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August 18, 2026

Eric Helgas

Notable

Does the $20 burrito really explain inflation? “Americans are convinced they’re living through an affordability crisis. So who’s more on the mark — the economic statistics or the student who set off the MAGA burrito chorus?”

— Justin Wolfers, a professor of economics and public policy

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The rush to pin Jason Arday’s awful death on the media. “For people on the left, it’s sure easier to talk about the feral excesses of the right-wing press than the willful gullibility of certain elite progressives. But both contributed to the Arday disaster.”

— Michelle Goldberg, an Opinion columnist

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The crypto dice appear to be loaded. “Estimates vary, but according to a cryptocurrency analytics firm reported on in The Times, the Trumps made at least $1.4 billion, and their investors, lost nearly $4 billion from purchases of Trump-linked crypto. These purchases have — let’s say — coincided with pardons, dropped investigations and favorable regulatory decisions.”

— Thomas B. Edsall, a contributing Opinion writer

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Spotlight

Kyle Ellingson

These Are the Promises Trump Has Failed to Keep

The president likes to boast about the “greatest economy we’ve ever had.” His record falls far short.

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ICYMI

How Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is rewriting the rules. “Ms. Ocasio-Cortez is consciously working to fuse her body and mind on the public stage, to show us what real, human, embodied and, yes, female power can look like. She will not be a mere ‘thing in a suit,’ as she said.”

— Rhonda Garelick, the author of “Mademoiselle: Coco Chanel and the Pulse of History”

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Listen (or Watch)

The New York Times The Ezra Klein Show The A.I.s Are Already Out of Control Helen Toner, who served on OpenAI’s board, hopes the recent hack by that company’s models serves as a warning. 1 HR 11 MIN LISTEN

More in Opinion

Guest Essay I’m a Psychiatrist. I’m Hearing Something New From Young Women. Step 1: Take it seriously, not literally. By Suzanne Garfinkle-Crowell

Guest Essay Here’s How One Country May Have Solved a Violent Uprising A recent Turkish law moving toward an end to the conflict with the P.K.K. could be a model for other militant groups. By Asli Aydintasbas

Guest Essay What It Will Take to Win the 2028 Democratic Presidential Nomination A new early calendar will upend how Democrats select their 2028 champion. By David Plouffe

In Your Words

Re: “Cuba Is Out of Time”

Dan Frazier Boca Raton Living down here where the weather is so similar to Cuba's, I really feel for the Cubans during this very hot and humid summer. I can't imagine what they are going through. I have to wonder how many people have died during the blockade, either due to a lack of air conditioning, medicines, or even food. And for what? In a best-case scenario, I see Cuba ending up like Puerto Rico, where the people have almost no say in the U.S. government, and basic things like electricity may be spotty or nonexistent for long stretches. While the politicians play games, the people suffer, and nothing ever gets better.

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