A mob’s assault on our Capitol was primed by President Donald Trump’s relentless election disinformation and tweets like “Be there, will be wild,” leading to calls of “occupying” the Capitol. With thousands gathered, Trump repeated claims dismissed by dozens of American courts and directed t… Read More ⇒
DES MOINES (Tribune News Service) — As the nightmare unfolded inside the nation’s Capitol building [Jan. 6], commentators, politicians and a host of shaken onlookers wondered how something they’d associate with unstable countries could happen inside those hallowed halls of American democracy. Read More ⇒
I began a three-decade congressional staff career 51 years ago this month. I’ve been retired for two decades and understand all too well today’s Hill staffers work in an environment quite unlike the one I enjoyed. Comity in Washington is a spirit that is in retirement as well. Read More ⇒
Last week as the snow fell at our Bombay home, I reached for my cellphone and quickly snapped a photo. Read More ⇒
LOS ANGELES (Tribune News Service) — After President Donald Trump’s disgraceful performance on Wednesday, it’s no wonder so many legislators — including a few Republicans — want to oust him immediately. Read More ⇒
WASHINGTON (Tribune News Service) — Rev up Barry Goldwater’s car. Put Mitch McConnell in 1974 Senate Minority Leader Hugh Scott’s seat. Put Kevin McCarthy in 1974 House Minority Leader John Rhodes’ seat. Read More ⇒
WATERTOWN — There is no longer any question about Donald Trump’s character — or, more specifically, his lack thereof. Read More ⇒
TRIBUNE NEWS SERVICE — In the thousands of books certain to be written about President Donald Trump, the first chapters will almost surely begin with the climax, his last days in office, his refusal to concede electoral defeat and a rally that led to a riot, a Washington, D.C., horror show. Read More ⇒
I am sure all of you have replaced your 2020 calendars with a new one. Read More ⇒
WATERTOWN — In the spring of 2011, U.S. Rep. Peter Roskam visited the newsroom I was working in at the time to discuss the fiscal year 2012 budget proposed by congressional Republicans. Read More ⇒
EVANS MILLS — We have now entered a new year, 2021. Read More ⇒
Political parties and candidates have different positions on issues, but should at least support the fundamentals of our system of government. Sounds simple, right? So how did court-packing become a serious topic for discussion this year? Read More ⇒
As we turn to a new year, the spotlight shines on the new president and the new administration. Even as he assumes center stage in Washington, profound questions still remain about Joe Biden’s plans. His initial appointments have been solid, diverse, experienced and capable, drawn overwhelmi… Read More ⇒
COLDEN — Victim’s testimony, a time-honored part of the American criminal prosecution process, has sent thousands of Wyoming offenders to prison. But justice is not advanced when, years later, crime victims are called again to give emotionally charged encores moments before parole panel memb… Read More ⇒
WATERTOWN — How is it possible for a health care professional to “fraudulently” administer a life-saving drug to someone who needs it? Read More ⇒
WASHINGTON (Tribune News Service) — As Donald Trump’s bumper-car presidency careens and crashes through its historically unprecedented final days (see also: final daze), his closest advisers and newbie conspiracy confidants have been sometimes convening in panic and other times ducking and d… Read More ⇒
Each of you probably has Christmas customs that are meaningful to your family, traditions that have been passed from generation to generation. Read More ⇒
WATERTOWN — There’s a lot of talk about how divided we are as a society. Read More ⇒
TRIBUNE NEWS SERVICE — It’s Christmas season and President Donald Trump is Santa Claus trying to slide down chimneys, often finding them a tight fit, but working with others to pass out presents that could save a nation: COVID-19 vaccines. Read More ⇒
WATERTOWN — Through numerous cultures and across many countries, the colder months have been a time of anticipation. Read More ⇒
So the other day, a friend asked me a question that boiled down to this: Does Christmas have to be a religious holiday? Read More ⇒
Judging by the diversity of holidays observed this time of year, humans seem to have a need for a communal celebration in early winter. Read More ⇒
Monday was officially the first day of winter. Read More ⇒
WATERTOWN — It’s easy to overlook the way some people enhance our lives. Read More ⇒
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (Tribune News Service) — Attorney General William Barr has resigned with a little more than a month left in President Donald Trump’s administration. Read More ⇒
WASHINGTON — Yes, Joe Biden has a monumentally difficult job starting Jan, 20. But four of his Cabinet picks may have an even greater uphill battle. Read More ⇒
FORT WORTH, Texas — November’s election revealed many things about our current political landscape, the most striking of which is that the Democratic coalition is not as ironclad as once thought. Read More ⇒
If the incoming Biden administration wants to tamp down the troubling rise in military and veteran suicides, it needs a much greater focus on reaching those who may be perilously disconnected from others and who don’t avail themselves of state or federal services. Read More ⇒
The first item on my to-do list each morning is always making sure our feline friend, Tigger, has been fed. Read More ⇒
China confronts incoming President-elect Joe Biden with possibly his most perplexing and most dangerous foreign policy issue while war clouds hang over the region from Northeast to Southeast and Central Asia to the Himalayan frontier. Read More ⇒
This column was originally published by the Watertown Daily Times on Dec. 22, 2016. Hanukkah 2020 began Thursday evening and will last until Friday evening: Read More ⇒
DALLAS (Tribune News Service) — The votes in last month’s presidential election were still being counted when the Democratic Party’s progressive factions began to warn President-elect Joe Biden against pursuing too centrist a course. Read More ⇒
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (Tribune News Service) — If President Donald Trump wants to avoid federal criminal investigation once he’s out of office, here’s my free advice: Don’t pardon Rudy Giuliani. Read More ⇒
ASHLAND, Ohio — Although it will undoubtedly be different this year, the majority of people in the United States will celebrate Hanukkah, the Jewish Festival of Lights, tonight through Dec. 18 or Christmas, commemorating the birth of Jesus of Nazareth, on Dec. 25. Read More ⇒
My father was a young high school teacher in Florida on Dec. 7, 1941. Following the attack on Pearl Harbor, he joined the U.S. Army and made it his career, including in Army intelligence assessing future security threats. Read More ⇒
The world is in need of hope and joy found in the upcoming Christmas season. Read More ⇒
ALEXANDRIA, Va. — Leaders in the United States House of Representatives have bent over backwards at each opportunity so far this year to do the bidding of Big Pot — even going so far as to mire up COVID-19 aid negotiations by loading up their bill proposals with giveaways to the industry. Read More ⇒
FAIRFAX, Va. — In health care: The debate is dead. Long live the debate! Read More ⇒
As Joe Biden prepares to take office as president, the Democratic Party is pushing for an economic agenda that reflects the priorities of its new coalition: one that has more college degrees, and higher incomes, than past ones. Read More ⇒
“Life is going to return to normal,” Joe Biden promised last week in a Thanksgiving address to the nation. He was talking about life after COVID-19, but you could be forgiven if you thought he was also making a promise about life after Donald Trump. Read More ⇒
One good news story from election 2020 that has gotten insufficient attention is the continued independence of America’s courts. Read More ⇒
WATERTOWN — Who knew that cloning me would be so easy? Read More ⇒
MONTREAL — Whether the weeks seem longer before or since the election is a question best left to historians and philosophers. Read More ⇒
NEW YORK — The last two U.S. presidents repeatedly stretched the powers of their office to set policies that Congress had refused to enact. Instead of following their example, President-elect Joe Biden should work with Congress to bring the branches of the federal government to a better balance. Read More ⇒
FAIRFAX, Va. — Today’s mainstream media largely consists of a deadly mix of fake, biased and censored news. What was once a slowly shifting media landscape is undergoing a cataclysmic upheaval as more and more Americans seek alternative news and social media sites in the wake of the presiden… Read More ⇒
ALEXANDRIA, Va. — Although voters appear to have delivered the 2020 presidential election to President-elect Joe Biden, Americans across the political spectrum agree on one major issue: a preference for commonsense, market-based incentives in the healthcare sector over heavy-handed governmen… Read More ⇒
SAVANNAH, Ga. — As I write this, our country is in the midst of an exponential growth of COVID cases with hospitals bracing for an avalanche to follow. Read More ⇒
Monday morning as I was finishing my breakfast and enjoying my cup of coffee, my cellphone indicated there was a message through WhatsApp. Read More ⇒
Financial regulators subject banks to stress tests to see if they have enough capital to withstand sharp downturns. Read More ⇒
