Commentary

Comment: Trump’s Kennedy Center will narrow exposure to art

Trump’s move to takeover the Kennedy Center is not about the arts but about celebrating his tastes.

Comment: No one saw Musk’s DOGE rampage coming or its threat

With no formal grant of authority, Musk is making cuts without fully understanding the consequences.

President Donald Trump listens alongside Elon Musk as he explains the administration’s cost-cutting efforts in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, on Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025. Musk has for weeks posted on social media about government spending, often amplifying and seeding false information. (Eric Lee/The New York Times)

Comment: This crisis can’t be left to courts alone

The courts can uphold the law, but they can’t match the speed of the executive branch in tearing down systems.

President Donald Trump listens alongside Elon Musk as he explains the administration’s cost-cutting efforts in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, on Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025. Musk has for weeks posted on social media about government spending, often amplifying and seeding false information. (Eric Lee/The New York Times)

Comment: Keeping health care fair, affordable as costs rise

Bills in the state Senate would look to control costs and keep decisions in the hands of providers.

Comment: Proposal takes a swipe at credit card swipe fees

State legislation would exempt taxes and gratuities from the fees that credit card firms charge businesses.

Eco-nomics: Climate change is making insurance a risky bet

Keeping home insurance affordable amid climate change will take adaptation to threats and broader efforts.

Comment: Birthright citizenship has helped make America great

Trump’s attempt to end it, almost certainly unconstitutional, won’t fix the nation’s problems at its borders.

Comment: AG Bondi’s DEI memo more messaging than lawsuit threat

Talk of criminal investigations is intended to panic corporations into abandoning their DEI programs.

Comment: Trump’s ‘Man-of-Steel’ shtick will make U.S. weaker

Trump’s 25 percent tariffs on steel and aluminum will harm allies we need and won’t help industries here.

Comment: Trump sticks with NOAA official who bent to his ego

We haven’t seen the last of Trump’s Sharpie-amended reality and it’s destabilizing effect on scientists.

Comment: Musk’s USAID shutdown an attack on most vulnerable

Even promises of ‘waivers’ are falling short and allowing medical efforts to dry up, endangering millions.

Comment: Real dangers loom with Trump’s incoherent trade policy

Even if Trump could settle on a justification for his tariffs, the results could leave the country far. weaker.

Comment: Civil service needs reform; Trump means only to gut it

It’s too difficult to hire and fire federal workers. A grand bargain is possible, but that’s not what Trump seeks.

Comment: Trump can go only as far as the courts will allow

Most of Trump’s executive orders are likely to face court challenges, setting the limits of presidential power.

A young man carries water past the destroyed buildings of a neighborhood in the Gaza Strip, Feb. 2, 2025. President Donald Trump’s proposal to “own” the Gaza Strip and transfer its population elsewhere has stirred condemnation and sarcasm, but it addresses a real and serious challenge: the future of Gaza as a secure, peaceful, even prosperous place. (Saher Alghorra/The New York Times)

Comment: ‘Homeland’ means exactly that to Gazans

Palestinians have long resisted resettlement. Trump’s plan to ‘clean out’ Gaza changes nothing.

A young man carries water past the destroyed buildings of a neighborhood in the Gaza Strip, Feb. 2, 2025. President Donald Trump’s proposal to “own” the Gaza Strip and transfer its population elsewhere has stirred condemnation and sarcasm, but it addresses a real and serious challenge: the future of Gaza as a secure, peaceful, even prosperous place. (Saher Alghorra/The New York Times)

Comment: Democracy depends on support of local journalism

A state bill provides funding to support local news outlets through a modest tax on tech businesses.

Comment: Love is intoxicating; romance doesn’t have to be

Navigating sobriety while dating, with Valentine’s Day coming up, is possible and fulfilling.

Comment: State attempt at single-payer health care bound to fail

Other states have tried, but balked when confronted with the immense cost to state taxpayers.

Comment: Trump’s stress-test of Constitution shows it’s up to job

Keep filing lawsuits and the courts will bat down his unconstitutional orders; as long as he follows the rulings.

Comment: Costco’s work to defend its DEI values isn’t over

Costco successfully argued its values to shareholders, but a bigger fight looms with ‘anti-woke’ forces.