One does not have to be a fan of Cold War-style politics or of the military-industrial complex to be deeply suspicious of Vladimir Putin's motives in his dealings with the United States and Western Europe. Or to be appalled by the fact that President Donald Trump has publicly sided with Russian political and intelligence systems over Western ...Read more

The Impeach Trump bandwagon got underway as soon as he was elected, but I've never climbed on board.

His election surprised us. Donald Trump did not talk or act like a traditional president. In fact, a significant part of Trump's appeal to his supporters was just how unlike a president he could be during the campaign. Many Americans wanted a ...Read more

The most unforgettable image of the week was the look on the face of Dan Coats, U.S. director of national intelligence, when NBC correspondent Andrea Mitchell read him a breaking news bulletin that Vladimir Putin had been invited to the White House.

"Say that again!" Coats exclaimed, shaking his head.

The nation's top intelligence official had...Read more

A few days ago, John Brennan, former director of the Central Intelligence Agency, tweeted as follows:

"Donald Trump's press conference performance in Helsinki rises to & exceeds the threshold of "high crimes & misdemeanors." It was nothing short of treasonous."

Tweets should not be expected to capture the nuances of constitutional law. But a ...Read more

In what looks like a political power play, President Trump has decided that administrative law judges -- officials within federal agencies who resolve complaints about regulations, compliance or benefits -- will no longer be chosen on the basis of merit. Unless the administration reconsiders this unnecessary and potentially harmful action, ...Read more

Our mother, Wendi Winters, would have supported the demonstration organized by students from St. Mary's County calling for reforming gun laws being held Saturday in Annapolis: either she would have covered it, or shown up in solidarity.

Instead, she was murdered by a coward on June 28 along with four other of your colleagues.

As the surviving ...Read more

This newspaper has long been a moderate voice on gun control. We recognize the validity of the Second Amendment, while simultaneously acknowledging that reasonable measures are a good way to keep guns out of the hands of those who would do evil.

We do not believe that gun control measures alone will prevent the next mass murder. As almost every...Read more

The code of silence on Baltimore's streets has protected many who have done despicable deeds, but none more than those whose depravity results in the death of a child.

We witnessed it four years ago when 3-year-old McKenzie Elliott was struck by a stray bullet and killed in Waverly. It was broad daylight. Multiple witnesses doubtless saw what ...Read more

California House Republicans are cowards.

That's the inescapable conclusion from their pitiful reaction to President Donald Trump's capitulation to Russian President Vladimir Putin in Helsinki.

Some prominent national Republicans joined the chorus of outrage against Trump for not standing up for American democracy and not backing U.S. ...Read more

California is making some real strides adapting to wildfires as a year-round threat. So it makes no sense to backslide now by giving a free pass to utilities for fire damage.

Facing billions of dollars in potential costs, Pacific Gas & Electric Co. and other utilities are seeking relief at the state Capitol, lobbying hard for it to happen when ...Read more

Amid the hailstorm of lies, denials, do-overs and comb-overs, it can be difficult to suss out any residual good that the Trump presidency is showering on beleaguered Americans. Like a late-night snacker foraging in the refrigerator for an overlooked carton of takeout fried rice, I have read between the headlines to excavate a few silver linings....Read more

Years ago, I got into trouble because I wrote a column criticizing women for breastfeeding in public.

It stemmed from an incident in my office where a client opened her shirt and, without asking if I minded, affixed her infant to her breast without missing a beat in our conversation about H-1B visa options. When that caustic little essay hit ...Read more

Two decades ago, Americans hoped the slaughter of students at Columbine High School would prove to be a horrible aberration, an event provoked by some bizarre confluence of causes unlikely to be repeated.

Tragically, we now know better. School shootings in America have proved maddeningly difficult to predict -- and just as maddeningly difficult...Read more

With friends like these, it's wise to look around for some new ones.

Donald Trump has called the EU a "foe" and advised British prime minister Theresa May to sue the rest of the bloc over Brexit. The U.S. president has already levied tariffs on European steel, and is threatening to do the same on lots of other products, including cars. So it's ...Read more

Nicaragua is taking a dangerous turn toward civil war. Since protests and riots began three months ago, Nicaraguan soldiers, police and paramilitary groups have killed more than 280 people and injured 1,800 others.

The demonstrations were sparked in April by changes to the country's Social Security system and the government's slow and ...Read more

There's a lot -- a lot -- going on right now, much of it extremely serious and seemingly dangerous. So I suppose it's not right that I'm hung up on this bit from the top of President Donald Trump's interview Wednesday with CBS News's Jeff Glor, but nevertheless I am:

GLOR: But you haven't condemned Putin, specifically. Do you hold him ...Read more

Sweltering summer heat means families across the country have their air conditioners on full blast -- in their homes and in their cars. Unfortunately, if the Senate ratifies the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol, the price tag for running, repairing and replacing your AC could get a whole lot higher.

The 1987 Montreal Protocol was an ...Read more