LOUISVILLE — Religion and politics are again at the forefront of this year’s presidential race. Yet, in this campaign, self-described evangelicals don’t seem as concerned as they once were about a candidate’s personal faith. Otherwise, more of them might support the openly Christian candidate, Sen. Ted Cruz, rather than Donald Trump, whose familiarity with the […]
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Trump leaves doubts about foreign policy
WASHINGTON — Foreign policy does not determine American elections. Indeed, of all Western countries, we are the least interested in the subject. The reason is simple: We haven’t had to be. Our instinctive isolationism derives from our geographic exceptionalism. As Bismarck once explained (it is said), the United States is the most fortunate of all […]
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Passenger train service to L-A a no-go
Enough already! Is railroad history at Brunswick about to repeat itself at Lewiston-Auburn? Both cities have joined Maine Department of Transportation in funding a $500,000 study of a potential passenger-service extension from Portland, as was done with Amtrak’s Downeaster route to Brunswick in November 2012. Legislative enablers evidently hope the hired consultants will find a […]
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Public health iniatives helped increase access to health care
The amount of money a person makes might determine how long that person will live, according to new research published recently in the Journal of the American Medical Association. The study, which analyzed demographic information from the tax records of all Americans between 2001 and 2014, found that the rich in America are living significantly […]
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Trade deal unfair to Maine companies
Through the years, international trade deals have hurt many workers and families in Maine’s 2nd Congressional District and also the businesses that employ them. When I was growing up in Central Maine, the cities and towns were humming with paper mills, shoe factories, tanneries and textile-spinning and woolen mills. And with those thriving businesses came […]
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Puerto Rico bonds a poor investment choice
The TV ads flash the noble faces of American retirees and urge Washington to help protect their savings. The back story is kept rather vague. It’s that many older people invested in Puerto Rican bonds. The U.S. territory’s economy is in deep crisis, and it has begun defaulting on this debt. The question here: What […]
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Trump still not a sure thing for GOP
WASHINGTON — Donald Trump has decided that sexism in the quest for victory is no vice. Trump’s supporters have regularly asked why his long string of primary successes has not led his Republican opponents to accept him as “the presumptive nominee,” the phrase he used about himself Tuesday night. The candidate helpfully answered the question […]
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Right thing to do but for the wrong reason
The Republicans are probably right. Last week, Virginia governor Terry McAuliffe, a Democrat, issued an executive order restoring voting rights to more than 200,000 ex-offenders. The sweeping order applies to those who have completed their sentences and any probation or parole. The GOP was unimpressed. William Howell, speaker of the Virginia House, pronounced himself “stunned” […]
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Virginia governor plays dirty politics
Thanks to Gov. Terry McAuliffe, D-Va., 200,000 convicted felons in the state of Virginia may now register to vote. Writes The Washington Post, “The change applies to all felons who have completed their sentences and been released from supervised probation or parole. The Democratic governor’s decision particularly affects black residents of Virginia: 1 in 4 […]
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Trump beats expectations in latest victories
By Jonathan Bernstein Bloomberg View The good news for Donald Trump continued Tuesday night. He’s closer to the nomination. But he’s not there yet. Trump was long expected to win in the primaries in Pennsylvania, Maryland, Connecticut, Delaware and Rhode Island, so pulling off that sweep wasn’t anything special. But across all five states, Trump’s […]