There’s no quick fix to rising murder rates

THE NATION'S homicide rate has risen sharply in the past two years after a decades-long decline, and a record share of the murders, nearly three-quarters , are now committed with firearms. That has prompted some officials to endorse get-tough policies that, although politically popular, are ill-conceived and as likely to do harm as good.

After Russia’s election interference, pulling back the curtain on online ads

A man walks past voting booths at a Virginia primary election polling station in Centreville, Va., in March 2016. LAST WEEK, the Federal Election Commission took a rare unanimous vote to begin drafting regulations that would require greater transparency in online political advertising.

Explosion heard near time Argentine sub went missing, navy says

An apparent explosion occurred near the time and place an Argentine submarine went missing, the country's navy reported Thursday - an ominous development that prompted relatives of the 44 crew members to burst into tears, and some to say they had lost all hope of rescue. Navy spokesman Enrique Balbi said the search will continue until there is full certainty about the fate of the ARA San Juan.

Slowik: We may already be about halfway through Trump’s presidency

President Donald Trump speaks to reporters before leaving the White House Tuesday in Washington for a Thanksgiving trip to Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Fla. President Donald Trump speaks to reporters before leaving the White House Tuesday in Washington for a Thanksgiving trip to Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Fla.

Readers on Donna Brazile: Get over it, your party lost

Our readers shared their thoughts on Donna Brazile after she questioned the legitimacy of Trump's election after allegations of Russian meddling. Donna Brazile, who led the Democratic National Committee during the last leg of the 2016 campaign, says revelations about Russian meddling make her " absolutely " question the legitimacy of Donald Trump's election.

A nod, and a nodding off, to another year of U.S. hilarity

Tryptophan, an amino acid in turkey, is unjustly blamed for what mere gluttony does, making Americans comatose every fourth Thursday in November. But before nodding off, give thanks for another year of American hilarity, including: A company curried favor with advanced thinkers by commissioning for Manhattan's financial district the "Fearless Girl" bronze statue, which exalts female intrepidity in the face of a rampant bull a surging stock market or toxic masculinity).

No victory dance yet for Trump on tax bill

When the GOP House voted to repeal Obamacare in May, President Donald Trump invited supporters to the Rose Garden to celebrate with him and to pat themselves on the back for making history in record time. Thursday, when Republicans passed the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act there was no talk of orchestrating a public victory lap.

Editorial: IRS scandal ends without answers

Now that the scandal involving the targeting of conservative groups by the Internal Revenue Service is more or less over, there is still a question or two that has not been answered. The U.S. Justice Department settled last month a number of lawsuits against the IRS for the extra scrutiny for conservative groups seeking tax-exempt status, a scandal which dates back to 2010.

Conservative blogger: It’s time to stop the abusers of power | Opinion

U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., declared to a group of California Democrats, "I predict based on what I see out there that we are going to have another Year of the Woman." Democrats would be making a mistake if they ran 2018 as merely a gender identity contest.

J. Edgar Hoover’s name lives in infamy

I was Ubering down Pennsylvania Ave. the other day when I passed my favorite Washington location that demands a wrecking ball. It's not a statue to some forgotten slaveholder nor a memorial to some Jim Crow booster - Woodrow Wilson, for instance - but a building bearing the name of a racist, anti-Communist zealot who, in the name of God and the American flag, set out to destroy Martin Luther King Jr. I am talking about J. Edgar Hoover and the lump of cement named for him.

Tax plan bad for Connecticut, for the debt, and for the middle-class

Connecticut's U.S. Sens. Richard Blumenthal and Chris Murphy must do more than stand united with fellow Democrats in seeking to block a tax reform bill that would be bad for Connecticut and for many middle-income taxpayers, while exploding the national debt. They and their fellow members of the loyal opposition must offer alternative tax relief ideas that are more fiscally responsible.

Fault Rep. Norcross for hydro, Keystone votes; GOP faith in…

On Nov. 8, the House of Representatives passed the "Hydropower Policy Modernization Act of 2017" , a bill to streamline the licensing process for hydroelectric facilities. The word "modernization" in the title is a euphemism for deregulation, exactly as it was in the "Financial Services Modernization Act of 1999" -- which repealed Depression-era banking regulations that had separated consumer banks from riskier investment banking.

In our opinion: It’s getting hard to remember times of bipartisan cooperation

Senate Finance Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, center, makes opening remarks as he is flanked by Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., left, the ranking member, and Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, right, as the tax-writing panel begins work on overhauling the nation's tax code, on Capitol Hill in Washington, Monday, Nov. 13, 2017. The legislation in the House and Senate carries high political stakes for President Donald Trump and Republican leaders in Congress, who view passage of tax cuts as critical to the GOP's success at the polls next year.

Parkhurst vs. Dugan? Let’s get ready for a political rumble

Current 79th District State Rep. Lindsay Parkhurst used those words in reaction to a potential challenge from Lisa Dugan in next year's election for the Illinois State House seat. Those are strong words but a rather fitting way to describe what likely lies ahead, as a Dugan-Parkhurst duel would be a political version of a battle between two skilled heavyweight boxers.