One of the worst unforced errors in American history — Two decades ago, America made a terrible mistake. It was a mistake that unnecessarily killed thousands of Americans — and hundreds of thousands of Iraqi civilians. It cost the United States about $2 trillion. It further destabilized the Middle East, with consequences that still reverberate today, 20 years after the…

Which will his trial reveal? — It will be kind of funny if, after all this — it’s the porn actress that brings Donald Trump down. In many ways, it’s fitting. What could be more Trumpian than: Making sloppily concealed hush money payments… In violation of campaign finance laws… To an adult actress… To cover up…

Two ways to think about bad climate news — Caring about climate change is an emotional rollercoaster. On the one hand, it’s a planetary crisis that threatens every human society and every living thing on earth. Pretty depressing. But despite what some people might think, it’s not always doom and gloom. …

Why do colleges have to be so stingy with admissions? — Right now, millions of teenagers are bracing themselves for the news — did they get into the college of their choice? The answer to that question depends on whether a student meets a college’s admissions criteria. Unfortunately, many colleges’ criteria are about as clear as mud. Some of the most…

Memories of the pandemic are slipping away. Better write them down before they’re gone. — What do I remember about 9/11? I recall little snippets, mostly. I remember watching the second plane hit the tower on a little portable TV on the receptionist’s desk at work, and the sinking feeling of certainty — this was no accident — that came with the images. I remember…

States’ Rights? No. Personal Autonomy? Nuh-uh. Parents’ Rights? Nah. — The Republican Party used to have an ideology. Whether or not you agreed with them, at least their thinking was clear. Their vision went like this: America needs a small, decentralized government because government, when too powerful, is inefficient and oppressive. The federal government should stay out of people’s lives…

Let’s ask relationship advice sites! — Patriotism is a pretty vague concept. It means, of course, “love of country.” But, as in personal relationships, there sure are a lot of love languages. This means that patriotism can look very different depending on who’s demonstrating their love for the good old USA. To some Americans, love of…

What if the solutions to big problems are staring us in the face? — The world is a complicated place, that’s for sure. There are 8 billion of us, living in almost 200 countries, speaking a myriad of languages, and living in very different cultures. …

Avoid the temptation of cheap intellectual thrills — The New Yorker recently published a piece on a problem that is close to my heart: the decline of the humanities in American higher education. Nathan Heller’s article “The End of the English Major,” though by no means perfect (it will surprise absolutely nobody that a New Yorker author writing…