Opinion

  President Barack Obama granted 78 pardons earlier this month, doubling the total for his presidency — and ensuring that it will not go down as the least forgiving in more than a century. Instead, it will probably end up as the second-least forgiving. It’s a strange legacy for a president who has spoken so eloquently about the need for …

  US President Barack Obama hit back at Russia for meddling in presidential election. He took a series of tough actions against intelligence agencies, expulsions of agents and shutting down of Russian compounds on US soil. The actions followed repeated private and public warnings that Washington had issued to the Russian government. Sanctions have been issued against Russia’s FSB and …

  Kevin Drum of Mother Jones thinks that making Obamacare work could have been a simple task for Democrats. All they needed was two things: • About twice as much funding, and • A higher tax penalty for not buying insurance. More funding would have allowed them to offer higher subsidies to people with incomes above 200 percent of the …

  Phew. Somehow, I survived the uncertainty and anxiety of what economists like me often regard as an inefficient tradition: spending hours looking for the right holiday gifts. Fortunately, this year’s trials and tribulations provided me with a few more anxiety-reducing steps for the next set of birthdays, anniversaries and holidays. This time, it was even more clear that most …

  Elaine Ou 2016 hasn’t been a brilliant year for Silicon Valley. Lawsuits and regulatory investigations have shed light on the antics of high-profile companies such as Theranos, Zenefits, Hampton Creek and Hyperloop One. Even outside of public scandal, dubious tactics abound. A recent Fortune column asks whether Silicon Valley pushes ethical boundaries too far. Has cutthroat competition led the …

  The US-China relationship is ending 2016 on its most ominous note in years. President-elect Donald Trump has questioned the one-China policy that has been the default American position and angered mainland China by taking a congratulatory call from Taiwanese president Tsai Ing-Wen. China has reciprocated with barely veiled aggression, adding visible anti-aircraft systems to the artificial islands it has …

  Time for some extra cash for investors, Superman. People the world over like to build up their nest eggs as they age. Li Ka-shing, the 88-year-old Hong Kong billionaire who earned that superhero moniker for his canny investing, is no different. Thanks to strategies every retiree will appreciate — from buying income-producing investments like utilities to adopting a geographically …

  Apologists for a despot will invariably mention his ability to maintain stability. Congo’s President Joseph Kabila is falling short of even this dismal standard, which may be the most compelling reason for him to give up his unconstitutional effort to stay in power. Neighboring Burundi, where President Pierre Nkurunziza’s bloody bid for an illegal third term has created more …

  US Secretary of State John Kerry warned Israel that building settlements on Palestinian land is a major roadblock to peace. In the most scathing remark, Kerry accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of being most right-wing in country’s history. He blamed Netanyahu’s government of perpetual occupation of Palestinian territories. There is an ambiguity as to what would be Washington’s …

  Spend much time with economists around this time of year, and you will, eventually, get around to hearing about the dreadful inefficiency of exchanging gifts. You desperately wrack your brains for something, and then buy a supply of scented bath oil for someone who has only got a shower; they return the favor by giving you three books you …