Commentary: AOC's presidential prospects, Trump on Iran, data centers and cultural battles

In a series of opinion pieces, the Post editorial board highlights several current political and cultural flashpoints. Mark Halperin points out that Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has three essential assets for a presidential run—national fame, the capacity to raise massive sums, and relentless media interest—potentially reshaping the Democratic field.

Robby Soave laments the sudden backlash against data centers, emphasizing their fiscal contributions to places like Loudoun County, Virginia. Tom Slater attacks the narrative that Cambridge professor Jason Arday was victimized by a racist press, labeling it a fabricated martyrdom. Philip Brian Harper of the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation defends the foundation’s emphasis on identity-focused humanities work, a stance John Sailer argues reduces scholarly diversity to demographic categories. Together, these commentaries reflect ongoing debates over electoral strategy, foreign policy rhetoric, technology infrastructure, and the direction of academic funding.