If a U.S. president was just itching to militarize the streets of a politically unfriendly American city like some blustery third-world despot, how would he go about it?

First, he might start with a pretense that verges on legitimate — say, immigration enforcement. But rather than the routine kind of enforcement that quietly happens all the ...Read more

Two years after the Hamas massacre that began it, peace in Gaza is still a shore dimly seen. But at least it can be seen now.

The belligerents are talking about ending their monumentally tragic war. President Donald Trump’s comprehensive and fairly balanced peace proposal has brought partial consent from both sides. Negotiations continue ...Read more

On Sept.17, just two days into Hispanic Heritage Month, American Girl released the doll and character Raquel Reyes, the 2026 Girl of the Year. She is introduced as the great-great-granddaughter of Samantha Parkington — my favorite American Girl historical character, and the first heroine who taught me that compassion could change the world.

...Read more

If one thing is true of teachers’ unions, it is that they are far more than just bargaining entities. They are cultural barometers, revealing the values and convictions of those entrusted with shaping the next generation. Through their public statements, policy endorsements and collective actions, these unions offer a rare window into the ...Read more

There’s been a lot of excitement about last week’s ruling by a federal judge in Boston that the Trump administration, in its efforts to deport college students holding objectionable political views, violated the First Amendment. Commentators have described the opinion by District Judge William G. Young as “blistering” and a “landmark�...Read more

With AI beginning to look as if it has reached a deployment plateau — if not a lessening of hype — high-tech promoters and investors are on the hunt for the next big thing. And they're focusing on humanoid robots.

You know the species because androids have been a mainstay of science fiction since before Isaac Asimov coined the "three laws ...Read more

On Constitution Day, the Department of Education announced the America 250 Civics Education Coalition, partnering with organizations such as Turning Point USA and Hillsdale College to shape civics curriculum nationwide. The timing is no coincidence: As America approaches the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, we face a ...Read more

A large subset of Americans is so disconcerted by a small subset of fellow citizens that the former sometimes tries to proclaim the latter out of existence, as President Donald Trump did in his inaugural address in January: “As of today, it will henceforth be the official policy of the United States government that there are only two genders, ...Read more

Around the world, Gen Z is leading a wave of anti-government protests. It is the most significant spike in global dissent since the Arab Spring 15 years ago, with a geographic reach already to four continents. Though the proximate cause of protests in each country differs, all are driven by young people who are angry at rising government ...Read more

The public clash between Chicago Cardinal Blase Cupich and Springfield Bishop Thomas Paprocki over whether U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin should receive a lifetime achievement award from the Archdiocese of Chicago’s Keep Hope Alive program has spilled into the public square with damaging effect.

What might have been an internal disagreement has ...Read more

President Donald Trump signed a proclamation that imposes a $100,000 fee on H-1B visa applications, the immigration allocation set aside for highly skilled workers the U.S. economy needs. The new rules threaten the availability and deployment of human capital in the United States. This is misguided and will hurt U.S. growth and innovation, at a ...Read more

It’s no secret that Donald Trump, in his first term as president, felt stymied by cabinet secretaries and other political appointees who occasionally disagreed with his whims. Consequently, that first term saw a parade of high level appointees, including Communications Director Anthony Scaramucci, Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Secretary ...Read more

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Regardless of all the campaign jabber, Proposition 50 is not about saving democracy, stopping power grabs or veering off the moral high road. It’s about which political party controls Congress.

Or whether Republicans and Democrats share the power.

It’s also about exerting some control over unhinged President Donald ...Read more

Vaccines are a vital tool that saves millions of lives annually. Concerningly, the U.S. government wants to cut funding for a key organization that saves lives worldwide through immunization. Amid vaccine safety debates, the world is witnessing a rise in measles cases.

The politics of the COVID pandemic saw a growing rejection of vaccines, and ...Read more

In a week when President Donald Trump openly declared war on the “enemy within” — meaning anyone who disagrees with his edicts, from blue city mayors to generals to judges to universities to media — we all could use a glimmer of hope in the wider world.

Perhaps, just perhaps, we may have one, as Hamas agreed last week to release all ...Read more

The assassinations of conservative leader Charlie Kirk and Democratic lawmakers in Minnesota have triggered endorsements of violence and even calls for literal war on both the far right and far left.

Fortunately, an overwhelming majority of Americans reject political violence, but all of us are in a fight to keep our diverse and boisterous ...Read more

The boss of America’s largest private employer has joined a chorus of corporate bigwigs predicting that Artificial Intelligence will devastate the labor market. Chief Executive Officer Doug McMillon says AI will enable him to keep Walmart’s workforce level at a headcount of 2.1 million over the next three years even as its revenues grow. As ...Read more

Bettina Aptheker was a 20-year-old sophomore at UC Berkeley when she climbed on top of a police car, barefoot so she wouldn't damage it, and helped start the Free Speech Movement.

"Power concedes nothing without a demand," she told a crowd gathered in Sproul Plaza on that October Thursday in 1964, quoting abolitionist Frederick Douglass.

She ...Read more

There's a reason for the fearsome redistricting fight raging across America. It's about Democrats trying to rein in Donald Trump and his rogue-elephant regime.

Or, if you're the country's aspiring strongman, it's about avoiding accountability and sanction.

That's why Trump and fellow Republicans are trying to rig the midterm election, by ...Read more