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‘Free from foreign intrusion’

John Sarbanes and Brian Frosh The Baltimore Sun On July 4, Americans of all political stripes join together to celebrate our nation’s independence from overseas monarchs, from foreign influence, from interference in our democracy. This is the moment to apply the lessons of 2016, when our election infrastructure — the core of American democracy — was attacked by a foreign adversary in a choreographed and coordinated effort. State and local election systems across the country were probed and, in some cases, breached. Outsiders exploited digital platforms to wage a ...

He’s not a babysitter, he’s a dad

My mom was a working mom before there were really working moms. She went back to school, got another degree in psychology and began a life of juggling her patients, her family and herself. But when I think of my childhood, I have far more memories of my dad. He was the one who taught me to catch, schlepped me to museums and incessantly quizzed and questioned me on the complexities of life. He did not want his daughters growing up dependent on anyone. Now that working moms are the norm, more dads are stepping up, and it’s a beautiful thing to watch. Today’s fathers, at least the ...

Amash’s concerns signal he’s not a ‘total loser’

PLYMOUTH NOTCH, Vt. Rep. Justin Amash has left the Republican Party and will now represent Michigan’s third congressional district as an Independent. In a Washington Post op-ed, he wrote: “I’ve become disenchanted with party politics and frightened by what I see from it. The two-party system has evolved into an existential threat to American principles and institutions.” Responding to Amash’s announcement, President Trump called him “a total loser” who was unlikely to win a primary election next year against a Republican challenger. No one is a total loser and ...

Agreement needs tires kicked

President Donald Trump would like to see the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement ratified without delay. It’s a bit like a used car salesperson giving you 10 minutes to accept the deal of the century. You may want to look under the hood and test-drive the vehicle first. USMCA is largely an updated and rebranded version of the 1993 North American Free Trade Agreement passed. That deal contributed to what the economist Joseph Stiglitz views as a defining national problem: “Stagnant or declining wages at the bottom, an eviscerated middle class, and top wages that are ...

Opening himself up to women’s stories

A few words about my sexism. Nerd that I am, I keep a book diary, i.e., a list of the 40 or 50 books I read and listen to yearly. In 2016, while perusing said list, I made a discovery that startled me: There were almost no women on it. That year, I plowed through 46 books by the likes of Stephen King, Walter Mosley, Bruce Springsteen and Carl Hiaasen. But the only woman was Tananarive Due — and she’s a friend. Intrigued, I checked my diaries for other years and most showed a similar result: 40 to 50 books, one to three of them by women. This bugged me, so I began talking ...

Beware of the predator in a cage next door

An Illinois woman and her child were recently injured after being attacked by an escaped pet caracal, a large exotic cat similar to a lynx. Both were hospitalized, and police killed the caracal. No doubt frightened, this wild animal experienced the briefest glimmer of freedom before officers were forced to take lethal action. There is not one legitimate reason why anyone “needs” to keep a tiger in a backyard pen, an alligator in a kiddie pool, a python in an aquarium or a bear in the basement. Like face tattoos, wild animals are procured for the “wow” factor, but the ...