Even before Charlie Kirk’s murder in Utah, which has led conservatives to declare war on “the left” as the source of all the nation’s problems, evangelical leaders were blaming transgender people as the source of evil. A Sunday funeral remembered…
Here’s why authoritarians go after historians and journalists
“Those that don’t know any history think everything is an overreaction right now. Those that do know history think everything is an underreaction right now.” These were the words posted recently on Threads by medical physicist and musician Benito Thompson. To which…
Why Trump’s time is almost up
In the 1980s, Ronald Reagan, a celebrity Democrat turned Republican president, granted an Australian named Rupert Murdoch U.S. citizenship after being in the country for only one year. Reagan then ordered his FCC chairman to scrap the Fairness Doctrine that…
‘Toxic empathy’ isn’t our problem; hardness of heart is
I’m new to the “empathy is sin” debate, which has been bouncing around for years in the rightwing Christian echo chamber. It’s gained new traction in the wider culture recently as rabble rousers such as Elon Musk and JD Vance…
JD Vance should listen to Pope Leo
Vice President JD Vance is in a curious position now that Pope Leo XIV has assumed office, since Vance is both a Catholic in good standing and a figure who regularly clashes with Catholic leadership. On Jan. 29, the newly…
The U.S.-European alliance is dead
For a bunch of America First isolationists, Donald Trump and his merry band of busybodies sure seem to enjoy interfering in the independence and sovereignty of other countries. Not in Ukraine, mind you. The ally who needs us most is…
A Catholic vice president shouldn’t bless war crimes
Officials in the Trump administration are facing intense scrutiny this week after it was revealed that National Security Adviser Michael Waltz accidentally included Jeffrey Goldberg, editor-in-chief of The Atlantic, in a group chat on the Signal encrypted messaging app. The…
No Good Samaritan
Most of us have a warm and fuzzy image of Jesus. We envision strolling through the countryside, eating loaves and fish with him, basking in the miracles of the sick who are healed and sent home whole again. It’s cozy…
The Cross and ‘Them’
Jesus’ death on the Cross was not a limited act only for his family, the 12, the other followers and some of the rest of the world that was salvageable. Imagine Jesus saying from the Cross, “Father, forgive my disciples,…
The evil among us
This week, Christians around the world begin the observance of Lent — a period of repentance and self-reflection. It is no accident that the Revised Common Lectionary includes the story of Jesus’ temptations in the wilderness in the readings for…
Catholic Vice President JD Vance acknowledges Pope Francis’ criticism of US immigration crackdown
Vice President JD Vance acknowledged Pope Francis’ criticism of the Trump administration’s crackdown on immigration, without responding to any of its specifics or to the pontiff’s apparent criticism of Vance’s own deployment of Catholic tradition to justify such policies.
German Jews express alarm after J.D. Vance’s comments boost far-right AfD ahead of election
Then, in a speech in Munich last week, 10 days before Sunday’s vote, Vice President J.D. Vance attacked the so-called “firewall” Germany’s mainstream parties have maintained against the country’s far-right party, Alternative for Germany, known as AfD.