Opinion Today: The world’s first billionaire wealth tax?
Here’s what we’re focusing on.
Opinion Today
May 26, 2026
A photograph of rows of Roman Catholic clergy members sitting in chairs.
Camillo Pasquarelli for The New York Times

Notable

The pope’s encyclical on A.I. is disappointingly mild. “He seems to underestimate A.I.’s ability to exacerbate existing crises and to accelerate processes of cheapening and redefinition.”

— Matthew Walther, a contributing Opinion writer

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Do you know how your kid is doing in school? “If your children’s school is one where nearly every student gets an A, treat that as a warning, not a reassurance.”

— Ariel Kalil, a professor of public policy at the University of Chicago, and Derek Rury, an assistant professor of economics at Oregon State University

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What the left gets wrong about A.I. “Tech professionals seem more clearheaded than Democrats in Washington about what the tools actually do.”

— Eoin Higgins, a journalist whose work focuses on tech, media and politics

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Spotlight

An illustration of a tower of the Golden Gate Bridge in gold.
Illustration by Sam Whitney/The New York Times; source photograph by Boogich/Getty Images

California Is the Perfect Place for the World’s First Billionaire Wealth Tax

Silicon Valley’s growth over recent decades has made California rich — and also one of the most unequal places in America.

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ICYMI

How to be old. “If more old people simply did not do certain things, especially on impulse, the world would be a safer place. Duller but safer.”

— Roger Rosenblatt, author of “More Rules for Aging”

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Listen (or Watch)

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The New York Times

The Ezra Klein Show

Yuval Noah Harari on the Mistake Strongmen Keep Making

The best-selling author of “Sapiens” and “Nexus” discusses the core delusions deranging our politics.

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1 HR 53 MIN LISTEN

More in Opinion

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Guest Essay

The Brutal History That France Prefers to Ignore Is Being Heard at Last

Three centuries late and not a moment too soon.

By Andrew S. Curran

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Guest Essay

The Hard Truth My Party Needs to Face

We must use our leverage to end Israel’s occupation and establish two states with full political and legal rights for all.

By Chris Van Hollen

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Guest Essay

Nine Months of Medical Attention. Then Almost Nothing.

One year after my daughter’s birth, I’m still experiencing health complications.

By Sejal Hathi

Guest Essay

Iran Is Trolling Us and We’re Not Doing Anything About It

This is a novel form of propaganda.

By Jessica Brandt

An illustration of a person using a pencil to work on a crossword puzzle inside their head.

The Brain Is the New Belly

We’ve never been so mindful of our minds

By Frank Bruni

A drawing of cloudlike gray and white wisps floating from a black arc. In the center of the wisps is the image of a face.

Guest Essay

My Wife Disappeared Into El Salvador’s Prison System. When Will She Come Home?

The cost of Nayib Bukele’s crackdown on crime is too high.

By Louis Benavides

An illustration of a doctor reaching into a screen and touching someone’s hand that is reaching out.

Guest Essay

Doctors, This Is Why Our Patients Are Using ChatGPT

Even doctors can learn something from A.I.

By Helen Ouyang

A cartoon illustration of the character Mr. Met, a large humanoid with an oversize baseball for a head, sitting and looking morose in the team’s dugout.

Guest Essay

The Only People I Don’t Want to Hear From Are Yankees Fans

The Mets keep finding ways to disappoint us. And we still keep finding ways to never give up hope.

By Devin Gordon

In Your Words

Re: “Stephen Colbert’s Finale Didn’t Mean What It Seemed To

We don’t need another Colbert. We still have Colbert. What we need is a competing network or streamer with vision and guts to grab him and really let him soar — and make a profit. It can be done! — A comment posted by Let’s Play Nice from Lewes, Del.

Read more comments on the story here and check out our Letters to the Editor.

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