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Our Freedom of Speech

“Congress shall make no law ... abridging the freedom of speech.” — First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution Here is a pop quiz: If the states ratified an amendment to the Constitution repealing the First Amendment, would we still enjoy the freedom of speech? That depends on which value prevails: Are our rights only what lawmakers have written down, or are they personal attributes immune from governmental reach? When James Madison was crafting the First Amendment, he insisted that the word “the” precede “freedom of speech” in order to manifest the Framers’ belief that ...

Holding Them Accountable

By JOSH HAMMER In a now-infamous recent podcast recording on the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, former President Barack Obama lectured: “You have to admit that nobody’s hands are clean. ...” Ironically for such a narcissist, Obama is painfully lacking in self-awareness. It is Obama himself who doggedly pursued a grand strategic “realignment” in the Middle East. The Biden administration has stayed the course — evinced by a brand-new alleged U.S. sanctions waiver that would enrich Tehran to the tune of $10 billion. The Iranian regime is the “head of the snake,” as Israeli ...

Can Manchin Find the Middle?

Joe Manchin is leaving the U.S. Senate to go on a journey. The West Virginia Democrat says he’s looking forward to “traveling the country and speaking out to see if there is an interest in creating a movement to mobilize the middle.” There’s nothing like a good road trip, but fruitful expeditions require a sense of where you’re going. Manchin should think hard about where to find “the middle” in our politics right now. Some hints: It’s not the midpoint between a left-leaning Democratic Party and an increasingly right-wing Republican Party. Nor will he find ...

Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Accused Of Rape, Abuse

NEW YORK (AP) — Sean “Diddy” Combs, was accused in a lawsuit Thursday of subjecting R&B singer Cassie to a yearslong relationship that included beatings and rape. Cassie, whose legal name is Casandra Ventura, alleged in the suit filed against the producer and music mogul in New York federal court that Combs brought her into his “ostentatious, fast-paced, and drug-fueled lifestyle” not long after she met him and signed to his label when she was 19 and he was 37 in 2005. Attorney Ben Brafman said Combs “vehemently denies” the allegations. Ventura, now 37 herself, said ...

Waters Denied Hotel Stays Over Antisemitism Allegations

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Hotels in Argentina and Uruguay reportedly rejected reservations for Pink Floyd co-founder Roger Waters over accusations of antisemitism leveled at the British singer known for his pro-Palestinian views. Waters was due to stay in Argentina’s capital of Buenos Aires ahead of shows scheduled for Nov. 21-22 as part of his “This is Not a Drill” tour, but the reservations fell through, with hotels citing a lack of availability, the Argentine newspaper Pagina 12 reported. Hotels in Montevideo, in neighboring Uruguay, also refused to host him but did not ...

Music Review: Now On Vinyl, Shania Twain’s ‘Greatest Hits’ Shines Anew

By ELISE RYAN Associated Press Shania Twain is familiar with the concept of a hit. Her second album “The Woman in Me” sold 20 million copies. Her next, “Come On Over,” sold 40 million. Her 2004 “Greatest Hits” album was one of its own, selling more than half a million copies in its first week — enough to become the fastest-selling hits album by a female artist in the United States, per the Guinness World Records. It has since been certified four times platinum. Now, as vinyl records see a resurgence, that album has been remastered for vinyl, available today. The ...