Commentary

Given the demonstrated lack of respect for judicial precedent among the current makeup of the U.S. Supreme Court — see the overturning of Roe v. Wade this summer after 50 years — it is unsurprising that the justices appear poised to strike down affirmative action and its five decades of precedent, as well. This was made clear by questioning from the court’s conservative supermajority Monday during oral arguments in a case involving race-conscious admissions at the University of North Carolina and Harvard. No need to wait for a leak of any draft; it’s almost certain that they will strike down affirmative action as a kind of reverse-discrimination, making no distinction between those whose ancestors came to the country in chains and those whose ancestors were enslavers.

Earlier this year, the Senate passed a bill to make daylight saving time permanent. The idea of ending clock changes and sticking to one time was met with celebration — until scientists pointed out that such a change could cause a nationwide case of seasonal depression, learning loss and physical health problems. Now the Sunshine Protection Act sits with the House. But as we prepare to change our clocks this November — and with news of Mexico mostly opting out of daylight-saving time, effective this past weekend (the exceptions: towns and cities on the U.S. border) — the idea is sure to be debated again. Popular opinion supports getting rid of clock changes, and for good reason — they’re disorienting and disruptive. But eternal daylight-saving time is not the answer. Especially if we want to protect young people.

Baltimore County voters have two choices for county executive this fall: One-term incumbent Johnny Olszewski Jr., who has touted his record and campaigned on a promise to build upon it, or former state Del. Pat McDonough, who would prefer to dismantle it. Republican McDonough, who served in Annapolis from 2003 to 2019, said he would fire Melissa Hyatt, Democrat Olszewski’s chosen police chief, eliminate a regional housing program mandated by a legal settlement and file numerous lawsuits — a frequent refrain of his.

Dear Kanye West, or “Ye”: We’ve never met, and I hope we never will. Still, I’d like to express a sort of gratitude. With a few outbursts in a few days — you threatened in a tweet this month to go “death con 3” on “JEWISH PEOPLE,” and it’s been downhill from there — you’ve probably done more to raise public awareness about the persistence, prevalence and nature of antisemitism than any other recent event.

In the years following World War II, with a growing economy and the vast expansion of automobile ownership, there was broad support for investment in highways that would knit the country together. While there was already 1944 legislation envisioning a 40,000-mile system of highways on the books, it took the leadership of President Dwight D. Eisenhower to bring about the passage of the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956. Also known as the National Interstate and Defense Highways Act, Ike’s signature domestic legislation, with an initial authorization of $25 billion for the construction of 41,000 miles of roadway, was the largest public works program in American history through that time. But the president did not understand all the details of the bill he had signed.