Food is a basic need. Without it, we can’t survive.

Federal law requires an instant background check for the buyer in every gun sale.

It was only a matter of time before someone did it. And the first gay athlete to come out who is active in a major North American pro team sport is hardly a household name. But none of that diminishes the impact of Jason Collins’ blunt announcement: “I am a 34-year-old NBA center. I’m black. And I’m gay.”

Washington and Seoul are now in a retiring mood.

At his news conference Tuesday, President Barack Obama made a powerful plea for ending the humanitarian and diplomatic disaster created by the continued detention of more than 160 prisoners at Guantanamo Bay, more than 100 of whom are engaged in a hunger strike that necessitated the dispatch of an emergency medical team. The problem is that Obama has contributed to the crisis by acquiescing in congressional obstruction of his promise to close the facility.

It’s not every day that five Democrats, five Republicans and one independent lawmaker announce that they have reached agreement on a major tax reform plan that addresses all of the state’s most difficult fiscal issues.

Most Americans already believe that the federal government favors the interests of wealthy elites over the rest of us. Last week, the government confirmed it.

Within a few months, the U.S. and European Union will formally launch free-trade talks. Now is the time to think big.