Mainstream media are suddenly concerned about “fake news.” It used to be that phony stories were easy to spot. They usually focused on space aliens or mysterious creatures found wandering deep in the woods. My personal favorite in this genre was a 1992 “story” in the supermarket tabloid Weekly World News that claimed the bones […]
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There is still a hand in my pocket
An obscure moment, frequently recalled, has become indelible. In Auburn, Maine, more than two decades ago, Congressional candidate John Baldacci hosted a barely attended campaign event. It was unremarkable until the candidate and an unknown Franco-American briefly held everyone’s attention. In face-to-face conversation, the old gentleman, whom I will call Vincent, responded to something candidate […]
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GOP should roll out replacement for Obamacare
By Jennifer Rubin The Washington Post You do not have to think Obamacare is perfect or even the best health-care system we can devise to think its repeal would be problematic, to say the least. It is one thing to vote to repeal it when the president was sure to veto it. It’s another to […]
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Books on economics worth the read
WASHINGTON — OK, I should have headlined it, “My favorite economics books of 2016.” There surely are many good books that I missed. Still, the four below share certain appealing characteristics. They tell us stuff we don’t know, which alters our view of the world. They are all deeply researched and reported. They’re clearly written. […]
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‘Junta’ charge shows the Left losing its mind
President-elect Donald Trump has already committed a grave offense against our system of government by forming a “junta,” according to his critics. The Trump junta consists of three former generals whom the president-elect has tapped for top national-security positions, with others still under consideration. Like much of what Trump does, the military selections have inflamed […]
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Hackers provided information; voters made their choices
By Ramesh Ponnuru Bloomberg News Let’s assume that Russia tried to swing the election to Donald Trump. Newspaper reports say that intelligence officials have reached that conclusion. Did Russia’s efforts succeed? Trump backers, and even some conservatives who didn’t back him, are defensive about that point. But Trump’s margin in the electorally decisive states was […]
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Lack of action limits Mexico’s war for reform
Mexico was battling well-financed criminal organizations long before December 2006. But that’s the month, 10 years ago, when former President Felipe Calderon decided to use military forces to fight the well-armed and well-financed drug cartels that had begun to threaten Mexico’s internal stability. Mexico’s Cartel War began on December 11, 2006 , when Calderon ordered […]
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Let Republicans fix what they break
What if Republicans abruptly repealed Obamacare, chaos ensued and Democrats sat on their hands and watched? Democrats would be doing the right thing, both for the American people and for themselves. Donald Trump has vowed to repeal Obamacare on day one of his administration. What would he replace it with? “Something terrific.” Vice President-elect Mike […]
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Don’t assume that Russia hacked U.S. election
By Elaine Ou Bloomberg View Americans and their news media have displayed a great willingness to believe that the Russian government stands behind the theft and release of emails that may have helped Donald Trump win the U.S. presidential election. They should keep in mind that, despite the “high confidence” of intelligence agencies, tracing a […]
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Pence optimistic about Trump agenda
When Mike Pence becomes the 48th vice president of the United States next month, he will take on the role of a political lobbyist for Donald Trump’s activist agenda. In an interview I conducted with Pence in his transitional office next to a sandwich shop in Washington, he said he believed voters gave Donald Trump […]