Furor over Trump’s ‘animals’ remark misses the point
Condemning violent criminals for acting like animals is certainly defensible. But all this context requires a context of its own, which is Trump's general approach to immigration and crime.
National Opinions
No, the Mueller investigation hasn’t gone on too long
By historical standards, it's actually quite brief.
North Korea is acting up because Trump has it cornered
Trump and his national security team have put Kim in a corner, offering him peace, security and prosperity, but only if he first denuclearizes completely, verifiably and irreversibly.
Congress is in full revolt, must be midterm elections coming up
The White House has little to no sway with GOP members; the latter can't run on the Trump agenda, so they are trying to craft a different one, albeit too late.
Drug policies without compassion are doomed to fail
Yes, lawmakers should sue drug manufacturers and pharmacies that have diverted painkillers into drug rings. But let's be honest with ourselves: We're never going to end the supply of illicit opioids.
A reckoning is coming for blue states
Blue-state professionals have enjoyed a disproportionate share of the prosperity gains over the past few decades; if they want a bigger government, they'll have to give up those gains to fund it.
The right must reckon with its generation gap
Ever since the 1960s, young conservatives have been inclined to take cues from their elders. But that seems to be changing.
The private sector has a powerful incentive to treat opioid addiction
It is undermining our economy at a time when workers are badly needed.
Putin isn’t as all-powerful as he looks
A real democratic election? In Putin's Russia? It turns out they can still happen on the local level, largely because the regime lacks the resources to suppress independent candidates or steal votes in every municipal council.
Nothing says ‘peace’ like 61 dead Palestinians
While Israeli troops killed dozens of protesters, Trump representatives toasted the state's devotion to peace.
Sports betting is a victory for states’ rights
The essence of the court's holding was that Congress lacks the authority under the Constitution to tell states what laws they may or may not adopt.
This is the most important tech contest since the space race, and America is losing
China is moving ahead on quantum technology.
The exhaustion factor
Conservatives can argue with some credibility that the media and the rest of the establishment hate the president and want to see him impeached, but he is increasingly giving them the rope to hang him.
The GOP is no longer the party of Reagan. It’s the party of Michael Cohen.
The GOP is reaping the fruits of luck, cronyism and a loose approach to ethical lines.
It’s possible to demand too much certainty of science
Pruitt has framed the discussion to focus on the possibility of false positives -- studies that exaggerate risks. But as the leaded gasoline saga warns, false negatives are a danger too.
Moms don’t need more mugs and wine glasses. Here’s what they really want for Mother’s Day.
You know what moms don't love? Lists that urge our kids to spend money they don't have for stuff that has little to do with the bond between mom and child.
There’s no rush for Giuliani to get his facts straight
The facts aren't really a priority these days. The loudest voices on both sides care only about whether something helps or hurts Trump.
Fuel-efficiency standards won’t actually curb gas consumption. Here’s why.
We are nowhere near European per-capita gas consumption levels, let alone the small-cars-and-subways nirvana envisioned by green lawmakers.
Schneiderman’s downfall reminds us there are monsters everywhere
There's a reason a woman's so-called friends could tell her a man's political career mattered more than her personal safety: Until now, it often has.
You can be tough on terrorism without using torture
Torture does elicit information. But empathetic interrogation also elicits information. Even if torture can produce more information more quickly, it does not mean it's worth doing.