'Limiting presidential legacies'
Opinion, comment and editorials of the day


'The presidency, I'm against it'
Andy Kessler in The Wall Street Journal
Anyone "who splashes his name on tall buildings" cares about legacy, says Andy Kessler. So, what could Donald Trump do if he wins a second presidential term to "change his legacy from authoritarian blowhard to transformative president?" He needs to "go rogue" and do something nobody expects, "like Nixon going to China." That could mean leading the "dismantling of our post-Franklin D. Roosevelt kinglike presidential platform," and working with Congress to define "hard limits on executive power."
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.
'Iger won the battle — but Disney's "woke" war isn't over'
Beth Kowitt at Bloomberg
Bob Iger won his showdown against activist investor Nelson Peltz's Trian Partners, says Beth Kowitt. But the Walt Disney Co. CEO "might be chalking up a W prematurely" in his battle "against the perception that Disney is a 'woke' company pushing a left-leaning agenda." Disney still has work ahead to "truly disentangle itself from the partisan discourse." To win the culture wars, Iger needs to "keep his eye on the ball" and focus on the business.
'Anxious parents are the ones who need help'
Mathilde Ross in The New York Times
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Colleges have accepted their new students, so get ready for "another record-breaking season for anxiety on campus," says Mathilde Ross. The kids are "mostly fine." Not so their parents. "Increasing rates of mental health problems on campus" have "got parents worrying. Fair enough." But moms and dads are "allowing their anxiety to take over, and it's not helping anyone, least of all their children." The first thing anxious parents need to do is "get a grip."
'Why as a doctor and TikTok creator, I'm torn over the House bill to ban it'
Jason Bae in the San Francisco Chronicle
As a doctor with a social media account to "answer common questions" from patients, "I know firsthand that TikTok is an effective way for people to amplify their voices," says Jason Bae. Yet I have mixed feelings about the House push to ban the platform. "I have reservations about the app's place in our society and my life." TikTok can spread "harmful mental health information to children" and fuel conspiracy theories "generated by artificial intelligence."
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.
-
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’
-
‘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
-
Former top FBI agents sue, claiming Trump purge
Speed Read The agents alleged they were targeted by a “campaign of retribution”
-
Why does Trump keep interfering in the NYC mayoral race?
Today's Big Question The president has seemingly taken an outsized interest in his hometown elections, but are his efforts to block Zohran Mamdani about political expediency or something deeper?