Viewsday

To make immigration reform more palatable to those who call it amnesty, there’s a bipartisan proposal being floated in the House of Representatives. Undocumented immigrants would have to plead guilty to a misdemeanor in federal court and serve some time on probation. The editorial board is wary of flooding the court system with this burden. We’re watching the issue to see if it gains support, but...

NBA player Jason Collins of the Washington Wizards announced today that he is gay. The editorial board thinks his public statement will be helpful, because it normalizes the idea that people in all walks of life can be gay -- not just those starring on “Queer Eye for the Straight Guy.” It softens old stereotypes.

The One World Trade Center spire will hit its 1,776-foot destination height very...

The editorial board believes the United States needs to move more aggressively to release terrorism prisoners from Guantanamo Bay, many of whom have been held without charges or trial for 11 years. Holding them without due process is, in a word, un-American. Now, 93 of the 166 suspects are on a hunger strike. The Obama administration must live up to the president’s promise to shutter Guantanamo,...

We didn’t post Up on the Board earlier today, because the editorial board went out to lunch to celebrate our nomination as a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. Newsday was named on April 15 as one of three finalists for editorial writing, for our coverage after superstorm Sandy.

And over lunch, things changed. Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced midday that the Boston Marathon bombers had been...

Self-esteem issues used to be rooted in comparing your body to a supermodel’s, but now that social media dominates our culture, they're more about comparing yourself to your peers. Now, networks upon networks have access to your best and worst candid moments. They might be embarrassing. They might be shameful. They might make you think twice about having a burger for lunch. What could be worse than...

Much of Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino's fourth State of the County address Tuesday night sounded like his others: He pledged another year with no tax increase, touted his plans for changing Playland and outlined his efforts to promote business and spur economic development — all while protecting social services.

And there were shout-outs to county residents who accomplished great...

An intelligence briefing about the Boston Marathon bombing has left some members of Congress feeling as though we've reverted back to the bad old days before the Sept. 11 attacks. That is, our many U.S. intelligence agencies aren't talking to one another. If the FBI had interviewed Tamerlan Tsarnaev on suspicious activity, why didn't his return trip from Chechnya last year trigger an alert? The...

State Sen. Greg Ball has dug in his cowboy boots and is defending his belief that  the use of torture on the Boston bombing suspect would be justifiable — the suspect he called "scumbag number 2" in a tweet sent to his more than 5,000 followers.

It's the tweet that set off this latest Ballapalooza.

"Who wouldn't use torture on this punk to save lives," he wrote,...

For tomorrow's Newsday, the editorial page is taking a closer look at reports about Long Island school district contracts with a Bellport data-systems company that advertised it could help maximize their "yes" vote during budget elections. It's not clear whether any school districts ever used this premium service from Bold Systems. But if they did, that's a problem. Spending tax money...