At a Trump-backed Christian prayer rally on the National Mall in Washington on May 17, officially called Rededicate 250: A National Jubilee of Prayer, Praise & Thanksgiving, thousands gathered beneath the familiar banners of faith, patriotism, and divine purpose. President Trump did not attend in person, but appeared by prerecorded video, reading Scripture and urging Americans to pray. Among Trump’s...

There was a time—not very long ago—when public service required sacrifice. In 2006, when President George W. Bush nominated Hank Paulson, then C.E.O. of Goldman Sachs, to be Treasury Secretary, Paulson owned roughly $500 million in Goldman stock. That was not a technical problem. It was a direct conflict. As Treasury Secretary, Paulson could make decisions affecting Goldman Sachs—and therefore...

What kind of leadership… what kind of citizenship, will it take to restore and live the values we claim to believe? It begins with service. Leadership without service is merely power. Public office was never meant to be a stage for self-glorification. It was meant to be a trust.  A president’s first question shouldn’t be, “How do I win?” but,...

What will it take to restore the values we claim to believe in before the damage becomes irreversible? They will not be restored by slogans, speeches, campaign promises, or nostalgia for a past that was never as simple—or as noble—as we often imagine. Nor will they be restored by demanding better leadership while excusing ourselves from the responsibility to live...

There’s a scene in the Bill Murray movie Groundhog Day when Phil Connors—trapped in the same day over and over again—turns to two guys in a bar and asks, “What if there were no tomorrow?” One turns to him and says, “That would mean there would be no consequences. We could do whatever we wanted!” It gets a good laugh...

I never imagined I would be writing a commentary about the cancellation of a television program, certainly not one explained away under the dubious claim of “lost revenue.” It is a thin rationale that asks us to accept far more than it actually explains. Colbert has occupied the 11:30 slot on CBS longer than Johnny Carson held court on The...

Three issues converged this past week that show just how deeply the Justice Department has become enmeshed in the interests of Donald Trump, his family, and his political allies. First, Trump agreed to drop his $10 billion lawsuit against the IRS over the leak of his tax records. In return, the Justice Department created a $1.776 billion (the number was...

Walter Isaacson’s latest book, The Greatest Sentence Ever Written, has arrived at a pivotal moment for the country: the 250th anniversary of the American experiment. I found it especially meaningful at a time when we need to return to the words that first set America on the path toward democracy. This should be more than a season of fireworks and...

Justice… begins with fairness. Not fairness for the powerful, or the people we happen to like. Fairness for everyone. CBS News 24/7 reporter Camilo Montoya-Galvez pressed Acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche on whether President Trump could involve himself in Justice Department decisions about whom to investigate or prosecute. Blanche responded by pulling out a copy of the Constitution and...

Donald Trump has never hidden his disdain for anyone or any institution he believes stands in his way. Near the top of that list is the media: news organizations, comedians, late-night hosts, critics, any voice unwilling to bend to his narrative or gets under his thin skin. Which is why the sudden cancellation of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,...