Opinion: Happy New Year!

7 wishes for 2018. View in [Browser]( | Add nytdirect@nytimes.com to your address book. [The New York Times]( [The New York Times]( Monday, January 1, 2018 [NYTimes.com/Opinion »]( [David Leonhardt] David Leonhardt Op-Ed Columnist Happy New Year! My column for New Year’s Day offers [seven wishes for 2018]( and there is a theme to them: I hope this year represents the beginning of a turning point, after one of the darker years in our recent history. Fortunately, there are some good reasons to be hopeful. For more details on my wishes, I recommend the following articles: • Nick Kristof on why [2017 was better]( than you may have thought. • Jonathan Chait in New York magazine on the Russia investigation (both [this piece on Rod Rosenstein]( and [this one on the F.B.I. nonscandal](. • Tina Rosenberg in The Times on [increasing voter turnout]( in 2018 and beyond. • Kori Schake, a conservative foreign policy expert [writing in The Atlantic]( compares the Trump administration’s approach to North Korea to the George W. Bush administration’s pre-war approach to Iraq. • Max Fisher with a primer [on North Korea]( (as well as [this thoughtful Pod Save the World]( conversation with Schake). • Amelia Urry in Grist on [the batteries of the future]( and Joe Romm of Think Progress [on surprising solar progress](. • And Nick Paumgarten in The New Yorker [on the skier Mikaela Shiffrin](. (Yes, I’m excited for next month’s Winter Olympics. As I say in [my column today]( we all need ways to escape amid the heaviness of the news.) Finally ... Given how much tax deductions have been in the news lately, I wanted to resurface an old column of mine [that explains why there aren’t likely to be many babies born today]( New Year’s Day. Those who are will cost their parents some money. On the positive side, they will be able to enjoy having their birthday on a national holiday for the rest of their lives. The full Opinion report from The Times follows. Op-Ed Columnist [7 Wishes for 2018]( By DAVID LEONHARDT 2017 was one of the darker years in modern American history. Here’s hoping for the beginnings of a turning point. Op-Ed Contributor [You Can Find the Entire World Inside Your Hospital]( By TOM BROKAW American health care is a universe of scientific genius and selfless compassion populated by the most diverse population in the country. Op-Ed Contributors [The Failed War on Drugs]( By GEORGE P. SHULTZ AND PEDRO ASPE Attacking rampant drug abuse by trying to shut off the supply has not worked. We need to try a new approach. Editorial [Capital Punishment Deserves a Quick Death]( By THE EDITORIAL BOARD It’s time for the Supreme Court to end state-sanctioned killing for good. Contributing Op-Ed Writer [The Sentient-Being Diet]( By MARGARET RENKL Making New Year resolutions as a hedge against apocalypse. Sunday Review [The Only Way to Keep Your Resolutions]( By DAVID DESTENO Willpower is for chumps. Here’s what actually works. [Ask Roxane: Is It Too Late to Follow My Dreams?]( Agnes Lee By ROXANE GAY I’ve always loved advice columns. Now I’m writing one. HOW ARE WE DOING? We’d love your feedback on this newsletter. Please email thoughts and suggestions to [leonhardt@nytimes.com](mailto:leonhardt@nytimes.com?subject=Opinion%20Today%20Newsletter%20Feedback). ADVERTISEMENT Sunday Review [America, Can We Talk About Your Drinking?]( By GABRIELLE GLASER More people are consuming alcohol in risky ways. That’s not a good trend. Sunday Review [There’s No Place Like This Rent-Stabilized Home]( By MAEVE HIGGINS The magic of living on the park comes to an end. Op-Ed Contributor [How Can Trump Help Iran’s Protesters? Be Quiet.]( By PHILIP GORDON Public support from the United States government will do the demonstrators more harm than good. Op-Ed Contributor [Our Country Deserves Your Respect, Not Your Pity]( By PAUL ALTIDOR Haiti’s ambassador on alleged comments from President Trump: “It is long past time for such thinking to end.” Appreciations [Arseny Roginsky, a Champion of Historical Truth]( By SERGE SCHMEMANN He sought to “rescue from oblivion all those historical facts and names that are currently doomed to perish or disappear.” LIKE THIS EMAIL? Forward it to your friends, and let them know they can sign up [here](. ADVERTISEMENT Letters [Apportioning Blame for the Amtrak Tragedy]( Readers point to Congress, the Federal Railroad Administration and the nature of our market economy. SIGN UP FOR THE VIETNAM ’67 NEWSLETTER Examining America’s long war in Southeast Asia [through the course]( of a single year. FOLLOW OPINION [Facebook] [FACEBOOK]( [Twitter] [@nytopinion]( [Pinterest] [Pinterest]( Get more [NYTimes.com newsletters »](  | Get unlimited access to NYTimes.com and our NYTimes apps. [Subscribe »]( ABOUT THIS EMAIL You received this message because you signed up for NYTimes.com's Opinion Today newsletter. [Unsubscribe]( | [Manage Subscriptions]( | [Change Your Email]( | [Privacy Policy]( | [Contact]( | [Advertise]( Copyright 2018 The New York Times Company 620 Eighth Avenue New York, NY 10018