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For many Americans, politics has become imbued with a religious fervor – while at the same time, participation in organized religion has plummeted.

Rep. Liz Cheney’s ouster from a top leadership post in the Republican Party has drawn attention, and concern, a long way from her home state of Wyoming. America’s overseas allies, especially in Europe, are as worried as Ms. Cheney about the direction of U.S. democracy. They wonder whether the Republicans are abandoning their traditional policy and political role in favor of personal allegiance to a leader in the populist, strongman mode: former President Donald Trump. Why We Wrote This Europeans know from their history the cost of demanding personal fealty to an unchallenged leader. That ...

Gaza City, Gaza Strip; and Jerusalem Rockets streamed out of Gaza and Israel pounded the territory with airstrikes Wednesday as the most severe outbreak of violence since a 2014 war took on many hallmarks of that devastating 50-day conflict, with dozens killed and no resolution in sight. Palls of gray smoke rose in Gaza as Israeli airstrikes leveled two apartment towers and hammered multiple security installations, destroying the central police compound. In Israel, barrages of hundreds of rockets fired by Gaza’s Hamas rulers and other militants at times overwhelmed missile defenses and brou...

The fourth Israel-Hamas war in 12 years may not stand a chance against a new mood in the Middle East.

By Heller McAlpin Correspondent Cartoonist Alison Bechdel, who wrote about her parents in two celebrated graphic memoirs – “Fun Home” and “Are You My Mother?” – turns the focus on herself and her lifelong obsession with exercise in the ironically titled “The Secret to Superhuman Strength.” Just don’t mistake it for a self-help book filled with platitudes and exhortations. Bechdel, neither a cheerleader nor a boot-camp sergeant, is never shallow. In panels busy with expressive drawings, text, and commentary, Bechdel excavates her deepest thoughts and feelings. This l...