Henry Olsen

Norway’s election on Monday begins a two-month collection of votes around the globe that will tell us a lot about public opinion a year-and-a-half into the pandemic. Though each country is different, the patterns are already clear: The traditional right is down, while the far left and populism are on the rise.

President Biden’s speech Thursday announcing the imposition of national vaccine requirements was more than a brazen flip-flop. It was a breathtaking disregard for the Constitution and an arrogant display of overreaching federal power.

Virginia has become a Democratic-leaning state over the past decade, which gives former governor Terry McAuliffe a leg up in his effort to get his old job back. The polls, however, suggest that it might not be a slam dunk.

Sen. Joe Manchin’s declaration that he wants his fellow Democrats to take a “strategic pause” in crafting the party’s proposed $3.5 trillion domestic spending package is an early warning sign for the political troubles Democrats are courting if they ignore his plea and move full speed ahead.

The Supreme Court’s refusal to prevent operation of Texas’s law banning abortion after a fetal heartbeat can be detected has unleashed a squall of public debate over abortion law. While that furor won’t calm for months or more, one thing is clear: The court’s majority was legally correct.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is again receiving national media scrutiny as his state’s Covid-19 cases and hospitalizations soar to record levels. That is as likely to help him politically as it is to hurt him.

Aside from platitudes about the enduring U.S.-Israeli friendship, it is hard to see what Bennett and Biden can possibly agree on.

The irresistible force of progressive wants will meet the immovable object of moderate desires. Which gives way and when will shape the future of our politics for years to come.

Europe is demonstrating that high rates of vaccination, combined with tolerance of one’s fellow citizens, is the best approach to the pandemic while maintaining high levels of freedom. U.S. policymakers would be wise to learn that lesson.

Critics of President Biden’s decision to withdraw from Afghanistan often paint a rosy picture of the country. Afghans themselves would probably say otherwise.

The media is hammering President Biden over the chaotic fall of Afghanistan to the Taliban. That can only amplify what was already a slow but steady decline in his job approval numbers.

The loss in Vietnam was followed by years of U.S. retreats and defeats, culminating in the Iran hostage crisis. President Biden and Democrats in Congress must not allow that to happen again.