The Obama administration has unveiled its Clean Power Plan, a set of mandates that will require states to sharply reduce their carbon emissions by 2022. Not surprisingly, there is strong opposition, most especially politicians and businesses from coal-producing states. But environmentalists are praising the “bold” new rules, which are expected to spark a series of lawsuits.
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Climate Change Plan Invites Praise, Criticism
Posted August 3rd, 2015 at 12:34 pm (UTC-4)
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Cecil and the Lion Hunter
Posted July 31st, 2015 at 12:25 pm (UTC-4)
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The killing of Cecil the lion is stirring emotions and opinions worldwide. Social media is naming and shaming the American hunter. Animal rights advocates are mobilized while anti-abortion advocates say liberals are hypocrites. Democrats point fingers at Republicans over lax U.S. laws and can anyone get a fair trial in Zimbabwe?
Iran Nuclear Deal: The Alternatives
Posted July 30th, 2015 at 2:30 pm (UTC-4)
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Ever since the US-led nuclear deal with Iran was announced, the Obama administration has answered critics by arguing there is no better alternative. Here we present the views of several columnists and their proposed alternatives to the landmark agreement, which still must be approved by the US Congress.
Blunt and Bipartisan: Is Ohio’s Kasich a Republican Bellwether?
Posted July 29th, 2015 at 4:37 pm (UTC-4)
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He is the 16th – but not the last – Republican to enter the race to make a bid for the White House in 2016. Despite an impressive and productive two terms as Governor of Ohio, a key battleground state in the general elections, Kasich faces an uphill battle to gain name recognition and raise money. The governor is so late in declaring that he may be barred from participating in the very first Republican debate in his home state of Ohio.
Suspicions Surround Turkey’s Escalation Against Islamic State
Posted July 28th, 2015 at 3:20 pm (UTC-4)
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A day after reaching a deal with the United States to step up its military campaign against ISIS, Turkey pounded Kurdish and Islamic State targets. The move immediately prompted skepticism about Ankara’s true intention in signing the pact, which allows the US to use its bases in Turkey against ISIS in both Iraq and Syria. Critics of Prime Minister Erdogan say it’s all a ruse to conduct raids on Kurdish separatists, who observers agree are critical to ousting IS militants in the region. Obama pushed hard to get Turkish involvement, but it remains to be seen if the new cooperation will bear fruit over the long-term.
Will Obama’s Africa Tour Dispel Disengagement Narrative?
Posted July 27th, 2015 at 3:33 pm (UTC-4)
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The conventional wisdom on President Barack Obama’s engagement with Africa is largely critical – his predecessor did so much more. Africans love Obama nonetheless, observers say. This trip includes some firsts: Obama will be the first sitting American president to address the African Union in Ethiopia, where he has already boldly called for political freedoms. And in Kenya, his father’s homeland, he spoke frankly about gay rights and corruption.
US Gun Policy Obama’s Biggest Regret
Posted July 24th, 2015 at 2:24 pm (UTC-4)
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Just hours after President Obama spoke with BBC, a gunman opened fire at a movie theater in Louisiana, killing two people before shooting himself. It was the latest in a string of gun violence in the US: from the massacre of nine people in a famed black church in South Carolina to the shooting deaths of over 20 young children at Sandy Hook Elementary School in 2012.
Trump Courts Controversy, Becoming Republican Frontrunner
Posted July 21st, 2015 at 4:01 pm (UTC-4)
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Mexican immigrants, a widely-respected American war hero and a high-profile senator: business mogul and Republican presidential nominee contender Donald Trump has unapologetically insulted them all. Meanwhile, his popularity has soared, putting Trump ahead of all other Republican 2016 hopefuls. What’s going on here? Some observers are calling for his head. Others are praising his political acumen.
Scott Walker Looks to Make Himself in Reagan’s Image
Posted July 20th, 2015 at 2:29 pm (UTC-4)
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An avowed “Reagan Republican,” some have pinned their hopes of a less fractious and more moderate party on Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker, who has joined the 2016 Republican primary race. Others call him an “ultra-conservative.” Either way, Walker has already been accused of flip-flopping on controversial issues like immigration and gays in the Boy Scouts.
Iran Deal: Victory for Diplomacy or Sign of Shrinking Influence?
Posted July 16th, 2015 at 11:41 am (UTC-4)
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A day after announcing a historic nuclear deal with Iran, President Obama held an hour-long press conference, primarily to lobby for controversial pact, which Congress must approve. While some are hailing the deal as Obama’s crowning diplomatic achievement, his remarks left others with the impression that US global influence is waning.
Parsing the Iran Deal
Posted July 15th, 2015 at 3:23 pm (UTC-4)
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A full court press is on from all perspectives of the Iran nuclear deal. President Obama held a news conference Wednesday and sent Vice President Biden to Capitol Hill to try to gain supporters for the deal. Republican criticism of the deal continues and some Democrats are voicing concerns, if not outright rejection. Most Democrats are holding their opinions until they see all the deal’s details. Many are already finding devils within those details.
Deal With Iran: The Reaction
Posted July 14th, 2015 at 12:45 pm (UTC-4)
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The ink was hardly dry on the deal negotiated by the P5+1 and Iran to limit Iran’s nuclear program before critics and supporters weighed in on its merits. Once the agreement makes its way to Congress, it has 60 days to vote up or down on it. If Congress rejects it, President Obama says he will veto that rejection, forcing Congress to come up with a two-thirds majority to override.
Historical Perspectives of the Confederate Flag, Civil War
Posted July 13th, 2015 at 2:43 pm (UTC-4)
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It is fitting that during the 150th anniversary of the end to the U.S. Civil War, Americans are debating the display of one of that war’s most controversial symbols: the Confederate battle flag. It’s removal Friday from the grounds of South Carolina’s capital has stoked passions on both sides of the issue, who cite “history” to sway opinion to their side.
Overtime in Vienna
Posted July 10th, 2015 at 1:31 pm (UTC-4)
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Talks between the P5+1 and Iran are now in quadruple overtime. The original deadline of June 30 to reach a comprehensive nuclear weapons deal has been extended for the third time on Friday. The British Foreign Secretary says progress is being made, but “it’s painfully slow.” US Secretary of State John Kerry said “we will not rush and we will not be rushed” into an agreement. With the world hanging on every drop of information, many have taken to reading the tea leaves from Vienna.