If the 20th century was the story of a slow, uneven struggle, ending with the victory of liberal democracy over other ideologies—communism, fascism, virulent nationalism—the 21st century is, so far, a story of the reverse.

[America has a] pivotal opportunity to lead the fight against authoritarianism globally… Unless the U.S. stands for democratic values and seeks to empower people to achieve democratic results, we weaken ourselves fundamentally.

The organization labeled 2020 “the 15th consecutive year of decline in global freedom” and determined that less than 20% of the world’s population now lives in truly free countries. Among the countries where democracy is under assault is the world’s longest lived modern democratic government: the United States.

…the fact that the White House felt the need to respond to Harris’ recent run of negative press speaks to the fact that they, too, are a) aware of it and b) worried about it. If they weren’t, no statement would be necessary.

…her flaws have been exposed, and she is more unpopular than Biden. She will be a toxic commodity in a general election campaign, especially at the top of the ticket. Her presidential future doesn’t exist.

What happened to Harris is she became vice president… Virtually every vice president in modern history — save Dick Cheney, who played an unusually prominent role guiding defense and foreign policy under President George W. Bush — has looked smaller than when he or she accepted the position.

Even though I think an acquittal would be a proper verdict, I’d still come away from the Rittenhouse trial believing that to be an unjust result.

If he isn’t convicted, he will set a precedent for others like him to pick up guns they shouldn’t have and thrust themselves into the middle of unrest they should avoid — confident in knowing that prison won’t be in their future.

Absent a prosecution save, the Rittenhouse case may prove, yet again, how a prosecutor satisfying public outcry can wind up sacrificing a criminal case.

It is possible that the Oknin “espionage affair” is a result of excessive enthusiasm and dedication on the part of the Turkish security services, which is beginning to spin out of control. The question now is whether Erdogan has backed himself into a corner – and whether he is even interested in a way out.

Israel wants to handle the affair behind closed doors. This is also why Prime Minister Naftali Bennett instructed ministers on Sunday not to discuss the matter publicly… At this stage, Israel wants to keep handling the matter discreetly.

It’s unclear whether Erdogan, who has been openly hostile toward Israel, is involved in the case and using the Oaknins as pawns in an effort to wield more influence on the Israeli-Palestinian front and on Muslim claims to Jerusalem in particular.

As a Jew, I believe that life begins at birth, based on the Hebrew Bible and rabbinic texts… The Texas law legislates a significant theological question and establishes one belief as the law of the state.

Whatever happened to our country’s oldest constitutional value: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof”?

…The battle over women’s reproductive health care, including abortion, is fueled by the theological perspective held by a minority within the religious community.

…one does not have to have any religious beliefs whatsoever in order to consider the most popular arguments in favor of abortion to be unpersuasive. As far as I am concerned, the core case against abortion neither presumes nor relies upon the existence of God…

According to the Ramban… a person who denies that God directs everything miraculously is a heretic. There are no rules of nature, no happenstance or coincidence. Everything is a miracle. Every time I drop a rock and it falls, that is not gravity but a miracle.

Judaism has a curious relationship with time… Tractate Rosh Hashanah introduced me to the possibility of being a nomad in time, wandering through each year, unmoored from the spiritual opportunity of each moment, untethered from any communal calendar ceremonies.

In the first decade of the 21st century, a growing movement emerged focusing not only on ritual, but also on ethical kashrut. This movement emphasizes not only the traditional rules, but also takes into account issues such as animal treatment, workers conditions, and environmental impact, taking its cue from a number of supporting biblical sources…