Reversing America’s decline is no easy task

Somewhere beneath the thickening surface of tribal bedlam and political fervor is still a core national impulse to confront and overcome big challenges. The question is how strong that impulse remains.

The next vice president will be a veteran. Could this help end the suicide epidemic?  

Tim Walz and JD Vance need to stop using their military service for political gain. They must to rise to the occasion and honor the sacrifices of our veterans by fighting for the care and support they deserve. The future of our veterans — and the strength of our country — depends on it. 

Wildfire smoke is running up our credit-card debt

The main way smoke creates debt is by generating medical bills.

Story arose from, then received, recognition

Stars and Stripes reporter Rose L. Thayer’s story underscores that Stripes pursues stories even if they are considered negative by the military.

The misleading language behind Florida’s abortion ballot measure

The proposition’s ambiguous language hides several important questions. For starters, when is viability? The amendment doesn’t define it.

Trump wants to turn the federal bureaucracy into an ‘army of suck-ups.’ Here’s how that would be a disaster.

Like any president, Donald Trump would undoubtedly stock the top levels of the government with loyal appointees. But he also intends to enforce his will by making it possible to fire lower-ranking federal employees for their political views.

Ukraine has been a magnet for unstable characters like Ryan Routh

Ryan Routh, the accused would-be assassin of Donald Trump, had no business being in Ukraine following Russia’s 2022 invasion. Then again, a bizarre aspect of the war has been the inordinate number of tourists, profiteers and self-appointed saviors attracted to the conflict.

Blaming Diddy’s legal troubles on race is absurd

Anyone who cares about the advancement of the Black community should be offended by the messages that Black people have a duty to stand by Sean “Diddy” Combs at the expense of his alleged victims.

Foreign policy will be the next president’s first priority

The immediate problems the next president will face will not be domestic but international, given the continuation of the bloody, three-year-war in Ukraine and the complex, unstable situation in the Middle East.

Disingenuity on what’s sparking political violence

I’m grateful to former President Trump for assigning blame for the foiled assassination attempt to Democratic rhetoric, specifically that of “Biden and Harris.”