Next year marks the 20th anniversary of the sci-fi movie classic “The Matrix,” which depicts powerful machines attempting to subdue the human race. Sometimes art imitates life, and sometimes it’s the other way around. On occasion, art can be prophetic. “The Matrix” is such a film. It warns of a future in which the power […]
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'Nothing that boy did could ever justify what happened to him'
“Nothing that boy did could ever justify what happened to him.” So says Carolyn Bryant Donham in historian Timothy B. Tyson’s 2017 book, “The Blood of Emmett Till.” You keep hoping for more, hoping to hear her wrestle with her crime, explain how she could have done what she did — and how she lives […]
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The $247 trillion global debt bomb
WASHINGTON — The untold story of the world economy — so far at least — is the potentially explosive interaction between the spreading trade war and the overhang of global debt, estimated at a staggering $247 trillion. That’s “trillion” with a “t.” The numbers are so large as to be almost incomprehensible. Households, businesses and […]
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Yes, the Supreme Court is undemocratic
In an era of partisan polarization, it is rare to get agreement on anything, but about this there should be a consensus: The Supreme Court is an undemocratic institution whose power should be carefully circumscribed. The right has long been of this view, and the left is suddenly and opportunistically partway there. In an essay […]
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The Brett Kavanaugh nomination
If Alexander Hamilton had been nominated for a seat on the U.S. Supreme Court today, Democrats would likely oppose him. About the court, Hamilton said: “[A] limited Constitution … can be preserved in practice no other way than through the medium of courts of justice, whose duty it must be to declare all acts contrary […]
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Trump knows the GOP base is ripe for an ideological revolution
NEW YORK — President Trump’s trip to Europe is being portrayed by both him and his critics as revolutionary. He tells us that he single-handedly and miraculously got members of NATO to increase their defense spending sharply. His critics claim that he single-handedly wrecked the Western alliance by sowing doubt and discord among America’s closest […]
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Under unchecked power, no one is safe
They did not have to die. That’s the bitter truth. Katie Sasser and her friend John Hall would likely still be alive if cops and prosecutors in Glynn County, Georgia, had done their jobs. But they were more interested in protecting one of their own. So Sasser and Hall were shot to death in June […]
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Putin, Trump will put on an empty show
When President Donald Trump meets with Russian President Vladimir Putin on July 16, some Americans will watch with apprehension: What if they hatch a plan that’ll harm U.S. interests? What if Trump is meeting with his handler rather than his counterpart? They shouldn’t worry. There’s little doubt that Putin can handle Trump, but not as […]
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Trump isn't attacking NATO. He's strengthening it.
WASHINGTON —As President Trump put Germany and other allies on notice for the harm they are doing to NATO with their failure to spend adequately on our common defense, Democrats in Washington came to Germany’s defense. “President Trump’s brazen insults and denigration of one of America’s most steadfast allies, Germany, is an embarrassment,” Senate Minority […]
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Why aren't wages rising?
WASHINGTON — It’s a mystery. The U.S. economy seems strong. Since the nadir of the Great Recession, employers have added about 19 million workers. The unemployment rate is 4 percent, near the lowest level since 2000. By standard economic theory, the strong demand for labor should be pushing up wages. But that isn’t happening. Wage […]