American support for conspiracy theories and armed rebellion isn’t new – we just didn’t believe it before the Capitol insurrection

  Americans had to confront a new reality when an angry mob attacked the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021: Some of their fellow citizens were in the grips of a false reality and had resorted to violence to support it.

  Conspiracy theories about the 2020 presidential election and the strange alternate universe of QAnon helped drive the attack, which has prompted concerns about further domestic upheaval.

Dozens of ideas for state executive action to prevent gun violence and crime

  It has been three years since one of the nation’s most horrific mass shootings: the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School. The movement to enact stronger gun laws since that tragedy has been characterized by two seemingly conflicting trends. In communities across the country, the groundswell of activism and engagement has been unprecedented. The public is demanding action by local, state, and national leaders to address the epidemic of gun violence in this country—not only regarding the mass shootings that garner the bulk of media attention, but also for the thousands of shooting deaths that too often go unnoticed. Millions of Americans have signed petitions and pledges; called their elected representatives; and organized and attended rallies and vigils pleading for change. At the same time, the inertia in Congress has been inexorable, as our elected representatives have largely failed to heed these calls for action to enact the common sense legislation that is supported by a vast majority of Americans and would undoubtedly save lives.

Gene Policinski: When and why we need to hear 911 calls

  The word "restraint" and the First Amendment usually exist in uneasy tension.

  The 45 words of the First Amendment don’t include it. The Pentagon Papers case in 1971 settled the issue of "prior restraint" by the government on what the press may publish: Nothing doing.

  Many critics of the news media slam news outlets for a lack of it, from graphic TV images beamed live from car chases to unrestrained paparazzi photographers stalking celebrities. And in the digital age, whole new ethical controversies have arisen over images being captured and distributed via the ubiquitous presence of cell phone cameras.