'A deck stacked heavily on the side of polluters'

Opinion, comment and editorials of the day

Young activists stage a protest in a COP28 conference venue as the UN Climate Change Conference comes to an end
(Image credit: Dominika Zarzycka / NurPhoto viaGetty Images)


BY HAROLD MAASS, THE WEEK US


'The U.N. has largely lost the confidence of youth climate advocates'

Michael E. Mann and Susan Joy Hassol in the Los Angeles Times

The selection of "a petro-state, the United Arab Emirates, to host" the COP28 climate summit was a "bad sign," said Michael E. Mann and Susan Joy Hassol in the Los Angeles Times. Climate activists were probably not surprised when negotiators dropped mention of "a 'phase out' of fossil fuels" from the meeting's statement. The COP process is "broken." We must "seize this moment" to fix it before the world barrels farther "down the road to ruin."


'Offering sliver of mercy'

Michelle Goldberg in The New York Times

Abortion ban exceptions are a sham, says Michelle Goldberg in The New York Times. That's clearer now after a Texas mother of two, Kate Cox, had to leave the state to get an abortion, even though doctors said her "much-wanted pregnancy was doomed due to a severe genetic disorder," and her "future fertility" was in jeopardy. Right-wing politicians "would rather inflict unimaginable suffering on women than relax the tiniest bit of control over their medical decisions."


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'Intelligence collection is a political responsibility of the government'

National Review editorial board

Congress must reauthorize Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, or FISA, says the National Review editorial board. The long-standing statutory provision, which lets the government monitor non-U.S. citizens abroad to protect national security, could use some reforms. The FBI has an "alarming record of misconduct and noncompliance with FISA rules." But this is the only framework we've got. "We cannot afford to shut it down in a dangerous world until we have something better."

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'President Biden has the perfect reason to bow out'

Albert R. Hunt in The Messenger

President Joe Biden has the "perfect" excuse to "bow out of the presidential race," says Albert R. Hunt in The Messenger. He can say he needs "to come to the aid of his troubled son, Hunter, who was just indicted for tax evasion." This would take "the punch" out of Republicans' "investigative witch-hunts" and cheer up Democrats "who are scared not only that Biden may lose but also that he might take them down with him."

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