Opinion

Trump attacking freedom of the press, disregarding law

Twice during President Trump's first term, his administration tried to prevent a journalist whose work it did not like from reporting at the White House. Twice, judges rejected the moves as unconstitutional and restored the journalists' access. Now the administration is attempting the same move, barring journalists from CNN, MS NOW and Politico from the White House because they had written what the president called "purposefully negative stories." The new ban is alarming for two reasons: It continues both Mr. Trump's attempt to prevent the free flow of information in American society ...

Almanac for Sept. 24, 2026

Today is Thursday, Sept. 24, the 267th day of 2026. There are 98 days left in the year. Today in history: On Sept. 24, 2017, more than 200 NFL players kneeled or sat during the national anthem after President Donald Trump criticized the players' protests in a speech and a series of tweets. Also on this date: In 1789, President George Washington signed a Judiciary Act establishing America's federal court system and creating the post of attorney general. In 1869, thousands of businessmen were ruined in a Wall Street panic known as "Black Friday" after financiers Jay Gould and ...

The book of the year

If "The Golden Thread," the new two-volume history of the Western tradition, landed with a thud, it's a matter of sheer weight. Altogether, about 12 pounds of book and 1,968 pages of text, "The Golden Thread" is a prodigious product -- and an even more prodigious achievement. At a time ...

Editorial cartoon for Sept. 24, 2026

Will AI cause Doomsday?

In the satirical 1964 anti-war film “Dr. Strangelove,” fears of a “Doomsday machine,” an automated, unstoppable device programmed to trigger global nuclear annihilation if the Soviet Union is attacked, gripped U.S. leaders and the Soviet ambassador in the American “war ...

Editorial cartoon for Sept. 23, 2026