In the novel "The Handmaid’s Tale," a violent theocracy overthrows the U.S. government, and doctors who perform abortions are hanged. Young women are enslaved to bear children for influential older men.

Author Margaret Atwood’s imagination was inspired in part by the biblical tale of Hagar, the Egyptian handmaid whom Abraham’s wife gave ...Read more

In February, Secretary of State Antony Blinken traveled to the Middle East for meetings in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Egypt, Israel and the West Bank. The central purpose of that trip was to hammer out a cease-fire and hostage release deal between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, which President Joe Biden’s administration hoped would stop the violence and ...Read more

If you were shopping for toaster ovens and your choice was between one that posed a 1% chance of setting your house on fire and a competing one that would not only 100% set your house on fire but proudly guaranteed it right on the box, then you would probably go with the 1% model.

U.S. voters face a similar choice this November when it comes ...Read more

Recently, while cleaning out my basement, I came across a picture of myself from 1983. The photo was taken at my Reform Movement Jewish summer camp, located on several acres of bucolic rolling hills along a clear lake in southeastern Wisconsin. That summer was easily one of the best and most formative of my childhood. I was 15.

But seeing the ...Read more

The death of Charles Leo Daniel at the Northwest Detention Center in Tacoma, Washington, piqued the interest of immigrant rights advocates and some members of Washington's congressional delegation. The mystery surrounding his death and the fact that he was housed in solitary confinement for most of the time he was incarcerated is cause for ...Read more

Last month, Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., and Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash., unveiled a rare government feat: a bipartisan bill that has lawmakers feeling “optimistic” and “fired up.”

It’s the American Privacy Rights Act (APRA), and it’s long overdue. The U.S. lags far behind the rest of the world on privacy legislation; 137 ...Read more

The Jimmy Carter years were marked by high interest rates, rampant unemployment, soaring inflation and weak economic growth. President Joe Biden is now hitting .750 in his effort to replicate the economic performance of the one-term president from Georgia.

On Thursday, the Commerce Department revealed that gross domestic product grew at a ...Read more

A second Trump administration might be very different from the first, and that includes how the president treats the Fed. Donald Trump complained a lot about the U.S. Federal Reserve when he was president, jawboning for lower interest rates and questioning its competence. Yet at the end of the day the Fed retained its independence and ...Read more

It took me by surprise when my son initially floated the idea of not going to college. His mother and I attended undergrad together. He was an infant on campus when I was in grad school. She went on to earn a PhD.

"What do you mean by 'not go to college'?" I pretended to ask.

My tone said: "You're going." (He did.)

The children of first-...Read more

California is facing a multibillion-dollar budget deficit that will require lawmakers and the governor to make painful decisions. Nobody wants less funding for their child’s school, road maintenance, environmental progress or other essential services.

There is one area, however, where spending can and should be cut: prisons. Thousands of ...Read more

Warnings about the agenda of global warming alarmists can seem far-fetched. But consider what’s happening in Germany.

A recent German governing coalition set a national goal of carbon neutrality by 2045. Nevada has a goal of reaching net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. To many, that sounds worthwhile — at least until you learn the details.

...Read more

Opill was recently recognized as the first FDA-approved over-the-counter daily birth control pill. While this is a step forward for contraceptive access, how can we make sure that young people — who are often navigating their sexual health for the first time and may not be well-informed on safe sex practices — know about the pill and how to ...Read more

The umpteenth reason why I dread this election season is that former president Donald Trump and his campaign have already chosen to go infantile and primitive in matters of foreign policy and national security. The meme MAGA is pushing — on all channels, in answer to all questions, all the time — is that President Joe Biden is “weak,” ...Read more

Amending the Constitution has become about as rare as Haley’s comet. That wouldn’t be a problem if the checks, balances and principles set forth by the Framers still functioned in our modern era. Recent experience, however, shows that’s not the case. Our amendment-phobia, constitutional apathy and institutional distrust have rendered our ...Read more

With the Kentucky Derby upon us, there is little chatter about the contenders. The question this year is not “Who will win?” but “Who will die?” Last year, 12 horses lost their lives at Churchill Downs in the weeks surrounding the Derby. Eventually, under intense pressure, the track suspended racing.

This is a sorry state of affairs for...Read more

Over the years, we’ve all heard fellow Americans grousing about moving to Canada if an upcoming election doesn’t go their way. It’s not a bad idea, as Canada is known for friendly people and as a safe place to live and work.

But leaving aside immigration issues, would it be worth it to move? If you ask Canadians these days, you might be ...Read more

In 2018, Gavin Newsom was elected governor after a campaign in which he told editorial boards across California that he would in effect be a better version of then-Gov. Jerry Brown. The lieutenant governor said he would be a much more effective manager of dysfunctional state agencies — but would also emulate Brown's careful stewardship of ...Read more