Why now? Why now?

Every time a woman comes forward with her story of sexual assault, this is the first question she faces. OK, maybe the second — after some variation of "Are you a lying slut?"

At least we are consistent. But on behalf of all survivors everywhere, of any gender, identity or age, let me give you some blanket answers to "Why ...Read more

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Eric Swalwell is out— of the California gubernatorial race and Congress, spending time with family, as they say, after allegations of rape and sexual misconduct. That could be considered good news for the slew of Democrats who remain in the running, and even the two Republicans currently polling near the top.

But this ...Read more

The lightning-fast downfall of Eric Swalwell is a testament to the astonishing, often-denigrated “soft power” of public shame.

Swalwell was shamed out of politics in recent days after being accused by multiple women of sexual misconduct. He ended his campaign for California governor and resigned his House seat representing a district in ...Read more

As an American Catholic who has sat in a church pew my entire life, received the Holy Eucharist, marked more than 50 Lents with ashes, and been taught from childhood that the pope is the Vicar of Christ on earth, I never thought I would have to say this: The president of the United States has no business attacking our Holy Father — and even ...Read more

The American blockade in the Strait of Hormuz alters the strategic equation in the Iran conflict. It also has the attention of our enemies.

Peace talks between the United States and Iran broke down over the weekend as the latter made a number of demands after mistaking President Donald Trump’s desire for a quick end to the conflict as a ...Read more

Hungary’s Viktor Orban pulled almost every lever available to extend his 16 years in power. In the end, neither an in-person endorsement from U.S. Vice President JD Vance nor a captive media machine was enough to save the man who admits playing “mouse” to Vladimir Putin’s “lion.”

While more of a tilt back westward for the country ...Read more

For a man who understands the power of leverage, Donald Trump is being remarkably slow to recognize the influence Iran has gained in the Strait of Hormuz. The U.S. president’s threat to complete its closure by blocking Iranian exports through it, too, is far more likely to drag him deeper into a politically damaging war than to force Tehran’...Read more

Just when you thought Democrats couldn’t sink any lower, along comes retread Kamala Harris to kiss the ring of Al Sharpton and adopt a fake mafia boss accent to tease another presidential run.

You can’t make this stuff up.

Harris, the failed 2024 White House nominee, said over the weekend she just “might” run again.

“Listen, I ...Read more

Twenty-two years ago, the U.S. was at war, just as it is today, and a president visited the pope at the Vatican.

President George W. Bush’s meeting with Pope John Paul II was reported to be an awkward one. With the war in Iraq raging, the 84-year-old pope, weakened by Parkinson’s disease and less than a year from his death, condemned the ...Read more

“Abolish ICE” makes for red-meat copy on the side of a Chicago street sweeper. But neither Mayor Brandon Johnson nor Democratic Senate candidate Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton really wants to abolish immigration and customs enforcement in the United States.

Having a say over who comes and goes into a country is an intrinsic part of what defines ...Read more

Since Trump and his followers make such a show of honoring the flag, how can I say that he desecrates the flag? The answer comes from the Pledge of Allegiance itself, which clearly states the meaning of the flag. Republicans recite the pledge at every gathering, and many Trump supporters fly the flag outside their homes; indeed, that is how they...Read more

For generations, the Kellogg food company and Battle Creek, Michigan, went together like corn flakes and milk. Then came 2023.

After decades as an independent public company, Kellogg split in two, later selling its storied cereal business to Italy’s Ferrero Group and its valuable snack business to Mars Inc., which has extensive operations in ...Read more

Something I think just about all of us agree on: We want better AI. Regardless of your current perspective on AI, it's undeniable that, like any other tool, it can unleash human flourishing. There's progress to be made with AI that we should all applaud and aim to make happen as soon as possible.

There are kids in rural communities who stand to...Read more

Will Chicago Public Schools be open on May 1?

As of now, they will. That’s thanks to CEO Macquline King’s directive last Thursday following a confusing closed-door meeting Wednesday of the Chicago Board of Education during which board members appointed by Mayor Brandon Johnson pressured King into closing schools on May 1. Their agenda? The ...Read more

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the health and human services secretary, is once again out in front. This week, he launched his new podcast, which promises “fearless conversations” because “the government lies to us.”

He’s scheduled to testify before the House Ways and Means Committee on Thursday. And he’ll be going out on the campaign ...Read more

"I'm not afraid."

With these three words Sunday morning, Pope Leo XIV offered as powerful a rebuke of President Donald Trump and everything he has wrought on the world as anyone ever has.

Three words that mocked Trump for being the bully that he is.

Three words that undercut Trump's self-hyped aura of invincibility.

Three words to inspire ...Read more

On Sunday night, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán conceded defeat in one of the most important elections I’ve ever witnessed. The right-wing strongman stepped down from power in Hungary after a rule of 16 years — years that spanned the adult lifetime of a generation of young people, who have now made their voice heard, through their ...Read more

Millions in the streets. An unpopular war. Violence. And in the middle of all that: a moonshot.

The parallels between today and 1968 are eerie.

Nearly 60 years ago, civil rights marches and anti-Vietnam-war rallies burst across the country. Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy were assassinated. Police beat protesters outside the ...Read more

With no breakthrough between the U.S. and Iran in Islamabad this past weekend, President Donald Trump is reverting to his preferred tool: the U.S. military. Last week he vowed to keep American forces in the region at an elevated level and to restart shooting (“bigger, and better, and stronger than anyone has ever seen before”).

Last ...Read more

The general consensus is that President Donald Trump's social media post of himself dressed in robes, after a busy weekend in which he blasted Pope Leo and attended a prizefight while an Iran peace plan fell apart, was an attempt to cast himself as a Jesus-like figure.

But Trump says we have it wrong.

"It's supposed to be me as a doctor, ...Read more