Ideas

College Football Is in Denial

The coronavirus keeps infecting players and disrupting game schedules, but schools are acting as if the pandemic isn’t happening.

• Jemele Hill
• 7:00 AM ET

Why Big-City Dominance Is a Problem for Democrats

Metro power comes with huge political and cultural drawbacks.

• Derek Thompson
• 6:30 AM ET

This Thanksgiving, Try Listening

What I learned about others when I lost my voice.

• Neil King Jr.
• 6:00 AM ET

Trump Pardoned Flynn to Save Himself

The president’s act of clemency was less about mercy than self-interest.

• David Frum
• November 25, 2020

The Flynn Pardon Is a Despicable Use of an Awesome Power

The president’s abuse of his clemency power is an assault on one of the few truly humane aspects of the American legal system.

• Mark Osler
• November 25, 2020

The Monster Publishing Merger Is About Amazon

Penguin Random House purchasing Simon & Schuster is not the gravest danger to the publishing business. The deal is transpiring in a larger context—and that context is Amazon.

• Franklin Foer
• November 25, 2020

Republicans Rediscover the Dangers of Selling Bunk to Their Constituents

Cynical public speech aimed at winning political power has consequences.

• Rachel Shelden
• November 25, 2020

Some Practical Thanksgiving Tips From a Professional Chef

Choose the one dish you can’t live without and spend your time making that.

• Anita Lo
• November 25, 2020

Republicans With Any Love of Country Must Acknowledge That Trump Has Lost

Each day, it becomes more urgent that Republicans and conservatives speak in defense of institutions and in defiance of the president’s posture.

• Gregg Nunziata
• November 24, 2020

France Is About to Become Less Free

In the aftermath of recent terrorist attacks, the French government has introduced new legislation that threatens the very freedoms it vows to defend.

• Mira Kamdar
• November 24, 2020

Your Individually Rational Choice Is Collectively Disastrous

Stopping the virus from spreading requires us to override our basic intuitions.

• Yascha Mounk
• November 24, 2020

Biden’s Sleepily Reassuring Appointments

If you wonder how Biden’s appointees will govern, just close your eyes and imagine yourself back to 2016.

• Graeme Wood
• November 23, 2020

Why Won’t Emily Murphy Just Do Her Job?

In delaying the transition, the General Services Administration chief is acting like an ideologue.

• Anne Applebaum
• November 23, 2020

The One Word That Bars Trump From Pardoning Himself

The question shouldn’t be whether the president can pardon himself but whether he can grant himself a pardon—and those are not the same thing.

• Eric L. Muller
• November 23, 2020

Right-Wing Social Media Finalizes Its Divorce From Reality

Fox News acknowledged Trump’s loss. Facebook and Twitter cracked down on election lies. But true believers can get their misinformation elsewhere.

• Renée DiResta
• November 23, 2020

Mao’s Lesson for Trump’s America

Beware of leaders willing to set their own country on fire.

• Edward S. Steinfeld
• November 22, 2020

In 1864, Like in 2020, America Just Got Lucky

The arc of history does not bend inevitably toward justice. Sometimes, Americans barely avoid disaster.

• Clint Smith
• November 22, 2020

The Fraught Politics Facing Biden’s Foreign Policy

His presidency may be the establishment’s last best chance to demonstrate that liberal internationalism is a superior strategy to populist nationalism.

• Thomas Wright
• November 22, 2020

Why You Don’t Mess Around With Presidential Transitions

Being president is a tremendously difficult job. Starting the first day without preparation could set up a presidency to fail.

• John Dickerson
• November 21, 2020