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Tour brings fond memories

A tour of the USS Daniel Inouye guided missile destroyer last week had us casting back to an enlightening hour and a half spent in the Hawaii Senator’s Capitol Hill office in the 1990s. Senator Inouye regularly hosted Hawaii constituents. The visits had to be arranged far in advance and there was no guarantee how much time, if any, the senator would be able to carve out of his hectic schedule. After a meet and greet, an aide would lead his guests on a tour of the Capitol Building. We were ushered into Inouye’s comfortable office suite along with a family from Oahu. By chance, ...

Election stress test

This year’s midterms are not shaping up to be normal elections. In an environment in which one party is gripped by skepticism and denialism about foundational democratic processes, new avenues are opening for voter intimidation and election interference — a stress test that could be a small taste of what is ahead in the 2024 presidential election. Early signs of danger are popping up across the map at multiple levels in the election system. Threats against voters: In Arizona, Maricopa County officials say men wearing tactical gear and masks have been observing a ballot drop box ...

Rebuilding Ukraine

Beyond Ukraine’s stunning recent battlefield successes, eight months of war have rendered the country a physical, financial and economic basket case. Millions of refugees have fled, the country’s gross domestic product has shrunk by about one-third, and the government, its budget depleted by the war, runs monthly deficits of $4 billion or more — mainly financed by Western grants, a lifeline for teachers, retirees living on pensions and millions of others. Even if Russia were to withdraw now, Ukraine would remain enfeebled for years. Before Russian President Vladimir Putin rained ...

Hawaii education affected by COVID

Early in the pandemic, major concerns were expressed over how its many disruptions might hurt education. Shuttered schools, remote learning, canceled sports and activities, experts warned there could be a lost generation of American students. A study released this week by the National Assessment of Educational Progress shows those worries were well founded. Average math scores on the “nation’s report card” plunged eight points, the biggest decline ever. Reading scores regressed to 1992 levels. The numbers say kids are about a year behind where they should be. The good news on ...

Safeguarding electoral counts

No matter what happens in the upcoming midterm elections, Congress should act before the end of this year to safeguard the nation from any more Trump-style attempts to overthrow the will of the voters. As the House select committee investigating the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol has shown in masterful detail, the horror of that day went beyond the violent mobs that interrupted the peaceful process of certifying an election. The rioters — hundreds of whom have been charged with crimes — were the most visible manifestation of former President Trump’s multifaceted ...

Biden’s COVID convenience

Is the COVID-19 pandemic over? President Biden’s answer is yes no yes no. The latest example of politically convenient pandemic schizophrenia came Thursday when the Department of Health and Human Services again extended the official public-health emergency, this time through January. “The pandemic is over,” Mr. Biden told CBS’s “60 Minutes” only three weeks ago. “We still have a problem with COVID. We’re still doing a lot of work on it. But the pandemic is over.” Not to get all philosophical, but how can something be an emergency if it has already ended? The HHS ...