Plus: No George Washington, no United States; What one daughter of a D-Day vet learned from her father   Opinions you may have missed. Ditch the GPS, says science writer M.R. O’Connor . It is ruining your — and your child’s — brain. There’s some movement in our Post Pundit 2020 Power Rankings of the presidential candidates, but, as David Von Drehle writes , just wait: “Seeing all the candidates side by side by side by side by side by side by side by side by side by side is sure to shake everything loose, so take heart in the approach of the first debates.” And would one of those candidates really want to say things to get booed? Karen Tumulty explains . George Will reads a stunning new book on the American Revolution and comes away convinced that “the democratic, sentimental idea that cobblers and seamstresses are as much history-makers as generals and politicians is false. … No George Washington, no United States.” Michele Heller always knew her father had landed on a Normandy beach on D-Day. But it’s what she discovered after he died that has lessons for us today . Vladimir Putin often gets credit for “playing a weak hand” well in the game of geostrategy, notes Columbia University professor Timothy Frye . But who is responsible for that hand being so weak? Thanks for reading, and have a great week. Fred Hiatt Editorial Page Editor Ditch the GPS. It’s ruining your brain. Brain behavior changes when people rely on turn-by-turn directions. M.R. O'Connor  •   Read more » Trump disrupted the 2016 race. What if Beyoncé upends 2020? We can be sure that at least the debates will shake things up. The Ranking Committee  •   Read more » Hickenlooper got Democrats’ attention — by saying things guaranteed to get him booed Maybe he’s playing to a bigger audience when he says “socialism is not the answer.” Karen Tumulty  •   Read more » No George Washington, no America The Revolutionary War was fought by history-making individuals. George Will  •   Read more » My father served on D-Day. Nationalism upended his youth. My dad fled Nazis and landed on Utah beach. Did we forget his lessons? Michele Heller  •   Read more » Putin touts Russia as a great power. But he’s made it a weak one. Let's not buy into the Kremlin's version of Putin's performance. Timothy Frye  •   Read more »   ADVERTISEMENT     Share The Week in Ideas:          Twitter          Facebook    Trouble reading?  Click here to view in your browser. You received this email because you signed up for The Week in Ideas or because it is included in your subscription. Manage my email newsletters and alerts | Unsubscribe from The Week in Ideas Privacy Policy | Help @2019 The Washington Post  |  1301 K St NW, Washington DC 20071 Democracy Dies in Darkness