The city has the nation’s most regulated housing sector and the largest stock of government-owned and subsidized housing, and yet progressives blame its real estate troubles on the free market. Howard Husock
New York’s new mayor has moved away from some of his far-left beliefs, acknowledging that private businesses play an important role in homebuilding. Christian Britschgi
THE NEW YORK TIMES MAGAZINE:The 1.4.26 Issue features the untold story of how Jeffrey Epstein got rich; the Rhinelander v. Rhinelander trial, one of the most scandalous trials of the Jazz Age; Supreme Court lawyer Thomas Goldstein’s double life as a high-stakes gambler; and more.
For 40 years, Christian Zionism was a powerful force in American politics. A new generation on the right is taking cues from elsewhere. By Jonathan Mahler
Grantham, co-founder of money manager GMO, had a nasty but illustrative run-in with speculative small-caps early in his storied career. Here’s an excerpt from his new book, “The Making of a Permabear.”
SCIENCE MAGAZINE: The latest issue features ‘Sleeping or Sprouting’ – Genetic variation in a barley kinase gene determines dormancy duration and preharvest sprouting….
As populations age, the number of younger people entering the workforce is shrinking – and that’s a big problem for “pay as you go” state pension schemes where employees fund the pensions of an expanding cohort of retired people.
Confusingly, a new poll of six European nations reveals how most voters can see this problem and realise their state pensions will soon become unaffordable. But at the same time, they also believe state pensions are too low, and are unwilling to support reforms to them.
Where do governments under increasing pressure from populists go from here? For our first big story of 2026, the Guardian’s Europe correspondent, Jon Henley, reports on a ticking timebomb for the continent’s social contract.
Spotlight | The prospects for peace in Ukraine in 2026 As Russia inches forward on the battlefield and – despite Donald Trump’s optimism – peace talks remain deadlocked, Kyiv’s best hopes of progress may be on the economic and political fronts, writes Dan Sabbagh
Science | How great a threat is AI to the climate? The datacentres behind artificial intelligence are polluting the natural world – and some experts fear the exponential rise in demand could derail the shift to a clean economy. Ajit Niranjan reports
Feature | Returning to the West Bank after two decades The former Guardian correspondent Ewen MacAskill used to report frequently from the Palestinian Territory. Twenty years after his last visit, he went back – and was shocked by how much worse it is today
Opinion | Need cheering up after a terrible year? I have just the story for you A single act of kindness reminded columnist Martin Kettle that, despite so much evidence to the contrary, the better angels of our nature are not necessarily doomed
Culture | The Brit boom Whether it’s Charli xcx or chicken shops, UK culture is having a moment. Can it be future-proofed from the diluting forces of globalisation? Rachel Aroesti investigates
How do you cope with a Kung-Fu Panda? What do you do when the Temple of Doom strikes? Olly Smith reveals how to deal with hurricane-force hangovers
Interiors
Is design destined to be more Moorish or will Egyptomania rule? Country Life predicts the shape of things to come in 2026 and Giles Kime says painted furniture is key to a laidback look
Jacu Strauss’s favourite painting
The creative director of the Lore Group chooses an intriguing unfinished 1830s painting that is still confounding art experts almost 200 years on
Learn it by art
The story of the British Isles is peppered with ancient artefacts and much-loved monuments. Charlotte Mullins surveys the centuries through 50 treasures, from the Ice Age caves of Derbyshire’s Creswell Crags to Nelson’s Ship in a Bottle at Greenwich in London
Are you ready to order?
Artfully designed menus have long been a tasty proposition for collectors, aided by designs from leading artistic lights such as Ravilious, Bawden and David Hockney, finds John F. Müller
Country-house treasures
John Goodall treads the silver-grey elm floorboards of the remarkably well-preserved 1630s hall dais at Restoration House in Rochester, Kent
Culture and commerce
John Martin Robinson marvels at the rejuvenation of Salts Mill, a vast Victorian factory building at Saltaire in West Yorkshire, founded on the prosperity of the British wool trade
The good stuff
Enter the new year fresh-faced and on tip-top form with the help of Amie Elizabeth White’s selection of skincare stars
Glistens like coral
The proliferation of new types of Japanese flowering quince prompted a four-year RHS trial. Charles Quest-Ritson cheers the rise of Chaenomeles and reveals his favourite varieties
Arts & Antiques
The exquisitely rendered Cornish luggers sailing serenely across Henry Scott Tuke’s 1908 new year card to a friend make it a prized possession for Michael Grist, as he tells Carla Passino
While the architect’s approach to restoring France’s medieval buildings remains controversial, his many and varied talents are still utterly awe-inspiring
Finishing the Sagrada Família
Antonio Gaudi’s masterpiece is nearing completion a century after the architect’s death
When it comes to views of Venice, Canaletto is still master of all he surveys
Demand for the best paintings of the city shows no sign of sinking, but some artists have a more buoyant market than others
Should museums be making spectacles of themselves?
If galleries and institutions want to grow their visitor numbers, they need to add style to their substance
THE NEW YORK TIMES MAGAZINE:The 12.28.25 Issue remembers some of the artists, thinkers and innovators who we lost this year, including: Jane Goodall, Marcia Marcus, George Foreman, Anna Ornstein, Diane Keaton, Assata Shakur, and more.
Boomers Daily 