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Could landmark agreement end Cold War era?

There was a noticeable shift here in the last few days. Russians seem ... lighter. Like they were just told that vodka hydrates better than water. And I’m not the only one to have noticed. American and Western expats here have picked up on the same vibe, and admit to a similar feeling themselves. It all started when US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov met for the first time in Saudi Arabia to take the first steps in normalizing relations between the two nations. And that’s exactly how the average Russian seems to views it — not so ...

Musk’s mass firings are backfiring

President Donald Trump and Elon Musk have been rapidly firing federal workers with little consideration for which ones are critical to government functioning. So now, the Energy Department is scrambling to rehire people abruptly let go from the National Nuclear Security Administration. The Federal Aviation Administration is struggling to explain why 400 staffers were let go mere days after one of the deadliest airplane crashes in U.S. history. And the Agriculture Department is attempting to bring back people fired despite being part of the effort to stop avian flu, which has decimated ...

What about building that Gaza Riviera?

President Donald Trump’s proposal to transfer the few million Palestinian Arabs in Gaza to other Arab countries and then rebuild and redevelop Gaza was met with some surprise and pushback. Isn’t this unfair? Doesn’t this violate rights of Palestinians in Gaza? Usually when we think about those who see a world with rights and without responsibilities, a world with claims but without obligations, we think about the political left. But Palestinian Arabs may qualify as the world experts in this mindset. The great economist Milton Friedman observed, “There is no such thing as ...

Cuomo — too corrupt for NYC

How good are voters’ memories? The outcome of the New York City mayoral election may hinge on how much they remember of former Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s corruption-filled past. Cuomo is hoping to rewrite his own history and run for mayor. He got a boost Monday when a key Democrat, Rep. Ritchie Torres, called on Cuomo to join the race. “The city is in crisis,” he said.” Torres said he isn’t interested in “relitigating” what forced Cuomo to resign in disgrace in 2021, though Torres was among those who demanded he step down. Torres may not want to relitigate, but Cuomo’s ...

Unserious new republican budget plan

Serious problems should be met with serious solutions. We have serious problems, namely a fast-growing debt and a need to extend some tax cuts in an unforgiving environment where interest rates are high and inflation is rising again. Unfortunately, despite a new mandate, House Republicans have yet to rise to the occasion. Their latest budget blueprint shows that fiscal responsibility vanishes the moment real choices arise. As a reminder, government debt stands at 100% of GDP. It will grow to 117% by 2034 if the tax cuts are allowed to expire as scheduled this year. It was 76.5% when ...

A ‘constitutional crisis’?

Democrats are raising an alarm about what they call a “constitutional crisis.” If there is one, they should know because they are to blame for it. That’s because their party, since the days of Franklin Roosevelt, have been violating the boundaries and restrictions on government set forth in our founding document. The Founders wanted government to be limited so the people would be able to achieve their highest aspirations consistent with hard work and their talents. Much of life has boundaries and rules that when violated bring consequences. Think of speed limits, boundaries ...