ArcaMax

I'm starting to wonder if Donald Trump, bestselling author of "The Art of the Deal," just isn't very good at making deals. His presidency has been a ceaseless torrent of promises about what he'll achieve from negotiations with foreign leaders. But time and again, he ends up high and dry.

Right now, the administration is waiting to find out what...Read more

CHICAGO -- For many, this week will be chock-full of family dinners, making it a perfect time to talk about why they're great for bringing people together -- but not a silver bullet for ensuring children's academic success.

Family dinners are the stuff of legend. Throughout history, countless brilliant minds have credited their enhanced ...Read more

It seems as if the Christmas holiday season got here quickly. Perhaps I am partly responsible for the rush in days, since I have kidded with colleagues that I'm always ready for Christmas break when school begins in August. I'm pretty sure this is a universal teacher joke, as my elementary school teacher friends often post hilarious memes of ...Read more

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 includes a "requirement" that Americans "shall... ensure" that they and their dependents have "minimum essential coverage" for medical care. Seven years ago, Chief Justice John Roberts provided the decisive vote to uphold this requirement, also known as the "individual mandate," after ...Read more

'Twas the time around Christmas and through Mar-a-Lago,

Not a creature could be heard, except one with his bellow.

It was really quite scary as he ranted and screeched,

In a tantrum he hollered, "I've been impeached!"

He'd gone down South, to escape D.C. with all of its monuments,

Besides he could use a few more emoluments.

The staff paid ...Read more

Decades from now, many Americans will have to consult history books to gain an appreciation of the lowest point of Donald Trump's presidency: his impeachment. But they will be able to feel the effects of his highest point: the 2017 tax bill, which he signed into law two years ago Sunday. That's because they will still be paying for it.

Trump ...Read more

CHICAGO -- For the uninitiated, it will come as a bit of a surprise that the familiar pronoun "they" has been named Merriam-Webster's word of the year.

No longer just another form of "them," which we use to refer to two or more people, "they" has been crowned the official nonbinary pronoun of the English language.

Basically, it's the word you'...Read more

As we near the end of this decade, it is a good time to reflect on where we stand at this moment in history. It's not really standard cheerful holiday fare, but here goes.

Half the country hates or doesn't want the duly elected president. The other half likes or tolerates him.

The two main political parties remain locked in a pathetic, never-...Read more

I don't know if they take attendance in schools anymore. Maybe surveillance cameras, facial recognition and all the other high-tech intrusions make it unnecessary, but back in the day, the teacher would always start out with the roll call. You were expected to announce "here" when your name was called. But there was always one, usually some guy,...Read more

Following grading for the fall semester, I turned my attention to a gripping documentary that I believe everyone who cares about a strong and engaged citizenry should watch: "College Behind Bars." "College Behind Bars" aired on PBS last month and has four episodes that trace the difficult and inspiring academic journeys of male inmates at the ...Read more

Donald Trump is not known to be a fan of country music, or any music. But lately, he is taking counsel from the Alison Krauss hit that advises, "You say it best when you say nothing at all."

Not when it comes to heaping abuse on Nancy Pelosi. His bizarre six-page letter, released on the eve of the House impeachment vote, was a boiling mix of ...Read more

CHICAGO -- I read so many books in 2019 that I had a miserably hard time trying to decide which ones to include in my "favorites" list this year.

Usually, I present a roster of books that are diverse, but not specifically about diversity -- books that blur our differences while sharpening the issues that affect us all, regardless of our race, ...Read more

Former FBI Director James Comey initially portrayed last week's damning report on the bureau's investigation of alleged links between the Trump campaign and Russia as a vindication. This week, Comey admitted that Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz discovered "real sloppiness," which is "concerning."

That characterization does...Read more

How fitting it was that on Friday the 13th, Boris Johnson trundled over to Buckingham Palace and received permission from the queen to form his government. Fitting because it was bad luck for those who had fading hopes of somehow stopping Brexit before it actually happened, and really bad luck for those who put up a fight against Boris Johnson. ...Read more

It is wise, if you value basic human decency, to ignore Rush Limbaugh.

The ever-outraged right-wing talk radio host has gurgled angrily for decades now, like an aggrieved and sulfurous geyser. His cruelty gives his fans a rush of adrenaline they presumably can't find elsewhere.

For people like me, Limbaugh is white noise in the whitest sense ...Read more

The United States is the most powerful military power in the history of the world. Yet somehow we can't win a war.

In this century, we have undertaken two major ones: Afghanistan and Iraq. The first is the longest conflict Americans have ever fought -- more than 18 years -- and shows no sign of ending. The second qualifies as the most ...Read more

CHICAGO -- The newly signed U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) has one claim to fame: It's bipartisan legislation that was passed while the president is facing impeachment.

Aside from that, the tepid legislation's biggest historical accomplishment might only be not getting constantly referred to as "NAFTA 2.0" -- if, in fact, it can get away ...Read more

"Poverty is the parent of revolution and crime." -- Aristotle

Aristotle had a point, but there are many factors that contribute to crime. Experts have told us about them for a long time. Poverty; unemployment; lack of education or adequate housing; the breakdown of the two-parent family; mental illness; drug abuse; and sexual exploitation of ...Read more

For those of us who thought a paradox was a couple of medical providers, it is not. The dictionary defines the word as "a self-contradictory and false proposition." We certainly seem to have a paradox going in Congress these days.

Just when the House of Representatives is seemingly all consumed by trash talk, we discover that it's not all ...Read more

As we are upon the Christmas season, I took some time this week to re-watch a holiday classic: "It's a Wonderful Life." The central theme of this film -- "no man is a failure who has friends" -- has deeply touched generations of viewers for over 70 years. For me, "It's a Wonderful Life" has a special nostalgic feel of the era it represents. ...Read more