Opinion

The cardinal should go to confession. Timothy Dolan let a white-tie charity dinner in New York showcase that most uncharitable of men, Donald Trump. At the annual Al Smith dinner, Dolan suffused the impious Trump in the pious glow of Catholic charities. Dolan looked on with a doting expression as …

The heyday of the new atheism in Western life, when anti-God tracts by Richard Dawkins and Christopher Hitchens bestrode best-seller lists, did not arrive because brilliant new arguments for God’s nonexistence were suddenly discovered. Rather, it arrived because specific events and deeper forces made the time ripe for unbelief — …

Liam Payne was just 14 when he took his first shot at the big time, trying out for the hit star-making show, “The X Factor.” He was 17 when the show’s judges teamed him up with Harry Styles, Zayn Malik, Niall Horan and Louis Tomlinson — all young, handsome, telegenic-but-relatable …

The Oliver Sacks that most of the world knew — the one I fell in love with after we met in 2008, when he was 75 — was the beloved neurologist and the author of many best-selling books, admired worldwide. A forthcoming volume of Oliver’s letters, nearly 350 of them, …

To the Editor: Re “Unexpected Problem in the Rise of Marijuana” (front page, Oct. 5): As we navigate the evolving landscape of marijuana legalization, it is crucial to emphasize the need for effective treatment options alongside these reforms. While legal access to cannabis may alleviate burdens on the criminal justice …

Senator JD Vance of Ohio finally has an answer for journalists who ask him who won the 2020 presidential election. Donald Trump. Here is how my newsroom colleagues captured the scene: I am not going to explain, again, the sheer absurdity of Vance’s views, but his comment did get me …

Toward the end of his tenure, Gen. Mark Milley, who was the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff from 2019 to 2023, told Bob Woodward of The Washington Post that Donald Trump was a fundamental threat to the safety and integrity of the United States. “No one has ever …

Cindy Jager was the lone worker on duty in the crammed aisles of an old-fashioned variety store overflowing with hardware and party supplies and fake pumpkins. When I came across her, she was carefully rearranging cleaning products on a back shelf of the shop in Walker, Mich. When I brought …

Hosted by Michelle CottleRoss Douthat and Carlos Lozada Listen to and follow ‘Matter of Opinion’Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | YouTube | iHeartRadio Donald Trump and Kamala Harris have been neck and neck in the polls for weeks. But past elections have proved the polls wrong. Can we …

In late 2016, Steven Klein realized that he’d lost control over his drinking and stimulant use. He became sober that December, with help from 12-step meetings. But he also struggled with overeating, which he views as another addiction. Stress from the pandemic caused him to gain more than 40 pounds …