ArcaMax

Now is a terrible time for sane, sensible Republicans. It's not bad enough that in 2020, Americans installed Joe Biden in the presidency with a Democratic Congress. Worse is that their fellow Republicans have become a dire threat to common sense, mature governance and constitutional democracy.

The Jan. 6 committee hearings have made it plain ...Read more

Every American recalls with pride the revolution of 1776, when our forebears joined together to cast off colonial rule and create a new nation. Far less familiar is one that was almost equally momentous: the revolution of 1800.

The presidential election that took place then, a dozen years after the ratification of the Constitution, was fraught ...Read more

In the days and weeks following the 2020 election, a host of subordinates told Donald Trump a simple truth that he did not want to hear: He had lost the election fair and square. There was no widespread fraud, no massive irregularities, no hope in a recount. But he insisted on maintaining the fiction that the election was stolen.

At Monday's ...Read more

In a world beset by worrisome events, it can be hard to filter out the noise to isolate the truly important ones. But failure to do so can be catastrophic, and we are at risk of just such a failure.

George W. Bush might attest how easy it is to overlook portents of danger. On Aug. 6, 2001, his daily intelligence bulletin carried the headline "...Read more

John Hinckley was at the center of one of the most infamous crimes of the 20th century -- and, in the eyes of many, one of the most infamous court verdicts. In 1981, he shot President Ronald Reagan and three other people. In his trial, he was found not guilty -- by reason of insanity.

This month, after 40 years that included psychiatric ...Read more

Restraint is a useful but often unsatisfying virtue, and in the case of Ukraine, there are plenty of people who think that it's not a virtue at all. Fortunately, American policy is being set by Joe Biden, who has a sober understanding of the perils of overreach.

The Russian invasion of Ukraine spurred all sorts of extravagant demands for U.S. ...Read more

At first glance, "Operation Fly Formula" is a commendable example of swift government action to help ordinary people. Faced with a terrifying shortage of infant formula, the Biden administration acted to bring in supplies from Germany.

First lady Jill Biden was at Dulles International Airport Wednesday to welcome the arrival of 60 tons of ...Read more

Social media is one of the main places where Americans engage in their ongoing dog fight over political differences. But anything that becomes important also becomes a target for control, and conservative politicians are doing their best to put a choke collar on Facebook and Twitter.

They suffered a setback Monday when a federal appeals court ...Read more

The American two-party political system exists to ensure that for any problem that emerges, there are at least two solutions that are just plain wrong. That is the sad case with inflation, where the most notable responses span the spectrum from useless to harmful.

Start with the harmful proposals, which involve trying to dictate what sellers ...Read more

For those who believe in the "great replacement" theory, I can affirm: Yes, today's Americans are going to be replaced with people very different from us. They are called descendants, and they will turn out in such ways that we would barely recognize them.

My Confederate forebears would be displeased to find that I would sooner burn a ...Read more

More than two years after COVID-19 sent the country into a shutdown, life is looking close to the old normal. The job market is hot, restaurants have rebounded, sports and concert venues are packed and travel is up. But mass transit? It's still running slow, with no speedup in sight.

The pandemic ravaged urban transportation systems in two ...Read more

Vladimir Putin has had to embark on the five stages of grief about his invasion of Ukraine, and he may yet arrive at the final one: acceptance. On Monday, "Victory Day," Russians commemorated the triumph over Nazi Germany in World War II. But the president didn't pretend he could celebrate what has happened in Ukraine.

He even gave signs of ...Read more

Now may be a good time to max out your investments in airlines, car rental agencies and intercity bus companies. Travel has picked up as the pandemic has ebbed, but the Supreme Court could give it an extra boost by revoking the constitutional right to abortion.

If that happens, a lot of American women are going to find that "shop local" is a ...Read more

Roe v. Wade may not be dead, but it appears to be terminally ill, with a life expectancy of less than two months. So supporters of abortion rights, including me, are confronted with the grim prospect of returning to the bad old days when abortion was illegal in most of America and many women were forced to travel out of state to end their ...Read more

The pandemic has hung like a storm cloud over America for more than two years, but for some people, it has had a silver lining, or maybe gold. Since March 2020, the federal government has excused student loan recipients from both payments and accrual of interest -- saving them, and costing the federal government, $200 billion so far.

Joe Biden ...Read more

When Elon Musk bought Twitter, conservatives were ready to hold a ticker-tape parade. "Free speech is making a comeback," proclaimed Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio. Fox News host Tucker Carlson exulted in this victory over liberals who are "trying to control what we say and think." Gloated Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, "The Left is terrified of free speech."...Read more

Donald Trump was a fierce critic of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal negotiated under Barack Obama. Because of it, he said in 2018, "In just a short period of time, the world's leading state sponsor of terror will be on the cusp of acquiring the world's most dangerous weapons."

He pulled the plug, and what a difference it made. On Thursday, a group ...Read more

When I head out of my driveway, I sometimes worry about one thing or another: Did I bring my shopping list? Do I know how to get where I'm going? Did I forget to close the garage door? What I don't worry about is getting pulled over for a broken taillight, having my car searched and getting shot by a cop.

One reason for my customary nonchalance...Read more

On Dec. 20, 2020, White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows was still refusing to come to grips with Joe Biden's election victory. "Several members of Congress just finished a meeting in the Oval Office with President Donald Trump, preparing to fight back against mounting evidence of voter fraud," he announced on Twitter. "Stay tuned."

That ...Read more

Inflation was in witness protection for many years, but it has finally come out of hiding, accompanied by a brass band. Prices have risen by 8.5% in the past 12 months, the biggest jump since 1981. The price increases that many (including me) thought would be a passing headache show no sign of abating.

Two people have gotten the bulk of the ...Read more