Herbert Rothschild: We aren’t appreciably safer now than we were during the Cuban Missile Crisis. What else can we conclude but that nuclear policy simply mustn’t be left in the hands of the warmakers? Either we give peace a chance or we continue to chance self-immolation.

Herbert Rothschild: Unarguably, the worst aspect of the Epstein story is that numerous men, including men with public reputations to protect, were willing to sexually abuse minors or, knowing what Epstein was doing, were unwilling to spurn him, much less turn him in to the law. But a sad second aspect is what it says about the attraction of money. Both before and after his conviction, Epstein’s wealth allowed him to successfully cultivate connections with men of status.

Herbert Rothschild: As the number of ads in The New Yorker has shrunk, it seems as if the wealth of its readership has concentrated, just as one might concentrate the flavor of a sauce by reducing it on the stovetop.

Herbert Rothschild: Here’s one of my speculations. Suddenly the passing drivers see something that isn’t supposed to be there and they are perplexed. What is genocide doing in downtown Medford? That’s not part of my day. That’s not part of my life. Am I being asked to make it part of my life? How would I even begin to do that?

Herbert Rothschild: Rightly understood, money is simply a tool for achieving what we want. Fortunately, what most of us want isn’t self-aggrandizement. Beyond giving us financial security, our money affords us an easy way to contribute to the well-being of others — family, community, world.

Herbert Rothschild: Vladimir Putin has said he is willing to abide for one more year by the limits on nuclear arms in the New START treaty while another treaty is being negotiated. Our immediate task is to convince Donald Trump to accept that offer. Don’t react to this call to action in a knee-jerk fashion. Trump wants to be seen as an international peacemaker.

Herbert Rothschild: In 2024, Democrats had the same problem with Hispanic voters that they did with other moderate-to-low income voters. There’s a general perception out there that the Democratic Party abandoned its traditional championing of the working class.

Herbert Rothschild: Is it possible to write columns about torturing people in Guantanamo or eliminating the U.S. Agency for International Development without alienating those who are OK with such actions?

Herbert Rothschild: I didn’t get a good read on whether my classmates acknowledge how pervasive the effects of racism still are and the imperative to address them.

Herbert Rothschild: Whether visualization and intention by themselves can effect broad social change is impossible to determine, but the question merits sustained consideration.