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Rich Lowry: Democratic leadership send signal to left-wing base (3/19/24)The uncommitted voters of Michigan say "jump," and Chuck Schumer asks "how high?" The Senate majority leader gave an extraordinary speech flaying the democratically elected leader of an ally engaged in fighting a defensive war against a hideous terrorist enemy...
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Jason Smith: Biden's budget plan is the wrong recipe for America (3/19/24)President Joe Biden frequently says, "Don't tell me what you value. Show me your budget, and I'll tell you what you value." Well, as Biden's recently released budget proposal for next year makes clear, he is once again doubling down on the very same failed policies that are bankrupting America, waging war on U.S. energy, and fueling the most painful economic crisis in decades. There's no question that his budget plan is the wrong recipe for America...
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Veronique de Rugy: Biden's corporate tax hike: populism versus economic literacy (3/18/24)3In the latest volley of policy proposals that seem more rooted in populist rhetoric than economic knowledge, President Joe Biden’s budget plan to hike the corporate income tax rate from 21% to 28% strikes me as particularly misguided. This move, ostensibly aimed at ensuring a “fair share” of contributions from corporate America, is a glaring testament to a simplistic and all-too-common type of economic thinking that already hamstrings our nation’s competitiveness, stifles innovation and ultimately penalizes the average American worker and consumer. ...
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Michael Reagan: To win, the GOP needs to say what its for, not against (3/18/24)Republicans are never going to impeach Joe Biden. I wish more Republicans would beat that fact into their skulls. Just as Democrats weren’t able to impeach Donald Trump because they didn’t control the Senate, Republicans are never going to impeach Biden for the same reason. ...
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Jonah Goldberg: Trump and his MAGA movement stormed the Republican establishment. Now they have become it (3/16/24)5Jonah Goldberg for 3-12-24 Donald Trump's domination of last week's primaries made it official: He has successfully routed the GOP establishment. Some would argue, with ample evidence, that this happened a long time ago. Particularly in Congress, the party is divided into three sometimes overlapping factions: Reaganites, pragmatists and populists, the last being Trump's "MAGA" faction. ...
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Star Parker: This is not the Soviet Union, Mr. Biden (3/16/24)8In 1991, the Soviet Union collapsed. It marked the end of an experiment that lasted almost a century testing the premise that godless secularization, turning control of people's lives over to other people to rule them, who decide what others need and how they should live and conduct their lives, is the answer for mankind...
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Betsy McCaughey: Is Laken Riley's life worth less than George Floyd's? (3/15/24)1George Floyd's death during a police chokehold on May 25, 2020, ignited nationwide protests to reform police procedures. Referring to Floyd's ordeal, former President Donald Trump said, "It doesn't get any worse than that," and within three weeks Trump signed an executive order establishing an abuse of force database and calling for improved police practices...
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Kathryn Lopez: Suffragette city at the state of the union (3/14/24)1"Abortion is the ultimate exploitation of women." This quote isn't from some evangelical firebrand or conservative pundit -- it's from Alice Paul, one of the leading suffragettes of the early 20th century. And yet, not for the first time, Democratic women wore white at a presidential State of the Union address to advocate for abortion. ...
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Rich Lowry: Joe Biden will never be normal again (3/13/24)7Joe Biden won the normality test in 2020. There wasn't anything remarkable about him. He just seemed like a steady hand who had been around for a while, who didn't look or sound like a radical, and who knew how Washington worked. He wasn't the leader of a movement, wasn't charismatic and wasn't particularly witty or well-spoken. He was, in fact, completely uninteresting and utterly conventional. He was just the most normal guy in the room...
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Jason Smith: The most divisive State of the Union address in U.S. history (3/13/24)8On March 7, President Joe Biden delivered a State of the Union address that will go down as the most divisive in American history. He turned the annual tradition into a campaign event, launching attack after attack against his political opponent and rural communities. ...
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The Ukraiian Verdun (3/12/24)Ukraine has ossified into something like the modern version of the horrific Battle of Verdun, fought 108 years ago on the 1916 Western Front of World War I. That meat grinder cost France and Germany some 700,000 dead and wounded...
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Michael Reagan: A miracle in California (3/11/24)3A miracle occurred Tuesday in California's U.S. Senate primary race. In a deep Blue state where Democrat voters outnumber Republicans 2-1, Steve Garvey, the former L.A. Dodger star, ran against three Democrats and came in a close second to Democrat Congressman Adam Schiff...
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Veronique de Rugy: A new fiscal commission must heed the lesson of '97 (3/11/24)The Republican chairman of the House Budget Committee made news recently by announcing that if his party is serious about changing the fiscal path we are on, they'll have to consider raising taxes. Politics is about compromise, so the chairman is right. Every side must give a little. However, "putting taxes on the table" is not as simple a fix to our debt problems as some think...
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Star Parker: Clarence Thomas, liberal racism and the ongoing denigration of Black conservatives (3/8/24)17President Joe Biden stirred up controversy during the last presidential campaign, when, in an interview with a Black radio host, he said, "If you have a problem figuring out if you're for me or Trump, you ain't Black." Biden got pushback on this, but he captured a pretty common view among liberals...
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Betsy McCaughey: The Left's beef with beef (3/7/24)5New York State Attorney General Letitia James has a beef with beef. This week James sued the JBS USA Food Company, the U.S. subsidiary of the world's largest beef producer, accusing it of "fraudulent and illegal business activities" and demanding "disgorgement of all profits and ill-gotten gains."...
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Rich Lowry: The day Joe Biden blew up the border (3/6/24)6Joe Biden was inaugurated on Jan. 20, 2021. Less than two weeks later, on Feb. 2, he issued the executive order that began the unraveling at the border in earnest. The border crisis isn't something that happened to President Biden. It's not a product of circumstances or understandable policy mistakes made under duress. No, he sought it and created it, on principle and as a matter of urgency...
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Kathryn Lopez: Martyrdom and suicide are not the same (3/5/24)God rest the soul of Aaron Bushnell, the 25-year-old in the Air Force who set himself on fire outside the Israeli embassy in Washington, D.C. "Free Palestine," he declared as he was dying. While he meant his death as a political protest, it was suicide. And it should not be celebrated...
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Victor Davis Hanson: American paralysis and decline (3/5/24)2"We can bear neither our diseases nor their remedies." So shrugged the ancient historian Livy (59 B.C.-17 A.D.) of the long decline of Roman national character that, in his age, finally ended the Roman Republic. Like a patient whose medicine proves worse than the disease, Livy lamented that the Romans knew that they had become corrupt and lawless...
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Bonnie Jean Feldkamp: Chores and tribulations: I crave a better way for household productivity (3/4/24)I love contributing to the family. But I hate chores. As a child, chores were tasks to be checked off a list so I could get on to other things. A checklist made clear that I’d either succeed or fail based on chores completed. I often felt overlooked, reduced to tasks. Patted on the head for duties that meant nothing to me so I could disappear into a hobby that meant everything to me. ...
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Betsy McCaughey: Migrant surge brings killers and criminal gangs (3/4/24)12Former New York City Police Department commissioner Ray Kelly, the department’s longest-serving commissioner, cautioned last week that New York City’s quality of life “has really deteriorated.” Migrant crime is a major reason. Venezuela’s notorious Tren de Aragua gang and El Salvador’s feared MS-13 — what former FBI assistant director Chris Swecker calls “prison-spawned gangs” — are threatening to take over American cities. ...
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Stacy Kinder: Reflecting on the criminal acts of the last week (3/2/24)35Many of us in the Cape area were heartbroken by the death of a young woman this week. The news came on the heels of several violent crimes that had the community sending prayers and grieving for the families left behind. These crimes also have the community aptly concerned about public safety here...
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Star Parker: The state of Black progress (3/2/24)2As part of Black History Month 2024, my organization, CURE, Center for Urban Renewal and Education, has announced the release of "The State of Black Progress," published by Encounter Books. This is a follow-up to "The State of Black America," published by CURE in 2022...
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Veronique de Rugy: Nostalgia versus numbers: challenging america's economic pessimism (3/2/24)1America is celebrated for its economic dynamism and ample and generously paid employment opportunities. It's a nation that attracts immigrants from around the world. Yet Americans are bummed, and have been for a while. They believe that life was better 40 years ago. And maybe it was on some fronts, but not economically...
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Rich Lowry: Joe Biden's inane war on packaging (3/2/24)5Joe Biden has met the enemy, and it is smaller packaging for foodstuffs. The White House is targeting the practice known as "shrinkflation," or companies keeping the nominal price of a product the same while decreasing the amount. This, naturally, is just another way of charging more. If the price is the same, but you're getting only 14 ounces of Wheat Thins instead of 16, you are paying more for your whole-wheat crackers...
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Jonah Goldberg: Nikki Haley keeps losing -- and revealing something important about Trump and Republicans (3/1/24)7Celebrating his victory in the South Carolina primary Saturday, Donald Trump declared, "I have never seen the Republican Party so unified as it is right now." It was an indisputable victory for Trump, particularly given that it was in the home state of his last remaining rival for the nomination, Nikki Haley, a twice-elected, popular former South Carolina governor. ...
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Holly Thompson Rehder: Passing the first legislation of the year (2/29/24)3Passing the first legislation of the year Hey y'all! Greetings from Jefferson City. It was a very productive week in the Missouri Senate as elected officials worked through the day and night on Monday to protect the Missouri Constitution and ensure a statewide voice on statewide issues...
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Jason Smith: Celebrating FFA (2/28/24)4Like so many in southeast and south-central Missouri, agriculture has always been an important part of my life. I'll never forget the memories I have as a young kid spending time at, and working on, my grandparents' farm -- the very same one I own, operate, and live on today. ...
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Rich Lowry: The un-American campaign against Donald Trump (2/28/24)16Donald Trump has a $355 million judgment against him, and we're just getting started. The judgment in the civil fraud case, which reaches $450 million including prejudgment interest, is the handiwork of an elected Democratic judge in a case brought by an elected Democratic prosecutor who pledged to pursue Trump in her election campaign...
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Rich Lowry: It makes no sense to abandon Ukraine (2/27/24)8Millions for defense, but not one cent for Ukraine. That's the rallying cry of opponents of a new $60 billion tranche of aid for Ukraine led by Ohio's Republican senator, J.D. Vance. Vance deserves credit for taking his perspective directly into the belly of the beast at the Munich Security Conference, where he rowed against the tide by advocating for abandoning the embattled Western ally...
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Victor Davis Hanson: Blue laws for red citizens (2/27/24)10One state prosecutor and one civilian plaintiff have already won huge fines and damages from former President Donald Trump that may, with legal costs, exceed $500 million. Trump awaits further civil and criminal liability in three other federal, state, and local indictments...
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Veronique de Rugy: Does another child tax credit help families? (2/26/24)3In the well-intentioned rush to support American families by expanding the Child Tax Credit (CTC), critical questions are often ignored: Aren’t we already doing enough, and is this the best way to help? It’s imperative to step back and examine the assumptions at the heart of this ongoing debate. ...
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Bonnie Jean Feldkamp: The homeless crisis should not be treated as out of sight, out of mind (2/26/24)8At a lunch meeting recently, I heard someone say they liked living downtown but moved to the suburbs because “the homelessness is just too much.” This same person went on to say that unhoused people should be relocated out of downtown. To where? He didn’t say. ...
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Michael Reagan: Who’s worse: Trump or Biden? (2/26/24)11The Democrats are trying to put Donald Trump in jail. The Republicans are trying to put Joe Biden in jail — along with the rest of his extended political crime family. Both sides think the only way they can win is by putting their opponent in jail. ...
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Star Parker: Too many corporations, like universities, have lost their way (2/24/24)1Universities are not alone among our institutions that have lost their way. How about America's corporations, which now seem to think social justice is their job, beside efficiently delivering goods and services to the American public? In a recent panel discussion at the Bipartisan Policy Institute, Jamie Dimon, chairman and CEO of JPMorgan, the nation's largest bank, rang the alarm about the nation's debt...
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House takes action on public safety, veterans mental health and initiative petition reform (2/24/24)1The House this week sent to the Senate an extensive bill aimed at reducing crime in Missouri. Among its provisions are several proposed changes to how juveniles are treated by the state's legal system; the launch of a collaborative fight against online harassment and stalking; and Blair's Law, which would increase penalties for what has become known as "celebratory gunfire."...
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Betsy McCaughey: Dems’ open border trickery — gaming the census (2/23/24)2New York is Migrant Central — the No. 1 destination in the country for illegal border crossers — and it’s no accident. New York’s Democratic politicians benefit from the deluge. The more migrants come here, the more congressional seats and clout in the Electoral College New York is able to maintain. ...
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Jonah Goldberg: No, Donald Trump does not equal Alexei Navalny (2/22/24)32Alexei Navalny didn't simply die. He wasn't just murdered. He was tortured to death. It didn't happen on the rack or mid-beating, but Vladimir Putin -- who had tried to eliminate him earlier -- slowly killed Navalny all the same. Putin sent the Russian dissident and anti-corruption activist to the gulag with the aim of grinding him down with hard labor, isolation, hunger and shabby medical care, until he died. ...
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Victor Davis Hanson: The strange disconnect between Israel and Ukraine (2/20/24)2The Ukrainian and Israeli wars are similar and yet also different conflicts -- but in more ways than we can imagine. Ukraine was invaded by a huge Russian state, with a population three-and-a-half times greater, a gross national product 10 times larger, and an area 30 times its size...
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Rich Lowry: Russia is a civilizational adversary (2/20/24)The poet Robert Frost once said that a liberal is someone too broad-minded to take his own side in a fight. What would he say about those on the right who seem to be confused about the same question? Over the last few days, Donald Trump told a rally about how he'd supposedly warned the leader of a NATO nation that he'd encourage the Russians "to do whatever the hell they want" against countries that weren't spending enough on defense, while the former Fox News personality Tucker Carlson broadcast videos from Moscow praising its grocery stores and subways as superior to those in the United States.. ...
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Betsy McCaughey: Migrant crime turning cities into war zones (2/19/24)5Criminals posing as asylum-seekers are turning American cities into war zones. The Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua, feared for how it tortures its victims, is setting up business in New York City, police sources reveal. Gang members recruit migrants from shelters and as they come off buses from Texas, putting then to work in retail theft rings or on mopeds, grabbing phones and handbags and roughing up pedestrians...
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Star Parker: Winds of change in the Black vote (2/17/24)3Data shows that winds of political change are blowing among Black voters. In volatile times like now, predictions can be made with only the greatest caution. However, it seems clear that something is going on and Black voters are breaking with past voting patterns...
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Veronique de Rugy: Biden's Super Bowl shrinkflation blame game (2/17/24)6President Joe Biden wants to remind you that your Super Bowl party was more expensive than it used to be. The reason, he claims, is corporate greed and "shrinkflation." In a social media video before Sunday night's game, he spoke of companies selling "smaller-than-usual products where the price stays the same." He opposes this behavior and is "calling on the big consumer brands to put a stop to it."...
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House action on eviction, educational scholarship accounts and immigration (2/17/24)This week, the Missouri House third read and passed HB 2062, a piece of legislation seeking to prohibit counties, municipalities or political subdivisions from implementing eviction moratoriums unless explicitly allowed by state law. The legislation passed out of the chamber with a vote of 111-26. Supporters argued that eviction moratoriums infringe on property rights and disrupt contracts between landlords and tenants, emphasizing that eviction is governed by state law...
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Holly Thompson Rehder: Progress comes slow and steady (2/16/24)Progress comes slow and steady I hope you have enjoyed the springlike weather we got a blast of this week; I sure did! There was some sunshine in the Senate chamber as well, as we were finally able to discuss pieces of legislation on the floor. It was brief, but it was good to see some return to the process that will enable our proposed policies to move forward...
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Rich Lowry: The elderly-man-with-a-poor-memory presidency (2/14/24)28Joe Biden is the first official ever to be cleared by a special counsel for reasons of mental incompetence. The president might have been better off if special counsel Robert Hur, investigating his mishandling of classified documents, had simply recommended indicting him instead of spelling out why a jury would not convict someone so clearly out of it...
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Kathryn Lopez: Of service and celebration (2/14/24)It's near-impossible to walk the streets of Manhattan -- or any other major American city -- without running into a woman on the sidewalk begging for money. She may have a sign that she is a mother, explaining how many children she has. She may have a child or two right there with her...
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Jason Smith: Tax relief for Missouri’s working-class families (2/14/24)3Tax relief for Missouri's working-class families When my colleagues selected me to lead the Ways and Means Committee in Congress, which has responsibility for writing our tax laws, I promised that my number one priority would be looking out for the interests of working-class Americans, small businesses, and family farmers. ...
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Veronique de Rugy: The CFPB is putting our banking arrangements at risk (2/13/24)2Nobody likes paying fees. A fee, however, is a transparent way to reflect the price of something. And in a market economy, prices convey vital information that consumers and producers use to make good decisions. A rise in the price of apples tells producers that consumers want more apples. This prompts more apple production (and eventually, lower prices). And so, when political interference keeps prices from fluctuating freely, the result is inefficiency and waste...
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Betsy McCaughey: Dems roll out welcome mat for world's criminals (2/12/24)6Maria Manaura, who's been arrested at least eight times in the six months since she arrived in New York City from Venezuela, is living at Row NYC Hotel, once hailed for its unbeatable Times Square location and front-row view of the theater district. Now it's drug-infested and violent, but still costs taxpayers $500 a night for each of the 1,300 rooms given over to migrants...
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A review of Gov. Parson's state of the state address (2/12/24)12Greetings from Jefferson City! I hope this update finds you and your family doing well and in good health! Session started this year on Jan. 3, and has been slow to get started. As some of you have read, there have been some interesting "differences of opinion" in the Senate that slowed some work getting accomplished. ...
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Star Parker: Progressive Black pastors misguided on war in Gaza (2/10/24)3Some 1,000 Black pastors nationwide are reported to have weighed-in to pressure President Joe Biden to force a cease fire in the war in Gaza. According to one pastor, the war "has evoked the kind of deep-seated angst among Black people that I have not seen since the civil rights movement."...
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Victor Davis Hanson: The absurd Democrat border con (2/10/24)7In 2021, President Joe Biden opened wide an inherited, secure southern border that had finally stopped mass illegal immigration. When he overturned former President Donald Trump's efforts, a planned flood of over 8 million illegal immigrants entered the U.S...
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Michael Reagan: Joe Biden's deterioration should be off stage (2/10/24)4Videos of Joe Biden not knowing where he is or saying he just met with a French president who died 25 years ago are not so funny anymore. They're tragic. And I can't help feeling embarrassed and sorry for the president. It angers me to see him dodder out in public almost every other day and make a mumbling and confused fool of himself...
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Bonnie Jean Feldkamp: Teen dating isn't really the best practice for adult relationships (2/10/24)Valentine's Day is upon us, and my son is gearing up for a "friendship party" with his second grade class. I love this view of the day. The focus on friendship has a longer view on love than the pressure of passion with hearts and flowers. Our son is only 8 years old. ...
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House passes tax credit package to boost childcare (2/10/24)2The Missouri House worked quickly to move a tax credit package aimed at addressing the state's childcare crisis. The House this week passed a plan with a vote of 113-39 to provide tax credits to childcare providers, donors to daycare centers, and businesses who help to cover the childcare costs of their employees as a solution to the ongoing workforce crisis while also serving as an economic development tool for the state...
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Jonah Goldberg: Why Biden might beat Trump despite abysmal job approval rating (2/9/24)43There's bad news and good news for those who want to see Joe Biden win in 2024 (or who really just want to see Donald Trump lose). The bad news is that in the era of modern polling, no president has ever won re-election with approval ratings as low at this point in their first term. ...
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Our southern border is worth defending (2/7/24)14I believe President Donald Trump got it right when he stated, “A nation without borders is not a nation.” That is why I testified in front of the United States House’s Committee on Homeland Security in favor of impeaching DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas for his refusal to secure the southern border. My understanding of border security comes from direct experience securing a nation’s border. It was earned on a barren desert battlefield half a world away from the turret of an M2 Bradley Fighting Vehicle. In 2005, as a newly minted 2nd Lieutenant, my platoon deployed to Nineveh Province, Iraq, under the command of then-Colonel H.R. McMaster and was tasked with securing the border between Iraq and Syria. Our mission was simple: close the border. And that’s exactly what we did. We did not capture people and release them into the interior of the country. We did not hand out citations and ask folks to report back in 10 years. We closed the border to ensure the country was safe. Since 2021, more than eight million illegal immigrants have entered the United States. That is more than the population of Missouri. These numbers are not an accident. There is only one reason eight million people illegally cross a sovereign nation’s border: because they know they can get away with it. In the years of Secretary Mayorkas’ reign, there has been an orchestrated lack of enforcement of our nation’s immigration laws. That failure has not only led to impeachment proceedings against Mayorkas; it has given rise to an unprecedented level of state actions necessary to fill the vacuum created by the Secretary’s ineptitude. My office has been on the front lines of the battle to secure our southern border. In FY 2020, Congress appropriated funds explicitly for the purpose of constructing barrier systems at the southern border to keep illegal immigrants out of our country. In the appropriation, Congress explicitly stated the money “shall only be available for construction of barrier systems along the southwest border.” Secretary Mayorkas refused to comply with Congress’ command. Missouri immediately filed suit. The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that states can bring a challenge against the federal government for abdicating its responsibility at the border. That ruling cleared the way for our lawsuit against the Secretary’s refusal to finish President Donald Trump’s border wall to move forward. We also filed suit against Mayorkas for allowing hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants to be “paroled” into the United States every year without congressional authorization. Parole allows noncitizens to physically enter and remain in the United States without lawful status for several years while their application is reviewed. We also filed suit to halt Mayorkas’ attempt to implement a rule that redefined what had previously been considered illegal border crossings as “lawful pathways.” Rather than acknowledge the root cause of the influx of illegal immigrants poring over our border, the Secretary tried to define the problem away by simply making something that was once illegal into something legal. Mayorkas’ “process” would allow vast numbers of illegal immigrants to enter the country and receive instant work authorization under bogus asylum claims. Mayorkas has enacted illegal policies that are akin to posting a “Come In, We’re Open” sign along the southern border. States are then forced to bear the enormous cost of Secretary Mayorkas’ failure, despite it not being the states’ responsibility to do the federal government’s job for them. Secretary Mayorkas swore an oath to faithfully execute the laws of our land, and is refusing to do so. In Missouri, we remove officials who do not do their jobs because we have seen firsthand the catastrophic toll it takes on entire communities. I ousted a Soros-backed prosecutor from office because her refusal to do her job resulted in the killing and maiming of countless Missourians. Since we took action, order has been restored to the City of St. Louis. Congress must remove a government official who refuses to do his job for the same reason: to restore order. We have reached a point of “no-return.” My office is doing everything we can at the state level to rectify this appalling situation, but Congress has a role to play in restoring accountability. While we battle in the nation’s courts, Congress must use every tool at its disposal to obtain accountability for the American people. If we can send American troops overseas to secure a nation’s border, we can surely secure our own. Andrew Bailey is a combat veteran and 44th Attorney General of the State of Missouri.
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Rich Lowry: Kids shouldn’t be on social media at all (2/7/24)2Mark Zuckerberg is very sorry. His apology at a Senate hearing to the families of victims of online child sex abuse was dramatic, and the human thing to do in the moment, although he was pressured into it under persistent questioning from Sen. Josh Hawley, a Republican from Missouri. Zuckerberg’s contrition — whether real, fake or somewhere in between — doesn’t really matter one way or the other, though. The key question is why we are subjecting our children to a vast, real-time experiment in exposure to a radically new medium that evidence suggests is harmful to their emotional and mental health. This dubious venture is unquestionably a boon to the bottom line of Meta and its peer companies, but it’s doubtful that any parent in America has ever thought it was good for their kid. “Gosh, how can I get my tween to spend more time on Instagram?” is, needless to say, a thought most parents don’t have. Social scientist Jonathan Haidt has been on this case for some time now and points out a marked increase in teen depression and anxiety that coincides with the rise of social media, particularly among girls. It is, to be sure, difficult to nail down with absolute certainty a direct relationship between social media and these distressing outcomes, but many studies find a connection, and the lived experiences of families is, overwhelmingly, that the takeover of adolescence by social media hasn’t been a healthy phenomenon. At the very least, social media is addictive and represents an opportunity cost compared to time that could be spent talking with friends, going outside or even reading a book. Congress should press the brakes on the revolution that has given Mark Zuckerberg and other tech titans an outsized role in raising our kids and require that users of social media be age 18 or older. Surely, it’s not too much to ask that Zuckerberg and Co. make their fortunes exclusively off adults. Congress has already imposed an age limit, just in the wrong place. The Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act prevents the companies from collecting personal information from children under age 13, effectively prohibiting them from social media. But 13 draws the line much too young. Regardless, the companies have been happy to make a mockery of the rule. About 40% of kids age 8-12 use social media, while usage by teens age 13-18 is nearly ubiquitous. For social-media companies, these kids are just another market. According to a Wall Street Journal report a couple of years ago, “Inside the company, teams of employees have for years been laying plans to attract preteens that go beyond what is publicly known, spurred by fear that Facebook could lose a new generation of users critical to its future.” Let’s say the research and everyone’s intuition is wrong, and social media isn’t driving worse outcomes for kids. What’s the harm in staying off social media until they’re older? That kids will miss out on the latest absurd and perhaps dangerous TikTok trend? That they won’t get to envy people posting photos on Instagram to make themselves look more interesting and beautiful than they really are? That they will talk to their families and friends more and engage in more activities in the real world? As Yuval Levin of the American Enterprise Institute points out, there are ways to put teeth in a more stringent age restriction, create a reliable mechanism for age verification, and give those parents who desperately want their young kids on social media a way to opt in. Once every teen isn’t on social media, it becomes easier to stop teens from using social media. Perhaps, over time, it will become clear that the teen mental health crisis wasn’t driven by social media and — more improbably — being on TikTok is good for 15-year-olds. If so, we can go back and repeal the age-18 restriction — and apologize, if we must, to Mark Zuckerberg.
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Kathryn Lopez: 'The Chosen' carries a valuable message (2/6/24)"Our hearts are so tender. All of our emotions right at the surface. Laughter. Tears. Closer than ever." That line is spoken in the new season of "The Chosen." If you haven't heard of it yet, do consider going to see it. While previous seasons of the show have streamed, this new installment will be showing in theaters...
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Jason Smith: The invasion at the southern border (2/6/24)16Right now, our nation is facing an unprecedented border crisis. In just December alone, more than 300,000 illegal immigrants were caught trying to cross our southern border -- the most ever in one month and a 300% increase from December 2020 when President Donald Trump was in office. In total, there have been more than 10 million illegal border entries under President Joe Biden...
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Veronique de Rugy: Why keep worrying about debt? Speculation versus reality (2/5/24)Over the years, I've offered many explanations about why the trajectory of the national debt is deeply troubling. At this point, though, my worry isn't rooted in a dogmatic adherence to the principles of a balanced budget. Nor does it come from my desire for a smaller government. Instead, I'm alarmed by politicians' unwillingness to look at the numbers and have a serious discussion about changing course...
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Holly Thompson Rehder: Embracing life-giving alternative treatments (2/5/24)Winter weather added to the obstacles that are currently facing potential progress for legislation during the 2024 legislative session. The Missouri Senate closed and canceled several hearings and action on the floor Jan. 22 due to the ice that covered many roadways across the state...
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Bonnie Jean Feldkamp: Do MRIs freak you out? They used to scare me too, but then I learned this (2/5/24)I didn't know I was claustrophobic until I had to get an MRI of my knee when I was 32. The technician pushed the button that eased me into the tube, and all seemed to be going well, until a few minutes into it I felt my heart rate increase and proceeded to have a full-blown panic attack...
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Michael Reagan: It's always Trump's fault, right? (2/3/24)27It's a good thing Donald Trump doesn't own one of the Super Bowl teams. If he did, people would already be rioting in the streets of Las Vegas, demanding that the NFL call off next weekend's big game. The liberal media would be cheering on the rioters, as usual...
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Star Parker: Freedom is not free (2/3/24)2One picture worth a thousand words is a graph on the U.S. Department of Defense website showing U.S. annual Defense spending as a percentage of GDP, going back to 1953. Two things jump out. First, the lowest over the 70-year period was in 1999, at the end of the Clinton administration, when it stood at 2.7%. This is a little more than half the previous low, which stood at 4.5% 20 years earlier, in 1979...
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Jonah Goldberg: Trump's rants about NATO are making the U.S. weaker (2/3/24)2On Sept. 12, 2001, 24 hours after the 9/11 attacks, representatives of the then-19- member North Atlantic Treaty Organization, convened to invoke Article 5 of the NATO charter, which holds that an "armed attack" on one member "shall be considered an attack against them all." This was the first and only time Article 5 has ever been put into effect. For the next two decades NATO forces fought with us in Afghanistan and elsewhere...
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Betsy McCaughey: Yes, America is being invaded (2/2/24)4Across the globe, hostile nations like Russia are using migration as a weapon of war. War is being waged with migrants, instead of tanks, to destabilize and even bankrupt a country and facilitate terrorists attacks from within. Migration is being used to attack Finland, Italy, France, Poland and -- no surprise -- America. But the Biden administration is asleep at the switch, oblivious to the threat...
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Jason Smith: Fighting to deliver pro-growth, pro-family and pro-America tax reform (2/1/24)25After President Donald Trump took office in 2017, he and I worked hand-in-hand to put together a tax reform bill that would put American workers, families, farmers, and small businesses first. What we came up with was the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA), landmark legislation that led to a nearly 5% increase in wages for American workers, a full 1% increase in economic growth over the average of the previous decade, and the lowest unemployment and poverty rates in 50 years...
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Rich Lowry: 'Masters of the Air' does a public service (2/1/24)3Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks have once again done a public service. Like "Band of Brothers" and "The Pacific" before it, the new series "Masters of the Air" is a profound act of devotion to the memory of the men who won World War II, this time focused on the air war in Europe...
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Kathryn Lopez: Tragedy and inspiration in D.C. (1/31/24)The last thing Ryan Realbuto did in his life on earth was praise God. He did this the Thursday before the New Hampshire primary and the day before the March for Life -- just before the 23-year-old was shot in Washington, D.C. I have no idea if Realbuto was planning on going to the annual pro-life celebration I was in D.C. ...
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House pushing legislation through committee hearings (1/30/24)4Inclement weather once again proved to be an issue, forcing House committees to cancel on the first day of the week, but members of the House managed to make up some of the work in the following days. As the Missouri Senate faces gridlock, more than two dozen House committees met this week, holding public hearings for more than 50 bills and voting on more than two dozen more. Here is a breakdown on some of the bills heard in committee this week:...
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Rich Lowry: Will Margot Robbie survive? (1/30/24)4Sometimes the universe has a sense of humor. Could there be a more amusing coda to the "Barbie" phenomenon than the Ken doll, played by Ryan Gosling, getting a best supporting actor nomination, while Barbie herself, played by Margot Robbie, got snubbed?...
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Bonnie Jean Feldkamp: If you have a lot to teach, you probably have a lot to learn (1/29/24)An intern is working with me for the spring semester. This is new for my department as the opinion editor. We get newsroom and photography interns every year. But opinion journalism is a different beast, and journalism is a fast-moving, ever-changing industry thanks to the internet. ...
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Michael Reagan: We need a leader in the White House, not a Biden (1/29/24)25Our belated and weak response to the missile attacks on merchant ships in the Red Sea by Houthi militants has been embarrassing. But that's what happens when there's no strong leader in the White House. Watching Joe Biden and his inept state department screw up everything they try to do in Ukraine and the Middle East reminds me of something I saw my father do in his first year in office...
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Star Parker: Social Security: A broken socialist dinosaur (1/27/24)4It seems many still harbor, or want to perpetuate, the illusion that our Social Security system is not in trouble. Let me quote here from a news release from the Social Security Administration released March 31, 2023: "The Social Security Board of Trustees today released its annual report on the financial status of the Social Security Trust Funds. ...
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911 systems are a great opportunity for local government cooperation (1/27/24)Throughout Missouri, local governments are improving services and saving tax dollars by consolidating 911 systems. The change would benefit the residents of Perry and St. Francois counties. There is probably no better opportunity for counties and municipalities to share services and save tax money than in emergency 911 dispatching services. ...
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Rich Lowry: Joe Biden's confounding failure to address border (1/27/24)2There's a lively internal debate in the GOP about the politics of a potential immigration deal with Joe Biden. Should Republicans, as Donald Trump is arguing, steer clear and let President Biden continue to bear the political costs of the border crisis? Or should they move the ball on policy as much as possible, even if it somewhat alleviates Biden's difficulty going into the election?...
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Veronique de Rugy: Embracing economic freedom: Lessons from Javier Milei's world economic forum address (1/26/24)In a thrilling address at the World Economic Forum, Javier Milei, President of Argentina, presented a robust defense of capitalism and a critical examination of all forms of collectivism. His speech, rich in historical context and economic analysis, offers some vital lessons that are particularly relevant for today's globalized economy. Sadly, these lessons have long been ignored by American politicians on the right and left, whether in Washington or on the campaign trail...
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Betsy McCaughey: Pro-migrant dems playing Russian roulette with our safety (1/26/24)4If you're rushing to the airport and forget your photo ID, good luck being allowed on the plane. But many migrants without "an acceptable form of identification," according to airport signs, don't need a photo. They get special treatment. Migrants who have entered the country using President Joe Biden's new CBP (Customs and Border Protection) One app -- about 422,000 of them -- can fly domestically without photo ID...
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Rich Lowry: John Fetterman cracks the code (1/25/24)2John Fetterman, as someone put it, is doing a Bulworth in reverse. Bulworth was a fictional California senator in the 1990s movie of the same name who suddenly abandoned his establishment politics for an outspoken leftism, and all ended happily ever after...
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Holly Thompson Rehder: The rest of the story (1/25/24)3This past week brought the early process of the legislative session to a bit of a fork in the road. Do we, the lawmakers of this state, want to trust the process that has worked for generations, get to work and pass laws that can make people's lives better? Or do we want to slide into chaos that will lead to one of the most unproductive sessions in the history of the Missouri Legislature?...
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Rich Lowry: Jack Smith is an arsonist (1/24/24)23Jack Smith is a threat to American democracy. He is blatantly seeking, as a prosecutor, to influence the outcome of the 2024 election. This is not his role and, in fact, is against Justice Department guidelines. If Smith succeeds, the consequences will be long-lasting -- the special counsel will have delivered a devastating blow to the legitimacy of our electoral system, in the name of defending it...
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Bonnie Jean Feldkamp: There's next-level humanity in remote work and I am here for it (1/24/24)The polar vortex struck this week and blew my whole week sideways. School was canceled for my son but included homework packets to complete during the days off. I'm grateful that my job is one I can do from home. In fact, I work from home most days. But my new intern started this week, and I had been looking forward to getting him started in a way that did not include the chaos of my 8-year-old also needing help with remote learning...
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Kathryn Lopez: Marching for life (1/24/24)3Washington, D.C. "My mother told me that she tried to induce a miscarriage by jumping off chairs and trunks." The late former New York City Mayor Ed Koch wrote this 1989. He explained that she had told him she had several abortions in her life. "We were very poor. The prospect of another mouth to feed posed serious problems," he wrote...
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Stacy Kinder: A review of the City of Cape's accomplishments from 2023 (1/23/24)9I've asked our City of Cape Girardeau department directors and chiefs to share some highlights in their respective departments from 2023 for the community. I received information on a wide variety of services and work conducted by our city administration, employees and contracted partners in 2023, and what follows here is an abbreviated list:...
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Veronique de Rugy: Don't let interest costs derail your presidential plans (1/22/24)2Remember when Republicans on the campaign trail would talk about how they would make sure to put the U.S. on a fiscally sane path? I miss that time. While a few of the current crop have paid lip service to the idea of constraining spending, no one seems to have a clear plan about how to do it...
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Victor Davis Hanson: The hysterical style in American politics (1/22/24)2The post-Joe McCarthy era and the candidacy of Barry Goldwater once prompted liberal political scientist Richard Hofstadter to chronicle a supposedly long-standing right-wing "paranoid style" of conspiracy-fed extremism. But far more common, especially in the 21st century, has been a left-wing, hysterical style of inventing scandals and manipulating perceived tensions for political advantage...
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Rich Lowry: What Democrats will never do to defend democracy (1/20/24)17Joe Biden went to Valley Forge to give a big speech telling us how much he cares about defending democracy against the threat represented by Donald Trump. How much does President Biden care? Enough to give a speech defending democracy, one of what's sure to be many if Trump is his opponent...
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Star Parker: Abortion, sacred truths and politics (1/20/24)4Speaking in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, on Jan. 6, President Biden said that the 2024 election is about whether "democracy" is "still America's sacred cause." But is democracy "sacred?" Is the process by which we make choices "sacred," or is what we choose "sacred?"...
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Jonah Goldberg: Biden is late but right to strike against Yemen's Houthis (1/20/24)With the possible exception of fights over the national debt and Supreme Court nominations, there is no topic that arouses more partisan hypocrisy than presidential use of military force. And globally, there is no issue that arouses more hypocrisy than Israel. Put them together and you have a perfect storm of double standards...
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Betsy McCaughey: Homeless people do not have a 'right' to camp in squalor and invade our neighborhoods (1/19/24)4Tired of stepping over needles and human waste, and navigating around half-conscious addicts and homeless encampments? You're not alone. Most decent, hardworking people want clean sidewalks for getting to work and walking their kids to school. But cities are legally barred from cleaning up homeless encampments. Advocates went to court and won rulings, guaranteeing homeless people almost unfettered freedom to set up tents and live in the rough, your health and safety be damned...
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Holly Thompson Rehder: Hearings underway and seeing laws implemented (1/17/24)The second week of the legislative session has brought some really good discussion on the Senate floor and the start of committee hearings, meaning legislation is now moving forward. On Thursday, one of the discussions that took place was regarding an issue that I have seen increasingly come up over the last few years, concerning boards, commissions and other bureaucratic entities finding ways around implementing legislation that is passed by the General Assembly and signed by the governor...
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Jason Smith: Combating antisemitism on campus (1/17/24)6During a recent congressional hearing exploring how deep anti-Jewish feelings run on college campuses, the presidents of Harvard, MIT, and Pennsylvania were called on to denounce calls for genocide against the Jewish people occurring at their institutions. ...
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Victor Davis Hanson: Biden 'saves' democracy by destroying it (1/17/24)4When faced with the possible return of former President Donald Trump, the current agenda of the Democratic Party is summed up simply as "We had to destroy democracy to save it." The effort shares a common theme: Any means necessary are justified to prevent the people from choosing their own president, given the fear that a majority might vote to elect Trump...
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Kathryn Lopez: The other side of surrogacy (1/16/24)4Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg tweeted a photo from a hospital bed in August 2021. He and his husband, Chasten, were fully dressed, holding their new twins. The human response is to wish them all the best. At the same time, it can't be forgotten that there is someone missing from the photo. We, as a culture, can't erase the birth mother. And yet we do...
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Bonnie Jean Feldkamp: Parents should foster decision-making in teens to help them practice 'adulting' (1/15/24)Rebellion is an adolescent's inarticulate way of saying, "I want control." Parents can support that quest for control within clear boundaries of what is safe and what is legal. Rebellion is a good thing, and it's also a key part of developing the critical thinking skills a person needs to successfully "adult". The key is a secure environment where mistakes can be made with the support of an adult who loves them...
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Betsy McCaughey: Antisemitism from the Left (1/15/24)13Jews are feeling increasingly afraid and unwelcome. Recently, girls on the basketball team of a Jewish private school in suburban Hartsdale, New York, were jabbed and hit with antisemitic slurs by players from Yonkers' Roosevelt High School. "I support Hamas, you (expletive) Jew," a Roosevelt player snarled. The game had to be called off in the third quarter, and the Jewish girls needed school security to help them leave...
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Holly Thompson Rehder: The Missouri legislative session begins (1/13/24)19Now that the 2024 legislative session has begun, I wanted to take a moment to say how honored I am to be your voice and conduit in state government. Our office works very hard to make sure our people are cared for all year long; it is of utmost importance to me. During session, I will also be working on policy changes that better the lives of all Missourians...
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Veronique de Rugy: Populist politicians aren't so divided on economic issues (1/13/24)The political landscape is often portrayed as deeply polarized. The two sides, it is said, can't agree on anything. Even worse, if one side supports a position, that's reason enough for the other to oppose it. While this picture is largely true for cultural issues, the rise of populism on the right is making some of the two parties' economic policies remarkably similar. That's bad news for Americans...
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Rich Lowry: The AWOL Defense Secretary (1/13/24)3Anyone following how weak and passive the U.S. has been in the face of provocations from our adversaries in the Middle East might conclude that the secretary of defense has gone missing. And, at least for a few days last week, he literally was. In an age when it's nearly impossible to go off the grid, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin managed it. ...
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