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Time to take cyber war seriously

Some other governments spare no effort to gain advantage over U.S. businesses and consumers. Trade barriers such as tariffs and unreasonable restrictions in the name of product safety are examples. But some — including China — are involved in all-out assaults on Americans. Theft of U.S. companies’ trade secrets by the Chinese has been well publicized. But on Monday, another type of assault was revealed by the U.S. Justice Department. Four members of the Chinese army have been charged with hacking into computer networks operated by the Equifax credit reporting company. In ...

Common flu a greater danger than coronavirus

So ... getting more worried by the day about the coronavirus epidemic center in China? Officials report more deaths every day from the disease, which has spread to 25 countries. Indeed, a few cases of panic have been reported. In one case, a man reportedly collapsed and died while bystanders, believing him to have been Chinese, refused to go to his aid. On some college campuses, Asian students are being shunned by others afraid of getting sick. What if we were to tell you of an even worse outbreak — one the U.S. Centers for Disease Control says may have claimed as many as 10,000 ...

Iowa gaffe a reminder of the downsides of technology

These days, it seems as if there is an “app” for everything. But the fiasco last week with the Iowa Democratic Party’s presidential nominating caucuses is a reminder that the appeal of new technology needs to be tempered by concern over reliability. Iowa’s caucus process is the first contest among candidates seeking the highest office in the land. It also is an unusual method of gauging voter support. Instead of a conventional primary election, Iowans use a town-hall meeting format, precinct by precinct. Democrat leaders in that state decided this year to make more use of ...

Sentencing reform should exclude terrorists

Concern about overcrowded jails and prisons, combined with a laudable desire to give people who have made mistakes second chances in life, have prompted many Americans to rethink sentences for criminal offenses. That is occurring at the local, state and federal levels. Indeed, we need to consider whether those merely accused of some non-violent offenses should languish in jails because they cannot afford to post bail. And those who have truly paid their dues to society after being convicted of some crimes deserve second chances. But mistakes already have been made. In some ...

Grade-school behavior in D.C. must stop

Much food for thought — and debate — was offered by President Donald Trump during his State of the Union address on Tuesday evening. Among other things, Trump discussed the strong economy, including achievements such as the lowest unemployment rate for African-Americans on record. Democrats pointed out he exaggerated some numbers. National security and international relations got a few moments. So did immigration, along with other important topics such as health care. And Trump, ever the showman, had plenty of heart-warming material. There was the 100-year-old veteran of the ...

Our enemies must know we mean business

For generations, the U.S. nuclear arsenal was viewed as the ultimate deterrent. No one would dare attack us, we thought, out of fear of massive retaliation. But deterrence requires that a potential foe believe we might use powerful weapons. The very strength of some nuclear devices makes that unthinkable. The bomb dropped on Hiroshima during World War II had an explosive yield of no more than 18,000 tons of TNT. But both the United States and Russia have weapons with yields of more than 48 million tons of TNT. A new — and puzzling — controversy has arisen regarding a Pentagon ...