Commentary

Comment: Global response to Ukraine war a map to fight hunger

Having avoided a catastrophe if Ukrainian grain shipments had ended, here’s what went right and what can be built on.

Comment: Watch Apple TV’s climate drama for science, not the story

‘Extrapolations’ is flawed but offers a compelling argument against muddling along on climate interventions.

Former President Donald Trump arrives at court, Tuesday, April 4, 2023, in New York. Trump is set to appear in a New York City courtroom on charges related to falsifying business records in a hush money investigation, the first president ever to be charged with a crime. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)

Comment: Thoughts on an unprecedented indictment

Two UW professors of political science discuss the potential consequences for Trump and the nation.

Former President Donald Trump arrives at court, Tuesday, April 4, 2023, in New York. Trump is set to appear in a New York City courtroom on charges related to falsifying business records in a hush money investigation, the first president ever to be charged with a crime. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)

Comment: Mature forests do more for climate, wildlife, water

Managed as real forests, and not tree farms, state lands can sequester carbon and provide other benefits.

Comment: Snake River dams’ benefits replaceable; salmon aren’t

Work to replace the dams’ power, transportation and irrigation must begin now to save salmon and more.

Comment: Wealth tax would bring equity, revenue to aid families

State legislation to tax wealth of more than $250 million could support meaningful programs.

Comment: What a century of U.S. shipbuilding, crews have meant

The Jones Act, passed in 1920, is celebrated for what it’s meant for jobs, safety and the environment.

Comment: In Trump’s tale of two cities, it’s the worst of times

Trump Tower and Mar-a-Lago are his once and current refuges. One now is haunted by ghosts; the other by ghouls.

Comment: Lawmakers should take housing bond plan to voters

Bonds can fund the construction that can make housing affordable. But voters must make the call.

Comment: OPEC’s sudden cut a sign of doubts over oil’s future

Look at where OPEC countries are investing their profits; it’s not in more crude oil production.

Comment: Wisconsin shows Trump isn’t GOP’s only headache

A win for Democrats in a court race continues a streak that complicates Republicans’ path in 2024.

Comment: It’s not Starbucks, but Schultz who doesn’t get it

Employees’ demands for a union are just business; they don’t want to trust that a ‘benevolent’ CEO will look out for them.

Comment: Meddling by prescription ‘middlemen’ needs to end

Lawmakers are considering reforms that would stop benefit mangers from swapping prescription drugs.

Fact Check: There is no ‘epidemic’ of transgender mass shooters

Claims by right-wing personalities of a ‘clear epidemic’ don’t stand up to the facts and smiple math.

Comment: CDC needs to make rebuilding public trust top priority

In the pandemic’s early months, the CDC allowed the White House to suppress what it knew about covid.

Comment: Community mental health services are in acute need

Problems for providers in attracting and retaining staff call for the state to boost Medicaid support.

Comment: Trump a ‘stress test’ for the U.S., its institutions

His inevitable calls for violence and our response to them will say as much about our democracy as they do about him.

Comment: Lawmakers must provide equity to charter school kids

Unable to seek local levies, charter schools receive less per-student funding than public schools.

Commentary: Elon Musk wants chatbots to pause; it’s too late

We’re all guinea pigs for an utterly new and potentially flawed technology with few guardrails in place.

Comment: You know whose deposits aren’t safe? The unbanked.

Some 6 million Americans have no access to bank services. A new federal program is working to change that.