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

Students listen as Valerie Ziegler speaks during a session on digital literacy at Abraham Lincoln High School in San Francisco, Nov. 7, 2025. “One recent report found that only 18% of Gen Zers feel hopeful about AI, and almost half say the risks outweigh the benefits,” Michelle Goldberg writes. (Minh Connors/The New York Times) By MICHELLE GOLDBERG When Eric Schmidt, former CEO of Google, started talking about artificial intelligence during a commencement speech at the Univer

Baseball fans wait in line to enter Fenway Park in Boston on June 26, 2024. (Simon Simard/The New York Times) By ROSS DOUTHAT Very soon I will be going to a Boston Red Sox game with my son and a friend and his son. We will sit in the shadow of the Green Monster, cheer and boo, eat Fenway franks and sing “Sweet Caroline” and otherwise perform the rituals of fandom. And afterward I will feel guilty because the Red Sox, the obsession of my first two decades of conscious life, no

A student dons a cap and gown at Harvard University in Cambridge, Mass., Oct. 4, 2022. (Dumebi Malaika Menakaya/The New York Times) By MAUREEN DOWD Humans may be on the way out. But at least the humanities are back. Or so some of the tech gods tell us. After decades of dismissing liberal arts and humanities studies as useless and insisting that the mastery of science, engineering, math and tech is essential to future success, the tech world is coming around to the idea that l

President Xi Jinping of China walks with President Donald Trump at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing during their two-day summit, on Thursday, May 14, 2026. (Kenny Holston/The New York Times) By ROSS DOUTHAT A grand summit in Beijing is a natural time to assess the state of the U.S.-China competition, the dynamics of great power conflict, the balance of forces in this new Cold — or maybe just Cool? — War. It’s also a good time to revisit my own predictions. Six years ag

President Donald Trump listens to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth as he makes remarks about the war with Iran, in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, March 24, 2026. President Trump returned from China on Friday facing major decisions on Iran, as his top aides have drafted plans for a return to military strikes if Trump decides to try to break the impasse with more bombs. (Doug Mills/The New York Times) By CARLOS LOZADA The war with Iran had barely been joined wh