…“politics as warfare” has become common on both sides of the partisan and ideological barricades. During the Trump administration, it has become the norm rather than the exception, from crude and violent presidential tweets to a #Resistance that often views itself as the last bulwark against fascism. I am not assessing degrees of blame or trying to assign “equivalence” between left and right. At the moment, the right holds political power in a tight grip

My family is no stranger to the hostilities of those who reject our philosophy, our politics and our very identity… but with Donald Trump’s presidential campaign, things got worse. White supremacists and anti-Semites like David Duke endorsed his campaign. Mr. Trump’s final TV ad famously featured my father; Janet Yellen, chairwoman of the Federal Reserve; and Lloyd Blankfein, chairman of Goldman Sachs — all of them Jewish — amid dog-whistle language about “special interests” and “global special interests.” A genie was let out of the bottle, which may take generations to put back in, and it wasn’t confined to the United States.

Mr. Obama offered a better message in Tucson in 2011 when he paid tribute to those killed by the madman who also wounded Rep. Gabby Giffords. Mr. Obama said the lack of civility in politics wasn’t to blame—and he cautioned against a political impulse to “lay the blame for all that ails the world at the feet of those who happen to think differently than we do.” [.] The priority now is to find the person responsible—and then ensure the offender spends a long time in prison.

First of all, after nearly two years of Trump’s presidency, it’s quite clear that whatever he might be, he definitely isn’t Hitler, nor Mussolini, nor anything close. Anyone who thinks he is Hitler, or nearly Hitler, or proto-Hitler, is not worth taking seriously in this or any other debate.

Second, the word “nationalism” applies to a variety of ideologically diverse political movements. Today, “nationalist” is used most often to describe Scottish and Catalan independence-seekers, and it could also be justly applied to some of the Spanish and British who oppose them. These all act from the same motives Trump outlined in the quotation above: They seek self-determination over broader, more global goals.

Today, we hear the sloppy, misconceived term “white nationalism” more often than we hear about American nationalism. And whenever the term nationalism is raised, it is often quickly conflated with racism… This is a problem. Because it’s American nationalism that the U.S. needs right now. Never in our lifetimes have we seen America’s various tribes so divided, so intolerant of one another, so quick to delegitimize and even threaten violence.

“Globalist” is a term with an anti-Semitic history, and it’s often understood as code for “Jews,” so this language is activating and traumatizing for a lot of Jews. Especially in the wake of a bomb attack at the home of George Soros, a prominent Jewish philanthropist who is often slammed with the “globalist” label… The connection between globalists and Jews is, in part, the old anti-Semitic smear that Jews are not truly loyal citizens of any nation.

Israel is looking eastward, but the East is looking at Israel too. It sees a country that’s worth investing in, where one can purchase varied products characterized by outstanding technology. Israel must therefore find the right balance: We must convey to the world and to the East in particular that we are a country with confidence in its capabilities, unafraid of exposure to new markets, while we safeguard our security and strategic interests.

Even Jerusalem’s close alliance with Washington and Netanyahu’s fruitful cooperation with — and tremendous influence over — the chaotic White House now seem vulnerable. According to Channel 10 on Oct. 22, Trump held a conversation with French President Emmanuel Macron in which he sharply criticized Israel. Trump continues to talk about the “deal of the century,” and there are leaks insinuating that the American offer will include recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of two states — all of which has aroused great anxiety in Jerusalem. To this, we add American concern over the strengthening of Israel-China ties (China’s Vice President Wang Qishan visited Israel on Oct. 23), and we are left with much tension and nervousness on the diplomatic front.

China’s expanding presence in Israel – and similarly in other Middle Eastern countries – is generating a lively debate about what future repercussions could be. While most Western scholars see a potential geopolitical vacuum caused by a US pivot to Asia and are concerned about Beijing’s potential motivation to fill it in the future, Chinese analysts employ a wait-and-see stance and diagnose more risks than opportunities… Whereas the visit of Wang Qishan to Israel is generally placed in the framework of bilateral economic collaboration, a significant aspect of Sino-Israeli relations – albeit largely ignored by public opinion – is China’s stance vis-à-vis the Jewish people during the Nazi horrors. When Netanyahu visited Shanghai in 2013, he hailed the city’s role as a ‘haven’ for Jews fleeing Nazi-occupied Europe in the 1930s and 1940s.

Georgia is only one of a number of states attempting to artificially suppress the (Democratic) vote, making voting rights a key issue in this election—not to mention 2020, when Donald Trump seeks a second term. With critics insisting that many state laws restricting voter registration are unconstitutionally discriminatory, a continued series of court tests is inevitable. The Supreme Court thus may be the ultimate arbiters of who is allowed to vote and who is not. This is not the first time the court has been cast in such a role, and history does not beget optimism.

According to the Brennan Center for Justice, ninety-nine bills designed to diminish voter access were introduced last year in thirty-one state legislatures. Many of the recent Republican-led efforts stem from the Supreme Court’s 2013 decision in Shelby v. Holder. In an opinion that eviscerated the Voting Rights Act of 1965, Chief Justice John Roberts wrote that discrimination still exists, but not sufficiently to warrant the “extraordinary” remediation measures that the act imposed on the states of the former Confederacy. That argument is roughly equivalent to saying that a decline in the prevalence of an infectious disease means that we should stop vaccinating against it.

23 percent of the voters on the pending voter list originated from a Abrams voter drive in 2014 and those voters or the signature collectors themselves put down wrong Social Security information. In fact, a source I spoke with in the secretary of state’s office says they believe the individuals collecting the applications filled them out for the voters and they themselves, not the actual voter, wrote down the wrong information. More importantly, none of those voters has ever attempted to vote or correct the information, which raises the question of whether they are real people.

Each life saved from addiction is an important victory. And while the epidemic still rages, we are now seeing signs of national progress… These are signs that dedicated efforts from the federal government on down to local governments, faith communities, families, and individuals are working. Since President Trump took office, we have seen a 264 percent increase in the prescribing of naloxone, and a 16 percent increase in the prescribing of one form of addiction treatment.

This happened before. Between 2011 and 2012, drug overdose deaths appeared to level off around 41,500. Then, highly potent synthetic opioids, particularly illicit fentanyl, seeped into the black market — and overdose deaths skyrocketed. In 2017, drug overdose deaths reached more than 72,000, based on the CDC’s preliminary data. Stanford drug policy expert Keith Humphreys said that “it’s reasonable to be cautious” about a new potential drop-off, given the past disappointments.

President Donald Trump pledged Wednesday to put an “extremely big dent” in the scourge of drug addiction in America as he signed legislation intended to help tackle the opioid crisis, the deadliest epidemic of overdoses in the country’s history. Nearly 48,000 people died last year from overdoses involving opioids. Overall, U.S. drug overdose deaths have started to level off, but Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar says it’s too soon to declare victory.

The legislation will add treatment options and get the U.S. Postal Service to screen overseas packages for a synthetic form of opioids called fentanyl that are being shipped largely from China.

Now, kids, before you egg my house next week, let me just say I feel badly about suggesting a ban on this beloved pagan ritual. But Halloween has changed, my little ghosts and goblins. Halloween is now part of the quote-unquote culture wars. This ghoulish candy extortion is now heralded by weeks of grown-up outrage. As such, Halloween is diverting precious anger resources away from more deserving targets — the environment, Donald Trump’s lies, rising interest rates, whatever Kanye said or did last night — and draining our capacity for indignation.

Assigned identities—such as race—are particularly problematic to impersonate. When the sun rises and the Halloween season ends, a costume wearer sheds whatever identity they possessed for an evening. Actual members of those groups do not share the option. They will continue to face oppression and uphill battles. Meanwhile, those who “appreciated” their culture for an evening will often be absent in the continued day-to-day struggles. “Appreciating is going to native events, such as the pow wow, and watching the dancers, being a spectator, supporting native artists that are there,” Tamayo said. “Appropriating is taking what you saw and cultivating it as your own and marking it as something that is yours for the taking. That’s where appreciation turns into appropriation.”

It’s easy to get caught up in the excitement of Halloween and dressing up as your favorite character. Just like Hough did, most of us choose our Halloween costumes based on our interests and how we want to express ourselves that year. Having to think about how your costume might negatively affect someone might seem unnecessary and like too much work. But it is necessary. And not putting in the work means disregarding the feelings and opinions of millions of people living in America.