NotableWhat does it mean exactly for Democrats to moderate? “Many progressives who acknowledge that Democrats’ views on some of these issues are unpopular suggest that rather than catering to the voters, it would be wiser to expect political leaders to lead and shift public opinion. But this is very hard to do.” — Matthew Yglesias, a contributing Opinion writer Don’t put your hopes on a new Middle East. “The end of this war is unlikely to spur new efforts at Arab-Israeli peacemaking, just as the end of the war in Gaza has not yet led to any serious pathway to peace.” — Daniel C. Kurtzer, a former U.S. ambassador to Egypt and Israel, and Aaron David Miller, a former State Department Middle East analyst and negotiator Kash Patel is distracted. The timing couldn’t be worse. “The spreading war with Iran significantly elevates the regime’s threat to Americans at home and abroad, meaning that the F.B.I. must return its focus to its core work: protecting Americans from terrorist and cyberattacks and halting foreign intelligence operations and espionage.” — Jacqueline Maguire, who served in several leadership roles in the F.B.I. Spotlight
What Will Happen to Dubai?Richard Florida, who’s written about urban life for decades, says that the Iran war is a reminder that no city, no matter how go-go and glamorous, can buy its way out of the forces of history and geography. ICYMIWe have reached end-stage polarization. “American hatred is growing so great that partisans, perversely enough, often view kindness and tolerance from political opponents as a threat.” — David French, Opinion columnist Catch-up: Opinion’s Recent Iran CoverageTrump is playing a dangerous game with Iran. “Authoritarian regimes rarely just collapse. With everything on the line, they fight back, often brutally. That’s why real regime change takes more than just the removal of an individual leader. It takes weapons, logistics and intelligence. It takes time and money and American lives. Too often, presidents talk a big game at the outset but reassess their priorities when the costs become clear.” — Peter W. Klein, an investigative reporter and filmmaker Read now → Repeating Jimmy Carter’s mistakes with oil. “Every country that draws from the bathtub suffers from price shocks, but the United States suffers more than its peers. The U.S. economy has a high oil intensity; it consumes a lot of oil to produce each dollar of its gross domestic product.” — Rosemary Kelanic, the director of the Middle East program at Defense Priorities Read now → A war for one man. “Mr. Netanyahu does not need a clean victory — he just needs a durable narrative.” — Mairav Zonszein, a contributing Opinion writer Read now → More in OpinionIn Your WordsRe: “Europe Is in Great Danger. It Has Itself to Blame.” European leaders have been indoctrinated that the U.S. is the leader of the free world and a close and trusted ally. Trump has upended that and most are struggling to manage the new world. Respect to Spain for calling out the latest chaos caused by Trump. However, European leaders aren’t unified and that’s the second part of the problem. There is no obvious European leader to galvanize the continent’s powers. — A comment posted by Andrew from the United Kingdom Read more comments on the story here and check out our Letters to the Editor. We hope you’ve enjoyed this newsletter, which is made possible through subscriber support. Subscribe to The New York Times.
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