'Drowning in plastic trash'
Opinion, comment and editorials of the day


'Of course the petrochemical industry wants to make this a recycling issue"
Heather Souvaine Horn in The New Republic
The United Nations' push to curb plastic pollution has been poisoned from the start, says Heather Souvaine Horn in The New Republic. Negotiators gathered in Nairobi this week are making a third attempt to "broker a treaty to reduce plastic pollution," but the meeting is full of petrochemical industry lobbyists claiming the problem is recycling, not soaring plastic production. This "bureaucratic performance art would be funny were it not for the deadly seriousness of the crisis."
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.
'Protesting Biden's strong support for Israel'
Susan B. Glasser in The New Yorker
The Israel-Hamas war has "triggered a true clash inside the Democratic Party," says Susan B. Glasser in The New Yorker. "Traditional liberal internationalists such as Biden," who are firmly backing Israel, are at odds with "the Party's left flank," which views "Israel as an apartheid state that has left Palestinians little choice but violent resistance." If the war doesn't end soon, the divided party "will only have a harder time standing up against Trump."
'Butchering the sacred cow'
Carmel Richardson in The American Conservative
How "sweet" to hear House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) taking on the left's twisting of Thomas Jefferson's meaning when he wrote about the "separation of church and state," says Carmel Richardson in The American Conservative. Jefferson coined the term in a letter to Connecticut Baptists to ease their concerns about religious liberty, not to provide a "blank check to bar Christianity from the public square." Johnson is restoring hope we might still rebuild this "once-Christian nation."
'A potential regional offensive by Iran's so-called "axis of resistance"'
Lina Khatib at Bloomberg
Iran-backed militias are declaring support for Palestinians without jumping into Hamas' war with Israel, says Lina Khatib at Bloomberg. Hezbollah in Lebanon and Houthis in Yemen have fired some missiles at Israel. For now, though, the danger of Iran-backed groups in the region "sacrificing their domestic gains" for "the sake of Hamas is low." But the longer the war drags on "the greater the risk of a catastrophic miscalculation that sets off a wider conflict."
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
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.
-
Penn wipes trans swimmer records in deal with Trump
speed read The University of Pennsylvania will bar transgender students from its women's sports teams and retroactively strip a trans female swimmer of her titles
-
Thai court suspends prime minister over leaked call
Speed Read Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra has been suspended, pending an ethics investigation
-
Senate passes GOP megabill after Alaska side deal
The pivotal yes vote came from Sen. Lisa Murkowski, whose support was secured following negotiated side deals for her home state Alaska
-
'Trucking is a dangerous business'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
'More must be done'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Trump's strikes on Iran: a 'spectacular success'?
In Depth Military humiliations 'expose the brittleness' of Tehran's ageing regime, but risk reinforcing its commitment to its nuclear program
-
'If smoke can affect health early in life, it also can affect life's end'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
'The arts are not just expressions of creativity'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Bibi's back: what will Netanyahu do next?
Today's Big Question Riding high after a series of military victories, Israel's PM could push for peace in Gaza – or secure his own position with snap election
-
'Alligator Alcatraz will be a blight on the Everglades'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
How Zohran Mamdani's NYC mayoral run will change the Democratic Party
Talking Points The candidate poses a challenge to the party's 'dinosaur wing'