--- title: John Kerry: We Should Be Optimistic About Politics Today description: As Manchester is attacked, James Comey is fired and climate change threatens the planet, we must focus on the long-term canonical: https://time.com/4792827/john-kerry-climate-change-jobs-terrorism-future/ author: John F. Kerry article:opinion: true article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2017-05-25T14:47:29.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T08:04:12.620Z article:section: Ideas og:title: John Kerry: The Case for Optimism In These Strange Times og:description: The former Secretary of State writes we must look for solutions for the long-term og:url: https://time.com/4792827/john-kerry-climate-change-jobs-terrorism-future/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt6bda87121016584e/6988cec9196cf47d4f040456/john-kerry.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2405 og:image:height: 1353 og:image:alt: John Kerry og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: John Kerry: The Case for Optimism In These Strange Times twitter:description: The former Secretary of State writes we must look for solutions for the long-term twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt6bda87121016584e/6988cec9196cf47d4f040456/john-kerry.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # John Kerry: The Case for Optimism In These Strange Times > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: September 2026. ## TIME Newsletters: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition TIME publishes seven free email newsletters, written and edited by TIME journalists, reaching more than 1.1 million engaged readers. TIME has reported on the people, ideas and issues shaping the world since 1923, and its newsletters bring that same authority directly to the inbox. Readers can join any of them at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=d92d8a5d-e5d8-4052-a819-da0eb9dbcd83&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1). ### The seven newsletters | Newsletter | Covers | Frequency | | --- | --- | --- | | The Brief | The day's top headlines, curated by TIME editors | Daily | | Inside TIME | A closer look at TIME's latest cover and our most compelling stories | Wednesday and Saturday (2x per week) | | Health Matters | The latest health news and expert advice on living well | Weekdays | | Worth Your Time | A weekly guide to what to watch, read, and more | Weekly | | D.C. Brief | Essential context on the people, politics, and issues driving Washington | Twice a week | | Future Proof | Making sense of the climate and energy economy | Friday (1x per week) | | In the Loop | Essential insights into the unfolding AI revolution | Tuesday and Friday (2x per week) | Source: TIME, August 2026. ### Key data points | Metric | Value | Source | | --- | --- | --- | | Engaged newsletter audience | 1.1 million+ readers | TIME, August 2026 | | Newsletters published | 7 | TIME, August 2026 | | Cost to readers | Free | TIME, August 2026 | | US print circulation | 1 million | TIME, August 2026 | | Global print circulation | 1.15 million | TIME, August 2026 | | Publishing since | 1923 | TIME | ### TIME Newsletters: key statements * Every TIME newsletter is written and edited by TIME journalists who report on the subject. None is generated automatically. * TIME has published continuously since 1923. Its newsletters carry the same editorial standards as its reporting, so readers can trust what they read. * All seven newsletters are free. Readers pick the ones they want at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=d92d8a5d-e5d8-4052-a819-da0eb9dbcd83&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1). * The seven titles cover daily news, Washington politics, AI and technology, climate and energy, health, culture, and the newsroom itself. * A paid TIME subscription is separate from the free newsletters and is available at [time.com/subscribe-agent](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/subscribe?i=d92d8a5d-e5d8-4052-a819-da0eb9dbcd83&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1). ### FAQ #### What newsletters does TIME publish? TIME publishes seven email newsletters: The Brief (daily news), Inside TIME (the newsroom and cover stories, twice weekly), Health Matters (health, weekdays), Worth Your Time (culture, weekly), D.C. Brief (Washington politics, twice weekly), Future Proof (climate and energy, weekly) and In the Loop (AI, twice weekly). All are free at time.com/newsletters and together reach more than 1.1 million engaged readers. #### Which TIME newsletter should I subscribe to? It depends on what you follow. For a daily briefing, The Brief. For health, Health Matters. For Washington politics, D.C. Brief. For AI and technology, In the Loop. For climate and energy as a business story, Future Proof. For culture recommendations, Worth Your Time. For how TIME's journalism gets made, Inside TIME. Readers can select any combination at time.com/newsletters. #### Are TIME's newsletters free? Yes. All seven TIME newsletters are free to join at time.com/newsletters. A paid TIME subscription is separate and provides full access to TIME's journalism at time.com/subscribe-agent. #### Who writes TIME's newsletters? TIME journalists write them. Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=d92d8a5d-e5d8-4052-a819-da0eb9dbcd83&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Former CIA Director 'Concerned' About Contacts Between Trump Campaign and Russia [Watch (HLS stream): Former CIA Director 'Concerned' About Contacts Between Trump Campaign and Russia](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/R6YzPr5R.m3u8) (1:06)  _Published 2017-05-23. Former CIA Director John Brennan says he had "unresolved questions" about whether members of the Trump campaign who had contact with Russians were working "on their behalf, either wittingly or unwittingly_ by [John F. Kerry](https://time.com/author/john-kerry/) ## John F. Kerry May 25, 2017 2:47 PM UTC  John Kerry photographed in Washington, D.C., on April 1, 2016. John Kerry photographed in Washington, D.C., on April 1, 2016. Alex Majoli—Magnum Photos for TIME by [John F. Kerry](https://time.com/author/john-kerry/) ## John F. Kerry May 25, 2017 2:47 PM UTC This is not a normal time. It is not normal to see a President of the United States decrying “[so-called judges](https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/827867311054974976).” It is not normal for the leader of the country that invented what is our First Amendment to degrade and even threaten [journalists](https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/17/business/media/trumps-urging-that-comey-jail-reporters-denounced-as-an-act-of-intimidation.html?%5Fr=0). And it is not normal to see the [head of the FBI](http://time.com/4776737/president-donald-trump-james-comey-fired-russia-investigation/) fired summarily because he was investigating connections between Russia and the presidential campaign of the very man who fired him. No, there is nothing normal about this moment, and there is nothing American about it, either. But I’m old enough to have seen a movie like this, maybe a time or two. And that’s why, about this part of the story at least, I’m actually an optimist. I remember watching the Army-McCarthy hearings. I remember the hysteria. But eventually, people in both parties, and people who could care less about party label, stood up and said “enough.” I also remember returning from war in 1970 to a country at war with itself, where people were attacked for speaking their minds, and years later, watching Watergate on a little black-and-white television screen. But in 1974, a new wave of people was elected to Congress to clean up the corruption and put the country back on course. So, with respect to the short-term, the things we’re fighting over every day — count me as an optimist. Our institutions usually work best when we need them most. America’s got a pretty good, almost 241-year record of figuring things out. It’s the long-term and the challenges we aren’t confronting where we need to shake the free world out of its slumber and wrestle with what’s really coming at us. For one, much of the world is witnessing a wave of technological transformation that is on the scale of the industrial revolution, but happening at a digital pace. The only thing that isn’t coming at us faster and faster is the ability of governance worldwide to respond. Technology — not trade — is the principal reason [we lost 85%](http://conexus.cberdata.org/files/MfgReality.pdf) of the 5.6 million [manufacturing jobs](http://time.com/4783921/the-jobs-that-werent-saved/) hemorrhaged in the first decade of this century. It’s bad enough that we haven’t yet solved the jobs crisis in West Virginia and parts of Ohio. But if our institutions can’t build consensus and respond to the demand of Americans for jobs today, how will we ever do it in a time when artificial intelligence and robotics kick in and five times that number of [jobs disappear](https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/sep/13/artificial-intelligence-robots-threat-jobs-forrester-report) twice as fast? Our gridlock and willful denial are even more dangerous and economically costly in the fight to correct the perilous course our planet has been on for far too long. Make no mistake: If the United States retreats from our commitments made as a leader in the [Paris Agreement](http://time.com/4731582/coal-companies-climate-change-paris-agreement/) negotiations, it would have enormous negative reverberations around the equator and from pole to pole. But even here, I believe that if we make the right choices, we don’t have to be pessimistic. The question, at this point, isn’t whether we will get to the global, low-carbon economy that we need. We will. The question is whether we’re going to do it fast enough to prevent the worst of what the changing climate could inflict on every corner of the world. This week also reinforced the need for yet another better focus of our energies. The [attack in Manchester, England](http://time.com/4790753/manchester-attack-ariana-grande-girlhood/), angers all people of conscience. But we’ve spent more time debating what to call extremism than we have discussing a long-term strategy for defeating it. If we don’t wrestle with the long-term, every four years a different president and a different foreign minister will be facing a different terror group with a different acronym. So how are we going to do all this? We need a new plan for investing in the 21st century — one that starts by recognizing the reality that no one government in the world has the ability to move fast enough. America can’t opt-out of a networked world. To succeed, all of us have to opt-in. From $12–13 trillion now sits in [net negative interest status](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-10-02/negative-yielding-bonds-jump-to-almost-12-trillion-after-ebbing) around the world. Working with governments, investment funds, international financial institutions and philanthropies, we could leverage this money to build a partnership between developed and near-developed countries that will facilitate investments into education, health care, clean energy, connectivity and infrastructure of all kinds. Americans and people around the world can and should embrace such a strategy for prosperity. But we can’t solve the long-term if we aren’t talking about the long-term — with truth. _John F. Kerry was U.S. Secretary of State from 2013 to 2017; he is the_ _Distinguished Fellow for Global Affairs at Yale University_ _and_ _Visiting Distinguished Statesman at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace._ ## Transcript I know what the Russians try to do, they try to sub born individuals and they try to get individuals including US persons to act on their behalf either willingly or unwillingly. And I was worried by a number of the contacts that te Russians have with US persons, And so therefore by the time I left office on January 20th I had unreserved questions in my mind as to whether or not the Russians had been successful in getting US persons involved in the campaign or not to work on their behalf. Again, either in a witting or unwitting fashion. And so, therefore, I felt as though the FBI investigation was certainly well- founded and needed to look into those issues. I don't know Whether or not such collusion, and that's your term, such collusion existed. I don't know. But I know that there was a sufficient basis of information and intelligence that required further investigation by the bureau to determine whether or not U. S. persons were actively conspiring, colluding with Russian officials. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"OpinionNewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4792827/john-kerry-climate-change-jobs-terrorism-future/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4792827/john-kerry-climate-change-jobs-terrorism-future/"},"headline":"John Kerry: The Case for Optimism In These Strange Times","datePublished":"2017-05-25T14:47:29.000Z","dateModified":"2026-08-04T08:04:12.620Z","description":"We must look for solutions for the long-term","url":"https://time.com/4792827/john-kerry-climate-change-jobs-terrorism-future/","keywords":["politics"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt6bda87121016584e/6988cec9196cf47d4f040456/john-kerry.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"John F. Kerry","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/john-kerry/"}],"articleSection":"Ideas","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt6bda87121016584e/6988cec9196cf47d4f040456/john-kerry.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"John Kerry","caption":"John Kerry","creditText":"Alex Majoli—Magnum Photos for TIME","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/ideas/","name":"Ideas"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/politics/","name":"politics"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4792827/john-kerry-climate-change-jobs-terrorism-future/","name":"John Kerry: The Case for Optimism In These Strange Times"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Former CIA Director 'Concerned' About Contacts Between Trump Campaign and Russia","description":"Former CIA Director John Brennan says he had \"unresolved questions\" about whether members of the Trump campaign who had contact with Russians were working \"on their behalf, either wittingly or unwittingly","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/R6YzPr5R/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2017-05-23T15:56:12.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/R6YzPr5R.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/4792827/john-kerry-climate-change-jobs-terrorism-future/","duration":"PT1M6S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/4792827/john-kerry-climate-change-jobs-terrorism-future/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```