Rep. Jared Golden knows firsthand the toll of war. The Maine Democrat fought as a Marine infantryman in both Iraq and Afghanistan. Now he’s in the midst of a different battle, a political one. Congress is preparing to vote on sending U.S. aid to alli

Every now and then, an election draws back a curtain, revealing a society striving toward its higher ideals. Mexico is in the middle of such revelation. On June 2, voters will elect a new president, Congress, and thousands of local officials. Their t

Real Americans, by Rachel Khong Rachel Khong’s dazzling second novel probes issues of class, race, genetics, and identity. Her gripping narrative encompasses several love stories, political repression, the promise and limits of science, and the rever

Long before the Environmental Protection Agency announced new rules this month about “forever chemicals” in drinking water, officials in the state of Vermont knew there was a problem. Regulators there began looking into PFAS – shorthand for synthetic

Years ago I reviewed a movie set in a gang-ridden Black neighborhood in Los Angeles. I wrote that its portrayal of a young girl, whose innocence was undimmed by all the violence, seemed unbelievable. Not long after the review ran, I was invited to be

Ramesh Singh had been waiting for this day for five years. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has made it a tradition to kick off general election campaigns in Mr. Singh’s city, and this year was no different. So the sugarcane farmer joined the ador

It’s decision time for Israel. And the question it faces goes beyond the immediate challenge of how to hit back against Iran’s barrage of missiles and drones last weekend. It is a choice about Israel’s future relations with its Mideast neighbors and

A tawny smudge on the blue horizon of the Mediterranean, it is the southernmost point of Europe, a sun-baked outpost of deserted beaches, gnarled juniper trees, and flocks of shaggy goats. The tiny Greek island of Gavdos, which lies to the south of C

In his travels around Ukraine and abroad, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy often relies on a theme of ceaseless replenishment. His country, of course, needs more arms and money from the West. Just as critical is a need to mobilize more people into the m

While Ukraine’s tired service members wait for military aid from the West amid increased attacks from Russia, they received some welcome news this week. On Tuesday, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed new measures into law that are intended to boost

Taylor Swift almost eclipsed the eclipse.  During the moon’s astronomical photobomb of the sun on April 8, the songwriter posted an update to Instagram. Her video reel featured a typewriter hammering out the words, “Crowd goes wild at her fingertips.

For many voters around the world, trusting an election result matters almost more than who wins. A December poll in the United States, for example, showed that a large majority of Republicans and Democrats worry about inaccurate or misleading electio

Stubborn inflation is not only upsetting investors, who are hoping for interest rate cuts; it’s also threatening to undermine one of the most positive trends in the U.S. economy: the rise in workers’ real wages. Real – or inflation-adjusted – pay too

As explosive drones and missiles flew toward Israeli skies late Saturday night in an unprecedented attack launched from Iranian soil, the decision before Israel’s government seemed straightforward – and in line with both Israel’s mindset and military

Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Doris Kearns Goodwin worked for Lyndon B. Johnson early in her career. First, as a 24-year-old graduate student at Harvard, she won a spot in the prestigious White House Fellows program. Then, after Johnson’s presiden

S.E. Hinton’s classic novel, “The Outsiders” has been read by generations of American teens. The nearly 60-year-old story was turned into an iconic 1983 movie starring Matt Dillon, Patrick Swayze, and Ralph Macchio. Its narrative chops and cultural c

It’s often described as “the hush money case.” But former President Donald Trump would not be facing an unprecedented criminal trial – the first ever to involve a past and possibly future chief executive of the United States – if all he had done was

This past weekend, when Iran attacked Israel directly for the first time, reaction among Iranians was not exactly what the regime in Tehran expected. Yes, many people rushed to buy gasoline and food, fearing a wider war. Some expressed a deep dread o

The furnace glows a toasty 1,314 degrees Fahrenheit. The silvery disks inside aren’t meant to melt, just soften, ahead of being stamped. That’s when they turn from a mix of metals into currency – in this case, quarters. The U.S. Mint at Denver, on av

For one excruciatingly tense moment in the White House Situation Room, all present from President Joe Biden to Cabinet members and senior aides seated around the large table were holding their breath. As part of its unprecedented aerial attack on Isr

Nearly a billion people are eligible to vote in India’s general election, which begins Friday and lasts for more than a month. It will be the largest democratic election in human history. Facing off are the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), led by

Since Oct. 7, the day that Hamas attacked Israel and triggered a war in Gaza, the world has worried that the conflict might spread and become even more violent. Other proxy militias of Iran, such as the Houthis in Yemen, have launched their own attac

The Republican secretaries of state in Ohio and Alabama sent letters to local Democratic party chairs this past week with a warning: President Joe Biden, as the law stands now, won’t appear on their states’ ballots in November. Both secretaries say t

As the United States plunges toward the 2024 presidential vote, it is clear that millions of citizens no longer trust an essential element of American democracy: elections. Electoral trust has been gradually declining in the U.S. for over two decades

I was 15 years old when I received my first hip-hop album as a gift – a radio-edited version of “Aquemini,” by Outkast. I was drawn in by an infectious, bass-thumping single that shared the name of a Civil Rights Movement icon, Rosa Parks. Maybe it w