Four years ago, the Supreme Court of the United States was, by far, the most-trusted institution in Washington. Now, as the high court nears the end of another potentially seismic term, public trust in the court has eroded. Americans’ trust in the co

At sundown Monday evening, as hundreds of Israelis sat down to the Jewish Passover ceremony, the Seder, in Hostages Square in downtown Tel Aviv, a digital clock loomed over them. One hundred ninety-eight days, 11 hours, nine minutes, and three second

Shortly after the U.S. House of Representatives approved long-stalled military assistance for Ukraine, the country’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, lauded the vote for putting the United States back in its rightful place as leader of the free world.

When Sam Trizza got the news last April that he’d won a prestigious Boren Fellowship for Chinese-language study, he literally leaped for joy, throwing a fist in the air. But as he read the congratulatory letter, he felt a wave of disappointment. The

A new course offered for students in many of China’s vocational schools is a drama workshop. The goal, however, is not a job in theater. Rather, students are encouraged to speak out in a theater setting about the public stigma – and self-stigma – of

The United Auto Workers’ organizing win at Volkswagen’s Tennessee plant represents a huge step for the labor movement in the South, which up to now has proved resistant to unions. It’s the first time the UAW has successfully organized a foreign-owned

Almost as soon as the presidential primaries began in January, one narrative of this election year in the United States was dominant: that Americans merely faced a rematch between a current and a former president that most said they did not want. Yet

Manhattan prosecutors have long telegraphed how they’ll frame their historic criminal case against former President Donald Trump. Mr. Trump paid hush money to porn star Stormy Daniels, prosecutors allege, to keep her from selling the story of their s

Plastic is nearly everywhere.  Scientists have detected microplastics from the peak of Mount Everest and the depths of the Marianas Trench to the air we breathe and the water we drink. The challenge for humanity, then, is how to clean up our own mess

What does it mean to live in a war zone? For those of us who have never woken up to bomb blasts or endured missile strikes, it’s nearly impossible to imagine. Sure, we’ve seen battle footage and read accounts of the devastation and grief left behind.

Can communities make it a crime to sleep outside? That question lies at the heart of a case being heard at the Supreme Court Monday. Everyone involved in the case, City of Grants Pass v. Johnson, agrees that homelessness is a complex problem gripping

After years of scattered pinpoint attacks, Israeli settler violence this week enveloped the West Bank and struck larger communities. From Nablus to Jericho to Bethlehem to the edge of Ramallah, deadly attacks by far-right settlers hit towns and villa

Mohammad Rafiq Sheikh took his time casting his ballot this morning in the northern Indian town of Ramban. After pressing the button for his party on the electronic voting machine (EVM), he carefully waited to hear the machine’s beep tone, and then t

Despite nearly seven months of war between Hamas and Israel, and lately attacks between Iran and Israel, both Jews and Muslims living in Israel have not forgotten their religious holidays – and the meaning attached to them by prayer and ritual. On M

Ramesh Singh had been waiting for this day for five years. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has made it a tradition to kick off general election campaigns in Mr. Singh’s city, and this year was no different. So the sugarcane farmer joined the ador

Real Americans, by Rachel Khong Rachel Khong’s dazzling second novel probes issues of class, race, genetics, and identity. Her gripping narrative encompasses several love stories, political repression, the promise and limits of science, and the rever

Long before the Environmental Protection Agency announced new rules this month about “forever chemicals” in drinking water, officials in the state of Vermont knew there was a problem. Regulators there began looking into PFAS – shorthand for synthetic

It’s decision time for Israel. And the question it faces goes beyond the immediate challenge of how to hit back against Iran’s barrage of missiles and drones last weekend. It is a choice about Israel’s future relations with its Mideast neighbors and

Every now and then, an election draws back a curtain, revealing a society striving toward its higher ideals. Mexico is in the middle of such revelation. On June 2, voters will elect a new president, Congress, and thousands of local officials. Their t

Rep. Jared Golden knows firsthand the toll of war. The Maine Democrat fought as a Marine infantryman in both Iraq and Afghanistan. Now he’s in the midst of a different battle, a political one. Congress is preparing to vote on sending U.S. aid to alli

Years ago I reviewed a movie set in a gang-ridden Black neighborhood in Los Angeles. I wrote that its portrayal of a young girl, whose innocence was undimmed by all the violence, seemed unbelievable. Not long after the review ran, I was invited to be

In his travels around Ukraine and abroad, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy often relies on a theme of ceaseless replenishment. His country, of course, needs more arms and money from the West. Just as critical is a need to mobilize more people into the m

A tawny smudge on the blue horizon of the Mediterranean, it is the southernmost point of Europe, a sun-baked outpost of deserted beaches, gnarled juniper trees, and flocks of shaggy goats. The tiny Greek island of Gavdos, which lies to the south of C