NotableHealth care costs are even worse than you think. “Americans have high premiums because elected officials have ducked the tough choices needed to rein in spending. Lower- and middle-income people shouldn’t be stuck paying for that failure.” — Zack Cooper, an associate professor of public health and economics at Yale Early decision for college admissions is a racket. End it. “The system pits the interests of teenage novices against those of powerful institutions that pay huge salaries to admissions leaders to maximize the school’s advantage at every turn.” — Daniel Currell, a former deputy under secretary at the Department of Education How my interfaith family figured out the holidays. “It’s the combination of actual religious observance, as well as cherished objects and in-jokes, that borders on magical for us.” — Jessica Grose, Opinion writer Each year, The New York Times Communities Fund supports nonprofits. This year, the fund is working with seven organizations that focus on helping people through education, from preschool to vocational training. Donate to the fund here. Spotlight: A Special Series
America Pours Billions Into the Military. We Don’t Know Where It All Goes.The third piece in our series on the future of war shows how wasteful spending and byzantine regulations keep the U.S. military stuck in a failing status quo. ICYMIChristmas is coming. Let’s talk about your belief in God. “Having spent more time than usual arguing about religion in 2025, I think that there are a few dials that God could twist that would strengthen my position, and I definitely wouldn’t say no if I were offered, say, a few contemporary versions of the 17th century’s saintly levitators as backup for my arguments.” — Ross Douthat, Opinion columnist Listen (or Watch)
More in OpinionIn Your WordsRe: “Amy Klobuchar: State A.I. Laws Keep Us Safe. Trump’s Next Move Could Upend That.” Unfortunately the president is geared toward maximizing business profits as highest priority while having little concern for consumer protection. I think there can be a middle ground there but I am not optimistic it can happen without Congress.— A comment posted by RK from Boston Read more comments on the story here and check out our Letters to the Editor. We hope you’ve enjoyed this newsletter, which is made possible through subscriber support. Subscribe to The New York Times.
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