ArcaMax

"Stay shut or open up" is the current political argument. In its most simplistic form, it's painted as a choice between saving lives (stay shut) or helping the economy (open up). As with many supposedly two-choice options, it's both false and ill-framed. Just remember: When people give you two choices -- it's often a sign that they have not ...Read more

Memorial Day normally equates to BBQ, sales and pool openings, the beginning of summer. Many people travel to a beach, lake or mountain. Some traditions include visiting a memorial cemetery to honor the fallen. This year, the number of Americans traveling is expected to be far below last year's record-breaking 43 million, according to the ...Read more

Last week, Attorney General William Barr was interviewed by Catherine Herridge, a CBS News correspondent, regarding the Department of Justice decision to end the prosecution of former national security adviser Michael Flynn.

In December 2017, Flynn pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about his contacts with the former Russian ambassador to the ...Read more

In March we learned about flattening the curve and social distancing (which should have been labeled "physical distancing") to combat the coronavirus pandemic. The goal was to lower the number of cases to ensure that the supply of hospital beds, and especially ventilators, was not overwhelmed by the need for them. The goal was not to totally ...Read more

Today, more than ever, it's important to remember we are part of an exceptional nation that has overcome many adversities in our past. This is such a challenging time for all of us, and it's easy to be frightened and scared. It has really helped me to remember the challenges we have overcome together as a nation.

Early last month, at the ...Read more

This week, we are celebrating the 50th anniversary of Earth Day. When I was a child, my father (former House Speaker Newt Gingrich) was an environmental studies professor at West Georgia College in Carrollton. In 1971, our family spent the second Earth Day picking up trash from the side of a road. We often hiked, canoed and camped at the ...Read more

In the past few months, we've experienced massive changes due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Many have lost their jobs or been furloughed. Many of us who are working are working from home. Children, teenagers and college students have transitioned to online learning, with college students moving back home. With no change in scenery for those of us ...Read more

This Easter season is surreal. If you had tried to explain to me last year where we (my family, my community and our nation) would be due to the coronavirus pandemic, I would not have believed you. Yet, here we are: sheltering in place, earning from home, working from home, cut off physically from others but possibly technologically connected.

...Read more

While COVID-19 is taking up much of the news cycle, there are other things that must be attended to as well. This week's report by the FBI Office of the Inspector General gives the FBI a zero for its performance in reviewing 29 Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) applications.

The bottom line is that the FBI is not following procedures...Read more

My mom grew up in what she called a middle-class family, with one car, hand-me-downs for the children and an ice cream cake for her 16th birthday. She endured polio as a small child, pulling herself up to watch the other children play outside until she gained enough strength to go outside as well. She didn't complain often and was determined to ...Read more

For most of us, the amount of change and information we have absorbed in the past few weeks is overwhelming. As humans, when we are overwhelmed, we are scared; when we are scared, we panic; and when we panic, we tend to make bad decisions. Our first goal should be to slow down and just breathe -- even if it's only for a few seconds.

Then slow ...Read more

Our country spends over a trillion dollars a year on anti-poverty programs. We address the symptoms, providing food, shelter, health care. But it's time to face the fact that many of these programs are not working. Our poverty rate hasn't changed in half a century.

Money does not appear to be the solution. Sure, it helps, and no, we should not ...Read more

In politics, it's often not who you want to vote for but who you don't want to vote for, and while policies are important, personality drives a lot of the decision-making. Often pollsters ask, "Does the candidate care about people like me?" Now they ask, "Does the candidate care about the same people I care about?"

The ability to connect with ...Read more