Breaking News

National Columnists

Fraudulent medical billing is theft

Polls show Americans are angry — and rightly so — at accelerating medical bills. Meanwhile, the insurers and hospitals keep raking in record profits. UnitedHealthcare just reported jumbo profits so far in 2026, and in 2025 they recorded revenues of more than $400 billion. They are raking in profits from the $1.9 trillion in federal healthcare programs. Two of the largest "nonprofit" hospital chains, Kaiser Permanente and HCA Healthcare, recorded nearly $200 billion in assets at the end 2024. As Rep. Jason Smith, chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, put it: ...

Shooter’s real problem was mental

"Shots Fired at Correspondents' Dinner" dominated headlines following the gun attack at the Washington Hilton. Correction: Shots were not fired at the dinner but in the corridor outside. That's where security had pinned the accused gunman, Cole Tomas Allen, on his stomach and handcuffed. Sure, the alleged attacker released a manifesto saying he wanted to take down Trump and members of his administration. But even if the suspect had made it inside, he probably wouldn't have gotten past the guy in back, seen unperturbed and eating his burrata salad. The most dangerous place ...

We need to focus on ‘healing of our land’

President Donald Trump chose to recite 2 Chronicles 7:14 as part of America Reads the Bible, an event hosted by Christians Engaged that ran from April 18-25. This Scripture, which is among many of my favorites, says, "(I)f my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land." Every time I have listened to a minister speak on this verse, the focus has been on repentance and a renewed commitment to God, drawing on ...

Higher ed should teach doing good

The ranks of would-be presidential assassins are a cavalcade of losers, yet the latest shooter who set out to murder Donald Trump — the man who opened fire at the White House Correspondents' Dinner on Sunday — turns out to have an elite educational background. Cole Allen is a graduate of CalTech, the prestigious California Institute of Technology. In the most recent City Journal college rankings, CalTech took the top spot for "value added to career," but languished at a dismal 95th place for "student ideological diversity." The rankings noted the school's ...

MAGA transforms to anti-Christian now

The past few days have featured the vice president of the United States lecturing the pope on morality and church doctrine. As someone who came up in the conservative movement, I find it a bit dizzying to watch people who used to venerate religious leaders of all stripes now smack-talk the pope and commit what some have characterized as blasphemy. Vance took several swipes at the vicar of Christ. On Fox News, he advised that, "In some cases it would be best for the Vatican to stick to matters of morality." That's some high-octane condescension, but if he had stopped there, it would ...

Theft as social justice

Is robbing the Louvre a good idea? Left-wing influencer Hasan Piker and New Yorker writer Jia Tolentino did a much-discussed video interview with The New York Times on the ethics of theft, and came out four-square in favor of stealing things, including artwork from the Louvre. They consider larceny an appropriate response to the inherent corruption and injustice of the American capitalist system. The merits of this position aside, it's not clear why it justifies stealing paintings or sculptures from a museum owned and operated by the government of France. When asked about the ...