A woman I have passed occasionally as we walked our dogs (and as I struggled with my nearly 17-year-old pug, often carrying her) stopped me when she saw me walking alone. Tentatively, she asked about my dog. I told her

I have a friend whose 14-year-old daughter told him, years ago now, that she identified as male. My friend immediately went to work finding the best medical help, which included counseling. He told me that, if they didn’t live in

My 16 1/2 year old pug Gracie slips away more each day. She isn’t suffering, the vet confirmed that, but she also isn’t here — or rather, she’s here, but not here. Dementia, hearing loss, impaired vision, and the distance

Joseph Tacopina, defense attorney for Donald Trump, in his cross-examination of E. Jean Carroll, wanted to know why she couldn’t remember exactly what year and day her rape occurred. Why didn’t she scream? Why couldn’t she remember how many other

There was a collective sigh of relief last week when the Supreme Court failed to banish the use of the abortion drug, mifepristone. But it’s only a temporary decision — this will be back before the court in the near

Last week, in a local Target store, an aggressive, disheveled man was ranting and careening down the aisles. As police cars pulled up outside, a woman in the food aisle said, “I hope we don’t get shot.”  A few days after

As much as Donald Trump tries to inhabit the entire spotlight himself, looming over its landscape, spotlights don’t work like that. They illuminate everything. The political spotlight is exceptionally thorough, spilling onto family members and letting the world in on

When he was 17, David Hogg was sitting in an Environmental Science class at Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida when gunshots rang out. He and other students hid in a closet, and he recorded the shooting on

My friend Howard Bragman died on Saturday night. The morning news reports hailed him as a public relations titan and noted his prowess in the field. They gave his age – 66 – and the cause of death as leukemia.

Last night, watching President Biden’s State of the Union Address, I thought often about Tyre Nichols’ parents. When they walked in, I thought about what it took for them to step again into the spotlight as they wrestle with the