'Making Russia pay for its aggression with its own assets has undeniable moral and practical appeal'
Opinion, comment and editorials of the day


'Seizing Russian assets won't save Ukraine'
Bloomberg editorial board
Confiscating the Kremlin's frozen assets and handing the money to Ukraine won't help defeat Russia's invasion, says the Bloomberg editorial board. The United States and Europe have failed to approve more aid, leaving "Ukraine perilously low on weaponry, ammunition, and manpower." Seizing Russia's money to help Ukraine sounds appealing, but it would ignite a long legal battle and set a dangerous precedent. It "may allow Western governments to claim they're doing something. But it won't help save Ukraine."
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'Is the vibecession finally coming to an end?'
Paul Krugman in The New York Times
Republicans hope to propel Donald Trump back into the White House by portraying the former president's economic record as "stellar," and claiming the economy has been "lousy" under President Joe Biden, writes Paul Krugman in The New York Times. The once-effective strategy is crumbling now that inflation is plunging and unemployment remains low. Americans are finally noticing. It looks like "the vibecession may be coming to an end," and that's "terrible news" for Republicans.
'The absurdity of the return-to-office movement'
Peter Bergen at CNN
The merits of remote work are obvious, writes Peter Bergen at CNN. Our far-flung production team has the best "esprit de corps" and "creative energy" I've seen "in my four decades of working in media." Many corporate titans, from tech giants to Goldman Sachs, are "still pushing" for employees to return to their offices, making "non-falsifiable claims" that working from home has "suppressed innovation" and productivity. If that were true, the economy wouldn't be so strong.
'The unfriendly skies'
Stephen Moore at National Review
The blocking of the merger between JetBlue and Spirit was an "abuse of our antiquated antitrust regulations," says Stephen Moore at National Review. "Antitrust laws are supposed to protect consumers," but blocking this marriage "protects the biggest airlines from greater competition." This deal "would have enabled JetBlue to compete head-to-head against the 'big four': United, Delta, Southwest, and American." Now, "the dominant airlines are breathing a sigh of relief," and low-cost Spirit is "in serious jeopardy of bankruptcy."
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Harold Maass is a contributing editor at The Week. He has been writing for The Week since the 2001 debut of the U.S. print edition and served as editor of TheWeek.com when it launched in 2008. Harold started his career as a newspaper reporter in South Florida and Haiti. He has previously worked for a variety of news outlets, including The Miami Herald, ABC News and Fox News, and for several years wrote a daily roundup of financial news for The Week and Yahoo Finance.
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