Some weeks it is difficult to pick out the most shocking stories symptomatic of decline and fall of American governmental integrity both in Washington and often at state levels. The White House and Congress frequently lead in that reckoning given the complete abandonment of any United States government’s effort to make its policies and legislation...

The week started on a positive note with President Donald Trump uncharacteristically declaring that a “memorandum of understanding” (MOU) had been achieved by US and Iranian negotiators assisted by Pakistani and Qatari mediators to suspend military action and begin sixty days of discussions in pursuit of a peace agreement. The move was based on a...