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The rare-earths travesty could be a warning sign

Columns

In the 1960s, the conservative intellectual James Burnham wrote a book arguing that the decline of Western civilization was a self-imposed choice. The volume, famously called “Suicide of the West,” desperately needs to be updated with an epilogue about the U.S. dependence on China for the mining and processing of rare earths, which ranks as one of the most fantastically stupid and self-damaging strategic missteps of our time. China is exploiting its advantage in trade talks with the U.S., restricting the supply of rare earths to gain leverage. A focus of President ...

Illegal betting, sports and the mafia never mix

Columns

In 2018, the Supreme Court voted 6-3 to strike down a federal law banning sports gambling, thus allowing individual states to decide whether to allow it, or not. It didn’t take a genius to predict what might happen, especially when politicians can find new sources of revenue beyond income, property and sales taxes. Last week, more than 30 people were indicted as part of a national sports betting scandal involving high-profile figures, including Portland Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups and Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier. Billups was charged in a scheme involving rigged poker ...

Columns

No two states voted more alike and closer to the national average in last year’s presidential election than the two states that have gubernatorial elections in this odd-numbered year: New Jersey and Virginia. New Jersey voted 51.8% for Kamala Harris and 45.9% for Donald Trump. Virginia voted 51.8% for Harris and 46.1% for Trump. Aside from the seven target states and Democratic underperformance in New Hampshire and Minnesota, these were the two closest states in the country. They have other similarities. Large percentages of their voters live in metropolitan areas centered on cities ...

Stand Up For Ohio

Editorials

“As stated in our lapse of appropriation correspondence dated Oct. 1, 2025, SNAP has funding available for benefits and operations through the month of October,” reads a letter dated Oct. 10 from Ronald Ward, acting associate administrator of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. “However, if the current lapse in appropriations continues, there will be insufficient funds to pay full November SNAP benefits for approximately 42 million individuals across the Nation.” We know that last year there were approximately 1.4 million Ohioans receiving SNAP benefits. A ...

Bag man: Meet Tom Homan, crime fighter

Columns

As the first and only convicted felon to serve as president, Donald Trump’s claim to be concerned about crime in America is a somewhat compromised one. And, of course, it’s not just the 34 felony counts on which he stands convicted by a New York jury but the federal criminal indictments for violating the Espionage Act, obstructing justice and defrauding the United States that undercut his proclamations about crime. In the past month, Tom Homan, Trump’s border czar, who has spent the past nine months talking tough about undocumented immigrants, has had a severe case of “cat ...

No Kings? No one seems to really have a clue

Columns

What do you do when voters have rejected your party’s policies and the losers have nothing new to offer? Answer: You stage large demonstrations that include name calling. Anyone who believes the Oct. 18 “No Kings” (was that poll tested?) demonstrations across the country were not organized and largely paid for by left-wing groups hasn’t been paying attention. The New York Times claims there is “no evidence” that the event was subsidized by billionaire George Soros and other far-left people and organizations. That’s because the underwriting isn’t given directly but is ...