Majority opinion

The Biden presidency is a disappointment to Americans. That goes for people who voted for him—who thought he'd do a better job—and people who, even as they voted against him, did not believe he could make as much of a hash of things as he has. The list of problems is long and growing longer. More COVID-19 cases than there were under Donald Trump . Inflation like we haven't seen since the Carter years. Rapidly rising interest rates. Shortages. The debacle in Afghanistan. War in Ukraine. It's no wonder a growing majority of Americans say the country is headed in the wrong direction. According to a new Associated Press-NORC survey , 85 percent of American adults—including more than 7 in 10 Democrats—say the country is not on the right track. Almost two-thirds—60 percent—blame the president for that, with just 39 percent of those participating in the survey saying they approve of his overall presidential leadership. As if that were not bad enough, 69 percent of those surveyed, … [Read more...] about What kind of president do Republicans want? | Opinion

IF one is to believe the bulk of news stories, the typical American voters these days are affluent white mothers ("soccer moms") and fathers, living in the suburbs and probably involved in the information economy ("wired workers"), whose interest in government reflects their relatively privileged position: "No big programs, please, because we don't really need them, but little, cheap ones are okay, provided they target one of our few remaining problems." • "Soccer moms.... were America's most wanted voters, and their every wish turned up on some politician's list of promises: child tax credits, education tax breaks, scholarships, V-chips, school uniforms, longer childbirth stays, time off for teacher conferences, even a breast cancer web site. Some called it pandering, others family friendliness" ( USA Today, November 6, 1996). • "Wired workers are the wave of the future, political analysts say. Political parties will learn to surf the new demographics, or go under. Wired … [Read more...] about America’s Forgotten Majority

Washington — The Supreme Court on Thursday agreed to take up an elections case brought by North Carolina Republicans that could diminish the power of state courts to order changes to rules for federal elections and the redrawing of congressional districts approved by state lawmakers. The dispute involves the "independent state legislature" theory, which was invoked by Chief Justice William Rehnquist's concurring opinion in Bush v. Gore and raised by former President Donald Trump and Republicans during the 2020 presidential election. Under the theory, the Constitution grants state legislatures the sole authority to regulate federal elections in their states, without oversight from state courts. The dispute stems from the redistricting process undertaken by North Carolina's GOP-controlled General Assembly after the 2020 Census. New congressional lines adopted by the state legislature gave Republicans an advantage for 10 of the state's 14 House seats, but the state supreme court … [Read more...] about Supreme Court to hear major case over state legislatures’ power to set federal elections rules

Lucy Elwood is the chief executive of the Cancer Society. OPINION: From July 1, district health boards were gone. Health NZ and the Māori Health Authority commenced. They have bold goals. Yet hospital staff around the country have heard little about what life will be like for them under the new regime. Most staff have been told “it’s business as usual”. This is a worry. “Usual” is too many hospital services at breaking point. We have stretched doctors, stretched nurses, and a post-code lottery approach where the service you receive varies depending on where you live. READ MORE: Southern DHB cancer specialists have highest workload in NZ Dying cancer patients say they are waiting too long for diagnosis, treatments Concerns mount for those who won't be able to get screened for cancer at alert level 3 The Cancer Society knows New Zealanders want better cancer care. We acknowledge DHBs have tried to prioritise cancer, and we will be forever grateful to the … [Read more...] about The unfairness of cancer care highlights the challenges for Health NZ

WE have the most inclusive state broadcaster in the world. The citizens of China, who can basically only watch one channel, of pandas procreating, would kill for such diversity. ’Allo ’Allo , Dad’s Army and The Fresh Prince Of Bel Air , which all first aired on the Beeb , were given sensitivity warnings when they appeared on streaming services. Doctor Who’s Time Lord regenerated so much he became a she, and EastEnders sermonises so much about sexism it’s down to its last 27 viewers. A couple of years ago the Beeb considered banning the “colonial” song Rule, Britannia! from Last Night Of The Proms , and last week Aunty used the phrase “pregnant people” in its coverage of the (appalling) US ruling against abortions. Most recently, the BBC has hired non-binary inclusion consultants to teach staff there are at least 150 different genders. Employees are being urged to declare their pronouns on emails with a list which has expanded to include newly invented ones … [Read more...] about Our Auntie BBC loves all 150 genders… but not the over-60s

Dear British Government, why is everything so awful? That’s not a rhetorical question – the time for those is long gone so don’t even think about trundling Dominic Raab, like a suitcase full of own-brand Prosecco, in and out of the nation’s newsrooms to “explain”. If he winks again , I might dry heave. For the sake of simplicity, here are a few key areas of concern: no matter how hard our children study they won’t get a place at a half-decent university; GP numbers are plummeting faster than barristers’ morale ; fuel prices are rocketing; the Union is at grave risk; head teachers are bringing hot water round to families who can’t afford to boil the kettle; it would take too long to namecheck the sectors on strike and a baked bean war has broken out at Tesco . I’m not the ideological sort. I don’t care who’s in charge as long as the trains run (although for the record, I draw the red line at Mussolini). I’m agnostic about Heinz. If I have to rein in my monthly outlay on … [Read more...] about Britain is broken – but this is how it can be fixed

Washington — Five years after Neil Gorsuch joined the Supreme Court, nearly four years after Brett Kavanaugh replaced a retiring Justice Anthony Kennedy and 20 months after Amy Coney Barrett was confirmed days before the 2020 election, the Supreme Court's expanded conservative majority exerted its power across a blockbuster term marked by major decisions on abortion, the Second Amendment and religious rights. The term that kicked off in October officially came to a close Thursday, with the justices issuing its final two decisions — one curbing the Environmental Protection Agency's authority to regulate greenhouse gas emissions and a second paving the way for the Biden administration to roll back the so-called "Remain in Mexico" immigration policy — before recessing for the summer. But it was the rulings issued on successive days last week to wipe away the constitutional right to an abortion and expand gun rights for the first time in more than a decade that … [Read more...] about Supreme Court’s conservatives assert control as momentous term comes to an end

Beth Coles says she was completely covered up while feeding baby Rosie (Image: Beth Coles) Sign up and receive our free daily stars from Russell Grant SUBSCRIBE Invalid email We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you've consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. More info Young mother Beth Coles claims her confidence was shaken after a Sainsbury's employee allegedly scolded her for breastfeeding her four-week-old daughter in the store's car park. The 25-year-old says she was completely covered up while feeding baby Rosie in her vehicle when the staff member approached her in the car park of the branch in Kidderminster, Worcestershire. Related articles Mum breastfeeds son, 4, and 'doesn't care what anyone else thinks' Matalan worker stops mum breastfeeding in store The new mum says her child had a … [Read more...] about Sainsbury’s employee leaves breastfeeding mum in tears after asking her to stop

Richard Agar knows all about the mind games of Thursday's opposing coach Tony Smith - on the squash court as well as the rugby field. The pair are close friends from the days that then Leeds boss Smith invited aspiring coach Agar to spend time at Headingley, and they later worked together at Warrington. This week they are on opposite sides with Agar now in charge of the Rhinos - and looking to be more successful against Smith than he has been at racquet sports. Agar explained: “The only problem with playing with Tony is that he tries to head work you on the squash court. We’ve had some battles on the court over the years, but not for a while. Agar is now in charge of Leeds Rhinos, Smith's former club ( Image: Allan McKenzie/SWpix.com) “The games are less and less now, mainly because we’re both probably not in the peak fitness we were at one stage in our lives. “There’s a guy at Pontefract Squash Club, Malcolm Willstrop, who’s a very esteemed squash coach and big … [Read more...] about Richard Agar reveals his squash rivalry and respect for Hull KR coach Tony Smith

The government’s working majority has just gone down again. After the two by-elections last week it dropped to 75. Now it is 73, because Chris Pincher, who resigned as deputy chief whip last night, has ceased to be a Conservative MP, thus deducting one from the number of government MPs and adding one to the non-government total. Boris Johnson and Chris Heaton-Harris, the chief whip, belatedly agreed that Pincher should be suspended from the parliamentary Conservative party while the allegations against him are investigated. This was after a whole day during which it proved impossible to find a Conservative MP, let alone an opposition one, who thought that Pincher should avoid being suspended. Indeed, the day started with Simon Hart, the Welsh secretary, saying that he had a view about Pincher’s future but he wasn’t going to say what it was. Once again, the prime minister has made things worse for himself and the government. His failure to sack Matt Hancock … [Read more...] about Boris Johnson bows to the inevitable, too late, and makes it worse