海角大神

Last week, a reader sent me a story titled 鈥� It is by a New York Post columnist who says coverage of President Trump marks a 鈥渢otal collapse of standards, with fairness and balance tossed overboard. Every story,鈥� he adds, has become 鈥渙pinion masquerading as news鈥�.鈥�

I hear this from many readers. And they have a point. The mainstream media unquestionably cover this president differently. But many in the mainstream media say there is a reason: They argue that this president is a threat to the republic, so the usual rules no longer apply.聽What鈥檚 interesting is that the same thinking applied in reverse during the Obama administration. Conservative outlets considered his policies a threat to the nation鈥檚 core values and reported with the same sense of alarm and dismay.

The point is not to compare the two administrations or the threat, but to recognize the gulf they reveal between America鈥檚 most politically engaged citizens. Their views of government, abortion, sexuality, race, and immigration differ so widely that each side . Each side sees the other as destroying what it loves about America.

What is to be done? Perhaps, as a first step, a redefinition of what we love about America. The motto e pluribus unum is thought to come from Cicero: 鈥淲hen each person loves the other as much as himself, it makes one out of many.鈥�

Here are our five stories for the day, which include a poignant European anniversary, an unusual look at the principles of free trade from Africa, and the difficult conversations around a beloved book.聽