Joseph Stalin’s infamous death camps are a thing of the past in modern Russia, but the dictator’s absurd show trials live on. Last week, Russian prosecutors announced that they had finalized “charges” against Wall Street…

Summer officially begins Thursday, with the solstice occurring at 4:51 p.m. — the earliest since June 20, 1796. Yet even when the longest day of the year arrives more promptly than expected, there aren’t enough…

It is 70 years since AT&T’s Bell Labs unveiled a new technology for turning sunlight into power. The phone company hoped it could replace the batteries that run equipment in out-of-the-way places.  It also realized…

A quarter century has passed since Robert Putnam released “Bowling Alone,” his heralded work on America’s decaying social fabric. The book was sobering at the time. Things are worse now: Not only are we still…

Vladimir Putin had not visited North Korea for almost a quarter of a century. His first visit came shortly after his accession to power in 2000, when Seoul’s “sunshine policy” toward Pyongyang had raised hopes…

The optics of Kansas legislators debating whether to support an effort to lure the Kansas City Chiefs and Royals across the border during Tuesday’s special session are somewhat jarring. Initially, the session was to solely…

Juneteenth is no more a holiday just for Black people than the Fourth of July is a holiday just for white people. It recognizes and celebrates a profound milestone in American history — the declaration…

My home state’s citizens last month elected their next governor. No, I misspeak. Five percent of them elected him. Seven percent preferred a different candidate, and 88 percent never had a say in the decision.…

In 2018, the district judge for our area of south-central Montana was retiring and encouraged my husband, Ray, to run to fill his seat. Ray, a lawyer with 30 years of experience in civil and…

One way to deepen your empathy for other people who live in difficult circumstances is to imagine walking in their shoes.  I often do this when I encounter people in daily life who perform jobs…