Where is the Russiagate coverage? Most media are missing the story | Opinion

Where’s the Russiagate coverage?

We’re witnessing the greatest political scandal in U.S. history, and legacy media is not casting much light on it.

In the prior “greatest political scandal in U.S. history,” President Nixon conspired with others to steal Democratic National Committee election plans. The Watergate break-in was not a crime against Americans as much as it was an offense against the DNC. Regardless, Nixon was forced to resign his presidency because he was a co-conspirator to theft.

Compared to the magnitude of the currently-unfolding “Russiagate” conspiracy involving the intel community, DOJ and Obama’s executive branch, Watergate was the criminal equivalent of spitting in the gutter.

Unlike Watergate, Russiagate is far more than a simple theft; leadership under President Obama executed a multi-faceted plan to deceive Americans, influence the vote of the people, cover up Hillary’s misdeeds, illegally spy on U.S. citizens, and prevent the next administration from carrying out policies the electorate chose in 2016.

The legacy media was complicit in the scandal, dismissing Devin Nunes’ claims, parroting Adam Schiff’s rhetoric, and failing to question the lies. Now in 2025, they’re still choosing not to report on this scandal.

What happened to “Democracy Dies in Darkness”?

Matt McIntyre, Madera

Crying over Warszawski’s farewell

Yes, Marek, I did cry when I read that you are leaving The Bee. Who else is going to have the courage, the creativity, the political savvy, the wit and the down-to-earth writing skills to engage across the spectrum of life in Fresno?

The days when your column appeared were always brighter for me. I shall miss you a lot. Hail and farewell.

Francine Farber, Fresno

Logging not the only way to fire-safe communities

Nathan Magsig’s opinion seemed heartfelt, but also focused on solutions, such as increased logging, that won’t significantly help the wildfire problem. The fact is that fires burn hotter and faster on logged land, so it would be setting up a worse situation in the future to log more in vulnerable forest.

Also, who knows where the next fire will start? Unless you are logging within a close distance to a populated area, you are wasting your time and money.

Focusing on hardening homes is a better way to use your tax money. Instead of clearing the forest, make your home impregnable to flying cinders, and better yet, work on getting your entire community hardened by asking state government to fund home hardening. Put your tax money where it has scientifically been proven to do the most good, and not funding loggers to do their worst in sensitive wildlands.

Also, getting homeowner insurance is an increasing problem in California as insurance agencies are refusing to cover unhardened homes near wildfire areas. Home-hardening state funding would alleviate that problem for Californians as well. Two problems covered by one tax-funded solution. Ask your congressperson for a bill to fund home hardening.

Janet Doherty, Sacramento

Fong does not do the work he preaches

Rep. Vince Fong, R-Bakersfield/Clovis, is on record supporting “sensible work requirements for able-bodied adults.” If that’s the standard, let’s hold him to it:

Is he sending a bi-weekly newsletter to keep voters informed? No.

Is he returning messages left at his congressional offices? No.

Is he replying to comments on his official government webpage? No.

Is he actually hearing from his constituents? No. Has he held a single in-person or even virtual town hall to face the people he represents? No.

Most of us know what happens if we don’t do our jobs: we get fired. Yet Mr. Fong collects a taxpayer-funded salary and benefits while failing to meet the most basic expectations of public service — communication, accessibility and accountability.

He’s quick to talk about work requirements for others, but where are his? Why is there one standard for struggling families and another for members of Congress? If Vince Fong can’t perform the essential duties of his office, it’s time to stop rewarding failure. The people of CA-20 deserve a representative who works for us, not one who hides.

Rebecca B. Camarena, Lemoore

Feeling the burn of education funding cut

The sun scorches my skin, its relentless rays leaving me drained and defeated. That’s why I carry an umbrella: not just for shade, but as a shield that lets me enter spaces too often designed without me in mind.

Today, I feel that umbrella has been ripped away. For Fresno, we are approximately losing $7.1 million in federal funding! By The Fresno Bee sharing an important piece of our loss, our communities are scared and students are left behind by our courts that have abandoned us by dismantling our educational department.

As a low-income, first-generation student, I see this as a direct attack, a calculated effort to push me and my community out of higher education, to silence voices that have long fought to be heard.

I will get my education. I have a full-ride scholarship and am working hard to prepare for law school. And once there, I’ll stand before the Supreme Court, fighting for our communities, because someone must.

We cannot let education become a luxury. Full-ride scholarships should not be the exception. We must preserve access and protect the right to learn — for everyone, not just the privileged few!

Heriberto Campos-Melchor, Fresno

One way to drop PG&E costs

Here in the San Joaquin Valley, summer means sun and heat! It also means soaring PG&E bills, due to running the AC.

California has the third-highest rates in the country and rates keep going up. Our bills are higher because many programs, such as wildfire prevention, solar and low-income subsidies, are included. These important programs are not directly related to electricity. They should be paid for by the state. High PG&E bills are bad both for the consumer and for the goal of encouraging less-polluting electric vehicles and appliances. One bill now in the state Legislature makes a start at reducing the cost of electricity.

AB 745, already passed by the Assembly, awaits action in the Senate. This bill would take the flat rate climate credits we get in our PG&E bill and use them to decrease rates during the hottest months: July-September. This summer rate reduction would really help in hot climates like ours, but ideally, lower rates year round is the goal.

Valley Sens. Caballero, Hurtado and Grove have already given AB 745 a thumbs up. Urge your legislators to make electricity affordable for all.

Linda Sward, Kingsburg