Viewsday
Analysis, discussion and opinions by members of Newsday's editorial board.
Up on the Board: Twister in Oklahoma, Apple's tax dodge, and White House spying on reporters
Photo credit: AP
The editorial board is concerned about the tornado in Oklahoma that has killed, by the latest estimate, 24 people, and injured and displaced hundreds more. This part of the planet seems to have more than its share of disaster – maybe something it has in common with New York, after our experience with the World Trade Center attacks and superstorm Sandy.
Also, we’re infuriated that Apple seems...
Read more »Cartoon: Herding New York's Assembly Democrats

Mark Wilson is a New York political cartoonist and illustrator who lives in the Adirondacks. He publishes under the pen name Marquil.
MORE CARTOONS: Mark Wilson's cartoon gallery
Up on the Board: Hofstra student dead amid questions, anti-gay attacks in NYC
Photo credit: Howard Schnapp
With the tragic death of Hofstra student Andrea Rebello on Friday, the editorial board is raising questions about how this happened. Did the Nassau County police officer who responded follow procedure? We realize these are difficult decisions in the heat of the moment. But why did he enter the house alone instead of waiting for backup? And, is an investigation by Nassau District Attorney Kathleen...
Read more »Up on the Board: City newsstands, Yonkers tolls, and Tom Croci's leave from Islip
Photo credit: handout
The editorial board is saddened by the terrible story coming out of Hofstra University today. We're watching to see what more information surfaces about the shooting.
Today, we’re working on an editorial about New York City newsstands, which are seeking to lift a price cap on what they sell. Currently, all of their offerings, except for printed material, must cost no more than $5. We support...
Read more »Up on the Board: IRS and political spending, safer clothing factories
As President Barack Obama fires Steven T. Miller as the head of the IRS, the editorial board believes that the agency must continue to clean house. IRS agents searched for “tea party” and “patriot” in the names of organizations to target audits. The agency wanted to determine if their tax exempt, nonprofit status was authentic – or if they were in fact supporting political campaigns. Accusations...
Read more »Bessent: Some actual good news about the deficit
Photo credit: TMS illustration by Michael Osbun
Remember all the recent caterwauling in Washington about trillion dollar plus budget deficits? Never mind. The latest estimate puts this year’s deficit — the difference between what comes in and what goes out — at $642 billion. That’s half what it was four years ago and $200 billion less than was projected just three months ago. So, what happened? The economy got off the mat and began growing. That...
Read more »Up on the Board: Vito Lopez cleared, blood-alcohol limits, and fair trade clothing
Photo credit: Bryan Pace
The editorial board is interested in two reports released today about Assemblyman Vito Lopez and the charges of sexual harassment chargebrought against him. Staten Island DA Dan Donavan cleared him of criminal charges but pointed to the Albany cover-up as the problem. Later the J-COPE the ethics board revealed that the powerful Brooklyn Democrat, with an authorization by Assembly Speaker Shelly...
Read more »Up on the Board: AP phone records, school taxes, and clothing retailers' disclosure
Photo credit: Getty Images
The editorial board is outraged by revelations that federal prosecutors secretly obtained records of calls for more than 20 telephone lines belonging to the Associated Press and its journalists, including their cellphones and home phones. There may be an issue of national security here, but at the moment, there are too many unanswered questions to make that judgment. Such as, were all other avenues...
Read more »Up on the Board: IRS and the tea party, Pearson Plc, and a Nikola Tesla museum
Photo credit: Nikola Tesla Museum; Handout
The IRS owes the nation honest answers about who is responsible for letting politics creep into its process, targeting groups with “tea party” or “patriot” in their names. President Barack Obama is facing perhaps the biggest crisis of his presidency, and he must take steps to reassure the American public that he’s on top of the situation and is going to take action. Rita Ciolli, editor of the Opinion...
Read more »Bessent: IRS owes answers for targeting conservative groups
Photo credit: iStock
IRS officials owe the nation more than a canned apology. It must provide honest answers about who is responsible for letting politics creep into it process.
The agency made a chilling admission Friday, acknowledging that the tax collectors singled out conservative political groups for unfair scrutiny between 2010 and 2012. An agency with privileged access to the intimate details of our financial...
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