Opinion Today: Can this man save Britain?
Here’s what we’re focusing on.
Opinion Today
July 17, 2026
A black-and-white photograph of Andy Burnham looking pensive.
Kin Cheung/Associated Press

Notable

The king of the north is coming to Downing Street. “Britain is mired in economic stagnation and marinated in social distemper. It will take more than a Labour reset to fix its longstanding problems.”

— Tom Hazeldine, the author of “The Northern Question: A History of a Divided Country”

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#MeToo isn’t dead. It’s been written into law. “We cannot judge the success of #MeToo only by whether it stopped all abuse and rewrote our rules, nor whether it’s still dominating headlines and social media feeds.”

— Gretchen Carlson, a journalist

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Hollywood needs to listen to young people. “History affirms that what begins in culture rarely stays there. Our civic life — our politics — always has flowed downstream from culture.”

— Darren Walker, the chief executive of Anonymous Content

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Spotlight

Photo Illustration by Tam Stockton for The New York Times

How Democrats Failed a Generation of Latino Americans

Democrats have misunderstood Latino voters. Trump’s deportation machine offers a chance for them to get it right.

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ICYMI

Messi is walking into history. “Argentina finally made the runs his vision required. Other players carried the match toward the moments only he could see.”

— Rowan Ricardo Phillips, the author of “The Circuit: A Tennis Odyssey”

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More in Opinion

A larger-than-life President Trump taking a scalpel to a museum front.

Guest Essay

Why Trump Can’t Leave the Smithsonian Alone

The Trump White House and its history police want us all to live in their chosen bubble, immune from instability or perceived disorder.

By David W. Blight

various dots on a standardized test answer sheet are filled to resemble a face.

John McWhorter

A Test Isn’t Racist. Assumptions About Black Kids Can Be.

All students can be properly prepared to take this challenging admissions exam.

By John McWhorter

Guest Essay

Trump’s Election Denial Has Never Been More Dangerous

Don’t fall for dramatic claims based on selective declassification.

By Jim Himes

In Your Words

Re: Is This Really the End of Reading?

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