Upon hearing of the massive data breach of employee information from the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) — allegedly by hackers working for the Chinese government — Kay Coles James, the former director of OPM under George W. Bush, told me she was “aghast,” adding, “I can’t think about the national security implications of a […]

An advisory committee to the Food and Drug Administration has recommended approval of a drug created to raise a woman’s libido. It’s called flibanserin, but it is popularly known as “female Viagra.” The 18-6 committee vote does not guarantee the FDA will give final approval to the drug (it has been rejected twice before), but […]

I was not surprised to see historian David McCullough’s latest book rocket to the top position on The New York Times Best Sellers list. Not only is “The Wright Brothers” beautifully written in McCullough’s familiar narrative style, it reminds Americans of what we once honored and promoted: vision, initiative, talent, genius, entrepreneurship, faith, even clean […]

Martin O’Malley, former Baltimore mayor and Maryland governor, announced his presidential candidacy on Saturday, and said some things that could be taken as criticism of President Obama and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. “Today, the American dream seems for so many of us to be hanging by a thread,” said O’Malley, adding “We must […]

“Black lives matter!” was the chant heard at recent demonstrations in cities and towns from Ferguson, Missouri, to Baltimore, Maryland. Yes, they do matter, but apparently not so much to some other blacks. Only when a white police officer shoots or engages in other behavior that results in the death of a black man do […]

I didn’t attend my commencement ceremony at American University in Washington, D.C. I chose instead to receive my degree in the mail. I didn’t want to listen to a boring speaker, likely unaffiliated with the school or anyone in it, drone on in Washington’s notorious summer heat. Too bad graduates of the U.S. Coast Guard […]

If you visit Mount Olympus, you will see scores of crumbling statues to false gods once worshipped by ancient Greeks. The same is true in Rome, where statues of political gods, notably those named Caesar, lay in ruins. We are more sophisticated today. Moderns don’t bow to Zeus. Many of us, though, put our faith […]

My first job in journalism was as a copyboy at the NBC News Bureau in Washington, D.C. In my early 20s, I asked Bill Corrigan, the newsroom manager, “What must I do to get on the air?” He replied, “Get a college degree and a minimum of five years writing experience with a newspaper or […]

Attorney General Loretta Lynch has announced a Justice Department investigation to determine whether the Baltimore Police Department’s practices are unconstitutional and violate civil rights; in short, whether or not the police force there is racist. It will come as no surprise if the investigation concludes that it is, because accusing the department of racism diverts […]

BELFAST, Northern Ireland — “Shocked,” “surprised,” “stunned” were some of the words used by broadcasters, columnists, political “experts” and pollsters when a Conservative Party victory was forecast by exit polls on election night. Former Liberal Democrat Party leader Paddy Ashdown was so certain the exit polls were wrong that he announced on the BBC he […]