‘It’s ironic in so many ways’
Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
‘This scam is why even Lincoln would have wanted to ditch the penny’
Joel Burgess at USA Today
One of our “greatest presidents is being decoupled from one of the most annoying American scams,” says Joel Burgess. It’s “ironic” that it was “Abraham ‘Honest Abe’ Lincoln whose image was tied to a sleazy marketing ploy, and also that it was President Donald Trump, a serial grifter, who gave Abe relief.” Stamping the “coins cost nearly four times their value, and — let’s face it — pennies aren’t really worth the space they take up in our car cupholders.”
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‘Corporate human rights policies still matter’
Phil Bloomer and Bennett Freeman at Newsweek
The “most influential U.S. companies across five high-risk sectors have, by and large, held steady on their core human rights commitments this year,” say Phil Bloomer and Bennett Freeman. It’s a “trend worth acknowledging, even applauding.” It “reflects a deep recognition among companies that investors and consumers expect respect for human rights, that companies’ long-term sustainability, competitiveness and license to operate on the global stage depends on it and that it’s the right thing to do.”
‘True climate justice demands a reckoning with colonialism’
Nciko wa Nciko and Samrawit Getaneh at Al Jazeera
The African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights has an “opportunity to issue a landmark opinion affirming the link between colonialism and the harms of climate change to people(s) across the continent,” say Nciko wa Nciko and Samrawit Getaneh. This “would mark a major step forward from the International Court of Justice and in Africa’s fight for reparative justice.” Effective “climate action needs more than science; it also requires political backing for states.”
‘The Epstein fight shows Trump inching closer to lame duck status’
Jim Geraghty at the National Review
If Trump “didn’t want people to expect the federal government to release all information related to Epstein when he was president, he should not have said he would ‘declassify the Epstein files’ or ‘do the Epstein’ in campaign trail interviews,” says Jim Geraghty. Don’t “get mad at the people who remember Trump saying it, get mad at Trump for making that promise.” Americans “can’t relate to being friends with one of the most notorious sex traffickers.”
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American Psycho: a ‘hypnotic’ adaptation of the Bret Easton Ellis classicThe Week Recommends Rupert Goold’s musical has ‘demonic razzle dazzle’ in spades
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Political cartoons for February 6Cartoons Friday’s political cartoons include Washington Post layoffs, no surprises, and more
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Trump links funding to name on Penn StationSpeed Read Trump “can restart the funding with a snap of his fingers,” a Schumer insider said
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Trump links funding to name on Penn Station
Speed Read Trump “can restart the funding with a snap of his fingers,” a Schumer insider said
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Trump reclassifies 50,000 federal jobs to ease firingsSpeed Read The rule strips longstanding job protections from federal workers
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‘The censorious effect is the same, even if deployed covertly’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
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Is the Gaza peace plan destined to fail?Today’s Big Question Since the ceasefire agreement in October, the situation in Gaza is still ‘precarious’, with the path to peace facing ‘many obstacles’
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Vietnam’s ‘balancing act’ with the US, China and EuropeIn the Spotlight Despite decades of ‘steadily improving relations’, Hanoi is still ‘deeply suspicious’ of the US as it tries to ‘diversify’ its options
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‘Various international actors hope to influence the result for their own benefit’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
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Trump demands $1B from Harvard, deepening feudSpeed Read Trump has continually gone after the university during his second term
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The Mandelson files: Labour Svengali’s parting gift to StarmerThe Explainer Texts and emails about Mandelson’s appointment as US ambassador could fuel biggest political scandal ‘for a generation’
