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It’s time to take unserious presidential budgets seriously

The president’s fiscal 2027 budget is out, and I have two reactions. The first will sound familiar: Like so many budgets before it, this is not a serious effort to put America’s government on a sustainable path. The second is more important: It would be a mistake to dismiss it as just another unserious document. That is exactly how we got here. Start with what the new budget does and does not do. It’s not a comprehensive fiscal plan. It covers only about one-third of federal spending, focusing heavily on discretionary choices and largely ignoring the autopilot spending that ...

America’s bright and dark side, all in a day

The seventh of April: Put it down as the most schizophrenic day in United States history. While the nation waited with bated breath to see if Donald Trump would keep his threat to destroy the ancient Iranian “civilization” by 8 p.m. ET, we also glimpsed the dark side of the moon for the first time in human history. Let’s start with the good news. The voyage to the moon came thanks to Yankee ingenuity, teamwork and inventiveness in building a rocket for four astronauts to take the trip of 250,000 miles. Thank you, Houston, no problem. You showed what America can do, and it sure ...

Dear Annie: Bright light, sleepless nights

Dear Annie: My neighbor “Rod” installed a motion-activated floodlight that shines directly into our bedroom window every time our dog (or another animal) moves in the yard — which is often. It goes off all night long. I mentioned it once, and he said, “It’s for security,” and suggested we “get better curtains.” We already have blackout shades, but the light still leaks in around the edges. I don’t want to start a neighborhood feud, but I also haven’t slept properly in weeks. How do I get him to listen? — Blinded at Bedtime Dear Blinded at Bedtime: Ask again ...

Nipple soreness from phone could be due to odd placement

DEAR DR. ROACH: I’m a 75-year-old man. I keep my cellphone in my left shirt pocket every day. Recently, my left nipple has become very sore. I asked my general physician about it, and he wasn’t concerned. I’m concerned that the electromagnetic field from the phone may be an issue. Is there any research on this, and should I have this checked more carefully? — T.W. ANSWER: Your physician was correct. Cellphones cannot produce frequencies with enough energy to damage tissues. It’s much more likely that the mechanical rubbing of the phone on your chest is causing the soreness. ...

Birthright citizenship debate puts America’s melting pot on trial again

As a Black American who is old enough to remember the last days of legal Jim Crow racial segregation, I pay special attention whenever I hear signs that in many American minds the Civil War never really ended. So does President Trump. That may help to explain why he took the extraordinary step on Wednesday of appearing in person in the grand chamber of the U.S. Supreme Court, apparently the first president to do so, as his solicitor general made the case against “birthright citizenship” before the high court justices. The issue, one of the most important Supreme Court rulings ...

Pope Leo’s flawed war doctrine

Pope Leo XIV used part of his Palm Sunday message to castigate the United States for attempting to stop Iran from becoming a nuclear power and threatening the world with mass destruction. In doing so, the “American Pope” confused the real enemy in the war. Addressing thousands in St. Peter’s Square, the Pope claimed that God rejects the prayers of leaders who wage war. He called the Iran war “atrocious” violence that cannot be justified by faith. He further said that God doesn’t hear the prayers of people whose “hands (are) full of blood.” Does he not include Iran’s ...