Republicans tend to like small government. But President Trump鈥檚 approach of leaving posts vacant and favoring loyalty over experience may be undermining his ability to get things done.
Our five selected stories today cover the shape of President Trump's smaller government, what鈥檚 motivating Arab Israeli voters, America鈥檚 billionaire backlash, the return of 鈥榮afer鈥 land mines, and museums as community problem-solvers.
I never met Katherine Johnson, but my family owes a personal debt of gratitude to the NASA mathematician whose extraordinary life was portrayed in the 2016 movie 鈥淗idden Figures.鈥
Let me explain.聽
Ms. Johnson, who died on Monday, was responsible for making the calculations that safely delivered Americans into space. Ms. Johnson and other black women initially worked in a racially segregated computing group in Hampton, Virginia. Later, she joined Project Mercury, NASA鈥檚 first human space program.
When it was John Glenn鈥檚 turn to orbit Earth in 1962, he didn鈥檛 trust the new IBM 7090 computer that had plotted his course. 鈥淕et the girl to check the numbers,鈥 the astronaut insisted, referring to Ms. Johnson, who was in her 40s at the time.
Ms. Johnson was a pioneer, first and foremost for African American women. With courage, intelligence, and grace, she challenged narrow stereotypes.聽
On Monday, NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine called Johnson 鈥淪he ... opened doors for women and people of color in the universal human quest to explore space.鈥
Ms. Johnson helped all of humanity slip the 鈥.鈥 She inspired girls to study math, science, and engineering. She paved the way for all women, including my mom, who was one of the first female computer programmers hired by Honeywell Information Systems, an emerging competitor to IBM, in 1960.聽
鈥淕irls are capable of doing everything men are capable of doing,鈥 said Ms. Johnson in a 2011 interview. Then she added, 鈥淪ometimes they have more imagination than men.鈥