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Booker keeps bewildering N.J. constituency

I wish “Meet the Press” host Kristen Welker had asked Sen. Cory Booker if he’s qualified to represent New Jersey given that nearly 9 out of 10 of his constituents are not Black. I should probably back up. Last month, the Supreme Court ruled in Callais vs. Louisiana that the state’s newest congressional map was an unconstitutional racial gerrymander. Here’s a simplified recap. After the 2020 census, Louisiana drew a congressional map that included just one “majority-minority” district. Some Black voters sued, arguing that Section 2 of the 1965 Voting Rights Act ...

A 44-Year Friendship at Risk Over $4

Dear Annie: I have had a close friend for 44 years. We have been through marriages, children, illnesses, holidays, losses and all the ordinary ups and downs that come with a friendship that lasts nearly half a century. That is why something very small has hurt me more than I expected. Recently, I was very ill for three weeks with vomiting, then bronchitis, and I ended up in the hospital over Easter. Because I was still recovering, I asked this longtime friend if she would pick up a box of tea for me. It cost $4. A few days later, we met at bingo, and she brought me the tea. I ...

Peaceful pope is not always right in world affairs

It must be the highlight for any Roman Catholic to meet the head of his church. So it must have been last week for Secretary of State Marco Rubio, a practicing Catholic. Rubio was on more than a spiritual journey. His mission was to persuade Pope Leo XIV of the rightness, even the righteousness, of the Trump administration's actions to destroy Iran's goal of acquiring a nuclear weapon and likely using it as a means of intimidation, or possibly launching it as a weapon of war. The Pope is committed to resolving disputes through diplomacy. That course would be worth pursuing if Iran's ...

TO YOUR GOOD HEALTH

DEAR DR. ROACH: My primary care physician scheduled me for a cardio stress test and ultrasonography with intravenous “microsphere” imaging. I’m slightly concerned about the term “microsphere.” Is this a safe procedure? Are there any complications stemming from this chemical/procedure? Should I be concerned about a stroke? How long do these microspheres stay in the body? Do they become a part of plaque? Are there other safer imaging methods? -- K.O.S. ANSWER: Intravenous microbubble contrast agents are made from compressed gas that is contained in a phospholipid or protein, ...

Wall Street’s record-setting run halts as AI stocks slump and oil prices rise

A sudden halt for technology stocks put the brakes on Wall Street's record-setting run Tuesday. The S&P 500 fell 0.2% from its all-time high set the day before. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 56 points, or 0.1%, while the Nasdaq composite sank 0.7% from its own record. Some of the sharpest drops hit chip companies and stocks that had been on electric runs because of the artificial-intelligence boom. Intel slumped 6.8% after its stock had more than tripled so far this year. Micron Technology dropped 3.6% after coming into the day with a gain of nearly 180% for the year to ...