Breaking News

Opinion

Invasion Of Venezuela A Body Blow To Constitution

Columns

The United States invasion of Venezuela and kidnapping of Nicolas Maduro, the domestically recognized Venezuelan president, violated the U.S. Constitution and international law. The Constitution makes clear that only Congress can authorize a foreign invasion. In the pre-World War II era, Congress declared war on countries that attacked the U.S. or were allied with those that did, and those declarations expired upon the surrender by legal authorities in the targeted countries. In the post-9/11 era, Congress has chosen to authorize the use of military force, without providing for a ...

How Donald Trump Finally Buried Iraq Syndrome

Columns

Something crucial happened with President Donald Trump’s recent actions in Venezuela. In fact, taken together with his earlier moves abroad, they mark the substantive death of what might be called the “Iraq syndrome” -- a paralyzing mindset that has distorted American foreign policy for more than two decades. The Iraq syndrome emerged after the failure of the Iraq War and the long, costly occupation that followed. In the American mind, it became shorthand for a broader fear: that any U.S. use of force overseas would inevitably spiral into a quagmire. But this was not the first ...

Elected office is a special calling

Editorials

All across the Ohio Valley, we’ve seen new faces in elected offices swear their oaths to their new offices, beginning their new journeys in their new roles as elected officials. First, let us thank you. To be an elected official is a special task to take on. It’s a calling. Praise is slow to be given. Questions and criticism come much quicker. With this role comes a responsibility that only those who hold office understand. You are the voice of the people, their representative in the governmental process. They depend upon you to make the decisions that make their lives better ...

Tim Walz personifies the decline experienced by the Democrats

Columns

Tim Walz is going away, but the Democratic Party’s Tim Walz crisis isn’t. The Minnesota governor gave up his quest for a third term Monday: Staying out of jail will be challenging enough for him during the next few months, never mind prolonging his stay in office. Federal prosecutors estimate the Somali daycare scam and other frauds perpetrated under his watch cost taxpayers up to $9 billion. Money like that goes a long way in politics. Over the years, Walz and his party have received plenty of campaign cash from the Somali community. The fraud was no well-kept secret; an ...

Help those struggling

Editorials

Winter can be a tough time for those struggling with fragile mental health and other challenges. But for some, the struggle is more than seasonal — and can be deadly. Ohio’s Suicide Prevention Foundation notes adult men in particular experience disproportionately high suicide rates. For some counties, the need for support is even more profound. So, a two-year initiative will partner with local organizations to reduce the suicide rates for adult men in Clark, Cuyahoga, Hamilton, Lorain, Lucas, Mahoning Marion, Montgomery, Richland and Summit counties. Projects will focus on ...

Trump must learn to distinguish between friend and foe

Columns

China, Russia and Iran had to be alarmed by the display of U.S. power in Venezuela, but so did Denmark, a NATO ally of the United States. In the aftermath of the snatch-and-grab of Nicolas Maduro, Trump spoke to The Atlantic about his other foreign-policy priorities: “We do need Greenland, absolutely.” It might have been easy not too long ago to dismiss this as bluster. Not anymore — not after the strikes on the Iran nuclear program and the Venezuelan operation. We’ve gone from “Trump always chickens out” when he was backing off his Liberation Day tariffs to ...