[Carl Leubsdorf] Why wait for 2011? Your future headlines today

A year ago, we predicted that Texas Gov. Rick Perry would beat Bill White for re-election and that Congress would pass President Barack Obama’s health care bill. But we failed to see that a lagging economic recovery would mean Republicans would win back the U.S. House and make big Senate gains.Undaunted, we tackle 2011:January: Fox News announces that Sarah Palin’s son, Track, will participate in

Jan. 3, 2011

[Andrew Cohen] Jury’s still out on justice in 2010

Perhaps the simplest thing to say about the law in 2010 is this: Never in America were so many judged by so few with such inconclusive results.As our population rose, and Americans filed 100 million or so lawsuits, the role of the courts somehow shrank in our lives. Dozens of federal judgeships remained empty throughout the year, the victim of partisan bickering on Capitol Hill. State judicial sys

Jan. 3, 2011

A new threat emerges from the financial chaos

An era of high inflation is coming. China has raised its interest rates for the second time since mid-October. This move has been made to counter the country’s fastest-growing inflation rate in more than two years. Additional fiscal moves are expected as China is currently battling against various economic bubbles.In spite of Chinese officials’ efforts to curb real estate speculation, property pri

Jan. 2, 2011

The EPA starts to act on climate change threat

The Clean Air Act turned 40 this year, as did the Environmental Protection Agency, which was created to enforce that new law and others Congress adopted to reduce all types of pollution. But it has taken this many years for the EPA to begin flexing its regulatory muscles to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide, the principle culprit linked to climate change.For many years the agency claimed that the

Jan. 2, 2011

[Zhang Monan] China needs to manage national wealth better

The global financial crisis has offered China a good opportunity to review its ability to manage its increasing national wealth. During the past three decades China has developed into the world’s largest foreign reserves holder and net capital exporter from a country that lacked reserves and foreign investment. The country has changed from being a debtor to become the world’s second largest credit

Jan. 2, 2011

[Ann Woolner] As in sex, WikiLeaks chief tests limits of press

For better and for worse, Julian Assange pushes limits. In his work life and his sex life, he stands at the border dividing legal conduct from criminality, though it’s not clear which side of that border he occupies. U.S. officials are looking for a way to prosecute him for publishing secrets while women in Sweden say he crossed the line between consensual romps and rape. Mainstream journalists sa

Jan. 2, 2011

[Kwan Weng Kin Ozawa pulls the strings as Japan’s P.M. muddles along

Japanese politician Ichiro Ozawa describes himself as a mere ippeisotsu (foot soldier) in the ruling Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ), giving the innocuous term a whole new meaning.For despite what he claims, Ozawa is undoubtedly the most powerful politician in Japan today.No other politician in the country attracts as much attention or controversy ― not even Prime Minister Naoto Kan.Even though Oz

Jan. 2, 2011