opinion

Q: How serious is financial exploitation of older citizens in society? A: Financial scams targeting the elderly have been referred to as the “crime of the 21st century,” but what we’ve uncovered so far may just be the tip of the iceberg. That’s why I’m working on a solution....

WASHINGTON -- If you are the status quo candidate in a change election in which the national mood is sour and two-thirds of the electorate think the country is on the wrong track, what do you do? Attack. Relentlessly. Paint your opponent as extremist, volatile, clueless, unfit, dangerous....

WASHINGTON -- NASA scientists may have noticed a wobble in Earth's axis Tuesday morning. Harry Reid, the irascible top Democrat in the Senate, had shown contrition. The day before, Reid had attacked the integrity of Republicans, including the majority whip, John Cornyn, suggesting...

By Tony Hastings, District 518 WORTHINGTON -- The Worthington school district in collaboration with the Nobles County Attorney, Community Services and Community Corrections Office are introducing the “Stay and Succeed Program.” The Stay and Succeed program is aimed at reducing...

ST. PAUL -- I saw Hillary Clinton once working a rope line for more than an hour, a Secret Service man holding her firmly by the hips as she leaned over the rope and reached into the mass of arms and hands reaching out to her. She had learned the art of encountering the crowd and...

Children cannot vote. They do not contribute big bucks to political campaigns. They are not represented by high-profile lobbying organizations. There is no AARP for the under-18 crowd in this country. Yet kids may have more at stake than adults in state and federal elections. They...

WASHINGTON -- Why does Mike Pence keep getting himself into such deplorable situations? Donald Trump's vice-presidential nominee went on CNN on Monday evening, trying to make hay from Hillary Clinton's calling half of Trump's backers racists and other "deplorables." But the appearance...

By Mike Bogle, Windom Leonard Pitts, whose column used to appear regularly in the Daily Globe, once wrote a column titled “God, Science: Opposite Sides.” It was a critique of intelligent design theory. It gave no evidence for evolution and was basically incoherent. Pitts compared...

WASHINGTON -- She didn't want to say she was sick. Hillary Clinton, that is, who recently has suffered coughing fits followed Sunday by a near collapse during New York's 9/11 memorial ceremony. She left the ceremony early, claiming over-heatedness, and appeared to weave, lose her...

SAN DIEGO -- Having written about immigration for a quarter-century, I’ve heard more than my share of lies, contradictions and inconsistencies from elected officials in both parties. So it’s been extremely refreshing these last few weeks to see my colleagues in the media get...

WASHINGTON -- Donald Trump, who had five draft deferments, never had to fight in the jungles of Vietnam. But he had a different sort of war record, as he told radio host Howard Stern years ago: He slept with many women without getting STDs. "It is my personal Vietnam," he said....

My first month in Crailsheim was very much a month of firsts. It was the first time that I ever flew on an airplane, the first time I left the country, the first time I would go to an island, and countless other small firsts. Traveling to Crailsheim seemed to take forever because...

With the conundrum of paying for needed light rail in the Twin Cities now out of the legislative negotiations for a special session, it’s time for Gov. Mark Dayton and the House GOP leadership to come to an agreement and convene the session to provide tax relief and bonding for...

WASHINGTON -- America has had better weeks than the one just past. Only days away from the 15th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the Democratic and Republican presidential candidates convened for what was dubbed the "Commander-in-Chief Forum," sponsored by NBC News and...

WASHINGTON -- There are many better reasons to oppose Donald Trump than his rampant sexism. But the brazenness of Trump's recent comments, and the not-so-subtle piling on by the Republican National Committee, demand some attention. The remarks are worth noting not only because of...