Opinion

Seeing election officials in action gives confidence in vote

By Luke Damskov and Moe Herr

The House Ethics Committee wants to try to create a culture of disclosure and transparency in Washington, a place where secrecy, fear and power have long been the order of the day. A week after two representatives, California’s Eric Swalwell and Texas’ Tony Gonzales, resigned amid allegations of sexual misconduct, Congress is taking a small, necessary and long overdue step to try to break the cycle of abuse and the silence that feeds it. The committee is being proactive and strongly encouraging “anyone who may have experienced sexual misconduct by a House Member or staffer, or who has knowledge of such conduct,” to get in contact.

University administrators sometimes ask how their institutions can best serve democracy. For decades, many believed that their role was to serve as instruments of social change. Diversity, equity and inclusion programs, especially in hiring and admissions, were one part of the tool kit. Politicized academic departments, often with the word “studies” attached to them, were another.

The defeat of Viktor Orban’s government in Hungary’s parliamentary elections may usher in a new era in Western commentary, when neither conservatives nor liberals will be tempted to draw sweeping lessons from a small landlocked country with a population smaller than the state of Michigan.

Donald Trump is the consummate dealmaker. But even the greatest dealmakers know that sometimes the best deal is no deal. If Iran is not ready to agree to Trump’s terms in the next few days, now will be one of those times.

For the last couple of decades, the Electoral College has been under increasing scrutiny. Though controversy around it dates to our nation’s founding, it was the 2000 election that really reignited a flame to abolish or heavily reform the Electoral College. Democratic presidential candidate Al Gore won the popular vote by 543,895 votes but lost the Electoral College tally and thus the election.

Extremists are spreading hate online – and turning a profit.

My 85-year-old mentor texted me the other day about how helpful AI was in fixing her dishwasher, which was no surprise given how ubiquitous and powerful it has become. But is it more than a tool?