Opinion
Voices, analysis and commentary
Rest assured, the new CDC director thinks ‘abortion surveillance’ is essential | Arwa Mahdawi
<p>An exchange between Dr Erica Schwartz and Senator Josh Hawley during her confirmation hearing is alarming</p><p>Robert F Kennedy Jr’s <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/aug/05/rfk-jr-youtube-cooking-show-are-trump-of
Socialists Are Winning Because They Listen to People
Democrats are going to have to organize voters — not just fund-raise off them.
A Lot of the Attacks on Higher Ed Are Unfair. Not This One.
By protecting a star from plagiarism charges, a storied college undermined its values.
Hello, Democrats? Are You Listening?
Michigan presents as much a warning as it does an opportunity.
Parenting is hard. Should we let AI do it for us? | Dave Schilling
<p>Tech companies offer eye-movement trackers, personalized podcasts and ‘optimized nap predictions’. Who actually needs this?</p><p>What job in our world is less lucrative than being a parent? A Hollywood internship? Volunteering at a soup
President Xi nevers wastes a good crisis. As Iran, Ukraine and Palestine distract the world, he tightens his grip | Simon Tisdall
<p>Ever the strategist, the Chinese leader is taking the offensive, both abroad and at home. That’s bad news for global order, and minorities in his country</p><p>Imagine what would happen if a British prime minister in London told the Scot
A War Zone in Your Backyard
I watched, heartbroken and sleepless, as my boyhood stamping ground fell to spikes of wind-driven flame.
‘Cats: The Jellicle Ball’ Is Not What’s Wrong With Broadway
“Cats: The Jellicle Ball” was a success, despite its short run.
What American Poverty Looks Like
A Latin American sees homes that have air-conditioning but are racked by addiction and puzzles over what it means to be poor.
Hanging On to This Old House
Readers respond to a guest essay about what happens when your home is also your nest egg.
This burning summer is the proof: the voices of climate denial aren’t just delusional, they’re deadly | Sadiq Khan
<p>Look at our blazing forests and parched cities. Green policies aren’t a ‘luxury’, and we can’t burn more oil and gas. People need the truth</p><ul><li><p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/aug/08/sadiq-khan-calls-on-an
Lime bikes hurtling around the city: is this the revenge of a priced-out generation? | Andy Beckett
<p>From running red lights to dumping bikes, some Lime users get a bad rap. But many who grumble about them don’t appreciate their own privilege</p><p>The night belongs to Lime bikes in the capital this summer. Buses and tube carriages are
Inside Ezra Klein’s Listening Habits
“Having spaces where I am an experiencer, not a creator, is important for me.” On a recent episode of “The Ezra Klein Show,” the Opinion columnist Ezra Klein discusses why he turns to complex, discordant music to hold the contradictory feel
Ezra Klein’s Art of Interviewing
“It’s supposed to be a space for you to think in, not for me to tell you what to think,” the Opinion columnist Ezra Klein says of his interview philosophy on a special “ask me anything” episode of “The Ezra Klein Show.”
What Black Voters in Georgia Told Us About America
Georgia could help determine whether Democrats take control of the Senate — and much may depend on whether Black voters turn out. The Opinion writer Mara Gay traveled to the state to find out what voters want from America and from the Democ
A ‘Keminaissance’ for the Tories is wishful thinking – Badenoch’s Reform-lite summer will only end one way | Jonathan Freedland
<p>Hiring a convicted antisemite as an adviser; rabble rousing at a time of violent unrest. She is still in a race to the bottom and making too many mistakes</p><p>The Keminaissance will be delayed. For nearly a year, Conservative optimists
Trump is laying waste to the agency that keeps hospital patients safe | Robert B Shpiner
<p>Few have heard of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, but it has saved tens of thousands of lives and billions of dollars</p><p>When I started my training in 1980, we accepted an arithmetic that would now be indefensible. Cen
With their assault on science, Trumpists aren’t just harming America – they’re harming themselves | Jan-Werner Müller
<p>The administration is subjugating science to political imperatives, a major blow to US soft power and technological progress</p><p>The Trump administration is waging an unprecedented war on institutions devoted to research and higher lea
The American left is making strides. But can they win in November? | Ben Davis
<p>The left is increasingly winning within the Democratic party. But it still needs to prove that it can build general-election coalitions capable of beating Republicans</p><p>The ideological struggle within the Democratic party continued o
The real meaning of Abdul El-Sayed’s victory in Michigan | Robert Reich
<p>We’re seeing America wake up to the tyranny that’s engulfed us</p><p>With the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/aug/05/michigan-senate-primary-results-abdul-el-sayed">victory of progressive Abdul El-Sayed</a> over represe
We need a wartime mindset to fight the threat of wildfires | Seth Klein
<p>While many leaders compare the wildfire crisis to the second world war, governments fail to adopt the real lessons of pre-emptive wartime action</p><p></p><p>As France and Spain <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jul/27/fran
Abdul El-Sayed offers a template for Democrats to defeat Trumpism | Peter Beinart
<p>The candidate has crafted a progressive nationalism and shown his party how to turn Republicans’ financial advantage against them</p><p>Every now and then, a Senate race sets the direction for an entire party. In 1991, a state official n
