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What if those Iranian bombs had nuclear warheads

National Columnists

Criticism of President Trump's bombing campaign against the Iranian regime continues from most Democrats and a few Republicans. There was a time in America — unknown to younger generations — when once American troops were involved in a war the nation mostly unified behind them. Today, there are no restraints as a war is seen as merely a continuation of politics as usual. Criticism emboldens the enemy and puts more American military personnel in danger. That appears to be of little concern to the critics. A new poll by NPR/PBS News/Marist found 56 percent of those surveyed oppose, ...

Occupants of two separate crashes identified

Local News

The North Dakota Highway Patrol has identified those involved in two separate crashes, one in the Burlington area and the other near Belfield. Paul Hauser, 60, Foxholm, died of injuries received when the off-highway vehicle he was driving went off the road and rolled northwest of Burlington. The crash occurred Sunday, March 8. In the crash near Belfield, Christopher Klevenberg, 36, driver of a Chevrolet Silverado pulling an enclosed trailer, and Steven Klevenberg, 62, a passenger, both of Tioga, received injuries in a crash with a Volvo truck with flatbed trailer. The driver of the ...

We need to fix what is broken at home

National Columnists

In 2024, for the first time in almost a century, the United States spent more financing its national debt than it did, as a percentage of GDP, on national defense. In 2024, interest on our national debt expenditures came in at 3.1% of GDP and defense spending at 2.9%. This has been the case through this year, although it's too soon to say what the picture will finally be for 2026. But it's very close. Hoover Institution scholar Niall Ferguson notes that this is an ominous sign. He quotes what he calls Ferguson's Law, after 18th century Scottish political theorist Adam ...

Why your child can't read

National Columnists

"My child can't read!" That's become a common complaint from parents. Why? It might be because kids are distracted by social media and video games. But I think it's also because reading instruction became lazy and political. "Progressives" at teachers' colleges pushed a reading technique called "Balanced Literacy." Instead of memorizing sounds and letters, teachers push what they call "cueing," guessing words based on their context, or pictures. Balanced Literacy downplays "structured phonics," the older technique where kids memorize letters' sounds and learn ...

Cuba should accept President Trump's 'friendly takeover'

National Columnists

President Donald Trump has shown Cuba's communist rulers two ways their reign over the island can end: the Maduro way or the Khamenei way. The Cuban regime is a mix of gerontocracy, nepotism and socialism. Its official face is President Miguel Diaz-Canel, but supreme authority still emanates from the 94-year-old Raul Castro, brother of the state's founding dictator, Fidel Castro. Though the long-lived Castro clan seems to prove only the good die young, no one beats the actuarial tables in the end, and Raul's days are drawing short. Cuba is overdue for a profound change, ...

Why health care is so expensive in America

National Columnists

America's health care system consistently ranks as the most expensive in the developed world. It's not, as some politicians claim, expensive because markets have failed. It's expensive because the market has been repeatedly blocked from succeeding. Until we're honest about that, any potential reforms will only address symptoms while ignoring the disease. The health care market is hindered in many ways, but the core structural problem is simple: The person receiving care is almost never the person actually paying for it. Roughly 90 cents of every dollar is covered by a third ...