Opinion

Journalists are not the story in Uvalde. They are there to tell the story of Uvalde, following a tragedy that will always remain beyond comprehension.

Americans maintain a bargain with their police: Officers will run toward danger while the rest of us seek shelter, and in exchange we cede to police enormous discretion, abundant resources and the benefit of the doubt regarding their actions. That bargain is too rarely examined absent a shocking and deadly incident. The police murder of George Floyd was one such breakdown. The killing of 19 elementary school students and two adults on May 24 in Uvalde, Texas, is another.

The 10 gun laws signed Monday by Gov. Kathy Hochul might prevent another mass shooting — or they might not. One or a combination of them could be just enough of an impediment to keep a rifle out of murderous hands. Or some provisions could prove unworkable, a product of having been hastily negotiated and barely debated by lawmakers in the waning hours of the legislative session last week.

The back-to-back massacres at a Buffalo grocery store and a Texas elementary school have brought into sharp focus the disparity in federal gun law that forbids people younger than 18 from buying handguns but allows them to purchase semiautomatic rifles. That someone too young to buy alcohol or cigarettes is allowed to buy weapons designed for war makes no sense. If ever a loophole cried out to be closed, it is this dangerous distinction. Congress must make it a top priority in any package of reforms.

Donald Trump abused his national security power by slapping tariffs on steel and aluminum imports to support domestic producers. Now President Biden is stealing from his predecessor’s industrial policy guidebook by invoking the Defense Production Act to boost domestic green energy. Don’t laugh—the White House wants to make solar panels and heat pumps to stop Vladimir Putin.

In her 25 years as a journalist for Al Jazeera, Shireen Abu Akleh covered many clashes between Israelis and Palestinians. So when she went to the occupied West Bank city of Jenin in the early morning of May 11 to cover an Israeli Army operation in a refugee camp, she took all the requisite precautions. She wore a helmet and blue body armor marked “press” in large letters. She stood near the entrance to the refugee camp with a group of other journalists, and her presence was immediately noticed. She was so well known among Arabicspeaking audiences that a crowd gathered to watch her work.

Gov. Greg Abbott is urging leaders of the Legislature to name committees to study gun safety, mental health, social media, school safety and more in the wake of last week’s heartrending massacre at Robb Elementary School.