'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."
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
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.
-
Critics’ choice: Restaurants worthy of their buzz
feature A fun bistro, a reservation worth the wait, and a modern twist on Mexican dishes
By The Week US Published
-
Film reviews: Snow White, Death of a Unicorn, and The Alto Knights
Feature A makeover for Disney’s first animated feature, greedy humans earn nature’s wrath, and a feud between crime bosses rattles the mob
By The Week US Published
-
Bombs or talks: What’s next in the US-Iran showdown?
Talking Points US gives Tehran a two-month deadline to deal
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
Bombs or talks: What's next in the US-Iran showdown?
Talking Points US gives Tehran a two-month deadline to deal
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
'People first. Then money. Then things'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
'What is this Hungarian model they so admire?'
Instant Opinion 'Opinion, comment and editorials of the day'
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
'We should end this betrayal of man's best friend'
Instant Opinion 'Opinion, comment and editorials of the day'
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
'How quickly misogynistic videos show up in users' TikTok and YouTube feeds'
instant opinion 'Opinion, comment and editorials of the day'
By Anya Jaremko-Greenwold, The Week US Published
-
'Americans deserve immigration officials who are transparent about what they do and why'
instant opinion 'Opinion, comment and editorials of the day'
By Anya Jaremko-Greenwold, The Week US Published
-
'Even authoritarian regimes need a measure of public support — the consent of at least some of the governed'
instant opinion 'Opinion, comment and editorials of the day'
By Anya Jaremko-Greenwold, The Week US Published
-
The EPA: Let’s forget about climate change
Feature You’ll miss the EPA when it’s been gutted, said former EPA heads
By The Week US Published