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April 24, 2018

The Need for NAFTA By Stephen Moore

Finally, some good news for the future of the North American Free Trade Agreement. CNBC is reporting that a framework for a renewed and improved NAFTA may be coming in the weeks ahead.

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April 20, 2018

Why the Authoritarian Right Is Rising By Patrick J. Buchanan

A fortnight ago, Viktor Orban and his Fidesz Party won enough seats in the Hungarian parliament to rewrite his country's constitution.   

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April 20, 2018

Collusion, Anyone? By Michael Barone

As the likelihood that the Trump campaign colluded with Russia seems headed toward zero, the likelihood of proof of a different form of collusion seems headed upward toward certainty.

The Russia collusion charge had some initial credibility because of businessman Donald Trump's dealings in Russia and candidate Trump's off-putting praise of Vladimir Putin.

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April 19, 2018

Underestimate Trump’s Reelection Odds at Your Own Peril By Kyle Kondik

One might have done better in predicting the 2016 presidential election, or at least in anticipating the very close eventual outcome, by basing a projection of the national popular vote on the findings of several political science models released prior to the election. These models, which were compiled by James Campbell of the University at Buffalo, SUNY and printed in both PS: Political Science and Politics and here at the Crystal Ball, generally pointed to a close election. These models mostly made their predictions several months in advance of the election and were based on the incumbent’s approval rating, the economy, and other “fundamental” factors.

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April 19, 2018

History Suggests Double Trouble For Incumbent Trump By Paul Brandus

President Donald Trump talks of winning reelection in 2020, and he filed papers to run again back on Inauguration Day. But history suggests the person taking the oath of office 33 months from now will be someone else.

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April 18, 2018

Return of the Feckless Chick-Fil-A-Phobes By Michelle Malkin

Move over, Trump Derangement Syndrome. Another unhinged liberal pathology is back:

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April 18, 2018

Hidden Taxes By John Stossel

The cable bill was the last straw, says Kristin Tate. "That's the one that really made me mad."

Comcast included $36 in charges for mysterious things like "utility tax" and "government access fee."

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April 17, 2018

The Trillion-Dollar Myth By Stephen Moore

There is an old saying that you can't teach an old dog new tricks, and we've learned that again with the Congressional Budget Office and its latest highly misleading fiscal forecast.

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April 17, 2018

Trump: Prisoner of the War Party? By Patrick J. Buchanan

"Ten days ago, President Trump was saying 'the United States should withdraw from Syria.' We convinced him it was necessary to stay."

Thus boasted French President Emmanuel Macron Saturday, adding, "We convinced him it was necessary to stay for the long term."

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April 14, 2018

The Media Never Gives Peace A Chance By Ted Rall

At this writing, President Trump is considering "the possibility of retaliation in Syria in response to a suspected chemical attack on young children and families in the Syrian city of Douma," reported CBS News. "If it's the Russians, if it's Syria, if it's Iran, if it's all of them together, we'll figure it out," Trump said. "Nothing's off the table," including a military attack by the United States. 

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April 13, 2018

Is Trump Standing Down in Syria? By Patrick J. Buchanan

Wednesday morning, President Trump jolted the nation with a tweet that contained both threat and taunt:   

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April 13, 2018

Speaker Ryan Follows the Lead of Speaker Reed By Michael Barone

One hundred nineteen years ago, Speaker of the House Thomas B. Reed announced that he was, after 22 years of service, resigning from Congress. Reed had been one of the most effective speakers ever. Barbara Tuchman's account, in "The Proud Tower," of how he neutered the minority party has entranced readers for decades now. When Democrats tried to prevent the presence of a quorum by refusing to answer roll calls, he defeated their efforts by simply noting their presence from the chair.   

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April 12, 2018

Exit Paul Ryan: Another Blow to Republican Odds in the House By Kyle Kondik

The political world was rocked Wednesday morning by House Speaker Paul Ryan’s (R, WI-1) decision to not seek reelection to his southeastern Wisconsin House seat. That said, Ryan’s departure really should not have come as that much of a surprise. Rumors had been swirling for months that Ryan was not long for the House, and we flagged this strong possibility for Crystal Ball readers more than a month ago when we first listed Ryan’s district on our list of competitive House seats, moving it from Safe Republican to Likely Republican.

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April 11, 2018

War on Science By John Stossel

We've been told conservatives don't believe in science and that there's a "Republican war on science."   

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April 11, 2018

The Student Data-Mining Scandal Under Our Noses By Michelle Malkin

While congresscritters expressed outrage at Facebook's intrusive data grabs during Capitol Hill hearings with Mark Zuckerberg this week, not a peep was heard about the Silicon Valley-Beltway theft ring purloining the personal information and browsing habits of millions of American schoolchildren.

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April 10, 2018

The President's Trump Card for Spending Restraint By Stephen Moore and James Carter

The White House is seriously considering a strategy to cancel tens of billions of dollars of wasteful spending in the $1.3 trillion budget signed by President Donald Trump last month.

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April 10, 2018

Has the War Party Hooked Trump? By Patrick J. Buchanan

With his Sunday tweet that Bashar Assad, "Animal Assad," ordered a gas attack on Syrian civilians, and Vladimir Putin was morally complicit in the atrocity, President Donald Trump just painted himself and us into a corner.

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April 6, 2018

#Neveragain Movement: Settle On A Clear Demand By Ted Rall

Eight hundred thousand people participated in the March for Our Lives rally in Washington on March 24, say organizers with the #NeverAgain movement sparked by the Parkland, Florida school massacre. The turnout was impressive -- but will it lead to new gun legislation?

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April 6, 2018

Syrian Showdown: Trump vs. the Generals By Patrick J. Buchanan

With ISIS on the run in Syria, President Trump this week declared that he intends to make good on his promise to bring the troops home.

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April 6, 2018

Genetics Is Undercutting the Case for Racial Quotas By Michael Barone

"I am worried," writes Harvard geneticist David Reich in The New York Times, "that well-meaning people who deny the possibility of substantial biological differences among human populations are digging themselves into an indefensible position, one that will not survive the onslaught of science."