Opinion

The Trump rally promoted by CNN (but paraded as a “town hall”) included the inevitable references to the former president’s piggish remarks about women. Kaitlan Collins dug in on the famous “Access Hollywood” videotape in which the former president claimed that a rich celebrity could grab a woman by her privates and get away with it. He responded that (a) this statement is obviously true, and (b) he was one such privileged celebrity.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is causing eyebrows to arch all over the political world. The 69-year-old son of slain Sen. Robert F. Kennedy is a former environmental lawyer turned vaccine conspiracist. On April 19, he announced his candidacy for the Democratic nomination for president. His aim? To “end the corrupt merger of state and corporate power.”

Dear Annie: I will have been married for 22 years this September, and we have been together for 26 years. But I recently discovered that for the past three years, my husband was talking to another woman in secret. I found evidence in texting voicemails and even a recording showing that they were at a casino once. I mean, if I would have taken all that to court, a judge would honestly tell me he’s cheating on you, but my husband convinced me otherwise. He swore up and down there was nothing between them; he swore up and down that nothing sexual happened between them, and he told me that at that time he was attracted to her for a while but nothing happened between them.

In theory, the Pulitzer Prizes are a celebration of the best journalism in America. But in reality, it represents something entirely different. It rewards leftwing journalists for most effectively thumping the tub for the Left. They call it “elevat(ing) our understanding of the world.”

Dear Annie: I’ve been chatting with a guy online for a few weeks now -- nothing serious, just light, “getting to know you” conversations, with some flirtation sprinkled in. Well, today, he decided to randomly mention that I reminded him of another woman he’d been talking to, who he ended up having an “amazing sexual connection” with, though they didn’t end up seriously dating.

Getting words right can clear up a lot of confusion about politics and public policy. Example: “segregate” is a verb that requires a subject. “Segregate” is not an impersonal verb, nor is “segregation” a mere accidental result of unrelated outside processes.

My Dad married my stepmother when I was 8 years old. My mom had died in a car accident a year prior. After my dad remarried, I wasn’t sure if I was supposed to love my stepmom. I did love her, don’t get me wrong, but I was riddled with guilt over it. My stepmom saw things in me others had not. She signed me up for piano lessons and bought me my first guitar. She drove me to tap, jazz and ballet lessons as well as to auditions. When I landed the part in a play, she sewed all of my costumes and helped me practice my lines.

Mass Shooters Typically Do Not Have Disqualifying Records, and Restrictions on Private Gun Sales Are Widely Flouted After the mass shooting that killed eight people at a shopping mall in Allen, Texas, last Saturday, President Joe Biden said that horrifying crime reinforced the case for “enacting universal background checks.” Yet the perpetrator, who was killed by a police officer at the scene, had been licensed as an armed security guard, which means he passed a background check and was legally allowed to own firearms. In that respect, the killer was typical of people who commit crimes like this.

The popular Netflix series “The Diplomat” has Keri Russell playing a woman who’s really sore that she’s been made American ambassador to the United Kingdom. Many Americans would pay a fortune to become America’s representative to the Court of St. James’s, and some do. It’s a non-secret that ambassadorships in the choice capitals go for campaign contributions of around $300,000. There has been only one career foreign service officer in London since 1952.

Dear Annie: I started seeing someone recently. “Matthew” is a perfect gentleman in many respects, but he has one habit that I find very rude and jarring: He burps, frequently, and sometimes without even covering his mouth. We sit down to watch a movie together after dinner, and all I can focus on is his constant gurgles next to me on the couch. The relationship is still relatively new, and I don’t want to hurt his feelings, but this is a serious turnoff. What should I tell him? -- Excuse You Dear Excuse You: Don’t be too quick to judge: It might not be his fault. Frequent belching can be a sign of acid reflux, which might seem like a minor condition now; however, in the long term it can cause serious damage to the esophagus if left untreated. The next time he’s having these attacks of indigestion, suggest that he talk to his doctor about it, thus bringing his attention to the issue while also showing that you care -- a win-win.