By Mark Joseph Stern, Slate July 7, 2017 Kris Kobach wants to gut the Motor Voter Act. It says so on that piece of paper.Don Emmert/AFP/Getty Images On June 28, Kris Kobach asked every state to turn over a huge amount of voter data to Donald Trump’s “Election Integrity Commission.” Kobach, vice chair of the commission, was […]
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Recall Election Looms for Flint Mayor Karen Weaver
by Jiquanda Johnson, Flint Beat July 7, 2017 FLINT, MI — The Genesee County Clerk’s Office has approved more than 8,000 signatures collected by petitioners to force a recall election to unseat Flint Mayor Karen Weaver. Last month, Flint resident Arthur Woodson submitted 780 petition sheets to County Clerk John Gleason, who approved most of […]
Not Michigan’s Problem: Other States’ Budget Breakdowns
Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner Photo: Ryan Michlaesko/Associated Press Wall Street Journal Opinion July 4, 2017 Budget showdowns cast a pall over the holiday weekend in Connecticut, Illinois and New Jersey, and it couldn’t happen to a nicer group of politicians. While all dysfunctional governments are dysfunctional in their own way, the three blue states are […]
Schuette Shields School Indian Logos from State Penalties
by Jonathan Oosting, Detroit News Lansing Bureau July 6, 2017 Lansing — Michigan’s superintendent of public instruction does not have the legal authority to withhold state funds from public schools with Native American mascots or logos, according to Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette. State Superintendent Brian Whiston has proposed the penalties for schools that do […]
Huffington Post: Anger at NPR for Tweeting Declaration of Independence
by Huffington Post/RealClearStaff July 5, 2017 National Public Radio (NPR) tweeted the Declaration of Independence, and people got angry and confused. Many seemed to think the news organization was calling for a revolution against President Donald Trump. National Public Radio has been reading the Declaration of Independence on air every Fourth of July for the […]
Why Modern Mortar Crumbles, But Roman Concrete Lasts Forever
By Zahra Ahmad Real Clear Engineering July 3, 2017 Modern concrete—used in everything from roads to buildings to bridges—can break down in as few as 50 years. But thousands of years after the Roman Empire crumbled to dust, its concrete structures are still standing. Now, scientists have finally figured out why: a special ingredient that makes […]
Real Clear Life: How German Hot Dog Became Fourth of July American Icon
by Sean Cunningham July 4, 2017 It took two hundred years, but frankfurters have become essential to Independence Day. In some ways, we celebrate the Fourth of July very much like the Founding Fathers did. (Indeed, American University’s James R. Heintze locateda Virginia Gazette account of a 1777 celebration of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, already […]
Real Clear Science: Study Reveals the Best and Worst Smiles
By Ross Pomeroy July 3, 2017 Smiling is the quintessential facial expression. The simple gesture can communicate honesty, friendship, and positive intent. But as basic and important as smiling is to social creatures like ourselves, it’s surprisingly easy to screw up. A misfiring grin can manufacture feelings of unease and distrust. This conundrum prompts a question: […]
Rahm Emanuel: In Chicago, the Trains Actually Run on Time
The L, Chicago’s mass transit system, operating smoothly on Friday. Credit, Joshua Lott for The New York Times by Rahm Emanuel, Mayor of Chicago July 3, 2017 CHICAGO — On Thursday, in the wake of a subway derailment and an epidemic of train delays, Gov. Andrew Cuomo of New York declared a state of emergency for the […]
Investor’s Business Daily: As Illinois Goes Bankrupt, Michigan Embraces Bold Pension Reforms
July 3, 2017 Pensions: After years of overpromising and underperforming, state pensions face a yawning $1 trillion-plus funding gap. As states try to dig themselves out of this massive hole, they should look to the Great Lake State for a solution. For years, Michigan had been racking up pension liabilities for public school teachers that it […]