Carl P. Leubsdorf: Can GOP use control of Congress to break government gridlock?
The Republican Party found victory Tuesday night, but now comes the hard part.
Mark Davis: Brittany Maynard’s decision to die is her own, but society-at-large should tread carefully
Assisted suicide might sound reasonable, but it will surely descend into a devaluation of life, the columnist says
Marcia Angell: Brittany Maynard is changing the assisted-dying debate
In making her story public with such grace and dignity, she has greatly helped future patients who want the same choice, columnist says
Joshua Rovner: Nevermind ISIS and Putin — Asia matters more to U.S. strategy
The American ‘pivot to Asia’ will have profound implications, SMU professor says
Kevin Gover: Lack of outrage over 'Redskins' points toward ignorance of history
Smithsonian official says museum will rededicate itself to education and public engagement.
Maria Gaudet: U.S. reaction to Ebola echoes response to leprosy outbreak
Century-old lessons should warn against hysteria, ostracism of patients and their families, professor says
Thomas L. Friedman: Be wary of what anyone tells you about the war against ISIS
There is no free press covering the war, so we’re all flying blind, he says
Which Texans have had an impact?
Rodger Jones: What unsung Texan should we know about?Attention readers: We need your help in finding a Texan of the Year?
Four takes: Columnists predict what will happen in Tuesday’s midterms, and what it means
Republicans look poised for victory, but what will be their spoils?
Dallas Judges: Before Kaci Hickox, a quarantine was handled smoothly here
Judges say government already has a better way of determining if quarantine is needed. It’s called the courts.
A better way to go: Courage in the face of suffering can change the world
We should use modern medicine to relieve pain and suffering so those who are dying can do so as gently and peacefully as possible.But I do believe it is wrong to try to choose or control the date of our death, says Michelle Daniel Chadwick.
Finding the good amid the bad
Lynne Sipiora: I probably will never keep a gratitude journal; who needs more paperwork? Still, when confronted with bad, I am trying to remember to look for good.
Class size matters, and lower scores on the SATs prove it
No matter how good a teacher is, when we plop 40 students in front of him for 52 minutes a day, it’s too little time with too many students, says Shane Bybee.
I’m too young to vote, so it’s up to you to preserve our freedom
Daniel Hayworth: As Election Day approaches, perhaps the generations preceding ours — those charged with teaching us and leading the way — could benefit from a youthful expression of gratitude for our wonderful democratic system.
What’s with our aging anxiety?
How is it that the women in my life feel so unhappy with their appearance? Our society's obsession with eternal youth has gotten to them, and I fear it's only a matter of time before it gets to me, too, says Nancy Rosenberg.
Mum’s the word on Texas tradition
Like most traditions scrubbed of sentiment, the cost of a mum seems trivial and excessive. But the point of any tradition, silly or not, is that messy sentiment, says Lisa M. Virgoe.
Esther Cepeda: Elizabeth Peña was a small-screen trailblazer for Latinas
The late star didn’t conform to Hollywood’s image of how a Hispanic woman should act, the columnist says.
Carly Okyle: Does my disability define me?
Writer embraces the task of writing about her cerebral palsy while hoping not to be the ‘poster child of disability gone right’
Q&A: Sizing up the Ebola virus
Former WHO chief David Heymann talks about the spread of Ebola in West Africa
Vivek Wadhwa: Soon, humans won’t be trusted to drive cars
Self-driving cars of the near future will do to human drivers what cars did to horses and buggies, the researcher says.
Kathleen Parker: The hope-and-change formula has lost its magic
A ballot cast in the midterms is less a vote for a person than it is a vote against the void in the presidency, she says.
John Dickerson: GOP might take control of Congress, but not with new ideas
The party relies on no great animating idea other than the fear (or avoidance) of the Obama nightmare, the columnist says.
Dr. Adam Brenner: A preventive guide on mental illness
Reaching at-risk families holds promise of aiding kids, he says
Talking Points: Quotable quotes from the week’s news
Last gasps from Abbott-Davis race, Obama on Ebola, Chris Christie on Ebola, Tim Cook’s coming-out, Ted Cruz’s reaction
Gordon Keith: Why Thelma Thompson matters
Is it wise to look through ancient yearbooks of people you don’t know, trying to piece together the kind of stories you once ignored? I don’t know. I just know it is a sadness I can’t quit touching.
Researchers: Science says girls’ sexualized Halloween costumes are scary
Alluring costumes are not just harmless Halloween fun, say Rebecca Bigler and Sarah McKenney
David Brooks: Political discrimination destroys politics
‘Partyism’ ruins human interaction and precludes productive discussions, the columnist says
Mike Rawlings: Don’t turn away from poverty. Come together to solve it.
Put aside old assumptions while working against poverty in Dallas, the city’s mayor urges.
Michael MacNaughton: Miles has demonstrated little progress in the Dallas schools
A leader of a public education group offers a prescription for improvement in DISD.
Petula Dvorak: 24 drugs for sexual dysfunction, and none for women
It goes back to society’s maddening tendency to wig out when women want to talk about their sex lives, the columnist says.
Carl P. Leubsdorf: Nation’s oldest party seems unlikely to change its leadship
Aging Democratic leaders Pelosi, Reid still play a leading role as GOP gets younger
Timothy Egan: This is the Disgust Election
How did we lose our democracy? Blame the U.S. Supreme Court, the author says
Andrew Selee: Bloodshed and resilience in Mexico
A weak rule of law and the impunity of criminal gangs remain a grave and persistent challenge to Mexico’s future, the scholar says.
Regina Montoya: Images of Vickery Meadow are a reminder of Dallas’ poverty problem
Don’t worry about Dallas’ image; worry about our impoverished, she says.
Michael Chertoff: Opponents of travel ban reflect misunderstanding of border and travel security
The former homeland security chief makes a case for suspending visas of those who visited Ebola-affected areas.
Elayne Esterline: Amid Ebola questions, don’t forget the good Presbyterian does
A Dallas mom gives thanks for the care her preemies received at the hospital.
Todd A. Pollock: Presbyterian should be honored — not blamed — for Ebola response
The medical society president says the Dallas hospital has implemented aggressive measures since Ebola cases.
Self-esteem and nuance could be secret weapons in the drug war
Perhaps what we should be campaigning for is not absolute avoidance of the substances themselves, but rather encouragement of individual self-confidence and the construction of community support systems around our youngsters, says Suzie Whitman.
Ben Bradlee: There is a lot of spinning and lying in our times
In his own words: The late Washington Post executive editor talks about lies and the endless task of revealing them
Tod Robberson: Empty field of dashed dreams in South Dallas
Douglas T. “Chase” Fonteno allows bills to pile up on a strategic parcel, thwarting city development efforts.
Mabrie Jackson: In North Texas, football means business
The college football playoff extends the region’s reputations as the place where champions are crowned.
Ruben Navarrette: Here’s how you get smart at the border
Border agents need better roads and more high-tech equipment, not higher walls, the columnist says
Talking Points: Notable quotes from the week’s news
Monica Lewinsky on empathy, Mike Rawlings on wealth, Jenkins and Trump on Ebola, Hitler appears in Switzerland
Aaron David Miller: The time of great American leadership is over
We can no longer have a truly great president. That’s OK: We seldom need one, and we might not want one, he says
Q&A: Dana Goldstein on what teachers want from us
The education journalist says this embattled profession also needs an adjusted focus on testing, more diversity and leadership stability to succeed.
Peniel E. Joseph: A new social justice movement is brewing
Events in Ferguson, St. Louis and elsewhere are signs of a brewing struggle, the columnist says.
Esther Cepeda: In the future, discrimination will be based on class, not race
Right now, it looks like instead of simply transcending race, our future population stands to swap one kind of bigotry for another, she says
Charles Lipson: Oppressive walls are closing in on an unpopular president
These days, Obama finds himself welcome only in the palatial homes of Hollywood stars, the professor says
David Brooks: Applaud the low idealist who wants more than hope
Columnist makes a case for political idealism, but not the brand that surrounded Obama’s 2008 campaign
Kate Greene: Why the first Mars mission should be manned by women
Economically, not to mention in other ways, it makes sense to send women to Mars, but don’t bet on a crew without men, she says
