'Diversity and excellence go hand in hand'
Opinion, comment and editorials of the day


'Elite universities have not sacrificed excellence for diversity'
Christopher L. Eisgruber in The Atlantic
The claim that pursuing diversity at "elite universities" has set back "scholarly excellence" is "a noxious and surprisingly commonplace myth," says Christopher L. Eisgruber, Princeton University's president. "Much the reverse is true." Embracing diversity has made the nation's great research universities better. They haven't "forsaken merit" but found it in more places. "If you want excellence, you need to find, attract, and support talent from every sector of society, not just from privileged groups and social classes."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
'An infuriating poll finding about Trump should galvanize Democrats'
Greg Sargent in The New Republic
For an ex-president, Donald Trump "wields unprecedented influence over his party," says Greg Sargent. Trump "explicitly and repeatedly" pressured his fellow Republicans to kill the bipartisan border security bill last week. But a new ABC News-Ipsos survey found "Trump gets substantially less blame" than anybody else. Democrats, who supported the bill, should take this as a call to "do more to communicate that Republicans are sabotaging the country because Trump told them to."
'A vote for President Kamala Harris'
The Wall Street Journal editorial board
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
President Joe Biden's "evident mental decline" means a vote for him "is also really a vote for President Harris," says The Wall Street Journal editorial board. Vice President Kamala Harris is "reassuring everyone that she's up to the job of succeeding her boss if the moment arrives," but many voters aren't convinced. The possibility Biden, 81, wouldn't finish his term "might scare more swing voters" than his frailty or "Donald Trump's daily diatribes."
'Trump may keep the US in NATO, but the damage is done'
Marc Champion at Bloomberg
Donald Trump might never really try to pull the United States out of NATO, says Marc Champion. But his rhetoric could kill it from within. He claims he once told a European leader he would let Russia do "whatever the hell they want" to a NATO member not spending enough on defense, effectively neutralizing NATO's Article 5 collective defense clause. "Threatening to abandon Article 5 undermines its deterrent value, without having to actually do anything."
Harold Maass is a contributing editor at The Week. He has been writing for The Week since the 2001 debut of the U.S. print edition and served as editor of TheWeek.com when it launched in 2008. Harold started his career as a newspaper reporter in South Florida and Haiti. He has previously worked for a variety of news outlets, including The Miami Herald, ABC News and Fox News, and for several years wrote a daily roundup of financial news for The Week and Yahoo Finance.
-
'It's hard to discern what it actually means'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Trump lambasts crime, but his administration is cutting gun violence prevention
The Explainer The DOJ has canceled at least $500 million in public safety grants
-
Florida erases rainbow crosswalk at Pulse nightclub
Speed Read The colorful crosswalk was outside the former LGBTQ nightclub where 49 people were killed in a 2016 shooting
-
'It's hard to discern what it actually means'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Judge: Trump's US attorney in NJ serving unlawfully
Speed Read The appointment of Trump's former personal defense lawyer, Alina Habba, as acting US attorney in New Jersey was ruled 'unlawful'
-
Gavin Newsom's Trump-style trolling roils critics while thrilling fans
TALKING POINTS The California governor has turned his X account into a cutting parody of Trump's digital cadence, angering Fox News conservatives
-
'It's our financialized economy in miniature'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Texas OKs gerrymander sought by Trump
Speed Read The House approved a new congressional map aimed at flipping Democratic-held seats to Republican control
-
'That message may seem unimpeachable'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Court says labor board's structure unconstitutional
Speed Read The ruling has broad implications for labor rights enforcement in Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi
-
'Enforcement of rulings remains spotty at best'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day