Little shocks me these days, but when I heard President Donald Trump’s remark this weekend that after “totally demolishing” much of Iran’s Kharg Island, the United States “may hit it a few more times just for fun,” I was taken aback.

War is not fun.

Hearing a president speak about bombing “just for fun” reflects something much ...Read more

Before our celebrations of the Declaration of Independence’s 250th anniversary reach a fever pitch this summer, it might be worthwhile to introduce some humility into the occasion.

In ancient Rome, for example, when a general won a great battle, he was given a triumph — or victory parade. Huge crowds would cheer as the spoils of war were ...Read more

My mother, Terrie Montgomery, was always organized, outspoken and deeply involved in our community. When she started repeating purchases and struggling to keep track of details, it took us months to name what was happening.

In Black families, many of us learn to push through difficulties and handle things privately, which means we might ...Read more

Are you concerned that your taxes killed dozens of Iranian children? Should we be more concerned about this than we are?

It’s not that I’m against taxes. I’m not thrilled when April 15 rolls around, but let’s face it: Taxation is an essential part of the social compact that makes our nation possible. But once our money goes into the ...Read more

It’s not normal for a priest to bring a cell phone into the sanctuary when he is celebrating Mass. But when Father Paul Haverstock heard there were masked immigration agents in the parking lot of his church in January, he said he wanted “a clear recording of me letting the agents know that we’re in the middle of a religious service.”

...Read more

Tax day is a few weeks away, yet politicians across the country are still scheming to concoct new ways to separate people from more of their own money.

Whether it’s a proposed “wealth” assessment on billionaires in California, a new income tax in Washington state, higher city income taxes to cover “free” stuff in New York City or ...Read more

If we could ask our animal companions whether we spend enough time with them, what would their answer be? If we’re being honest, many of us probably aren’t meeting their needs. The United Nations established the International Day of Happiness on March 20 to recognize happiness and well-being as universal rights. Our companions deserve both. ...Read more

In late 2002, as the U.S. was on the precipice of invading Iraq, the president’s top budget official estimated that the war would cost as little as $50 billion dollars. That conflict ultimately cost American taxpayers more than $3 trillion, and we’re still paying the bill. Fast-forward to 2026 and the U.S. has embarked on another war of ...Read more

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Murder is considered the worst crime out there, but for my money, it’s child rapists who are the worst of the worst — especially the serial ones who destroy one life after another.

That’s wholly subjective on my part, but I doubt I’m alone. Which is why I was far from surprised at the outrage that accompanied two...Read more

For quite a while now, someone has been living inside my computer, writing emails for me.

I don't recall signing up for this artificial intelligence feature, which is like having a word valet. It's in my phone, too, which offers three serviceable but impersonal responses I can fire off to someone who has just sent me an email pitching a story ...Read more

In one weekend, a series of ominous dots was laid out regarding the United States, Iran, and Russia. Once connected, the picture that forms is damning and chilling.

Russian President Vladimir Putin counted his winnings, America mourned its dead, and the U.S. president, astonishingly, shrugged it off as trivial.

Last Saturday morning President ...Read more

War is ugly.

So is hubris.

The next time President Donald Trump tells you how well the war is going, remember that U.S. missile strikes have killed more than 1,400 people in Iran, including 168 children who perished at an elementary school.

Remember, too, that the average price of gas in America has surged more than 65 cents a gallon in the ...Read more

Always beware the Why not? argument — especially when it comes to erecting barriers to voting in elections. In that case, the pertinent question should always be, Why?

There’s no good answer to the latter question regarding federal and Missouri state legislation that would require proof of citizenship to register to vote.

Both the federal ...Read more

The MAHA base is bigger than you think. And the GOP is going to need all the support it can muster to survive what’s likely to be a bruising midterm.

Foughly four in 10 parents (38%) identify as supporters of the Make America Healthy Again movement, according to a KFF/Washington Post poll. I think this underestimates the movement’s ...Read more

My half-century as a journalist and two decades as an ocean advocate has taught me that democracy is not a guarantee of environmental protection for our public seas or people — it’s a prerequisite.

That’s why, in advance of what will be the third No Kings Day of mass protest against President Donald Trump’s increasingly authoritarian ...Read more

Not long ago, almost no one talked about the rules and culture of primary elections. Today, there is a growing recognition that the way we run primary elections isn’t working. They’re too partisan. Too low turnout. Too dominated by ideological activists. My organization, Open Primaries, has spent years pushing this conversation into the ...Read more

What do oil companies fear even more than cheaper and cleaner competition to their dirty fossil fuel business? A jury of American citizens.

In California and across the nation from Hawaii to Maine, a growing number of state and local governments are fighting in court to hold oil giants like Exxon Mobil, Chevron, Shell and BP accountable for ...Read more

In high school, I put useless trivia knowledge to work on the quiz bowl team. I wasn’t the fastest on the buzzer, but I learned quickly which names and facts came up repeatedly.

Grover Cleveland was one of those names.

He was the only president to serve nonconsecutive terms. Of course, this was before Donald Trump’s return to office.

...Read more

Education starts with the basics.

An educated person has core math skills — they can add, subtract, multiply and divide. With a solid education, a person can become a lifelong reader, or at least competently navigate the world and its written cues. A well-educated person can do these things and also think independently.

With their planned ...Read more

Few corporate cautionary tales are as vivid as the rise and fall of Moderna Inc. During the pandemic, the company’s mRNA vaccine was approved and distributed in record time, saving millions of lives and turning a once-obscure startup into a $200 billion behemoth.

Now Moderna is in a tight spot: Hundreds of millions of dollars in grants for ...Read more