Opinion

Today is the 178th day of 2023 and the seventh day of summer. TODAY’S HISTORY: In 1829, British chemist James Smithson died, leaving an endowment for “the Smithsonian Institution, an establishment for the increase and diffusion of knowledge among men.” In 1844, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints founder, Joseph Smith, and his brother Hyrum were murdered by an anti-Latterday Saints mob at the jail where they were being held in Carthage, Illinois.

By Taking Records That Did Not Belong to Him and Refusing to Return Them, William Barr Notes, Trump ‘Provoked This Whole Problem Himself’ Donald Trump picked William Barr as his second attorney general largely because Barr had criticized special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation of alleged ties between Russia and the Trump campaign. Barr still agrees with Trump that the Russia probe was a “witch hunt.” The former attorney general takes a strikingly different view of the federal indictment against Trump that was unsealed this month, which Barr calls “very, very damning.” In contrast with many other prominent Republicans, Barr says the outrage is not the indictment but the “reckless conduct” that prompted it.

DearAnnie: I have two stepgrandchildren, a 16-year-old boy and a 13-year-old girl. My grandson is completely out of control and was recently expelled from high school for truancy and drug use. My granddaughter was recently caught vaping in the school bathroom and was expelled for a short period of time. There are days when she refuses to get up and go to school, and when she does, she often skips her classes.

Are America’s 45th and 46th presidents politically invulnerable? That’s a conclusion you might come to from the response to the indictment of Donald Trump on June 8 and the guilty plea by Joe Biden’s son Hunter announced on June 20.

Dear Annie: Last year, a friend of 50 years and I were talking about flying to Canada to meet for a trip. Prior to making any plans, I researched and found that the mask requirements were still in place for Canada. Although I have always adhered to the requirements and am fully vaccinated, I didn’t feel comfortable having to wear a mask for such a long trip. I am already a nervous flyer due to inner ear issues, and I felt this would cause a lot of anxiety. I said I would pass but she and the other friend involved should proceed without me.

Employees unhappy over orders to return to the office are evidently tearing their garments with grief. But they may need the garments to keep their current employment, and we’re not talking about pajamas.

WASHINGTON -- I always used to purchase Gillette shaving products. Gillette made products that appealed to me. When I was a boy, Gillette advertised the Friday night boxing matches. That was enough inducement for me. Perhaps Gillette also advertised the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show, too, and shows about outdoor life such as hunting and fishing. Yet, I quit them several years ago, when I made an astonishing discovery.

Mike Pence is trailing former President Donald Trump by some 50 points in national polling. It’s no great revelation that the former vice president needs some major breakthroughs to be considered a serious and viable candidate for 2024.

Dear Annie: My son, who is now 50 years old, cannot get his life in order. When he was a younger child, he learned how to play the mother- against-the-father game to get what he wanted; the mother always gave in, and this did not sit well with me. His mother, who I am no longer married to, has always been an enabler and still is to this day.