May 4, 2025 at 8:59 AM EDT
'Brain drain': On two prominent Yale scholars' move to Canada amid Trump purge

In the most non-controversial and basic sense, the rule of law means formal legality. The law binds citizens and governments. When it comes to nation states, law is enacted by democratically elected legislatures; legal statutes are openly available and sufficiently clear to follow. State actions can be judicially reviewed for compliance with a constitution. In its more ambitious conceptualization, the rule of law can also be understood to include substantive human rights and equity. In Canada, The Constitution Act of 1982 references the rule of law in its preamble.

May 3, 2025 at 4:04 PM EDT
MAGA's 'dream' of making Trump the Pope is doomed to fail -- here's why

Following the death of 88-year-old Pope Francis, the Vatican is considering its possibilities for a successor. President Donald Trump, on Tuesday, April 29, joked that his "number one choice" for the Catholic Church's next pope is himself. Later that day on X, formerly Twitter, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) humorously posted, "I was excited to hear that President Trump is open to the idea of being the next Pope. This would truly be a dark horse candidate, but I would ask the papal conclave and Catholic faithful to keep an open mind about this possibility!"

May 3, 2025 at 3:13 PM EDT
'Next-level cringe': AI-generated image of Trump defense secretary draws scathing response

On Friday, May 2, an official Pentagon account on X, formerly Twitter, posted an AI-generated image of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth that was intended to depict him as strong on U.S./Mexico border security. But the image is getting a scathing response from X users, who are pointing out some of its major flaws. And one of them slammed it as "next-level cringe." The image shows Hegseth at the border, with the words "100% OPERATONAL CONTROL" displayed. And he is near some masked men, one of them with the words "DRUGS" featured. But X users didn't know if the men depicted were meant to be members of drug cartels or anti-drug agents for the Mexican government.

May 3, 2025 at 2:25 PM EDT
'Insane': Jasmine Crockett says GOP is slamming 'crazy' Trump policy 'behind closed doors'

In 2025, most GOP lawmakers are reluctant to say or do anything that might offend President Donald Trump -- even when it comes to a position they oppose. During a Friday night, May 2 appearance on CNN, liberal Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas) -- a scathing critic of the president -- argued that privately, many Republicans are cringing over Trump's tariffs but are afraid to speak out publicly.

May 3, 2025 at 2:01 PM EDT
'Act of war': Warren Buffett is rocking financial world with a new Trump warning

On Saturday morning, May 3, one of Wall Street's most prominent billionaires -- Berkshire Hathaway CEO Warren Buffett -- sounded the alarm about President Donald Trump's steep new tariffs during the company's annual shareholder media. Buffett, according to Forbes, told attendees that "trade should not be a weapon" for the United States, which "should be looking to trade with the rest of the world." And he described tariffs as "an act of war, to some degree."

May 3, 2025 at 1:38 PM EDT
How George Carlin's 'Words You Can't Say' exposes Trump's language-policing agenda

Right-wing media pundits often accuse liberals and progressives of excessive language-policing, and some people who vote for Democrats have the same complaint -- mostly notably, veteran Democratic strategist James Carville and "Real Time" host Bill Maher. Carville and Maher both argue that it's counterproductive for the left to promote the use of "Latinx," for example, when the vast majority of Latinos don't use that term. Maher, who leans liberal but is a scathing critic of "political correctness" and "wokeness," contends that rather than worrying about whether people say "homeless" or "unhoused," liberals need to invest their time and energy in "getting s--- done."