'The death and destruction happening in Gaza still dominate our lives'

'The ceasefire will not bring our lives back'

Reem Sleem at Al Jazeera

Some "used to think exile would bring safety and peace, but it turned out to be an extension of the war" in Gaza, says Reem Sleem. The "sorrow, pain, and struggle for survival that we thought we had left behind still follow us." The ceasefire is "supposed to put a stop to the fighting," but "we know more will die because conditions will not improve. Gaza is no longer fit to live in."

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'Does the madman theory actually work?'

Daniel W. Drezner at Foreign Policy

First-term Donald Trump "sounded different from post-Cold War presidents, but his sentiments echoed Richard Nixon, who also liked to get mad in both meanings of the word," says Daniel W. Drezner. In "some instances during his first term, Trump intentionally cultivated a reputation as a madman." But "there are many reasons to doubt that Trump will be able to effectively play the madman in his second term," because his "schtick worked better with U.S. allies than adversaries."

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'TikTok survives as an app too popular to ban'

Dave Lee at Bloomberg

TikTok's "chain of events should be highly concerning to all of us," says Dave Lee. The "app should, by all accounts, be inaccessible to Americans," and the "reasoning behind the action has not changed. Even if it had, the solution to bad lawmaking should be better lawmaking" in Congress. If "Washington considered the TikTok threat real last year, it should believe the same thing now, even in the face of being disliked."

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'Make America healthy again? Let's see if they're serious.'

Chellie Pingree at The Hill

It's "true that our food system is broken," says Rep. Chellie Pingree (D-Maine). Americans are "struggling to put enough healthy food on the table." If Donald Trump is "serious about improving the health of America, we have a real opportunity to bring about transformative changes." But if "all the talk about taking on Big Ag and getting serious about chronic disease turns out to be a bunch of bluster," it "will sadly be a wasted opportunity."

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