So-called “red flag” laws are being debated both in Congress and state legislatures in attempts to curb mass murders in the United States. Red flag laws would enable law enforcement authorities to take guns owned by people deemed by the courts to be clear threats to public safety. But the ...

It has been suggested by some that the current scare over e-cigarettes is overblown. Though hundreds of Americans have been hospitalized with respiratory ailments linked to “vaping” and a few have died, calls to ban the products are not realistic, critics say. But there is a valid, ...

What is the most serious respiratory illness threat facing Americans today? If you answered “e-cigarettes,” we commend you for keeping up with current events. But that is the wrong answer. The correct one is influenza. On average, about 8 percent of Americans contract the flu each ...

We are glad to see that anti-fracking activists are rethinking, at least for now, their ongoing and repeatedly unsuccessful attempts to gain voter approval on a resolution that would effectively ban, or at least heavily restrict, the oil and natural gas industry from doing business — any ...

• ORCHID: To volunteers from several local organizations who spent time assisting would-be voters to ensure they are properly registered in time to vote in the Nov. 5 election. The service was part of Tuesday’s National Voter Registration Day, and volunteers helped at the Jewish Community ...

Apparently, President Donald Trump believed he could score some political points by releasing the transcript of a July telephone call between himself and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy. Whether that is true remains to be seen. But one thing is obvious: Partisan politics has become ...

Keeping economic growth going can be tougher than kick-starting it in the first place. With the nation’s unemployment rate at historic lows — better than ever for some segments of the workforce — the challenge now is to maintain the pace. Most Federal Reserve Board members recognize ...

Curious, is it not, that the major industrial power doing the most to battle climate change is the target of the bulk of criticism regarding that concern? With a new general session of the United Nations underway, multiple world leaders are citing worry about a range of issues. In fairness to ...

Whether the exquisite furniture in the Blue Room at the White House is genuine antiques or department-store reproductions is nowhere near as important as, say, the war in Afghanistan. And whether the wallpaper in the Red Room is refurbished or, at high cost, replaced has no effect on the ...

Members of Congress are on a time clock regarding appropriations bills. Unless they are enacted by Oct. 1, one more of the dreaded government “shutdowns” may occur. That sort of pressure often pushes good things through the cracks. That should not be permitted in regard to a proposal that ...