The Hedgehog Review – Spring 2026 Preview

Humanism in a Posthumanist Age

THE HEDGEHOG REVIEW: The latest issue features ‘Humanism in a Posthumanist Age’ – What we are witnessing today is a cultural swerve away from the informing humanist idealism of the modern liberal democratic project.

Will Human Voices Wake Us?

Antón Barba-Kay

How Antihumanism Turned on Its Authors

Geoff Shullenberger

The Human Condition or the Conditional Human?

David Polansky

Up from Darkness

Alan Jacobs

Essays

The Buried Tombstone, the Melting Iceberg, and the Random Bullet

R.F. Foster

A Matter of Time

Witold Rybczynski

Managing the Facts of Life

Sarah M. Brownsberger

We’ve Been Getting the Ancient Greeks All Wrong

Colin Wells

The Consolations of Simulation

Paul Nedelisky

THE NEW YORK TIMES – FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2026

The U.S. Birthrate Is Plunging. Here’s Why Some Say That’s a Good Thing.

The political class is worried about the historic drop. But the biggest change is among the youngest women, who are the least ready to have children.

Trump’s Foreign Policy: Resurrecting Empire

President Trump’s approach is a revival of the mission of empire — acquiring the territories and resources of sovereign peoples.

In Trump’s Case for War With Iran, a Series of False or Unproven Claims

Key elements of the Trump administration’s arguments this week for another military campaign against Iran do not hold up.

A Call From Trump Ignited a Bitter Feud Between Two U.S. Allies

A request made to President Trump about the war in Sudan is at the heart of a diplomatic dispute between Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

THE ECONOMIST MAGAZINE – FEBRUARY 28, 2026 PREVIEW

THE ECONOMIST MAGAZINE: The latest issue features ‘Digging for victory’…

America’s dangerous pursuit of critical-mineral dominance

With a more focused approach, it could break China’s chokehold

Donald Trump is at risk of launching a war without purpose

A conflict with Iran without a clear objective would be recklessly dangerous

The right response to private-market dangers

Was a Blue Owl fund mismanaged, or did it reveal fundamental problems about the industry?

America’s states should beware of copying Europe too much

Welfare is rightly becoming more generous. But regulatory fragmentation is a problem

Heathrow’s third runway is turning into another infrastructure fiasco

The government must step in

THE GUARDIAN WEEKLY – FEBRUARY 27, 2026 PREVIEW

THE GUARDIAN WEEKLY: The latest issue features ‘Can Britain’s Monarchy Survive the Andrew Crisis?’…

The arrest of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor last week, after allegations he had shared confidential information with the late US sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, sent shock waves around the world.

What happens next is unclear, but the ramifications will go far beyond the former prince, who has consistently denied any wrongdoing related to Epstein. It was one of the most consequential days for Britain’s monarchy in generations, shattering the traditional aura of royal mystique and raising questions of accountability, deference and whether the royal family should have acted sooner.

In a powerful essay for our big story this week, Stephen Bates asks whether the royal family can survive the unfolding scandal.

Spotlight | The limits to the supreme court’s assent
Last week’s declaration by the conservative-heavy court that Trump’s sweeping tariffs are unlawful is a major setback for the president, writes Ed Pilkington

Health | Why big pharma stands to gain from weight-loss pills
Oral tablets could bring obesity treatment into the mainstream, with the sector predicted to be worth $200bn by the end of the decade. Julia Kollewe reports

Special report | The road to war in Ukraine
In a remarkably detailed piece drawing on more than 100 interviews with senior intelligence officials and other insiders, Shaun Walker explains how the CIA and MI6 got hold of Putin’s Ukraine plans – and why nobody believed them

Opinion | A degree? A trade? Every rung for young people is a trap
Is it to be a degree and heavy debt when graduate jobs are shrinking? Or forgoing a degree, knowing society still worships them? Confused, angry: who wouldn’t be, asks Jason Okundaye

Culture | Big in Beijing (but less so in Blackpool)
James Balmont’s band, Swim Deep, plays to crowds of hundreds across the UK – but in China, they perform in front of tens of thousands. And they’re not the only ones

THE NEW YORK TIMES – THURSDAY, FEB. 26, 2026

For Trump, Military Strike in Iran Could Serve a Dual Purpose

Administration officials said it would allow President Trump to claim a military win. But top officials also hope it would drive Iran to give up its nuclear enrichment program.

How Israelis Feel About Another Potential War With Iran

The national mood is somewhere between anxiety, resignation and anticipation as President Trump considers whether to attack Iran.

Trump’s Push for Election Power Raises Fears He Will ‘Subvert’ Midterms

President Trump appears to be undermining Americans’ faith in the outcome, at a moment when Republicans face an uphill climb to keep control of Congress.

New A.C.A. Plans Could Increase Family Deductibles to $31,000

The Trump administration is proposing Obamacare plans that it says will lower health insurance premiums. But critics warn they would make care unaffordable.

Epstein Files Are Missing Records About Woman Who Made Claim Against Trump

A woman’s unverified accusation that Donald Trump assaulted her when she was a minor is in the files. But several memos related to her account are noT.

For Hillary Clinton, an Epstein Deposition Is the Latest ‘Stand by Your Man’ Moment

The former secretary of state had no dealings with Jeffrey Epstein but today she is once again under pressure to answer for her husband’s actions.

MIT TECHNOLOGY REVIEW – MARCH/APRIL 2026 PREVIEW

MIT TECHNOLOGY REVIEW: The Crime issue features ‘It’s a bad, bad, bad, bad world out there’. From AI-powered scams to roboticized drug-smuggling submarines. New technologies have supercharged the human knack for wrongdoing, just as they’ve juiced the law’s ability to chase them—challenging privacy and equity along the way. Plus, read about crypto shenanigans, breast biomechanics, heist science, and music that’s really, really deep.

AI is already making online crimes easier. It could get much worse.

Some cybersecurity researchers say it’s too early to worry about AI-orchestrated cyberattacks. Others say it could already be happening.

Welcome to the dark side of crypto’s permissionless dream

Jean-Paul Thorbjornsen is a leader of THORChain, a blockchain that is not supposed to have any leaders—and is reeling from a series of expensive controversies.

How uncrewed narco subs could transform the Colombian drug trade

Fast, stealthy, and cheap—autonomous, semisubmersible drone boats carrying tons of cocaine could be international law enforcement’s nightmare scenario. A big one just came ashore.

Hackers made death threats against this security researcher. Big mistake.

Allison Nixon had helped arrest dozens of members of the Com, a loose affiliation of online groups responsible for violence and hacking campaigns. Then she became a target.

THE NEW YORK TIMES – WEDNESDAY, FEB. 25, 2026

Trump’s State of the Union: Rosy Predictions and Angry Attacks

President Puts On a Show, Casting Democrats as the Villains

On the defensive as the midterms approach, President Trump made clear in his State of the Union address that his strategy was to paint Democrats as unpatriotic.

Inside Nicolás Maduro’s Last Days in Power

The Venezuelan leader overestimated his strength and misread his exchange with President Trump in the decisive weeks before his capture by U.S. forces.

Thanks, Ukrainians Say, but Please Stop Calling Us Resilient

Ukraine must project strength to secure continued Western support. But its people want the world to know they are not superhuman.

In Windsor, Some See Family Drama in the Andrew Accusations

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s fall from grace drew strong reactions from some residents. Others said they just did not care.

THE NEW YORK TIMES – TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2026

The Looming Taiwan Chip Disaster That Silicon Valley Has Long Ignored

If China invades Taiwan and cuts off its chip exports to American companies, the tech industry and the U.S. economy would be crippled.

Meta Announces Major Chips-for-Stock Deal With AMD

The multibillion-dollar deal is AMD’s latest move to catch up to Nvidia in the lucrative world of selling artificial intelligence chips.

China Amps Up Pressure on Japan With Export Bans

How Russia Put Its Future at Risk by Remaking Its Economy for War

About half of the country’s federal budget goes toward the fight in Ukraine, money that does little to support its long-term development.

Mexican Forces Say They Tracked Cartel Boss to Cabin by Following His Lover

Top security officials revealed details of the operation that led to the death of Mexico’s most wanted drug cartel leader.

LONDON REVIEW OF BOOKS – MARCH 5, 2026 PREVIEW

LONDON REVIEW OF BOOKS: The latest issue features Jackson Lears – Brzezinski’s Cold War; Marlowe’s Betrayals; Alexander Bevilacqua visits Noah’s Ark; Caravaggio’s Clothes and more.

Lee Gillette, Neil Blackshaw, Ed Jesudason, Samuel Freeman, David Foglesong, Jim Holt, Michael Neill, Malcolm Parry

James Butler‘Need a lord on the board?’

THE NEW YORKER MAGAZINE – MARCH 2, 2026 PREVIEW

In the winter, a man sits between a window and a radiator and is both freezing and sweating.


THE NEW YORKER MAGAZINE : The latest issue features Rachel Aviv on the trial of Gisèle Pelicot’s rapists, Tad Friend on James Talarico, David Sedaris on being broke in New York, and more.

Ian McKellen Swings from Shakespeare to Gandalf to Virtual Reality

On a visit to New York, the actor reflected on mortality and coming out, and unleashed an Elizabethan anti-ICE monologue on “Colbert” that went viral. By Henry Alford

James Talarico Puts His Faith in Texas Voters

The Senate candidate believes that Democrats can win by appealing to higher values. Can he succeed in the age of Trump? By Tad Friend

Why the World Cup Can Feel Like War

Soccer stadiums can be dominated by violence, tribalism, chauvinism, and near-religious fervor‚ animated by the memory of old hostilities and the power of ritual. By Ian Buruma

The Trial of Gisèle Pelicot’s Rapists United France and Fractured Her Family

After fifty-one men were convicted, Pelicot became a feminist hero. But additional accusations left her children struggling to accept her new role. By Rachel Aviv

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