It’s not exactly Sophie’s Choice, but it’s still painful for Democrats. Their big spending bill includes three programs for children: a subsidy for child care, monthly checks to parents and a paid family leave program. But they need the vote of Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia, and he says they can have only one of the three. They should ...Read more

Country over party.

With unflinching firmness, Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming has chosen to take her stand for democracy and the Constitution over the cult of Donald Trump that is now the Republican Party.

For that, Americans owe her big time: As vice chair of the special House committee investigating the Jan. 6 insurrectionist sacking of the ...Read more

North Carolina Republicans tried to distance themselves from the type of radical extremism that led to the storming of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6. But a leaked membership roster reveals that at least two state lawmakers are affiliated with the Oath Keepers, a right-wing militant group whose members are among those charged in connection to the ...Read more

Weeks after President Joe Biden announced his decree that roughly 80 million workers would need to get the COVID-19 vaccine or weekly testing, many details of that order are still unknown. Business groups are rightly pushing back against an undefined, invasive mandate that could exacerbate an already tight labor market.

After months of being ...Read more

Federal aviation officials say more airline passengers than ever are showing up at airports with guns. Combined with the general uptick in belligerent behavior by passengers, this is an issue with the potential for real mayhem. Those who get weapons confiscated at security already face penalties, but it’s time to talk about making them steeper...Read more

I first heard the term “hypothalamic amenorrhea” — a condition in which people stop menstruating from excessive exercise, stress, weight loss, or a combination of these factors — from my pediatrician in February.

I’d missed periods for over a year and dropped 15 pounds since my last physical. But until my pediatrician’s diagnosis, I...Read more

When I was 5 and entering kindergarten in a New York City suburb, my Korean mom, recognizing the importance of being first, gently encouraged me to change my name to Aaron. A stubborn only child, I refused, confused about the proposition.

My first name is Wonpyo. My last name is Yun. In either case, I am near — if not at — the bottom of ...Read more

They awoke Monday to BREAKING NEWS that they knew, deep down, meant they’d be in for a patch of very tough message politics — and there was damn well nothing they could do about it.

They are the operative elites of the shattered remains of their once-Grand Old Party. And there on their news screens they were watching one of their own, ...Read more

There are a thousand ways to think about Los Angeles City Councilman Mark Ridley-Thomas and the crimes he's accused of, but the one I keep coming back to is the saddest: He was trying to help his child.

I don't want to sound like I'm making apologies or understating the gravity of the allegations. Bribery is bribery. Ridley-Thomas pleaded not ...Read more

Mark Zuckerberg wants to rechristen Facebook Inc., giving the financial powerhouse — and social media hothouse — a fresh identity. While Zuckerberg’s corporate baby has handily weathered prior crises, boasts an enviable global footprint and continues to rake in massive profits, critics have turned it into a pinata for myriad good reasons. ...Read more

The White House announced Wednesday that it is ready to roll out COVID-19 vaccines for children ages 5 to 11 if the Food and Drug Administration approves Pfizer’s application for emergency use in early November.

The Biden administration said it has bought enough doses for all 28 million children in that age group and will work with state and ...Read more

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, and this year’s commemoration comes at a time when researchers are reporting tragic increases in rates of domestic violence — a “pandemic within a pandemic” — across the country.

At the same time, the United States is experiencing a sharp increase in gun violence, largely driven by gun ...Read more

Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia set the political world ablaze this week with the news — swiftly denied, it should be said — that he’s considering leaving the Democratic Party.

To repeat, he denies it, in no uncertain terms. But the reality is that any Democrat representing a state Donald Trump won by almost 39 percentage points in 2020...Read more

Outsiders often view Africa as one large zone of war, poverty and tragedy. It’s not, but armed conflict is ongoing today in about a dozen of Africa’s 54 countries. While all of these conflicts are tragic, some are more relevant to the outside world than others.

Ethiopia’s conflict is one of them. It began in November 2020, and the scale ...Read more

Before the U.S. exit from Kabul, we heard fine White House words about saving Afghan allies who helped U.S. troops.

Yet the majority of the 18,000 Afghans applicants for special immigrant visas (known as SIVs) which were designated by Congress for translators and other military helpers, were left behind during the chaotic evacuation. The State ...Read more

In the scramble to evacuate all of South Lake Tahoe in late August, there was a palpable fear among fleeing residents that the destructive Caldor Fire could raze one of the largest communities in the Tahoe basin. Thankfully, after firefighters mounted a massive defense, South Lake Tahoe was spared.

Cal Fire officials and forest managers ...Read more

A federally appointed team of engineering experts is investigating what caused the 12-story Champlain Towers South condominium in Surfside to collapse in June, killing 98 people. While understanding the science behind the tragedy is critical, the collapse also exposed dangerous gaps in how condominiums in Florida are managed and maintained. That...Read more

In the average lifetime there are a handful of major transitions during which an individual can reinvent themselves and their place in society. These are moments that stay with us forever, like moving to a new city, starting a new job, or joining the military. Or voting for the first time.

Reams of social science have demonstrated humans' ...Read more

With battle lines being drawn on Capitol Hill over what to cut or trim out of President Joe Biden's multitrillion-dollar Build Back Better bill, Democrats are making positive noises about means-testing the social programs in the bill.

This is an old idea for limiting the reach of government programs. It's also a terrible idea. The majority ...Read more