As President Donald Trump celebrated the 250th anniversary of the U.S. military, one soldier was under attack. At Fort Drum, New York, Maj. Erica Vandal glanced at her phone. A message from her mother: “Just heard about the Supreme Court ruling. That totally stinks! How are you doing?” The court had just allowed Trump’s ban on transgender troops to take...

It begins subtly. A shrug at a cruel remark. A laugh at behavior once considered beneath the dignity of the office. A dismissal of a fact, a bending of the truth. “It’s just rhetoric,” they say. “He’s just being himself.” Norms don’t break overnight. They erode—quietly, steadily—until what was once outrageous becomes routine. But the temperature keeps rising. In April,...

Theodore Roosevelt didn’t plan to become president. In 1901, after President William McKinley was assassinated, the 42-year-old vice president was sworn in—becoming the youngest person ever to occupy the White House. Many in the Republican Party had hoped to sideline Roosevelt’s reformist energy by placing him in a quiet, symbolic role. But Roosevelt had other ideas. He brought his convictions...

Today’s Supreme Court is mired in partisanship and shadow rulings, where politics too often outweigh principle. Public trust continues to deteriorate for an institution meant to stand as a pillar of independence and impartial justice. In contrast, former Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart understood the difference between what the law allows and what ethics demands. His quiet integrity reminds us...

In the spring of 1770, John Adams faced a choice that would define his character and test his commitment to justice. Five men lay dead on the streets of Boston shot by British soldiers in what would become known as the Boston Massacre. Outraged, the people demanded justice, but what they really wanted was revenge. No lawyer would touch the...

About once a year, the American Film Institute invites filmgoers to vote on the greatest heroes in cinema. Indiana Jones, James Bond, and Superman typically run high on the list because of the high-stakes, visually striking moments and the conflict of good versus evil, something that resonates powerfully on the big screen. Yet, one character consistently tops the list—a character...

“I don’t feel I have to wipe everyone out, Tom, just my enemies.”—Michael Corleone, The Godfather Note: I must pause my earlier commentary suggesting how to reduce Trump’s influence on our minds. Some things can’t be ignored. The president had a busy week in his “March-to-the-Sea” agenda. Last week, President Trump issued an executive order pausing all federal spending on...

After learning that one of Donald Trump’s first actions as president pardoned nearly all of the 1,600 January 6, defendants, police officer, Michael Fanone–who was almost beaten to death by Trump supporters said this: “I have been betrayed by my country and I have been betrayed by those who supported Donald Trump. Whether you voted for him because he promised...

“[President Trump] then engaged in an unprecedented criminal effort to overturn the legitimate results of the election in order to stay in power.”—Final Report on the Special Counsel Investigation into Efforts to Interfere with The Lawful Transfer of Power Held on January 6, 2020 Despite the release of special counsel Jack Smith’s report, one thing is clear: amid the relentless...

We know the darkness—we’re living it—but what about the light? America’s moral conscience reflects our evolving values, shaped by both successes and failures. We’ve seen progress in Civil Rights, Women’s Rights, LGPTQ+ rights, but we’ve also faced dark chapters—slavery, the mistreatment of Native Americans, Japanese internment, McCarthyism, and Watergate. Each of these pivotal moments, both the triumphs and the trials,...