If I were in a sinking boat, I’d want Troy Smith along. That’s because Smith, director of the 31st Judicial District’s Drug Court program, kept his cool at Tuesday night’s news the federal government had…

One summer day, years ago, I chanced upon the diary of a German soldier from the early 1940s in a flea market in New York City. It was buried among a bunch of other random…

Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly gave her final State of the State address Tuesday night, and it found her in a valedictory mood. Speaking to a joint session of the House and Senate, Kelly listed a…

On Sunday evening, news broke that the Trump administration was targeting Jerome Powell — the Federal Reserve chair, whom President Trump has been raging about for months — with a highly dubious criminal investigation into…

As the Kansas Legislature convenes for a new session, lawmakers are balancing a full slate of priorities — from reducing the state budget to teaching and education reform.  But for the more than a quarter-million…

Political polarization grabs headlines. But it’s not the whole story.  Majorities in both parties believe there is more common ground than the news media and political leaders suggest.  They report having constructive conversations with those…

If President Donald Trump is going to be restrained from trying to take over half the world over the next few years, it will take pushback from Republicans like Sens. Josh Hawley of Missouri and…

On Aug. 1, 2007, the Interstate 35W bridge spanning the Mississippi River in Minneapolis collapsed into the water during rush hour. Thirteen people died, and dozens more were injured. In the immediate aftermath, the president,…

The Missouri General Assembly starts its 2026 session this week with one overriding mission: to fix the budget mess it made last year.  And it’s a big mess, folks.  Legislators last year passed a giant…

President Nicolás Maduro is finally gone from Venezuela. He was captured by U.S. forces and flown out of the country early in the morning on Saturday. President Trump has said that the United States will…