To read the original article in USA Today, click here.

Some secrets are plainly necessary. The disclosure of sensitive national defense information that puts the country at risk deserves to be punished to the maximum extent of the law. But if there are necessary secrets, is there also something we can call necessary leaks? Continue reading →

To read the original in USA Today, click here. 

Perhaps President Trump will govern like a genius and manage to fulfill in some measure his campaign pledge to Make America Great Again. Or perhaps our worst fears will be realized and bizarre behavior will become impossible to ignore. If we reach that point, an important question will become: Even if Trump does not commit high crimes or misdemeanors, can he be removed from the presidency? Continue reading →

To read the original in the Daily News, click here.

It is a well-established fact that Donald Trump carries a magic shield. No matter what preposterous thing he does or inane or intentionally false thing he says, he survives to fight another day. When Trump said he could shoot someone on Fifth Ave. and not lose votes, he was attesting to the existence of his invisible armor. Continue reading →

He was only slightly warmer Wednesday at his first news conference as president-elect, referring to some “very, very dishonest people” right in front of him as “fake news” purveyors — his characterization of CNN and Buzzfeed  reporting on allegations that Russia had been collecting compromising financial and personal information on Trump for years. Continue reading →

To read the original in USA Today, click here. 

In his remaining time in office, perhaps the most difficult decision President Obama will face is how the United States should respond to the stunning Russian cyberattack on our electoral system: the penetration of Democratic National Committee servers and the email account of John Podesta, Hillary Clinton’s campaign chairman. Continue reading →

Every day in the United States of Trump brings fresh novelties. The latest comes to us in a report yesterday from CBS News that the President-elect is seeking top-secret security clearances for his adult children: Eric, Donald Jr., Ivanka, and her husband, Jared Kushner.

Reports are conflicting, however. An unnamed Trump transition official, speaking to the press this morning and perhaps reacting to overnight criticism, was paraphrased as saying, “it wasn’t something he was expecting right now.” Continue reading →

With the election over, connoisseurs of Russian influence operations will want to redirect their attention to lower Manhattan, where the world chess championship is getting under way at the South Street Seaport.

Continue reading →