'The hard reality of an aging society'

'The only real fix to Social Security's problems? More babies.'

Megan McArdle in The Washington Post

"Declining birthrates are bad news for retirees," says Megan McArdle. The annual Social Security trustees' report forecast that the Social Security Trust Funds "won't be exhausted until 2035," but the math included overly optimistic birth rates. The truth is that the number of children per woman is falling sharply "with no real signs of a rebound." We're not "replacing ourselves anymore, and without enough workers to support us, we can't all spend decades in retirement."

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'RFK Jr.'s threat to Trump'

William McGurn in The Wall Street Journal

Former President Donald Trump is suddenly attacking independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as a "big-time taxer," "antigun" and an "extreme environmentalist," says William McGurn. The common wisdom is that RFK Jr., whose family is Democratic royalty, will hurt President Joe Biden. But Trump's attacks "reflect fears" Kennedy is a "Democratic plant" whose libertarian tilt could "siphon more votes from him." Both sides understand the election could hinge on "whose definition of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. voters find most persuasive."

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'Noncitizen voting is already illegal in federal elections. Here's why Republicans are still pushing the issue.'

Marcela García in The Boston Globe

There's "ample evidence" showing voter fraud is extremely rare, says Marcela García. But Republicans falsely claim undocumented immigrants are casting ballots because voters list immigration as a big concern. "Focusing on noncitizen voting also lays the groundwork for a potential attempt at delegitimizing the November election should President Biden win." The "ultimate coup for Republicans" is that "perpetuating the myth of illegal noncitizen voting" discredits elections and might discourage people, particularly in minority communities, from casting legal ballots.

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'Vladimir Putin has much to celebrate. But not the Russian people.'

Daniel DePetris in the Chicago Tribune

Russian President Vladimir Putin is "feeling pretty good with himself," says Daniel DePetris. A year ago, the "normally decisive strongman" faced the "biggest challenge of his nearly quarter century in power" when Wagner Group mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin sent militiamen toward Moscow, aiming to "depose the Russian defense establishment." Now Prigozhin and opposition leader Aleksei Navalny are dead. The Russian people are suffering due to Putin's costly Ukraine war, but he's "riding high," starting his fifth term.

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