Why read historical fiction? A new novel by the author of “Hamnet” offers one answer: because it’s fun. By Katy Waldman
Why the American Novel Refused to Grow Up
For the critic Leslie Fiedler, the country’s best and worst fiction was shaped by visions of escape from society—and therefore from maturity. By Becca Rothfeld
The World Cup According to Gianni Infantino
FIFA’s powerful president is remaking global soccer in his own image. Can the sport survive him? By Sam Knight
The U.S. military intercepted two Iranian missiles early Monday and no American personnel were harmed, Central Command said. The attacks threatened to further complicate talks to end the war.
Lebanon’s government has long wanted the powerful militia to give up its weapons. Before the Iran war began, there were signs of progress toward that goal.
THE NEW YORK TIMES MAGAZINE:The 5.31.26 Issue features Taffy Brodesser-Akner on the A.I. actress Tilly Norwood; Daniel Waite Perry on sperm racing; Jeffrey Toobin on how to get a pardon in Trump’s Washington; and more.
One reason I love my partner is his sharp mind and critical thinking. Using A.I. for every decision is something I don’t understand. By Kwame Anthony Appiah
Talks among lawyers with allegiance to President Trump were so closely held that some senior White House officials told others that they were blindsided.
The departure of more than 10,000 lawyers has left some agencies without sufficient staff and has boosted the ranks of state attorneys general offices.
Trump Sends Tougher Terms to Iran for Peace Framework, Officials Say
His changes to the proposed deal were potentially designed to speed up the process by pressuring Iran to accept the current framework, one official said.
Olha Reshetylova has been tasked by the government with overseeing soldiers’ rights. Some commanders resent her, but she says her work makes the armed forces stronger.
A furious rally for chip stocks has raised fears of a new bubble. If and when the party ends, five stocks will be left standing. They all remain undervalued.
Shares of Charles Schwab and other firms have swooned on concerns that AI tools could erode the profit they derive from cash that clients hold in so-called sweep accounts.
When looking at the stock market right now, the increasingly obvious question is to paraphrase that catchy 1940s tune: “Is you is, or is you ain’t, in a bubble?”
Indisputably, there are signs—some of which hark back to the dot-com era—that it is. For instance, take a gander at this not-so-little equation: $1.75 trillion divided by $18.674 billion equals 93.71 times.
That’s the expected midrange market capitalization of SpaceX’s initial public offering ($1.75 trillion), divided by the company’s 2025 revenue ($18.674 billion), with the quotient of 93.71 being SpaceX’s price-to-sales ratio. Which is ridiculous. (The S&P 500 index’s ratio is just 3.38—and that’s with stocks at record highs.)
A remote gold mining town in the Democratic Republic of Congo is under siege, as medical workers struggle to beat back a surge of deaths and infections.
At a security conference in Singapore, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told Asian military leaders how they could get to “the front of the line” for U.S. assistance.
Like the majority of western news organisations, the Guardian has had no correspondent or reporter in Moscow since the invasion of Ukraine. But the Kremlin’s efforts to shut down outside media coverage has not stopped us from taking the political temperature of Russia. Indeed, as Pjotr Sauer and Shaun Walker report, attempts to close off the country have lost Vladimir Putin support among both the elites and ordinary citizens.
Talking to contacts made from many years working inside Russia, Pjotr and Shaun detail a shifting mood as the invasion drags on into its fourth summer with the economic and personal costs being increasingly felt at home. As one insider explains, “there is profound disappointment in Putin”, accompanied by “a growing sense that some kind of catastrophe is looming”.
The narrative of a bunkered ruler surrounded by underlings too scared to tell them the truth historically leads to putsch or revolution but our analysis shows that at present, though the winds may be chilling at home, Putin is far from being frozen out of power.
Spotlight | Ebola: ‘Out of control’ A new strain of virus, aid cuts and conflict in parts of the Democratic Republic of the Congo have hampered efforts to halt the spread of the virus, report Prosper Heri Ngorora in Goma and Carlos Mureithi
Science | Here be monsters An exhibition, Jurassic Oceans, at London’s Natural History Museum, showcases the fearsome creatures that once lurked below the surface – and offers a stark warning about the impact of warming waters on marine ecosystems today. Matthew Pearce dives in
Feature | When the lights went out in Berlin Earlier this year power was cut to a swathe of the German capital. A shadowy organisation, Volcano Group, claimed responsibility. But in the absence of any leads, theories of eco-terrorism, Russian meddling and far-right activity have flourished, discovers Ben Knight
Opinion | Victory doesn’t happen overnight Arsenal’s careful planning to regain the Premier League title is a lesson in long-term thinking that the Labour party, and Arsenal fan Keir Starmer, should pay attention to, argues Jonathan Freedland
Culture | Back to black with Whistler What does restoring Arrangement in Grey and Black No 1, or Whistler’s Mother, teach you about the artist who heralded a century of great American artists and about the craft of painting colour? Sarah Walden uncovers it all
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