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The Big Idea

The Big Idea

Outside contributors' opinions and analysis of the most important issues in politics, science, and culture.

To solve climate change and biodiversity loss, we need a Global Deal for Nature

Why do we let our kids play tackle football?

Is America’s future capitalist or socialist?

Online shopping is terrible for the environment. It doesn’t have to be.

Why letting ex-felons vote probably won’t swing Florida

Trump’s birthright citizenship proposal, explained by a law professor

Working-class people are underrepresented in politics. The problem isn’t voters.

Why labor is a foreign policy issue

How to save the Supreme Court

Why we need “blue laws,” the religious tradition that sanctifies life outside of work

Hurricane Florence’s floods caused severe property damage. Here’s a solution.

What’s next for #MeToo? The McDonald’s strikes have an answer.

I spoke to hundreds of American men who still can’t find work

John McCain’s signature campaign finance law was a real achievement — for its time

The Pennsylvania Catholic Church report highlights the cruelty of statute of limitations laws

“Socialism” vs. “capitalism” is a false dichotomy

Omarosa’s nondisclosure agreements: what, exactly, can Trump keep her from talking about?

Why we should abolish ICE — and the DEA too

The real reason you’re not getting a pay raise

Black Americans are asserting their rights in “white spaces.” That’s when whites call 911.

America might be ready for democratic socialism. It’s not ready for the bill.

The Hiroshima anniversary: 5 things you should know about nuclear weapons today

President Trump admits he’s trying to kill Obamacare. That’s illegal.

Why Jeff Sessions thinks Christians are under siege in America

Ex-Trump staffers should not get plum jobs at elite universities

Is it time to do away with job applicant drug testing?

Elite law professors are brushing politics aside to support fellow elite Brett Kavanaugh. That’s inexcusable in the Trump era.

The fate of the ACA could turn on Judge Kavanaugh’s appointment

A historian surveys the wreckage of the Trump-Putin summit

How teachers unions can survive

The Putin paradox: he’s brutally repressive — and incredibly popular

The case for not publishing hacked emails

A push to shutter legal brothels in Nevada is based on misguided ideas about sex work

“Medicare-for-all” means something. Don’t let moderates water it down.

Why you shouldn’t obsess about “overpopulation”

The myth of the job-hopping, rootless millennial is just that — a myth

“Get out, little punks”: racism at swimming pools has a long history

6 myths about Roe v. Wade, debunked

It’s always been hard to say no to citizenship requests from soldiers. Trump’s doing it.

Justice Sotomayor is showing her liberal peers on SCOTUS how to be a potent minority voice