Opinions
Sports writers could ditch the 'clown questions'
LeBron James had enough. During the press conference after Game 1 of the 2018 NBA finals, James was questioned repeatedly by ESPN’s Mark Schwartz about the mental state of teammate J.R. Smith, whose final-seconds rebounding blunder contributed to a Cleveland Cavaliers overtime loss. Over 70 seconds and four questions, Schwartz… Read
Is tax avoidance ethical? Asking on behalf of a few billionaire friends
Some of the U.S.‘s wealthiest individuals reportedly pay just a tiny fraction of the billions of dollars added annually to their fortunes in federal income tax – sometimes they pay nothing at all. Investigative journalism outlet ProPublica says it has obtained a “vast cache” of information from the Internal Revenue… Read
Go green or go bipartisan? Biden's big infrastructure choice
U.S. President Joe Biden’s hopes of channeling billions of dollars into green infrastructure investments to fight climate change are running into the political obstacle of winning over Republican lawmakers who oppose that approach as unnecessary, excessive spending. As negotiations unfold in Congress in search of a bipartisan deal, the White… Read
As more climate migrants cross borders seeking refuge, laws will need to adapt
Climate change is upending people’s lives around the world, but when droughts, floods or sea level rise force them to leave their countries, people often find closed borders and little assistance. Part of the problem is that today’s laws, regulations and international agreements about migrants, asylum-seekers and refugees offer few,… Read
U.S. Congress considers future of the military draft, while Supreme Court holds off
The Supreme Court has declined to hear arguments in the case of National Coalition for Men v. Selective Service System. In doing so, it acceded to the Biden administration’s wishes that it not address the question of whether women should join the millions of young men required to register each… Read
Jails emptied in the pandemic. Should they stay that way?
It wasn’t long after Matthew Reed shoplifted a $63 set of sheets from a Target in upstate New York that the coronavirus pandemic brought the world to a standstill. Instead of serving a jail sentence, he stayed at home, his case deferred more than a year, as courts closed and… Read
COVID origins mystery continues to spark speculation and tension
The coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 has scorched its way across the world killing millions and bringing economies to a standstill. But where exactly did it come from? With few clear answers, speculation has persisted since the beginning of the pandemic, spawning misinformation and conspiracy theories as well as sharp diplomatic tensions. Here… Read
What are the ethics of giving back money that doesn't belong to you?
In Monopoly, a player who draws the card that says “BANK ERROR IN YOUR FAVOR. COLLECT $200” gets to keep the money. But what happens when such a mistake occurs in real life? Kelyn Spadoni, a 911 dispatcher, recently received quite a bit more than the US$80 she was expecting… Read
Why ransomware is so dangerous and hard to stop
Recent high-profile “ransomware” attacks on the world’s largest meat-packing company and the biggest U.S. fuel pipeline have underscored how gangs of extortionist hackers can disrupt the economy and put lives and livelihoods at risk. Last year alone in the U.S., ransomware gangs hit more than 100 federal, state and municipal… Read
Trump's grip on GOP sparks fears about democratic process
Seven months after Election Day, former President Donald Trump's supporters are still auditing ballots in Arizona's largest county and may revive legislation that would make it easier for judges in Texas to overturn election results. In Georgia, meanwhile, the Republican-controlled state legislature passed a bill allowing it to appoint a… Read
