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Trump’s deal with the devil unfolds

Editorials

President Trump’s interim peace deal with Iran, which the U.S. maintains has partially opened the Strait of Hormuz and sent oil prices tumbling (but not yet gas prices), may be good for the short term — meaning the November elections — but long term it is not in the best interests of the United States, Europe or the rest of the civilized world. The reason is, to paraphrase stock disclaimers — Iran’s past performance on keeping its word is a guarantee of future performance. And what about those proxies Iran has been supporting? If Iran doesn’t cheat on the deal, which is a ...

Orchids & onions

Editorials

ORCHID: To clergy and parishioners at St. Patrick Church of Youngstown for reaching their milestone 100th anniversary earlier this month. Hundreds of current and past congregation members and former pastors gathered for a special Mass and celebratory lunch to mark the proud achievement. The Gothic-style Oak Hill Avenue structure has been a landmark on the city’s South Side for 10 decades now. More importantly, the faithfulness of its members and their dedication to community involvement and betterment of it have long been trademarks of the institution. While throngs of other churches ...

State lawmakers must act promptly on 3 critical issues

Editorials

The official start of summer this weekend also ushers in the end of state lawmaking in Columbus. Yes, the long summer recess gives our technically part-time state legislators time to relax and regroup in their home districts while gathering constituent input on a wide swath of crucial unfinished business that awaits them in the fall. Much of that unfinished business centers on controversial issues that require closure by the end of the year. Placed high atop that action agenda must be property tax reform, data center regulation and the death penalty. To its credit, this session of ...

Removal of Trump’s name a metaphor?

Editorials

In what could be a metaphor for things to come, workers removed President Trump’s name from the Kennedy Center in Washington. U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper ruled the rebranding of the Kennedy Center as the “Trump Kennedy Center” violated the law, writing, “Congress gave the Kennedy Center its name, and only Congress can change it.” Is America growing tired of Trump’s nonstop appearances? His disapproval ratings suggest overexposure could be a contributing factor. He goes on sometimes for more than an hour in his frequent Oval Office appearances and often repeats ...

It’s a requiem for privacy

Editorials

When President Donald Trump appointed an obviously unqualified friend, a home builder executive, to be acting director of national intelligence, he inadvertently triggered attention to Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. The director of national intelligence is the head of the umbrella agency that gathers intelligence from the 17 federal spying agencies and from that data prepares and delivers the president’s daily briefing. Sec. 702, which permits warrantless spying, expires this month. Trump prefers to receive his briefings directly from the CIA and its ...

Platner’s populist challenge excites Dems — cautiously

Editorials

When I heard President Donald Trump go ballistic over Maine Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner, it made me want to hear more about Graham Platner. After Platner won Maine’s Democratic primary last week, Trump trolled Platner as “thug” and called the Democratic Party hypocritical for lining up behind someone with so many questions about his past personal conduct and treatment of women. “He’s worse than any human being that’s ever run for office probably,” the president said. Well, if anyone should know about questions on past conduct and treatment of women, it ...