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Human redemption

Having covered the late Rev. Jesse Jackson off and on since the 1960s, I am still amused to receive an email from one of my many critics who wants me to know that you don’t have to be white to find something to criticize about Black people, as if I didn’t know. In fact, I’ve made an impressive collection of what I call “I’m not racist, but...” letters, postcards and emails from readers — many of them well-meaning, I should mention — informing me that I should appreciate white people like Jesse Jackson does. One quote I still receive occasionally is from Jackson ...

Will we see Supreme Court vacancies?

Few things in Washington, D.C., generate as much as excitement and intrigue as a Supreme Court confirmation showdown. For decades, since the eponymous “borking” of then-Supreme Court nominee Bob Bork in 1987, political battles surrounding the membership of the nation’s high court have been among the most contentious and raucous of Beltway affairs. Which is why it’s rather curious that very few outside the most fervid of court-watchers seem to be discussing the distinct possibility that there could be one or two Supreme Court vacancies after the current term ends this ...

Americans less optimistic?

Gallup released 2025 survey data this month from its National Health and Well-Being Index showing a significant drop in Americans’ optimism for the future. Taken from four quarterly surveys conducted last year, a total of 22,125 respondents were asked to “imagine a ladder with steps numbered from zero at the bottom to 10 at the top.” They were then asked to select the number that represents where they presently stand. Slightly over 59% of those in the sample size believed their lives would be prosperous in five years. While this number may not seem disturbing at first, Dan Witters, ...

Duke rises to No. 1 in AP Top 25 men’s hoops poll

(AP) — Duke’s win against Michigan has propelled the Blue Devils to a familiar perch: No. 1 in The Associated Press men’s college basketball poll. The Blue Devils climbed two spots to top Monday’s poll, marking the 148th appearance at No. 1 to add to what was already the record for any program. Duke (25-2) claimed 56 of 61 first-place votes to supplant Michigan (25-2) after Saturday’s 68-63 win against the Wolverines in Washington. That win came in a matchup of the top two teams in the NCAA men’s selection committee’s preliminary top 16 seeds for March Madness, released ...

Politics is harming our healthy friendship

Dear Annie: I’m a 64-year-old woman who thought making new friends at my age would be simple: find someone kind, show up, bring snacks, repeat. A few months ago, I met “Jill” at a community class. We clicked right away. She’s funny in that dry, smart way that makes you feel like you’re in on the joke. After class we started lingering in the parking lot, then grabbing coffee, then texting little updates like teenagers. She even came over one night when my pipes froze and stood in my kitchen holding a flashlight while I tried to pretend I knew what I was doing. I left that ...

10 memorable moments from the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics

MILAN (AP) — With 116 medal events over 16 days spread across northern Italy, the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics delivered many unforgettable moments. Here are 10 of the biggest, from heartbreak to triumph. Lindsey Vonn’s gut-wrenching crash U.S. skier Lindsey Vonn’s Olympic story was supposed to be one of redemption. She came out of retirement at age 41, battled a torn ACL in her left knee days before competition, and was ready to conquer the downhill. Instead she got hooked on a gate 13 seconds into her run, resulting in a terrifying crash in Cortina d’Ampezzo. After ...