John Casey

I have several female friends who have been victims of domestic abuse. Over the past decade, they have confided in me because I’ve been open about my mental health struggles. When you make yourself vulnerable, it often gives others permission to do the sa... See more

I write about politics for a living, which means that whenever I show up at a social gathering, I become the reluctant metaphorical doctor at the party, with every guest wanting to question me about their latest ailment. That’s me. Except my ailment is Do... See more

I had a great uncle who was notorious for sleeping sitting straight up in his chair. His eyes would glaze over as family conversations swirled around him. Inevitably, his eyes would shut, and whether it was a dream or the shrill sound of his wife’s laugh,... See more

I was a news junkie long before it was cool — was it ever cool? — or even common. Growing up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, I was probably the only kid on my block, maybe in the entire city and state, who planted himself in front of the television every nig... See more

In 1971, Don McLean wrote an eight-and-a-half-minute elegy for the American soul. “American Pie” begins with a plane crash in an Iowa cornfield in 1959 that killed rock and rollers Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and the Big Bopper. But the song was never re... See more