Social conservatives cheering the rash of state laws limiting legal abortion might want to be careful what they wish for.

That's because Democratic prospects for 2020 are likely to improve as uncertainty about the future of Roe v. Wade grows. And uncertainty will grow as more and more states impose restrictions on legal abortion.

Republicans ...Read more

When the University of California threatened to drop the SAT as a college entrance requirement more than 15 years ago, the College Board eliminated the analogy questions and introduced a new essay portion. The changes helped keep the test in business but didn't necessarily make it a stronger predictor of whether students would succeed in college...Read more

Apprehensions about an imminent military confrontation between Iran and the United States have subsided for the time being, after a tense period in which the Trump administration, citing heightened threats, sent an aircraft carrier and bombers to the region and the Pentagon reviewed contingency plans for war.

It now appears possible that ...Read more

As commencement speeches go, this one was definitely not a snoozer. Billionaire investor Robert F. Smith told the Morehouse College graduating class of 396 seniors -- to their total surprise -- that he and his family would wipe out their student debt. The graduates of the all-male historically black college in Atlanta took a minute to process ...Read more

Imagine walking into your doctor's or dentist's office for an appointment and being refused service because there's something about you the receptionist just doesn't like. All the receptionist has to do is cite a religious objection, and her rights trump yours.

Earlier this month, President Donald Trump announced a 440-page plan to protect ...Read more

California Gov. Gavin Newsom's revised state budget summary is 114 pages long, but only one line will still matter in 20 years: "The May Revision also recognizes the need for careful study and planning to decrease demand and supply of fossil fuels."

With these few words, Newsom made it clear: The era of reliance on dangerous and polluting ...Read more

Along with resurgent identity politics in the United States and Europe, there is a growing inclination to frame the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in terms of race. According to this narrative, Israel was established as a refuge for oppressed white European Jews who in turn became oppressors of people of color, the Palestinians.

As an Israeli, ...Read more

When she was a child, Veronika Fimbres recalls observing Memorial Day with reverence, flags and parades. She was filled with pride and gratitude to honor those who had lost their lives during times of war.

But her feelings about the national holiday, which has been observed since the years following the Civil War, have evolved over time.

...Read more

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Distracted by President Donald Trump and his riled resisters, it's easy to miss the big picture of foreign migration to California.

It's the old story of not seeing the forest for the trees.

Portrayed in this forest grandeur is a new story in the long history of people uprooting and migrating to California chasing ...Read more

It may sound peculiar, but billions of Americans are killed every year in the United States. They don't lose their lives fighting for freedom or as victims of accidents -- they're killed just so that they can be cooked on the grill.

No, the victims aren't humans, but they are Americans, born in this country, mostly on factory farms. Like you ...Read more

Once again, President Donald Trump has treated his solemn power of the pardon like it's an executive perk. Last week he handed one to pal Conrad Black, the billionaire former publisher and convicted fraudster who wrote a glowing book about Trump. He also pardoned another pal, Patrick Nolan, a crooked Republican politician who has been publicly ...Read more

As anticipated on Oct. 6, 2018, the day alleged sexual assailant Brett M. Kavanaugh was confirmed to the Supreme Court, high-stakes gynecology is back in the news.

On Wednesday, Kay Ivey, the governor of Alabama, signed into law a bill that could jail for life anyone who performs an abortion. Reminder: Abortion is a 20-minute procedure for ...Read more

The Federal Railroad Administration's decision to formally cancel a $929 million federal grant made in 2010 to the hugely troubled California bullet-train project was immediately depicted by Gov. Gavin Newsom as "political retribution" by President Donald Trump. But there are two key facts that strongly undercut Newsom's claim.

The first is ...Read more

With Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey's signature on Wednesday, her state took the lead in the race to pass the nation's most restrictive abortion law. Ivey gave women in Washington one more reason to be grateful they live in a state that protects their right to choose but not a reason to be complacent about those rights being curtailed nationally.

...Read more

President Donald Trump made a great show Friday of declaring that imported automobiles are a threat to national security, buttressing his argument in favor of tariffs on global auto imports. Happily, he put off deciding whether to pull that trigger for at least six months.

The escalating trade war with China is already threatening to hit an ...Read more

Christian Perez is a young man who's clearly capable of embracing change -- as evidenced by his bright red Phillies T-shirt with the name and No. 3 of the team's newest slugger, Bryce Harper. So why did the 30-year-old health-care worker from Philadelphia's Hunting Park neighborhood just spend a couple of hours on a perfect sun-soaked spring ...Read more

A president's power under the Constitution to "grant reprieves and pardons for offenses against the United States" can be an important safety valve when the criminal justice system fails or when an offender has served his time and turned his life around. But the pardon power must be exercised for good reasons and free of political favoritism, or...Read more