WASHINGTON — I used to feel pretty optimistic that the country would get through the Trump years intact. In 2016, America got mad — and went mad. This administration has unleashed so many fresh hells that a portrait of the last four years looks very Hieronymus Bosch. But the idea of this country is so […]

President Trump’s plan to severely restrict the popular WeChat and TikTok apps could be viewed as a tit-for-tat for China’s yearslong prohibition of American services like Facebook and Google. But I’d like to think we’re better than that. The president has cited security concerns in his quest to force the sale of the U.S. operations […]

Listen and subscribe to “The Argument” from your mobile device: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Play | RadioPublic | Stitcher | RSS Feed After Bob Woodward’s latest book revealed just how much President Trump knowingly misled the public about the coronavirus, how much blame does he bear for the nearly 200,000 American lives lost […]

For years, Myanmar’s military used Facebook to incite hatred and genocidal violence against the country’s mostly Muslim Rohingya minority group, leading to mass death and displacement. It took until 2018 for Facebook to admit to and apologize for its failure to act. Two years later, the platform is, yet again, sowing the seeds for genocidal […]

What a year it has been in New York City. In the latest blow, Mayor Bill de Blasio on Thursday stunned exhausted parents and teachers by delaying the start of in-person classes for most students in the country’s largest public school system — for the second time, and only a few days before they were […]

More from our inbox: To the Editor: Re “Barr Told U.S. Attorneys to Consider Sedition Charges for Protest Violence” (news article, Sept. 17): Protesters who engage in violence may surely be arrested and charged. But with sedition? Attorney General William Barr’s mind-set is that of a dictator. It is ironic that he works for President […]

Here’s what you need to know at the end of the day. By Victoria Shannon and Judith Levitt (Want to get this newsletter in your inbox? Here’s the sign-up.) Good evening. Here’s the latest. 1. A campaign clash over climate change. President Trump arrived in California in a smoky haze today and promptly blamed the […]

Belarus protests, migrants in Greece, U.K. coronavirus: Here’s what you need to know. By Natasha Frost Good morning. We’re covering the fifth Sunday of protests in Belarus, the surge in coronavirus cases in Britain and the lives of Kamala Harris’s immigrant parents. Police and protesters clash in Belarus Despite the heavy presence of riot police […]

A Halloween postcard sent in 1920 was finally delivered to the right Michigan address this week, nearly 100 years late. The unexpected letter from the past arrived in a woman’s mailbox on Tuesday, leaving her confused and curious about it’s likely long-dead author. “It was sitting right on top of the mail,” said Brittany Keech, […]

Indonesia hospitals, election hacking, Afghan peace talks: Here’s what you need to know. By Melina Delkic Good morning. We’re covering Jakarta’s overwhelmed hospitals, aggressive hacks related to the U.S. presidential election and devastating wildfires in the U.S. West. Its hospitals filling, Jakarta brings back restrictions Officials in the Indonesian capital will reimpose a partial shutdown […]