Author: Lance Garrison
Jamie Raskin, a House Democrat and former constitutional law professor, wrote a statement explaining the problems with the bill at length, before justifying his “yes” vote with a kind of defeated shrug: “At this moment of anguish and confusion over the dangerous surge of antisemitism, authoritarianism and racism all over the country and the world, it seems unlikely that this meaningless ‘gotcha’ legislation can help much — but neither can it hurt much, and it may now bring some people despairing over manifestations of antisemitism a sense of consolation.” There are few people in Congress I admire more than Raskin,…
In Donald Trump’s felony trial last week, we heard about Hulk Hogan’s sex tape, and we watched Hope Hicks cry.So far this week, we heard all about ledgers, invoices and accounts payable stamps. We watched as a loyal Trump accountant authenticated Allen Weisselberg’s handwriting. The same documents with different dates popped up not once or twice but over and over again.It’s deadly boring. But it’s deadly to Trump’s defense if the jurors can stay awake for it.With one or two drowsy exceptions, they are. They seem to understand that Trump was indicted on 34 counts — one for each falsified…
It’s possible to grow meat in a lab — to cultivate animal cells without an animal and turn them into something people can eat. However, that process is difficult and expensive. And at the moment, lab-grown meat isn’t commercially available and probably won’t be for a long time, if ever.Still, if and when lab-grown meat, also sometimes referred to as cultured meat, makes it onto the market at less than outrageous prices, a significant number of people will probably buy it. Some will do so on ethical grounds, preferring not to have animals killed to grace their dinner plates. Others…
On Monday night, a select group of celebrities and fashion designers will mount the steps of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, presenting a litany of costumes for the public to devour. The Met Gala is an annual spectacle of celebrity that raises money for the museum’s Costume Institute, which works to preserve fashion history.The night’s enduring power can largely be chalked up to the way guests interpret its themed dress code, which changes every year. At its most brilliant, a theme might inspire absurd, campy or daring interpretations by clever designers. At its most exhausting, it inspires famous people to…
What if you could move to a new home but keep the mortgage that you took out on the old one, with the same balance, interest rate and time remaining? You would probably be more willing to move. That would benefit both sellers and buyers. At the moment, the market for existing homes is partly frozen because people who have 3 percent mortgage loans don’t want to give them up for 7 percent loans on new homes.Making mortgages portable sounds unrealistic. After all, mortgages are tied by contract to particular pieces of property. When I raised the idea with the…
Before summoning the jury on Monday, Justice Juan Merchan directly addressed the defendant, whom he called “Mr.” and not President Trump. In a measured and by-the-book tone that showed no hint of his exasperation, Merchan told Donald Trump that he had now found him in contempt of court on a 10th charge. Each carries a $1,000 fine, the most allowed by New York State law.The judge then warned Trump that if he continued to violate his order, “this court will have to consider a jail sanction.”Merchan told Trump that he was well aware that “you are the former president of…
May 6, 2024 – Megan Tavares was 39 weeks pregnant and at the grocery store when her phone rang. Her doctor was calling to tell her to get to the hospital as soon as possible. Bloodwork from that morning showed the now 41-year-old had HELLP syndrome, which is linked to preeclampsia, and the baby needed to be delivered right away. Nine hours later, her son was born. Thankfully, Tavares, a licensed independent social worker from Somerset, MA, and her baby both survived the experience, but it was nothing short of traumatic; up to 24% of pregnant women and up to 34% of babies…
To the Editor:Re “M.T.A.’s Congestion Fees Will Launch on June 30” (news article, April 27):Any congestion pricing plan must be implemented responsibly, with full consideration of its effects on vulnerable communities and the environment. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s plan promises anything but that.The projected increase in traffic and pollution along the F.D.R. Drive, concentrated in an area with many low-income residents that is already designated as an Environmental Justice Area by New York State, is deeply concerning. The loss of mature trees because of a similarly ill-conceived coastal resiliency plan only exacerbates the issue, as it will take decades for…
To the Editor:Re “The Constitution Won’t Save Us From Trump,” by Aziz Rana (Opinion guest essay, April 28):Mr. Rana makes a strong case for legislative solutions that will reinforce American democracy. To that end, many of the reforms he calls for were already passed by House Democrats in 2022.Our Freedom to Vote: John R. Lewis Act would take these steps:1) Aim to stop voter suppression and election subversion.2) Establish a nationwide redistricting commission to end partisan gerrymandering.3) Empower the grass roots with matching funds for small-dollar donors.4) Curtail the harmful, anti-democracy Citizens United decision by enacting the Disclose Act, which…
There are contemporary Democrats with a high-dominance style. Gov. Andy Beshear of Kentucky stands up for trans and abortion rights, proclaimed June Pride Month in the state, and chided the unvaccinated during the pandemic. When a Republican lawmaker displayed a photo of Mr. Beshear with drag queens at a gay rights rally and accused him of corrupting kids, the governor shot back that the participants “are as much Kentuckians as anybody else.”The Republican tucked his tail between his legs, whimpering: “My problem is not with the gay movement. I didn’t say anything about the ‘Pride Celebration.’” Mr. Beshear won re-election…