The Bond Rating Fiasco Is Back
The Wall Street Journal reports that bond rating firms are once again in brutal competition, which allows bond issuers to promote only the highest rating their funky new products receive: Fierce competition among ratings firms in a fast-growing corner of the bond market is allowing issuers to cherry pick the most favorable ratings. The result…
Bret Stephens’ Column on “Jewish Genius” Cited a White Supremacist as a Source
Richard B. Levine/Levine Roberts/Newscom via ZUMA Conservative New York Times columnist Bret Stephens is at the center of yet another backlash. In a recently posted column, Stephens cited a debunked 2006 article authored by a known racist who argues in favor of the genetic superiority of Ashkenazi Jews. Stephens’ piece, entitled “The Secrets of Jewish Genius,” provoked…
“President Trump Has Created an Environmental Crisis at the Border”
Jorge Villalba/Getty This piece was originally published in The Guardian and appears here as part of our Climate Desk Partnership. The survival of eight endangered and threatened species, including four kinds of endemic fish, is in doubt in Arizona, as massive quantities of groundwater are extracted to construct Donald Trump’s border wall. The 30ft-high barrier is under…
Ivanka Trump May Leave the White House Even If Her Father Wins a Second Term
Bill Ingalls/NASA via ZUMA Win or lose, Ivanka Trump may be leaving the White House in 2020. Trump has worked as her father’s adviser during his first term and signaled during an interview on Face the Nation that she would consider leaving the White House even if President Donald Trump wins re-election. It all depends on her…
Gov. Andrew Cuomo Calls Anti-Semitic Hanukkah Stabbing “Domestic Terrorism”
Members and supporters of the Jewish community come together for a candlelight vigil in Washington, DC.Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP/Getty Update, 3:24 pm ET: President Trump responded on Sunday to the anti-Semitic attacks in a township north of New York City. He called the attacks, which injured five people, “horrific.” He continued: “We must all come together to…
Once Upon a Time, Presidents Read Books. Here Are Obama’s Favorites From 2019.
Former President Barack Obama took a moment out of his busy schedule of building media empires and having the 2020 Democratic nominees for president kiss his ring,to carry on a time-honored tradition he started during his presidency: Releasing his annual list of favorite books from the previous year. “This has become a fun little tradition…