American flags are displayed on Capitol Hill in Washington, Jan. 3, 2025. (Mark Peterson/The New York Times) By THE EDITORIAL BOARD In the 20th century, Americans learned how government abuse of secrets can threaten liberty. It happened during Woodrow Wilson’s presidency, the McCarthy era and J. Edgar Hoover’s long reign at the FBI. After the Watergate scandal, however, Democrats and Republicans joined forces to put in place new rules and procedures to prevent federal officia

Construction workers etched President Donald Trump’s name on the Kennedy Center in Washington, on Friday, Dec. 19, 2025. A federal judge in Washington ordered on Friday, May 29, 2026, that the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts remove President Trump’s name from the building’s facade and all official branding, finding that the board’s decision to add it was unlawful. (Eric Lee/The New York Times) By BRET STEPHENS To: Our greatest president From: Your greatest fans

The Meta data center in Covington, Ga., Sept. 14, 2017. “AI is here. It will be used,” Times columnist Ezra Klein writes. “But how it is used, for what and by whom are meaningful questions.” (Dustin Chambers/The New York Times) By EZRA KLEIN So far, the policy conversation about artificial intelligence has focused on preventing harms to the public. What if AI leads to mass job loss? What if it’s used for surveillance? For bioweapons? What if it concentrates wealth and power i

Homes on Church Street in Stockbridge, Mass., on Nov. 2, 2025. “... Massachusetts has a fundamental problem that prevents many people from living the good life there: They cannot afford a home,” the Times Editorial Board writes. (Patrick Dodson/The New York Times) By THE EDITORIAL BOARD Massachusetts is an economic success story. The state’s leaders have leveraged its strong K-12 school system and excellent universities to build booming biotechnology and medical care industri

Farm pigs in Ionia, Iowa, Dec. 13, 2012. (Stephen Mally/The New York Times) By NICHOLAS KRISTOF We raised pigs for a time on our family farm in Oregon when I was a teenager, and they had stronger personalities than some of my human friends. While some of our pigs were friendly, docile or ingratiating, one sow named Brunhilda was grumpy, vocal and very strong-willed. But she was a devoted mom, constantly checking on her piglets and leading them around our farm — while showing

President Donald Trump gestures near an American flag after speaking at a rally in Suffern, N.Y., May 22, 2026. “The global economy needs an end to the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz lest energy prices rise even higher,” writes The New York Times columnist Bret Stephens. (Damon Winter/The New York Times) By BRET STEPHENS It isn’t hard to see the case for striking a deal with Iran, one that will turn the current shaky ceasefire into a long-term truce. The global economy need

A Memorial Day ceremony in San Juan on Monday, May 25, 2026. May 23, 2026 To Hon Donald Trump President White House 1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW Washington DC 20500 RE: THE DENIAL OF VOTING RIGHTS IN FEDERAL ELECTIONS TO THE AMERICAN CITIZENS RESIDENTS OF PUERTO RICO BASED ON THE WAY THEY MAY VOTE (DEMOCRAT OR REPUBLICAN) UNDER STATEHOOD Dear President Trump: I am a Republican, and have supported both of your administrations, but not your political denial of voting rights to the

What manner of presidency has Donald Trump devised for himself? You could call it the pecuniary presidency, a presidency not devoted to the public good or to the preservation of the Union or even to some narrow ideological crusade, but to the quest for personal enrichment. (Max Slobodda/The New York Times) By JAMELLE BOUIE The presidency is never static. It always changes. Each president molds it in his image. George Washington made the office one of honor. Andrew Jackson, of

Plants outside the Internal Revenue Service building in Washington, March 28, 2025. (Jason Andrew/The New York Times) By ROSS DOUTHAT Soon enough, the major artificial intelligence companies will take their soaring valuations and go public. When they do, a great many very smart, very eccentric people will suddenly possess enormous liquid wealth — and many have committed to giving great sums of it away. The future of American philanthropy isn’t the central drama of the AI age,

“Has there ever been an episode of presidential corruption so blatant and threatening to constitutional order? Certainly not in modern times,” The New York Times Editorial Board writes. (Philotheus Nisch/The New York Times) By THE EDITORIAL BOARD Has there ever been an episode of presidential corruption so blatant and threatening to constitutional order? Certainly not in modern times. President Donald Trump’s Justice Department is using taxpayer money to create a $1.8 billion