Ideas

Academia Needs to Stick Up for Itself

American higher education would be in a much stronger position today if it had made a proactive case to the public for its own importance—and taken steps to address its very real shortcomings.

Mahmoud Khalil’s Detention Is a Trial Run

The pro-Palestine student was arrested without due process for exercising his right to free speech. He will not be the last.

The Way of the Gun

Death by firing squad has come back to America.

The Only Question Trump Asks Himself

Trump does not do “policy” as Washington understands that term. His approach is personal, transactional, ad hoc, and episodic.

Europe Can’t Trust the U.S. Anymore

One Trump administration was a mistake; two Trump administrations will be read, correctly, as a divergence that can never be repaired.

Colleges Have No Idea How to Comply With Trump’s Orders

The Trump administration’s confusing instructions to universities have generated a flurry of nomenclature modifications—a kind of anti-woke theater.

Turtleboy Will Not Be Stopped

A profane blogger believes an innocent woman is being framed for murder. He’ll do anything to prove he’s right—and terrorize anyone who says he’s wrong.

The Diseases Are Coming

Elon Musk’s slash-and-burn government tear will have lasting effects on global health.

Move Fast and Destroy Democracy

Silicon Valley’s titans have decided that ruling the digital world is not enough.

Putin Won

The Russian dictator has bent the world, including the United States, to his vision.

The Pentagon’s DEI Panic

What are the nation’s warfighters so afraid of?

Hegseth Has All the Wrong Enemies

Appointing his personal lawyer to a top spot at the Pentagon is another sign that the U.S. military is now fighting culture wars.

Make Public-Health Officials Stay in Their Lane Again

Fighting anti-Semitism isn’t RFK Jr.’s job.

The Age of Anti-Woke Overreach

Republicans are way overplaying their hand.

What Alito’s Dissent Fails to Understand

The justice and his allies want to treat the foreign-aid case like an everyday spat over the terms of a government contract. It couldn't be more different.

The Ultimate German Philosophy for a Happier Life

Does your Weltanschauung need an upgrade? I’ve got you.

The Supreme Court Foreign-Aid Ruling Is a Bad Sign for Trump

Yes, the Court could do even more to push back, but it isn’t giving him wins that he needs.

The Taxpayers Are Going All In on Crypto

This isn’t an investment; it’s a giveaway to Trump’s supporters.

Why Trump Thanked John Roberts

The conservative justices are frequently accomplices to Trump’s assault on democracy.

The Rise of the Brutal American

This is how the bad guys act.