Category Archives: News

The New York Times — Saturday, July 29, 2023

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New Trump Charges Highlight Long-Running Questions About Obstruction

Former President Donald J. Trump alone on a stage with a blue curtain behind him.

The accusation that former President Donald J. Trump wanted security camera footage deleted at Mar-a-Lago added to a pattern of concerns about his attempts to stymie prosecutors.

Fighting for Anthony: The Struggle to Save Portland, Oregon

The city has been stepping up efforts to take down tents and relocate people to shelters. But many of them simply packed up their belongings and pitched tents elsewhere.

The city has long grappled with street homelessness and a shortage of housing. Now fentanyl has turned a perennial problem into a deadly crisis and a challenge to the city’s progressive identity.

Wall St. Pessimists Are Getting Used to Being Wrong

The S&P 500 is up more than 19 percent this year, but some still warn that the future may not be as rosy as that implies.

News: Ukraine Military Gains, Moldova To Expel Russians, Taiwan’s Defense

The Globalist Podcast, Friday, July 28, 2023: President Putin concedes that Ukraine has intensified its counteroffensive as Moldova expels 45 Russian diplomatic staff over “unfriendly actions”.

Plus, Taiwan’s efforts to bolster its defense capabilities, updates on the Niger coup and an ode to the pleasures of skinny dipping.

The New York Times — Friday, July 28, 2023

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Trump Faces Major New Charges in Documents Case

The revised indictment added three serious charges against former President Donald J. Trump, including attempting to “alter, destroy, mutilate, or conceal evidence.”

The office of the special counsel accused the former president of seeking to delete security camera footage at Mar-a-Lago. The manager of the property, Carlos De Oliveira, was also named as a new defendant.

Justice Dept. Opens Civil Rights Investigation of Memphis Police

Kristen Clarke, the assistant attorney general for the Civil Rights Division of the Justice Department, announced on Thursday an investigation into the practices of the Memphis Police Department.

The department will examine allegations of pervasive problems with excessive force and unlawful stops of Black residents that were amplified by the fatal beating of Tyre Nichols.

Study of Elite College Admissions Data Suggests Being Very Rich Is Its Own Qualification

Elite colleges have long been filled with the children of the richest families: At Ivy League schools, one in six students has parents in the top 1 percent.

Amid Shared Pain Over Synagogue Massacre, Divisions on Death Penalty

Since the 2018 attack that left 11 people dead, Jews in Pittsburgh have weighed whether the government should seek the execution of the killer.

News: Africa Leaders Shun Russia Summit, Cambodia PM Resigns, World Cup

The Globalist Podcast, Thursday, July 27, 2023: The Russia-Africa summit begins in St Petersburg. Also, Cambodia’s prime minister, Hun Sen, announces his resignation and the country’s first new leader since 1985.

Plus, a check-in from the Women’s World Cup and a flick through the day’s papers.

The New York Times — Thursday, July 27, 2023

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Fed Raises Rates After a Pause and Leaves Door Open to More

Federal Reserve officials lifted borrowing costs by a quarter-point after pausing in June. Rates could rise more, but the central bank is not ready to commit.

Judge Puts Hunter Biden’s Plea Deal on Hold, Questioning Its Details

Under the proposed deal, Hunter Biden would have pleaded guilty to two tax misdemeanors and averted prosecution on a gun charge by enrolling in a two-year diversion program for nonviolent offenders.

Judge Maryellen Noreika sent the two sides back to try to work out modifications that would address her legal and constitutional concerns and salvage the basic contours of the agreement.

Gov. Abbott’s Policing of Texas Border Pushes Limits of State Power

The governor brought in razor wire, floating barriers and state troopers to deter unauthorized migration. The federal government mounted its first legal pushback this week.

Giuliani Concedes He Made False Statements About Georgia Election Workers

Rudolph W. Giuliani said he still had “legal defenses” in a case brought by two election workers who said he had defamed them as he asserted that the 2020 election was marred by fraud.

News: Belarus Military, Russia Attacks More Grain Routes, Crime In Ecuador

The Globalist Podcast, Wednesday, July 26, 2023: The Belarusian ministry of emergency situations is arming its personnel to prepare for potential armed conflict.

Plus, we discuss why crime in Ecuador is increasing ahead of the country’s elections in August, the latest in the world of aviation and investigate what Elon Musk is up to over at Twitter HQ.

The New York Times — Wednesday, July 26, 2023

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Education Dept. Opens Civil Rights Inquiry Into Harvard’s Legacy Admissions

The Harvard University campus last month. The Biden administration’s inquiry comes at a moment of heightened scrutiny of college admissions practices.

An inquiry into admissions preference for family of alumni and donors began after the Supreme Court’s decision last month limiting affirmative action.

Biden Takes His Battle for Democracy Case by Case

Protesters against the Israeli government’s judicial overhaul bill gathered at Ben Gurion Airport in Israel earlier this month.

President Biden’s decisions on when to speak out forcefully for democracy can prove tricky.

Warming Could Push the Atlantic Past a ‘Tipping Point’ This Century

The system of ocean currents that regulates the climate for a swath of the planet could collapse sooner than expected, a new analysis found.

How War Destroyed a ‘Long and Happy Marriage’

The conflict in Ukraine has split apart millions of families. The story of Andrii Shapovalov and Tetiana Shapovalova reveals how a couple’s bond can become a casualty.

News: Russia Attacks Port In Odessa, Israel Judicial Vote, Macron Pacific Tour

The Globalist Podcast, Tuesday, July 25, 2023: Israel passes a controversial bill to limit the Supreme Court’s power. Plus: French president Emmanuel Macron’s Pacific tour, Cambodia’s one-horse election race, and, as thousands of people are evacuated from Greek islands, we ask: how do repatriation flights work?

The New York Times — Tuesday, July 25, 2023

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Defying Unrest, Israel Adopts Law Weakening Supreme Court

Demonstrators protesting on Monday night in Tel Aviv against plans by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government to overhaul the Israeli judicial system.

Complaining of an unaccountable judiciary, the far-right governing coalition, despite months of mass protests, voted to strip the court’s power to override “unreasonable” government actions.

Netanyahu Scores Another Victory, but at What Price?

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, center, in the Knesset on Monday.

The Israeli prime minister has pushed through the first part of his judicial overhaul, but in doing so has deepened a rift in Israeli society and propelled the country into an uncertain new era.

What the Collapse of Spain’s Far Right Means Going Forward

About the only thing clear from Spain’s muddled election results was that Spaniards were turning away from the political

Seeking Full Honors, Some Ukrainian Families Wait to Bury Their Dead

Thousands of families have buried soldiers in cemeteries across Ukraine in “Alleys of Heroes.” But some have held off, awaiting a version of Arlington National Cemetery.

News: Election In Spain, Russian Culture Ban In Kyiv, Protests In Kenya

The Globalist Podcast, Monday, July 24, 2023: We react to Spain’s snap election on Sunday and the Kyiv City Council’s temporary ban on the public use of Russian-language art and culture.

Plus, Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, presses ahead with his contentious judicial overhaul today and Dutch politicians officially bar cruise ships from docking in Amsterdam’s city centre.