Opinion and commentary on news, politics, culture, and policy impact.
President Barack Obama is to be commended for raising the issues of civil liberties and free elections with Raúl Castro on his Cuban trip, saying, for example, that Cubans should be free to speak their minds and protest against their government without fear of “arbitrary detentions.” It must have been difficult for someone raised and…
In addition to Puerto Rico’s $72 billion in public debt, the U.S. territory owes another $44 billion in unfunded public employee pension benefits. This mountain of pension debt could cause certain bondholders to lose some or all of their investments. Who will lose what is yet to be determined, but Puerto Rico’s pension debts are…
Landmarks in major Western countries were illuminated last night in a show of solidarity with the victims in Brussels and the people of Belgium. In New York, the World Trade Center, ground zero on September 11, 2001, was lit up in the Belgian colors of red, yellow, and black. In Paris, site of the atrocities…
In June of 2013, former science adviser to the Obama administration Daniel Schrag told the New York Times: The one thing the president really needs to do now is to begin the process of shutting down the conventional coal plants. Politically, the White House is hesitant to say they’re having a war on coal. On…
Tuesday’s terrorist attack during Brussels’ morning rush hour was horrific proof again that Islamist terrorists are waging war on Europe and the United States. Islamic State (ISIS) Twitter accounts are now flush with celebrations of the attacks. Meanwhile, President Barack Obama was on a friendship tour with one of the world’s few remaining Communist dictators….
Recently the Senate failed to pass legislation that would effectively mandate the labeling of genetically engineered food. That’s a good thing. The Senate labeling bill that was voted out of the Senate Agriculture Committee prohibited states from imposing mandatory labeling requirements, while not creating any type of federal requirement. This is what the House bill…
In the aftermath of the deadly attacks in Brussels, the media and politicians have turned their criticism back to the Visa Waiver Program (VWP). While there is an understandable and often noble desire to do something after a terrorist attack, Congress should make sure that the policies it adopts strengthen the security of the U.S.,…
President Barack Obama has arrived for a state visit to Argentina. His trip to meet with President Mauricio Macri comes as Argentina is trying to grow its economic freedom. There is the grim situation facing Macri and his team. Argentina ranked 169th of 178 countries in the Heritage Foundation’s “2016 Index of Economic Freedom,” one…
Obamacare, a partisan product full of broken promises, is six years old. Burdened by mounting problems, it’s not mellowing with age. Notwithstanding the president’s notorious promise, millions of Americans have lost their health care plans, and, for those faced with narrowing provider networks, their choice of doctors is also shrinking. If you were eagerly awaiting…
Venezuela is facing an electricity shortage so severe that President Nicolas Maduro extended the national Easter holiday by decree to decrease demand for it. The government is effectively shutting down the country for five days with the hopes of staving off an impending infrastructural collapse. That’s right: The country with the largest proven oil reserves in…
The Little Sisters of the Poor is a group of Catholic nuns who typically lead a quiet, dignified existence caring for the elderly poor. In the last few years, that quiet existence has been troubled by the constant court battles the group has been fighting over the Affordable Care Act’s so-called “contraceptive mandate,” which requires…
The Affordable Care Act is six years old today, but there is little reason to celebrate. Here are six broken promises and lies made by President Barack Obama and his ally, Rep. Nancy Pelosi. D-Calif., about the law—which are six good reasons Congress should blow out the birthday candles and repeal it once and for…
President Obama’s travels to Latin America this week included a visit to Argentina and its newly elected president, Mauricio Macri. New leadership in Argentina presents new possibilities for increased cooperation with the United States, including the expansion of bilateral trade. According to Argentine Ambassador Martín Lousteau, speaking about current trade between the two nations at…
Hawking the Affordable Care Act (ACA) six years ago, President Barack Obama said, “Every single good idea to bend the cost curve and start actually reducing health care costs [is] in this bill.” Team Obama projected that their version of health care reform—replete with the bells and whistles of “investments” in health information technology, health…
The barbaric terror attacks on the Belgian capital of Brussels highlight once again that the free world is fighting a global war against Islamist terrorism. At least 34 people are dead in the wake of suicide attacks on the city’s airport and metro system. The Islamic State (ISIS) has claimed responsibility for the Brussels bombings,…
The Supreme Court heard arguments Monday in a congressional redistricting case that involves the complicated issues that arise under the Voting Rights Act and the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment when race intersects with politics. Experienced Supreme Court litigator Mike Carvin was up against Marc Elias, who is the attorney for Hillary Clinton’s…
The horrific terrorist attacks in Brussels highlight the need for timely, accurate intelligence. Just today, French President François Hollande has called for closer cooperation among European intelligence agencies. Just today, French President François Hollande has called for closer cooperation among European intelligence agencies. As former acting director of the Defense Intelligence Agency David Shedd wrote…
Belgians and all Europeans are looking around themselves today with renewed apprehension, having been reminded once more by the attacks in Brussels about their vulnerability to terrorism that arises from within their midst. They’ve allowed parallel societies to emerge, and now they fear that the problem can only grow. It was only fitting, for example,…
The first question security professionals around the world ask after a horrific terrorist attack is: What’s next? The second question is: How to stop it? Today, Americans woke up to news that Europe had been hit again, with reports of two bombs in Brussels that killed and injured scores. The attacks come only days after…
The Supreme Court will hear oral arguments this week in a group of cases challenging the Obamacare requirement that nonprofit employers offer their employees health care coverage that includes Plan B, ella, and other potentially life-ending drugs and devices, contraception, and sterilization. The challengers in the consolidated cases, captioned Zubik v. Burwell, include the Little…