Column

LOS ANGELES — Forget what you hear most pundits saying about last week’s recall election that failed to unseat California Governor Gavin Newsom. Some Democrats think because Newsom ran on an anti-Trump platform that will bring the party success — or cause them less damage — in the next two elections. They are wrong. The real story is the slow but gaining-in-speed exodus from California to…

Gen. Mark Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, was so worried then-President Donald Trump might launch a surprise attack against China that he reached out to his Chinese counterpart and assured General Li Zuocheng that Milley would preemptively warn China. That, at least, is the salacious allegation in the new book, “Peril,” co-written by Bob Woodward and Robert Costa. “General…

The lyricist Oscar Hammerstein II wrote many beautiful songs for Broadway musicals. One that was not beautiful, but powerful for what it said about race relations in 1949 when the show opened was “You’ve Got to Be Carefully Taught.” The song was about being taught to hate. You also must be taught to love. In 2021 America, it looks increasingly like hate is winning.

Washington -- How did the weekend that commemorated the 20th anniversary of 9/11 -- America's Pearl Harbor for the 21st century -- go for you? There were huge American flags draping the skyscrapers of northern Virginia. The streets below, however, were relatively deserted. Across the river, there was a more traditional scene. Groups of tourists were parading around the remaining statues of…

Today's politicians want to spend more on EVERYTHING: Amtrak subsidies, sports stadium subsidies, green energy subsidies, even fossil fuel subsidies ... President Joe Biden says the handouts will "put more money in your pocket." House Speaker Nancy Pelosi claims they will "protect the planet for the children." They might. But a disproportionate amount of the money will end up in the hands of…

In 1629, frustrated by the unwillingness of Parliament to grant him taxation power, King Charles I of England dissolved the body and had nine members arrested. He did not recall Parliament for over a decade. The intervening period, known as Personal Rule, saw Charles I govern as a de facto dictator, with only a body of councilors to advise him. In 1640, forced by military necessity from…

Responding to Democrats in her party who are troubled by the massive $3.5 trillion spending bill that would forever transform America into a debtor nation, Speaker Nancy Pelosi asked a question: “Where would you cut?” Her question carries with it a conceit held by many contemporary politicians that every government program is sacred and must not be touched. Even suggesting that a decrease in…

Washington -- How could a comic figure from the world of politics such as President Joe Biden suddenly become such a tragic figure on the American scene? One minute he is bringing all civilized observers to laughter by telling Katie Couric that former President Franklin Roosevelt dealt with the 1929 stock market crash by getting "on television" and reassuring his fellow Americans as only FDR…

Are you a racist? All white people are, says "White Fragility" author Robin DiAngelo. Race explains everything, says bestselling "How to Be an Antiracist" author Ibram X. Kendi. "Every policy is either racist or anti-racist." Kendi's and DiAngelo's books are now recommended reading at schools, corporations and in the military. Both authors command high speaking fees. Isn't that good?…

The American media tends to consist of highly educated individuals, many of whom went to elite academic institutions. They tend to congregate in large urban environments surrounded by like-minded people who have similar interests and worldviews. The result is a media that is urban, coastal, secular and progressive. Good reporters tend to be mindful of their biases. Most reporters do not. In…

Washington — Donald Rumsfeld, the two-time secretary of Defense, adviser to presidents and three-term member of Congress, was buried at Arlington National Cemetery on Aug. 23 after a stately ceremony in the cemetery's large chapel. His friends and associates filled the chapel, and I wish I could report on what luminaries were present, but I cannot. Everyone was wearing a mask. The media…

There once were summertimes when the living was easy, as the song from the Broadway musical “Porgy and Bess” melodically reminds us. But not this summer, not with COVID-19 still spreading dangerously across the land and uncertainty over what happens next after the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Afghanistan. Before the entire world became glued to the internet, social media, and summer TV re-…

In his address to Congress on Dec. 8, 1941, following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, President Franklin Roosevelt said: “… we will not only defend ourselves to the uttermost but will make it very certain that this form of treachery shall never again endanger us. Hostilities exist. There is no blinking at the fact that our people, our territory and our interests are in grave danger. With…

As a global pandemic raged and governments began locking down and sheltering citizens in place, the United States Congress allocated $46.5 billion in rental assistance. With a moratorium in place to prevent evictions, Congress was mindful landlords would need help paying the mortgages on their rental properties. Renters would need help paying rent. Over the last year, only $1.7 billion of the…