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Trump at the Midpoint: Power, progress and the price of chaos

Columns

As America approaches the 2026 midterm elections, President Donald Trump’s second administration can be described in one word: consequential. Whether one considers those consequences beneficial or dangerous depends largely on where one stands politically. But even Trump’s fiercest critics must concede that he has never confused the presidency with a ceremonial assignment. Trump does not merely enter a room; he occupies it. He governs the same way. In less than two years, he has reordered Washington’s priorities around border enforcement, energy production, tariffs, ...

Families of craftsmen can produce notable work

Columns

“Castillo” is one of the most famous names in Mexican silver. The four Castillo brothers, Antonio, Jorge, Miguel, and Justo, founded their workshop, Los Castillo, in 1939. Like many mid-century Mexican silversmiths, they had all trained at William Spratling’s Taxco workshop. They, in ...

The bell tolls for American generosity

Columns

Could doing a great job directing foreign aid ever be a giant step toward the presidency? It certainly was for Herbert Hoover. After World War I, Hoover led the American Relief Administration, which saved millions of lives in Central and Eastern Europe, including newly communist Russia. By 1920, he was nationally famous and won the presidency in 1928. A century later, the Trump administration initially offered $500,000 for relief to Nepal after last month’s floods. Nepal’s GDP per capita in 2025 was about $1,536 compared to the United States’ $90,027. As a percentage of U.S. ...

Dear Annie: A freshman course in crushes

Columns

Dear Annie: I’m an 18-year-old woman who just started my freshman year of college out of state. Everything is going well, and I’m meeting new people with different perspectives. One thing I’m experiencing is my “I don’t know” phase, which is new for me. Especially with relationships, I don’t know if I like certain boys because they’re convenient or if I really like them. For context, there were two boys who lived on the same floor as me before I changed rooms because of roommate issues. They were attractive, and I thought I liked both of them, but I wonder if it was ...

UTI issues might be due to a conglomerate of kidney stones

Columns

DEAR DR. ROACH: Five years ago, I was diagnosed with a kidney stone while getting an ultrasound for a different reason. A CT scan was ordered, which showed that I had a conglomerate of small stones within a calyceal diverticulum in the posterior mid-pole of my left kidney. My urologist at the time said it wasn’t in an area that was amenable to shock wave lithotripsy or a stone removal with a scope. He said that I could have a wire inserted by interventional radiology, then go to the operating room for a stent that would require an overnight hospital stay. He also said that I could do ...

What we remember when we remember 9/11

Columns

Do you remember where you were and what you were doing when you learned of the September 11 terrorist attacks that occurred 25 years ago? Do you remember what you saw on television or how you felt? Is your memory highly detailed, and are you confident that what you are remembering is an accurate recollection of those details? For most people who lived through the event, their answers to those questions will be a resounding “yes!” As a memory researcher, I know long-lasting and vivid “flashbulb memories” typically are for mundane events like driving to work or cooking dinner. ...