Interest rates should be cut: As inflation cools, Fed has to bring down the rates for borrowing

Last month, for the first time since March 2021, the consumer price index— the indicator of inflation — fell below 3% annual increase, hitting 2.9% for July. Among other things, this makes it likelier that interest rates will be cut when the Federal Reserve’s governing board meets in September. We hope that the policymakers, in their joint wisdom, take this step to further stimulate the American economy.

Irwin: Packing your bags, unpacking your mind

Like most universities, UH Hilo has a website for students to consult when preparing to live in our residence halls. Should you bring a microwave or a mini-fridge? Pro-tip: There are community fridges and microwaves in the halls, so if you do not mind sharing, you can probably do without.

Kyiv hits back against Putin

About two and a half years into Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the latter has turned the tables with an incursion into the Russian region of Kursk — once the site of a pivotal WWII battle — that by some estimates has left it with control of more than 1,000 square kilometers.

So much rides on the farm bill

Raise your hand if you knew that Congress is debating a bill this summer that could slow the pace of climate change, produce cleaner drinking water, restore habitat for endangered wildlife and improve the American diet. No?

Don’t confuse the symptom with the problem

It’s time to talk about how President Joe Biden’s withdrawal from the presidential campaign is related to our broken political system. This failing system got us to the point where we had the two major party candidates rejected by 70 percent of the electorate, according to most polls.

Pinballing through the presidency

In the gilded, overwhelmingly ornate main room of his Mar-a-Lago resort and estate, former President Donald Trump stood in front of four huge American flags Thursday and pinballed through a press conference unlike anything ever seen in presidential campaigning.

Is Harris or Trump fighting for workers? The union crowd in Detroit says it all

Igrew up in a union family in Detroit. Health insurance, food on the table, roof over our heads — as kids we took these for granted, but history tells us they were not easily earned, and work stoppages are perennial reminders that they are also hard to keep. As children we were unaware of the constant tension between labor and capital. All we knew was sometimes we ate at Red Lobster on Sundays, and sometimes we were lucky if we ate at all.

Presidential debate two-step — The more the merrier

With President Joe Biden now locked in the basement, former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris are engaged in a two-step over where and when to debate. The standoff reflects poorly on both campaigns and on the state of American politics.

Google the word ‘monopoly’: Federal judge rules against illegal market control for internet searching

Even those of us who Google every day — and that’s the vast majority of us — can and should applaud this week’s federal court ruling holding that the company is maintaining its dominance in internet search through an illegal monopoly. Google search can simultaneously be a very, very useful product (indeed, the judge said it is “widely recognized as the best” general search engine “available in the United States”) and one that might not stay in the digital catbird seat if it weren’t strong-arming competitors.