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May 15, 2026

Pool photo by Adrian Dennis

Notable

Keir Starmer and the end of old certainties. “No government seems to know what to do or how to do it. Each has tried, in its own way, to retrieve the old world Britain knew and understood. Each has failed.”

— Tom McTague, the editor in chief of the New Statesman

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The revolt against the girl bosses has arrived. “There is no feminist case for scaring people into adopting A.I.”

— Tressie McMillan Cottom

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We’re living in a renaissance of ritual. “A generation into the loneliness epidemic, Americans are devising astonishing new ways to gather in real life. ”

— Bruce Feiler, the author of “A Time to Gather: How Ritual Created the World — and How It Can Save Us”

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Spotlight

The New York Times

We’re All Victims of the War on Numbers

Authoritarians go after data. The president has already started.

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ICYMI

A deadly virus is on the loose and our health agencies lack leaders. “Dr. Makary’s tenure is just the latest in a cautionary tale about performative disruption, not because he challenged the F.D.A., but because he mistook provocation for the hard, unglamorous work of institutional change.”

— Katelyn Jetelina, a public health scientist

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Listen (or Watch)

The New York Times The Ezra Klein Show This Is Why I Find Pema Chödrön So Essential The 89-year-old Buddhist nun teaches the power of agreeing with your anxiety, instead of trying to run from it. 1 HR 13 MIN LISTEN

More in Opinion

Guest Essay ​Want to Know What Is Going to Happen in the Midterms? So Does Amy Walter. ​ Two powerful forces in politics clash. By Amy Walter and John Guida

Carlos Lozada Stop Looking for an Offramp in Iran And no, an exit strategy won’t help you, either. By Carlos Lozada

John McWhorter Young Folks Help English Grow Up The language is benefiting from a respect for diversity. By John McWhorter

letters Climate Change as a 2026 Campaign Issue Readers largely disagree with a guest essay that argued that Democrats should not focus on it. Also: Violence against Latinos; school closings.

In Your Words

Re: “He’s One of a Dying Breed in Congress. America Needs Him Now More Than Ever.”

I’m an independent who votes for Democrats 91% of the time. I donate to people like Mamdani, AOC and Bernie. When I discuss issues with liberals/Democrats online, I am often shouted down (virtually) when my positions stray from a 100% Democratic Party platform. I’m not supposed to say this, but maybe both sides are doing it? I refer you to the polling about the unpopularity of the Democratic Party. If their members are anything like the trolls I deal with online, it’s no surprise. Democrats and Republicans are both the same in my experience in how they don’t tolerate dissent. — A comment by Mark from North Carolina

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