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Uncommon criminal: The perp walk president protected from prison

It wasn’t enough last week for Americans to stomach the global humiliation of watching an untethered president babbling about “taking” territory from a NATO ally, or listening to his hourly cascade of lies about everything, from the sacrifices the allies he dissed had made on our behalf or the latest execution of an American citizen by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. No, there was more. Former Special Counsel Jack Smith, whom President Donald Trump has called a “criminal,” “mentally deranged,” and an “animal,” calmly and professionally testified ...

Dear Annie: No compromise when it comes to the dogs

Dear Annie: I’m one of those people who talks to her dogs like they’re little roommates. I don’t mean baby-talk nonstop, but yes, I tell them, “Good morning.” Yes, I apologize if I step over them. And yes, I know exactly which squeaky toy means “play” versus “comfort.” I have two dogs: Daisy, who’s 12 and moves like an old lady in slippers, and Moose, who’s 5 and believes every delivery driver is his best friend. They were with me through my hardest years — including a time when I’d come home to a silent house and feel my throat tighten before I even took my ...

People who take iron supplements are more susceptible to gout

DEAR DR. ROACH: I am a regular blood donor. In the 7-10 days before a donation, I take iron supplements to ensure that my hemoglobin count is sufficient enough to give blood. However, I now think that I have developed what appears to be a mild case of gout in my ankle and wonder whether there could be a connection. I have no other risk factors for gout. — S.C. ANSWER: You are right that there is a connection. People who are taking iron supplements or who have high levels of ferritin (the main iron-binding protein in the blood) are more susceptible to gout. It’s thought that the ...

Mourning in America

Today we mourn the death-by-execution of Alex Pretti and Renee Good. I use the term execution intentionally because they were murdered intentionally by Trump’s goons. (I’ve seen the videos; I’m sure you have as well.) At times like this, Gandhi used to say, “The truth is revealing itself.” To show our grief and solidarity, you might want to wear a black armband this week and light a candle in your window this evening and for the remainder of the week. But there is much more to do than mourn. As the labor leader Joe Hill asked in 1915 just before he was executed: ...

What’s good for Peter Navarro is good for Bill Clinton

The walls are closing in — on Bill Clinton. The former president and practiced political escape artist is on the verge of being held in contempt of Congress. This time, the Democrat party, which stuck with him during his scandal-plagued 1992 campaign and during his 1998 impeachment, isn’t rallying to him in unison. The Republican-controlled House Oversight Committee just voted 34-8 to hold Bill Clinton in contempt for ignoring a congressional subpoena regarding the Epstein scandal, with 9 Democrats voting in favor, 8 voting against and 2 abstaining. In other words, ...

Stepping back from toxic in-laws

Dear Annie: I’ve been happily married for more than 40 years. The one shadow on that happiness has been my relationship with my husband’s family, especially my mother-in-law. From the beginning, she has never seemed to like me. I honestly do not know why. Over the years, she has been dismissive and unkind, and I have usually stayed quiet to keep the peace. My two sisters-in-law also seem to dislike me. One actually told me she was jealous because I was “pretty,” which felt strange and childish. The other said she resented that my mother-in-law spent more time with our child ...