Opinion Today: Trump’s town halls, and the death of Liam Payne

Updates from Times Opinion's blog.

View in browser|nytimes.com October 18, 2024 By Anna Marks Opinion Staff Editor In today's edition, we're offering some of our favorite recent entries from The Point, Opinion's blog. This week, our writers told you what they think about Donald Trump's town halls with women and Latino voters, and the death of Liam Payne. Check them out below. Jessica Grose on Trump's town hall with women → Katherine Miller on Trump and Latino voters → Anna Marks the death of Liam Payne → Here's what we're focusing on today: Editors' Picks The 21 Slivers of America That Could Decide the Election A look at the political microcommunities that could decide the 2024 presidential election. By Patrick Ruffini More From Opinion Guest Essay These Michigan Voters' Position? Cringing. Many people I spoke to seemed reluctant to admit — even, perhaps, to themselves — that they were really going to vote for that person. By Megan K. Stack Thomas L. Friedman How the Biden Team Plans to Build Peace From Sinwar's Death Will Israel take steps toward a Palestinian state? By Thomas L. Friedman Has Eric Trump Ever Held a 'Real' Job? The week in bad public behavior and political nonsense. By Michelle Cottle Jamelle Bouie When the Top General in the U.S. Says You're 'Fascist to the Core' This is no ordinary election, and we cannot act like it is. By Jamelle Bouie Guest Essay With Sinwar Dead, We Must End the War in Gaza Another opening for the U.S. to push for a cease-fire. By Matthew Duss David Brooks Why the Heck Isn't She Running Away With This? After huge shifts in the electorate, it's baffling that the two parties are still almost exactly evenly matched. By David Brooks The Ezra Klein Show The Hidden Politics of Disorder The crime researcher Charles Fain Lehman discusses why people feel unsafe, even as violent crime rates have dropped. 1 HR 32 MIN LISTEN Guest Essay Ozempic's Next Magic Trick: Treating Drug Addiction Early data suggests GLP-1 drugs, renowned for their ability to assist in weight loss, may have a powerful effect on treating addiction. By Maia Szalavitz Paul Krugman How Trump's Radical Tariff Plan Could Wreck Our Economy There's no upside to the former president's pet economic plan. By Paul Krugman Frank Bruni When God Gives You Mark Robinson, Make Lemonade Josh Stein's campaign in North Carolina is a master class in devastating campaign ads. By Frank Bruni Matter of Opinion A Pollster Helps Us Manage Our Election Anxiety It's been a tumultuous campaign. Kristen Soltis Anderson helps us find stability in the polls. 41 MIN LISTEN John McWhorter Ta-Nehisi Coates and the Myth of Black Fragility The debate over his recent interview entirely misses the point By John McWhorter Damon Winter/The New York Times letters Advice on a Speech That Harris Could Give Responses to a column by Bret Stephens. Also: Donald Trump and the "enemy from within"; medicine for Gaza; A.I. and human voices; a new birth certificate. 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 opiniontoday@nytimes.com. 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 TimesGet The New York Times app Connect with us on: Change Your EmailPrivacy PolicyContact UsCalifornia Notices The New York Times Company. 620 Eighth Avenue New York, NY 10018