Breaking News

National Columnists

We lost one of great grumps

In every school, work or personal gathering, you need at least one grump for the group to thrive. Grumps do the work that no one else will. When everyone else is being mercilessly upbeat, they swim against the tide and complain. The grump may follow your inane rules — but grudgingly, oh, boy, will it be grudgingly — but they never let them pass unremarked upon. Where other folks try to fit in, the grumps stand out, not because they want to, but because they must. Even in a children's show like "Sesame Street," you need an Oscar the Grouch to balance out what otherwise ...

King of Pop endured isolation as fame skyrocketed

I vividly remember when Michael Jackson's signature "Thriller" album exploded in 1983 with the release of Billboard No. 1 hits "Billie Jean" and "Beat It," as well as Top 10 singles like "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" and "Human Nature." These songs were the soundtrack of my eighth- and ninth-grade years, and almost every talent show I attended featured a boy moonwalking or donning a red leather jacket, sporting black slacks and penny loafers highlighted with white socks. Everyone was trying to emulate the King of Pop. I was still a bit too young to understand some of ...

Gerrymandering widens political rift

Politicians and political parties, when unconstrained by constitutional guardrails or statutory limits, have long demonstrated a remarkable ability to manipulate electoral rules to their advantage. Gerrymandering is among the most enduring and consequential examples of this practice. Recent developments underscore how entrenched and aggressive this practice has become. In Texas, congressional districts were redrawn in a way that favors Republicans in 30 of 38 seats. In response, Virginia has pursued a redistricting approach that could give Democrats an advantage in 10 of its 11 ...

Guest in our house

The king came to town for tea, dinner and a little chat with Congress and the president. By the time you read this, Charles III's state visit may be a little piece of history. The "special relationship" between the United States and the United Kingdom could undergo a stress test. For one thing, Charles is probably horrified and mystified at the shooting at the White House Correspondents' dinner but probably too polite to say so. The British disapprove of making scenes in public, with gunfire interrupting dinner parties. Charles did refer to "the incident not far from this great ...

Marriage: Inequality gap has consequences

The most consequential inequality in America is not the wealth gap or the wage gap. It may not be the racial opportunity gap. The marriage gap is wreaking havoc. And unfortunately, it's the gap that gets the least attention. I'm a libertarian. I don't care whom, or if, you marry. Yet I'm reminded that there is a problem by a new report from the American Enterprise Institute. Edited by Kevin Corinth and Scott Winship, "Land of Opportunity: Advancing the American Dream" covers a broad range of challenges facing the country today, from the cost of living and workforce development to ...

Your whereabouts are known at all times

"Big Brother is watching you" is no longer a fictional admonition. Everywhere you go, your location is recorded by phone technology, license plate readers, Uber and Lyft transactions, and cameras. Privacy? Forget about it. Your location history is in the hands of many tech companies. Can the police and other government agencies force tech companies to share that information about you? The U.S. Supreme Court took up that question on Monday. The court's decision could have widespread impact on your privacy. If your location history puts you within a 1-mile radius of a bank ...