Voices

Feb. 13 (UPI) -- Max Weber, the founder of modern sociology, once argued that charismatic politicians are seen by their followers as saviors and heroes. But they are just as likely to be charlatans and swindlers.

Feb. 10 (UPI) -- Despite the outpouring of grief and calls for action that followed the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in 2018, school shootings continue to occur with alarming frequency.

Feb. 9 (UPI) -- Days after a Chinese spy balloon began drifting across the United States, the U.S. military downed it with a missile. But the balloon continues its flight through diplomatic circles, complicating U.S.-China relations.

Feb. 8 (UPI) -- President Joe Biden delivered his second State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress on Tuesday night. Read the full text of the speech.

Feb. 8 (UPI) -- The inexplicable murder of Tyre Nichols by five Memphis police officers brought home again the question of why instances of police brutality continue to occur in America.

Feb. 7 (UPI) -- Some 3,450 buildings have collapsed in the Turkey earthquake. Many of the modern buildings have failed in a "pancake mode" of structural collapse. Why did this happen?

Feb. 6 (UPI) -- Was the balloon that suddenly appeared over the United States last week undertaking surveillance? Or was it engaging in research, as China has claimed?

Feb. 3 (UPI) -- It doesn't take much to get ChatGPT to make a factual mistake.

Feb. 2 (UPI) -- U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken rushed to the Middle East this week to make yet another push for a negotiated settlement between Israel and the Palestinians following another dramatic escalation in violence.

Feb. 1 (UPI) -- The safety, reliability and security of the United States' critical infrastructure are at grave risk.

Jan. 31 (UPI) -- White conservative evangelicals, who make up most of the religious right movement, largely oppose government regulation to protect the environmental initiatives, including efforts to curb human-caused climate change.

Jan. 30 (UPI) -- Older and middle-aged women are having their moment in the sun, it seems. The recent Golden Globes coverage was filled with images of "older" women on the red carpet. There were some notable wins, too.

Jan. 27 (UPI) -- California is embarking on an audacious new climate plan that aims to eliminate the state's greenhouse gas footprint by 2045 and in the process, slash emissions far beyond its borders.

Jan. 26 (UPI) -- The investigation into the Beirut port explosion has taken a new turn, with the judge overseeing the probe charging a former prime minister and two other former ministers with homicide with probable intent.

Alliteration is ideal for literature. Is it instructive for politics? Today, crippling contradictions are joined by diabolical dilemmas and perilous paradoxes.

Jan. 24 (UPI) -- The start of a new year these days signals the launch of Veganuary, a campaign that encourages people to give up animal products for the month of January.