I'm not saying definitively that going to war against Iran when there was no imminent threat is President Donald Trump's way of distracting attention from the case of Jeffrey Epstein and his voluminous, sordid, incriminating files.

Then again, I'm not not saying it.

We certainly know that Trump has mused in the past about invading Iran as a ...Read more

Defeating Iran is the main goal of the current Middle East war, but Lebanon may offer the best opportunity for a breakthrough toward peace — if only President Donald Trump would pay attention.

The opportunity for progress between Beirut and Jerusalem is real. Both countries — technically at war since 1949 — have no territorial claims ...Read more

We're in the early weeks of Lent, the 40 days when Christians are called to rededicate themselves to good — and the Trump administration seems to be having a good time making its war with Iran seem like a bunch of tweens playing a game of "Call of Duty."

Where Jesus called on believers to go through life as meekly as possible, the White House...Read more

President Donald Trump had good cause to fire Kristi Noem last week from being homeland security secretary, giving her the ax via social media post, with Trump announcing that she was being replaced by Oklahoma Sen. Markwayne Mullin, apparently without bothering to inform her first.

That followed her disastrous congressional testimony just the ...Read more

Kristi Noem has been removed from her perch atop the Department of Homeland Security. Like the vast majority of Chicagoans, we will shed no tears.

As secretary of homeland security, the former governor of South Dakota oversaw an immigration enforcement operation so poorly managed, and so brutalizing, that two American citizens were shot dead on...Read more

Just about 250 years ago, young Americans risked everything to fight for a better future--one in which their loved ones, neighbors, and progeny could exercise individual liberty and collective prosperity. Their fight for democracy was regarded by many as a fool’s errand. People aren’t to be trusted. Only the enlightened should govern. Top-...Read more

Americans of all political stripes are concerned about affordability. Some politicians would like to change the subject.

Billionaires and their allies in politics have tried everything, from falsely blaming the rising costs of food and housing on immigrants, to dismissing the entire concept of affordability as a “hoax,” as President Donald ...Read more

In my work on leadership and followership, I’ve noticed something simple but powerful: followers shape leaders. Leaders adjust themselves in response to the signals they receive — not just in rallies and speeches, but increasingly in the digital sphere.

Social media “likes” and “hearts” send immediate feedback that can influence ...Read more

It was early on June 28, 1969 — more than an hour after midnight, usually a quiet time everywhere except New York, where the hustle never stops, especially in Greenwich Village. It was two years after peace and brotherhood gave birth to an epic Summer of Love, and however brief that euphoria was for America, it undeniably was a significant ...Read more

The 17.7 million Americans who use marijuana daily or near-daily can relax: The Supreme Court appears poised to hold that Congress can’t prohibit them from owning firearms. More significantly, the argument revealed that the Supreme Court’s originalist doctrine on gun laws has made it increasingly difficult for Congress to bar almost anyone ...Read more

The two main drivers of U.S. economic growth right now — artificial intelligence and an aging population — are combining to make health care the most appealing career option for job seekers.

The sector bucked the hiring caution that infected so many other industries last year, becoming the biggest job creator. But what happens when health ...Read more

Taxpayers aren’t usually inclined to sympathize with the Internal Revenue Service, but this year they probably should. Thanks to a brutal combination of staff shortages and new complications in the tax code, the filing season now underway has put extraordinary strain on the agency.

The Biden administration aimed to modernize the IRS and ...Read more

The CIA calls it the “strategic commodity” of the Middle East. But it’s not referring to oil or natural gas. What the American spy agency has in mind is far more prosaic: drinking water. Don’t underestimate it, though, because if military hostilities continue to escalate, water could become the geopolitical commodity that decides the war...Read more

There was a time in Florida when diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) were considered to be good things. When it was OK to celebrate the state’s vibrant array of cultures. When parents and teachers raised children to believe that their futures mattered; when leaders transcended ideology to make communities stronger and better-prepared to ...Read more

The racist, antisemitic and sexist texts revealed Wednesday in a group chat primarily for Miami conservative college students — and tied to leaders in the Miami-Dade Republican Party — are beyond sickening.

Prolific use of the N-word. Descriptions of violent deaths imagined for Black people, including crucifying, beheading and dissecting ...Read more

MINNEAPOLIS — When Kathy Magnuson was young, she signed her Social Security card with pride, if not precision, by her maiden name: “Kathy A. Brown.”

She got married in 1963 and signed her new card more formally, “Kathleen A. Magnuson.” A later replacement card got the full treatment, “Kathleen Ann Magnuson.” These name variations ...Read more

Petty partisan squabbles and election-year gamesmanship at home should take a rest while the nation is engaged in major combat overseas.

A war is not the time for Americans to be battling with each other.

Even as Congress takes up the very serious matter of whether a president has the authority to make war without its OK, distracting fights ...Read more

The decline of missile stockpiles, which spurred the Department of Defense’s arm-twisting in January for Lockheed Martin Corp. and RTX Corp. to boost production, is worsening by the day.

Modern warfare is all about missiles, interceptors, stealth aircraft and drones. Thanks to companies like Lockheed, RTX, Northrop Grumman Corp. and other ...Read more

Can anyone reading this editorial right now explain, clearly and succinctly, why the U.S. is currently engaged in an open-ended military operation against the Islamic Republic of Iran?

If you said yes, congratulations — you’re doing better than the Trump administration. President Donald Trump and his advisers have offered nothing but ...Read more

"I'm not going to start a war. I'm going to stop wars."

— Donald Trump, in his victory speech Nov. 6, 2024

It's bad enough that President Donald Trump has broken that oft-repeated pledge and unilaterally started a war, without engaging either Congress or the American public. And that, by his war of choice against Iran, he has in the most ...Read more