'Trade spats are a sign of how the costs of a long war are only now sinking in'
Opinion, comment and editorials of the day


'France's pot shot at Ukrainian chicken says a lot'
Lionel Laurent at Bloomberg
A "fight over food in Europe shows the growing problem of weariness" of Ukraine's allies as its war drags on, says Lionel Laurent. Polish farmers are protesting shipments of cheap Ukrainian grain. French poultry farmers are "calling for a halt to cheap Ukrainian chicken imports," and the government, losing ground to far-right rivals, is promising "to protect protesting farmers." Subsidizing them might help, but so would making it clear what defeat on Europe's border would look like.
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 EPA squeeze on fossil fuels'
The Wall Street Journal editorial board
The EPA recently is "slashing" ambient air quality rules, says The Wall Street Journal editorial board. It's reducing the standard for fine particulate matter — generated in fossil-fuel combustion — by 25%. But 84% of this pollution comes from "non-industrial sources" like road dust and agriculture. The change could make permitting harder for "everything from new gas-fired power plants to semiconductor factories and highway construction," yielding "negligible public-health benefits" but big costs. "Climate trumps all in the Biden administration."
'Recycling doesn't work — and the plastics industry knew it'
Kate Aronoff in The New Republic
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
"Hardly any plastics can be recycled," says Kate Aronoff. One study found that between 1990 and 2015 90% of plastics "ended up in a landfill, were burned, or leaked into the environment." Another study concluded that "just 5 to 6 percent are successfully recycled." The petrochemical industry knew decades ago recycling was no solution, but insisted it worked to ward off potential plastic bans. "Plastics are a plague, and the executives who produce them should be made into pariahs."
'"Work longer" is no solution for people who can't afford to retire'
Teresa Ghilarducci in the Los Angeles Times
America's retirement system is "severely broken," says Teresa Ghilarducci. "Most Americans do not have enough money to retire on," so they keep working. Many workers 75 and older — "the fastest-growing age segment of the workforce" — are "stuck in low-paying, physically demanding" jobs. A "Gray New Deal," with subsidized, guaranteed retirement accounts and advanced-funded pensions, and expanded Social Security, would save money and lives. "Working until you drop is not a civilized plan for a civilized society."
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.
-
Jaguar Land Rover’s cyber bailout
Talking Point Should the government do more to protect business from the ‘cyber shockwave’?
-
Russia: already at war with Europe?
Talking Point As Kremlin begins ‘cranking up attacks’ on Ukraine’s European allies, questions about future action remain unanswered
-
Sudoku hard: October 5, 2025
The Week's daily hard sudoku puzzle
-
Russia: already at war with Europe?
Talking Point As Kremlin begins ‘cranking up attacks’ on Ukraine’s European allies, questions about future action remain unanswered
-
‘Conspiracy theories about her disappearance do a disservice’
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Why is this government shutdown so consequential?
Today's Big Question Federal employee layoffs could be in the thousands
-
‘This isn’t just semantics’
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
‘Criminals aren’t waiting for Congress to act’
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
‘Used correctly, the drug is safe’
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Shutdown: Democrats stand firm, at a cost
Feature With Trump refusing to negotiate, Democrats’ fight over health care could push the government toward a shutdown
-
‘People may use the same tactics for very different reasons’
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day