Some conservatives say the U.S. has won the fight against racism, but the battle still has many fronts.

The departing Alaska governor doesn't just line people up on different sides of an issue; she turns them against each other.

When times get tough, the property tax measure comes under attack, but it's no boogeyman.

My first puffs at 16 were all about smooth moves, fashion statements and rebellion. The hard part came later.

Experiencing art is a crucial to producing young people who can understand the world's complexity. That's something philanthropic leaders should remember.

The debate over whether the 5-month-old plan is working is still a little premature, but that hasn't stopped economists and politicians from jumping into the fray. The most urgent reason: jobs.

Without action by policymakers, an increasing imbalance between federal spending and revenues will produce a dangerous deficit.

As their stories show, our culture of celebrity can absolve or destroy.

The foodstuff was once viewed as unnatural and dangerous. Its rise to a global staple may tell us something about today's genetically modified crops.

The pitch to lobbyists to hobnob with government officials and reporters was crass, but selling access is a Washington tradition.

The pop star's repeated cosmetic procedures don't necessarily mean he was uncomfortable with his gender or his ethnicity or both.

Karen Bass: The year of the car accident that took the life of California Assembly Speaker Karen Bass' daughter was incorrect in the June 27 Patt Morrison Asks. The accident occurred in 2006, not 2008.

A judge overseeing endangered salmon on the Columbia and Snake rivers is raising the possibility of dam removal. If politics trumps science this time, how can we hope to deal with climate change?

How many troops here; what anti-terror tactics to employ there -- those questions miss the point.

With so much evil in the world, why are we so reluctant to use the term?

There are warnings signs that the president and his allies are looking at government-run rationing of care for the oldest and sickest.

The Republicans need a White House candidate with ideas, steadiness and the ability to unify. That's not Alaska's departing governor.

The foodstuff was once viewed as unnatural and dangerous. Its rise to a global staple may tell us something about today's genetically modified crops.

A free-market approach would move away from employer-provided insurance and increase competition among both insurers and health providers.

The debate over whether the 5-month-old plan is working is still a little premature, but that hasn't stopped economists and politicians from jumping into the fray. The most urgent reason: jobs.

A former NHS patient has some advice for Americans skeptical of single-payer, government-run healthcare: You'll get over it.

She may remain a tabloid celebrity and darling of the Christian right, but her decision to resign as Alaska's governor means she's through as a presidential contender.

Cartoonists Matt Davies, Tom Toles and Joel Pett offer some perspective on the news of the day.

Single-payer. Insurance-based. Socialized medicine. Free-market reform. A lot of terms are flying in the debate over what shape healthcare reform should take in the U.S. Ask two people to tell you how it should be approached, and you'll get six answers. But at this stage in the process, it's important to put all ideas on the table. With that in mind, we present three viewpoints on what a new system should -- and shouldn't -- look like.

On her work with the Feminist Majority and its efforts to help the women of Afghanistan.

The elegant expressions of John Courtney Murray and Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. celebrate our American identity.

A lot of the lore that surrounds the holiday isn't accurate, but its meaning and power are undeniable.

Cutting fraud and waste won't solve the entire budget mess, but it needs to be done, the governor says.

Going forward, the debacle hopefully has taught us to set aside money for our veterans, crack down on fraud and be honest about the costs of war.

Why does there seem to be an undercurrent of pity for the adulterous South Carolina governor.