Robin Abcarian is an opinion columnist at the Los Angeles Times. She writes about news, politics and culture. Her columns appear on Wednesday and Sunday. Follow her on Bluesky @rabcarian.bsky.social and Threads @rabcarian.
Latest From This Author
The breathtaking incompetence of Trump’s national security team in ‘Signalgate’ put American lives at risk.
The Democratic Party hasn’t found a way to meet Trump’s authoritarian moment, but if enough voters take to the streets in peaceful protest, change will come.
George Orwell would have loved the concept: A Department of Government Efficiency that is anything but efficient.
- Voices
Abcarian: Trump wants to undo all kinds of race and gender progress. Here’s what stands in his way
Corporations such as Facebook, Amazon and Target have eagerly followed the president’s lead. But consumer boycotts show much of the public isn’t on board.
- Voices
Abcarian: Trump’s latest cruel attempt to ban transgender troops won’t survive without a fight
Studies show kicking out thousands of transgender service members, a tiny fraction of the armed forces, would do nothing to help the military’s mission.
The DOGE leader gets this right: Some of the things he says about government waste, fraud and abuse have to be corrected.
- Voices
Abcarian: Trump and Musk crippled our most important global aid agency. The consequences are grim
The Trump administration’s attack on the key foreign aid agency undermines U.S. influence, pleases autocrats in Russia and China, and could help Tesla’s overseas business.
Many in the current cohort look to Emily Oster, an economist who urges mothers and fathers to use the best data to make decisions for themselves.
As President Trump takes a hammer to reproductive rights, a Mississippi legislator proposes making it illegal to ejaculate without the ‘intent to fertilize an embryo.’
- Voices
Abcarian: Does Donald Trump’s return to power mean it’s time to admit he’s right? In a word, no
Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde’s plea to Trump the day after his inauguration exemplified the principled criticism the president deserves regardless of his victory.