Opinion

It would be a stretch to say that the U.S. government came to a standstill after GOP members of the House unseated Kevin McCarthy as Speaker of the House at the start of October. The Senate and executive branch both kept working to move their priorities forward during the three weeks before the House finally […]

Back in 1944, songsters Harold Arlen and Johnny Mercer gave us an uplifting piece of music: it was called “Accentuate the Positive.” Nearly 80 years later, Michael Seifert, the founder, CEO, and president of PublicSq (Public Square), is doing just that; as the lyric goes, he’s latching on to the affirmative. In a recent interview

The earthquakes that struck north-western Afghanistan in October were devastating and horrific. They caused at least 1,295 deaths and injured at least 1,800 people, according to the United Nations. They compounded a humanitarian crisis that has grown worse since the Taliban took over the country in 2021.  Faced with such immense suffering, the human response

Living on edge, fearful they could be the next statistic in a surge of criminal activity in communities across the state — this should not be a New Yorker’s story. Unfortunately, following the misguided criminal-justice reforms championed by progressives, too many people fall victim to the corruption of career criminals thriving in a seemingly lawless

A report from Northwestern University’s Medill School puts it bluntly: The loss of local journalism that we’re seeing in the United States is “a crisis for our democracy and our society.” I couldn’t agree more. We rely on free and vigorous news media for the effective functioning of our democracy, at all levels of government.

Israel [on Oct. 7] was savagely attacked by the terrorist organization, Hamas. The brazen strike claimed the lives of more than 1,300 innocent civilians including dozens of Americans. Images from the terrorist attack were horrifying. Women and children were murdered and kidnapped. Elderly were slaughtered in their homes. [At least 30] Americans were killed. It

It’s not hard to imagine that as Congress edged closer and closer to shutting down the U.S. government at the end of September, most Americans watched with a sense of both disbelief and bemusement. Disbelief, because on Congress’s list of key responsibilities, keeping the federal government running surely ranks near the top. And some degree

Consumer and Republican backlash against environmental, social, and governance (ESG) investments has increased dramatically in the past year as states, Congress, and presidential candidates have taken on the issue, promising to rein in the largely green-conscious movement of capital amid spiraling energy and food costs since 2021. Boycotts of brands such as Bud Light, Disney,

As the political press continues to gear up for next year’s presidential election, I’ve been struck by how little attention many national reporters have paid to a potential third-party bid by the group known as No Labels. The organization, which says it’s committed to bipartisanship and political centrism, has secured ballot access in at least

Gov. Kathy Hochul and her political allies have made great efforts to convince New Yorkers they are motivated by improving our democratic processes, but actions speak louder than words. The push to widely expand mail-in voting runs contrary to what voters expressed in a statewide referendum in 2021, yet New York State is prepared to