Bill Sternberg

Don't you dare take away our snow days, New York City. School kids need the magic of snow days.

Editor's note: On Tuesday, New York City's Department of Education announced it will eliminate snow days in favor of remote learning for the 2021-22 school year. This column was originally published last December. When the biggest nor’easter in years…

Women like my mom nicked the glass ceiling. Ruth Bader Ginsburg stood on their shoulders.

Mom wasn't on a crusade for women's liberation but, like Ruth Bader Ginsburg, she faced discrimination. Their efforts made life better for today's generation of women, including my daughter. Wednesday afternoon, I went to the nursing home to see my…

Trump's 'mission accomplished' moment is premature and deadly. We have not defeated COVID.

USA TODAY Back in 2003, the George W. Bush administration was publicly expressing optimism about the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. That May 1, Bush memorably stood under a “Mission Accomplished” banner on the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier and…

Coronavirus furlough week diary: The path (not) taken

Monday: Wake up in a Motrin PM-induced fog. Turn on the radio. Listen to the latest coronavirus news. So, no, it isn’t all a bad dream. OMG, we’re all gonna die. No, this too shall pass. Prepare for first day of weeklong furlough from work. Think…

7 of our top opinion columns this week: ICYMI

From the death of the Chinese whistleblower doctor to the 2020 Democratic presidential candidates, here are some of our top columns of the week. USA TODAY In today's fast-paced news environment, it can be hard to keep up. For your weekend reading,…

Coronavirus whistleblower's death in China carries a warning for U.S.

During a trip to China in 2018, we were watching BBC News in our hotel room. When the anchorman started to talk about something going on in the country’s western provinces, the screen went blank. After a minute or so, the picture returned. The…

7 of our top opinion columns this week: ICYMI

USA TODAY In today's fast-paced news environment, it can be hard to keep up. For your weekend reading, we've started in-case-you-missed-it compilations of some of the week's top USA TODAY Opinion pieces. As always, thanks for reading, and for your…

Baseball bliss, every 50 years: Let’s go Mets! Let’s go Nats!

Through the team’s astonishing post-season run, I wore my lucky Nationals shirt during every game because, well, they played better when I did. One of the highlights of my childhood came in 1969 when the New York Mets miraculously overcame their…

7 of our top opinion pieces this week: ICYMI

USA TODAY In today's fast-paced news environment, it can be hard to keep up. For your weekend reading, we've started in-case-you-missed-it compilations of some of the week's top USA TODAY Opinion pieces. As always, thanks for reading, and for your…

The holy ground of Flight 93, one of 9/11’s enduring mysteries

SHANKSVILLE, Pa. — As horrific as the 9/11 attacks were, they would have been even worse if not for a heroic group of everyday airline passengers whose remains rest here amid a common field of wildflowers and hemlock groves. Eighteen years ago on…

If 2020 Democrats want to beat Trump, they shouldn't ignore moderates and indulge the left

Former Rep. John Delaney of Maryland, Rep. Seth Moulton of Massachusetts and Rep. Tim Ryan of Ohio are unlikely to win the Democratic presidential nomination in 2020. Make that highly unlikely. Each polled at 1% or less in a recent nationwide survey.…

Tree of Life synagogue shooting: 'A difficult and dark week' for Jews, but we are not alone

It is Wednesday, Oct. 24, and we are walking down a street in the old Jewish quarter of Shanghai. Yes, China’s largest city has an old Jewish quarter. As in many cities around the world, relatively few Jews live in the old Jewish quarter any…

The opioid crisis hits home. Mine.

Whenever I meet someone new at a social gathering, the question typically comes up within a few minutes of casual conversation: How many children do you have? Until nine months ago, this innocent question had a simple answer. Now it triggers a rapid…

America could use young, dynamic centrist leaders like France's Emmanuel Macron

Giving centrists like Macron the spotlight can make confrontation less fashionable. Compromise won’t be seen as a dirty word. French President Emmanuel Macron took Washington by storm last week, forging a closer relationship with President Trump,…

Don't call it 'meddling.' The Russians attacked our democracy.

The more we learn about Russia’s role in America’s elections, the more the commonly used description of it — meddling — seems inadequate. At one time, before we knew what we know now, meddling might have been an appropriate characterization. And, for…

Why does USA TODAY pair editorials with opposing views?

We’re starting a discussion and helping our readers reach their own conclusions. Alone among major news organizations, USA TODAY’s Editorial Board gives people we’re criticizing – or those we just plain disagree with – a chance to reply, right…

Tax Day isn't likely to be easier next year: Bill Sternberg

USA TODAY We got our tax returns back from the accountant the other day. Although our family finances aren’t unusually complicated, our federal and state returns for 2016 were 50 pages long. The printouts featured entries about “line 18 of the…

@Cliffs_Notes Constitution for @realDonaldTrump: Column

Shortly before noon on Friday, Donald Trump will take the oath of office, swearing to “preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.” Here are some highlights from the nation’s founding document, translated into the new…

John Glenn, the last hero: Bill Sternberg

USA TODAY As a skeptical journalist well versed in human foibles, I could count my heroes on one hand. There was my dad, an Army veteran of World War II who died three years ago at age 89. There was Carl Sagan, the brilliant astronomer who taught me…

How I missed the signs of a Trump win: Bill Sternberg

USA TODAY How to explain Donald Trump’s stunning victory? Looking back, several real-world clues should have caused me to question the supposedly sophisticated models that pointed to a comfortable Hillary Clinton win. Start with the July day I spent…