At the end of his speech, President Biden immediately left the White House without taking questions. He returned to Camp David. It seemed a metaphor for his shameful and rapid retreat from Afghanistan.

In the midst of a job-killing pandemic, President Biden is trying to pass a bill that would give 11 million undocumented immigrants the legal right to work here. If he’s successful, it’s going to hit our state hard.

While capitalism is a greedy and exploitative system, it has always relied on laborers for its function, but with new technology in a new phase of domination, our necessary place in this system will no longer exist. We will no longer be the cheapest or fastest source of labor — something that does not need sick time, or a worker’s permit, or legal protections for working hours and breaks, or even a salary, will replace us.

There’s nothing wrong with skepticism. Skepticism can be healthy, can even save your life. But skepticism can also make you blind. So this is me begging my sons and all our sons and daughters: Just take the damn shot.

We must not be a city where everyone wants things to be different, but no one wants anything to change. Our city has to be brave enough, and confident enough, to embrace new ways of thinking and new visions of what we can be.

Unless Congress takes action, a second Arctic Refuge lease sale is mandated by the 2017 Tax Act. We urge Sen. Collins to continue leading bi-partisan efforts to protect, as she said, “these treasures for future generations.” We need her to prevent the destruction of this wildlife refuge by restoring protections now through legislative means and by encouraging her colleagues to join her.