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Articles by Paul Epstein
Paul Epstein: West Virginia is growing dissatisfied with GOP (Opinion)
The West Virginia Democratic Party released polling data compiled by Lake Research Partners recently. Celinda Lake, the president of the firm, discussed results with Dave Wilson on West Virginia MetroNews' "Talkline" program last week. She said dissatisfaction in West Virginia with Republican elected officials was so great and enthusiasm to vote in this election so low for Republicans that this election provides an enormous opportunity for Democrats.
A&O Shearman guides U.S. Department of Transportation on USD2.52 billion loan for Alabama's Mobile River Bridge and Bayway project
The complex financing comprises a USD2.52bn TIFIA loan alongside four series of toll revenue bonds and bond anticipation notes, both taxable and tax-exempt, totaling approximately USD3.8bn. Construction on the project is expected to begin in October 2026, with the new bridge and Phase One improvements anticipated to open to traffic by late 2031.
A&O Shearman advises U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on loan for California water infrastructure and reuse project
A&O Shearman advised the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on a USD251 million Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) loan to the Las Virgenes-Triunfo Public Financing Authority in Los Angeles and Ventura Counties, California. The financing supports the Pure Water Project, an estimated USD500m initiative to upgrade aging drinking water infrastructure and advance water reuse technologies.
Paul Epstein: State Journal is worth checking out (Opinion)
I’m taking a little survey here, wondering how many Gazette-Mail readers ever look at the State Journal that comes every couple weeks with your subscription. Until two weeks ago, I would have counted myself among those who don’t.
Ondas Collects Israeli Tech Companies and Targets the IDF as an Anchor Customer
The appointment of Dadi Barnea, former director of the Mossad, as Global President and Chairman of Ondas Defense marks the peak of the U.S. company’s strategic drive to become a major player in the Israeli and international defense markets. Barnea joined only two months after leaving the Mossad. His appointment received full approval from the agency’s legal counsel after it determined there was no direct connection between the Mossad and Ondas. At the same time, Brig. Gen.
Paul Epstein: The art of losing while claiming victory (Opinion)
President Donald Trump has been the most significant figure in politics in the United States — and therefore the world — for 10-plus years. Almost every day he dominates the news. He deserves recognition as the genius he claims to be for his ability to grab and hold the attention of the world. However, Trump is not the world’s best dealmaker, another claim of his. In fact, he exemplifies the art of losing while claiming a win.
Paul Epstein: Celebrating America's complicated history (Opinion)
Epstein I recently saw a banner hanging above someone’s garage that said, “Celebrating 250 Years of Freedom, 1776-2026.” I couldn’t help but think, “Yeah, freedom for white men.” I guess that’s what happens when you are “woke.” You understand that most things in life aren’t black and white and patriotism isn’t just red, white and blue.
Paul Epstein: Mayday (Opinion)
Every day, we are confronted with the fact that our government is being run by a group of incompetent and often corrupt leaders appointed or elected in our flawed democratic system by voters who were, in many cases, conned into believing Republicans would “make America great again.” Why do I question our democracy? For many reasons too complex to explain in detail, but a few follow. Our Constitution, while an amazing and revolutionary document for its time, was full of compromises.
Paul Epstein: The fight online finds its way to United West Virginia (Opinion)
Since becoming a board member of United West Virginia, a volunteer grassroots organization formed during the early months of the second Trump administration to protest and resist illegal and harmful policies, I have had to sharpen my debating skills. I’ve never actually debated, but I grew up in a family that argued and tried to persuade using tactics I’m sure debaters have names for. Thank you for Reading Please purchase a subscription or disable your ad blocker to continue reading.
Finland's Elian Lehto one of several skiers to find creative paths to fund skiing and make Olympics
BORMIO, Italy (AP) — Downhill racer Elian Lehto competed for the blue and white of Finland at the Milan Cortina Games. To get here, he owes a bit of thanks to the red and white of Switzerland, too. He was taken under the wing of Franjo von Allmen, Marco Odermatt and the rest of the Swiss team as he trained and traveled with them. The agreement with the powerful ski nation was a cost-saving measure for Lehto and his home country.
Paul Epstein: Capito shows moral deficiency after ICE shooting (Opinion)
We are in a slow rolling Kent-State-Massacre moment. Since President Donald Trump took office for the second time there have been 17 shootings by immigration agents (Border Patrol and Immigration and Customs Enforcement) causing four deaths and at least eight injuries. As chair of the Republican Policy Committee, the fourth-most powerful position in Senate Republican leadership, Sen.
Paul Epstein: Who would describe people as 'garbage'? (Opinion)
Garbage. What kind of person would use that word to describe a human being? We all know the meaning of garbage: waste or spoiled food; anything considered worthless. We all know what to do with garbage: throw it away, sweep it up, put it in the trash to go to the dump. We know what happens if we don’t get it removed: it starts to stink, it rots, it draws flies that lay eggs and create maggots. When we encounter maggots, they make us instinctively want to vomit.
Paul Epstein: Be mindful during Thanksgiving (Opinion)
In recent months, I’ve worked with a group of Millennials and Gen-Xers. As a Boomer past the age of 70, these could be my kids or grandkids, and often I find myself surprised and impressed by their passion, their energy and their ideas. I also find myself suggesting they temper some of their ambitions and emotional responses to current events. A recent discussion I observed regarded whether and how to celebrate Thanksgiving.
Paul Epstein: We're losing our freedoms (Opinion)
Our constitutional rights are being threatened, if not revoked, by the Trump administration. His goals, articulated before the 2024 election in a document called Project 2025, are filtering down to state and local Republican leaders, including those in West Virginia. Watch what they do, not what they say, is a common warning made about autocratic leaders and those seeking to become autocrats.
Job Corps cuts will harm us all
On a bitterly cold morning this January, Brendan and Amare hopped into my Ford Explorer and we drove 30 miles to Grafton, Massachusetts. Our destination: the Grafton Job Corps campus, one of 125 similar sites in all 50 states. These campuses provide housing, education and vocational training to tens of thousands of young people aged 16-24 in need of support, guidance and direction in their lives. kAm%96 AC@8C2> 8C6H @FE @7 !C6D:56?E {J?5@? y@9?D@?’D (2C @?
Trump's cuts to Job Corps will hurt all of us
By Paul Epstein On a bitterly cold morning this January, Brendan and Amare hopped into my Ford Explorer and we drove 30 miles to Grafton, Massachusetts. Our destination: the Grafton Job Corps campus, one of 125 similar sites in all 50 states. These campuses provide housing, education and vocational training to tens of thousands of young people aged 16 to 24 in need of support, guidance and direction in their lives.
Cuts to Job Corps will hurt all of us
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Trump's Cuts to Job Corps Will Hurt All of Us
On a bitterly cold morning this January, Brendan and Amare hopped into my Ford Explorer and we drove 30 miles to Grafton, Massachusetts. Our destination: the Grafton Job Corps campus, one of 125 similar sites in all 50 states. These campuses provide housing, education, and vocational training to tens of thousands of young people aged 16-24 in need of support, guidance, and direction in their lives.
Paul Epstein: All the caveats around Israel and Iran (Opinion)
The blank page I face contains a hidden minefield. Before even mentioning the atrocities committed by Hamas on Israelis on Oct. 7, 2023, I must condemn Israel for their treatment of Palestinians both before Oct. 7 and since. While Palestinians affiliated with Hamas and other terrorist groups committed war crimes that day, Israelis have committed war crimes on a far greater scale since then.
Trump's cuts to Job Corps will hurt all of us
June 18, 2025 – On a bitterly cold morning this January, Brendan and Amare hopped into my Ford Explorer and we drove 30 miles to Grafton, Massachusetts. Our destination: the Grafton Job Corps campus, one of 125 similar sites in all 50 states. These campuses provide housing, education, and vocational training to tens of thousands of young people aged 16-24 in need of support, guidance, and direction in their lives.
Paul Epstein, OtherWords
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Paul Epstein: Reclaiming patriotism (Opinion)
I came of age in the 1960s, a time of turmoil in the United States (looking back at age 73, I wonder if we are always in turmoil). Civil rights protests gave way to protests against the Vietnam War. No one questioned the righteousness of our role in World War II, when we helped rid the world of murderous fascist regimes in Germany, Italy and Japan intent on using their militaries to dominate the rest of the world and enforce their authoritarian regimes on the rest of us.
Paul Epstein: The time to act against Trump is now (Opinion)
Now is the time for all good men to come to the aid of their country. People who grew up, as I did, in an age of typewriters, will remember that phrase as the most common practice sentence for “touch typing.” Of course, an updated version would replace “men” with “people.” There are many ways we can step up to make a difference between now and the next election, and I encourage you not to limit yourself to the easiest ones.
Paul Epstein: Waste, fraud and abuse in government are easy to see (Opinion)
Donald Trump, Elon Musk and congressional Republicans declare daily that federal government programs authorized and budgeted for agencies established by Congress and signed into law by the president are riddled with “waste, fraud, and abuse [of power].” Trump and Musk created a sham Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to root it out. A real department must be authorized by law; DOGE is essentially an advisory council.
RE: The Country Club fined by AG for violating child labor laws
I’m a supporter of Brookline.News and continue to be impressed by the journalistic standards and content regularly on display here. I’m also grateful for the chance to offer additional commentary in this space that in this case won’t dispute any of the facts discussed in the article, but will hopefully offer some context and a different perspective on The Country Club’s hiring practices in regard to Brookline teenagers.
Paul Epstein: Dark humor is the best medicine (Opinion)
“Laughter is the best medicine” goes the old saw. That’s right, one that’s too dull to cut, but when you try to cut a board with it it’s likely to slip off and cut you. For the next four years, if I laugh at the antics of the clown car that Trump is installing, it will be a mixture of outrage and pain.
Paul Epstein: W.Va. and the politics of economic abandonment (Opinion)
Generally, when West Virginia gets mentioned in a national news outlet, we grit our teeth and wait to see how negative the portrayal is. Then we shake our heads at how, once again, we’re not understood by the elites. Many West Virginians probably feel that way about Paul Krugman’s recent column in the New York Times entitled, “The Political Rage of Left-Behind Regions.” Krugman is a Nobel Prize winning economist, so agree or not, his opinions regarding the economy are worth considering.
Paul Epstein: Democracy isn't pro wrestling (Opinion)
Poor Donald Trump. He had President Joe Biden on the ropes and saw certain victory ahead until Kamala Harris jumped in the ring, and along with her buddy, Coach Tim Walz of Minnesota, they’re in the process of taking him down as the crowd cheers with delight. Sounds a lot like one of Donald Trump’s favorite fake sports, professional wrestling, in which the outcome is predetermined and tag-team partners can turn the tide in a theatrical last-minute save.
Paul Epstein: No, Lindsey, Israel shouldn't use 'the bomb' (Opinion)
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., speaking on NBC’s May 12 edition of “Meet the Press,” forcefully defended Israel’s right to defend itself, even to the point of annihilating virtually the entire of population of Gaza. “When we were faced with destruction as a nation after Pearl Harbor, fighting the Germans and the Japanese, we decided to end the war by the bombing [of] Hiroshima [and] Nagasaki with nuclear weapons. That was the right decision,” Graham said.
Paul Epstein: Trump the cheat (Opinion)
While running for president in 2016, Donald Trump made campaign promises, many of which he kept, unfortunately. For instance, he promised to ban Muslims from entering the United States. This also applied to Afghans who had helped our military. They were cheated out of their promised right to seek safety in the United States when Trump proclaimed an end to immigration from various Muslim-majority nations.
Why Hollywood Shouldn't Risk Another Strike With Generative AI Original
Picketers no longer parade through Hollywood streets, but the aftereffects of 2023’s WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes weigh heavily on the entertainment industry’s unsung heroes. I’m referring to thousands of “below the line” crew members who operate cameras, light sets, design costumes, art and props and staff production offices, who mostly work as freelancers in an increasingly disrupted industry. Recent employment data present a sobering window into the state of post-strikes industry employment.
In Growth Middle Market, Paul Epstein Discusses Private Equity Infrastructure Investment
In an interview with Growth Middle Market magazine, Paul Epstein, project development & finance partner, discussed how the $1.2 trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act together with the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 has incentivized investors to support public projects and target companies with on-going work rather than one-off projects.
Paul Epstein: Why choose Donald Trump to run again for president? (Opinion)
Now that it seems clear Republicans will choose Donald Trump as their candidate for president in the 2024 election and that West Virginians who vote Republican will likely support him in overwhelming numbers, many of us are asking, “Why?” Why support a man who has been accused of sexual misconduct by dozens of women, who had open affairs during and between his three marriages and who has been found by a jury in the civil trial to have sexually assaulted E.
Why an AI Award Category at the Emmys Is Inevitable | Opinion
In 2023, as Writers Guild of America (WGA) and Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) picket lines crowded outside Hollywood studios and shuttered productions across the country, artificial intelligence (AI) emerged as one of the key causes of an often-acrimonious dispute. Given that 2024 is already being called “,” many voices in the entertainment industry say we should embrace what AI will offer. I disagree — mostly.
FAST Will Replace Subscription Streaming as Viewer's Choice by 2030
In my view, “The Crown” is the best TV show in history. The final season of “Succession” drove entire news cycles. “Severance” is phenomenal on every level. And Yellowstone virtually reinvented the western genre for a whole new generation of viewers. “The Bear,” “Cunk on Earth,” “The Boys,” “Fleabag,” “Tiger King,” “Squid Game”: All of these series, and so many others just as grabby, are among television’s top tier. And they’re destroying TV as we know it.
Paul Epstein: Hoppy's double-standard on policy, fossil fuels (Opinion)
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Shearman & Sterling’s Paul Epstein Discusses P3 Funding Opportunities with EPA WIFIA Program
News September 28, 2023 Shearman & Sterling Project Development & Finance partner, Paul Epstein, was a panelist for the ‘P3 Electrified Summit’ organized by P3C Media, which was held earlier this month in San Diego. Paul’s presentation highlighted public-private partnership (P3) funding opportunities within the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) program.
Paul Epstein: Default debate shows stark gap between Dems, GOP (Opinion)
I was hoping that, by the time this op-ed appeared in the Gazette-Mail, Congress had fixed the issue and avoided defaulting on our national debt. But even if that occurs, there have already been economic effects from the threat of default that Republican lawmakers are using to attempt to force spending cuts.
The Future of TV is FAST… and also the Past
The Great Streaming War of the early 2020s is finally over. Like so many wars, this one ends with many losers, but no clear winner. And we, the viewing audience, are left with too many choices and too much cost. Let’s briefly recall why the Streaming War was fought. Not long ago, SVOD (streaming video on demand) promised a bright future of limitless, premium content for everyone with a broadband connection – and at a low monthly cost.
Paul Epstein: West Virginians aren't wrong to feel victimized (Opinion)
I recently wrote an op-ed published in the Gazette-Mail explaining and debunking the negative attacks by extremist Republicans on what they call “woke” (the English teacher in me wants to correct that to wokeness). They apply this taunt to anyone who holds ideas different from theirs, especially those held by Democrats, liberals and progressives.
Paul Epstein: Is it 'woke' to just be a decent person? (Opinion)
If Florida is “where woke goes to die,” as their governor Ron DeSantis crows, then we need to understand what it means for West Virginia. For far right political propaganda warriors, “woke” is an all-encompassing term for everything they believe is wrong with being liberal or progressive in one’s thinking. The term “woke” started among young people on college campuses to describe the awareness they felt for the problems of our society that they were concerned with and studying.
Paul Epstein: We need to reengage with voting (Opinion)
Are you disgusted by politics and considering not voting this November? I understand the impulse to write off politics and to believe your vote doesn’t matter. I did when I “dropped out” in the early 1970s.
Paul Epstein: Why moving to renewables is an urgent cause (Opinion)
When it rains, it pours—especially in West Virginia in the 21st century, which is increasingly being defined by the effects of global warming. Climate change plays a role in most everything. “The Power of Big Oil,” PBS Frontline’s three-part documentary describes what amounts to a 50 year long conspiracy by fossil fuel companies and right wing think tanks and lobbyists to sow doubt on climate science.
Paul Epstein: WV teachers had better keep eye on the Legislature (Opinion)
Country United States of AmericaUS Virgin IslandsUnited States Minor Outlying IslandsCanadaMexico, United Mexican StatesBahamas, Commonwealth of theCuba, Republic ofDominican RepublicHaiti, Republic ofJamaicaAfghanistanAlbania, People's Socialist Republic ofAlgeria, People's Democratic Republic ofAmerican SamoaAndorra, Principality ofAngola, Republic ofAnguillaAntarctica (the territory South of 60 deg S)Antigua and BarbudaArgentina, Argentine RepublicArmeniaArubaAustralia, Commonwealth...
Paul Epstein: Legislature shouldn't meddle in teaching history (Opinion)
As some members of our Legislature introduce bills to prevent West Virginia teachers from honestly teaching American history because they worry it is “divisive” or that white students will be ashamed of the facts of our American history, it’s worth reviewing what those facts are.
Paul Epstein: Legislature shouldn't meddle in teaching history (Opinion)
Country United States of AmericaUS Virgin IslandsUnited States Minor Outlying IslandsCanadaMexico, United Mexican StatesBahamas, Commonwealth of theCuba, Republic ofDominican RepublicHaiti, Republic ofJamaicaAfghanistanAlbania, People's Socialist Republic ofAlgeria, People's Democratic Republic ofAmerican SamoaAndorra, Principality ofAngola, Republic ofAnguillaAntarctica (the territory South of 60 deg S)Antigua and BarbudaArgentina, Argentine RepublicArmeniaArubaAustralia, Commonwealth...
Paul Epstein: No, Democrats aren't socialists (Opinion)
Country United States of AmericaUS Virgin IslandsUnited States Minor Outlying IslandsCanadaMexico, United Mexican StatesBahamas, Commonwealth of theCuba, Republic ofDominican RepublicHaiti, Republic ofJamaicaAfghanistanAlbania, People's Socialist Republic ofAlgeria, People's Democratic Republic ofAmerican SamoaAndorra, Principality ofAngola, Republic ofAnguillaAntarctica (the territory South of 60 deg S)Antigua and BarbudaArgentina, Argentine RepublicArmeniaArubaAustralia, Commonwealth...
Paul Epstein: Trump and those who follow are anti-American (Opinion)
Country United States of AmericaUS Virgin IslandsUnited States Minor Outlying IslandsCanadaMexico, United Mexican StatesBahamas, Commonwealth of theCuba, Republic ofDominican RepublicHaiti, Republic ofJamaicaAfghanistanAlbania, People's Socialist Republic ofAlgeria, People's Democratic Republic ofAmerican SamoaAndorra, Principality ofAngola, Republic ofAnguillaAntarctica (the territory South of 60 deg S)Antigua and BarbudaArgentina, Argentine RepublicArmeniaArubaAustralia, Commonwealth...
Paul Epstein: Wolverton, Kercheval good analysts, bad solvers (Opinion)
Country United States of AmericaUS Virgin IslandsUnited States Minor Outlying IslandsCanadaMexico, United Mexican StatesBahamas, Commonwealth of theCuba, Republic ofDominican RepublicHaiti, Republic ofJamaicaAfghanistanAlbania, People's Socialist Republic ofAlgeria, People's Democratic Republic ofAmerican SamoaAndorra, Principality ofAngola, Republic ofAnguillaAntarctica (the territory South of 60 deg S)Antigua and BarbudaArgentina, Argentine RepublicArmeniaArubaAustralia, Commonwealth...
New Bipartisan Senate Infrastructure Bill Emphasizes Reauthorization, Research, Resilience And Reliability
On August 10, a group of 19 Republican Senators joined their Democratic colleagues in approving a bill that, if passed by the House of Representatives and signed by President Biden, would provide for more than $1 trillion in improvements to the nation's physical infrastructure.1 The 69–30 vote expressed strong, bipartisan support for two key imperatives that permeate the more than 2700-page bill: first, to improve the nation's existing infrastructure, a significant portion of which is in a...
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