'An Everlasting Gobstopper of offense'
Opinion, comment and editorials of the day


'Trump's new racist insult'
David A. Graham at The Atlantic
When Donald Trump "used Palestinian as a slur against the president during last week's debate, it was hard to know whether the insult was planned or just an ad-lib," says David A. Graham. In "using Palestinian this way," the former president is "not differentiating between Hamas and civilians, or between Hamas and Fatah, or between Gaza and the West Bank." Rather, it shows that "all Palestinians are the same to him, and they are all contemptible."
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'To restore Harvard's reputation, faculty should speak up'
John Evangelakos, Jason H.P. Kravitt and William Schmalzl at The Boston Globe
A recent op-ed "calling for sanctions against faculty members who criticize Harvard University" was "stunning," say John Evangelakos, Jason H.P. Kravitt and William Schmalzl. In "China and Russia, one is punished if they present an idea that is classified as antipatriotic or that is deemed to promote a foreign ideology. Is this truly the direction that Harvard should now be turning?" It is "difficult to understand" because "self-censorship, by students and faculty, is a significant issue at Harvard."
'The US primary care system can't withstand the next pandemic'
Bloomberg editorial board
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The "threat of Covid-19 may have subsided, but myriad public-health challenges have emerged in its wake," says the Bloomberg editorial board. The U.S. public health system is "woefully underprepared for another pandemic." America's "once-reliable sources of funding have lapsed amid partisan theatrics," and the health care workforce "appears depleted and demoralized" after Covid. Improving the country's primary care system "won't prevent the next pandemic. But strengthening the nation's frontline defenses will save money and lives."
'From globalism to America first geoeconomics'
Dan Negrea and Dr. Ionut Popescu at The American Conservative
The "fantasy of a 'liberal world order,' which is currently driving President Joe Biden's foreign economic policy, must be buried," say Dan Negrea and Dr. Ionut Popescu. These policies are "nothing short of a security risk in the tense geostrategic environment created by the revisionist and expansionist actions of the authoritarian bloc of China, Russia, Iran and North Korea." Donald Trump's policies "make perfect sense when one progresses from a narrow economic analysis to incorporate strategic considerations."
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.
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