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Criminals in control and what we must do

Editorials

This past weekend, the Republican-led Senate confirmed acting Attorney General Todd Blanche to be the next U.S. attorney general. Like Richard Nixon’s attorney general, John Mitchell, Blanche has carried out the illegal orders of a president of the United States. As was Mitchell’s fate, Blanche should be behind bars. 2 1/2-year sentence for conspiracy and obstruction of justice in the Watergate scandal. Instead, Senate Republicans have given Blanche a promotion. Last week, a Republican-led Senate panel voted to hold Anthony Fauci in contempt of Congress for his refusal to ...

Orchids & onions

Editorials

ORCHID: To Jamie Ciccone for her exemplary civic engagement that led to her well-deserved appointment last week as the newest member of the Austintown Township Board of Trustees. Ciccone, who is no relation to embattled Mahoning County Clerk of Courts Michael Ciccone, won high praise from fellow Trustees Monica Deavers and Bruce Shepas. She can rightfully boast of a laundry list of community and nonprofit groups she has served in and powered. She also bested at least 12 other candidates, many of whom brought strong credentials themselves. For her part, Ciccone vows that in her new ...

News flash: We live in a mixed economy

Editorials

Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed of Michigan keeps calling himself a capitalist. And the Democratic Socialists of America keep backing him to the eyeballs. Why? Because the DSA understands that El-Sayed has to say that to win over even Democrats in a moderate state like Michigan. They firmly expect that once elected, he would do as they say, which happily conforms with what he truly believes. Confusing? Yes, on purpose. But let’s move beyond this war of labels. Let’s stop using socialist and capitalist as either compliments or denunciations. The United States has a ...

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Letters to the Editor

High gas prices and inflation. Iran will never negotiate in good faith. Taking out Kharg Island, and bombing Tehran, if necessary, might eliminate the fanatical leaders. Only when they are gone will there be peace and will the Strait of Hormuz be open for free travel. If gas prices stay high, the Dems will win the midterms and impeach 47. Iran and their proxies will then continue their terror with nuclear enhancement. — Columbiana While Trump and the Republicans have cut billions of dollars in taxes for the ultra-rich, they signed into law in July 2025 a 10% reduction of hundreds of ...

Summertime political reruns

Editorials

When I was younger, so much younger than today (credit The Beatles for that lyric from “Help”), television networks would rerun programs that had originally been broadcast the previous fall and spring. A few still do, like “Wheel of Fortune” and “Jeopardy,” but those are syndicated shows. Still, it can be fun to watch programs you missed, or even ones you have seen, especially if you can impress someone with “Jeopardy” answers because you know them. Reruns that always annoy are the political ads, which start before primaries and continue until the day before the ...

Letters to the editor

Letters to the Editor

Lying should not be a good look for a US president DEAR EDITOR: All politicians lie. That’s not a new concept, and whether it is true or not doesn’t matter when too many people accept it as fact. The Trump era has brought us to a tipping point: Since lying is ubiquitous, it must not be wrong. This is dangerous territory for a democracy. I’ve known hundreds of politicians, and I’m sure some, maybe even many, lied. Sometimes, I could tell if they were lying; sometimes I figured it out later through fact checking. But I never knew anyone who lied the way President Trump does. ...