Opinion Today: Gen Z’s lost ambition
Here’s what we’re focusing on.
Opinion Today
July 23, 2026
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Naomieh Jovin for The New York Times

Notable

Trump is sending Haitians back to a house on fire. “Lasting stability cannot be imported. It must be built and sustained by Haitians. That goal faces two major obstacles in Washington.”

— Russel Honoré, a commanding general of the U.S. First Army

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Carlos the Jackal’s violent chaos endures. “Western governments were utterly unprepared when Carlos and others of his generation introduced frightening new forms of terrorism decades ago.”

— Joby Warrick, the author of the forthcoming “The Jackal”

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This is how America trounces China in the A.I. race. “The United States dominates in tech by making its platforms the ones the world’s developers choose to build on, not by banning foreign use.”

— Jason Hsu, a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute

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Spotlight

A deflated smiley-face yellow balloon upside-down amid vegetation.
Photo illustration by Rosie Clements for The New York Times

Gen Z Has Lost Its Ambition. Maybe It’s Found Something Better.

For college grads, the way previous generations lived out their ambitions no longer makes sense.

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ICYMI

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The Opinions

Gen Z-ers Are Ditching Sex. They Might Be Onto Something.

Is celibacy cool now?

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43 MIN LISTEN

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The New York Times

Interesting Times with Ross Douthat

Iran, China, Canada? A Defense of Trump’s Grand Strategy

A Pentagon official argues that “people can no longer take the United States for granted.”

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1 HR 3 MIN LISTEN

More in Opinion

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David Wallace-Wells

Nothing Can Prevent the New Wildfires. We Have to Adapt.

Suppression is not enough.

By David Wallace-Wells

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Guest Essay

Let This Be the Final Word on Culture War Feuding

The success of “The Odyssey,” and the potent political ideas at its core, only prove how tiresome the prerelease debate about “woke” really was.

By Sharon Waxman

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The Conversation

How Can Anyone Trust This Crew With Anything?

JD Vance isn’t going to save us. Neither is Pete Hegseth.

By Frank Bruni and Bret Stephens

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This Is What’s Keeping Me Up at Night

Stop the steal before it starts.

By David French

In Your Words

Re: Gen Z-ers Are Ditching Sex. They Might Be Onto Something.

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