Cal Thomas

SAN ANTONIO – Gov. Gregg Abbott has called a third special legislative session in an attempt to push through three priorities that previous sessions have defeated, surprisingly with some Republicans joining with most Democrats in opposition. School choice is one of those priorities. The last session bowed to scare tactics by the powerful teachers unions and Democrats who promoted claims that…

Inever saw an episode of “Friends,” but that is probably because I am from the television era that began with black- and-white pictures and television screens so small you had to draw a chair up to the box to see a flickering image. Back then, celebrity was a byproduct of talent and accomplishment. I did have breakfast once with another “Friends” cast member, David Schwimmer, who was in town…

Among the top priorities for newly selected House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-L A ) was his announced intention to form a bipartisan panel to cut massive spending that has led to an unsustainable $33 trillion national debt. The pragmatist in me cheers, but the cynic in me says asking Congress to cut spending is like asking Dracula to cut back on his consumption of blood. Spending helps keep…

Some popular shows on PBS and cable TV are about renovating old houses – taking dilapidated, out-of-fashion and dreary houses and turning them into modern, functioning, and attractive places in which to live. Renovation is precisely what is needed in our country whose national debt, open borders and as we’ve seen in recent weeks our university and public education system are in dire need of…

On “60 Minutes” last Sunday, President Biden said he thinks it would be a “mistake … for Israel to occupy … Gaza again.” He also conceded that eliminating Hamas and Hezbollah in Lebanon “is a necessary requirement.” At the same time, the president said, “There needs to be a path to a Palestinian state.” If anyone wants to see a preview of what a Palestinian state would look like, they should…

“Come,” they say, “let us destroy them as a nation, so that Israel’s name is remembered no more.” ( Psalm 83:4 ) The murderous attack on Israel has ripped away what remained of a thin veneer that has covered up growing antisemitism in America and some of the rest of the world. Until now it has only periodically raised its ugly head. The reaction by pro-Palestinian groups to Israel’s…

On Sept. 22, 2005, Israel completed its unilateral withdrawal from the Gaza Strip. It did not take someone with the power of an Old Testament prophet to predict what would come next. Hamas almost immediately filled the vacuum and began planning a series of terrorist attacks on civilian targets within Israel. The latest attack, on Oct. 6, the 50th anniversary of the start of the 1973 Yom Kippur…

The phrase “Climate change denier” has wormed its way into the modern lexicon to shame those who have a different view of the science supporting, or not, the idea that the world is in danger of burning up in weeks, months, or years (they can’t seem to decide on the timing). There is another form of denial that one can clearly see. It is a denial that the southern border is “secure.” With…

LONDON – To read and watch the reaction of people who have hated Fox News from its creation, one might think it resembles dancing on someone’s grave, but at 92, Rupert Murdoch remains very much alive and his influence, not only on Fox, but in much of journalism, will likely continue for some time. It may be coincidental, or not, that the announcement of Murdoch’s stepping down as chairman of…

LONDON – British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, after first announcing a mandate requiring all fossil fueled vehicles sold in the UK after 2030 to be electric, succumbed to pressure from the Conservative Party and within his own government and announced Wednesday a delay until 2035. His goal remains net zero by 2050. Sunak’s goal continues to be based on his view that “climate change” is real and…

It was just a matter of time before choice became mandatory. Last week, a federal judge denied a request by parents of students in the Washington, D.C. suburb of Montgomery County, Maryland, to be able to remove their children from classrooms when books containing LGBTQ+ characters are read aloud. Christian and Muslim parents had sued the school system, claiming such books force religious…

Plymouth Notch, VT – One hundred years ago on Aug. 2, President Warren Harding died and Calvin Coolidge became America’s 30th president. The contrast between the two men is stark. While Harding was extremely popular with voters, later revelations doomed his presidency to the bottom rungs. Scandals included paying hush money to cover up extramarital affairs (sound familiar?), an out-of-wedlock…

It was in the early ’60s. I was a copy boy at NBC News and the overnight disc jockey for the local radio station called and asked if I’d like to go on a boat ride down the Potomac River with his guest, Tony Bennett. For several hours we cruised past some of Washington’s most famous landmarks. Tony let me take a picture of him, shirtless and with a big smile on his face. He later signed it and…

It began shortly after President Biden’s inauguration. First, there were whispers and what seemed like slander on far-right websites and social media that the president was suffering from cognitive decline. His subsequent slurred speech, his trips and falls, and his confusion even while reading a teleprompter, all have led to denunciations and explanations by the White House press secretary,…