Ellen Settanni News Today

North Hills, Calif.: On March 14, San Francisco’s African American Reparations Advisory Committee proposed to the Board of Supervisors, among more than 100 other proposals, to pay $5 million to only Black Americans. That’s a lot of money and since only Black people are included in the reparations proposals, this would seem to be racism at its worst.

Swarthmore, Pa.: In a seemingly sudden spasmodic convulsion, Fox News has disgorged Tucker Carlson and fired him from his lofty perch atop their news organization. But make no mistake, this does not necessarily represent a thematic programming shift at Fox.

Manhattan: I recently noticed in front of 32 Broadway a sidewalk marker on the Canyon of Heroes commemorating Pierre Laval. He was prime minister of the French Republic in 1931-32, 1935-36 and 1942-44.

Manhattan: Cynthia Fisher is correct that hospital prices are a vexing issue (“Show the real prices of NYC hospitals,” op-ed, Sept. 27), but why? The answer is that most hospital patients are Medicaid and Medicare beneficiaries, and reimbursement from those government programs doesn’t come close to covering hospitals’ costs of providing care.

Jersey City: The labor movement has improved working conditions, has created workplace democracy, and has fostered active participation in labor-management decision-making. The many benefits, protections and rights that workers enjoy today would never have existed if it weren’t for the laudable efforts of labor unions. There have been initiatives designed to degrade labor standards, weaken unions and erode workplace protections. Those efforts would have diminished the bargaining power and poli...

Copake, N.Y.: Following the recent high-profile mass shootings, one of the more ridiculous conservative claims I’ve ever heard resurfaced: Perhaps gun violence is “the price of freedom” we all must accept. Maybe there is a solution hiding within this lie.

West Caldwell, N.J.: I’ve lived in the greater New York City area for 40 years and up until last March, served the city as a yellow cab driver full-time for the last eight of them. I’ve been watching this year’s mayoral race closely as nearly every quality of life issue has gone downhill. I was hoping that “Ed, Dave, Rudy, Mike, Bill and Me” (op-ed, Feb. 28) would give me better insight into many of the frontrunners vying to replace Big Bird next year. Unfortunately, this piece left me...

León, Spain: To Voicer Nelson C. Dones: The answer to your question as to who gets to decide your ethnicity is relatively simple: You.