Editorial

How could it be that even though reservations have been open since mid-June and it’s nearly six months away, sales for Donald Trump’s Florida and Texas appearances in mid-December have been blah. You’d think they would have been sold out by now, particularly since Trump will be paired with ... wait for it ... Bill O’Reilly! The reaction has been underwhelming, even though the Trumpster promises that the four-appearance conversation tour will be “fun, fun, fun for everyone who attends.” O’Reilly adds, “It will not be … [Read more...] about Can Trump still pack the House?

No one is trying to topple the Alamo quite yet, but a new revisionist book on the foundational event of Texas history partakes of the iconoclastic spirit of our time. The book, titled “Forget the Alamo,” is a harsh call for Texans, and Americans, to get over a battle deeply etched in our popular memory. According to the authors, the Texans (then the Texians) were foolish to try to defend the indefensible. Some of the defenders tried to make a run for it. Santa Anna, the Mexican general central to the story, wasn’t so bad. And given … [Read more...] about Yes, remember the Alamo

Kudos to the Michigan House for passing a bipartisan ethics reform package last month, but it’s now up to the Senate to approve the legislation intended to bring more accountability and better governing practices to Lansing. Legislators shouldn’t delay voting on the proposals to increase oversight and transparency for the Legislature and other state offices and departments, including the governor's office. There are only a few scheduled session days this summer, but this should be a top priority this fall. House Speaker Jason … [Read more...] about State Senate must act on ethics reform bills

Sometime in 2023, Donald Trump will presumably make the most momentous decision by a single person affecting the fate of the Republican Party in decades. He will decide whether to run for president again, and that will determine who’s the frontrunner (Trump, if he’s a go) and the contours of the race. If Trump runs, he will, one assumes, blot out the sun. Everything will be about him — his record, his pronouncements, his animosities. Much of the conservative mass media will get on board, while the mainstream media — … [Read more...] about Trump’s huge 2023 decision

Here’s a little inside-the-Beltway knowledge (in fact, it’s inside the White House gate): In the executive mansion, where people go only if they have a temporary or a permanent pass issued by the Secret Service, there’s a “drop” in the driveway outside the West Wing. A drop is a permanently installed live camera position. There are hundreds of these drops in official Washington and dozens within the White House gate, sealed off by unfriendly men and women of the protective detail who talk into their sleeves. The driveway drop is … [Read more...] about The art of no deal

We need more clarity on school authority over social media, but Mahanoy vs. B.L. moves us in the right direction. When Pennsylvania student Brandi Levy failed to make her high school’s varsity cheerleading team in 2017, she reacted with typical teenage melodrama. She cursed school, she cursed cheer, and she raised her middle finger for good measure. She did this on a Saturday at a convenience store, and she posted the rant to Snapchat, where her friends would see it for a fleeting moment before the post disappeared. Except … [Read more...] about Why a cheerleader’s Snapchat f-bombs are worthy of Supreme Court protection

Joe Biden isn’t known for his austerity, except when it comes to the nation’s defense. As part of his welcome emphasis on competition with China, the president cajoled reluctant European countries at the G-7 summit into releasing a statement critical of China, on top of the announcement of an infrastructure program meant to counter China’s Belt and Road Initiative. That’s all fine as far as it goes, but a glaring omission from Biden’s campaign is a defense budget that reflects the growing challenge from Beijing. Indeed, Biden … [Read more...] about China Leapfrogs U.S. on Defense Spending

Twenty-eight million dollars! That’s how much some rich person successfully bid to fly as the first passenger to beyond the edge of space. The flight is scheduled to lift off July 20, and the winner will accompany Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon who, as any Washington Post reader knows, also owns that newspaper. He doesn’t own this paper, so Jeff will have to just suck it up if I call him an American oligarch who has too much money to spend. Bezos’ collection of playthings also includes Blue Origin, the aerospace company that is … [Read more...] about Up, Up and Away!