Letters: Trump is right — America is not always great. What if we give him a chance to fix it?
Yes, President Donald Trump (and others) are asking for changes, some of them needed, others that may seem odd. I do wish the Trump administration would focus immigration raids on deporting criminals.
Not everything in our country has gone right in the past 50 years.
We have grown complacent about giving our money to anyone who asks or appears to think they need something. I think accountability is a good thing; we need to know where our money is going and how it's going to be spent.
Not every research project at every college is worth researching — many are absurd and unnecessary. And I think funding institutions that are biased is wrong.
It would be nice if people saved their hatred and biases against the Trump administration until we see the results. I think most people will find that many or most of these changes are not bad and probably needed.
Kathleen McGrath Crabbe, San Francisco
Not based on facts
Regarding 'California's resistance to Trump: This could be our finest hour' (Open Forum, SFChronicle.com, July 6): Joe Mathews describes President Donald Trump as a dictator, like Vladimir Putin. The irony must have escaped Mathews because he felt free to write a hypercritical column of Trump without fear of repercussions and the 'secret police.'
Somehow, millions showed up recently to protest at No Kings rallies and without Trump trying to intervene. Can anyone imagine Putin putting up with those protests?
Mathews further claims that Trump 'lawlessly seized control of our California National Guard,' yet there is a link to a story about a federal appeals court ruling saying the president acted legally.
Another wild claim is that Trump is out to 'destroy our economy,' however, the linked story says nothing about specifically targeting California.
If Mathews believes resistance to Trump is a necessary noble cause for Californians, utilizing facts would work better than hyperbole.
Michael Singer, Santa Rosa
Universities fuel U.S.
Amidst the chaos of America, the Fourth of July was a difficult holiday this year. As a nation, we are moving away from shared values and the slow, but steady progress that have been pillars in my 37-year lifetime.
A glimmer of solace over the weekend was the American flags hanging from the cranes that are building UCSF's expanded Parnassus campus. Signs that, despite the darkness and the baseless attacks on American higher education, here in San Francisco and California, we recognize the power and opportunity of world-class research universities and medical innovation.
Our universities play a distinct role in generating economic growth, making future-altering discoveries and training the next generation of America's workforce and health care providers.
Brendan O'Callaghan, San Francisco
Deadly consequences
The death toll from flooding on the Guadalupe River in Texas is rising, and many girls are still missing from a Christian summer camp.
The linkages between greenhouse gas emissions, climate warming and extreme rainfall and flooding are well-established in the scientific literature.
Yet President Donald Trump has called climate change a 'hoax' and is dismantling former President Joe Biden's program to reduce emissions and has taken an axe to the agencies — the National Weather Service and the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration — charged with tracking and modeling extreme weather events.
It is a bitter and tragic irony that many of the parents of those poor girls swept away in the flood are most likely ardent supporters of President Trump.
Robert Coats, Berkeley
Criticism is right
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New York Post
6 minutes ago
- New York Post
Judge Judy recreates controversial American verdicts and challenges viewers in ‘Justice on Trial'
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The churchgoers, as depicted in the episode, carried signs reading, 'God Hates Your Son,' 'Thank God for Dead Soldiers,' and 'Thank God for 9/11,' to protest the military's tolerance of homosexuality. 7 The show, which was over 10 years in the making and finally premiered on Prime Video last Monday. Michael Becker/Prime 7 The main lawyers featured on the show are Larry Bakman and Daniel Mentzer. Michael Becker/Prime As Snyder noted during the trial, his son was not gay. The protesters were protesting the military at-large. The court showdown highlighted the legal boundaries of protected speech when it conflicts with potential harm to others. Advertisement A jury in the United States District Court for the District of Maryland agreed with Snyder and awarded him a total of $10.9 million, which the judge lowered to $5 million. The Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals reversed the judgment, holding that Phelps' speech was protected by the First Amendment. The Supreme Court upheld the Fourth Circuit's ruling. The fiery Sheindlin had an opinion on the matter. While she and others may find the protesters' signs 'abhorrent,' she intoned that the Constitution does protect free speech. 7 A jury in the United States District Court for the District of Maryland agreed with Snyder and awarded him a total of $10.9 million. Courtesy of Prime 'Totally uncaring for people who are religious people, totally uncaring about the emotional trauma that that kind of demonstration might have on the family,' Sheindlin said of the Westboro protests in an interview with Fox News Digital. 'And yet the Supreme Court said in its decision that they had a right to express their views, even though their views were maybe abhorrent to the vast majority of Americans. I suppose you have to be able to… I wouldn't want to tolerate seeing the American flag burned in protest in America. Just wouldn't. It would offend me. But you have the right to do it. Is there a law that proscribes it? And I'd say probably not.' Advertisement So how do Americans reconcile their anger at a verdict with the Court's constitutional responsibilities? Sheindlin began her answer by referencing the movie 'American President.' 'I mean, we all would like our presidents to be like Michael Douglas, correct?' she said. 'And he said something at the end, but he's making the big speech at the end. He said, 'As an American, America is not easy, and you have to be able to defend somebody burning a flag, the American flag, as a protest, if you're going to insist that freedom of speech and expression exists.' And while we are all offended, it just didn't seem right that for no apparent reason, with no knowledge of who this young man was who was killed, just because they had a cause, they didn't care what the collateral damage was emotionally to the family of this young man.' 7 Judge Judy Sheindlin presiding over a courtroom trial. Courtesy of Prime 7 Judge Judy said there was one case, in particular, that spurred her to want to create 'Justice on Trial' and that may also leave some Americans feeling like justice may have taken a walk. Courtesy of Prime Advertisement Judge Judy said there was one case, in particular, that spurred her to want to create 'Justice on Trial' and that may also leave some Americans feeling like justice may have taken a walk. 'It was a case that happened in New York many, many years ago,' she shared. 'Two young thugs decided to rob an old man on the subway. Believe it or not, I remember the man's name. His name was Jerome Sandusky, and he was a man well in his 70s. And one of them was acting as a lookout. The other one went down the stairs with the pretty deserted platform and was beating up this old man in an attempt to take his watch and cash. And a transit police officer heard the screams of the old man coming from the subway, and he ran down into the subway. Pulled out his revolver and said, 'Stop, police!' And the young thug ran off and was running up the stairs. Police said, 'Stop, police!' He didn't stop, and the police officer shot him. And he shot him in the back as he was fleeing.' Then things got tricky in court and the situation seemed to turn on the victim. 7 Then things got tricky in court and the situation seemed to turn on the victim. Courtesy of Prime 7 'The young man pled guilty to the robbery, was sentenced, but hired a lawyer who sued the transit authority in the city of New York and received a judgment, a jury verdict for $4.3 million,' Sheindlin continued. Michael Becker/Prime 'The young man pled guilty to the robbery, was sentenced, but hired a lawyer who sued the transit authority in the city of New York and received a judgment, a jury verdict for $4.3 million,' Sheindlin continued. 'And then Mr. Sandusky, who took a very long time to recover from his physical wounds, but who would, you know — if you're a crime victim emotionally, you really never get over being a victim of violent crime. And Mr. Sandusky, he said, 'Well, that's sort of outrageous. I was the victim.' And so he hired a lawyer because now this thug had $4.3 million and his lawsuit was barred by the statute of limitations. So there are many facets to that case. Whether or not, ultimately, justice was served is an issue. And if you ask 10 people, given those set of facts, you will get at least eight different opinions.' Advertisement All eight episodes of 'Justice on Trial' are streaming now on Prime Video. Other cases covered by the series include the famous Scopes Monkey trial, Gideon v. Wainwright and People v. Turriago. In the latter case, troopers stopped Leonardo Turriago for a speeding violation on the New York State Thruway, which led police to discover a decomposing body locked in a steamer trunk. The episode explores the question of whether or not the search of the truck was legal. The series is created and executive produced by Sheindlin. Casey Barber, David Carr and Randy Douthit are also executive producers. Amy Freisleben is a co-executive producer.
The Hill
6 minutes ago
- The Hill
Megyn Kelly hires Hope Hicks as she expands media company
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8 minutes ago
Democrat Roy Cooper launches Senate bid in North Carolina for Tillis' seat
Roy Cooper, the former Democratic governor of North Carolina, officially launched his Senate bid for Republican Sen. Thom Tillis' open seat in 2026 on Monday. 'I'm Roy Cooper, and I know that today, for too many Americans, the middle class feels like a distant dream. Meanwhile, the biggest corporations and the richest Americans have grabbed unimaginable wealth at your expense. It's time for that to change,' Cooper said in an announcement video posted on X. In his announcement, Cooper said he believes that the next election will determine 'if we even have a middle class in America anymore.' He doesn't mention President Donald Trump directly. 'Right now, our country is facing a moment as fragile as any I can remember, and the decisions we make in the next election will determine if we even have a middle class in America anymore. I never really wanted to go to Washington. I just wanted to serve the people of North Carolina, right here where I've lived all my life. But these are not ordinary times. Politicians in D.C. are running up our debt, ripping away our health care, disrespecting our veterans, cutting health for the poor, and even putting Medicare and Social Security at risk just to give tax breaks to billionaires. That's wrong, and I've had enough.' The National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) responded to the news in a statement slamming Cooper as both "far left" and anti-Trump, alongside attempting to tie him to former President Joe Biden and former Vice President Kamala Harris. 'Roy Cooper is a Democrat lapdog who spent his time as Governor sabotaging President Trump, doing Joe Biden and Kamala Harris' bidding,' NRSC Communications Director Joanna Rodriguez said partly in a statement. 'When Hurricane Helene hit, Cooper's gross mismanagement left over 100 North Carolinians dead and an estimated $53 billion in damage to businesses, homes, and infrastructure. North Carolina wants a senator who will champion working families, safety, and American values, not an incompetent, far-left career politician like Cooper who will wreck everything they care about.' As for the Republicans' pick, multiple sources tell ABC News that RNC Chair Michael Whatley is planning to launch a bid after being asked directly by Trump to run. Trump is hopeful that Whatley, who led the North Carolina Republican Party before becoming RNC chair, has the knowledge of the state, the national profile and the network of relationships to run a strong campaign. Tillis said in June that he would not seek reelection, citing 'the political theatre and partisan gridlock in Washington' and as Trump railed against him for opposing his signature megabill.
