Of President Donald Trump’s explosion at Angela Merkel’s Germany during the NATO summit, it needs to be said: It is long past time we raised our voices.

At the same time that she was caring for her newborn son, Kristen Hanson was caring for her husband, James Joseph, who would die shortly after Christmas 2017.

North Carolina politicians and policy analysts have been arguing for decades about targeted economic incentives. I have my own view on the subject, which I’ll share later in this column, but I think it would be helpful first to describe four very different takes on the issue.

In politics, the karma may not be instant — but it will get you, sooner or later. Want examples? Just check out the political headlines of the past few weeks.

If Mitch McConnell's Senate can confirm his new nominee for the Supreme Court, President Donald Trump may have completed the capture of all three branches of the U.S. government for the Republican Party.

The Canadian government, lining the pockets of its dairy producers, imposes high tariffs on American dairy imports. That forces Canadians to pay higher prices for dairy products. For example, Canadians pay $5.24 for a 10.5-ounce block of cheddar. In Washington, D.C., that same amount of ched…

I thought I was so smart back in 2016 when I wrote that Democrats, who were confident they would defeat Donald Trump, should be pulling for him to win.

Comedians making jokes about getting your abortions now, before the Supreme Court abolishes Roe v. Wade. Emojis indicating a woman won’t have sex with a man who is anti-abortion. Headline declarations that “There’s A Special Place In Hell For Women Who Gut Abortion Rights.” Such has been the…

As we once again commemorate the formal birth of the United States, it’s important to think about what makes America exceptional — what makes it, despite evident flaws, so worthy of our loyalty and affection.

As we once again commemorate the formal birth of the United States, it’s important to think about what makes America exceptional — what makes it, despite evident flaws, so worthy of our loyalty and affection.

For Nancy Pelosi, 78, Steny Hoyer, 79, and Joe Biden, 75, the primary results from New York’s 14th congressional district are a fire bell in the night.

Even a problem borne of care and concern is still a problem, and a case in point involves the sympathy we can have for animals that are seemingly lost or abandoned.

What is the worst thing that has happened to us in the last few weeks?

Amy Wax, a University of Pennsylvania law professor, has come under attack and scathing criticism because she dared criticize the school’s racial preferences program. In an interview with Brown University economist Glenn Loury, discussing affirmative action, Wax mentioned how racial preferen…

We don’t need hot weather to keep things overheated in response to Justice Anthony Kennedy’s retirement from the Supreme Court. It’s a potential political apocalypse or triumph, depending on which press release you’re reading. The level of emotion betrays how the court has become as overly p…

Whether North Carolina pays its public schoolteachers at a level close or equal to the national average is one of the most-debated issues in state politics. Alas, it doesn’t deserve to be.

"If you're ... pathetically weak, the country is going to be overrun with millions of people, and if you're strong, then you don't have any heart, that's a tough dilemma. ... I'd rather be strong."

Was there a connection between the 1950s Nigerian movement for independence and the civil rights movement in Winston-Salem?

My column a fortnight ago, titled “Diversity and Inclusion Harm,” focused on the dumbing down of science, technology, engineering and mathematics curricula to achieve a more pleasing mixture of participants in terms of race and sex.

“The problem is not that we disagree, but that our disagreements have become so callous, emotional and inconsiderate,” wrote Michael Wear in his book “Reclaiming Hope.” Wear used to work for President Barack Obama on faith-based and neighborhood partnerships.

Why are you reading this column?

When I was in France last week, Anthony Bourdain, also in France working on his popular and influential food and culture program for CNN, took his life.

For several decades, a few black scholars have been suggesting that the vision held by many black Americans is entirely wrong. Shelby Steele, a scholar at Stanford University’s Hoover Institution, said: “Instead of admitting that racism has declined, we (blacks) argue all the harder that it …

“President Trump has diligently and successfully gone about fulfilling his promises to the pro-life voters who worked so hard to elect him, and it has been a privilege to stand with him to defend the innocent unborn,” said Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of the Susan B. Anthony List, at the…

President Donald Trump appears to belong to what might be called the Benjamin Disraeli school of diplomacy.

At the G-7 summit in Canada, President Donald Trump described America as "the piggy bank that everybody is robbing."

While the term “fake news” may be of recent vintage, the phenomenon isn’t. For decades, policymakers in North Carolina and elsewhere have trafficked in poorly understood, misleading or demonstrably false information — often unknowingly, although that’s bad enough — and made poor decisions as…

Here is a present for you from a column several years ago — a few quotes about North Carolina.

In conversations with most college officials, many CEOs, many politicians and race hustlers, it’s not long before the magical words “diversity” and “inclusiveness” drop from their lips. Racial minorities are the intended targets of this sociological largesse, but women are included, as well.…

I spent the better part of last week at a conference at Georgetown University dedicated to overcoming polarization. We didn’t achieve that goal. But we sure walked out of there knowing some new people and perspectives.

The recent legislative adjustments to North Carolina’s 2018-19 state budget produced two main political controversies that we’ll hear more about as we move through the campaign season to the November midterms.

You did not get to a parade or service on Memorial Day. You can’t get to the Normandy beaches this week for the anniversary of D-Day. You are feeling a need to be in touch with the sacrifices service men and women made for our country’s sake — for our sake.

Having enjoyed my 82nd birthday, I am part of a group of about 50 million Americans who are 65 years of age or older. Those who are 90 or older were in school during the 1930s. My age cohort was in school during the 1940s. Baby boomers approaching their 70s were in school during the 1950s an…

“You have to be ready to have your heart broken.”

“There is no Republican Party. There’s a Trump party,” John Boehner told a Mackinac, Michigan, gathering of the GOP faithful last week. “The Republican Party is kind of taking a nap somewhere.”

Several recent polls, plus the popularity of Sen. Bernie Sanders, demonstrate that young people prefer socialism to free market capitalism. That, I believe, is a result of their ignorance and indoctrination during their school years, from kindergarten through college. For the most part, neit…

North Carolina continues to be a popular destination for people across the country — and around the world — who are looking for a great place to live, work, invest, rear families and retire. At the same time, our rate of population growth has been slowing down. If current trends continue, No…