Washington Post Opinions

"Here in the world’s internet hub, residents have long shouldered the costs of powering our insatiable digital demand," Stephen Voss writes. https://wapo.st/4nxAOQ1

Opinion | Six surgeons general: It’s our duty to warn the nation about RFK Jr. We took an oath to declare dangers when we found them. We’re doing that again today.

"Never before have we issued a joint public warning like this."

The latest from former U.S. surgeons general Jerome Adams, Richard Carmona, Joycelyn Elders, Vivek Murthy, Antonia Novello and David Satcher:

Opinion | How foreign powers are gaslighting Americans Russia, China and Iran pay no price for spreading false claims about the U.S.

"Growing use of AI accelerates the spread of foreign falsehoods," L. Gordon Crovitz writes. https://wapo.st/46DMVFf

Opinion | Dietary fat was a scapegoat. Now MAHA is naming a new one. Targeting ultra-processed food repeats America’s missteps on nutrition.

"Launching another broad public health prevention campaign based on ambiguous observational studies and weak clinical trials risks a redux of the low-fat diet debacle," David S. Ludwig writes. https://wapo.st/4q2F5Nc

Opinion | The latest goods subject to U.S. tariffs New fees on hopes, dreams and holiday mementos.

"The latest goods subject to U.S. tariffs," as drawn by Edith Pritchett 🎨 https://wapo.st/4ocGvD3

Opinion | Oct. 7 forged a new Israel Since Hamas started the war, Israel has never been stronger, but it’s come at a price of isolation.

"Israelis themselves will decide how best to keep the peace, rebuild their frayed relations with much of the world and ensure that nothing like Oct. 7 ever happens again," the Editorial Board writes. https://wapo.st/48iv7AF

Opinion | A lost pluralism can be seen in the history of U.S. synagogues Worship spaces once celebrated — not just tolerated — are now being attacked.

"Today’s rise in antisemitism shows how quickly welcome can give way to violence," Austin Albanese writes. https://wapo.st/3KJBTpj

Opinion | Plenty of jokes, but the Saudi comedy festival is no laughing matter Comedians face a stand-up dilemma. Dave Chappelle: yes. Shane Gillis: no. Jessica Kirson has regrets.

"It has become a depressingly familiar strategy for a Saudi regime that is using its oil riches to buy credibility around the world," Richard Zoglin writes. https://wapo.st/470GLhp

Opinion | Even a Trump-picked judge saw through his Portland militarization A conservative judge blocked Trump’s needless incursion in Oregon on federalism grounds.

"Not allowing judicial review of sending the military into U.S. cities would create a recipe for dictatorship," the Editorial Board writes. https://wapo.st/4mV43LF

Opinion | D.C. is overrun with rats. Why isn’t Tokyo? Flying rats and and conjoined turtles shack up in the animal house.

"What are they doing in Tokyo, a population-dense city, that could be replicated in other cities?" a reader writes in Post Letters. https://wapo.st/42YYdl5

Opinion | Protein products are everywhere Grab some shred snaps!

"Protein products are everywhere," as drawn by Edith Pritchett 🎨 https://wapo.st/4nxCado

Opinion | I learned these survival skills in Ukraine. The West might need them. With war on NATO’s doorstep, drone recognition could become crucial.

"I fear my newfound expertise in drone-recognition and tourniquet-handling will become a globally useful skill," Anna Husarska writes. https://wapo.st/488xw0N

Opinion | Kindred spirits on the left and right believe in a New Deal fable Donald Trump is leading the most economically interventionist U.S. administration since FDR’s.

"Trump’s administration, ardently admired by 'national conservatives,' is the most economically interventionist administration — by this important metric, it is the most progressive administration — since the New Deal," George F. Will writes. https://wapo.st/4mJLCcr

Opinion | Am I taking Tylenol safely? Answering your questions about the drug. Acetaminophen is a useful medication that most people can safely use.

"In general, acetaminophen is safe for most people when taken as directed for short-term use. Longer-term use, however, should be reviewed with a clinician," Dr. Leana S. Wen writes. https://wapo.st/46YNsAG

Opinion | These numbers are the real reason late-night TV is collapsing Comedy’s cultural center of gravity has shifted under Jimmy Kimmel and Stephen Colbert’s feet.

Comedy’s cultural center of gravity has shifted under Jimmy Kimmel and Stephen Colbert’s feet, Mark Robichaux writes.

In Paul Thomas Anderson’s new film, Leonardo DiCaprio captures a generation in middle age, @williamfleitch writes. https://wapo.st/4gF6HmW

Opinion | The shutdown puts stress on military families Readers discuss the effect of the government shutdown and President Trump’s speech at Quantico.

"Our elected and appointed leaders, on both sides, are failing — and, frankly, I don’t know if we have leaders out there who will take responsibility to set things back on track," a reader writes in Post Letters. https://wapo.st/3VQ1cbF

Opinion | Trump makes colleges an offer they can refuse Universities need to change, but a proposed federal compact creates more trouble than it’s worth.

"After Trump took office determined to eliminate the Education Department, this represents an unsettling expansion of federal power in higher learning," the Editorial Board writes. https://wapo.st/4pZ5ITc

Opinion | As America fumbles, China races ahead Xi is building the future while Trump pushes tariffs and fights Harvard.

"As Washington has left friends and foes grappling with how to respond to its volley of tariffs and insults, China presents itself as a serious country with predictable, consistent policies," Fareed Zakaria writes. https://wapo.st/4nwNeaF

Opinion | The shutdown is only proving Trump’s point The president argues that the federal bureaucracy is useless. Shutdowns tend to reinforce that view.

"As much as you insist that the shutdown is about delivering health insurance to ordinary Americans, that gets lost in the noise," @mattbaidc.bsky.social writes.
https://wapo.st/4o67zUo

Opinion | Cartoon by Matt Davies Matt Davies cartoon on Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and military generals.

An editorial guest cartoon by Matt Davies 🎨 https://wapo.st/46ROwpG

Opinion | The blame game Michael Ramirez cartoon on blame for the government shutdown.

"The blame game," as drawn by Michael Ramirez 🎨 https://wapo.st/3ITAZ99

Opinion | ‘No more beardos’: Appearance trumps performance at Pentagon Hegseth’s meeting with generals and admirals missed the real opportunity in gathering leaders.

"President Donald Trump has a long record of prioritizing appearance and eager complicity over experience and competence," @drtedj.bsky.social writes.
https://wapo.st/3WiZHTt

Opinion | This president also ordered the prosecution of a political enemy Thomas Jefferson accused Aaron Burr of treason. John Adams’s reproach of the move resonates today.

Thomas Jefferson accused Aaron Burr of treason, Jason Willick writes.

John Adams’s reproach of the move resonates today.

Opinion | E-bikes are an e-menace America’s streets are being swarmed by teens on fast, silent electric bikes, and injuries are rising.

"Police all over the country report gaggles of these mini-marauders wearing balaclavas, throwing rocks and M-80s, hassling anyone with the gall to be 20 or older," Rick Reilly writes.

"You have any idea how hard it is to catch motorized teens who can go 50, screaming down alleys and up staircases?"

Here’s why people need to be cautious about acetaminophen, Dr. Leana S. Wen writes. https://wapo.st/42fmrr1

Opinion | On the campaign trail in 2025: Harsh rhetoric and muscle-bound men Security concerns once limited to presidential campaigns are now sadly evident in governor’s races.

"Virginia’s gubernatorial campaign this fall has been not a comparison of policies so much as a clash of rhetorical styles — caution and restraint against combativeness and sensationalism," @marcfisher.bsky.social writes.

Opinion | I study biomedical engineering and neuroscience. I believe in God more than ever. Post readers on religion and science, and more.

"My faith in Jesus has been tested by classmates who have asked me difficult questions," a reader writes in #PostLetters.

"If a religious person is unwilling to answer questions about their faith ... then they might be committing what Albert Camus described as 'philosophical suicide.'"

Opinion | Cartoon by Dana Summers Dana Summers cartoon on shootings across the United States.

An editorial guest cartoon by Dana Summers. 🎨

Opinion | Director Kathryn Bigelow is sounding the nuclear alarm “A House of Dynamite” asks: How would the White House respond in the face of a nuclear attack?

"'A House of Dynamite' is a product of today’s more complex world, where the dangers extend beyond a superpower confrontation," @maxboot.bsky.social writes.
https://wapo.st/4pRoWdd