Opinion Today: Is divestment from Israel self-defeating?

Display Options

Export Editor Bookmark

The campus protests raise difficult questions.

View in browser|nytimes.com

May 9, 2024

By Suein Hwang

Business, Economics, and Technology Editor, Opinion

I’m sure many of you are aware that protests have erupted on the lawns of well-known colleges and universities. Some of you may also know about one of the things many protesters are seeking: divestiture from companies and institutions that do business with Israel.

But is that possible or financially tenable? If you want an idea of the dynamics at play from an investment perspective, it’s worth reading this guest essay by Gary Sernovitz. As a private equity executive, Sernovitz had a front-row seat to a prior movement urging universities to divest from fossil fuels; some schools stopped investing in his firm’s oil and gas funds while others invested in its clean energy funds. He even wrote a novel on the travails of a college chief investment officer.

His bottom line: In taking the easy way out on fossil fuels — schools’ exposure to oil and gas investments was often less than 5 percent of their endowment — these institutions put every investment up for debate. If Israel is a target, for political reasons, what countries are next? Even more thorny in this case, Sernovitz writes, is the question of what would be the benchmark by which divestment would end. A cease-fire? A two-state solution? The end of Israel as a Jewish state?

Endowments “can’t be in the moral adjudication business — and they should never have headed this way,” Sernowitz writes in his guest essay. He argues:

This does not mean that investing should be a returns-at-any-cost exercise. But it does mean that the real world does not always provide objective answers to how to balance benefits and consequences of companies providing products and services: Carbon emissions are bad, but energy consumption is necessary. Microsoft software for the Israeli government may displease you, but Microsoft saying it won’t sell software to Israel would displease others — and probably get itself banned from working with New York State agencies.

Graduation season is now upon us, and there’s a chance that the protests may take a hiatus. But the questions they have raised will undoubtedly linger.

Read the guest essay:

A black and white photograph of a crowd of students, most attired in caps and gowns. Many are holding up their caps, which have signs reading “Divest now!” pasted on them.

Marilynn K. Yee/The New York Times

Guest Essay

Elite Colleges Walked Into the Israel Divestment Trap

Colleges cannot accede to student protesters’ demands that they jettison investments because of the war in Gaza.

By Gary Sernovitz

Here’s what we’re focusing on today:

Editors’ Picks

Charles M. Blow

Young Voters Aren’t Happy With Biden. But Will They Abandon Him?

The president’s complicated relationship with a key demographic.

By Charles M. Blow

Outside a campaign event for President Biden in Philadelphia, a protester wearing a kaffiyeh speaks into a bullhorn.

The Oldest, Most Successful Party in Europe Is Headed for a Wipeout

The Conservative Party is in crisis.

By Geoffrey Wheatcroft

Two seagulls peck at french fries on a ledge at the seaside under a blue sky. A Union Jack flag flies in the background.

Jessica Bennett

What Kind of Husband Behaves Like Donald Trump?

Will the jury buy the image that the ex-president and his allies are selling?

By Jessica Bennett

Donald Trump, in a red baseball cap, kissing the cheek of Melania Trump, who is in sunglasses.

Michelle Cottle

The Part of the Kristi Noem Saga That I Can’t Shake

It’s about her place in the G.O.P., but about the party, too.

By Michelle Cottle

A woman with large earrings (Kristi Noem) looks slightly off to one side.

Nicholas Kristof

The Case for Hope

After decades of reporting on the front lines, I am awed by the material and moral progress the world has made.

By Nicholas Kristof

An illustration of a flower growing out of a dark cloud into a lighter cloud.

Guest Essay

Israel’s Incursion Into Rafah Could Be a Costly Mistake

Judging by the war’s conduct to date, it’s more likely that in the end, the operation will do more damage to Israel.

By Shira Efron

Smoke billows over buildings in the distance, with several figures in the foreground.

Guest Essay

When the Alternative to Foster Care Is an Unsafe Home, There Is Only One Right Choice

We need to rethink the policy of preserving families, seemingly at all costs.

By Naomi Schaefer Riley

An illustration of a woman planting a flower as others wilt behind it.

There’s Only One Explanation for Judge Cannon’s Actions

By David Firestone

A photograph of documents, spilling from a file box, inside of a storage room.

David Wallace-Wells

The Campus Protests Signal the End of an Era for the Democrats

The alliance of the elite establishment and progressives is showing signs of fraying.

By David Wallace-Wells

JESSE Wegman

The Tawdry Decade of Trump Could Desensitize Any Juror

If everything is just a tabloid joke, can Trump be found guilty of a real crime?

By Jesse Wegman

A close-up on a man (Donald Trump) speaking into a microphone, as seen on a television screen.

This Quiz Will Change the Way You Think About Dog Breeding

We may not mean to, but we are hurting the dogs we claim to love.

By Alexandra Horowitz

The Opinions

Trump on Trial: ‘The Odds of Conviction Have Gone Up’

Inside the courtroom, Jonathan Alter sees the evidence mounting.

5 MIN LISTEN

Former President Donald J. Trump departed his airplane. He is wearing a red hat which reads “make America great again.”

Doug Mills/The New York Times

letters

A Judge’s Dilemma: How to Punish Trump for Gag Order Violations

Readers discuss Justice Juan Merchan’s options. Also: If there’s a Trump conviction; TikTok and China; abortion exceptions; saving the bees.

We hope you’ve enjoyed this newsletter, which is made possible through subscriber support. Subscribe to The New York Times .

Games Here are today’s Mini Crossword, Wordle and Spelling Bee. If you’re in the mood to play more, find all our games here.

Forward this newsletter to friends to share ideas and perspectives that will help inform their lives. They can sign up here. Do you have feedback? Email us at [email protected].

If you have questions about your Times account, delivery problems or other issues, visit our Help Page or contact The Times.

Need help? Review our newsletter help page or contact us for assistance.

You received this email because you signed up for the Opinion Today newsletter from The New York Times.

To stop receiving Opinion Today, unsubscribe. To opt out of other promotional emails from The Times, including those regarding The Athletic, manage your email settings. To opt out of updates and offers sent from The Athletic, submit a request.

Subscribe to The Times Get The New York Times app

Connect with us on:

Change Your Email Privacy Policy Contact Us California Notices

The New York Times Company. 620 Eighth Avenue New York, NY 10018

              
                <!DOCTYPE html>
<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xmlns:v="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml" xmlns:o="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office">
<head>
<title>Opinion Today: Is divestment from Israel self-defeating?</title>
<!--[if !mso]><!-- --><meta http-equiv="X-UA-Compatible" content="IE=edge">
<!--<![endif]--><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8">
<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width,initial-scale=1">
<style type="text/css">#outlook a{padding:0}body{margin:0;padding:0;-webkit-text-size-adjust:100%;-ms-text-size-adjust:100%}table,td{border-collapse:collapse;mso-table-lspace:0;mso-table-rspace:0}img{border:0;height:auto;line-height:100%;outline:0;text-decoration:none;-ms-interpolation-mode:bicubic}p{display:block;margin:13px 0}p,ul{margin-top:0}@media (max-width:600px){body{padding:0 15px!important}}</style>
<!--[if mso]>
        <xml>
        <o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
          <o:AllowPNG/>
          <o:PixelsPerInch>96</o:PixelsPerInch>
        </o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
        </xml>
        <![endif]--><style type="text/css">@media (max-width:480px){.css-c5n1m4{padding:20px 0 15px!important}}@media (max-width:480px){.css-p8oerp{width:100%!important}}.css-sdwaa1:hover{-webkit-text-decoration:none!important;text-decoration:none!important}@media (max-width:480px){.css-vy6hlw{margin:0 30px 15px!important}}@media (max-width:480px){.css-1gq6wps{padding-bottom:3px!important}}@media (max-width:480px){.css-dz4dhe{padding-bottom:15px!important;line-height:12px!important}}@media (max-width:480px){.css-ho8fyn{font:700 20px/25px georgia,serif!important}}@media (max-width:480px){.css-mq3m0l{font:17px/22.5px georgia,serif!important}}@media (max-width:480px){.css-kf37zi{margin-bottom:5px!important;letter-spacing:.5px!important}}@media (max-width:480px){.css-nj50nf{display:none!important}}@media (max-width:480px){.css-zuk3t0{display:table-row!important}}@media (max-width:480px){.css-a7fx49{font:italic 16px/22.5px georgia,serif!important}}@media (max-width:600px){.css-nj0ayh{width:inherit!important}}@media (max-width:480px){.css-15xrm7f{font:700 20px/25px georgia,serif!important}}@media (max-width:480px){.css-k5nsl{display:none!important}}@media (max-width:480px){.css-60p5qj{display:block!important;width:100%!important;max-width:none!important}}@media (max-width:480px){.css-1h5ov94{display:block!important;width:100%!important;max-width:none!important;padding-right:0!important;margin-bottom:0}}@media (max-width:480px){.css-158ikqd{display:block!important;padding-left:0!important}}@media (max-width:480px){.css-1ux4czy{padding-bottom:0!important}}.css-irp95o:hover{-webkit-text-decoration:none!important;text-decoration:none!important}@media (max-width:600px){.css-irp95o{display:inline-block;border-right:1px solid #dcdcdc;padding-right:10px;margin-right:10px}}.css-aqjl7v:hover{-webkit-text-decoration:none!important;text-decoration:none!important}@media (max-width:600px){.css-aqjl7v{display:inline-block!important}}.css-76jd1b:hover{-webkit-text-decoration:none!important;text-decoration:none!important}</style>
</head>
<body>
<div style="color:transparent;visibility:hidden;opacity:0;font-size:0px;border:0;max-height:1px;width:1px;margin:0px;padding:0px;border-width:0px!important;display:none!important;line-height:0px!important;"><img border="0" width="1" height="1" src="https://nl.nytimes.com/q/z2RZwyZ4zqAv5CaDok97Ig~~/AAAAAQA~/RgRoH0BwPVcDbnl0QgpmM3C7PGbG3EUmUhlvbGl2aWFtdXJwaHk0MDlAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAD" alt=""></div>
<div style="display:none;font-size:1px;color:#fff;line-height:1px;max-height:0;max-width:0;opacity:0;overflow:hidden">The campus protests raise difficult questions.</div>
<div>
<!--[if mso | IE]><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="margin-right: auto; margin-left: auto" width="600" align="center"><tr><td><![endif]--><table width="100%" align="left" border="0" style="margin:0" bgcolor="#FFFFFF"><tbody><tr><td id="EMAIL_CONTAINER" align="left" width="100%"><div style="margin:0 auto;max-width:600px;width:100%">
<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="width:100%"><tbody><tr><td style="padding:15px 0 5px;text-align:center;width:100%" width="100%" align="center">
<div style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12px;text-align:center;width:100%;padding-bottom:10px">
<a href="https://messaging-custom-newsletters.nytimes.com/dynamic/render" title="View in browser" style="color:#666;-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;line-height:18px">View in browser</a><span style="color:#dcdcdc;margin:0 10px">|</span><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/" title="The New York Times" style="color:#666;-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;line-height:18px">nytimes.com</a>
</div>
<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="width:100%"><tbody>
<tr aria-hidden="true"><td><span style="text-align:center;line-height:0;font-size:0"><table style="margin:0 auto" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td><a href="/the-best-new-books/exp125" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" tabindex="-1" target="_blank"><img alt="Ad" src="https://liveintent.newyorktimesinfo.com/imp?s=162139&amp;li=TY&amp;m=8383ee1ae2436850476ad599d3d14209&amp;p=TY_20240509&amp;stpe=default" width="600" style="width:100%;max-width:600px"></a></td></tr></tbody></table></span></td></tr>
<tr><td style="height:10px"></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</td></tr></tbody></table>
<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="width:100%"><tbody>
<tr><td style="border-top:1px solid #dcdcdc"></td></tr>
<tr><td class="css-c5n1m4" style="padding:19px 0 20px;width:100%;text-align:center" width="100%" align="center">
<div style="margin-bottom:15px"><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/section/opinion" title="Opinion Today"><img src="https://static.nytimes.com/email-images/OP-OpinionToday%402x.png" alt="Opinion Today" class="css-p8oerp" style="width:300px" width="300"></a></div>
<p style="width:100%;margin-bottom:0;font:12px/12px georgia,serif">May 9, 2024</p>
</td></tr>
<tr><td style="border-bottom:1px solid #dcdcdc"></td></tr>
<tr><td style="height:20px"></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="margin:0 auto;max-width:600px;width:100%"><table style="width:100%" cellpadding="0"><tbody>
<tr>
<td style="padding:0 9px 0 0;box-sizing:content-box;vertical-align:middle;width:45px" width="45" valign="middle"><img src="https://static01.nyt.com/images/2022/10/27/opinion/Suein-Hwang/Suein-Hwang-blogSmallThumb.png" alt="Author Headshot" style="width:45px;height:45px;border-radius:100%" width="45" height="45"></td>
<td style="padding:0;box-sizing:content-box;vertical-align:middle" valign="middle">
<p style="font:13px/18px arial,sans-serif;letter-spacing:.2px;color:#000;font:600 13px/18px arial,sans-serif;margin-bottom:0">By Suein Hwang</p>
<p style="font:13px/18px arial,sans-serif;letter-spacing:.2px;color:#000;margin-bottom:0"><span style="color:inherit">Business, Economics, and Technology Editor, Opinion</span></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr><td style="height:15px"></td></tr>
</tbody></table></div>
<p style="font:normal 17px/25px georgia,serif;color:#333;margin:0 0 15px"><span>I’m sure many of you are aware that protests have erupted on the lawns of well-known colleges and universities. Some of you may also know about one of the things many protesters are seeking: divestiture from companies and institutions that do business with Israel.</span></p>
<p style="font:normal 17px/25px georgia,serif;color:#333;margin:0 0 15px"><span>But is that possible or financially tenable? If you want an idea of the dynamics at play from an investment perspective, it’s worth reading this </span><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/09/opinion/divest-campus-protest-israel.html" class="css-sdwaa1" style="color:#286ed0;-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline">guest essay</a><span> by Gary Sernovitz. As a private equity executive, Sernovitz had a front-row seat to a prior movement urging universities to divest from fossil fuels; some schools stopped investing in his firm’s oil and gas funds while others invested in its clean energy funds. He even </span><a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/tosv2.html" class="css-sdwaa1" style="color:#286ed0;-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline">wrote a novel</a><span> on the travails of a college chief investment officer.</span></p>
<p style="font:normal 17px/25px georgia,serif;color:#333;margin:0 0 15px"><span>His bottom line: In taking the easy way out on fossil fuels — schools’ exposure to oil and gas investments was often less than 5 percent of their endowment — these institutions put every investment up for debate. If Israel is a target, for political reasons, what countries are next? Even more thorny in this case, Sernovitz writes, is the question of what would be the benchmark by which divestment would end. A cease-fire? A two-state solution? The end of Israel as a Jewish state?</span></p>
<p style="font:normal 17px/25px georgia,serif;color:#333;margin:0 0 15px"><span>Endowments “can’t be in the moral adjudication business — and they should never have headed this way,” Sernowitz writes in his guest essay. He argues:</span></p>
<p class="css-vy6hlw" style="font:17px/25px georgia,serif;margin:0 50px 15px;color:#666"><span>This does not mean that investing should be a returns-at-any-cost exercise. But it does mean that the real world does not always provide objective answers to how to balance benefits and consequences of companies providing products and services: Carbon emissions are bad, but energy consumption is necessary. Microsoft software for the Israeli government may displease you, but Microsoft saying it won’t sell software to Israel would displease others — and </span><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/06/nyregion/cuomo-new-york-israel-boycott-bds-movement.html" class="css-sdwaa1" style="-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;color:inherit">probably get itself banned</a><span> from working </span><a href="https://www.governor.ny.gov/sites/default/files/atoms/files/EO_157_new.pdf" class="css-sdwaa1" style="-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;color:inherit">with New York State agencies</a><span>.</span></p>
<p style="font:normal 17px/25px georgia,serif;color:#333;margin:20px 0 15px"><span>Graduation season is now upon us, and there’s a chance that the protests may take a hiatus. But the questions they have raised will undoubtedly linger.</span></p>
<p style="font:normal 17px/25px georgia,serif;color:#333;margin:0 0 15px"><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/09/opinion/divest-campus-protest-israel.html" class="css-sdwaa1" style="color:#286ed0;-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;font-weight:700">Read the guest essay:</a></p>
<table style="width:100%"><tbody>
<tr><td style="padding-top:15px"></td></tr>
<tr><td style="padding:0;padding-bottom:25px;border-top:1px solid #dcdcdc;padding-top:20px"><div style="width:100%">
<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/09/opinion/divest-campus-protest-israel.html" style="color:#000;text-decoration:none;display:block"></a><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="width:100%"><tbody>
<tr><td><img width="600" class="css-1gq6wps" src="https://static01.nyt.com/images/2024/05/08/multimedia/08sternovitz-gfpz/08sternovitz-gfpz-videoLarge.jpg" alt="A black and white photograph of a crowd of students, most attired in caps and gowns. Many are holding up their caps, which have  signs reading “Divest now!” pasted on them. " style="width:100%;height:auto;display:block;padding-top:0;padding-bottom:5px"></td></tr>
<tr><td class="css-dz4dhe" style="text-align:right;width:100%;padding-bottom:10px;line-height:14px" width="100%" align="right"><span style="margin:0;font:11px/11px georgia,serif;color:#888;letter-spacing:.01em">Marilynn K. Yee/The New York Times</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<p style="color:#555;font:14px/21px georgia,serif;margin:0 0 2px;text-transform:uppercase;letter-spacing:.75px">Guest Essay</p>
<h3 class="css-ho8fyn" style="color:#000;margin:0;padding:0 0 5px;font:700 24px/30px georgia,serif">Elite Colleges Walked Into the Israel Divestment Trap</h3>
<p class="css-mq3m0l" style="color:#333;font:16px/20px georgia,serif;margin:0 0 10px;text-align:left">Colleges cannot accede to student protesters’ demands that they jettison investments because of the war in Gaza.</p>
<p style="color:#000;font:600 13px/18px arial,sans-serif;margin:0;letter-spacing:.2px">By Gary Sernovitz</p>
</div></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="width:100%"><tbody>
<tr><td style="height:10px"></td></tr>
<tr><td style="border-top:1px solid #dcdcdc;padding-top:15px"></td></tr>
<tr aria-hidden="true"><td>
<h3 class="css-kf37zi" style="font:10px/13px arial,sans-serif;color:#666;letter-spacing:.7px;margin-bottom:7px;margin-top:0;text-align:center">ADVERTISEMENT</h3>
<span style="text-align:center"><table style="margin:0 auto" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody>
<tr><td style="line-height:0;font-size:0"><a href="https://www.supercserum.com/n/vlm/20years5reasons/golden/lipsfade/01/22/24" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" tabindex="-1" target="_blank"><img src="https://liveintent.newyorktimesinfo.com/imp?s=59785&amp;li=TY&amp;m=8383ee1ae2436850476ad599d3d14209&amp;p=TY_20240509&amp;stpe=default&amp;li_coord=desktop&amp;collapse_width=600" alt="Ad" border="0" width="600" class="css-nj50nf" style="display:block;width:100%;max-width:600px"></a></td></tr>
<tr class="css-zuk3t0" style="display:none"><td style="line-height:0;font-size:0"><a href="https://www.supercserum.com/n/vlm/20years5reasons/golden/lipsfade/01/22/24" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" tabindex="-1" target="_blank"><img src="https://liveintent.newyorktimesinfo.com/imp?s=59785&amp;li=TY&amp;m=8383ee1ae2436850476ad599d3d14209&amp;p=TY_20240509&amp;stpe=default&amp;li_coord=mobile&amp;collapse_width=480" alt="Ad" border="0" width="480" style="display:block;width:100%;max-width:480px"></a></td></tr>
</tbody></table></span>
</td></tr>
<tr><td style="padding-bottom:15px;border-bottom:1px solid #dcdcdc"></td></tr>
<tr><td style="height:20px"></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<h3 style="color:#000;font:400 20px/27.5px georgia,serif;margin:0 0 10px"><span>Here’s what we’re focusing on today:</span></h3>
<table style="width:100%"><tbody>
<tr><td style="padding-top:15px"></td></tr>
<tr><td style="padding:0;border-bottom:2px solid #000"></td></tr>
<tr><td style="padding:7px 0 20px;text-align:left"><p class="css-a7fx49" style="font:italic 18px/25px georgia,serif;color:#000;margin:0"><span>Editors’ Picks</span></p></td></tr>
<tr><td style="padding:0;padding-bottom:25px"><table style="width:100%"><tbody><tr>
<td class="css-nj0ayh" style="width:496px;vertical-align:top" width="496" valign="top"><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/08/opinion/biden-young-voters-gaza.html" style="color:#000;text-decoration:none;display:block"><p style="color:#555;font:14px/21px georgia,serif;margin:0 0 2px;text-transform:uppercase;letter-spacing:.75px">Charles M. Blow</p>
<h3 class="css-15xrm7f" style="color:#000;font:25px/30px georgia,serif;margin:0;padding:0 0 7px">Young Voters Aren’t Happy With Biden. But Will They Abandon Him?</h3>
<p class="css-mq3m0l" style="color:#333;font:16px/20px georgia,serif;margin:0 0 10px;text-align:left">The president’s complicated relationship with a key demographic.</p>
<p style="color:#000;font:600 13px/18px arial,sans-serif;margin:0;letter-spacing:.2px">By Charles M. Blow</p></a></td>
<td class="css-k5nsl" style="vertical-align:top;padding-left:15px" valign="top"><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/08/opinion/biden-young-voters-gaza.html" style="color:#000;text-decoration:none;display:block"><img src="https://static01.nyt.com/images/2024/05/08/multimedia/08blow2-fwtm/08blow2-fwtm-moth.jpg" alt="Outside a campaign event for President Biden in Philadelphia, a protester wearing a kaffiyeh speaks into a bullhorn." style="width:105px;padding-top:3px" width="105"></a></td>
</tr></tbody></table></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table style="width:100%"><tbody>
<tr><td style="padding-top:15px"></td></tr>
<tr><td style="padding:0;border-bottom:2px solid #000"></td></tr>
<tr><td style="padding:7px 0 20px;text-align:left"><p class="css-a7fx49" style="font:italic 18px/25px georgia,serif;color:#000;margin:0"><span>More From Opinion</span></p></td></tr>
<tr><td style="padding:0;padding-bottom:25px"><table style="width:100%"><tbody><tr>
<td class="css-nj0ayh" style="width:496px;vertical-align:top" width="496" valign="top"><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/09/opinion/britain-conservative-party-elections.html" style="color:#000;text-decoration:none;display:block"><p style="color:#555;font:14px/21px georgia,serif;margin:0 0 2px;text-transform:uppercase;letter-spacing:.75px">Guest Essay</p>
<h3 class="css-15xrm7f" style="color:#000;font:25px/30px georgia,serif;margin:0;padding:0 0 7px">The Oldest, Most Successful Party in Europe Is Headed for a Wipeout</h3>
<p class="css-mq3m0l" style="color:#333;font:16px/20px georgia,serif;margin:0 0 10px;text-align:left">The Conservative Party is in crisis.</p>
<p style="color:#000;font:600 13px/18px arial,sans-serif;margin:0;letter-spacing:.2px">By Geoffrey Wheatcroft</p></a></td>
<td class="css-k5nsl" style="vertical-align:top;padding-left:15px" valign="top"><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/09/opinion/britain-conservative-party-elections.html" style="color:#000;text-decoration:none;display:block"><img src="https://static01.nyt.com/images/2024/05/09/opinion/09wheatcroft/09wheatcroft-moth.jpg" alt="Two seagulls peck at french fries on a ledge at the seaside under a blue sky. A Union Jack flag flies in the background." style="width:105px;padding-top:3px" width="105"></a></td>
</tr></tbody></table></td></tr>
<tr><td style="padding:0;padding-bottom:25px;border-top:1px solid #dcdcdc;padding-top:20px"><table style="width:100%"><tbody><tr>
<td class="css-nj0ayh" style="width:496px;vertical-align:top" width="496" valign="top"><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/09/opinion/donald-trump-stormy-daniels.html" style="color:#000;text-decoration:none;display:block"><p style="color:#555;font:14px/21px georgia,serif;margin:0 0 2px;text-transform:uppercase;letter-spacing:.75px">Jessica Bennett</p>
<h3 class="css-15xrm7f" style="color:#000;font:25px/30px georgia,serif;margin:0;padding:0 0 7px">What Kind of Husband Behaves Like Donald Trump?</h3>
<p class="css-mq3m0l" style="color:#333;font:16px/20px georgia,serif;margin:0 0 10px;text-align:left">Will the jury buy the image that the ex-president and his allies are selling?</p>
<p style="color:#000;font:600 13px/18px arial,sans-serif;margin:0;letter-spacing:.2px">By Jessica Bennett</p></a></td>
<td class="css-k5nsl" style="vertical-align:top;padding-left:15px" valign="top"><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/09/opinion/donald-trump-stormy-daniels.html" style="color:#000;text-decoration:none;display:block"><img src="https://static01.nyt.com/images/2024/05/09/multimedia/09Bennett-qbjh/09Bennett-qbjh-moth.jpg" alt="Donald Trump, in a red baseball cap, kissing the cheek of Melania Trump, who is in sunglasses." style="width:105px;padding-top:3px" width="105"></a></td>
</tr></tbody></table></td></tr>
<tr><td style="padding:0;padding-bottom:25px;border-top:1px solid #dcdcdc;padding-top:20px"><table style="width:100%"><tbody><tr>
<td class="css-nj0ayh" style="width:496px;vertical-align:top" width="496" valign="top"><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/09/opinion/kristi-noem-trump-vp.html" style="color:#000;text-decoration:none;display:block"><p style="color:#555;font:14px/21px georgia,serif;margin:0 0 2px;text-transform:uppercase;letter-spacing:.75px">Michelle Cottle</p>
<h3 class="css-15xrm7f" style="color:#000;font:25px/30px georgia,serif;margin:0;padding:0 0 7px">The Part of the Kristi Noem Saga That I Can’t Shake</h3>
<p class="css-mq3m0l" style="color:#333;font:16px/20px georgia,serif;margin:0 0 10px;text-align:left">It’s about her place in the G.O.P., but about the party, too.</p>
<p style="color:#000;font:600 13px/18px arial,sans-serif;margin:0;letter-spacing:.2px">By Michelle Cottle</p></a></td>
<td class="css-k5nsl" style="vertical-align:top;padding-left:15px" valign="top"><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/09/opinion/kristi-noem-trump-vp.html" style="color:#000;text-decoration:none;display:block"><img src="https://static01.nyt.com/images/2024/05/09/opinion/09cottle/09cottle-moth.jpg" alt="A woman with large earrings (Kristi Noem) looks slightly off to one side." style="width:105px;padding-top:3px" width="105"></a></td>
</tr></tbody></table></td></tr>
<tr><td style="padding:0;padding-bottom:25px;border-top:1px solid #dcdcdc;padding-top:20px"><table style="width:100%"><tbody><tr>
<td class="css-nj0ayh" style="width:496px;vertical-align:top" width="496" valign="top"><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/09/opinion/journalism-reporting-progress.html" style="color:#000;text-decoration:none;display:block"><p style="color:#555;font:14px/21px georgia,serif;margin:0 0 2px;text-transform:uppercase;letter-spacing:.75px">Nicholas Kristof</p>
<h3 class="css-15xrm7f" style="color:#000;font:25px/30px georgia,serif;margin:0;padding:0 0 7px">The Case for Hope</h3>
<p class="css-mq3m0l" style="color:#333;font:16px/20px georgia,serif;margin:0 0 10px;text-align:left">After decades of reporting on the front lines, I am awed by the material and moral progress the world has made.</p>
<p style="color:#000;font:600 13px/18px arial,sans-serif;margin:0;letter-spacing:.2px">By Nicholas Kristof</p></a></td>
<td class="css-k5nsl" style="vertical-align:top;padding-left:15px" valign="top"><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/09/opinion/journalism-reporting-progress.html" style="color:#000;text-decoration:none;display:block"><img src="https://static01.nyt.com/images/2024/05/09/opinion/sunday/09Kristof/09Kristof-moth.jpg" alt="An illustration of a flower growing out of a dark cloud into a lighter cloud." style="width:105px;padding-top:3px" width="105"></a></td>
</tr></tbody></table></td></tr>
<tr><td style="padding:0;padding-bottom:25px;border-top:1px solid #dcdcdc;padding-top:20px"><table style="width:100%"><tbody><tr>
<td class="css-nj0ayh" style="width:496px;vertical-align:top" width="496" valign="top"><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/08/opinion/israel-incursion-rafah-hamas-netanhyahu.html" style="color:#000;text-decoration:none;display:block"><p style="color:#555;font:14px/21px georgia,serif;margin:0 0 2px;text-transform:uppercase;letter-spacing:.75px">Guest Essay</p>
<h3 class="css-15xrm7f" style="color:#000;font:25px/30px georgia,serif;margin:0;padding:0 0 7px">Israel’s Incursion Into Rafah Could Be a Costly Mistake</h3>
<p class="css-mq3m0l" style="color:#333;font:16px/20px georgia,serif;margin:0 0 10px;text-align:left">Judging by the war’s conduct to date, it’s more likely that in the end, the operation will do more damage to Israel.</p>
<p style="color:#000;font:600 13px/18px arial,sans-serif;margin:0;letter-spacing:.2px">By Shira Efron</p></a></td>
<td class="css-k5nsl" style="vertical-align:top;padding-left:15px" valign="top"><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/08/opinion/israel-incursion-rafah-hamas-netanhyahu.html" style="color:#000;text-decoration:none;display:block"><img src="https://static01.nyt.com/images/2024/05/08/multimedia/08ephron-ztlk/08ephron-ztlk-moth.jpg" alt="Smoke billows over buildings in the distance, with several figures in the foreground." style="width:105px;padding-top:3px" width="105"></a></td>
</tr></tbody></table></td></tr>
<tr><td style="padding:0;padding-bottom:25px;border-top:1px solid #dcdcdc;padding-top:20px"><table style="width:100%"><tbody><tr>
<td class="css-nj0ayh" style="width:496px;vertical-align:top" width="496" valign="top"><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/09/opinion/child-abuse-foster-care.html" style="color:#000;text-decoration:none;display:block"><p style="color:#555;font:14px/21px georgia,serif;margin:0 0 2px;text-transform:uppercase;letter-spacing:.75px">Guest Essay</p>
<h3 class="css-15xrm7f" style="color:#000;font:25px/30px georgia,serif;margin:0;padding:0 0 7px">When the Alternative to Foster Care Is an Unsafe Home, There Is Only One Right Choice</h3>
<p class="css-mq3m0l" style="color:#333;font:16px/20px georgia,serif;margin:0 0 10px;text-align:left">We need to rethink the policy of preserving families, seemingly at all costs.</p>
<p style="color:#000;font:600 13px/18px arial,sans-serif;margin:0;letter-spacing:.2px">By Naomi Schaefer Riley</p></a></td>
<td class="css-k5nsl" style="vertical-align:top;padding-left:15px" valign="top"><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/09/opinion/child-abuse-foster-care.html" style="color:#000;text-decoration:none;display:block"><img src="https://static01.nyt.com/images/2024/05/09/opinion/09riley/09riley-moth.jpg" alt="An illustration of a woman planting a flower as others wilt behind it." style="width:105px;padding-top:3px" width="105"></a></td>
</tr></tbody></table></td></tr>
<tr><td style="padding:0;padding-bottom:25px;border-top:1px solid #dcdcdc;padding-top:20px"><table style="width:100%"><tbody><tr>
<td class="css-nj0ayh" style="width:496px;vertical-align:top" width="496" valign="top"><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/live/2024/05/07/opinion/thepoint/cannon-trump-documents-case" style="color:#000;text-decoration:none;display:block"><h3 class="css-15xrm7f" style="color:#000;font:25px/30px georgia,serif;margin:0;padding:0 0 7px">There’s Only One Explanation for Judge Cannon’s Actions</h3>
<p style="color:#000;font:600 13px/18px arial,sans-serif;margin:0;letter-spacing:.2px">By David Firestone</p></a></td>
<td class="css-k5nsl" style="vertical-align:top;padding-left:15px" valign="top"><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/live/2024/05/07/opinion/thepoint/cannon-trump-documents-case" style="color:#000;text-decoration:none;display:block"><img src="https://static01.nyt.com/images/2024/05/09/multimedia/09opinion-thepoint-firestone-cannon-fpzc/09opinion-thepoint-firestone-cannon-fpzc-moth.jpg" alt="A photograph of documents, spilling from a file box, inside of a storage room." style="width:105px;padding-top:3px" width="105"></a></td>
</tr></tbody></table></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="width:100%"><tbody>
<tr><td style="height:10px"></td></tr>
<tr><td style="border-top:1px solid #dcdcdc;padding-top:15px"></td></tr>
<tr aria-hidden="true"><td>
<h3 class="css-kf37zi" style="font:10px/13px arial,sans-serif;color:#666;letter-spacing:.7px;margin-bottom:7px;margin-top:0;text-align:center">ADVERTISEMENT</h3>
<span style="text-align:center"><table style="margin:0 auto" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody>
<tr><td style="line-height:0;font-size:0"><a href="https://www.ritualzeroproof.com/pages/whiskey" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" tabindex="-1" target="_blank"><img src="https://liveintent.newyorktimesinfo.com/imp?s=201812&amp;li=TY&amp;m=8383ee1ae2436850476ad599d3d14209&amp;p=TY_20240509&amp;stpe=default&amp;li_coord=desktop&amp;collapse_width=600" alt="Ad" border="0" width="600" class="css-nj50nf" style="display:block;width:100%;max-width:600px"></a></td></tr>
<tr class="css-zuk3t0" style="display:none"><td style="line-height:0;font-size:0"><a href="https://www.ritualzeroproof.com/pages/whiskey" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" tabindex="-1" target="_blank"><img src="https://liveintent.newyorktimesinfo.com/imp?s=201812&amp;li=TY&amp;m=8383ee1ae2436850476ad599d3d14209&amp;p=TY_20240509&amp;stpe=default&amp;li_coord=mobile&amp;collapse_width=480" alt="Ad" border="0" width="480" style="display:block;width:100%;max-width:480px"></a></td></tr>
</tbody></table></span>
</td></tr>
<tr><td style="padding-bottom:15px"></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table style="width:100%"><tbody>
<tr><td style="padding-top:15px"></td></tr>
<tr><td style="padding:0;padding-bottom:25px;border-top:1px solid #dcdcdc;padding-top:20px"><table style="width:100%"><tbody><tr>
<td class="css-nj0ayh" style="width:496px;vertical-align:top" width="496" valign="top"><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/08/opinion/campus-protest-election-gaza-democrats.html" style="color:#000;text-decoration:none;display:block"><p style="color:#555;font:14px/21px georgia,serif;margin:0 0 2px;text-transform:uppercase;letter-spacing:.75px">David Wallace-Wells</p>
<h3 class="css-15xrm7f" style="color:#000;font:25px/30px georgia,serif;margin:0;padding:0 0 7px">The Campus Protests Signal the End of an Era for the Democrats</h3>
<p class="css-mq3m0l" style="color:#333;font:16px/20px georgia,serif;margin:0 0 10px;text-align:left">The alliance of the elite establishment and progressives is showing signs of fraying.</p>
<p style="color:#000;font:600 13px/18px arial,sans-serif;margin:0;letter-spacing:.2px">By David Wallace-Wells</p></a></td>
<td class="css-k5nsl" style="vertical-align:top;padding-left:15px" valign="top"><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/08/opinion/campus-protest-election-gaza-democrats.html" style="color:#000;text-decoration:none;display:block"><img src="https://static01.nyt.com/images/2024/05/08/opinion/08wallace-wells-newsletter-image/08wallace-wells-newsletter-image-moth.jpg" alt="A floating kaffiyeh is encircled by barricades." style="width:105px;padding-top:3px" width="105"></a></td>
</tr></tbody></table></td></tr>
<tr><td style="padding:0;padding-bottom:25px;border-top:1px solid #dcdcdc;padding-top:20px"><table style="width:100%"><tbody><tr>
<td class="css-nj0ayh" style="width:496px;vertical-align:top" width="496" valign="top"><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/08/opinion/trump-trial-jurors.html" style="color:#000;text-decoration:none;display:block"><p style="color:#555;font:14px/21px georgia,serif;margin:0 0 2px;text-transform:uppercase;letter-spacing:.75px">JESSE Wegman</p>
<h3 class="css-15xrm7f" style="color:#000;font:25px/30px georgia,serif;margin:0;padding:0 0 7px">The Tawdry Decade of Trump Could Desensitize Any Juror</h3>
<p class="css-mq3m0l" style="color:#333;font:16px/20px georgia,serif;margin:0 0 10px;text-align:left">If everything is just a tabloid joke, can Trump be found guilty of a real crime?</p>
<p style="color:#000;font:600 13px/18px arial,sans-serif;margin:0;letter-spacing:.2px">By Jesse Wegman</p></a></td>
<td class="css-k5nsl" style="vertical-align:top;padding-left:15px" valign="top"><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/08/opinion/trump-trial-jurors.html" style="color:#000;text-decoration:none;display:block"><img src="https://static01.nyt.com/images/2024/05/10/multimedia/08wegman1-jgcv/08wegman1-jgcv-moth.jpg" alt="A close-up on a man (Donald Trump) speaking into a microphone, as seen on a television screen." style="width:105px;padding-top:3px" width="105"></a></td>
</tr></tbody></table></td></tr>
<tr><td style="padding:0;padding-bottom:25px;border-top:1px solid #dcdcdc;padding-top:20px"><table style="width:100%"><tbody><tr>
<td class="css-nj0ayh" style="width:496px;vertical-align:top" width="496" valign="top"><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2024/05/09/opinion/purebred-dogs-inbreeding.html" style="color:#000;text-decoration:none;display:block"><h3 class="css-15xrm7f" style="color:#000;font:25px/30px georgia,serif;margin:0;padding:0 0 7px">This Quiz Will Change the Way You Think About Dog Breeding</h3>
<p class="css-mq3m0l" style="color:#333;font:16px/20px georgia,serif;margin:0 0 10px;text-align:left">We may not mean to, but we are hurting the dogs we claim to love.</p>
<p style="color:#000;font:600 13px/18px arial,sans-serif;margin:0;letter-spacing:.2px">By Alexandra Horowitz</p></a></td>
<td class="css-k5nsl" style="vertical-align:top;padding-left:15px" valign="top"><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2024/05/09/opinion/purebred-dogs-inbreeding.html" style="color:#000;text-decoration:none;display:block"><img src="https://static01.nyt.com/images/2024/05/09/multimedia/2024-02-27-dog-inbreeding-index/2024-02-27-dog-inbreeding-index-moth.jpg" alt="Article Image" style="width:105px;padding-top:3px" width="105"></a></td>
</tr></tbody></table></td></tr>
<tr><td style="padding:0;padding-bottom:25px;border-top:1px solid #dcdcdc;padding-top:20px"><table style="width:100%"><tbody><tr>
<td class="css-nj0ayh" style="width:496px;vertical-align:top" width="496" valign="top">
<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/09/opinion/trump-trial.html" style="color:#000;text-decoration:none;display:block"><p style="color:#555;font:14px/21px georgia,serif;margin:0 0 2px;text-transform:uppercase;letter-spacing:.75px"><span style="color:#000;font:700 13px/18px arial,sans-serif;text-transform:uppercase;letter-spacing:.75px">The Opinions</span></p>
<h3 class="css-15xrm7f" style="color:#000;font:25px/30px georgia,serif;margin:0;padding:0 0 7px">Trump on Trial: ‘The Odds of Conviction Have Gone Up’</h3>
<p class="css-mq3m0l" style="color:#333;font:16px/20px georgia,serif;margin:0 0 10px;text-align:left">Inside the courtroom, Jonathan Alter sees the evidence mounting.</p></a><table style="vertical-align:top"><tbody><tr>
<td valign="top" style="margin:0;padding:0 10px 0 0;background-color:#fff;vertical-align:top"><img alt="play button" src="https://static.nytimes.com/email-images/NYT-Audio/nyt-audio-play-btn.png" height="24" width="24"></td>
<td style="margin:0;padding:0;vertical-align:top"><p style="letter-spacing:.75px;font:12px arial,sans-serif;color:#333;margin:5px 0 0 0">5 MIN LISTEN</p></td>
</tr></tbody></table>
</td>
<td class="css-k5nsl" style="vertical-align:top;padding-left:15px" valign="top"><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/09/opinion/trump-trial.html" style="color:#000;text-decoration:none;display:block"><img src="https://static01.nyt.com/images/2024/05/08/opinion/09opinions-alter/v-moth.jpg" alt="Article Image" style="width:105px;padding-top:3px" width="105"></a></td>
</tr></tbody></table></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table style="width:100%"><tbody><tr><td style="padding:0;padding-bottom:25px;border-top:1px solid #dcdcdc;padding-top:20px"><table style="width:100%"><tbody><tr>
<td class="css-60p5qj" style="display:inline-block;width:291px;max-width:291px;vertical-align:top" width="291" valign="top"><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/08/opinion/trump-gag-order.html" style="color:#000;text-decoration:none;display:block"><img class="css-1h5ov94" src="https://static01.nyt.com/images/2024/05/03/multimedia/03trump-trial-gag-order-blwg/03trump-trial-gag-order-blwg-square640.jpg" alt="Former President Donald J. Trump departed his airplane. He is wearing a red hat which reads “make America great again.”" width="291" style="width:291px;box-sizing:border-box;vertical-align:top"><p style="color:#888;font:11px/17px georgia,serif;margin:2px 0 0;text-align:right">Doug Mills/The New York Times</p></a></td>
<td class="css-158ikqd" style="width:100%;vertical-align:top;box-sizing:border-box;padding-left:15px" width="100%" valign="top"><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/08/opinion/trump-gag-order.html" style="color:#000;text-decoration:none;display:block"><p style="color:#555;font:14px/21px georgia,serif;margin:0 0 2px;text-transform:uppercase;letter-spacing:.75px">letters</p>
<h3 style="color:#000;margin:0;padding:0 0 5px;font:25px/30px georgia,serif">A Judge’s Dilemma: How to Punish Trump for Gag Order Violations</h3>
<p class="css-mq3m0l" style="color:#333;font:16px/20px georgia,serif;margin:0 0 10px;text-align:left">Readers discuss Justice Juan Merchan’s options. Also: If there’s a Trump conviction; TikTok and China; abortion exceptions; saving the bees.</p></a></td>
</tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table>
<table width="100%"><tbody>
<tr><td class="css-1ux4czy" style="padding-bottom:15px"></td></tr>
<tr><td style="border-top:1px solid #dcdcdc;padding-bottom:15px"></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<p style="font:normal 17px/25px georgia,serif;color:#333;margin:0 0 15px"><span style="font-style:italic">We hope you’ve enjoyed this newsletter, which is made possible through subscriber support. </span><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/subscription/all-access" class="css-sdwaa1" style="color:#286ed0;-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;font-style:italic">Subscribe to The New York Times</a><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/subscription/all-access" class="css-sdwaa1" style="color:#286ed0;-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline">.</a></p>
<table width="100%"><tbody>
<tr><td class="css-1ux4czy" style="padding-bottom:15px"></td></tr>
<tr><td style="border-top:1px solid #dcdcdc;padding-bottom:15px"></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<p style="font:normal 17px/25px georgia,serif;color:#333;margin:0 0 15px"><span style="font-weight:700">Games </span><span>Here are </span><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/crosswords/game/mini" class="css-sdwaa1" style="color:#286ed0;-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline">today’s Mini Crossword</a><span>, </span><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/games/wordle/index.html" class="css-sdwaa1" style="color:#286ed0;-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline">Wordle</a><span> and </span><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/puzzles/spelling-bee" class="css-sdwaa1" style="color:#286ed0;-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline">Spelling Bee</a><span>. If you’re in the mood to play more, find </span><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/crosswords" class="css-sdwaa1" style="color:#286ed0;-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline">all our games here</a><span>.</span></p>
<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="width:100%"><tbody>
<tr><td style="height:10px"></td></tr>
<tr><td style="border-top:1px solid #dcdcdc;padding-top:15px"></td></tr>
<tr aria-hidden="true"><td>
<h3 class="css-kf37zi" style="font:10px/13px arial,sans-serif;color:#666;letter-spacing:.7px;margin-bottom:7px;margin-top:0;text-align:center">ADVERTISEMENT</h3>
<span style="text-align:center"><table style="margin:0 auto" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody>
<tr><td style="line-height:0;font-size:0"><a href="/the-best-new-books/exp125" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" tabindex="-1" target="_blank"><img src="https://liveintent.newyorktimesinfo.com/imp?s=726537&amp;li=TY&amp;m=8383ee1ae2436850476ad599d3d14209&amp;p=TY_20240509&amp;stpe=default&amp;li_coord=desktop&amp;collapse_width=600" alt="Ad" border="0" width="600" class="css-nj50nf" style="display:block;width:100%;max-width:600px"></a></td></tr>
<tr class="css-zuk3t0" style="display:none"><td style="line-height:0;font-size:0"><a href="/the-best-new-books/exp125" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" tabindex="-1" target="_blank"><img src="https://liveintent.newyorktimesinfo.com/imp?s=726537&amp;li=TY&amp;m=8383ee1ae2436850476ad599d3d14209&amp;p=TY_20240509&amp;stpe=default&amp;li_coord=mobile&amp;collapse_width=480" alt="Ad" border="0" width="480" style="display:block;width:100%;max-width:480px"></a></td></tr>
</tbody></table></span>
</td></tr>
<tr><td style="padding-bottom:15px"></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table width="100%"><tbody>
<tr><td class="css-1ux4czy" style="padding-bottom:15px"></td></tr>
<tr><td style="border-top:1px solid #dcdcdc;padding-bottom:15px"></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<p style="font:normal 17px/25px georgia,serif;color:#333;margin:0 0 15px"><span style="font-weight:700">Forward this newsletter to friends</span><span> to share ideas and perspectives that will help inform their lives. They can </span><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/newsletters/opinion-todaynl" class="css-sdwaa1" style="color:#286ed0;-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline">sign up here</a><span>. Do you have feedback? Email us at </span><a href="mailto:[email protected]?subject=Opinion%20Today%20Newsletter%20Feedback" class="css-sdwaa1" style="color:#286ed0;-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline">[email protected]</a><span>.</span></p>
<p style="font:normal 17px/25px georgia,serif;color:#333;margin:0 0 15px"><span>If you have questions about your Times account, delivery problems or other issues, visit our </span><a href="https://help.nytimes.com/hc/en-us/articles/360001488266-Newsletters" class="css-sdwaa1" style="color:#286ed0;-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline">Help Page</a><span> or </span><a href="https://help.nytimes.com/hc/en-us/articles/115015385887-Contact-Us" class="css-sdwaa1" style="color:#286ed0;-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline">contact The Times</a><span>.</span></p>
<div style="overflow:hidden;height:0;width:100%;max-width:600px;margin:0 auto" aria-hidden="true"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" border="0" width="40"><tbody><tr>
<td height="6"><img src="https://liveintent.newyorktimesinfo.com/imp?s=60347&amp;sz=2x1&amp;m=8383ee1ae2436850476ad599d3d14209&amp;p=TY_20240509&amp;li=TY" width="2" height="6" border="0"></td>
<td height="6"><img src="https://liveintent.newyorktimesinfo.com/imp?s=60348&amp;sz=2x1&amp;m=8383ee1ae2436850476ad599d3d14209&amp;p=TY_20240509&amp;li=TY" width="2" height="6" border="0"></td>
<td height="6"><img src="https://liveintent.newyorktimesinfo.com/imp?s=60349&amp;sz=2x1&amp;m=8383ee1ae2436850476ad599d3d14209&amp;p=TY_20240509&amp;li=TY" width="2" height="6" border="0"></td>
<td height="6"><img src="https://liveintent.newyorktimesinfo.com/imp?s=60350&amp;sz=2x1&amp;m=8383ee1ae2436850476ad599d3d14209&amp;p=TY_20240509&amp;li=TY" width="2" height="6" border="0"></td>
<td height="6"><img src="https://liveintent.newyorktimesinfo.com/imp?s=60351&amp;sz=2x1&amp;m=8383ee1ae2436850476ad599d3d14209&amp;p=TY_20240509&amp;li=TY" width="2" height="6" border="0"></td>
<td height="6"><img src="https://liveintent.newyorktimesinfo.com/imp?s=60352&amp;sz=2x1&amp;m=8383ee1ae2436850476ad599d3d14209&amp;p=TY_20240509&amp;li=TY" width="2" height="6" border="0"></td>
<td height="6"><img src="https://liveintent.newyorktimesinfo.com/imp?s=60353&amp;sz=2x1&amp;m=8383ee1ae2436850476ad599d3d14209&amp;p=TY_20240509&amp;li=TY" width="2" height="6" border="0"></td>
<td height="6"><img src="https://liveintent.newyorktimesinfo.com/imp?s=60354&amp;sz=2x1&amp;m=8383ee1ae2436850476ad599d3d14209&amp;p=TY_20240509&amp;li=TY" width="2" height="6" border="0"></td>
<td height="6"><img src="https://liveintent.newyorktimesinfo.com/imp?s=60355&amp;sz=2x1&amp;m=8383ee1ae2436850476ad599d3d14209&amp;p=TY_20240509&amp;li=TY" width="2" height="6" border="0"></td>
<td height="6"><img src="https://liveintent.newyorktimesinfo.com/imp?s=60356&amp;sz=2x1&amp;m=8383ee1ae2436850476ad599d3d14209&amp;p=TY_20240509&amp;li=TY" width="2" height="6" border="0"></td>
<td height="6"><img src="https://liveintent.newyorktimesinfo.com/imp?s=60357&amp;sz=2x1&amp;m=8383ee1ae2436850476ad599d3d14209&amp;p=TY_20240509&amp;li=TY" width="2" height="6" border="0"></td>
<td height="6"><img src="https://liveintent.newyorktimesinfo.com/imp?s=60358&amp;sz=2x1&amp;m=8383ee1ae2436850476ad599d3d14209&amp;p=TY_20240509&amp;li=TY" width="2" height="6" border="0"></td>
<td height="6"><img src="https://liveintent.newyorktimesinfo.com/imp?s=123354612&amp;sz=2x1&amp;m=8383ee1ae2436850476ad599d3d14209&amp;p=TY_20240509&amp;li=TY" width="2" height="6" border="0"></td>
<td height="6"><img src="https://liveintent.newyorktimesinfo.com/imp?s=123354613&amp;sz=2x1&amp;m=8383ee1ae2436850476ad599d3d14209&amp;p=TY_20240509&amp;li=TY" width="2" height="6" border="0"></td>
<td height="6"><img src="https://liveintent.newyorktimesinfo.com/imp?s=123354614&amp;sz=2x1&amp;m=8383ee1ae2436850476ad599d3d14209&amp;p=TY_20240509&amp;li=TY" width="2" height="6" border="0"></td>
<td height="6"><img src="https://liveintent.newyorktimesinfo.com/imp?s=123354615&amp;sz=2x1&amp;m=8383ee1ae2436850476ad599d3d14209&amp;p=TY_20240509&amp;li=TY" width="2" height="6" border="0"></td>
<td height="6"><img src="https://liveintent.newyorktimesinfo.com/imp?s=123354616&amp;sz=2x1&amp;m=8383ee1ae2436850476ad599d3d14209&amp;p=TY_20240509&amp;li=TY" width="2" height="6" border="0"></td>
<td height="6"><img src="https://liveintent.newyorktimesinfo.com/imp?s=123354617&amp;sz=2x1&amp;m=8383ee1ae2436850476ad599d3d14209&amp;p=TY_20240509&amp;li=TY" width="2" height="6" border="0"></td>
<td height="6"><img src="https://liveintent.newyorktimesinfo.com/imp?s=123354618&amp;sz=2x1&amp;m=8383ee1ae2436850476ad599d3d14209&amp;p=TY_20240509&amp;li=TY" width="2" height="6" border="0"></td>
<td height="6"><img src="https://liveintent.newyorktimesinfo.com/imp?s=123354619&amp;sz=2x1&amp;m=8383ee1ae2436850476ad599d3d14209&amp;p=TY_20240509&amp;li=TY" width="2" height="6" border="0"></td>
</tr></tbody></table></div>
<table><tbody>
<tr><td style="height:15px"></td></tr>
<tr><td style="padding:12px 0;border-top:1px solid #000">
<p style="font:12px/15px arial,sans-serif;margin-bottom:7px;color:#666">Need help? Review our <a href="https://help.nytimes.com/hc/en-us/articles/360001488266-Newsletters" class="css-sdwaa1" style="-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:none;color:#286ed0">newsletter help page</a> or <a href="https://help.nytimes.com/hc/en-us/articles/115015385887-Contact-us" class="css-sdwaa1" style="-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:none;color:#286ed0">contact us</a> for assistance.</p>
<p style="font:12px/15px arial,sans-serif;margin-bottom:7px;color:#666"><span>You received this email because you signed up for the Opinion Today newsletter from The New York Times.</span></p>
<p style="font:12px/15px arial,sans-serif;margin-bottom:7px;color:#666">To stop receiving Opinion Today, <a href="#" class="css-sdwaa1" style="-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:none;color:#286ed0">unsubscribe</a>. To opt out of other promotional emails from The Times, including those regarding The Athletic, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/newsletters/manage" class="css-sdwaa1" style="-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:none;color:#286ed0">manage your email settings</a>. To opt out of updates and offers sent from The Athletic, <a href="https://theathletic.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/requests/new" class="css-sdwaa1" style="-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:none;color:#286ed0">submit a request</a>.</p>
</td></tr>
<tr><td style="padding:10px 0;border-top:1px solid #dcdcdc"><p style="font:12px/15px arial,sans-serif;margin:0;color:#666"><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/subscription" class="css-irp95o" style="-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:none;color:#286ed0">Subscribe to The Times</a><a href="https://help.nytimes.com/hc/en-us/sections/115003859548-Apps" class="css-aqjl7v" style="-webkit-text-decoration:underline;display:none;text-decoration:none;color:#286ed0">Get The New York Times app</a></p></td></tr>
<tr><td style="padding:9px 0 8px;border-top:1px solid #dcdcdc"><table><tbody><tr>
<td style="padding-right:15px"><p style="font:12px/15px arial,sans-serif;margin:0;color:#666">Connect with us on:</p></td>
<td style="padding-right:15px"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/login/"><img width="25" height="25" alt="facebook" style="vertical-align:middle" src="https://static.nytimes.com/email-images/design-system/social-icons/facebook.png"></a></td>
<td style="padding-right:15px"><a href="https://twitter.com/nytopinion"><img width="25" height="25" alt="twitter" style="vertical-align:middle" src="https://static.nytimes.com/email-images/design-system/social-icons/twitter.png"></a></td>
<td style="padding-right:15px"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/accounts/login/"><img width="25" height="25" alt="instagram" style="vertical-align:middle" src="https://static.nytimes.com/email-images/design-system/social-icons/instagram.png"></a></td>
</tr></tbody></table></td></tr>
<tr><td style="padding:10px 0;border-top:1px solid #dcdcdc"><p style="font:12px/15px arial,sans-serif;margin:0;color:#666;line-height:20px"><a class="css-76jd1b" href="https://www.nytimes.com/account/settings" style="-webkit-text-decoration:underline;display:inline-block;border-right:1px solid #dcdcdc;padding-right:10px;margin-right:10px;text-decoration:none;color:#286ed0">Change Your Email</a><a class="css-76jd1b" href="https://help.nytimes.com/hc/en-us/articles/10940941449492" style="-webkit-text-decoration:underline;display:inline-block;border-right:1px solid #dcdcdc;padding-right:10px;margin-right:10px;text-decoration:none;color:#286ed0">Privacy Policy</a><a class="css-76jd1b" href="https://help.nytimes.com/hc/en-us/articles/115015385887-Contact-Us" style="-webkit-text-decoration:underline;display:inline-block;border-right:1px solid #dcdcdc;padding-right:10px;margin-right:10px;text-decoration:none;color:#286ed0">Contact Us</a><a href="https://help.nytimes.com/hc/en-us/articles/10940941449492#4.B?nl=opinion-today&amp;regi_id=244842495&amp;segment_id=166108" class="css-sdwaa1" style="-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:none;color:#286ed0">California Notices</a></p></td></tr>
<tr><td style="padding:5px 0 7px;border-top:1px solid #dcdcdc">
<a href="http://www.liveintent.com/ad-choices/" class="css-76jd1b" style="-webkit-text-decoration:underline;display:inline-block;border-right:1px solid #dcdcdc;padding-right:10px;margin-right:10px;text-decoration:none;color:#666;line-height:0"><img width="150" alt="LiveIntent Logo" style="vertical-align:middle" src="https://static.nytimes.com/email-images/design-system/ads/liveintentads.png"></a><a href="http://www.liveintent.com/ad-choices/" class="css-sdwaa1" style="-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:none;color:#666;line-height:0"><img width="70" alt="AdChoices Logo" style="vertical-align:middle" src="https://static.nytimes.com/email-images/design-system/ads/adchoices.png"></a>
</td></tr>
<tr><td style="border-top:1px solid #dcdcdc;padding:10px 0 30px"><p style="font:12px/15px arial,sans-serif;margin:0;color:#999">The New York Times Company. 620 Eighth Avenue New York, NY 10018</p></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div></td></tr></tbody></table>
<!--[if mso | IE]></td></tr></table><![endif]-->
</div>
<img border="0" width="1" height="1" alt="" src="https://nl.nytimes.com/q/onMvdDxJ8UlCq4a0uPSHEg~~/AAAAAQA~/RgRoH0BwPlcDbnl0QgpmM3C7PGbG3EUmUhlvbGl2aWFtdXJwaHk0MDlAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAD">
</body>
</html>

Opinion Today: Is divestment from Israel self-defeating?
The campus protests raise difficult questions.
View in browser (https://nl.nytimes.com/f/a/X7419LDWm7uPLcw0bypvsg~~/AAAAAQA~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~) nytimes.com (https://nl.nytimes.com/f/a/NdJxbiVcErzRo3MYoV8dSw~~/AAAAAQA~/RgRoH0BwP0SyaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vP2NhbXBhaWduX2lkPTM5JmVtYz1lZGl0X3R5XzIwMjQwNTA5Jmluc3RhbmNlX2lkPTEyMjgxMyZubD1vcGluaW9uLXRvZGF5JnJlZ2lfaWQ9MjQ0ODQyNDk1JnNlZ21lbnRfaWQ9MTY2MTA4JnRlPTEmdXNlcl9pZD04MzgzZWUxYWUyNDM2ODUwNDc2YWQ1OTlkM2QxNDIwOVcDbnl0QgpmM3C7PGbG3EUmUhlvbGl2aWFtdXJwaHk0MDlAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAD)

May 9, 2024

By Suein Hwang Business, Economics, and Technology Editor, Opinion
I’m sure many of you are aware that protests have erupted on the lawns of well-known colleges and universities. Some of you may also know about one of the things many protesters are seeking: divestiture from companies and institutions that do business with Israel. But is that possible or financially tenable? If you want an idea of the dynamics at play from an investment perspective, it’s worth reading this guest essay (https://nl.nytimes.com/f/newsletter/83wbxu2pKKhE0H8bkwCabQ~~/AAAAAQA~/RgRoH0BwP0TmaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vMjAyNC8wNS8wOS9vcGluaW9uL2RpdmVzdC1jYW1wdXMtcHJvdGVzdC1pc3JhZWwuaHRtbD9jYW1wYWlnbl9pZD0zOSZlbWM9ZWRpdF90eV8yMDI0MDUwOSZpbnN0YW5jZV9pZD0xMjI4MTMmbmw9b3Bpbmlvbi10b2RheSZyZWdpX2lkPTI0NDg0MjQ5NSZzZWdtZW50X2lkPTE2NjEwOCZ0ZT0xJnVzZXJfaWQ9ODM4M2VlMWFlMjQzNjg1MDQ3NmFkNTk5ZDNkMTQyMDlXA255dEIKZjNwuzxmxtxFJlIZb2xpdmlhbXVycGh5NDA5QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAAw~~) by Gary Sernovitz. As a private equity executive, Sernovitz had a front-row seat to a prior movement urging universities to divest from fossil fuels; some schools stopped investing in his firm’s oil and gas funds while others invested in its clean energy funds. He even wrote a novel (https://nl.nytimes.com/f/a/8ORrcqP1URJJTlY-JsNTSg~~/AAAAAQA~/RgRoH0BwP4QZAWh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmJsb29tYmVyZy5jb20vbmV3cy9hcnRpY2xlcy8yMDI0LTAyLTEwL2NvbGxlZ2UtbW9uZXktbWFuYWdlci1zcGlsbHMtc2VjcmV0cy1vZi1lbmRvd21lbnRzLWluLW5ldy1ib29rP2NhbXBhaWduX2lkPTM5JmVtYz1lZGl0X3R5XzIwMjQwNTA5Jmluc3RhbmNlX2lkPTEyMjgxMyZubD1vcGluaW9uLXRvZGF5JnJlZ2lfaWQ9MjQ0ODQyNDk1JnNlZ21lbnRfaWQ9MTY2MTA4JnNyZWY9QjN1RnlxSlQmdGU9MSZ1c2VyX2lkPTgzODNlZTFhZTI0MzY4NTA0NzZhZDU5OWQzZDE0MjA5VwNueXRCCmYzcLs8ZsbcRSZSGW9saXZpYW11cnBoeTQwOUBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAAAM~) on the travails of a college chief investment officer. His bottom line: In taking the easy way out on fossil fuels — schools’ exposure to oil and gas investments was often less than 5 percent of their endowment — these institutions put every investment up for debate. If Israel is a target, for political reasons, what countries are next? Even more thorny in this case, Sernovitz writes, is the question of what would be the benchmark by which divestment would end. A cease-fire? A two-state solution? The end of Israel as a Jewish state? Endowments “can’t be in the moral adjudication business — and they should never have headed this way,” Sernowitz writes in his guest essay. He argues: This does not mean that investing should be a returns-at-any-cost exercise. But it does mean that the real world does not always provide objective answers to how to balance benefits and consequences of companies providing products and services: Carbon emissions are bad, but energy consumption is necessary. Microsoft software for the Israeli government may displease you, but Microsoft saying it won’t sell software to Israel would displease others — and probably get itself banned (https://nl.nytimes.com/f/newsletter/s5AHBIxQiL-adzS82cfGdw~~/AAAAAQA~/RgRoH0BwP0T1aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vMjAxNi8wNi8wNi9ueXJlZ2lvbi9jdW9tby1uZXcteW9yay1pc3JhZWwtYm95Y290dC1iZHMtbW92ZW1lbnQuaHRtbD9jYW1wYWlnbl9pZD0zOSZlbWM9ZWRpdF90eV8yMDI0MDUwOSZpbnN0YW5jZV9pZD0xMjI4MTMmbmw9b3Bpbmlvbi10b2RheSZyZWdpX2lkPTI0NDg0MjQ5NSZzZWdtZW50X2lkPTE2NjEwOCZ0ZT0xJnVzZXJfaWQ9ODM4M2VlMWFlMjQzNjg1MDQ3NmFkNTk5ZDNkMTQyMDlXA255dEIKZjNwuzxmxtxFJlIZb2xpdmlhbXVycGh5NDA5QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAAw~~) from working with New York State agencies (https://nl.nytimes.com/f/a/70-2O70vxg8jM-R62ZoGOA~~/AAAAAQA~/RgRoH0BwP0TkaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ292ZXJub3IubnkuZ292L3NpdGVzL2RlZmF1bHQvZmlsZXMvYXRvbXMvZmlsZXMvRU9fMTU3X25ldy5wZGY_Y2FtcGFpZ25faWQ9MzkmZW1jPWVkaXRfdHlfMjAyNDA1MDkmaW5zdGFuY2VfaWQ9MTIyODEzJm5sPW9waW5pb24tdG9kYXkmcmVnaV9pZD0yNDQ4NDI0OTUmc2VnbWVudF9pZD0xNjYxMDgmdGU9MSZ1c2VyX2lkPTgzODNlZTFhZTI0MzY4NTA0NzZhZDU5OWQzZDE0MjA5VwNueXRCCmYzcLs8ZsbcRSZSGW9saXZpYW11cnBoeTQwOUBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAAAM~) Graduation season is now upon us, and there’s a chance that the protests may take a hiatus. But the questions they have raised will undoubtedly linger. Read the guest essay: (https://nl.nytimes.com/f/newsletter/83wbxu2pKKhE0H8bkwCabQ~~/AAAAAQA~/RgRoH0BwP0TmaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vMjAyNC8wNS8wOS9vcGluaW9uL2RpdmVzdC1jYW1wdXMtcHJvdGVzdC1pc3JhZWwuaHRtbD9jYW1wYWlnbl9pZD0zOSZlbWM9ZWRpdF90eV8yMDI0MDUwOSZpbnN0YW5jZV9pZD0xMjI4MTMmbmw9b3Bpbmlvbi10b2RheSZyZWdpX2lkPTI0NDg0MjQ5NSZzZWdtZW50X2lkPTE2NjEwOCZ0ZT0xJnVzZXJfaWQ9ODM4M2VlMWFlMjQzNjg1MDQ3NmFkNTk5ZDNkMTQyMDlXA255dEIKZjNwuzxmxtxFJlIZb2xpdmlhbXVycGh5NDA5QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAAw~~)
Marilynn K. Yee/The New York Times
Guest Essay
Elite Colleges Walked Into the Israel Divestment Trap
Colleges cannot accede to student protesters’ demands that they jettison investments because of the war in Gaza.
By Gary Sernovitz

ADVERTISEMENT
Here’s what we’re focusing on today:
Editors’ Picks

Charles M. Blow
Young Voters Aren’t Happy With Biden. But Will They Abandon Him?
The president’s complicated relationship with a key demographic.
By Charles M. Blow
More From Opinion

Guest Essay
The Oldest, Most Successful Party in Europe Is Headed for a Wipeout
The Conservative Party is in crisis.
By Geoffrey Wheatcroft

Jessica Bennett
What Kind of Husband Behaves Like Donald Trump?
Will the jury buy the image that the ex-president and his allies are selling?
By Jessica Bennett

Michelle Cottle
The Part of the Kristi Noem Saga That I Can’t Shake
It’s about her place in the G.O.P., but about the party, too.
By Michelle Cottle

Nicholas Kristof
The Case for Hope
After decades of reporting on the front lines, I am awed by the material and moral progress the world has made.
By Nicholas Kristof

Guest Essay
Israel’s Incursion Into Rafah Could Be a Costly Mistake
Judging by the war’s conduct to date, it’s more likely that in the end, the operation will do more damage to Israel.
By Shira Efron

Guest Essay
When the Alternative to Foster Care Is an Unsafe Home, There Is Only One Right Choice
We need to rethink the policy of preserving families, seemingly at all costs.
By Naomi Schaefer Riley

There’s Only One Explanation for Judge Cannon’s Actions
By David Firestone

David Wallace-Wells
The Campus Protests Signal the End of an Era for the Democrats
The alliance of the elite establishment and progressives is showing signs of fraying.
By David Wallace-Wells

JESSE Wegman
The Tawdry Decade of Trump Could Desensitize Any Juror
If everything is just a tabloid joke, can Trump be found guilty of a real crime?
By Jesse Wegman

This Quiz Will Change the Way You Think About Dog Breeding
We may not mean to, but we are hurting the dogs we claim to love.
By Alexandra Horowitz
The Opinions
Trump on Trial: ‘The Odds of Conviction Have Gone Up’
Inside the courtroom, Jonathan Alter sees the evidence mounting.

5 MIN LISTEN

Doug Mills/The New York Times
letters
A Judge’s Dilemma: How to Punish Trump for Gag Order Violations
Readers discuss Justice Juan Merchan’s options. Also: If there’s a Trump conviction; TikTok and China; abortion exceptions; saving the bees.
We hope you’ve enjoyed this newsletter, which is made possible through subscriber support. Subscribe to The New York Times (https://nl.nytimes.com/f/a/EcW5b7ENi8WUN11-mmV6Jg~~/AAAAAQA~/RgRoH0BwP0TaaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vc3Vic2NyaXB0aW9uL2FsbC1hY2Nlc3M_Y2FtcGFpZ25JZD04Skg3TCZjYW1wYWlnbl9pZD0zOSZlbWM9ZWRpdF90eV8yMDI0MDUwOSZpbnN0YW5jZV9pZD0xMjI4MTMmbmw9b3Bpbmlvbi10b2RheSZyZWdpX2lkPTI0NDg0MjQ5NSZzZWdtZW50X2lkPTE2NjEwOCZ0ZT0xJnVzZXJfaWQ9ODM4M2VlMWFlMjQzNjg1MDQ3NmFkNTk5ZDNkMTQyMDlXA255dEIKZjNwuzxmxtxFJlIZb2xpdmlhbXVycGh5NDA5QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAAw~~)
Games Here are today’s Mini Crossword (https://nl.nytimes.com/f/a/3JqswyyTj152efrCA7eKNg~~/AAAAAQA~/RgRoH0BwP0TGaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vY3Jvc3N3b3Jkcy9nYW1lL21pbmk_Y2FtcGFpZ25faWQ9MzkmZW1jPWVkaXRfdHlfMjAyNDA1MDkmaW5zdGFuY2VfaWQ9MTIyODEzJm5sPW9waW5pb24tdG9kYXkmcmVnaV9pZD0yNDQ4NDI0OTUmc2VnbWVudF9pZD0xNjYxMDgmdGU9MSZ1c2VyX2lkPTgzODNlZTFhZTI0MzY4NTA0NzZhZDU5OWQzZDE0MjA5VwNueXRCCmYzcLs8ZsbcRSZSGW9saXZpYW11cnBoeTQwOUBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAAAM~) , Wordle (https://nl.nytimes.com/f/a/RFHVxj5rtLTluMrQPEdjiQ~~/AAAAAQA~/RgRoH0BwP0TJaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vZ2FtZXMvd29yZGxlL2luZGV4Lmh0bWw_Y2FtcGFpZ25faWQ9MzkmZW1jPWVkaXRfdHlfMjAyNDA1MDkmaW5zdGFuY2VfaWQ9MTIyODEzJm5sPW9waW5pb24tdG9kYXkmcmVnaV9pZD0yNDQ4NDI0OTUmc2VnbWVudF9pZD0xNjYxMDgmdGU9MSZ1c2VyX2lkPTgzODNlZTFhZTI0MzY4NTA0NzZhZDU5OWQzZDE0MjA5VwNueXRCCmYzcLs8ZsbcRSZSGW9saXZpYW11cnBoeTQwOUBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAAAM~) and Spelling Bee (https://nl.nytimes.com/f/a/jQEPRCjbLEvUIejmSqDpaA~~/AAAAAQA~/RgRoH0BwP0TGaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vcHV6emxlcy9zcGVsbGluZy1iZWU_Y2FtcGFpZ25faWQ9MzkmZW1jPWVkaXRfdHlfMjAyNDA1MDkmaW5zdGFuY2VfaWQ9MTIyODEzJm5sPW9waW5pb24tdG9kYXkmcmVnaV9pZD0yNDQ4NDI0OTUmc2VnbWVudF9pZD0xNjYxMDgmdGU9MSZ1c2VyX2lkPTgzODNlZTFhZTI0MzY4NTA0NzZhZDU5OWQzZDE0MjA5VwNueXRCCmYzcLs8ZsbcRSZSGW9saXZpYW11cnBoeTQwOUBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAAAM~) . If you’re in the mood to play more, find all our games here (https://nl.nytimes.com/f/a/EEMkrMBGPBAmu0GnvHL4vg~~/AAAAAQA~/RgRoH0BwP0S3aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vZ2FtZXM_Y2FtcGFpZ25faWQ9MzkmZW1jPWVkaXRfdHlfMjAyNDA1MDkmaW5zdGFuY2VfaWQ9MTIyODEzJm5sPW9waW5pb24tdG9kYXkmcmVnaV9pZD0yNDQ4NDI0OTUmc2VnbWVudF9pZD0xNjYxMDgmdGU9MSZ1c2VyX2lkPTgzODNlZTFhZTI0MzY4NTA0NzZhZDU5OWQzZDE0MjA5VwNueXRCCmYzcLs8ZsbcRSZSGW9saXZpYW11cnBoeTQwOUBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAAAM~)

ADVERTISEMENT
Forward this newsletter to friends to share ideas and perspectives that will help inform their lives. They can sign up here (https://nl.nytimes.com/f/a/SDS-Zx6SDfNXdikbjlS5hA~~/AAAAAQA~/RgRoH0BwP0TNaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vbmV3c2xldHRlcnMvb3Bpbmlvbi10b2RheW5sP2NhbXBhaWduX2lkPTM5JmVtYz1lZGl0X3R5XzIwMjQwNTA5Jmluc3RhbmNlX2lkPTEyMjgxMyZubD1vcGluaW9uLXRvZGF5JnJlZ2lfaWQ9MjQ0ODQyNDk1JnNlZ21lbnRfaWQ9MTY2MTA4JnRlPTEmdXNlcl9pZD04MzgzZWUxYWUyNDM2ODUwNDc2YWQ1OTlkM2QxNDIwOVcDbnl0QgpmM3C7PGbG3EUmUhlvbGl2aWFtdXJwaHk0MDlAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAD) . Do you have feedback? Email us at [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]?subject=Opinion%20Today%20Newsletter%20Feedback) If you have questions about your Times account, delivery problems or other issues, visit our Help Page (https://nl.nytimes.com/f/a/HNGH8Bu0cksMt6uc41cEXw~~/AAAAAQA~/RgRoH0BwP0TdaHR0cHM6Ly9oZWxwLm55dGltZXMuY29tL2hjL2VuLXVzL2FydGljbGVzLzM2MDAwMTQ4ODI2Ni1OZXdzbGV0dGVycz9jYW1wYWlnbl9pZD0zOSZlbWM9ZWRpdF90eV8yMDI0MDUwOSZpbnN0YW5jZV9pZD0xMjI4MTMmbmw9b3Bpbmlvbi10b2RheSZyZWdpX2lkPTI0NDg0MjQ5NSZzZWdtZW50X2lkPTE2NjEwOCZ0ZT0xJnVzZXJfaWQ9ODM4M2VlMWFlMjQzNjg1MDQ3NmFkNTk5ZDNkMTQyMDlXA255dEIKZjNwuzxmxtxFJlIZb2xpdmlhbXVycGh5NDA5QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAAw~~) or contact The Times (https://nl.nytimes.com/f/a/qN8P4M4QdIc72J4E5mSDDg~~/AAAAAQA~/RgRoH0BwP0TcaHR0cHM6Ly9oZWxwLm55dGltZXMuY29tL2hjL2VuLXVzL2FydGljbGVzLzExNTAxNTM4NTg4Ny1Db250YWN0LVVzP2NhbXBhaWduX2lkPTM5JmVtYz1lZGl0X3R5XzIwMjQwNTA5Jmluc3RhbmNlX2lkPTEyMjgxMyZubD1vcGluaW9uLXRvZGF5JnJlZ2lfaWQ9MjQ0ODQyNDk1JnNlZ21lbnRfaWQ9MTY2MTA4JnRlPTEmdXNlcl9pZD04MzgzZWUxYWUyNDM2ODUwNDc2YWQ1OTlkM2QxNDIwOVcDbnl0QgpmM3C7PGbG3EUmUhlvbGl2aWFtdXJwaHk0MDlAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAD)

Need help? Review our newsletter help page or (https://nl.nytimes.com/f/a/HNGH8Bu0cksMt6uc41cEXw~~/AAAAAQA~/RgRoH0BwP0TdaHR0cHM6Ly9oZWxwLm55dGltZXMuY29tL2hjL2VuLXVzL2FydGljbGVzLzM2MDAwMTQ4ODI2Ni1OZXdzbGV0dGVycz9jYW1wYWlnbl9pZD0zOSZlbWM9ZWRpdF90eV8yMDI0MDUwOSZpbnN0YW5jZV9pZD0xMjI4MTMmbmw9b3Bpbmlvbi10b2RheSZyZWdpX2lkPTI0NDg0MjQ5NSZzZWdtZW50X2lkPTE2NjEwOCZ0ZT0xJnVzZXJfaWQ9ODM4M2VlMWFlMjQzNjg1MDQ3NmFkNTk5ZDNkMTQyMDlXA255dEIKZjNwuzxmxtxFJlIZb2xpdmlhbXVycGh5NDA5QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAAw~~) contact us for assistance. (https://nl.nytimes.com/f/a/D7SBJ3Y8Zp0De2v10_fZRg~~/AAAAAQA~/RgRoH0BwP0TcaHR0cHM6Ly9oZWxwLm55dGltZXMuY29tL2hjL2VuLXVzL2FydGljbGVzLzExNTAxNTM4NTg4Ny1Db250YWN0LXVzP2NhbXBhaWduX2lkPTM5JmVtYz1lZGl0X3R5XzIwMjQwNTA5Jmluc3RhbmNlX2lkPTEyMjgxMyZubD1vcGluaW9uLXRvZGF5JnJlZ2lfaWQ9MjQ0ODQyNDk1JnNlZ21lbnRfaWQ9MTY2MTA4JnRlPTEmdXNlcl9pZD04MzgzZWUxYWUyNDM2ODUwNDc2YWQ1OTlkM2QxNDIwOVcDbnl0QgpmM3C7PGbG3EUmUhlvbGl2aWFtdXJwaHk0MDlAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAD) You received this email because you signed up for the Opinion Today newsletter from The New York Times.
To stop receiving Opinion Today, unsubscribe. To opt out of other promotional emails from The Times, including those regarding The Athletic, (https://nl.nytimes.com/f/a/k0a5ERXaNNs3aBtbzEiGdA~~/AAAAAQA~/RgRoH0BwP0TeaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vbmV3c2xldHRlcnMvb3B0b3V0P2VtYz1lZGl0X3R5XzIwMjQwNTA5Jm5sPW9waW5pb24tdG9kYXkmcHJvZHVjdD1UWSZzZW5kX2lkPTE2NjEwOCZ0ZT0xJnRva2VuPWE4MzU4OTNhNTE0NTI5YzVjNzFiM2JiNDRlMmUyMzhjNTQwZWUzMWZkMTllM2U5NjM4YjAxYjU0Nzk4ZmQ5NDAwY2Y5MmU2NTMwZTQzODRhYjcxMTk5NzYwMWQxYWQ4NTc5MmE0MmEyVwNueXRCCmYzcLs8ZsbcRSZSGW9saXZpYW11cnBoeTQwOUBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAAAM~) manage your email settings. To opt out of updates and offers sent from The Athletic, (https://nl.nytimes.com/f/a/Mj37xgyK5UT4jaeEBc76dA~~/AAAAAQA~/RgRoH0BwP0TTaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vbmV3c2xldHRlcnMvbWFuYWdlP2VtYz1lZGl0X3R5XzIwMjQwNTA5Jm5sPW9waW5pb24tdG9kYXkmc2VuZF9pZD0xNjYxMDgmdGU9MSZ0b2tlbj1hYjY1NGFlNmYyYTU2ZDg2NDBjZmEyOTYyYTUzMzA4YmQ5MTdlMDY0M2I1MWRjMmQxYmZmZWVmMWQwYmU5MjgxNDNjZTBkZTM0NmVlNDJjZDg0ZTc0NmIwZWJjZGQ1Nzc3NmZkMWQ4M1cDbnl0QgpmM3C7PGbG3EUmUhlvbGl2aWFtdXJwaHk0MDlAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAD) submit a request. (https://nl.nytimes.com/f/a/vY_7aJIP4bNZ2G1WbmP7FQ~~/AAAAAQA~/RgRoH0BwP0TPaHR0cHM6Ly90aGVhdGhsZXRpYy56ZW5kZXNrLmNvbS9oYy9lbi11cy9yZXF1ZXN0cy9uZXc_Y2FtcGFpZ25faWQ9MzkmZW1jPWVkaXRfdHlfMjAyNDA1MDkmaW5zdGFuY2VfaWQ9MTIyODEzJm5sPW9waW5pb24tdG9kYXkmcmVnaV9pZD0yNDQ4NDI0OTUmc2VnbWVudF9pZD0xNjYxMDgmdGU9MSZ1c2VyX2lkPTgzODNlZTFhZTI0MzY4NTA0NzZhZDU5OWQzZDE0MjA5VwNueXRCCmYzcLs8ZsbcRSZSGW9saXZpYW11cnBoeTQwOUBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAAAM~)
Subscribe to The Times (https://nl.nytimes.com/f/a/aJOkZ4bwjEKlWsIBQ7GJ8g~~/AAAAAQA~/RgRoH0BwP0TPaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vc3Vic2NyaXB0aW9uP2NhbXBhaWduSWQ9OVJYNzgmY2FtcGFpZ25faWQ9MzkmZW1jPWVkaXRfdHlfMjAyNDA1MDkmaW5zdGFuY2VfaWQ9MTIyODEzJm5sPW9waW5pb24tdG9kYXkmcmVnaV9pZD0yNDQ4NDI0OTUmc2VnbWVudF9pZD0xNjYxMDgmdGU9MSZ1c2VyX2lkPTgzODNlZTFhZTI0MzY4NTA0NzZhZDU5OWQzZDE0MjA5VwNueXRCCmYzcLs8ZsbcRSZSGW9saXZpYW11cnBoeTQwOUBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAAAM~) Get The New York Times app (https://nl.nytimes.com/f/a/opKKG7Z96cN8HBnCRo5cUg~~/AAAAAQA~/RgRoH0BwP0TMaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vc2VydmljZXMvbW9iaWxlL2luZGV4Lmh0bWw_Y2FtcGFpZ25faWQ9MzkmZW1jPWVkaXRfdHlfMjAyNDA1MDkmaW5zdGFuY2VfaWQ9MTIyODEzJm5sPW9waW5pb24tdG9kYXkmcmVnaV9pZD0yNDQ4NDI0OTUmc2VnbWVudF9pZD0xNjYxMDgmdGU9MSZ1c2VyX2lkPTgzODNlZTFhZTI0MzY4NTA0NzZhZDU5OWQzZDE0MjA5VwNueXRCCmYzcLs8ZsbcRSZSGW9saXZpYW11cnBoeTQwOUBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAAAM~)

Connect with us on:
Change Your Email (https://nl.nytimes.com/f/a/vXxGXV8pKuC_0AWmqQ6OAw~~/AAAAAQA~/RgRoH0BwP0TGaHR0cHM6Ly9teWFjY291bnQubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vbWVtL2VtYWlsLmh0bWw_Y2FtcGFpZ25faWQ9MzkmZW1jPWVkaXRfdHlfMjAyNDA1MDkmaW5zdGFuY2VfaWQ9MTIyODEzJm5sPW9waW5pb24tdG9kYXkmcmVnaV9pZD0yNDQ4NDI0OTUmc2VnbWVudF9pZD0xNjYxMDgmdGU9MSZ1c2VyX2lkPTgzODNlZTFhZTI0MzY4NTA0NzZhZDU5OWQzZDE0MjA5VwNueXRCCmYzcLs8ZsbcRSZSGW9saXZpYW11cnBoeTQwOUBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAAAM~) Privacy Policy (https://nl.nytimes.com/f/a/xQ9DyvyxHrIUIBhEoPlWnQ~~/AAAAAQA~/RgRoH0BwP0ToaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vY29udGVudC9oZWxwL3JpZ2h0cy9wcml2YWN5L3BvbGljeS9wcml2YWN5LXBvbGljeS5odG1sP2NhbXBhaWduX2lkPTM5JmVtYz1lZGl0X3R5XzIwMjQwNTA5Jmluc3RhbmNlX2lkPTEyMjgxMyZubD1vcGluaW9uLXRvZGF5JnJlZ2lfaWQ9MjQ0ODQyNDk1JnNlZ21lbnRfaWQ9MTY2MTA4JnRlPTEmdXNlcl9pZD04MzgzZWUxYWUyNDM2ODUwNDc2YWQ1OTlkM2QxNDIwOVcDbnl0QgpmM3C7PGbG3EUmUhlvbGl2aWFtdXJwaHk0MDlAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAD) Contact Us (https://nl.nytimes.com/f/a/Yf01SKw4giCA79lMl72GJg~~/AAAAAQA~/RgRoH0BwP0TOaHR0cHM6Ly9teWFjY291bnQubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vbWVtYmVyY2VudGVyL2hlbHAuaHRtbD9jYW1wYWlnbl9pZD0zOSZlbWM9ZWRpdF90eV8yMDI0MDUwOSZpbnN0YW5jZV9pZD0xMjI4MTMmbmw9b3Bpbmlvbi10b2RheSZyZWdpX2lkPTI0NDg0MjQ5NSZzZWdtZW50X2lkPTE2NjEwOCZ0ZT0xJnVzZXJfaWQ9ODM4M2VlMWFlMjQzNjg1MDQ3NmFkNTk5ZDNkMTQyMDlXA255dEIKZjNwuzxmxtxFJlIZb2xpdmlhbXVycGh5NDA5QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAAw~~) California Notices (https://nl.nytimes.com/f/a/e5rJtX178brquXhgu8VSSg~~/AAAAAQA~/RgRoH0BwP0TLaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vcHJpdmFjeS9jYWxpZm9ybmlhLW5vdGljZT9jYW1wYWlnbl9pZD0zOSZlbWM9ZWRpdF90eV8yMDI0MDUwOSZpbnN0YW5jZV9pZD0xMjI4MTMmbmw9b3Bpbmlvbi10b2RheSZyZWdpX2lkPTI0NDg0MjQ5NSZzZWdtZW50X2lkPTE2NjEwOCZ0ZT0xJnVzZXJfaWQ9ODM4M2VlMWFlMjQzNjg1MDQ3NmFkNTk5ZDNkMTQyMDlXA255dEIKZjNwuzxmxtxFJlIZb2xpdmlhbXVycGh5NDA5QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAAw~~)

The New York Times Company. 620 Eighth Avenue New York, NY 10018