Opinion: By day, the sky was black. By night, we were talking Af-Pak.

View in [Browser]( | Add nytdirect@nytimes.com to your address book. [The New York Times]( [The New York Times]( Tuesday, August 22, 2017 [NYTimes.com/Opinion »]( The guest writer of today’s newsletter is Bari Weiss, an editor and writer in the Opinion section. Yesterday, some 15 minutes before the solar eclipse began in midtown Manhattan, I learned that all that stood between me and blindness was a pair of especially dark and especially flimsy 3-D movie glasses. Yes, I realize everyone else knew this. Yes, I realize that if I had more closely read Frank Bruni’s [column]( on the entrepreneurial bonanza of the eclipse, I would have known this. I blame Trump. I believe the Earth is warming. I believe that babies should be vaccinated pretty much as soon as they exit the womb. But I have a very, very hard time believing that these specs, which apparently could be [sold]( by any fifth-grader capable of typing “ISO 12312-2” onto cardboard, could protect a nation of millions from burning out their retinas. Unlike our president, who — surprise! — [looked]( directly at the sun without glasses, I donned a pair borrowed from a generous colleague, and joined the crowd gathered on the corner of 40th St. and Eighth Avenue. The neon-orange thumbnail in the sky was breathtaking. It was rivaled in its splendor by the sight of adults in midtown Manhattan who’d taken the time to create [pinhole projectors]( out of old [cereal boxes]( and paper plates. In this year of national alienation, the collective [excitement]( about the [eclipse]( has been a [welcome respite](. I was completely charmed by [this piece]( in our science section, which highlighted some of the most enthusiastic umbraphiles in the country. I also loved this Wall Street Journal [review]( of a new book about the total eclipse of July 29, 1878, during which Thomas Edison, Maria Mitchell and other notable scientists went to the “still-wild West” to watch the drama unfold in the sky. By sundown on Monday, though, attention shifted to more earthly matters, when the president gave what was billed as a major [speech]( about the war in Afghanistan. “Conditions on the ground, not arbitrary timetables, will guide our strategy from now on,” he said. “America’s enemies must never know our plans or believe they can wait us out. I will not say when we are going to attack, but attack we will.” As for troop levels, Mr. Trump also managed to keep that a secret. Various pundits and reporters praised Mr. Trump’s speech as “presidential,” though The Atlantic’s James Fallows [made the case]( that its normality — the fact that “any mainstream politician over the past 15 years” could have given the same address — wasn’t something to cheer. Times White House correspondent Maggie Haberman [tweeted]( “POTUS gave his best speech as POTUS. He’s given extremely few of these types of speeches. And he has a campaign rally tomorrow. Soooo...” It’s a pretty safe bet that the Trump we’ll get [today]( in Arizona won’t be the one we saw on national television last night. We’ll be watching closely. In The Times. Jon Meacham makes the [strong case]( for why Robert E. Lee statues should go, but those of George Washington and Thomas Jefferson should stay. Jeremy Dauber [argues]( that Jerry Lewis, who [died]( Sunday at 91, was the quintessential postwar American Jew. And Emma Ketteringham [writes]( about how authorities in the Bronx hold poor parents of color to a standard that white parents in more affluent areas are not expected to meet. The full Opinion report from The Times follows. David Leonhardt, the regular author of this newsletter, will return Aug. 28. Op-Ed Columnist [What Moderates Believe]( By DAVID BROOKS Instead of ideology, moderation is a way of coping with the complexity of the world. Op-Ed Columnist [When Trump Was Jealous of Jerry Lewis]( By GAIL COLLINS He told me around 1980 that he wanted a sickness of his own to try to cure. But there were never any “Donald’s Kids.” Op-Ed Columnist [Watching the Eclipse in Oregon]( By NICHOLAS KRISTOF The eclipse puts us in our place. Editorial [Why Is the Fed So Scared of Inflation?]( By THE EDITORIAL BOARD When workers still need help, the Fed is focusing on the wrong problem. ADVERTISEMENT Contributing Op-Ed Writer [The Boring Little Budget Office That Trump Hates]( By STEVEN RATTNER The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office is in President Trump’s cross hairs. But its projections are vital to passing complex legislation. Op-Ed Contributor [Let Consumers Sue Companies]( By RICHARD CORDRAY Arbitration is not enough. Class action should remain an option. Editorial [Kurds’ Risky Dream of Independence]( By THE EDITORIAL BOARD It is an understandable goal. But first they need democratic institutions, a strong economy and support from Iraq and other countries. Editorial Notebook [The Game of the Name]( By CLYDE HABERMAN Is it worth it for the M.T.A. to brand subway stops? The Irish Spring Street station? Anthony Russo [Op-Ed Contributor]( [Why Lee Should Go, and Washington Should Stay]( By JON MEACHAM Trump asks where to draw the line. Trying to destroy the American experiment seems a pretty clear test. On Campus [My University Is Named for Robert E. Lee. What Now?]( By PASQUALE S. TOSCANO We need to change how we honor this former college president. Vietnam ‘67 [Why Vietnam Was Unwinnable]( By KEVIN BOYLAN Revisionist historians argue that America could have prevailed, but the media and politics got in the way. It’s not that easy. Op-Ed Contributor [Live in a Poor Neighborhood? Better Be a Perfect Parent.]( By EMMA S. KETTERINGHAM Child services holds poor parents of color in the Bronx to a standard that white parents in more privileged areas are not expected to meet. Op-Ed Contributor [Jerry Lewis Was the Quintessential American Jew]( By JEREMY DAUBER Lewis wanted to believe he was an ordinary American. But his creative success was borne of the tension that his very real difference created. Op-Ed Contributor [A Ring of Fire]( By MARGARET RENKL Like true love and frantic desire, a total eclipse of the sun is a burning thing. Op-Ed Contributor [Can Fearless Journalism Survive Rodrigo Duterte?]( By CLINTON PALANCA The Philippines’ president is forcing an independent newspaper into the hands of one of his allies. Op-Ed Contributor [A New Tune on Women’s Rights in the Arab World]( By SHEREEN EL FEKI Recent reform of rape laws in several countries is welcome, but changing cultural attitudes is harder. HOW ARE WE DOING? We’d love your feedback on this newsletter. Please email thoughts and suggestions to [opinionnewsletter@nytimes.com](mailto:opinionnewsletter@nytimes.com?subject=Opinion%20Today%20Newsletter%20Feedback). ADVERTISEMENT Letters [For Trump’s Base, He’s Still Their Man]( Readers discuss interviews with Trump supporters who were largely not put off by his response to the Charlottesville violence. Letters [Stephen Bannon’s Departure: ‘Hold the Applause’]( A reader worries about the loss of Mr. Bannon’s reluctance to use force internationally. Another blames the media for Mr. Bannon’s influence. SIGN UP FOR THE VIETNAM ’67 NEWSLETTER Examining America’s long war in Southeast Asia [through the course]( of a single year. 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