| The last 'swing'? High court 'reliability' and rule of law Posted: 10 Jul 2018 02:06 PM PDT ![The last 'swing'? High court 'reliability' and rule of law]( "The last 'swing'? High court 'reliability' and rule of law") The nation's highest court appears poised to take a hard turn toward the ideological right, after President Trump nominated Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the United States Supreme Court. A lifelong Washingtonian and a pillar of the conservative legal community there, Judge Kavanaugh's educational background and extensive legal experience – including two degrees from Yale University and 12 years on the US Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit – made him an early frontrunner to replace Justice Anthony Kennedy, who announced his retirement last month. A judge must be independent, and must interpret the law, not make the law," Kavanaugh said after Trump announced his nomination Monday night.
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| Does old squabble over NATO’s costs mask US shift away from Europe? Posted: 10 Jul 2018 12:33 PM PDT ![Does old squabble over NATO's costs mask US shift away from Europe?]( "Does old squabble over NATO's costs mask US shift away from Europe?") When President Trump told a rally in Montana last week that Americans are "schmucks" for carrying the defense burden of wealthy European countries, he set the stage for another contentious meeting with US allies at the NATO summit here Wednesday. In short, it's this: Is NATO worth it? Do American taxpayers, and what Trump refers to as the American "piggy bank," get their money's worth for participating in and indeed leading Europe's defense?
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| A big question for Trump’s Supreme Court nominee Posted: 10 Jul 2018 12:14 PM PDT ![A big question for Trump's Supreme Court nominee]( "A big question for Trump's Supreme Court nominee") Like court nominees before him, Judge Kavanaugh will frustrate his interlocutors with nonanswers so as not to tip his hand on future cases before the court. The court itself, like the legislative and executive branches of government, is not above the founding document.
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| As local news outlets struggle to survive, citizen-led efforts are stepping up Posted: 10 Jul 2018 11:58 AM PDT ![As local news outlets struggle to survive, citizen-led efforts are stepping up]( "As local news outlets struggle to survive, citizen-led efforts are stepping up") ELi is one of a growing number of nonprofit news initiatives that have sprung up around the country in recent years to try to plug the gaps left by a media industry in financial crisis. "[ELi is] part of a fast-growing landscape of nonprofit news organizations across the US," says Sue Cross, former Los Angeles bureau chief for The Associated Press who now serves as executive director of the Institute for Nonprofit News, which has grown from 27 to more than 160 members since its launch in 2009.
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