Opinion

Almanac for June 11, 2026

Today is Thursday, June 11, the 162nd day of 2026. There are 203 days left in the year. Today in history: In 1963, the University of Alabama was desegregated as Vivian Malone and James Hood became the first two Black students allowed to enroll in classes; Alabama segregationist and Gov. George Wallace initially blocked the doorway to the auditorium where course registration was taking place, delivering a speech before deferring to National Guard orders to move. Also on this date: In 1509, England's King Henry VIII married his first wife, Catherine of Aragon. In 1776, the Second ...

Pulte should not head national intelligence

In the 20th century, Americans learned how government abuse of secrets can threaten liberty. It happened during Woodrow Wilson’s presidency, the McCarthy era and J. Edgar Hoover’s long reign at the F.B.I. After the Watergate scandal, however, Democrats and Republicans joined forces to put in place new rules and procedures to prevent federal officials from using sensitive information to harass political opponents. That system, while never perfect, largely succeeded in preventing the politicization of law enforcement and intelligence. President Trump has dismantled these safeguards ...

How to kill the Supreme Court in one easy step

In 2016, the conservative writer Mike Anton made a galvanizing case for Donald Trump in his famous "Flight 93" essay, arguing that the stakes in the contest between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton were existential. His contention that a Clinton win would cement Democratic electoral ...

Gates calls Epstein meetings a ‘grave error in judgment’

WASHINGTON (AP) — Bill Gates said Wednesday that he made a “grave error in judgment” by meeting with Jeffrey Epstein but denied any wrongdoing as the Microsoft co-founder faced hours of questioning from lawmakers about his relationship with the disgraced financier. In an opening ...

Editorial cartoon for June 11, 2026

Envoy: Cuba sanctions a ‘pretext’ for US military action

WASHINGTON (AP) — Recent U.S. sanctions targeting Cuba’s leadership and the indictment of former President Raúl Castro are a “pretext” for the Trump administration to persuade the American people to support a military intervention, Cuba’s top diplomat to the United States told The ...