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Free speech in America exists not just for laughs

Editorials

Following reports that Bill Maher will receive the prestigious Mark Twain Prize for American Humor, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt refused to believe it. “This is fake news,” she told CNN. “Bill Maher will NOT be getting this award.” Ah, guess again. On Thursday, the center confirmed that Maher was the pick. (This reversal was first reported by Politico.) The annual award, presented by the Kennedy Center, will be given June 28, right before the performing arts center closes for a two-year renovation. In the spirit of the honor, Maher thanked “the Mark ...

Politics online embraces distortion, lies

Editorials

“Hezbollah hit 19 IDF tanks today. That’s $95M lost in 1 day. The IDF is a paper tiger,” declared Ethan Levins on Twitter with a picture of a burned-out tank. He describes himself as an “independent journalist,” “American Christian,” and “truth seeker.” The picture he posted was from 2006. His claim is fiction. Mario Nawfal tweeted footage with the text of his tweet reading, “Iran releases footage claiming to down a U.S. F-18 fighter jet. If true, this only happened twice before: 1991 Gulf War and 1995 Bosnia War.” Nawfal is a prolific tweeter with over 3.2 ...

US needs strong guardrails to better rein in online gambling

Editorials

From professional sports to wars on the other side of the globe, online gambling has proven it can skew major events in dangerous ways. This industry is becoming a threat, and the United States should reign it in. Earlier this month, Emanuel Fabian of The Times of Israel reported on an Iranian missile strike. Shortly after, bettors pressured him to change details of the story, with some even making death threats. All that was apparently for the sake of a wager on Polymarket, an online platform that bills itself as a “prediction market.” The platform lets users buy and sell ...

Beat social media addiction

Editorials

Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp are running content very harmful to children. So said a jury in New Mexico that just slapped their owner, Meta, with a $375 million fine. The state accused the company of spreading pornographic images and helping adults contact vulnerable children. Meta faces thousands of suits, but in a landmark case decided in California on Wednesday, the company was told to pay 20-year-old plaintiff Kaley G.M. $4.2 million in combined compensatory and punitive damages. Kaley blamed its products on a variety of mental health issues, including depression and dangerous ...

Trump’s policies have us headed to the poor house

Letters to the Editor

DEAR EDITOR: On the March 19 opinion page, Star Parker warns against complaining about the price of gas. On the opposite page is the headline “US national debt surges past $39 trillion just weeks into war.” On the front page, school workers need more money and Page 3 laments Trumbull County seeking funds to replace a bridge! Trump’s leadership is putting us all in the poor house! Did I mention the cost of groceries or housing? STEVE SOLAK Youngstow

Furor over voter ID is much ado about nothing

Letters to the Editor

DEAR EDITOR: What is wrong with Democrats? Anyone who moves to a different city, county, state or district — not just veterans — has to register to vote with ID. If you lose any personal documents, you CAN get new ones. What is the big deal when you get married, you get a card from the courthouse with your married name on it, I did. As for people of color, it is no different. When you see a doctor, register into a hospital, license plates, stickers for a car, a new driver’s license, proof of car insurance, rent a car, rent an apartment, get subsidized housing, or apply for ...