Dan Rodricks

Butterfield I know exactly what I was doing on July 16, 1973, when Alexander Butterfield told the Senate Watergate Committee that all Oval Office conversations in the Nixon White House were recorded: Watching the hearing on television while getting dressed for the 4-to-midnight shift as a reporting intern for The Patriot Ledger in Quincy, Mass. … Continue reading 50 years ago: The Watergate summer and my first newspaper job: Obits, clam-digger fees and 27 lousy nursing homes.

I reached for it today, to turn a screw in an awkward spot, and realized something: We go back at least 40 years together. That's a good while to keep an everyday thing close by, or in your pocket, and not lose it down a storm drain or leave it in a bar. It's a … Continue reading My long-time companion

On a recent float trip on the Lehigh River, the guide suggested we sit quietly and wait for trout to rise at dusk. We were listening for them, hoping to hear them rise to an evening hatch of sulfur-colored mayflies. The experience reminded me that I've developed a skill from fishing for so many years: … Continue reading Listening for trout in the gloaming

Some reaction to my comments on NPR’s Morning Edition about 400 million guns inhibiting our sense of freedom on the Fourth of July. Thank you for sharing your insights regarding Independence Day during your interview on NPR this morning. As I listened to the radio while dropping my family off at the Denver airport (coincidentally … Continue reading NPR listeners react: “In the presence of all these weapons, I’m just not feeling very free these days.”

I receive statements by members of Congress and other elected officials in reaction to Supreme Court rulings. Doubting the public ever gets to read these in full, I’m posting some here: Rep. C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger:The Supreme Court has now issued three bad rulings in two days, all of which walk back legal precedent and much … Continue reading In one place: Statements of Maryland’s governor, members of Congress in reaction to the regressive Trump Court rulings

In writing my June 30 Sun column, I found it impossible not to make the connection between the late Frank Gallagher and Deanmichael Harrod. The Catholic Church figures into both men's stories, in very different ways. Gallagher The wrongful death lawsuit filed against the Archdiocese of Baltimore by Gallagher’s two adult children is one of … Continue reading One of the saddest documents you’ll ever read

Readers of The Baltimore Sun might remember Mark “Farley” Grant from a series of columns I wrote about him. Starting when he was just 14, he spent nearly 30 years in prison for a crime he did not commit. After finally gaining his freedom in 2012, he found a job as a meat cutter and … Continue reading Farley got married

My Sun column today was supposed to be a rant against the reckless, high-speed drivers who, like the pair involved in the deaths of the Baltimore Beltway 6 in March, risk the lives of the rest of us on the roadways. The column ended up as a reminder that, more than speeding, distracted driving is … Continue reading ‘The longest stretch of days without a fatal crash was five’

Fooling and catching the trout matters a little less each time I visit this heavenly place in the woods. I've been coming to this creek for three decades, and almost every Father's Day, or close to it, each of those years. I always feel privileged to have access to the creek through the generosity of … Continue reading In spiritu: Father’s Day Creek

I’ve never understood why so many people want one of the worst men in America to be president. It’s been analyzed many times by psychologists, historians, journalists, authors and political junkies. Despite all explanations, it’s still baffling, depressing and infuriating that Trump maintains his hold over the MAGA – millions of voters and thousands of … Continue reading Taking on an offended Trump defender