The cost of the filibuster has been immense. Congress has lost its ability to legislate. Republicans — who already have disproportionate power in the Senate because the upper chamber gives smaller states the same number of representatives as larger ones — abused the filibuster.

Whatever gains one party makes through the process would be short term, escalating the political temperature and making political conflicts much more contentious and potentially more violent, Lee said. As the nation grows bigger and more diverse and more divided, leaders should seek for consensus…

…there is one incremental reform that would make the Senate work more smoothly — even at this divided moment — and that might appeal even to institutional conservatives such as Manchin. There could be a narrow exception to the filibuster for bills that pass out of committee on a bipartisan basis — that is to say, that were supported by a majority of Republicans and a majority of Democrats on the committee.

Overall, the situation in American schools is solvable. But it will require two things that have been in short supply throughout the pandemic — federal aid, and a willingness to keep businesses closed if necessary.

Perhaps you’ve heard, a few thousand times, that the Biden Administration will listen to the science. Well, the science says schools can safely reopen, but the White House is still listening, make that bowing, to the non-scientists who run the teachers unions.

Testing, expected to cost about $22.7 billion for the spring semester, will give us the option to reopen some primary public school buildings safely for those who can and want to be there. With the benefits of recent data and experience, we know we can make elementary and middle schools far safer, although high schools may take more time.

They must unambiguously ostracize Taylor Greene—and soon. If they don’t, they will be in no position to complain if Democrats and the liberal media make her the face of the GOP in coming years.

On Monday Politico reported that if Republicans don’t strip Greene of committee assignments, Democrats will try to do it, bringing the issue to the House floor. Republican members will have the chance to distance themselves from her. If they don’t, it will be because they know she belongs.

Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell on Monday issued a tacit rebuke of controversial Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, slamming the Georgia Republican’s “loony lies and conspiracy theories” as a “cancer” for the party… While McConnell did not name Greene directly, his statement stands as a scathing rebuke of the freshman Republican House member.

The Jewish Agency, the paragovernmental organization in Israel that facilitates and encourages immigration to Israel, has recognized the Jewishness of Ugandan Jews. But the Interior Ministry, which has the final say over matters of citizenship and is run by Aryeh Deri, head of the haredi Orthodox Shas party, has taken a different approach.

A ruling in favor of the state could have serious repercussions for “emerging Jewish communities” around the world interested in connecting to Israel. This would include “Bnei Anusim” – descendants of Jews forced to convert during the Spanish and Portuguese inquisitions…

The story of the Abayudaya challenges stereotypes of race, religion and culture. The Abayudaya have endured adversity in the practice of their Judaism, surviving the persecutions of Idi Amin. They have warm, productive relationships with their Christian and Moslem neighbors. This is a story of hope and faith.

While some greeted the news that older Californians — who have fallen severely ill and died from COVID-19 at distressingly disproportionate rates — were being given a place in line, the state’s move came amid dwindling doses, and sparked chaos and confusion as some counties moved quickly to allow seniors to enter their queues, while others did not.

The goal: to speed up a chaotic vaccine rollout that consistently has California lagging behind many other states in distribution rates even as it has given 3 million immunizations as of today… Some health advocates now fear California is sacrificing equity for speed.

“We don’t feel that disability community is being taken seriously,” Imparato said, adding that he and other advocates for the disabled agree that older people should be prioritized for getting the vaccine — but that younger people who are at high risk because of underlying health conditions or who live in group settings “should have access at the time as people over 65.”

I didn’t know much about “Valley of Tears,” a new show from Israel that came highly recommended. I like surprises, so I dove right in. I got more than I bargained for. I knew that it dealt with the Yom Kippur War, but I’ve seen intense Israeli war shows and movies in the past, and they didn’t shake me like this one.

These days, TV dramas made in Israel like “Shtisel,” “Srugim,” “Fauda,” “Tehran”, “False Flag” and “No Man’s Land” have become worldwide hits on streaming platforms, captivating audiences with absorbing family drama or thrilling action. “Losing Alice”, a twisty psychological thriller now playing on Apple TV+, fits neither category but is equally riveting…

“The New Black,” which goes by the name “Shababnikim” in its original Hebrew, was a hit in Israel when it came out in 2017… The show, created by Eliran Malka, follows four Haredi men in a yeshiva… the boys are fun-loving mischief-makers in snazzy suits, and the show is just as much about flirting and money and privilege as it is about religious belief and the limits of Haredi society.