Let’s not play down what has happened this week. The leader of the world’s largest nuclear power publicly threatened to use nuclear weapons. In an address in Moscow on Wednesday, Vladimir Putin declared that Russia would use “all weapon systems available to us” to defend the country. He emphasized, “This is not a...
How Japan Won Its ‘Traffic War’
In mid-August, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced that the surge in American traffic deaths is continuing: An estimated 9,560 people died on US roadways in the first quarter of 2022, 7% more than a year ago and the highest first quarter total in two decades. Meanwhile in Japan, the...
Zakaria: A Visit to Kyiv Reveals the Secret of Ukrainian Success
At first glance, Kyiv looked strangely normal. There were a few barricades here and there, but mostly the streets were busy, traffic was moving, shops were open and restaurants were full. You could buy French wines, American energy drinks and Swiss chocolates at the local grocery store. Scratch beneath the...
2022 Teacher Shortage Driven by Low Salary, COVID Burnout
For decades, America’s educators have said they would’ve abandoned the job long ago were it not for their devotion to their students. But after a demanding and demoralizing two years that included Zoom schooling, culture wars, and shootings, those threats have finally become real. A Gallup Poll in February showed...
Town After Town, Residents Are Fighting Affordable Housing in Connecticut
Throughout Fairfield County, Connecticut, local residents and elected officials are seeking to block large housing projects that include units affordable to low- and moderate-income households, warning that the increased density could change the character of their towns. A 32-year-old law that enables such projects has always generated some pushback,...
How a Record Cash Haul Vanished for Senate Republicans
It was early 2021, and Senator Rick Scott wanted to go big. The new chairman of the Senate Republican campaign arm had a mind to modernize the place. One of his first decisions was to overhaul how the group raised money online. Mr. Scott installed a new digital team,...
Trial Date Nears for Fresno Deputies Who Handcuffed Hispanic Family, Killed Their Dog
On a hot June day, Veronica Ordaz Gonzalez was eating ice cream with her family inside her southeast Fresno home when sheriff’s deputies showed up with guns drawn. What happened next is the subject of a civil rights trial that begins Monday, Sept. 12, in Fresno County Superior Court....
Zakaria: In Tough Times, Don’t Lose Sight of Germany’s Unlikely Success Story
Psychologists tell us that human beings are hard-wired with a “negativity bias” — meaning that we’re overly sensitive to bad news. And there is lots of it out there these days: the war in Ukraine, democratic travails in the United States, floods in Pakistan, drought in China (among other grim stories). But we often...
Rooftop Solar Fire at Fresno Amazon Center Contributed to US System Shutdowns
On the afternoon of April 14, 2020, dozens of firefighters arrived at an Amazon warehouse in Fresno as thick plumes of smoke poured from the roof of the 880,000-square-foot facility. Some 220 solar panels and other equipment at the site were damaged by the three-alarm fire, which was caused by...
Israel Sentences World Vision Ex-Gaza Chief to 12 Years for Aiding Hamas
An Israeli court on Tuesday sentenced the former Gaza head of a major US-based aid agency to 12 years in prison for funneling millions of dollars to Islamist group Hamas. A court in southern Israel issued a sentence of "12 years' prison time, less the detention" already served for...