Politics
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Commentary: How Tehran's proxy network could outlast the Iranian regime
A month into the Iran war, the United States has offered a 15-point plan to end the hostilities, which includes a broad range of demands on Iran’s nuclear and missile programs, and guarantees on freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz. The U.S. is also insisting on Iranian commitments to stop funding and supporting its network of proxies...Read more
Commentary: Investigate the AI campaigns flooding public agencies with fake comments
California built its tradition of open government — including for citizen boards that set the rules for such functions as automotive repair and security guard licensing — precisely to keep well-funded corporate interests in check. Lobbyists and special interests are constantly scheming to defeat the will of the majority. Now they are able to...Read more
Commentary: US sanctions to hurt Cuban civilians violate the Geneva Conventions
In the last year there have been a record number of legislative efforts to block military actions, threatened or carried out by the Trump administration, that are seen as illegal or unconstitutional. This has included President Donald Trump’s decision to go to war against Iran. Some of these efforts in Congress led to close votes in the House ...Read more
Editorial: In a pair of edifices, a tale of two presidents
Had a satirist first imagined what President Donald Trump would want for his presidential library, the cartoon surely would have looked exactly like what Trump apparently actually does want: a massive Miami skyscraper erected at a size intended to dwarf all surrounding buildings and topped with the all-caps “TRUMP,” shimmering in all its LED...Read more
Michael Hiltzik: A proposed new 'fix' for Social Security that harms workers and protects the rich
How worried are America's wealthy about the possibility they'll be hit with a higher tax for Social Security?
Plenty, judging from the endless creativity of their proposals to improve the program's fiscal condition by cutting benefits rather than raising revenue (typically from our most affluent taxpayers).
The latest run at this fence comes ...Read more
Noah Feldman: Originalism could save birthright citizenship in America
President Donald Trump must have come to the Supreme Court for oral arguments in the birthright citizenship case hoping to hear “his” justices inveigh against what he has called illegal aliens. Instead, he heard a lot about the original meaning of the 14th Amendment.
Whether the president knew it or not, originalism sounds the death knell ...Read more
Nolan Finley: The case against Hezbollah
For those who can't tell the difference between a selfless freedom fighter and a murderous terrorist, the FBI last week offered clarity.
In addressing the motivation for the attempted bombing on March 12 of Temple Israel, the bureau's Detroit office laid the blame squarely on the influence of Hezbollah, the Lebanon-based terror group and Iran ...Read more
Editorial: Teens and vaping are an unhealthy mix
Vaping — the use of e-cigarettes to inhale nicotine, flavorings or marijuana through a battery-powered device — has become so commonplace that many now take it for granted.
But recent news from Bel Air High School, where at least four toilets had to be replaced after students tried to flush vaping cartridges, is a reminder of both reckless...Read more
Commentary: 'Eat real food' is great advice, but it's only part of the equation
“Eat real food.” That new message, a key pillar of the 2025-2030 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, isn’t controversial. Nutritionists, scientists, politicians and lunchbox-packing parents all generally agree that’s a solid goal.
You’ve heard this statistic before: More than half of the calories Americans consume — 53% for adults and...Read more
Commentary: AI wearables and the rising risk of recording police
Recently, Apple announced the development of three wearable smart devices, all equipped with built-in cameras. The company has its sights set on 2027 for the release of their new smart glasses, AI pendant, and AirPods with built-in camera, all of which will be AI-functional for users. As the market for wearable products offering smart-recording ...Read more
Andreas Kluth: Defeat has never sounded as victorious as in Trump's address
On April Fools’ Day, the American president addressed the nation and the world to send not one message about the war that the United States and Israel launched against Iran a month ago, but all possible messages at once.
The conflict is “nearing completion,” Donald Trump said, before repeating that the U.S. might also escalate by hitting ...Read more
David Mills: Pete Hegseth is absolutely, dangerously wrong about God
PITTSBURGH — At a worship service held at the Pentagon two Wednesdays ago, the Secretary of Defense prayed for the success of American troops fighting in Iran, and presumably anywhere else he sends the military. “Behold now the wicked who rise against your justice and the peace of the righteous,” he declared. “Snap the rod of the ...Read more
Andreas Kluth: Defeat has never sounded as victorious as in Trump's address
On April Fools’ Day, the American president addressed the nation and the world to send not one message about the war that the United States and Israel launched against Iran a month ago, but all possible messages at once.
The conflict is “nearing completion,” Donald Trump said, before repeating that the U.S. might also escalate by hitting ...Read more
Commentary: César Chávez and the pain of the silence born from assault
In the rush to cancel long-held celebrations and remove statues and murals to achieve distance from César Chávez because of his alleged sexual abuse, it is important not to shy away from the meaning of a lifetime of painfully guarded silence. Let’s consider the terrible contradiction that was the daily reality of Ana Murguía, Debra Rojas ...Read more
Mary McNamara: The golden idol at the center of Trump's presidential library is a terrible idea -- even for him
The recently revised food pyramid may put fruit as a medium priority, but there is nothing the Trump administration likes more than the apple of discord.
Every news cycle, the president seems intent on introducing something new for Americans to argue about: the wisdom (and legality) of war in Iran; the term “affordability”; the efficacy of ...Read more
Editorial: Court rulings against Trump proof that democracy still works
It must have been a confounding day for “No Kings” protestors. Their placards at rallies held around the country decry President Trump’s “authoritarian regime” and the “fascism” under which Americans now live. They’ve blasted the ballroom Trump was building adjacent to the White House.
Two federal judges upended that notion ...Read more
Andreas Kluth: The pope has a message for the 'secretary of war'
The message was as clear as modern popes get, especially in their Palm Sunday mass. “Brothers and sisters, this is our God,” Leo XIV told the faithful in St. Peter’s Square: “Jesus, King of Peace, who rejects war, whom no one can use to justify war. He does not listen to the prayers of those who wage war, but rejects them, saying: ‘...Read more
Mark Z. Barabak: Is California really going to elect a Republican governor? Is there a Democratic Plan B?
Today we discuss probability, self-destruction and political bossism.
Wow. California, which is as blue as Lake Tahoe, is about to elect a Republican governor ! How crazy is that?
Whoa. Hold up, pony. Let's not get too far ahead of ourselves.
Well, there's certainly a lot of Democratic angst out there.
That's for sure. It's reminiscent of...Read more
Editorial: Trump library looks more like an ego tower than a museum, even by Miami standards
Miami is no stranger to excess. In this city, gaudy isn’t so much an insult as a way of life. But even in a place known for Lamborghinis, Brazilian butt lifts and wannabe billionaires, President Donald Trump’s planned presidential library stands out.
On Monday, the Trump Library Foundation released the first rendering of the downtown ...Read more
Trudy Rubin: White House rejection of Ukraine's help to fight Iranian drones may cost US military lives
Nothing so perfectly demonstrates Donald Trump’s reckless approach to waging war on Iran than his rebuff of Ukraine’s offer to share drone technology that could save U.S. military lives.
Clearly, the president had little idea what he was getting into when he joined Israel in bombing Iran and killing its top leadership. This was a war of ...Read more




















































