'What a difference a judge makes'

'The future of the federal judiciary is on the ballot this November, too'

Bill Lueders at The Bulwark

Donald Trump's presidency was "hobbled by scandal and incompetence," but he was very successful in "reshaping the ideological makeup of the federal court system," says Bill Lueders. "Restoring some amount of balance is crucial to the integrity of our judiciary," which is "often the last line of defense that ordinary people have against the power of corporations and the state." Americans should remember that's one of the things at stake when they vote in November.

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'Biden deficit surpasses $1 trillion in just half a year'

Las Vegas Review-Journal editorial board

President Joe Biden "has presided over the largest non-war or pandemic spending binge in this nation's history," says the Las Vegas Review-Journal editorial board. Inflation, unsurprisingly, "hit a 40-year high as a result." The deficit topped $1 trillion in the first half of fiscal 2024 even though tax revenue was up 7%. No wonder Americans are down on Biden's handling of the economy. He is leading us down an unsustainable "economic path."

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'Sorry, home sellers: The 6% Commission isn't going anywhere'

Stephen Mihm at Bloomberg

The headlines make it sound like the recent National Association of Realtors settlement marks the end of the traditional 6% real estate commission, says Stephen Mihm. But home sellers shouldn't get their hopes up. The standard commission wasn't supposed to survive the "advent of the internet," but it did. It is "a deeply-held custom nurtured for close to one hundred years among the members of the nation's largest trade association. Good luck getting rid of it." 

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'Why No Labels didn't stick'

David Faris at Slate

No Labels' decision not to sponsor a presidential candidate "all but completed its predictable life cycle," says David Faris. The centrist group should have realized long ago that it "already has the president of its dreams" in the White House. No Labels wanted Medicare to negotiate drug prices. It called for a path to citizenship for Dreamers, Social Security reform without benefit cuts. President Joe Biden "literally supports or has signed legislation on all of these things."

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