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National Commentary

De RUGY: Economic nostalgia fails us again

History may not perfectly repeat itself, but it often rhymes. Two protectionist episodes — the infamous Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act of 1930 and the Trump-era tariffs of today — offer a striking example. Both emerged from economic nostalgia and fear of change. Both were politically attractive. ...

HARROP: Musk was smart but clueless

It feels strange talking about the world's richest man, only 53 years old, in the past tense. But that somehow seems appropriate for Elon Musk, who weeks ago was considered Donald Trump's co-president. Now he's clearly falling off that high perch, just as Tesla, his star asset, reports net ...

HARROP: It’s the economy. It’s the economy.

Many in the Democratic base are frustrated that their party isn't pounding away at Donald Trump over his attacks on the rule of law, academic independence and decency. That's not quite the case. Democrats and others opposed to the president's toxic agenda are seeing some success in the ...

BARONE: Why does union membership keep declining?

It hardly qualifies as news anymore, but according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, union membership declined from 2023 to 2024, going from 10% to 9.9% of wage and salary workers. Some 32% of public employees are union members compared to only 5.9% of private-sector workers, down from 6% in ...

MCCAUGHEY: China threatens our medical care

China has a death grip on our medical supplies and consequently our ability to survive. It is the sole manufacturer of one hundred medications we commonly use, including antibiotics and blood thinners, and is the largest supplier of nitrate gloves, masks, syringes and other medical equipment ...