Politics
Trump’s anti‑Venezuela actions lack strategy, justifiable targets and legal authorization
President Trump OK’d a naval buildup in the Caribbean, strikes on boats in international waters and covert operations in Venezuela. A military analyst can’t see a coherent strategy or objective.
Operational secrecy kept the US from making evacuation plans – and that means Americans in the Mideast could wait days
A longtime diplomat explains how the State Department normally encourages and helps Americans to leave countries amid political instability and war – which didn’t happen over the last week.
Is it ‘Ih‑ran’ or ‘E‑ron’? Inside the politics of pronunciation
Both President Trump and Vice President Vance pronounce Iran as ‘Ih-RAN,’ not ‘Ih-RON.’ A linguist says that how the country’s name is pronounced may be a political choice.
War on Iran during nuclear negotiations undermines the US’s ability to talk peace around the world − and the effects won’t end when Trump leaves office
Conducting military strikes against a nation that is engaged in negotiations to reduce its nuclear capacity has set a dangerous precedent.
Overconfidence is how wars are lost − lessons from Vietnam, Afghanistan and Ukraine for the war in Iran were ignored
The Trump administration’s miscalculation of Iran is the latest entry in an old and lethal tradition in international politics: the catastrophic gap between what leaders believe and what war delivers.
What Detroit can learn from participatory budgeting processes in NYC, Boston and Brazil
Participatory budgeting makes the people involved more likely to vote – an important consideration in a city like Detroit where many don’t.
How Pennsylvania’s new paid leave bill leaves the sandwich generation behind
Pennsylvania’s proposed paid leave may not be enough for sandwich generation caregivers, who are raising children and supporting aging parents.
What to do if someone you know in Philadelphia or elsewhere is detained by ICE
Pennsylvania’s patchwork of ICE detention centers makes it difficult to track loved ones.
‘Affordable’ Pittsburgh doesn’t have enough affordable housing – here’s why
For a quarter of its residents, Pittsburgh isn’t an affordable place to live. A contested housing policy is at the center of efforts to change that.
US refugee policy for white South Africans is part of a century‑long effort to keep some English‑speaking nations white
Australia, Canada and the US identified themselves as ‘white men’s countries’ in the early 20th century and coordinated immigration restrictions to keep them that way.