EDITORIAL: The escape from Illinois

When the progressive political class preaches equality and prosperity, but bleeds productive citizens dry by treating them as little more than human ATMs, there should be little surprise when those same citizens take themselves to greener pastures. While Illinois was once the fifth-most-populous state in the nation, Reason magazine reports that U.S. Census data shows that the state has now been surpassed by Pennsylvania.

Aaron Blake: Trump’s strategy to attack Flynn won’t work

The White House has fired a warning shot in Michael Flynn's direction, with The Washington Post's Carol D. Leonnig reporting that it plans to label him a liar who can't be trusted if he makes claims against it. The strategy isn't that shocking - President Trump seemed to preview it with that fateful tweet, and his lawyers have hinted in this direction too - though it makes it crystal-clear that Trump's loyalty to his former national security adviser is far from absolute.

The top five undercovered news stories of 2017, from the left and right

President Donald Trump surrounded by members of congress and supporters as he speaks during an event on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, to acknowledge the final passage of tax overhaul legislation by Congress. Trump's unpredictable, pugnacious approach to the presidency often worked against him as Republicans navigated a tumultuous but ultimately productive year in Congress.

2017 was a year of chaos, division and disruption in national politics

President Donald Trump delivers his inaugural address after being sworn in as the 45th president of the United States in front of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 20. So did chaos, division and disruption, and a sense that the guardrails that usually had kept the capital and American politics on a normal path had collapsed under the weight of it all.

Democrats are deluded about tax cuts’ effect on 2018 elections

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer hold a press conference at the U.S. Capitol on Dec. 20. If Democrats do well in the 2018 midterm elections, it won't be because of the Trump tax cuts. Democrats' hyperbole notwithstanding, voters are not going to vote against Republicans for putting more money in their pockets.

While in Washington, Trump stays close to home

After living in Washington for about a year, President Donald Trump has yet to enjoy a single nonworking meal at a restaurant that doesn't pay him rent. He hasn't taken in a performance at the Kennedy Center; hasn't been to a sporting event; hasn't toured most of the sights.

Congresswoman Kay Granger speaks to the Star-Telegram editorial board Wednesday, July 5, 2017.

Trump a success? Ask a liberal; Granger tax vote 'irresponsible'; A wish for peace during the holidays; Trump: A threat to the free world?; What did the bears do to you? A letter writer suggested Americans will vote a straight Democratic ticket. Why would anyone want to go back to rampant illegal immigration, policies that make us less secure in regards to terrorism, an ineffective foreign policy that did nothing to stop our enemies from becoming armed with nuclear weapons, a stagnant economy, and an administration that sided with anti-police hate groups? Another reader asks for country over party, yet the other party's 2016 candidate was proven without a doubt of lying to the FBI .

Sean Davis: The top 10 undercovered news stories of 2017

There were so many gigantic news events in 2017 that the merely huge, or yooge, got the dog-bites-man treatment. What happened while we were focused on the president's tweets; the attempt to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act; the hurricanes in Texas, Florida and Puerto Rico; the tax bill; and #MeToo? Opinion asked two close observers of the media environment, Adam H. Johnson and Sean Davis , to list the top 10 under-covered stories of the year.

EDITORIAL: Are you feeling better off or not?

As we close out 2017 and prepare to welcome in 2018, Americans should ask themselves this basic question: Are you better off than you were a year ago, and more importantly, do you expect to be in an even better place at this time next year? That's because while extremists of both major political parties continue to engage in a struggle of ideas, most of us just want to feel we have greater control over our lives. It usually begins with a sense of economic security.