ArcaMax

WASHINGTON -- "Summer's lease hath all too short a date," wrote Shakespeare, but the Bard didn't know what the summer of '24 had in store.

The cicadas are still singing, but they won't be for long. The days are getting shorter, the nights fall faster. And the garden knows it; the last batch of zinnias displayed its colors, and the gold black-...Read more

A farmer was asked what he'd do if he won a million-dollar lottery. "Well," he said, "I guess I'd just keep farming 'til the money runs out."

Trying to make a living as a farmer is not for the fainthearted. You have to take out high-interest loans from cold-eyed bankers to put in a crop and buy supplies. Then you're also at the mercy of ...Read more

Last week, the German newspaper Bild broke a story that was too unsurprising to be much of one. According to Bild, a document seized from a computer used by Hamas strongman Yahya Sinwar summarized Sinwar's strategy for pressuring Israel into a ceasefire deal that would enable Hamas to promptly prepare for the next iteration of Oct. 7.

The ...Read more

Americans focused on inflation seem especially tuned into the price of gasoline. While inflation has been fading away, many prices remain higher than they were two years ago.

But not for gasoline. That's getting cheaper.

The average price at the pump is now about $3.26, which is down $1.73 from the high in June 2022. MAGA will note that it ...Read more

If elected president, Vice President Kamala Harris would bring extensive experience to the role from her work in the criminal legal system as district attorney, attorney general, senator and vice president. In these roles, her commitment to reforming the criminal legal system has been mixed. In some areas she has taken positions that have ...Read more

"Get a job!" That's the cliched response to panhandlers and anyone else who complains of being broke. But what if you can't?

That dilemma is the crux of an evolving silent crisis that threatens to undermine the foundation of the American economic model.

Two-thirds of gross domestic product, most of the economy, is fueled by personal consumer...Read more

Years before former President Donald Trump seized upon the Big Lie that the 2020 presidential election had been stolen, he insistently promoted another supersized falsehood -- namely that charges of Russian interference in the 2016 election were "a hoax." His minions in the media, from Fox News down to the lowliest web trolls, have incessantly...Read more

The cheap shots are everywhere now that we're in the thick of election season, and it matters. It's everywhere. It's on social media and even on television "news" and commentary shows. People we look to for thoughtful election analysis are wasting valuable time making fun of candidates over things that are not relevant. Whether it's making fun ...Read more

There's been a mini-flap about former President Donald Trump's recently reprehensible conduct at Arlington National Cemetery.

First of all, what the hell did you expect?

Secondly, when is Trump gonna stop with that cheesy "thumbs up" hand sign? No one does that anymore. It makes him look old and out of touch. I grew up with the thumbs up, ...Read more

Presidential elections of yore were not like this one. Would the media kindly get that into their collective skull? Many journalists seem to think that the reluctance of Kamala Harris to sit down for searing in-depth interviews on "the issues" is a major issue.

The one she did with CNN rested on the old gotcha questions. Harris said that she'...Read more

The stakes could not be higher. Tens of millions of people will be watching, hopefully including those who (like me with baseball) tune in just in time for the World Series. Kamala Harris has to do two things: fill in the blanks in her own platform; and let Trump be Trump.

It's hard not to like what you see with Kamala Harris. Since she ...Read more

School shootings are recurring markers of a societal sickness, an unshakeable acceptance of violence and senseless death. The murder of two 14-year-old students and two teachers on Wednesday, and the wounding of nine others, at a mass shooting at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia, is the latest in this seemingly permanent contagion.

...Read more

History repeats itself: first as tragedy, second as farce. That's what the German philosopher said.

Lawless former President Donald Trump is breaking this rule in two, as he does for every other. For him, it's history as farce first, tragedy second. His illegal campaign stunt at Arlington National Cemetery is high tragedy playing out on the ...Read more

Every once in a great while, a major media celebrity comes along who puts his or her talent and -- well, celebrity -- to work for the common good.

Many generous artistic souls support good causes -- and bless them for that! But there are a few who put the public interest at the center of their professional calling, and it's been my joy to ...Read more

Last week ended with a split screen featuring savagery on one side and shame on the other. We woke Sunday with news that hours earlier Hamas had taken six hostages they were holding in the tunnels beneath Rafah, each emaciated after 11 months in captivity, and shot them in the head multiple times, all the while BS-ing a gullible world that they ...Read more