Our view on ‘The al-Qaeda 7’: Yes, even accused terrorists should have access to lawyers Attack on Guantanamo attorneys insults proud U.S. legal tradition. One of America's proudest traditions is that everyone, no matter how reviled, has a right to...

Opposing view: 'No right to counsel' Of all the causes to volunteer for, these lawyers chose our enemies.By Andrew C. McCarthy It is absurd for critics of Keep America Safe to proclaim an American legal tradition of representing alien enemy...

Punchlines A lighter look at the news of the week "As you know, the Toyota Prius is a hybrid — half gas engine, half runaway racehorse." — The Tonight Show with Jay Leno "Tomorrow on (CBS') The Early Show, host...

How old is too old for driver's license? Plain Talk By Al Neuharth, USA TODAY Founder Every state in the USA has a minimum age for young people to start driving a car. No state has any maximum age for...

Latino culture a key to childhood obesity Commentary By Marisa Trevio Michelle Obama's launch last month of the Let's Move campaign, aimed at slimming down the nation's obese children, is admirable in its ambition. How can it fail with the...

Iraq vote: Time for relief or worry? What people are saying about Iraq elections Los Angeles Times, in an editorial: "When the history of the U.S. war in Iraq is written, Sunday's parliamentary election may well provide the final chapter....

The would-be senator on his own political rise and how the Republican Party can show it deserves to govern again.

Breaking down the ObamaCare claims.

The notion of objective truth has been abandoned and the peer review process gives scholars ample opportunity to reward friends and punish enemies.

Janet Yellen and the reflation bet.

Mr. Petri's bill of college subsidies.

Until the state confronts the unions expect higher taxes and lower growth.

Senator Christopher Dodd needs to introduce tough and smart legislation to revamp the financial system and protect American consumers.

Freezing the Environmental Protection Agency’s ability to regulate greenhouse gases, as some senators would like to do, makes no sense.

Unless Republicans come around on immigration reform, we may be headed for another stalemate.

Another guilty plea of abuse surrounding New York’s pension fund is a forceful reminder that the state comptroller should not be the sole trustee.

The man who heads L.A.'s teachers union struggled as a young man, then turned his life around thanks to education. It tells you a lot about what A.J. Duffy brings to the game that he got his job as president of United Teachers Los Angeles by trouncing the incumbent, which had never before happened at the union.

Villaraigosa's 30/10 plan to fund L.A. transit projects is winning supporters in high places, and deservedly so. It sometimes seems as if

The Obama administration needs to move decisively if it wants the Middle East peace talks to succeed -- take charge, act quickly and own the process. It took a year of trying for President Obama to persuade Israelis and Palestinians to enter into "proximity talks" to resolve issues standing in the way of a final peace plan. But as we learned from the stunning announcement this week -- during Vice President Joe Biden's visit to the region -- that Israel had approved 112 new settlement units in the West Bank and 1,600 new settlement units in East Jerusalem, there is a lot that can go wrong.

Magician-comedian Penn Jillette has no qualms about aging, and he's gonna stick to what he likes until he reaches his deathbed. I just turned 55 years old. This year my age and the last two digits of my birth year are the same. That happens only once in a lifetime.

The earthquake's nightmare alerted Chileans to a different face in the mirror, forcing us to recognize that we live in a country forged out of lies and illusions. Almost two weeks after the earthquake that devastated Chile, the country is still reeling from aftershocks. I speak to my sister-in-law in Santiago and she suddenly interrupts our conversation, telling me she has to hang up, está temblando está temblando , está temblando -- it's trembling, again and again.

The fact is that as a Democrat, Jerry Brown starts with a built-in advantage in his gubernatorial bid. Now that both parties have candidates running for governor, Californians are sure to hear a bit of conventional wisdom about state politics: Voters typically elect Democrats to the Legislature but Republicans to the governorship.

Earmarks -- the practice of steering money to pet projects and programs through D.C. spending bills -- take on new meaning when stacked against city services that suffer because of money woes. Think of the $10 million to Ford's Theatre Society, the Lincoln Theatre's $1 million and $2 million in earmarks handed over to the now-sold Southeastern University. Then there's the Washington Ballet's $1 million earmark and thousands of dollars directed to the likes of the National Building Museum, the Ethiopia Community Service and Development Council, the GALA Hispanic Theatre and the for-profit Horning Brothers.

It is ironic that Democratic pollsters Patrick H. Caddell and Douglas E. Schoen felt "compelled" to "challenge the myths" about public attitudes on health care by simply restating one of the most commonly stated -- and patently wrong -- Republican myths [Washington Forum, March 12].

Discussion of President Obama's remarks about the Supreme Court and campaign finance during the State of the Union has once again turned attention to Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission. The court ruled in January, by a 5 to 4 vote, that corporations must be treated like people in the political process -- that is, like very rich people who want to spend money to elect or defeat candidates for public office.

In our current armed conflicts, there are two U.S. drone offensives. One is conducted by our armed forces, the other by the CIA. Every day, CIA agents and CIA contractors arm and pilot armed unmanned drones over combat zones in Afghanistan and Pakistan, including Pakistani tribal areas, to search out and kill Taliban and al-Qaeda fighters. In terms of international armed conflict, those CIA agents are, unlike their military counterparts but like the fighters they target, unlawful combatants. No less than their insurgent targets, they are fighters without uniforms or insignia, directly participating in hostilities, employing armed force contrary to the laws and customs of war. Even if they are sitting in Langley, the CIA pilots are civilians violating the requirement of distinction, a core concept of armed conflict, as they directly participate in hostilities.

The increasingly puerile spectacle of presidential State of the Union addresses is indicative of the state of the union and is unnecessary: The Constitution requires only that the president "shall from time to time give to the Congress information of the state of the union." But a reaction may be brewing against these embarrassing events. Speaking in Alabama, Chief Justice John Roberts said "to the extent that" this occasion "has degenerated into a political pep rally," he is "not sure why we're there." He was referring to Supreme Court justices. But why is anyone there?

In "The March of Folly," Barbara Tuchman asked, "Why do holders of high office so often act contrary to the way reason points and enlightened self-interest suggests?" Her assessment of self-deception -- "acting according to wish while not allowing oneself to be deflected by the facts" -- captures the conditions that are gripping President Obama and the Democratic Party leadership as they renew their efforts to enact health-care reform.

It’s time for a change in the $50. Editorial: A ruckus is sure to ensue if Congress moves to pass a bill to replace the image of Ulysses S. Grant with one of Ronald Reagan.

Salt seems like an inalienable right, as all-American as the French fries, popcorn and huevos rancheros we dump it on Schmich: When New Yorkers start talking about banning something popular, there's a good chance at least a few Chicagoans will hop on the ban wagon.

Over the past couple of years, Kane County State's Attorney John Barsanti has staged what he calls "no refusal" weekends.

If you're planning on going to the movies this weekend — but don't relish the idea of having a meat thermometer plunged into your neck —please heed this warning:

President Barack Obama ramped up the pressure on members of the U.S. House this week to vote for health care reform by March 18, less than a week from now.