My son brought home a bookmark from school promoting the school's spring book fair -- and it doubled as a coupon to a fast-food restaurant. This isn't the first 'free kid's meal' coupon my son has gotten. It's a pretty common thing, and after the book I just read, it annoys me.

Some House Republicans have decided they will oust Speaker Mike Johnson. Reps. Lauren Boebert of Colorado and Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, among others, argue that the Democrats are already in control of the House by proxy, so make it reality. A sizable segment of the Republican base feels the same way. They lack the imagination to think of reality.

I’m often asked, “What kind of doctor do you aspire to be?” My response typically involves a blend of internal medicine and pediatrics, with a potential segue into Hematology and Oncology. Yet, the journey to becoming a doctor is far from a linear path. In this month’s column, let’s delve into the intricacies of medical training.

Dear Annie: My mother, who is now 62, has always been a dominant personality, keen on having things go her way. I’m 34, an independent graphic designer, and I pride myself on being self-sufficient and creative. But every time I share aspects of my life with her -- be it career choices, romantic partners or even smaller decisions like adopting a pet -- she critiques them, often unsolicitedly, making me second-guess my decisions. Her disapproval, which is always veiled as concern, is making me not want to be around her.

The Biden administration recently stopped a plan to ban the sale of menthol cigarettes. The excellent arguments for why they are dangerous were overcome by good arguments for why making them illegal didn’t make sense.

This is not directly about the issues animating the 'pro-Palestinian' demonstrations at many colleges. Rather it's about the air of privilege filling the sails of hypocrisy on which many ride.

The historian John Lukacs used to say all the old 'isms' of politics were defunct. They've become 'wasms,' except one nationalism.

Dear Annie: My friend 'Emily' and I go way back to our college days, when we used to share absolutely everything with each other -- the good, the bad and the ugly. She recently got a promotion at work (she works for a well-known accounting firm), something I know she's been dreaming of for a while. Of course, I'm super happy for her, but things between us have kind of shifted since then.

Dear Annie: I have a question I hear many people ask about wedding gifting. The old rule of thumb was the gift should cover the plate.

Just prior to leaving the Capitol in early April for our April recess, two senators made separate motions to pull two failing bills, SB 135 and SB 355 out of the committee they were assigned to. By rule, the vote on such a motion will take place on the following legislative day, which in this case was after the 20-day recess. A motion to pull a bill out of committee takes 24 yes votes. If that motion is successful, it would almost assuredly be followed by another motion to put the bill on the Senate floor for debate and a final action vote, which takes 27 affirmative votes.