Politics News Site NOTUS to Become ‘The Star’

“The newsroom, which had about 45 people at the beginning of the year, will probably more than double to 95 journalists by the end of the year.” I’m happy to be one of them.

www.nytimes.com/2026/04/16/b...

Opinion | How Much Humiliation Can Vance Take?

As JD Vance arrives in Pakistan to take ownership of the Iran war, a refresher on what brought him to this place. www.nytimes.com/2026/04/07/o...

Opinion | How Much Humiliation Can JD Vance Take?

As JD Vance debases himself -- yet again -- by campaigning in Hungary today for its white-nationalist, authoritarian ruler, I have a cameo in @nytopinion.nytimes.com noting that Vance's many deals with the devil aren't paying off. www.nytimes.com/2026/04/07/o...

Dana Milbank Sign up here to follow Dana Milbank

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Column | We came from different parties and faiths. We left as compatriots. On America’s 250th birthday, how discussions of the Declaration of Independence and other documents are bridging religious and political divisions.

In my final column for the Post, an interfaith movement to celebrate America's "sacred texts" shows that our 250th birthday doesn't have to be an Ultimate Fighting match. Gift link: wapo.st/40EBHwr

Dana Milbank Sign up here to follow Dana Milbank

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I am leaving the Washington Post to join a new journalistic venture backed by Politico founder Robert Allbritton that will be both the hometown publication the D.C. region sorely needs and a scrappy and fearless national news organization. I hope you'll join us.

Column | For eons, the earth has been talking to us. New technology allows us to listen. New technology enables us to perceive sounds beyond human hearing range, allowing a new perspective on our place on the planet.

The Earth has been talking to us for millions of years. For the first time, we can hear it. This week's column: A multimedia collaboration with audio of sounds made by everything from glaciers to jumping spiders. Gift link: wapo.st/3PkLsgJ

Column | For eons, the earth has been talking to us. New technology allows us to listen. New technology enables us to perceive sounds beyond human hearing range, allowing a new perspective on our place on the planet.

The Earth has been talking to us for millions of years. For the first time, we can hear it. This week's column: A multimedia collaboration with audio of sounds made by everything from glaciers to jumping spiders. Gift link: wapo.st/3PkLsgJ

Column | We’re about to turn night into day. Is that a good idea? Proposals before the FCC involve mirrors that could bathe entire cities in sunlight and, from SpaceX, a million satellites to serve as data centers.

Goodnight, stars. My latest column, on plans to put a million data centers into orbit and use satellites to turn night into day -- and what this means for us as humans. Gift link. wapo.st/4cdyP0s

Column | These winter images gave readers hope From the mountains of New England to the redwoods of California, these scenes have the power to inspire and console.

I asked readers to share winter photos that stir their emotions. Here are the scenes that give them hope. wapo.st/4s8Fg9N

Column | One path to a happier life: Thinking more about death When we learn to talk about our mortality, our remaining years of life can become more meaningful.

One path to a happier life: thinking about death. My latest column, on a group of women who learned that talking about their mortality has improved their remaining days. Gift link: wapo.st/472Eh2H

Column | I went into phone-free silence. Something disturbing happened. Suddenly shutting off external signals and focusing inward can demand a startling amount of energy.

I went into phone-free silence. What happened was disturbing. My latest column, on our addiction to distraction. Gift link. wapo.st/40aadyg

Column | Good news: We saved the bees. Bad news: We saved the wrong ones. Honeybees have never been in danger of extinction. But scientists are finding that they can accelerate the demise of native bee populations.

Good news: We saved the bees. Bad news: We saved the wrong ones. My latest column, on how our well-intended plans to heal nature sometimes go awry. Gift link: wapo.st/3ZhkdWf

Column | Here’s a proven way to slow aging. Any volunteers? New research shows that you can lengthen your own life by improving someone else’s.

For this week's column, I hung out with members of the rescue squad and other retired super-volunteers. Turns out they are not only enhancing their wellbeing -- they are extending their lives by slowing aging. Gift link. wapo.st/4t9F8rK

Column | Try this 14-day exercise to strengthen hope, even in darkest winter This intervention is straightforward, but its results might surprise you.

Neuroscience is finding that even the smallest amount of time noticing nature -- 10 observations over 14 days -- significantly improves our sense of hope. In this dark winter for our nation and for our planet, we need that. Gift link to my latest column. wapo.st/3NsnT4T

Column | I just set my farm on fire. It was thrilling. This has been my winter of living dangerously, and my experiences have boosted my sense of well-being.

What does not kill us really does make us stronger. My latest @washingtonpost.com column, about how I set my farm on fire and did other questionable things. Now with $4 day pass for non-subscribers. www.washingtonpost.com/climate-envi...

Column | A new approach to living a good life comes from a most unlikely place A group of unexpected guides is asking whether digital life has pulled us off course—and whether there’s a way back

Humans since Socrates have been asking how to live the good life. Now AI is trying to answer the question. My latest column, on a startup by chastened founders of Twitter and Pinterest. Gift link. wapo.st/3Yw7yyk

Tips for finding awe from the National of Gallery of Art Prompts paired with paintings are designed to spur a sense of wonder.

The National Gallery of Art worked with UC Berkeley psychologists to help people find more awe and wonder in their lives. Try some of these prompts. Gift link: wapo.st/49kHrQT

Column | Feeling wonder every day improves our health. Here’s how to do it. Research has established the power of awe. I experienced it myself in a way I never thought I could.

Daily experiences of wonder improve your health -- and it isn't hard to achieve this state. My latest column, from the National Gallery of Art, explains how. Link with $4 day pass offer for nonsubscribers. www.washingtonpost.com/climate-envi...

Column | Why Mormonism may have an answer for our toxic politics Utah Gov. Spencer Cox draws on teachings from his Mormon faith to ‘disagree better.’ Studies show his approach could change public attitudes.

How has the Mormon church produced so many conservative political leaders who defy Trump on matters of decency and compromise? The answer points to a way out of our political crisis. Link to my latest column includes a $4 day-pass offer for nonsubscribers. www.washingtonpost.com/health/2025/...

Column | A full-body MRI can reveal hidden killers. Do we want to know? Like many emerging technologies, this one can improve our lives, make us miserable or both. Nobody knows yet which it will be.

Would having a full-body MRI cure my medical worries -- or make them a whole lot worse? Here's what I found. Includes a $4 day pass offer for non-subscribers. www.washingtonpost.com/health/2025/...

Column | Defuse political tension in your family with one simple question This research-backed technique can increase open-mindedness and reduce political polarization, improving conversations at family gatherings and in daily life.

Politics has frozen our brains. Here's a way to reboot. My latest column, with new research on how we can use curiosity to defang political foes and detoxify the discourse. Link includes $4 day-pass offer for non-subscribers. www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...

Column | Scientists discover an ancient landscape – in our own backyard Newly recognized patches of undeveloped grassland are accidental time travelers from a distant past, and they offer answers for our 21st century problems.

Scientists have found 2,000-year-old plant communities that offer answers to the biodiversity crisis and climate change. If you're not a subscriber, use this link for a $4 day pass to read the column. www.washingtonpost.com/climate-envi...

These ancient time travelers have answers to our 21st century problems Newly discovered patches of ancient landscape have somehow managed to survive without being turned into a farm, forest or subdivision.

These ancient time travelers have answers to our 21st century problems. Newly discovered landscapes that are thousands of years old offer remedies to climate change and Earth's shrinking biodiversity. Gift link to my latest @washingtonpost.com column. wapo.st/49Rtfzu

Column | The guy who runs the dump knows the secret to finding meaning at work Willie Shanks has turned a refuse and recycling center into a place where people come to hang out and laugh, even when they don’t have trash to drop off.

At a time when only 31 percent of us feel engaged at work, we could all learn from Willie Shanks. He earns just $38k running the local dump. But he loves his work and has become a local celebrity for turning the dump into a community hub. Gift link. wapo.st/47L8iE0

Column | Forest bathing sounded silly. Then I did it with 8 Harvard doctors. Doctors are looking to a remedy with ancient origins to treat modern stress and burnout. I joined them to see how it works.

I had feared forest bathing might be another goofy wellness fad like Tucker Carlson’s genital tanning. But evidence suggests time in the woods could prevent cancer, fight infection and protect against dementia. I went to investigate. Gift link to my latest @washingtonpost.com column. wapo.st/3Jzxq8x

Column | A 6-year research project found a surprisingly simple route to happiness We are living through highly uncertain times. But a study out of Cornell has identified a happiness hack that can lead you toward a life of purpose.

How can we stay happy in an age gone mad, when it feels as though all is unstable? Results from a new study suggest a practical way to keep ourselves on a meaningful path — a sort of happiness hack for our chaotic times. Gift link to my latest column. wapo.st/4nlKw7c

Column | Boy meets girl meets moth: A many-legged love triangle Their romance began with a shared fondness for counting bugs. Their story offers potential hope for the role that social media and AI could play in our lives.

Boy meets girl meets moth: a many-legged love triangle. My column on the very passionate community of iNaturalist, which is showing that social media and AI can be used to bring people together for a common good rather than tearing us apart.
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Column | Why you should go fishing, even if you think you’d be terrible at it There are ecological and political reasons to try fly-fishing in the rivers of America.

If you care about the future of our planet, one of the best things you can do is go fishing. Better still, take your child or grandchild. My latest column, on how to build a consensus to combat climate change: more "boots on the water." Gift link. wapo.st/4n1Umee