'I only fear that when I die, my story will be forgotten'
Opinion, comment and editorials of the day


'We exist in constant darkness, the world illuminated only by the flashes of missiles'
Salma Hamad in the Los Angeles Times
"My life as a 17-year-old in Gaza was marked by the predictable anxieties and aspirations of a student applying to university," until war broke out, says Salma Hamad in the Los Angeles Times. Now we've been forced to flee our home to escape Israel's bombing. "I am not a terrorist," just a student, sister, daughter. But "I feel that I have been sentenced to death." Please, end the bombing. "Let the children of Gaza dream again."
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.
'The only thing you have to fear is fear of Tyrannus Trumpus itself'
Greg Sargent in The Washington Post
It's hard to deny former President Donald Trump "has a narrow but plausible path to authoritarian rule" if he wins back the White House, says Greg Sargent in The Washington Post. But don't give in to pessimism. Crowds flooded airports to protest Trump's 2017 Muslim ban. His election denial "hit a wall in the courts." Even if Trump follows through on his "dictatorial intentions," America "has thwarted Trump in the past — and will likely do so again."
'To dump Ukraine now would be completely gratuitous'
Rich Lowry at National Review
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Cutting off aid to Ukraine now would be "perhaps the stupidest, most senseless abandonment of a U.S. ally ever," says Rich Lowry at National Review. The $100 billion we've spent is "a fraction of the defense budget," a bargain given that it's thwarting Russia's aggression. "Not one U.S. service member has died" there. Yet Congress is deadlocked over sending more aid. To cut off Ukraine now "wouldn't be a crime, but an incredibly self-defeating blunder."
'If there's one climate-change solution everybody seems to agree on, it's that trees are good'
Mark Gongloff at Bloomberg
Relax, chopping down a tree to "festoon with lights and ornaments" once a year won't hurt the climate, says Mark Gongloff at Bloomberg. "For one thing, Christmas-tree farming is "generally a sustainable business," and making artificial trees produces far more pollution. But you can buy any kind of tree "and still help fight global warming." The impact of talking to others and voting for politicians trying to fight climate change "will last longer than any Christmas decoration."
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.
-
September 14 editorial cartoons
Cartoons Sunday’s political cartoons include RFK Jr on the hook, the destruction of discourse, and more
-
Air strikes in the Caribbean: Trump’s murky narco-war
Talking Point Drug cartels ‘don’t follow Marquess of Queensberry Rules’, but US military air strikes on speedboats rely on strained interpretation of ‘invasion’
-
Crossword: September 14, 2025
The Week's daily crossword puzzle
-
Air strikes in the Caribbean: Trump’s murky narco-war
Talking Point Drug cartels ‘don’t follow Marquess of Queensberry Rules’, but US military air strikes on speedboats rely on strained interpretation of ‘invasion’
-
How Benjamin Netanyahu shaped Israel in his own image
The Explainer He has seldom been personally popular, but ‘King Bibi’ is an exceptionally shrewd operator
-
Kim Jong Un’s triumph: the rise and rise of North Korea’s dictator
In the Spotlight North Korean leader has strengthened ties with Russia and China, and recently revealed his ‘respected child’ to the world
-
‘Peak consumption has become the Holy Grail of the energy debate’
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Brazil’s Bolsonaro sentenced to 27 years for coup attempt
Speed Read Bolsonaro was convicted of attempting to stay in power following his 2022 election loss
-
Calls for both calm and consequences follow Kirk killing
TALKING POINTS The suspected assassination of far-right activist Charlie Kirk has some public figures pleading for restraint, while others agitate for violent reprisals
-
Why does Donald Trump keep showing up at major sporting events?
Today's Big Question Trump has appeared at the Super Bowl, the Daytona 500 and other events
-
‘Democracy is under threat globally’
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day