Commentary
Editor’s Notebook: A plot twist in mid-August
We’re using blankets again. For most of this scorching August, nighttime meant waking up every hour or so to kick away any bit of bedding touching feet or legs. We would turn our pillows – and turn them again – searching in vain for a cool spot to rest our damp heads. But then, just […]
How primary care is poised to support reproductive health and abortion in the post-Roe era
Just over a month after the Supreme Court struck down 50 years of federal protection of abortion rights in the U.S., at least 43 abortion clinics in 11 states have stopped offering abortion services. In states where abortion remains legal, abortion clinics are experiencing excessive wait times due to the influx of out-of-state patients. Wait […]
The most recent efforts to combat teacher shortages don’t address the real problems
States have recently focused their efforts to reduce the nation’s teacher shortage by promoting strategies that “remove or relax barriers to entry” to quickly bring new people into the teaching profession. California, for example, allows teacher candidates to skip basic skills and subject matter tests if they have taken approved college courses. New Mexico is […]
3-Minute Civics: Prepare now to vote on Sept. 13
This story was updated on Tuesday at 10:02 a.m. to clarify that sample ballots will soon be posted on the website of the Secretary of State’s Office. It’s time to make your voting plan: The New Hampshire state primary election will happen on Tuesday, Sept. 13. You need to figure out whether you are currently […]
Monkeypox vaccines: A virologist answers 6 questions
Monkeypox isn’t going to be the next COVID-19. But with the outbreak having bloomed to thousands of infections, with cases in nearly every state, on Aug. 4, the U.S. declared monkeypox a national public health emergency. One reason health experts did not expect monkeypox to become so widespread is that the U.S. had previously approved […]
Congress can help address the climate crisis by passing the Inflation Reduction Act
Congress is facing the opportunity of a generation to help bolster the economy of New Hampshire and the country while simultaneously addressing the existential threat of our lifetimes – climate change. The Inflation Reduction Act, under consideration in the Senate, would be the most significant achievement ever by Congress to address the climate crisis, and […]
Inflation is spiking around the world – not just in the United States
The 9.1 percent increase in U.S. consumer prices in the 12 months ending in June 2022, the highest in four decades, has prompted many sobering headlines. Meanwhile, annual inflation in Germany and the U.K. – countries with comparable economies – ran nearly as high: 7.5 percent and 8.2 percent, respectively, for the 12 months ending […]
Editor’s Notebook: A natural balance
I repaired a small retaining wall on Saturday. The decorative concrete blocks stacked in rows in front of the workshop were undermined by the spring melt, and the right side had been toppling in slow motion ever since. A more willing landscaper would have addressed the problem as soon as the ground thawed, but I […]
The independent state legislature doctrine could reverse 200 years of progress
In a case to be heard in the coming months, the U.S. Supreme Court could decide that state legislatures have control over congressional elections, including the ability to draw voting districts for partisan political advantage, unconstrained by state law or state constitutions. At issue is a legal theory called the “independent state legislature doctrine,” which […]
What the US can learn from apartheid-era book bans in South Africa
“Beloved.” “The Hate U Give.” “Maus.” “Burger’s Daughter.” Each of these books has been banned at some point in time, but one stands out. Instead of being banned in 21st-century America, Nadine Gordimer’s “Burger’s Daughter” was banned in 20th century South Africa during apartheid, that country’s period of official white supremacist rule. So why include […]
An antidemocratic philosophy called ‘neoreaction’ is creeping into GOP politics
President Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election were brazenly antidemocratic. Yet Trump and his supporters nonetheless justified their actions under the dubious pretense of preserving American democracy – as a matter of getting the vote right, of reversing voter fraud. There’s a good reason they took this approach. Authoritarianism has […]
3-Minute Civics: Reflecting on the election of 1800 and John Adams’ precedent
This summer, much of the nation’s attention has been focused on the House Select Committee investigating the Jan. 6 coup. The coup, inspired by Donald Trump’s unwillingness to accept the results of the 2020 election, was an attempt to disrupt Congress’ certification of the Electoral College’s votes. With political tension at a high as campaigning for […]