Biden’s secretary of state, Antony Blinken, mismanaged the first days of important talks with his Chinese counterpart in Alaska last week.  After getting Beijing’s agreement to hold the talks in the United States, the Department of State on the eve of the talks announced economic sanctions against two dozen Chinese officials.  Poor form to say the least.  And in the run-up to the talks, U.S. national security officials downplayed the significance and outcome of the talks, even questioning the need for face-to-face discussions.  More

Everywhere in the Gila, there’s the possibility of wolves. I wake early. The thermometer in the rental car reads 15 degrees. A flock of dark-eyed juncos, earlier risers, flit about in the frozen grass, indifferent to my stomps and claps as I attempt to return feeling to my hands and feet. It’s the middle of February in the San Francisco mountains. And there’s the possibility of wolves. More

Though the assault on the Capitol was over two months ago, I continue to be haunted by not only what I saw in the news reports, but also in the overall meaning that was on stage for the world to see. Much more than a horrible insurrection and assault on democracy, what I saw, and have been continually reminded of, was that what happened on that fateful day was America, the usual. More