Politics
/ArcaMax

Editorial: The Chicago Teachers Union, Assata Shakur, and political violence<strong> </strong>
If one thing is true of teachers’ unions, it is that they are far more than just bargaining entities. They are cultural barometers, revealing the values and convictions of those entrusted with shaping the next generation. Through their public statements, policy endorsements and collective actions, these unions offer a rare window into the ...Read more

Stephen L. Carter: That 'landmark' free speech ruling misses the point
There’s been a lot of excitement about last week’s ruling by a federal judge in Boston that the Trump administration, in its efforts to deport college students holding objectionable political views, violated the First Amendment. Commentators have described the opinion by District Judge William G. Young as “blistering” and a “landmark�...Read more

Michael Hiltzik: Musk and other tech gurus say human-like robots are the next big thing. Don't hold your breath
With AI beginning to look as if it has reached a deployment plateau — if not a lessening of hype — high-tech promoters and investors are on the hunt for the next big thing. And they're focusing on humanoid robots.
You know the species because androids have been a mainstay of science fiction since before Isaac Asimov coined the "three laws ...Read more

Commentary: What can we do as the Trump administration sanitizes civics education?
On Constitution Day, the Department of Education announced the America 250 Civics Education Coalition, partnering with organizations such as Turning Point USA and Hillsdale College to shape civics curriculum nationwide. The timing is no coincidence: As America approaches the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, we face a ...Read more

John M. Crisp: No patience for complexity
A large subset of Americans is so disconcerted by a small subset of fellow citizens that the former sometimes tries to proclaim the latter out of existence, as President Donald Trump did in his inaugural address in January: “As of today, it will henceforth be the official policy of the United States government that there are only two genders, ...Read more

Commentary: Gen Z-led protests are spreading rapidly across the globe
Around the world, Gen Z is leading a wave of anti-government protests. It is the most significant spike in global dissent since the Arab Spring 15 years ago, with a geographic reach already to four continents. Though the proximate cause of protests in each country differs, all are driven by young people who are angry at rising government ...Read more

Commentary: A public fight among Illinois bishops is hurting the church and the nation
The public clash between Chicago Cardinal Blase Cupich and Springfield Bishop Thomas Paprocki over whether U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin should receive a lifetime achievement award from the Archdiocese of Chicago’s Keep Hope Alive program has spilled into the public square with damaging effect.
What might have been an internal disagreement has ...Read more

Commentary: Charging $100,000 for H-1B visas will cost the US uncountable wealth
President Donald Trump signed a proclamation that imposes a $100,000 fee on H-1B visa applications, the immigration allocation set aside for highly skilled workers the U.S. economy needs. The new rules threaten the availability and deployment of human capital in the United States. This is misguided and will hurt U.S. growth and innovation, at a ...Read more

Commentary: Trump's fixation on loyalty is bad for nation
It’s no secret that Donald Trump, in his first term as president, felt stymied by cabinet secretaries and other political appointees who occasionally disagreed with his whims. Consequently, that first term saw a parade of high level appointees, including Communications Director Anthony Scaramucci, Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Secretary ...Read more

George Skelton: Forget the high-road jibber-jabber. Prop. 50 is about who controls Congress
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Regardless of all the campaign jabber, Proposition 50 is not about saving democracy, stopping power grabs or veering off the moral high road. It’s about which political party controls Congress.
Or whether Republicans and Democrats share the power.
It’s also about exerting some control over unhinged President Donald ...Read more

Commentary: Vaccines are one of the most amazing achievements of humanity
Vaccines are a vital tool that saves millions of lives annually. Concerningly, the U.S. government wants to cut funding for a key organization that saves lives worldwide through immunization. Amid vaccine safety debates, the world is witnessing a rise in measles cases.
The politics of the COVID pandemic saw a growing rejection of vaccines, and ...Read more

Trudy Rubin: Trump's Mideast peace deal is high on hoopla, vague on critical details
In a week when President Donald Trump openly declared war on the “enemy within” — meaning anyone who disagrees with his edicts, from blue city mayors to generals to judges to universities to media — we all could use a glimmer of hope in the wider world.
Perhaps, just perhaps, we may have one, as Hamas agreed last week to release all ...Read more

Commentary: The American Experiment requires robust debate, not government crackdowns
The assassinations of conservative leader Charlie Kirk and Democratic lawmakers in Minnesota have triggered endorsements of violence and even calls for literal war on both the far right and far left.
Fortunately, an overwhelming majority of Americans reject political violence, but all of us are in a fight to keep our diverse and boisterous ...Read more

Editorial: Can Starbucks' 'green apron service' hold off AI job-ageddon?
The boss of America’s largest private employer has joined a chorus of corporate bigwigs predicting that Artificial Intelligence will devastate the labor market. Chief Executive Officer Doug McMillon says AI will enable him to keep Walmart’s workforce level at a headcount of 2.1 million over the next three years even as its revenues grow. As ...Read more

Anita Chabria: McCarthyism in a MAGA hat? Trump's campus deal sounds familiar to her
Bettina Aptheker was a 20-year-old sophomore at UC Berkeley when she climbed on top of a police car, barefoot so she wouldn't damage it, and helped start the Free Speech Movement.
"Power concedes nothing without a demand," she told a crowd gathered in Sproul Plaza on that October Thursday in 1964, quoting abolitionist Frederick Douglass.
She ...Read more

Mark Z. Barabak: Beyond the fight for the House, here's what at stake in the Senate
There's a reason for the fearsome redistricting fight raging across America. It's about Democrats trying to rein in Donald Trump and his rogue-elephant regime.
Or, if you're the country's aspiring strongman, it's about avoiding accountability and sanction.
That's why Trump and fellow Republicans are trying to rig the midterm election, by ...Read more
Commentary: Congress' Democrats are wildly unprepared to face down Trump
Donald Trump has made politics into a dystopian reality show he loves to host, but Democratic leaders Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries are playing by the old rules — and the mismatch may cause Democrats to get blamed for a government shutdown.
This is not because they’re dumb (they’re not) or incompetent (as the top Democrats of the ...Read more

LZ Granderson: Anyone calling Bad Bunny un-American needs a geography lesson
Is there a better inkblot test for America right now than reaction to Bad Bunny being the halftime act for Super Bowl LX?
Soon after his name was announced, social media exploded into meritocracy debates as if the National Football League's decisions are culturally motivated and not commercially. Taylor Swift is the most streamed artist in ...Read more

Editorial: GOP lies in the shutdown -- Trump's budget deceits and illegal cuts
President Donald Trump and his Republican legislative allies are lying that the U.S. government shutdown, now in its third day, was caused by congressional Democrats wanting to give federally subsidized health care to undocumented immigrants, something that longstanding law expressly prohibits, not that MAGA cares much about the law anyway.
...Read more