Opinion Category: News

Earth is about 4.5 billion years old, but the international holiday celebrating the Blue Planet turns 48 on Sunday, Apr. 22. Earth Day, which began as an environmentalist demonstration at colleges and universities across the U.S. in 1970, is now observed in 193 countries worldwide according to the Earth Day Network. Millions will be planting […]

In January 2017, Mike Pompeo was nominated as CIA Director by a fairly overwhelming margin, 66-32. But 15 months later, he’s facing a far more difficult challenge, with Senate Democrats much less eager to approve his promotion to Secretary of State. The Trump Administration has laid the groundwork for Pompeo’s nomination, secretly sending him to […]

It’s fair to say Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch isn’t held in the highest regard by almost anyone left of center on the political spectrum. After all, Gorsuch, a conservative constitutionalist, took the spot intended for Merrick Garland, who was President Obama’s choice for the Supreme Court vacancy that opened in 2016. To date, Gorsuch […]

Climate change may be warming up the oceans, but the water EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt finds himself in is downright hot – and Social is fanning the flames. Pruitt, initially unpopular online for his climate-change denial, is now catching flak because of his spending habits. On Thursday, Reuters reported that Pruitt spent $45,000 in taxpayer […]

National tragedies often turn ordinary people into household names, but few have lasted as long in the spotlight as Parkland (Fla.) shooting survivor David Hogg. Along with classmate Emma Gonzalez, Hogg has become a figurehead for the national movement to tighten gun restrictions and prevent mass shootings. But Hogg has also become notorious on social […]

In February, the first trailer for I Feel Pretty made its way to Social, and the general reaction was anything but positive. In Social’s defense, the two-minute clip wasn’t super encouraging: It more or less portrayed Amy Schumer’s character, Renee Bennett, as being “ugly,” which rubbed viewers the wrong way considering, as comedian Sofie Hagen […]

April signals the beginning of the playoffs for the NBA and NHL, and both leagues are treating fans to some enticing matchups. The NHL’s postseason is a week and a day old, which was just enough time for the Vegas Golden Knights — an expansion team — to sweep the Los Angeles Kings. Most of […]

Butter and sugar were once considered key culprits in the American obesity epidemic, but recent health studies have rehabilitated public opinions of both. Now, another unfairly shunned food could make its comeback thanks to new research. Pasta has long been thought of as a gut extender and insulin spiker since it is made from refined […]

No news seems to be good news for President Trump of late. He’s firing missiles in Syria, his personal lawyer Michael Cohen is under criminal investigation, and he is seething about former FBI Director James Comey’s highly publicized book tour. None of those events are making for a particularly popular POTUS, but Comey’s interview with […]

Attorney Michael Cohen — widely alleged to have paid porn star Stormy Daniels $130,000 in hush money to deny having had an affair with client President Donald Trump — has been forced by a federal judge to reveal the name of another client. Cohen, who is under investigation for possible bank fraud and campaign finance […]

President Donald Trump’s inner circle has no shortage of targets for social media outrage, but few are as detested online these days as Michael Cohen. Trump’s longtime lawyer began his journey to social media’s rogues’ gallery in January when The Wall Street Journal reported that Cohen paid adult film actress Stormy Daniels $130,000 to keep […]

As the President and his Administration continue to put out fire after fire with new scandals popping up daily, some Democrats are looking beyond the Midterms all the way to the 2020 election and a chance to knock Donald Trump out of office. That presidential primary race is likely to feature a wide swath of […]

Waiting on friends can be annoying, but what should have been mildly frustrating turned horrifying for two African-American men in Philadelphia. On Apr. 12, the pair entered a Starbucks in Philadelphia to wait for a friend but didn’t order anything. Employees asked the men to leave if they weren’t buying, and when they refused, police […]

Former FBI director James Comey has been relatively dormant since he was fired by the President a year ago because — as he alleges — he refused to drop the investigation into former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn and his relations with Russia. That dismissal led to the appointment of a special counsel to continue […]

A new cat-and-mouse spy thriller has all the makings of a hit and was already renewed for a second season just days before its premiere. Killing Eve is BBC America’s latest high-profile venture, and it’s based on a series of novels by Luke Jennings. It centers on a down-on-her-luck MI5 officer named Eve Polastri (played […]

Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James is still almost universally considered the best all-around player in the NBA, but Houston Rockets guard James Harden is poised to win this year’s MVP award, and Harden is also crushing it on Social. “The Beard,” as he’s affectionately known, has Houston up 1-0 over the Minnesota Timberwolves in their […]

In the days after President Trump ordered airstrikes on alleged chemical-weapons sites in Syria, the reaction from Social has been generally unpopular. The U.S., in coordination with the UK and France, launched strikes against three facilities in the war-torn country on Friday as a response to another suspected chemical attack against Syrian civilians by the […]

In another era, Andrew Wheeler would probably be a surprising pick to be deputy administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency. Wheeler has spent years lobbying against climate change policy and the regulation of greenhouse gas emissions for companies such as coal producer Murray Energy, but he now finds himself helping to helm the EPA. He […]

Thanks to Earth, Wind & Fire, Social tends to fondly remember the 21st night of September. That is, of course, unless someone other than Earth, Wind & Fire — particularly someone who elicits polarizing reactions to her music — takes a stab at covering the 1971 classic while changing the lyrics to the song’s first […]

The career of Lewis “Scooter” Libby, one of former Vice-President Dick Cheney’s top aides during the Bush Administration, fell apart after he was indicted in the investigation of a leak blowing a Central Intelligence Agency officer’s cover. Libby was convicted of perjury and obstruction of justice, served 30 months in prison, and had his law […]

Donald Trump’s tenure as President has seen the end of many Capitol Hill careers, but few imagined that House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) would bail – at least at this point in time. Nevertheless, Ryan announced earlier this week that he won’t be running for re-election. He told colleagues on Wednesday that after almost 20 […]

Last year the founding director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Richard Cordray, got tired of taking flack from Congress and dodging insults from the White House and stepped down to run for governor of Ohio. That gave President Trump a chance to install Mick Mulvaney, whose main job is running the Office of Management […]

In 1970, Joni Mitchell immortalized the verse “You don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone,” a message that’s somehow applicable to a candy that’s pretty universally accepted as not tasting very good. Nevertheless, the nostalgia factor involved with Necco wafers is leading to mass panic as the company that makes the sweets is apparently […]

The Los Angeles Lakers lost to the Houston Rockets on Tuesday night by a score of 105-99. Hardly anyone was paying attention to the final tally since the Lakers have long been eliminated from playoff contention and other teams around the league were competing for postseason seeding. But the otherwise inconsequential game still made waves […]

Mark Zuckerberg isn’t the most beloved person on social media these days, and two days of grilling by members of Congress didn’t win him much sympathy from those tending the online fires of outrage over Facebook failures. On Tuesday and Wednesday, Zuckerberg fielded questions from the House Energy & Commerce Committee on everything from Facebook’s […]

President Trump is all about keeping “the base” happy, which means near-constant appeals to rural America. After all, in the 2016 election his percentage of votes in country counties was 29 points higher than in urban counties. But he’s facing a bit of trouble with farmers after a couple of decisions that could prove costly. […]

Corporate mergers are an integral part of America’s capitalist system, but social media is looking sideways at the purchase of Monsanto by German pharmaceutical giant Bayer. Back in May 2016, Bayer made an unsolicited offer to buy Monsanto at $122 a share, or about $66 billion. The deal has since depreciated to $62.5 billion, but […]

The Porsche 919 Hybrid was officially retired in November 2017, but the high-performance racecar is still taking last victory laps. The 919 Hybrid was enormously successful during its run, winning three consecutive titles at the 24 Hours of Le Mans event. Although Porsche is now focusing on Formula E racing, it’s taking the 919 for […]

The 2018 midterm elections continue to heat up, with most of the talk about the supposed GOP debacle ahead and Democrats vowing to unseat Republican incumbents and push back against President Donald Trump’s agenda. But now Republicans are issuing their own challenges across the country. The latest salvo came from Florida Governor Rick Scott, who […]

Republicans have been praising their tax cut bill as the chief legislative achievement of 2017, promising that it will put more money into the pockets of Americans of all income brackets. That’s up for debate, but what’s not up for debate is the effect the bill will have on the U.S. debt, something the Right […]

When the Los Angeles Angels officially signed Shohei Ohtani in December, no one was really sure what to expect. He had proven to be a lights-out pitcher and remarkably consistent batter in Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball league, but Major League Baseball is a whole different animal. Ohtani’s prospects for success were dealt an early blow […]

Bill Cosby is back in court facing off against more accusations of sexual assault. On Tuesday, accuser Heidi Thomas testified before a Pennsylvania jury, telling the court that in 1984 she met with Cosby in Reno for what she believed was an opportunity to be mentored in acting. Instead, Thomas alleged, Cosby gave her a […]

Nearly three years ago, President Trump’s then-fledgling campaign got its first jolt of electricity because of his comments about illegal immigrants from Mexico, whom he referred to as “rapists” and accused of bringing “drugs” and “crime” into the U.S. Those remarks were long ago condemned and have largely been buried under a litany of other […]

Patrick Reed had long talked the talk, but he had yet to walk the walk as a true contender on the PGA Tour. He can readily make that claim now after his victory at The Masters over the weekend. Reed had a subpar fourth round at -1 but was so successful in his previous three […]

Coffee sessions with your local representative usually don’t feature guns being drawn, but Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.) seems to have missed that memo. Friday morning, the first-term representative met with constituents at a diner in Rock Hill, S.C., and was fielding questions about gun safety when he decided to reach into his blazer and put […]