'What Americans really need is access to safer products'
Opinion, comment and editorials of the day


'Is vaping really as bad as smoking?'
Maia Szalavitz at The New York Times
"Slashing nicotine levels in cigarettes could save millions of lives," but it "creates a conundrum for regulators," says Maia Szalavitz. They "fear that the very products that help smokers quit — such as vapes or oral nicotine pouches — also attract young people." This means "aggressively communicating to the public that what kills smokers is primarily smoking itself, not nicotine." If "vaping continues to displace smoking rather than fuel it, that trade-off could ultimately be a public health win."
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.
'US politics has a post-Covid hangover'
Nia-Malika Henderson at Bloomberg
Covid-19's "social divides enforced and widened our political divides," says Nia-Malika Henderson. Covid "wasn't a collective experience; there is no collective memory." Some "came away with a renewed appreciation for science and an increased ability to work from home," yet "others came away feeling suckered by the elites." Americans "seem like they'd prefer to memory-hole those traumatic years," and the "pandemic's hangover is still a powerful social force, fueling the backlash to science, data, and expertise."
'Why we need a trillion-dollar defense budget'
Seth Cropsey at the National Review
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
If President Donald Trump is "serious about shoring up the U.S.' international position and restoring its credibility, he must work with Congress to raise the defense budget well past the $1 trillion mark," says Seth Cropsey Deterring "major-power war requires preparing to fight it." This "demands resourcing a capable American military, one with sufficient air-naval power to dominate the maritime highways between the United States and America's Eurasian rivals" and a "nuclear arsenal that can maintain strategic superiority."
'Why do people in Philly wreck things after a Super Bowl win?'
Ala Stanford at The Philadelphia Inquirer
Why "do people act the way they do after a major sports victory?" says Ala Stanford. The "larger the crowd, the less personal responsibility people feel." Society is "built on rules — don't touch, don't climb, don't scream, don't break stuff." But "when the Eagles win the Super Bowl? That all goes out the window." For "some, it's a release — a moment to do something they'd never do." The "bigger the crowd, the smaller the consequences feel."
Justin Klawans has worked as a staff writer at The Week since 2022. He began his career covering local news before joining Newsweek as a breaking news reporter, where he wrote about politics, national and global affairs, business, crime, sports, film, television and other news. Justin has also freelanced for outlets including Collider and United Press International.
-
5 tinfoil-covered cartoons about Tylenol and autism
Cartoons Artists take on the toys in RFK Jr's attic, the war on autism, and more
-
Interpol arrests hundreds in Africa-wide cybercrime crackdown
IN THE SPOTLIGHT A series of stings disrupts major cybercrime operations as law enforcement estimates millions in losses from schemes designed to prey on lonely users
-
How to ditch ‘buy now, pay later’ debt
the explainer Recent changes mean BNPL will soon affect your credit score
-
Why Trump is so focused on getting a Nobel Peace Prize
The Explainer A recent poll found that three-quarters of Americans say Trump doesn’t deserve the award
-
‘This will support jobs and manufacturing right here in America’
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
‘Making a political donation shouldn’t be this dangerous’
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
‘ExxonMobil made the right call’
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
‘The new ESPN looks innocent enough’
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
‘Gen Z men are facing a surprise workforce crisis’
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
‘Americans want dark money out of politics. We don’t have to wait for Supreme Court.’
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
‘The problem isn’t solved by simply swapping out the faces on screen’
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day