Like a lot of Tar Heel Democrats, I still think a good deal about the election. I’ll concede I feel modestly more optimistic than I did two months ago, largely because Carolina did better, …

The Republicans, you have to admit, know what they want. It’s all spelled out in the pages of Project 2025, but even if it weren’t, it’s been lodged in the reptilian brains of GOP partisans for …

Imagine the notion of one extended musical family with enough splendid music to keep you charmed, touched and thrilled for the rest of your life. Sounds intriguing, right? In my recent column on …

Jan. 6 was the fourth anniversary of our National Day of Shame. To mark the occasion, I'm re-posting the column I wrote after the smoke cleared and the bodies had been carted off. I stand by every …

“A Complete Unknown” is arguably the best feature ever made about a ’60s’ music icon. Earning Golden Globe nominations for Best Picture, plus for an unrecognizable Timothée Chalamet’s …

Every January, I search for the reformed Scrooge — the one beloved of Christmas tales. Instead, the misanthrope springs back. The old Scrooge was cheap: He threatened to dock Bob Cratchit a few …

It was Dec. 6, 1830. Eager to ensure congressional abbettance, President Andrew Jackson delivered a typically detailed, second annual address whose centerpiece was the Indian Removal Act - a working …

In dark times like these, shining a light on successful efforts to reverse our country’s extreme inequality is more important than ever. As we looked back on 2024, we actually found plenty to …

In his new Netflix special, entertainer Jamie Foxx shares that he suffered a debilitating stroke. The $4.5 trillion US health care system at first failed to give him helpful treatment, which Foxx …

This summer, the Supreme Court’s Grants Pass ruling made it much easier for local governments to criminalize homelessness. Since then, cities and states across the country have stepped up their …

Colorado senators Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper, both Democrats, and Senator Bill Cassidy (R-La.) recently celebrated the final passage of their Summit of the Americas Act to strengthen U.S. …

The wife of U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson need worry no longer. Prior to Mike being voted to continue his Speakership, she had been concerned for months—his restless sleep, his crying out, “No, …

Yes, I was there on Jan. 6, 2021, in the sacred temple of democracy when a mob’s deadly rampage darkened democracy and injured 140 police officers in a president’s plot to undo the election he …

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approves 40 to 50 drugs a year. Some are new molecules, while other approvals are of older drugs for new uses. Most don’t get much attention, but some become …

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Snowflakes are falling on the morning of Jan. 6 but it will not be enough to cover the ground over most of the South. It might lift some spirits for a few minutes, but the way …

Like many progressives, I’ve retreated a bit since the November election. I’m not watching much tv news and I don’t bird-dog all the headlines. I keep up on current events, but don’t obsess …

The Republicans (GOP), traditionally the U.S.’s anti-tax party, now promise to use tariffs to wage trade wars, to massively deport immigrants, and to stop drug traffic. But tariffs are simply the …

“You can’t ignore politics, no matter how much you’d like to.” – Molly Ivins In the quest toward a wiser and more just society, my wife is on the front lines. Meaning she’s the …

First chance I got following a tooth-pulling the Monday before Thanksgiving, I spat out that chunk of gauze and fired up a smoke. Then I checked instructions for post-extraction care: DO NOT …

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — The Syrian Revolution of 2024 has succeeded in deposing the al-Assad dynasty, in power since 1970, throwing off the rule of the once mighty Syrian Socialist Baath Party, a feared …