christianity.com   By DAVID FRENCH I grew up in a strict, fundamentalist Christian tradition. Most churches in my denomination didn’t celebrate Christmas and Easter (though that is now changing) because they were deemed pagan vestiges that had been arbitrarily Christianized by the apostate Catholic Church. My family embraced those holidays, but my church did not — so much so that at church we’d sometimes defiantly sing Christmas carols out of season, just to demonstrate our t

A monitor displays President Donald Trump as he delivers a message on the war in Iran in Washington, April 1, 2026. In a functioning American democracy, the president would deliver an Oval Office address at the start of a new military conflict. Donald Trump, however, decided to wait until a month into his war with Iran to give a speech about it to a skeptical public. (Jason Hendardy/The New York Times) By MICHELLE GOLDBERG In a functioning American democracy, the president wo

President Donald Trump takes questions from reporters after signing an executive order in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington on Tuesday, March 31, 2026. President Trump declared on Tuesday that he had already achieved one of the primary objectives of his attack on Iran, the elimination of its ability to build a nuclear weapon. But there is no evidence that the United States or Israel has removed or destroyed the country’s stockpile of near-bomb-grade fuel. (Doug

By DAVID FRENCH I am alarmed by the negative influence of smartphones and social media on children. All of us should be. I am also worried that in our zeal to protect children from those negative influences that we will violate the Constitution and undermine free speech. And that’s where things get tricky. Last week, juries in two different states delivered multimillion-dollar verdicts against Big Tech. A New Mexico jury handed down a $375 million verdict in a case brought by

U.S. Army personnel during the U.S. Army’s 250th Anniversary Parade along the National Mall in Washington, June 14, 2025. (Mark Peterson/The New York Times) By NICHOLAS KRISTOF I was a child during the Vietnam War, and it was impossible to miss anti-war protests. I remember a common sentiment best expressed by Sen. George McGovern: “I’m tired of old men dreaming up wars for young men to fight.” And here we go again. President Donald Trump has reached a fork in his Iran war. O

“... if past generations could see how well this war has gone compared with the ones they were compelled to fight at a frightening cost, they would marvel at their posterity’s comparative good fortune,” Times columnist Bret Stephens writes. (Naila Ruechel/The New York Times) By BRET STEPHENS Most Americans probably don’t look back at March 2012 — if they remember it at all — and think of terrifyingly high gas prices. In the month when “The Hunger Games” ruled the box office a

“The ferry is not simply transportation for Vieques and Culebra. It is economic infrastructure,” contributing columnist Bob Gevinski writes. (Facebook via Vieques Culebra Ferry Watch) By ROBERT GEVINSKI Vieques and Culebra are often described as two of Puerto Rico’s most remarkable destinations. Their beaches are among the most beautiful in the Caribbean, and their character -- defined by nature, small businesses, and a slower pace of life -- continues to attract travelers lo

President Donald Trump speaks at the swearing-in ceremony for Secretary of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin in the Oval Office on Tuesday, March 24, 2026. (Doug Mills/The New York Times) By JAMELLE BOUIE If you can set aside both the unconstitutionality and the immorality of President Donald Trump’s unprovoked war on Iran and focus on the operation itself, it is hard not to be bewildered by the utter lack of real planning, or even basic strategic thinking, that has gone int

A woman looks out from the broken windows of her apartment, hit by airstrikes, in Tehran, Iran, March 21, 2026. The United States and Israel have been waging a huge air assault against Iran, and the Pentagon has requested $200 billion (more than $1,400 per American household) to fund the war. (Arash Khamooshi/The New York Times) By NICHOLAS KRISTOF Let’s ponder for a moment the vast sums that we’re pouring into the war with Iran. The Pentagon has requested $200 billion (more

Watching the first part of Bad Bunny’s halftime show “conjured up memories of early mornings in Puerto Rico walking alongside abuela through the field to harvest the day’s meals,” writes Ivan Waldo. (Photo provided courtesy of the author) By IVAN WALDO Special to The STAR I was one of 135 million who tuned into Super Bowl LX for the evening’s real event, Benito’s halftime show. I watched intently as he passed through the creatively improvised cane field. It conjured up memori