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Free speech isn’t just for laughs

Following reports that Bill Maher will receive the prestigious Mark Twain Prize for American Humor, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt refused to believe it. "This is fake news," she told CNN. "Bill Maher will NOT be getting this award." Ah, guess again. On Thursday, the center confirmed that Maher was the pick. (This reversal was first reported by Politico.) The annual award, presented by the Kennedy Center, will be given on June 28, right before the performing arts center closes for a two-year renovation. In the spirit of the honor, Maher thanked "the Mark Twain people," ...

How will congress choose to handle the Iran Bill?

Whatever you think of the war in Iran, there's a separate question -- independent of the military merits -- that Congress must answer: How will it be paid for? The Pentagon has requested $200 billion to fund the campaign. While circumstances could change the price tag, interest payments on ...

The addled brain

"Hezbollah hit 19 IDF tanks today. That's $95M lost in 1 day. The IDF is a paper tiger," declared Ethan Levins on Twitter with a picture of a burned-out tank. He describes himself as an "independent journalist," "American Christian," and "truth seeker." The picture he posted was from 2006. His ...

When one snow leopard can’t reproduce, the whole species feels it

What does it mean when a snow leopard, important to species survival, is deemed effectively sterile? That was the topic of conversation at the Louisville Zoo last week after a reproductive assessment of Meru, an 8-year-old snow leopard. The Louisville Zoo has been hoping since Meru's arrival ...

Jews and Christians: United we stand, divided we fall

For a brief window this coming week, Passover and Holy Week, the sacred observances of Jews and Christians, respectively, will overlap. Jews around the world will gather this Wednesday and Thursday evenings for the Seder, which recounts the Exodus from Egypt and God's redemptive hand in history. And after Good Friday and Holy Saturday on Sunday, April 5, Christians will celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ and the promise of eternal salvation. Two biblical traditions, distinct but from the same Abrahamic family tree, will thus find themselves marking holy seasons at the same ...

Trusting the legislative process

It's unclear if they taught this in those high school government courses that everybody slept through. But if somebody asked you what was the most important element in the legislative process, could you fake an answer to get a passing grade? The list of potential answers is far ...