5+ day, 19+ hour ago   (267+ words) Trump administration officials are facing sharp criticism for lying –or making what economists and government watchdogs politely describe as “misleading claims”– about the nation’s $40 trillion federal debt.Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent recently claimed, “There’s nothing magic about the $40 trillion number,…...

6+ day, 15+ hour ago   (1742+ words) By James J. Devine If loose lips sink ships, a president with a few loose screws can probably flounder the entire fleet. And what are we to make of the men and women in Washington who watch this happening—who see…...

1+ week, 4+ day ago   (1316+ words) The Trump administration is telling some Americans abroad that they cannot get on a commercial airplane to come home. Under extraordinary travel restrictions imposed in response to the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, U.S. citizens and nationals…...

1+ week, 5+ day ago   (1602+ words) By James J. Devine The United States celebrated its 250th birthday this year with fireworks, flags, military flyovers, and solemn speeches about liberty and peace. The fireworks, at least, were historically appropriate. America was born shooting and for most of the quarter-millennium…...

2+ week, 2+ day ago   (549+ words) The move, which targets a volunteer-run group that provides encrypted email and web hosting to activists, marks a sharp escalation in the use of post-9/11 counterterrorism tools against domestic political opponents—and has drawn fierce criticism from civil liberties advocates....

3+ week, 3+ day ago   (638+ words) By James J. Devine The Strategic Petroleum Reserve has plunged to levels not seen since the Carter administration as the Trump administration’s disastrous conflict with Iran continues to drain the nation of blood, treasure, and its emergency energy reserves. Official data…...

3+ week, 4+ day ago   (674+ words) The yield on the 30-year Treasury bond, which acts as the gravitational pull on everything from business loans to the monthly mortgage bill of a family in Ohio, on Monday reached 5.29%, its highest mark since 2007. The global bond selloff intensified…...