For those of us struggling to understand today’s Republican Party, this past week’s primary elections in South Carolina offered a useful case study.

The key developments were these: Rep. Nancy Mace — a former conservative rising star who seems tailor-made for the Trump-era attention economy — finished fifth in her state’s Republican ...Read more

The most subversive aspect of Donald Trump’s tyrannical designs and paranoia is his corruption of the Department of Justice.

He has made it into a personal weapon against any perceived foe whom he wants to destroy. This alone makes Trump’s third impeachment long overdue.

He couldn’t do it alone. His accomplices need to be held to account...Read more

In a moment of gloomy geopolitical news, Ukraine has become a bright spot. Kyiv is faring better on the battlefield than at any time in years. Russia’s costs are surging even as its military gains shrink. If Ukraine can sustain this trajectory, perhaps it can finally force Moscow to make a decent peace.

But the optimism should be tempered: ...Read more

A fresh attack on the U.S. scientific infrastructure could be the most damaging yet.

The Trump administration is pushing alarming changes to rules that govern how federal agencies like the National Institutes of Health distribute funding — changes that threaten to permanently politicize research in the U.S. And since the NIH is the largest ...Read more

Six years ago, in the midst of a national reckoning over race, policing and public safety ignited by the murder of George Floyd, few people would have predicted where the country would find itself today.

Following sharp declines in violent crime, many communities across the nation are now safer than they’ve ever been before. But even fewer ...Read more

When the Navy’s one-star admiral promotion list was publicly released last month, one thing stood out immediately: There were no women on it.

Anyone familiar with the normal results of the service’s promotion boards knew that was unusual. Qualified women had not suddenly disappeared from the Navy’s bench.

The explanation came soon ...Read more

The No. 1 anti-poverty program for the elderly. The No. 1 anti-poverty program for children. The program more veterans rely on for disability benefits than any other agency in the country.

The way Rep. John Larson (D-Conn.) described the importance of Social Security during a congressional hearing this week, you'd think the solvency of the 90-...Read more

The Democratic Party just shot cancel culture in the foot. Its weapon of choice: Graham Platner.

The controversial Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate in Maine comes with baggage that would have sunk many pols. But he’s a Democrat up against a Republican. And that is all that counts.

Revelations about Platner, 41, include dismissive online ...Read more

Early Tuesday morning of last week, President Donald Trump claimed, yet again, that a peace deal with Iran could be closed “in two or three days.” This was the 38th time since a U.S.-Iran ceasefire in April that he predicted a deal was around the corner.

But never mind.

By later Tuesday, Israel was heavily bombing the historic city of Tyre...Read more

A growing chorus of researchers and commentators is making a seductive argument: that AI chatbots, unlike social media, push users toward expert consensus and moderate views.

For example, a much-shared article from The Financial Times presented evidence that large language models elevate mainstream science and scholarship — in contrast to ...Read more

The University of Pennsylvania is hostile to free expression. It has imposed a series of new speech restrictions, especially upon critics of Israel. The campus is eerily silent, even as Israel attacks Lebanon and the United States bombs Iran.

That’s the theme of an excellent piece published in May in The New Republic by journalist Jordan ...Read more

Shutting down scientific inquiry because it discovers things you don’t like is a bit like turning off all the instruments on your plane because they warn you there’s a mountain ahead. It may satisfy your immediate urge to live in denial but will soon turn deadly.

The Trump administration’s crusade to dismantle a scientific establishment ...Read more

On June 19, 1865, enslaved people in Texas belatedly learned that they were free, an event that is still commemorated as Juneteenth. It is a day for reflection, resilience and recognition of Black Americans’ enduring fight for equality. But if Juneteenth is to mean anything beyond symbolism, it must also be a call to confront the policies that...Read more

The United States has more unfilled ambassadorial positions around the world than at any point in modern history. Recent reports indicate that 110 to 115 of the United States’ 195 ambassadorial posts remain vacant, a vacancy rate approaching 60 percent.

These aren’t just vacancies in small, relatively unimportant countries. Right now, the ...Read more

In the small Ukrainian village where I grew up, you never saw dogs lounging on the sofa or curled up by the fireplace. Dogs, I was told, were to be kept on chains or in kennels outside. Their job was to “guard” the house, although I never understood how that would be possible for any animal, let alone one who could never escape a few square ...Read more

A Gallup poll released last month ought to alarm anyone who cares about whether the United States can best China in the artificial intelligence race. More than 7 in 10 Americans now oppose the building of AI data centers anywhere near where they live — and 48% are strongly opposed, a level of local resistance that exceeds opposition to new ...Read more

In President Donald Trump’s warped worldview, all elections — not just his own — are either won or rigged. Democracy and the will of the people are irrelevant. Trump alone decides who the victor is, otherwise the election was stolen.

The newest exhibit is the fair and square defeat of Los Angeles mayoral contender Spencer Pratt, a self-...Read more

It hasn't even been a year since President Donald Trump, the temporary resident of the White House, unilaterally announced he was adding a $200 million ballroom. (He didn't mention he'd be tearing down the century-old East Wing to make room.) In the 11 months since, the estimated cost of the project that he repeatedly boasts is "under budget and...Read more

People and businesses nationwide are reckoning with rapidly rising electricity costs. Last year, 80 million people struggled to afford their utility bills. At the same time, electricity demand is newly surging from the AI-driven buildout of massive data centers, threatening even higher electricity costs to come.

The need for ...Read more

When the Obama Presidential Center opens on June 19, it will arrive with the kind of civic gravity Chicago understands well. A dedication ceremony. A weekend of programming. A new landmark rising from Jackson Park after years of anticipation, scrutiny, fundraising and debate.

Chicago has always known how to stage history. What matters now is ...Read more