“Not whips and chains — all subliminal; instead of n—-r, they use the word criminal” — Common from “Letter to the Free” In the end, she gives us grace. And by then, you really need it. The end credits roll over pictures celebrating everyday joys of African-American life. A beaming girl rides a pony. Boys […]

Meantime, back at Guantanamo … Chances are you haven’t thought of that American gulag — or, for that matter, of “extraordinary renditions,” CIA black sites and torture — for a long time. Not everyone has the luxury of forgetting. In the past few days, some compelling reportage has reminded us of that. In The Miami […]

I used to love “The X-Files.” Like millions of Americans, I unfailingly followed FBI agents Mulder and Scully’s search for the truth in a labyrinth of conspiracy. But a few years on, after one too many red herrings and blind alleys of plot, it began to be obvious to me the conspiracy would never be […]

“What newspapers and magazines did you regularly read before you were tapped for this to stay informed and to understand the world?” “I read most of them, again, with a great appreciation for the press, for the media.” “What ones, specifically?” “All of them, any of them that have been in front of me over […]

In some ways, it was the most memorable line of Monday’s presidential debate. It came after Donald Trump had stumbled through a non-responsive response to a simple question: Why did it take him so long to concede President Obama was born in the USA? In reply, Trump congratulated himself for getting Obama to produce his […]

Dear Tulsa Police: I’m not here to debate the shooting of Terence Crutcher. His death a little over a week ago at the hands of one of your officers has, of course, created a firestorm. Betty Shelby has said she shot the 40-year-old man after he refused to communicate with her or obey her commands, […]

We’ve called him many things. We pundits have overworked our thesauruses and our imaginations to describe Donald Trump. Kathleen Parker called him “the biggest goofball ever to enter the Oval Office sweepstakes.” Nicholas Kristof called him “ill-informed,” “deceptive,” “vacuous” and a “crackpot.” Yours truly called him “a tire fire in an expensive suit.” But if […]