By ROSS DOUTHAT When I joined this newspaper as a columnist 17 years ago, President Barack Obama was still enjoying the flush of first-term popularity. In both political and cultural circles, there was vaulting confidence that his fusion of social liberalism and technocratic ambition had swept away the conservative era in American politics. The columnist’s job contains multitudes, but it’s useful to have a primary antagonist, a specific worldview that you think needs to be ch

By TRESSIE McMILLAN COTTOM Are we looking at a socialist revival in American politics? A mashup of political analysis since Zohran Mamdani was elected mayor of New York City would have you believe that we are living in either the golden age of leftism or that the communists are coming. That might one day be our electoral reality, but not today. Yes, a lot of left-leaning candidates did well this past week, with notable primary victories in Michigan and Kansas. But a lot of mo

“Empire of AI: Dreams and Nightmares in Sam Altman’s OpenAI” by Karen Hao By TRESSIE McMILLAN COTTOM In June, I wrote about how the data center revolts happening across the country get to the heart of our greatest political problems. Artificial intelligence is not just a market product or a scientific achievement. It is a political theory. And it is gobbling up our democracy. The challenge this presents to a functioning democracy is immense. Democrats cannot just “win the mid

“This column isn’t so much an argument as it is a plea: Don’t use artificial intelligence to help you write,” writes New York Times columnist Bret Stephens. (Tamara Porras/The New York Times) By BRET STEPHENS This column isn’t so much an argument as it is a plea: Don’t use artificial intelligence to help you write. Never let AI do your writing for you. Don’t use it for school papers, work briefs, letters to your in-laws, speeches at your company gathering or emails (however p

By THE EDITORIAL BOARD Sam Altman, the CEO of OpenAI, has proposed that the federal government take small stakes in the leading artificial intelligence companies so the public can share in the industry’s financial bonanza. He has reportedly suggested giving the government a 5% stake in his own company, which would be worth $42.6 billion at the current market price. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., says the government should take a 50% stake in the leading companies, placing the sh

President Donald Trump speaks to reporters aboard Air Force One en route to Washington, on Sunday, Aug. 2, 2026. (Pete Marovich/The New York Times) By DAVID FRENCH The only thing worse than President Donald Trump starting an unconstitutional war is Trump losing control of that war. On Wednesday, NBC News reported that Trump “erupted” at members of his national security team over the Iran war. According to the report, his advisers can’t agree on a path forward. But how could t

Matt Damon as Odysseus in Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey” (2026) (Wikipedia/Universal Pictures) By ROSS DOUTHAT Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey” is the blockbuster that launched a million takes. The interpretations crowd my social media feed like Agamemnon’s assembled ships at Aulis. They keen in my ears like the Sirens’ seductive voices. They … OK, look, I’m just saying people have a lot of opinions about the biggest movie of the year. And for good reason, because Nolan’s

On the night of President Donald Trump’s inauguration, Jan. 20, 2025, a television plays video of Elon Musk speaking. (IOULEX/The New York Times). By JAMELLE BOUIE “The Turner Diaries” is a work of white supremacist agitprop. It purports to be the diary of a neo-Nazi militant, Earl Turner, who is working to overthrow the United States government — or as the book calls it, “the System” — through a group called “the Organization.” Turner castigates “the System” for promoting in

A window broken by settlers at a Palestinian home in the area of Tuwani in the West Bank, April 5, 2026. (Samar Hazboun/The New York Times) By BRET STEPHENS Because Israel is routinely the victim of double standards — Will Zohran Mamdani ever make a personal cause of denouncing his native Uganda for criminalizing homosexuality? Or tell a human-rights malefactor like Turkey’s president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, that he, too, isn’t welcome in New York? — it’s tempting for the Jewi

By THE EDITORIAL BOARD Americans often hear about China having surpassed the United States in the manufacturing of emerging technologies, including clean energy, electric vehicles and drones. Semiconductors are an important exception. In partnership with its allies in Europe and Asia, America designs and makes by far the best computer chips in the world. Those chips are crucial to America’s economy and national security. They have enabled the development of the world’s leadin