Morally wrong and politically suicidal

Sen. Josh Hawley is a deeply conservative and decidedly ambitious Republican from Missouri who hopes to run for president. In an extraordinary essay for The New York Times, he broke sharply from Donald Trump and his allies on Capitol Hill who are promoting a huge budget bill that would slash popular safety net programs like Medicaid and food stamps to finance trillions of dollars in tax cuts.

Family expects woman to pay sister’s expenses

DEAR HARRIETTE: I’m a woman in my early 20s, just starting out in my career and trying to get my footing financially. My older sister, who’s in her late 20s, recently accepted a new job in Missouri and is planning to move soon, but she doesn’t have the money to make it happen. Now my parents and sister are pressuring me to cover her moving costs, even though I live in Los Angeles (where everything is expensive) and don’t have a huge income myself. They’re framing it like I should help because I’m “good with money” and live more independently than my sister, but it feels unfair to be treated like the family bank just because I’m responsible. I love my sister and want her to succeed, but I also feel resentful that I’m being put in this position, especially since she’s older than me and has had more time to get on her feet. How do I deal with this without damaging my relationship with my family or abandoning my own financial boundaries? – Family Bank DEAR FAMILY BANK: Suggest to your sister that she ask her new employer to cover her expenses – or at least some portion of them. She can tell them that she really wants to work for them but cannot afford the move without some financial help to get there. Next, either tell her you cannot pay her expenses or agree to pay a portion that you can afford. Don’t feel forced to pay for her move. If your parents feel so strongly about helping your sister, they should chip in.

I enjoy the gardens everyone else plants

Summer arrived suddenly. It was as if spring got shortchanged and we leapt from late winter into summer with nothing in between. I watched the gardeners wake with a start and begin tearing up their lawns and gardens with a fury, as if they had overslept and had to make up for lost time.

Freedom, sweet freedom, comes with a price. That price unfortunately has been paid for many times over the years by many good men and women serving in the armed forces.

Pope Leo XIV faces bishops of Germany

The days after a pope’s death are hectic, and it’s a hard time for Vatican officials to examine complex, controversial documents.

The keys are in moderates’ pockets

An aggressive administration fires federal employees, changes geographical names and appoints a vaccine skeptic to high office. Opponents of the president challenge many of his initiatives in court. The executive branch defies court orders. The House minority leader stages a sit-in on the steps of the Capitol. A Republican senator deplores his party’s ties to Wall Street and business interests. Pro-Palestinian students take over buildings and pour red paint on revered campus monuments.

State budget still in crafting process

Week 14 of this year’s legislative session was marked by the deadline to advance bills from the chamber opposite of which they originated.

Humbled, most leaders have respect

The distinguished historian David Herbert Donald once tried to prompt John F. Kennedy to evaluate the performances of his predecessors. “No one has a right to grade a president – not even poor James Buchanan – who has not sat in his chair, examined the mail and information that came across his desk, and learned why he made decisions,” Mr. Kennedy said in a 1962 conversation.

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