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John Rash

Editorial Writer | Opinion
Phone: 612-673-4301

John Rash is an editorial writer and columnist. His Rash Report column analyzes media and politics, and his focus on foreign policy has taken him on international reporting trips to China, Japan, Rwanda, Kazakhstan, Turkey, Lithuania, Kuwait and Canada.


Rash's commentary can be heard on WCCO-AM on Friday mornings at 8:10 a.m. and on Wednesdays on "Playing Politics," a podcast from the Editorial Board. He lives in St. Louis Park with his wife, two children and a dog..
Recent content from John Rash
Voters wait in a long line at a polling place at the Michelle and Barack Obama Sports Complex on Nov. 5 in Los Angeles.

Rash: Year of elections doesn't ensure an era of strong democracies

At Norway House, a Minnesota Peace Initiative panel examines "The World Votes: Global Democracy at a Crossroads."
Ukraine's military said it hit ammunition warehouses in the Bryansk region of Russia on Nov. 19, a strike Moscow claimed relied on U.S.-made ATACMS mi

Rash: U.S. approval affects Ukraine's use of a missile and its mission

The Biden administration agrees to allow ATACMS to be launched into Russia.
Saoirse Ronan (left) and Elliott Heffernan in "Blitz."

Rash: Bombing of civilians seen in 'Blitz' isn't old history — it's happening in today's wars, too

As in London during World War II, the aerial warfare of contemporary conflicts reflects 'The Return of Total War' and its devastating toll on children.
President Donald Trump appears with Fox & Friends co-host Pete Hegseth at an event at the White House in 2017.

Rash: Senate must thoroughly, thoughtfully vet Hegseth

The Minnesotan nominated for secretary of defense would face "the most daunting geostrategic environment" in the postwar era.
A view of the Capitol through a Senate office building in 2018.

Rash: Senate should keep its check on cabinet nominees

"The confirmation of nominees is one of the most important responsibilities we have, and it's a big part of our system of checks and balances," said Sen. Amy Klobuchar.
Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris is photographed with the hosts during a commercial break at The View on Oct. 8 in New Yor

Media morphed along with politics this presidential election

Three prominent political scientists share their analysis.
Lin-Manuel Miranda, center, is the creator, composer and original  title character in the hit musical "Hamilton," shown here in the "Yorktown" scene i

Lin-Manuel Miranda on Puerto Rico, 'Hamilton' and the election

"Your voice is your vote," says the Pulitzer Prize, Grammy, Tony and Emmy Award winner.
The Office of the Director of National Intelligence “is increasingly confident that Russian actors are considering — and in some cases implementin

From Russia with hate

Attack on Walz reflects a sprawling disinformation campaign against America.
Then-President Donald Trump, seated next to Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark A. Milley, gave during a briefing with senior military lea

Rash: Take Trump's threats literally and seriously

Former military leaders sound the alarm about the former president.
A demonstrator holds a sign about the killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar during a protest calling for a cease-fire deal and the immediate release of

Sinwar's death is an opportunity for a diplomatic pivot

Killing of the Hamas leader should give impetus to end the war in Gaza.
The head of the Nobel Committee, Jorgen Watne Frydnes, shows the logo of the Japanese organization Nihon Hidankyo, the winner of the Nobel Peace Prize

Rash: Nobel Peace Prize honors atomic-bomb survivors while warning of today's dangers

Japanese grass-roots group Nihon Hidankyo has borne witness to nuclear war's horrors.
Supporters walk past stacks of newspapers as they arrive at a campaign rally for former President Donald Trump in Butler, Pa., on Oct. 5.

Rash: Election stakes high for journalists and press freedom

A new Committee to Protect Journalists study states the outcome "could shape the global media environment for decades."
Posters from 16 artists are featured by race organizer Twin Cities In Motion to tout ”The Most Beautiful Urban Marathon in America,“ including the

Artistry runs wild in marathon posters

Sixteen works by locally based artists depict "The Most Beautiful Urban Marathon in America."
A cohort of World Press Institute fellows met with Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon on Sept. 11.

Rash: The global glare on America's election

The debate, and our democracy, as seen through the eyes of international journalists visiting Minnesota.
Former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris, this year’s Republican and Democratic presidential nominees, respectively, will meet

No debate: The stakes are high in Tuesday's Trump-Harris matchup

The election event doesn't really replicate real debates, however, let alone governing the country.
Ross Wilson, America’s former top diplomat in Kabul, Afghanistan.

The facts on Afghanistan from a Minnesotan who was at the center of it all

Ross Wilson, America's top (and for now, final) diplomat in Kabul, recounts the events that culminated in tragedy three years ago this week.
Vice President Kamala Harris accepts the presidential nomination at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago on Aug. 22.

Polls, ratings suggest slight Harris edge

Overall, more watched the DNC than the RNC.
This combination photo shows Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump at an event, Aug. 15, in Bedminster, N.J., left, and Democr

Whoever wins, their international inbox will be full

The campaign has mostly focused on domestic issues. But foreign-policy crises await.
October 18, 1979 High-level, but low-decibel, conference - Vice President Walter Mondale listed intently to President Carter Wednesday during a ceremo

Walz seeks an office that humbled Humphrey and was modernized by Mondale

Minnesota's second vice president set a precedent that's endured since.
Reporter Evan Gershkovich hugs his mother, Ella Milman, as President Joe Biden, right, looks on Joint Base Andrews on Thursday following a 24-person p

Prisoner swap a 'joyous day' amid a dark era in U.S.-Russia relations

The asymmetric list of prisoners exchanged, including journalist Evan Gershkovich, reflects the deep divides between the Kremlin and the West.
Greece's team goes down the Seine River in Paris, France, during the opening ceremony of the 2024 Summer Olympics on July 26.

Amid ascendant nationalism, Olympics' internationalism endures

Twelve athletes with Minnesota ties will compete for Team USA while 16 will join their home countries' squads as Paris welcomes the world.
President Joe Biden, right, shakes the hand of Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during a meeting on the sidelines of the NATO Summit in Washing

A restive West warily watches U.S. election

Turmoil roiling the Democrats — and America's democracy — shadowed this week's summit of NATO nations.
The African “diaspora community in Minnesota is significant in part because of the way the state of Minnesota treats them,” said Molly Phee, the U

State Department envoy displays diaspora diplomacy

To find out what's going on abroad, it's often best to seek insight from regular people, she says.
Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich stands in a glass cage in a courtroom at the Moscow City Court in Moscow on June 22, 2023.

Despite change and challenge, U.S. journalists rally to the task

Washington Post's reporters' response to that paper's own scandal and the Wall Street Journal's advocacy for jailed journalist Evan Gershkovich serve as models.
Voters line up around the block as they wait to cast their ballots, during general elections in Mexico City, Sunday, June 2.

What the worldwide wave of elections is indicating

Running for office by running against the system is just one of the themes seen in multiple countries — including the U.S.
Newspapers are on display at a bodega in the Brooklyn borough of New York a day after a New York jury found former President Donald Trump guilty of 34

'Tectonic shifts' roil media and politics

The interrelated changes are sharpening the partisanship shaping the character of the country.
FILE - Russian opposition activist Vladimir Kara-Murza is escorted to a hearing in a court in Moscow, Russia, Feb. 8, 2023. A court in Moscow on Monda

Many governments worldwide failing to protect press freedom

As Reporters Without Borders' World Press Freedom Index details declines across continents, the Pulitzer Prizes highlights the need for great reporting.
Fiona Hill, the former top Russia and Europe expert on the National Security Council, testifies during the open hearing of the House Intelligence Comm

Ukraine aid vote is a domestic and geopolitical inflection point

Renowned Russia expert Fiona Hill reflects on the Kremlin's propaganda program, what President Vladimir Putin is thinking and how U.S. divisions impact international issues.
A scene from "The Movie Teller," one of 238 films representing 70 countries and cultures that screen through April 25 at the 43rd Annual Minneapolis S

Film festival shows the transformative power of art

At the 43rd Annual Minneapolis St. Paul International Film Festival, movies like "Sing Sing" and "The Movie Teller" reflect "how cinema or art in general moves us."
Leadership representing Norfolk-based NATO headquarters salute as the Swedish flag is raised outside of NATO Allied Command Transformation in Norfolk,

NATO's strength in numbers makes U.S. more secure

The transatlantic alliance, now up to 32 members, has protected the West for 75 years.
FILE - In this May 24, 2018, file photo, Chair of the Republican National Committee Ronna McDaniel appears on the "Fox & friends" television program i

McDaniel mess suggests a more profound pundit problem

The "revolving door" of the political media industrial complex hurts journalism and democracy.
“To get people to buy into public health again isn’t quite as difficult as trying to move the Grand Canyon to southwest Minnesota, but it’s damn

Osterholm: As politics infect science, new tactics critical

The widening partisan divide may make responding to the inevitable next pandemic even more difficult.
A picture shows stories in Britain's national newspapers, about the altered mother's day photo released by Kensington Palace on March 10, of Britain's

Photo flap a tempest in a (royal) teapot compared to coming AI era

Photoshop fails are more easily detectable than the insidious artificial-intelligence images that may threaten society and democracy itself.
Headshots of former President Donald Trump and President Joe Biden.

The complexities of age and ethics in the presidential race

The numbers voters may mostly focus on aren't economic metrics, but Biden's age and Trump's indictments.
Ukrainian emergency employees and police officers evacuate injured pregnant woman Iryna Kalinina, 32, from a maternity hospital that was damaged by a

Film shows what doing 'whatever the hell they want' looks like

Oscar-nominated documentary "20 Days in Mariupol" depicts the results of an unrestrained Russia and Vladimir Putin.
Group of people marching for human rights in New York City.

The global impact from local human-rights activism

New U exhibit explores how Minnesota-based organizations often have had a worldwide influence in the enduring struggle for human rights.
Jeffrey Ettinger, a former DFL congressional candidate who previously worked as CEO of Hormel Foods, interviews before the University of Minnesota Reg

Higher education takes a tough test

The University of Minnesota and other institutions face campus controversies, concern over cost and value from an increasingly skeptical public.
Dean Phillips held an election eve rally in his New Hampshire campaign headquarters Monday, Jan. 22, 2024  Manchester, New Hampshire   ] GLEN STUBBE �

Why Dean Phillips continues against-the-odds quest

The Minnesota Democrat, who acknowledges a "steep slope ahead," has focused more on politics than policy while largely being ignored by the national news media.
Signs for Republican presidential candidates are seen outside of the Horizon Event Center, a caucus location, on Caucus Day in Clive, Iowa, on Monday,

Presidential candidates should run everywhere, for everyone

Biden, by bypassing Iowa and New Hampshire, reinforced Democratic drift from rural America.

The link between global connectedness and geopolitical outlook

Two new Pew Research Center reports reflect the value of international travel.
Peace Corps Director Carol Spahn (center in white pants) is joined by former Peace Corps volunteers at the Minnesota International NGO Network Annual

In war-torn world, the Peace Corps endures

"Do whatever is in your sphere of influence," Peace Corps director Carol Spahn tells attendees at a summit of internationally involved Minnesotans.
The world’s largest aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford, was dispatched toward Israel following a large-scale assault from Hamas.

U.S. is at peace, but Biden is increasingly a wartime president

Crises in the Mideast, Eastern Europe and elsewhere reflect the possibilities, and limits, of being commander-in-chief.
A Palestinian carries a child pulled out of a building hit in the Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip in Rafah, Sunday, Oct. 22, 2023. (AP Photo/Hat

Ukraine, Israel inspire clashing reactions in foreign lands

President Joe Biden legislatively and geopolitically tied the wars between Russia-Ukraine and Hamas-Israel together, but much of the world may see it differently.
A friend of Reuters videographer Issam Abdallah who was killed by Israeli shelling mourns over his body during his funeral procession in his hometown

Casualties, including truth and truth-tellers, keep mounting in the Mideast

A wave of mis- and disinformation and the deaths of journalists imperil the ability to get verifiable information about the war in Gaza.
Paul Dano stars as Keith Gill in “Dumb Money.”

A new film right on the (Dumb) Money

A comedy about 2021's GameStop stock-frenzy dramatically shows the inequity in equity markets — and the rest of society.
Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, pointing to a map, joined U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., and moderator Tom Hanson at an event at Norway

A Minnesota lens: Defending democracy in Ukraine and beyond

At a Twin Cities event, Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre and Sen. Amy Klobuchar reflected on today's key geopolitical divide.
Elon Musk, billionaire and chief executive officer of Tesla, at the Viva Tech fair in Paris, France, on Friday, June 16, 2023. Musk predicted his Neur

Elon Musk shouldn't command Ukraine decisions

Governments, not individual citizens, should make — and be held responsible for — military policies.
Republican presidential candidates at the debate hosted Wednesday by Fox News (from left): former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson; former New Jersey Gov.

John Rash: Respect voters by improving debates

Fox News and former President Donald Trump should show more regard for the electorate as the debate schedule rolls on.
A stack of the latest weekly edition of the Marion County Record sits in the back of the newspaper’s building, awaiting unbundling, sorting and dist

With newspapers, don't try that in a small town

A police raid on a Kansas newspaper galvanizes press advocacy organizations and everyday citizens to defend the First Amendment.
The sun sets behind a smokestack in the distance in Kansas City, Mo.

John Rash: As heat broils the planet it may roil geopolitics, too

The effects of climate change can spur migration — and subsequent political — crises that endanger democracy.
Cillian Murphy stars in “Oppenheimer.”

Oppenheimer-era blast radius still reverberating

The threat of nuclear war — and of silencing scientists — is more dangerous than ever.
Ukrainian youth soccer team playing in the USA Cup

Ukrainian soccer team returns to USA Cup, U.S. 'family'

For the squad's head coach, it's a respite from the war yet an opportunity to share "what's going on in Ukraine."
Drawing out — and calling out — Vladimir Putin

Drawing out — and calling out — Vladimir Putin

Graphic novel "Accidental Czar: The Life and Lies of Vladimir Putin" examines and explains the Russian president.
G7 leaders, from left to right, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, U.S. President Joe Biden,

U.S., Biden approval ratings on the rise — abroad, at least

New Pew poll in 23 countries across continents shows increasing international support for America and its commander in chief.
Top, undated handout photo shows Titan, the submersible that vanished on expedition to the Titanic wreckage. Bottom, a fishing boat carrying migrants

Why one tragedy at sea eclipsed another

The search for the submersible Titan generated a level of media coverage far beyond the attention paid to the Adriana and the deaths of hundreds of migrants.
Former President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in a combined image.

In Ukraine and the U.S., a reckoning on classified information

When secrets are "divulged through whatever means, you are literally putting people's lives in danger," said a top defense expert.
SOUTH CHINA SEA (May 20, 2022) Sa Sailor stands watch aboard the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Chung-Hoon (DDG 93) while underway w

Carleton students attempt virtual peacemaking in War College exercise

The U.S. Army War College's International Strategic Crisis Negotiation Exercise focused on the South China Sea.
Military personnel raise the flag of Finland during a ceremony on the sidelines of a NATO foreign ministers meeting at NATO headquarters in Brussels,

Finland strengthens, and is strengthened by, NATO

Finland's ambassador to the U.S. shares his views on his nation, NATO ascension, Russian aggression and tighter ties with Minnesota.
Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Feb. 8 visits the city center destroyed by the earthquake in Kahramanmaras, southern Turkey.

2023's most important election

Just months after devastating earthquakes, Turks head to the polls for a vote that has global implications.
Chief Justice Warren Burger administers the Oath of Office to President Gerald Ford while Betty Ford looks on.

Gerald Ford, an extraordinary 'ordinary man'

A new biography of America's 38th president offers a lesson for today's leaders contending with a riven nation.

'Discord Leaks' sows an evolving surveillance era

Discord, the online site popular with video gamers, is where classified U.S. government documents were initially posted.

International film festival seeks to 'unite, inform and transform'

Close to 200 short and feature films from around the world will screen between April 13-27 at the 42nd annual Minneapolis St. Paul International Film Festival.
The Wall Street Journal journalist Evan Gershkovich is shown in this undated photo. The State Department says Secretary of State Antony Blinken urged

Russia must free reporter Evan Gershkovich

"Wrongfully detained" Wall Street Journal correspondent shows the severity of Russia's repression of media freedom — and ultimately the truth.
In this June 12, 1987 file photo U.S. President Reagan acknowledges the crowd after his speech in front of the Brandenburg Gate in West Berlin, where

Campaigns past and present reflect on Reagan's legacy

Allegations about the 1980 campaign surface as the GOP's top 2024 candidates veer from Reagan's resolute stand against totalitarianism.
A man in Tehran holds a local newspaper reporting on its front page the China-brokered deal between Iran and Saudi Arabia to restore ties, signed in B

China's unexpected diplomatic coup changes the Mideast puzzle

A Beijing-brokered deal between Iran and Saudi Arabia alters regional, and maybe even geopolitical, dynamics.
Left, anti-government demonstrators protest against recent reforms pushed by President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador to the country’s electoral law th

U.S. must be a beacon for democracy for Mexico, Israel

As protests roil its two allies, America needs to live up to its own democratic ideals.
Egyptian president Anwar Sadat, US president Jimmy Carter, and Israeli prime minister Menachem Begin are shown on the north lawn of the White House, s

An exemplary post-presidency. (And a pretty good presidency, too.)

Belying public (and often pundit) perceptions, Jimmy Carter had an often consequential and constructive White House tenure.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine speaks from a screen at the Munich Security Conference in Munich, Germany on Feb. 17.

Avoiding 'Munich' at the Munich Security Conference

World leaders gathering at the annual meeting seem resolute in rejecting further appeasement of Russia.
Lyndon B. Johnson meets with Sen. Richard Russell in December 1963.

In a new documentary, as in life, LBJ looms large

"Turn Every Page: The Adventures of Robert Caro and Robert Gottlieb" focuses on the 50-year collaboration between the legendary writer and editor.

In tank debate, all was not quiet on the German front

Oscar-nominated "All Quiet on the Western Front" reminds why Germany's history plays a role in present-day politics, too.
An idled snow cannon in the village of Davos Wiesen, Switzerland, on Jan. 8. MUST CREDIT: Bloomberg photo by Francesca Volpi

Geopolitical, global-warming angst in the Alps

The climate crisis is the type of challenge meant for the business and political leaders at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
President Vladimir Putin speaks in a recording of his annual televised New Year’s message on New Year’s Eve after an awarding ceremony during his

On black swans, gray rhinos and white doves

Geopolitical experts consider the conflicts and top risks of 2023.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Time's 'Person of the Year,' channels Chaplin as much as Churchill

Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Time's 'Person of the Year,' channels Chaplin as much as Churchill

In a compelling profile, the Ukrainian comedian-turned-statesman lauds unconventional voices against totalitarianism.
A still from an ad for Sipsmith Gin.

At the Walker Art Center, the best of Britain's (deeply) moving images

The annual Arrows Awards screening, featuring the best of British advertising, begins its holiday-season run.
People pose for a photograph with a sign reading in English” Fifa World Cup, Qatar 2022” at the corniche in Doha, Qatar, Thursday, Nov. 17, 2022.

World Cup in Qatar is an 'own goal' by FIFA

Soccer's governing body, as well as the International Olympic Committee, should live up to ideals in awarding events.