Brief, insufferably witty insights on politics, culture and life from a grizzled expert.
A killer asteroid named Trump has hit the planet, just as a real one is bearing down on us.
He's got your Social Security number, medical history and bank info. He's also dismantling the government. Worried yet?
Contempt for the people we elect is a constant theme in American culture and discourse. Will Trump be different?
Aside from presidential inaugurations, what's special about Jan. 20? Plenty.
Why the popular view of successful politicians as tough, scheming Machiavellians is dead wrong.
Thanksgiving might not be the same, but maybe our traditional bird deserves a pardon.
If the recent election showed us anything, it's that young men need help.
Why does America do such a terrible job of holding elections?
A Facebook regular captured my imagination. Then I found out who he really was.
Can a nation whose citizens hold two vastly different versions of reality endure? Ask Ronald Reagan.
How a poem led me a fragment of my father's past -- and to the horrors of war
Is it possible to be both an effective politician and a decent human being?
Melania Trump is taking heat for possible campaign finance lapses. Maybe she needs a dog.
Immigrants aren't really dining on felines, but Republicans are warning of a cat-astrophe..
Partisan mayhem and intimidation seem to be on the rise. Can American democracy survive?
They don't exist, but some people take them seriously. Maybe they're onto something.
Why a concept that has long divides us seems destined for oblivion.
An important profession is disappearing, Can the world survive?
A vice-presidential candidate had some unkind words for unmarried women with cats. Bad move.
Men run most of the world, but evidence is mounting women do it better.
Seems like ancient history now, but the assassination attempt against Donald Trump still looks a little fishy.
The U.S. vice-presidency has long been a thankless job. Suddenly, it's hot.
Political surprises in Europe, Supreme Court shockers in the U.S. and a debate performance that just won't go away.
An overdue screed on a major threat to civilized society.
The XXXIII Olympiad is only weeks away. Paris is still a construction site.
Graduation speeches are usually high-minded and bland. Not this year.
As a major restaurant chain goes bankrupt, some questions about its namesake.
How to survive in the age of him, her, they, them and other linguistic minefields.
College campuses across the U.S. are engulfed in anti-war protests. But that's nothing compared to 1968.
As Ben Franklin would advise, we shouldn't make fun of an old guy who stinks up the courtroom.
The candidate has been surprisingly specific about how he would govern. We should pay attention.
Ah, spring! Nature's ultimate con job. And we're not helping.
Where is Joseph of Arimathea when we need him? He's here, but you may not have noticed.
How a chance encounter by a couple of women from very different worlds changed the face of music.
I started a GoFundMe campaign to pay our ex-president's legal bills. It didn't go the way I expected.
Politics used to be a serious undertaking. Now, it's a TV miniseries. May the best show get renewed.
100 years on, a jazz-infused musical mess still has its charms..
Monarchy has its critics but also its charms. Is there a lesson for America here?
More states are introducing witty road-safety signs. The feds want to stop them.
How book banning became our new national pastime. Only it isn't so new.
As scientists agitate to retitle a beetle, its unsavory namesake pops up in the U.S. presidential campaign.
In 1959, a national election hinged on whether the economy was really as good as it seemed. Sound familiar?
Christmas is days away, but its music has been annoying us for weeks. Maybe that's a good thing.
Marley was dead. But could his successor as House Speaker learn the true meaning of Christmas?
Losing touch with loved ones is bad enough. Not knowing whether they're alive or dead can be torture.
It's great that you separate the reusables from your trash, but you may be doing it all wrong.
How JFK's death 60 years ago made the world go insane -- and stay that way.