Politics
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Editorial: Fetterman, Whitmer feel wrath of Dems for common-sense moves
“Never take sides against the family” — that’s the creed of the Corleone family in “The Godfather,” and the Democratic Party today.
And Sen. John Fetterman is their Fredo.
Not because of incompetence on his part, but Fetterman is being blasted for betraying the “family” by his collegiality with President Donald Trump.
...Read more
Melinda Henneberger: Dear ICE -- Let detained Ukrainian couple buy their own plane tickets to safe 3rd country
Liudmyla Karnes is a Topeka IT specialist and Ukrainian-born naturalized U.S. citizen who loved this country long before she came here 17 years ago.
When Russia first invaded Ukraine, Karnes naturally feared for the safety of her sister and three young nieces just a few miles from the fighting — and reports of systematic rapes by soldiers —...Read more

Commentary: Cutting Medicaid harms kids and America's future
As a pediatric resident in Texas, I have seen how important Medicaid is for my patients and their ability to access the care they need to thrive, and what can happen when there are gaps in that care.
Recently, I saw a child in clinic for her well-child visit. I noticed that she did not reach all her developmental milestones, although she had ...Read more

Anita Chabria: California isn't backing down on health care for immigrants, despite Trump threats
One of the many traits that set California apart from other states is the way undocumented immigrants are woven into our communities.
Their economic impact is obvious, and the Golden State would be hard-pressed to keep our status as a world-competing financial power without their labor.
But most Californians know, and are OK with the reality, ...Read more

Editorial: Why is CPS treating charter and private schools like liquor stores?
Chicago Public Schools is selling off 21 school properties, hoping the sales will result in a nice windfall of cash and reduced maintenance costs in the long run. This board applauds such sensible decision-making, which should be completely uncontroversial.
Except that this is Chicago, and so even something as seemingly commonplace as selling ...Read more

Editorial: Beware, small investors. Trump's gyrations are distorting fundamentals
Tuesday, the S&P 500 edged back into positive territory for 2025. That’s remarkable given that on April 7, the widely followed stock market index was showing a gut-wrenching 21% decline from its record high on Feb. 19.
The so-called Magnificent 7 tech stocks also have returned to their prior glories after looking anything but magnificent in ...Read more

Lisa Jarvis: FDA appointee is a drug critic with a lot to prove
The controversial appointment of oncologist Vinay Prasad — an outspoken critic of the pharmaceutical industry and U.S. health agencies — to a key role within the Food and Drug Administration was a shock for drug companies. Biotech stocks immediately fell over fears that the bar for drug approvals suddenly got a lot higher.
Tightening ...Read more

Commentary: How veterans, plane travel, and sausages lead to less partisanship
It’s no secret that partisanship is more intense than at any other time in recent history. And these intense political feelings don’t just play themselves out through gridlock in Congress.
The threats of political violence have increased dramatically. Politics seeps into the workplace, resulting in coarse relations with colleagues (and, ...Read more

Patricia Lopez: Afghan refugees should be treated as well as South African ones
As one of the first acts of his second term, President Donald Trump suspended the U.S. refugee program, not to be restarted “until such time as the further entry into the United States of refugees aligns with the interests of the United States.”
Almost four months later, it is now clear which refugees align with those interests, and which ...Read more

Mary McNamara: With his 'casting couch' defense, Weinstein continues to damage the culture he once ruled
“The casting couch is not a crime scene.”
These words, uttered last month in court by defense attorney Arthur L. Aidala during Harvey Weinstein’s retrial in New York, should make any thinking person in, and outside, Hollywood scream out loud. I know I did. For so many reasons.
First, and most obvious, is Aidala’s argument that the ...Read more

Commentary: The Endangered Species Act faces its own existential threat
We are on the cusp of losing the integrity of one of the most significant environmental acts ever enacted in the United States. Why should this matter? As the Pulitzer Prize-winning evolutionary biologist E.O. Wilson put it: “We should preserve every scrap of biodiversity as priceless while we learn to use it and come to understand what it ...Read more

Jackie Calmes: Will the Qatar gift to Trump fly?
The real value of President Donald Trump's acceptance of a $400 million "palace in the sky" — a super luxe Boeing 747-8 grift, er, gift, from the oil-rich Qatari royal family — could be in what it reveals to his fellow Americans about his unprecedented, global grab for wealth and its trappings.
After all, most Americans struggle to grasp ...Read more

Commentary: Project 2025: Anti-abortion blueprint quietly taking hold
While the national spotlight often falls on state-level abortion bans or Supreme Court rulings, a quieter but more transformative effort is underway in Washington. In his second term, President Donald Trump is not simply revisiting past culture war battles—he’s enacting a structural overhaul of federal reproductive health policy, rooted in a...Read more

Editorial: Will Newsom's call to roust homeless people in California help anyone besides him?
Gov. Gavin Newsom’s announcement that California cities and counties need “to take urgent action” to remove homeless encampments from public spaces is the highest level of endorsement for a proven failure of a tactic.
It’s also a stunning example of Newsom’s ability to turn the blame of statewide failures away from himself and his ...Read more

Editorial: No thanks to Qatari gift -- Forget the fancy free plane
While there’s nothing inherently wrong with the U.S. military accepting used equipment from another country, President Donald Trump’s plan to use a Boeing 747 from Qatar as a new Air Force One and then keeping it for his own personal use after leaving office has too many problems to fly.
From appearance’s sake to security concerns to the ...Read more

Editorial: Big old jet airliner -- Free plane is an awful look
President Donald Trump celebrates controversy. He also must revel in unnecessarily gifting his political opponents issues to exploit.
That would appear to be the case with the latest White House dust-up, this one involving a “free” plane from Qatar. The Middle Eastern nation is reportedly considering donating a 10-year-old Boeing 747-8 to ...Read more

Commentary: Will the Illinois GOP show up for the 2026 state elections?
We are in the important pre-primary phase of the 2026 elections in Illinois (circulation of petitions opens in September), when prospective candidates strut their endorsements — and money raised — in efforts to scare off possible opponents. In our basically one-party state, Democratic wannabes are coming off a long bench to make their cases....Read more

Commentary: Reducing mental health to buzzwords and online trends may do more harm than good
If you’ve been on Instagram recently, you may have seen Insta stories of giddy teens dumping water — which doesn’t even contain ice — on their friends in the name of #SpeakYourMIND. Influencers give pretty speeches in which they claim “mental health is important!” and give a cheerful thumbs-up of support.
According to its own ...Read more

Commentary: A test fit for America's finest schools
“Merit” is making a comeback in higher education. Next stop: U.S. service academies.
College officials around the country—including those at some of the most selective (and notoriously left-leaning) schools—have admitted a student’s high school grades and often-obscure extracurricular activities aren’t enough for making admissions ...Read more

David Mastio: Air Shady -- If Trump were a country, he'd be just like Qatar
With the news that the royal family of Qatar is gifting a $400 million airliner to the Trump administration to use as a new Air Force One, it has become clear to me that if President Donald Trump were a country, he’d be Qatar.
Trump and Qatar have the same fundamental moral flexibility. Trump is for raising taxes on the rich and lowering ...Read more