‘The EPA accidentally killed small cars’
Kate Aronoff in The New Republic
There are more pickups and SUVs on the road these days, says Kate Aronoff. Americans have not “suddenly embraced off-roading.” The Environmental Protection Agency imposed Obama-era rules with tougher fuel-efficiency requirements for small cars than light trucks. This let car companies ease “the standards to which they’re held” by making more pickups, inadvertently “killing the sedan.” In 2012, Americans bought far more passenger vehicles than light trucks. Now the numbers are reversed, at the climate’s expense.
‘If Ukraine falls, it will be the GOP’s Afghanistan’
Marc A. Thiessen in The Washington Post
Republicans rightly hammer President Joe Biden for his “catastrophic” Afghanistan withdrawal, says Marc A. Thiessen. The sight of Taliban forces taking Kabul as “desperate Afghans fled” caused a slide in popularity from which Biden hasn’t recovered. “Republicans should look at the damage the fall of Kabul did to Biden’s good name and imagine what the fall of Kyiv would do to theirs.” Conservatives blocking fresh Ukraine military aid will “own” disaster there, just like Biden owns Afghanistan.
‘Be as wary of No Labels as you are of Trump’
South Florida Sun Sentinel editorial board
America has “genuine problems,” from a widening wealth gap to expensive groceries, says the South Florida Sun Sentinel editorial board. But former President Donald Trump “can be trusted only to break things.” Even though President Biden showed in his State of the Union speech that “he’s still in command,” No Labels insists its alternative ticket can win. Don’t fall for the “scam.” Saving this country “from Trump means saying Yes to Biden and No to No Labels.”
‘Case closed: Prolonged school closures needlessly hurt students’
Las Vegas Review-Journal editorial board
The data now makes it clear that the longer students were stuck in remote classrooms due to the pandemic, the farther they fell behind, says the Las Vegas Review-Journal. The New York Times described the grim outcomes in a recent article. Some political leaders, like Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, “pushed to have kids back in schools” early and “faced vicious attacks” from teachers’ unions. But now we know: “Keeping schools closed didn’t stop the virus from spreading. But it did keep children from learning.”