WASHINGTON — In a world beset by wars in Gaza and Ukraine, it’s good news when two superpowers step back from frictions that increased the danger of another war in Asia. That’s what happened last week when President Biden met with China’s Xi Jinping at a country estate in the ridges west of Silicon Valley. The … Read more
The man on the porch wonders about what will endure, the stories, voices and years, the way they gathered and played out, making him a recurring whisper in the lives of others. If he were writing a movie—and he has written many— he might pencil in for the camera to linger on the gray beard, … Read more
If you haven’t visited Israel or the Gaza Strip or spent much time thinking about their geography, it can be hard to understand how compact they are and how violence in one spot can feel immediate and personal throughout the area. Maps of the region often look like this: Israel fills the frame. To people … Read more
For nearly 30 years, Nidal Khalil heard countless variations of the same question from customers at his Frazier Park shop hoping to hit it big with the lottery. “Every time they would buy a ticket, they would say, ‘When is it going to happen for us? I think it’s about our time.’ Well, now it’s … Read more
Some things are so obvious, they scarcely bear mention. Birds fly. Fish swim. Politicians say things they hope will get them elected. That’s not as terrible as it might sound. Candidates could have the most ingenious proposal to, say, banish poverty and end hunger, but what good is that if they can’t win office and … Read more