When Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell took the floor of the chamber and, in his smooth Kentucky tone, declared that President Trump provoked the Jan. 6 assault on the Capitol, it was a blunt assessment that a clean and lasting break from the ex-president is critical if the party hope…
People often try and sound profound by quoting Santayana’s apocryphal statement, “Those who do not remember the past are doomed to repeat it.”
To paraphrase Rudyard Kipling: A good cigar is a smoke, but a cigar box filled with trading cards is a treasure.
America could use a hearty laugh right now, but laughter doesn’t come easily because too many Americans have lost their sense of humor.
Joe Biden didn’t have to do a lot with his inaugural address Wednesday, just deliver a concise, clear speech that somehow knit together the soul of a deeply fractured nation. He needed to offer healing and comfort to the hundreds of thousands of Americans whose lives have been ripped apart b…
Wednesday, the adults finally got back the car keys. What a relief. You’re probably more exhausted than elated, but I bet you’ve salvaged a smidgen of that residual optimism that has always powered Americans forward.
It has been a bittersweet experience seeing the mailbox flooded with college recruiting brochures addressed to my son Gideon.
LITTLE ROCK — The inauguration of President Joe Biden was like no other in our history. I have had the privilege of attending five inaugurations before President Biden’s this week, and the atmosphere this year was understandably more somber than the others. With all that our nation has been …
As the men and women of the Arkansas National Guard return to their homes, they can be proud of the incredible service they provided to our country. After the U.S. Capitol was attacked on January 6, 2021, 500 Arkansans answered the call to protect Washington, D.C., and the inauguration of Pr…
As of January 20 at noon, the executive branch of the United States government is now headed by President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris. As with any new administration, we congratulate and pray for them as they embark on this journey of leadership during a very difficult time fo…
Why should we be surprised that at a time when everything is supposed to be about race, from the skin color of certain newspaper editors forced to resign to whether we should capitalize the “B” in “Black,” the most disturbing and consequential attack on our civic body in decades ends up bein…
On January 10, 1776, impassioned Americans – from the streets of the Colonies to private meetings in taverns – were moved by an anonymous pamphlet calling for independence and liberty from Great Britain. Today it is recognized as one of the most important rallying cries leading up to the Rev…
While the mainstream media is rightfully focused on the second impeachment of President Trump and the assault on the Capitol, right wing media is obsessed with “Freedom of Speech.”
When Donald Trump became only president in our tangled history to be impeached twice, Americans found themselves asking, “What now?”
Unlike most years, I decided to start 2021 with a few resolutions that I hope will make me a better husband, father and member of the dude denomination. I also realize that I’m likely to break these resolutions within the next few minutes. But at least I can say I’m flexible and open to change.
Everyone should be outraged at Democrats and Republicans for the damage they’ve done to the country during the last year.
Mike Pence has long believed that his ascent to the vice presidency was the result of divine intervention, that it was all part of God’s plan. If that’s true, then boy oh boy, God is sure messing with his head.
Reminiscing with one of my mother’s photo albums, I encountered a snapshot of a long-deceased neighbor (a dear, sweet man) who is still summed up by the phrase “He never met a stranger.”
LITTLE ROCK — The 93rd General Assembly convened with a traditional day of swearing in ceremonies for new members, followed by the governor’s speech in a joint session of the legislature. Then lawmakers immediately got down to business.
The 93rd General Assembly convened this week, and today I’d like to talk about the goals that I shared with legislators in my State of the State address.
I voted against impeaching President Donald J. Trump in the U.S. House of Representatives. This week's rushed process is not in keeping with one of the House's most solemn responsibilities. Unlike previous impeachment votes, there were no hearings and very little debate of the serious charge…
Small business owners have faced unprecedented challenges for nearly a year as a result of COVID-19. Last March, Congress developed the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) to help these businesses survive and continue paying their employees. More than 43,000 PPP loans were approved for Arkansa…
LITTLE ROCK — When the Arkansas legislature convenes the 2021 regular session, the first major challenge on the agenda will be ensuring that the public can still safely participate in the democratic process.
My father had terminal lung cancer. He fought like a Spartan at Thermopylae, his body riddled with chemo and radiation, his stomach filled with macrobiotic foods lovingly prepared by my mother, his mind steeped in the defiance of death as exhibited by Dylan Thomas who wrote the words that we…
My new puppy entered the world on Christmas and he’s already bringing incredible joy into my family – just as many dogs, cats and other bundles of joy are doing for millions during these unusual times.
As President Trump’s White House days dwindle, he’s taking strong action to shore up measures that will make the asylum process more secure, and less fraudulent.
My son Gideon certainly had a high-octane understanding of the THEORY of driving last winter.
The madness and treason that’s consumed the Party of Trump has a face: And it belongs to a former Pennsylvania state lawmaker.
While members of Congress were peaceably and constitutionally debating the electoral votes on Jan. 6, rioters violently stormed the U.S. Capitol, resulting in death, destruction and a national disgrace. This is unacceptable, and I condemn these actions in the strongest terms.
We’re almost a month into our COVID-19 immunization program, and today I’d like to emphasize the importance of Arkansans taking one of the two approved vaccines so that we can stop the coronavirus and get back to our lives.
LITTLE ROCK — When the Arkansas legislature convenes the 2021 regular session, the first major challenge on the agenda will be ensuring that the public can still safely participate in the democratic process.
LITTLE ROCK — The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), in consultation with the Treasury Department, announced today that the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) will re-open the week of January 11 for new borrowers and certain existing PPP borrowers. To promote access to capital, initial…
You might have seen the photo by now. Of all the disturbing images of Wednesday’s insurrection, this one lingers.
Ok, let’s get the obvious out of the way. 2020 was the year of COVID-19, also known as corona (minus the lime), the plague, the super crud, or, as my dad calls it (and most other contagious illnesses), “the rooty-gootus.” But what else happened in 2020?
Civil rights legislation always has its genesis in humanitarian principles: Protecting the weak, advocating for the voiceless, providing opportunities for the disenfranchised.
Nobody deserves to die in a pandemic. But even now – after so much suffering, with so much more to come – millions of Americans still don’t seem to understand that brainless stupidity can put them six feet under.
I spent Monday nights in the fall of 1975 breathlessly watching my favorite TV show. And I do mean breathlessly.
LITTLE ROCK — Duck hunting is one of the great cultural traditions of Arkansas, and it also pumps a lot of money into our economy.
LITTLE ROCK – When the legislature convenes in regular session at noon on Monday, January 11, the individuals in the Senate will bring a wide variety of real-world experience to the task.
Arkansans have joined the effort to collect the stories of Natural State veterans and preserve them with the Veterans History Project (VHP), enabling future generations to learn from these courageous individuals. I was proud to congratulate the Librarian of Congress on the 20th anniversary o…
None of us could have foreseen what 2020 held. It’s been a difficult year, filled with unexpected challenges. Yet through it all, I’ve been so impressed by the resilience of Arkansans and the ways we’ve come together and supported our communities. That is the beauty of America, and I believe…
We are nine months into the COVID-19 pandemic, and cases in rural America are increasing at a rapid rate. The impacts vary greatly across rural states, yet per-capita infections are most extreme in communities occupied by meatpacking plants, predominantly in the Midwest, low-income African A…
Some people are sensitive about their titles. Some are sensitive on behalf of others who are sensitive, which might help explain the hysterical response of some liberals to a Wall Street Journal op-ed in which contributing writer, Joseph Epstein, argued that soon-to-be first lady, Jill Biden…
Despite having failed to prevail in any consequential legal challenge to overturn the presidential election, President Trump and his team of conspiracy theorist attorneys – egged on by hardcore supporters and advisers, members of Congress and an element of the media – have continued to insis…
I have always thought that Planned Parenthood got a pass on its origins. While most people know that Margaret Sanger was an avid eugenicist, defenders of the organization she founded have tried to downplay her philosophy for decades.
