alarms at the NCAA
Thursday was a dark day for college basketball in general and DePaul University in particular.
A sprawling indictment unsealed by the U.S. attorney’s office in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania laid out an alleged gambling conspiracy in which players were recruited to underperform in specific games so that bettors could wager on point ...Read more
Michael Hiltzik: Uber's trying to snow voters with a supposedly pro-consumer ballot initiative. Don't buy it
Uber loves to define itself as a most public-spirited company.
"We're reimagining how the world moves ... to help make transportation more affordable, sustainable, and accessible for all," as the ride-sharing giant declares on its website.
In 2020, when it spent nearly $100 million to pass Proposition 22, which overturned a state law ...Read more
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




















































