From the triumphal arches of Constantine and Titus to the soaring St. Peter’s Basilica to the stunning Medici palaces of Florence, one sees a clear through line: a parade of giant egos down the centuries. For princes of the past—even many popes—self-glorification was the norm.For an American, touring the grandiose monuments of ancient Rome and Renaissance Italy—as I did recently—is an oddly relatable experience these days.For an American, touring the grandiose monuments of ancient Rome and Renai...

“Every day gets better for us,” chortled Schumer, apparently full of vim that he wasn’t swiftly surrendering to President Donald Trump as he did to avoid a shutdown in March.As the two-week standoff over the U.S. government shutdown dragged on—imperiling hundreds of federal programs that the Democratic Party has created over the past century—the nation’s top Democrat, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, suggested at one point that he’s fairly satisfied with his party’s progress.As the two-week...

“Admittedly, such a suggestion will generate comparisons to Dr. Strangelove’s doomsday machine, WarGames’ War Operation Plan Response, and the Terminator’s Skynet, but the prophetic imagery of these science fiction films is quickly becoming reality,” wrote Lowther and his co-author, Curtis McGiffen.What’s more, there is evidence that Russia is maintaining its own “dead hand,” a system called “Perimeter” that was developed during the Cold War and can automatically launch long-range nuclear missil...

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth hosts a drone demonstration at the Pentagon on July 10, 2025. The event was hosted to demonstrate the Trump administration's initiative on Unleashing U.S. Military Drone Dominance. | Lance Cpl. Isaac Llanez Delgado/U.S. Marine CorpsBy Michael Hirsh08/27/2025 05:00 AM EDTMichael Hirsh is the former foreign editor and chief diplomatic correspondent for Newsweek, and the former national editor for POLITICO Magazine.When the Pentagon announced a “joint interagency...

Two National Guardsmen stand guard outside a burning donut shop at Martin Luther King Boulevard and Vermont Avenue in Los Angeles on April 30, 1992. The National Guard was called in to aid police during the second day of rioting in the city. | Mark Elias/APBy Michael Hirsh01/12/2025 03:00 PM ESTMichael Hirsh is the former foreign editor and chief diplomatic correspondent for Newsweek, and the former national editor for POLITICO Magazine.The last time an American president deployed the U.S. mili...