ArcaMax

Liberals got a big victory on abortion rights Monday thanks to Chief Justice John Roberts, but don't think they're not ungrateful. "John Roberts is not your friend," announced the leftist weekly The Nation. "No one should be fooled," huffed a New York Times editorial. "The current court is as hostile to reproductive freedom as it ever was."

He'...Read more

In the category of "famous last words," my favorite has always been what Union Army Gen. John Sedgwick said when urged to take cover from Confederate sharpshooters. "They couldn't hit an elephant at this distance," he replied, and then fell dead from a rifle shot.

Mike Pence is guilty of a similar miscalculation. Writing in The Wall Street ...Read more

In the history of political campaigns, no topic has a higher ratio of punditry to significance as the choice of running mates. It provides a refreshing break after the long race for the presidential nomination; it typically features many possible contenders; and it fills airtime on news and talk shows.

For all the attention it gets, the ...Read more

Donald Trump had a bad week. He went to West Point to make himself look like a strong leader but raised doubts about his health when he struggled drinking water and descending a ramp. His first Supreme Court appointee wrote the opinion in a case upholding gay and transgender rights.

The court also struck down Trump's effort to deport ...Read more

The injustices of the present are forcing a confrontation with our past -- a past wreathed in nostalgia and myths that conceal grim realities. The Civil War ended 155 years ago, but only recently have Americans begun renouncing flags, statues and monuments paying homage to Southern traitors. Other symbols of racist oppression are also under ...Read more

You may have seen it: a black and white American flag with one stripe highlighted in blue. The Thin Blue Line flag is used meant to show solidarity with the police. As Thin Blue Line USA says, it "represents all who faithfully serve and protect. A line that separates order from chaos, and a line that represents all who serve and all who stand ...Read more

Poor Joe Biden. On one side, he is being pressed by progressives who are rallying behind the slogan, "Defund the police." On the other side, he faces withering blasts from Donald Trump, who vows to uphold "law & order, not defund and abolish the police."

This squeeze comes during a moment of intense national turmoil. Biden can't make a move ...Read more

For most of the 21st century, American presidents have been busy proving that the U.S. military cannot bring peace and stability to Iraq and Afghanistan. But that does not stop the current president from believing it can bring peace and stability to American cities.

On Monday, Donald Trump made it clear that his tiny quota of patience was ...Read more

The list of places where citizens have turned out to protest the killing of George Floyd is long and varied. Not just Minneapolis, New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and other big cities, but cities whose names are unfamiliar to most people.

Galesburg, Illinois. Opelika, Alabama. Keene, New York. Sandusky, Ohio. Abilene, Texas. Fontana, California....Read more

It is impossible to justify the violence, looting, arson and vandalism that took place in Minneapolis and other cities after the death of George Floyd at the hands of police. Smashing windows, torching buildings and plundering stores do nothing to improve police behavior or help the African American community. They amount to useless destruction....Read more

For years, Twitter has been Donald Trump's big cargo hauler for getting his message to his followers. It lets him bypass the news media to communicate directly, as often as he wants, in whatever terms he chooses. Trump without Twitter would be Florida without the ocean.

For everyone else, his use of the social media platform has also served a ...Read more

When the Wisconsin Supreme Court struck down the governor's stay-at-home order, several bars and restaurants immediately reopened, and customers came. At some, patrons thronged in, shunning masks and social distancing. On the following Saturday, the resort town of Lake Geneva attracted a horde of tourists eager to eat, drink and mingle with ...Read more

The economic collapse precipitated by the coronavirus pandemic has been a disaster for a multitude of individuals and companies, and the federal government has wisely showered them with money to offset their losses. But the downturn has also been a disaster for states, which don't get the same love in Washington.

When the House passed a $3 ...Read more

As the coronavirus pandemic continues, Americans find themselves on the horns of a dilemma. Should we give the highest priority to fighting the disease to save as many lives as possible? Or should we ease government restrictions in order to save the economy from a prolonged recession or even depression?

But the dilemma is an illusion. The stay-...Read more

The people who have rallied in Chicago and elsewhere to protest stay-at-home orders and business shutdowns are big proponents of freedom. They claim their right to assemble has been violated, along with their right to earn a living and enjoy their normal lives.

One sign at the May 1 protest said, "Give me liberty or give me COVID-19." Another ...Read more

The defining characteristic of the current national mood is profound uncertainty. We don't how widespread the new coronavirus is. We don't know who may have it. The lack of information is a huge obstacle to resuming normal life.

Donald Trump has reservations about the expansion of testing for the disease because it raises the quantity of known ...Read more

If I were a fan of the coronavirus, here's what I'd like to see this fall: crowds of Americans standing in line for minutes or hours in venues where they can easily infect each other. By then, the contagion may be receding thanks to measures to combat it, or it may be going strong. Either way, Election Day could be a great boon to the disease, ...Read more

Ted Williams was one of the greatest hitters baseball has ever seen, and his theories of how to succeed at the plate are still influential. He was the last major leaguer to bat .400 over a season and retired in 1960 ranking third all-time in career home runs.

Sportswriter Ira Berkow once asked him the source of his prowess. Was it his ...Read more

It isn't easy being Donald Trump, and I can say that with confidence -- because I'm Donald Trump. And no, I'm not being sarcastic about how hard it is. But here's the problem: When I am being sarcastic, nobody can tell.

Stephen Colbert got rich and famous pretending to be a right-wing blowhard with an idiotic opinion on every topic. Comedy ...Read more

Two issues have long been the center of America's culture wars: guns and abortion, with red states and blue states generally pursuing starkly divergent policies on each. It's not surprising to find that some politicians have used the coronavirus crisis to advance policies they couldn't achieve before. But in this, Illinois is a notable exception...Read more