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Even with leverage,
would Trump use it?
Re: “How to give Trump leverage to coerce Putin” (Page A7, May 30).
Marc Thiessen’s recent column makes a valid point about the need for more leverage in President Trump’s stated desire to end the war in Ukraine. The real question is, “Will he use it?”
Contrary to Thiessen’s long-winded theory about passing a resolution and then holding it in the Senate, it would be far more effective if it were sent to the president for signature. We don’t need another “TACO” victory from a president who finds it difficult to speak the truth about Putin. His “relationship” with Putin was evident when he debated Hillary Clinton in 2016, and his coziness with Putin in the first administration.
It is also a welcome relief to see that Republicans have finally found their voice after delaying aid to Ukraine during the Biden administration.
Thomas Scott
Morgan Hill
Kindness is not
part of AI’s program
Re: “The New York Times and Amazon announce AI licensing agreement” (Page C8, May 30).
Recent news, such as The New York Times’ AI licensing deal with Amazon, has me reflecting on what makes us human in an AI-driven world.
It brings to mind the simple phrase: “Let’s be good to people for no reason.” Is this even possible? Don’t we always have motivations — reciprocity, feeling good, or aligning with our values? These are valid reasons.
Yet, the spirit of that quote — to act without expectation — is profoundly appealing. While AI processes information and performs tasks, it cannot replicate the spontaneous, uncalculating empathy that defines human connections.
As technology advances, let’s prioritize and practice that purest goodwill. Let’s embrace kindness precisely because it’s “for no reason” other than our shared humanity. This, to me, is an irreplaceable act.
Deana Kitajima
San Jose
Images from war zone
demand end to violence
An image from the news a few nights ago continues to haunt me — a Palestinian woman and her young daughter on the side of a road sifting through garbage bags for scraps of food. And the words the mother spoke in front of her daughter, “They have made us like dogs.”
Peace will never be realized by such inhumanity and degradation inflicted on others. We must end this terrible war.
Gary Bertuccelli
Santa Clara
Renew government
to shield us from Trump
In only four months, we have had the most corrupt, incompetent and vengeful national administration in our history.
We cannot wait until the 2026 elections to start saving our country. Right now, we must demand of our leaders and legislators that they start doing their jobs. This is especially true for the cowards of Congress.
We need truth and transparency. We need the people of this land to take the time to dig in and find out what is truth and fact, starting with remedial online courses in American history and civics.
We also need the government to hire great numbers of auditors, contract monitors and law enforcement personnel to ensure that our tax dollars are well spent and laws are applied thoroughly and fairly.
John Cormode
Mountain View
If nation unites, we
can defeat Trump
Re: “Golden key and a black eye: Elon Musk exits Washington” (Page A3, May 31).
For once, Donald Trump told the truth when saying Elon Musk is “really not leaving.” Why would he leave if money can buy him all the influence?
Americans must not take comfort in his reduced presence in Washington, D.C. As long as the current unprecedented corruption persists, Musk and Trump will continue to wreak havoc, destroying due process and democracy. Based on the painfully soft questions thrown out by the journalists at the farewell news conference, we can conclude that we can no longer rely on the press to hold public figures accountable. We must unite to fight for ourselves and make our voices heard.
Florence Chan
Los Altos
Hold both parties
to account for debt
Think government deficit spending won’t hurt you? Think again because increasing government deficits lead to higher inflation and interest rates.
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In the first four months of this year, we have paid $684 billion in interest on our $36.2 trillion U.S. government debt. Our government borrowing rates are now going up because the international bond markets now perceive a higher risk in lending money to the U.S. government due to unchecked deficits. Our biggest risk is losing our “reserve” currency status, which allows us to borrow at lower interest rates than other countries.
Politicians in both parties need to be held responsible for ruinous deficit spending.
Ed Kahl
Woodside