View in browser|nytimes.com

November 7, 2025

Damon Winter/The New York Times

Good morning. Tell us what you think of this new version of the newsletter at opiniontoday@nytimes.com.

Notable

More Democrats need to follow Nancy Pelosi’s example and retire. “Pelosi was correct to step aside from her leadership role in 2022 to make way for a new generation, even if Hakeem Jeffries, her successor, hasn’t been nearly as impressive as she was. And she’s right to retire now, setting an example for a party with a serious gerontocracy problem.”

— Michelle Goldberg, Opinion columnist

Read now →

The season of the wolves. “People support an authoritarian not because they like this or that policy but because they embrace the authoritarian’s artistic vision. Performance artists like Trump and Putin can be dishonest, offensive and outrageous, but there is one rule: They must never be boring.”

— David Brooks, Opinion columnist

Read now →

Trump has brought back the Roaring Twenties. The crash could be brutal. “When sentinels sleep, fraudsters flourish; their frenzied celebration of unreal profits pumps froth into the market; ultimately, with panic and pain, bubbles will burst.”

— William Birdthistle, law professor at the University of Chicago Law School

Read now →

Spotlight

Photo illustration by The New York Times ‘The Jitterbug Seems Justified!’: 3 Writers on Democratic Elation and G.O.P. Alarm What both parties should take away from a night of Democratic victories. Read more

In Case You Missed It

The dusty boxes of aging papers that changed American music and my life. “This was music possible only in America: music that imposed the tones, harmonies, instruments and rhythms of jazz on the traditional structure of a light classical orchestra. It was the product of communal, subconscious genius — spontaneous, emergent and gorgeous.”

— John McWhorter, Opinion writer

Read now →

Listen

Damon Winter/The New York Times

The Blue Wave Cometh?

Ezra Klein and Aaron Retica discuss how liberalism can win right now.

Listen now →

More in Opinion

Guest Essay It’s Not Just Cuomo Who Lost. It’s Cuomoism. He’s sharp-elbowed, retributive and transactional, and won’t be missed. By Elizabeth Spiers

Guest Essay The New Obama Musical Made Me Feel Old It’s no ‘Hamilton,’ but it’s history. By David Litt

Guest Essay Why Would Hamas Disarm? For a movement that built its legitimacy around what it called resistance, giving up its weapons is not just a tactical concession, it is an existential unraveling. By Akram Attaallah

Guest Essay Nancy Pelosi Is an American Political Giant She’ll rightly be lionized as the first woman speaker, but in one sense, that was the most incidental of her myriad accomplishments. By John A. Lawrence

We hope you’ve enjoyed this newsletter, which is made possible through subscriber support. Subscribe to The New York Times.

PLAY TODAY’S GAMES

Wordle → Connections → Strands → Spelling Bee → Crossword → Mini → Wordle → Connections → Strands → Spelling Bee → Crossword → Mini →

Forward this newsletter to friends to share ideas and perspectives that will help inform their lives. They can sign up here. Do you have feedback? Email us at opiniontoday@nytimes.com.

If you have questions about your Times account, delivery problems or other issues, visit our Help Page or contact The Times.