How tech can fight extremism
Violent extremists like the self-proclaimed Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, or ISIS, have become increasingly sophisticated at creating dense, global networks of support online, networks that are helping these…
Tag: cnnopinion
Cindy Crawford pic used to satisfy ‘personal agenda’
The image showed the 48-year-old Crawford looking sultry, but imperfect, in black lingerie, her bared stomach and thighs characterized by what appears to be some cellulite, wrinkles and sun damage….
Why does ISIS keep making enemies?
Adding to your list of enemies is never a sound strategy, yet ISIS’ ferocious campaign against the Shia, Kurds, Yazidis, Christians, and Muslims who don’t precisely share its views has…
What if you had as much political influence as a billionaire?
The only thing surprising about the first lady’s statement is that a leading political figure said out loud something we all know. What she didn’t say is that her advice…
Are presidents overrated?
We have an unhealthy obsession with presidents as the sole movers of American politics. For too long, Americans have understood history primarily through the lens of the presidency. School textbooks…
A Valentine for black men
They say love can heal all wounds. So on this Valentine’s Day I’m sending a love letter to black men with a prayer that in the coming years the black…
Snatching Little League team’s title is a lousy move
To paraphrase the ESPN “30 for 30” sports documentary opening: “What if I told you that a sport based on lying, cheating and rule bending worked perfectly fine as long…
Note to GOP: Steer clear of UK
Most recently, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker visited Chatham Housea gorgeous foreign policy study center in Westminster. There he was asked if he believed in evolution or not. Why, I cannot…
David Carr, we’ll miss you
To see three nationally well-respected leaders in the field vanish in a week’s time has left many in the news business shaken. Williams deserves the least sympathy; he caused his…
Why America’s Yemen policy is failing
News that the United States has suspended operations at its embassy in Yemenand reports that Houthi rebels have seized U.S. Marines’ weaponshave laid bare the failure of U.S. policy in…
The end of humanitarian space?
I did not know Kayla Mueller, the American aid worker and ISIS hostage whose death was confirmed by her family this week. But like many people who read her letter…
Please, respect my son’s rights
My son Jason Rezaian and his wife were taken at gunpoint from their apartment in Iran more than 200 days ago. Since then, he has been languishing in a jail…
A new fight for rights in Alabama
Even at dark moments for this countryafter 9/11 or Hurricane Katrina, for examplemy tendency is always to scout out the sliver of hope for future progress. But I’ve got to…
Did Brian Williams embed with SEAL Team 6?
On May 3, 2011, just two days after the daring U.S. Navy SEAL Team 6 raid that killed Osama bin Laden in Pakistan, Williams said on his NBC News show,…
Single with Valentine’s Day blues?
You think that every couple you see is lucky in love, even though it’s not true. If you drill down on your blossoming blues, you will feel like you are…
Chapel Hill shooting attack on diversity
Let’s be real. People don’t die over parking spots. Craig Stephen Hicks was arrested on Tuesday over the deaths of Deah Shaddy Barakat, 23, Yusor Mohammad, 21, and Razan Mohammad…
Big data saves lives
Unfortunately, Mr. Kakaes’ column appears to be part of a larger narrative that is skewing the perception of the importance of advanced data analytics to economies, societies and families around…
3 slain college students strived for a better world
I was on the phone with a friend in his junior year at my alma mater, UNC Chapel Hill, discussing his campus work and future goals, when his roommates relayed…
Jon Stewart: The voice of my generation — and yours
I’ll give you two hints: Younger than George W. Bush. Older than Justin Bieber. Forty-ish, you say? Forty-five, maybe? Nope, 52. And isn’t it incredible that someone that age —…
Help find the world’s ‘loneliest whale’
They call him “52,” which isn’t as much a name as much as a measurement, since that’s the frequency, in hertz, of his bleating, electric call. He’s said to have…
Negotiate against, not with terrorists
Mueller’s grace, demonstrated in the letter she wrote to her family while being held by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, was inspiring. And although the letter was clearly…
The Brian Williams case — that’s the way it wasn’t
When asked decades later whether he had flown over Utah or Omaha Beach, Cronkite shrugged. “I think it was Omaha,” he said. “We didn’t know about those names then, of…
Boston: Stop complaining about the snow
Three back-to-back snowstorms have slammed the area, three Mondays in a row dumping a record 70 inches of snowfall in the past 30 days. The only reprieve was the Patriots…
Are selfies bad for us?
Of course, it’s absurd to suggest a selfie was in any way an incentive or motive for the murder, just as it’s absurd to suggest that social media causes criminal…
Keystone debate is a sign of progress
Late last month, the U.S. Senate voted to approve the siting of the Keystone pipeline by a vote of 62-36. This vote will ultimately have little impact on the project’s…
Made in America makes a comeback
Thanks to the resilience of U.S. workers and businesses of all sizes, “Made in America” is making a comeback. According to data released last week by the Department of Commerce,…
‘Get your government hands off my Obamacare’
That’s almost exactly what happened in 2009 and 2010 when conservatives fought President Obama’s health care proposal by warning that it would require cuts to Medicare. In recent months, we’ve…
The ‘revenge porn’ victory we need
The fight against “revenge porn” chalked up a small victory recently. So why am I not celebrating? The Federal Trade Commission released a statement saying it had barred Craig Brittain,…
Build an Internet for everyone, everywhere
For nearly two decades, ubiquitous access to the Internet has been the elusive dream of technologists, policymakers and ordinary users. But today, the prospect of worldwide, always-on and high-speed (or…
American Sniper, the perfect hero for our time
Every age has the heroes it deserves, as the saying goes. To judge from the success of the movie “American Sniper,” the hero of the current moment would be the…