Opinion

Dear Annie: So I’m pretty sure I know what the right answer is and you’ll be shaking your head at my letter; however, I feel like I’m on this adrenaline rush. I am married and have been together with my wife for 13 years.

Last week’s release of the second quarter’s fundraising figures for the 2024 presidential candidates produced two notable news stories. One was that President Joe Biden and his associated fundraising arms raised $72 million between his late-April reelection launch and June 30. This financial haul, double what former President Donald Trump raised in the second quarter, poured 72 buckets of cold water on the “Dementia-Joe-isn’t-supported- by-Democrats” narrative that had gained currency, pushed and peddled by Republicans.

Have we gotten to the point that it’s politically necessary to defend the principle of free speech? Apparently so. Consider the reaction of journalists -- people who, more than anyone else in our society, have a professional and economic interest in free speech -- to Louisiana- based District Judge Terry Doughty’s July 4 decision on a motion to bar agencies of the federal government from pressuring social media outlets to suppress information the agencies deem “misinformation.” The injunction barring federal agencies from communicating with these firms was blocked from going into effect by the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals on July 14.

A Guide to Storing Apples at Home Fresh and Delicious Apples are a versatile fruit that are as nutritious as they are delicious. In season, apples are among the cheapest option in the produce department.

WASHINGTON -- Well, how are things going for Vladimir Putin? He has been showing a KGB sleuth’s cunning at warfare for over a year now, and he has been doing it against an enemy who is outgunned and outnumbered. Oh yes, and by the way, that enemy is also winning the war. All Putin’s forces have been able to win is the battle for Bakhmut, and Putin had to empty out a prison or two to do it. Of late, his finest soldiers have been convicts, and they generally take a bullet in the head to demonstrate their valor. The Russian casualty list has run to roughly 50,000 dead, and God knows how many wounded.

Dear Annie: My mom has had several strokes and is now living with us. She has problems seeing out of one eye. No one else will step up to take care of her. Our arrangement was that she pays for extra things she wants -- nails, haircuts, new clothes. And, oh, yeah, did I mention she smokes like crazy? Which her doctor has told her repeatedly to stop, as have we. They aren’t allowed in the house, so she sits on our front porch and it smells like a cigarette factory. She refuses to do anything around the house. Her bedroom and bathroom are a mess until I clean them on the weekend.

Every summer has an obsession. The best ones are inconsequential.

Polls show that voters are not thrilled at the prospect of a Trump vs. Biden rerun in the 2024 presidential election. That makes the idea of a fresh third-party candidate more interesting. One might think the media would enjoy a curveball, but there’s one big problem: Democrats think a third-party ticket would sink President Joe Biden.