Category Archives: Newspapers

The New York Times – Saturday, June 3, 2023

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The Debt-Limit Deal Suggests Debt Will Keep Growing, Fast

A national debt counter pin is seen on the lapel of Representative Thomas Massie, Republican of Kentucky.

Negotiations to prevent a government default reaffirmed that the big drivers of future deficits are all off the table in a divided Washington.

This Nonprofit Health System Cuts Off Patients With Medical Debt

The exterior of Allina Health United Hospital in St. Paul, Minn.

Doctors at the Allina Health System, a wealthy nonprofit in the Midwest, aren’t allowed to see poor patients or children with too many unpaid medical bills.

She Lost Her Career, Family and Freedom. She’s Still Fighting to Change Iran.

Fighting for change has cost Narges Mohammadi her career, separated her from family and deprived her of liberty. But a jail cell has not succeeded in silencing her.

Saudi Soccer League Creates Huge Fund to Sign Global Stars

A coordinated effort financed by the kingdom’s Public Investment Fund is offering huge paydays to some of the sport’s biggest stars if they join Saudi Arabia’s best teams.

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The New York Times Book Review-Sunday June 4, 2023

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THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW – JUNE 4, 2023: The summer reading issue lands this weekend, 56 pages filled with suggestions of books to keep you company at the beach or in that shady mothballed nook you discovered in your rental share. The issue closes with a beautiful photo essay of swimmers pictured underwater, from an art book that evokes summer as vividly as fried clam strips and soft-serve ice cream: “Swimmers,” by Larry Sultan.

Deep-Sea Creatures of Bittersweet Orange and Metallic Opaline Green

This illustration depicts two enormous fish with red eyes and lots of teeth swimming around the bathysphere, an underwater exploration machine from the 1930s.

In “The Bathysphere Book,” Brad Fox chronicles the fascinating Depression-era ocean explorations of William Beebe.

Consider the siphonophore. An inhabitant of the lightless ocean, it looks like a single organism, but is actually a collection of minute creatures, each with its own purpose, working in harmony to move, to eat, to stay alive. They seem impossible but they are real. In 1930 William Beebe was 3,000 feet underwater in a bathysphere, an early deep-sea submersible, when he spotted a huge one: a writhing 20-yard mass whose pale magenta shone impossibly against the absolute blackness of the water. As you can imagine, it made an impression.

An Indictment of Human Culture, Narrated by a Mountain Lion

This is a close-up illustration of a lion’s eye, reflecting the silhouette of a man against a blue sky and greenery.

Henry Hoke’s latest novel, “Open Throat,” follows an observant — and starving — cougar living in the Los Angeles hills surrounding the Hollywood sign.

There is a moment toward the end of “Open Throat,” Henry Hoke’s slim jewel of a novel, where the narrator, a mountain lion living in the desert hills surrounding Los Angeles’s Hollywood sign, falls asleep and dreams of Disneyland. It will be hard for those who haven’t yet read this propulsive novel to understand, but the lion’s waking life at this moment is so precarious that this slippage into pleasant dream left me scared to turn the page.

Summertime in America, Beneath the Surface

A new book of photographs by Larry Sultan captures recreational swimmers at public pools in 1970s and ‘80s California.

The New York Times Front Page – Friday, June 2, 2023

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Arizona Limits Construction Around Phoenix as Its Water Supply Dwindles

Queen Creek, Ariz., a suburb of Phoenix, is projected to grow to 175,000 people from its current 75,000 — if it can find enough water.

In what could be a glimpse of the future as climate change batters the West, officials ruled there’s not enough groundwater for projects already approved.

NEWS ANALYSIS

McCarthy Emerges From the Debt Limit Fight With Victories, and Some Wounds

The deal that Speaker Kevin McCarthy negotiated met his goal of cutting spending from current levels.

The speaker defied expectations and delivered a debt limit agreement that few thought he could manage, but left some of his Republican colleagues feeling betrayed.

Talk of Racism Proves Thorny for G.O.P. Candidates of Color

As candidates like Tim Scott and Nikki Haley bolster their biographies with stories of discrimination, they have often denied the existence of systemic racism in America while describing situations that sound just like it.

Mayor Adams Loves a Good Tale. Some of Them May Be Tall.

The New York City mayor has made an art form of telling stories about himself that are nearly impossible to verify, adding fresh details to often-told anecdotes.

The New York Times – Thursday, June 1, 2023

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House Passes Debt Limit Bill in Bipartisan Vote to Avert Default

“Everybody has a right to their own opinion,” Speaker Kevin McCarthy said ahead of the vote. “But on history, I’d want to be here with this bill today.”

An overwhelming bipartisan coalition pushed through the compromise struck by Speaker Kevin McCarthy and President Biden, even as lawmakers in both parties signaled displeasure with the plan.

A Poisonous Cold War Legacy That Defies a Solution

B Plant, the Hanford Site’s earliest plutonium processing facility in Washington State.

A $528 billion plan to clean up 54 million gallons of radioactive bomb-making waste may never be achieved. Government negotiators are looking for a compromise.

In Iowa, DeSantis Signals the Start of a Slugfest With Trump

After absorbing months of attacks from the former president, the Florida governor is beginning to fire back — but carefully.

After Erdogan’s Attacks, Fear Spreads Among L.G.B.T.Q. People in Turkey

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan vilified gay people during his re-election campaign, calling them a threat to society and rallying conservatives against them. It has left people feeling threatened, and alone.

The New York Times – Wednesday, May 31, 2023

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Drone Strike in Moscow Brings Ukraine War Home to Russians

Inspecting the damaged facade of an apartment building after a drone attack in Moscow on Tuesday.

At least eight drones were intercepted, the Kremlin said, but the foray raised questions about Russian air defenses.

Companies Push Prices Higher, Protecting Profits but Adding to Inflation

Shoppers in New York. Inflation could remain high as some of the world’s biggest businesses have said they intend to continue raising prices or keep them at elevated levels.

Corporate profits have been bolstered by higher prices even as some of the costs of doing business have fallen in recent months.

G.O.P. Revolts Over Debt Limit Deal as Bill Moves Toward a House Vote

Despite growing Republican opposition, a key committee voted to move the bill forward to the House floor.

A.I. Poses ‘Risk of Extinction,’ Industry Leaders Warn

Leaders from OpenAI, Google DeepMind, Anthropic and other A.I. labs warn that future systems could be as deadly as pandemics and nuclear weapons.

The New York Times – Tuesday, May 30, 2023

Why Spending Cuts Likely Won’t Shake the Economy

Some economists say the economy could use a mild dose of fiscal austerity right now to help lower a persistently high inflation rate.

With low unemployment and above-trend inflation, the economy is well positioned to absorb the modest budget cuts that President Biden and Republicans negotiated.

Will Erdogan’s Victory Soften Turkey’s Opposition to Sweden in NATO?

Supporters of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan celebrating his victory in Istanbul on Sunday.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan, re-elected as Turkey’s president, is expected to toughen up at home but seek better ties with Washington and ratify Swedish membership of the military alliance.

A Small Town’s Tragedy, Distorted by Trump’s Megaphone

When a teen’s killing became a right-wing talking point, the rush to outrage obscured a more complicated story.

She Said Her Professor Sexually Harassed Her. His Wife Won Damages.

A case involving a graduate student and her art history professor illustrates the tangled state of sexual power dynamics in Japan.

The New York Times – Monday, May 29, 2023

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Despite Inflation, Earthquakes and Tough Race, Erdogan Is Re-elected

Supporters of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan celebrating his victory in Istanbul on Sunday.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan has given few indications that he intends to change course at home, where he faces a looming economic crisis, or in foreign policy, where he has vexed Western allies.

NEWS ANALYSIS

In Pursuit of Consensus, Did Biden Find the Reasonable Middle or Give Away Too Much?

Having reached an agreement with Speaker Kevin McCarthy, President Biden now must face tough questions from members of his own party.

The deal to raise the debt ceiling bolsters President Biden’s argument that he is committed to bipartisanship, but it comes at the cost of rankling many in his own party.

With Watchful Eyes, a Nationwide Network Tracks Antisemitic Threats

The mass shooting at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh led to arguably the most ambitious effort ever undertaken to protect Jewish institutions in America.

Barely Noting War in Public, Putin Acts Like Time Is on His Side

Vladimir V. Putin of Russia looks like a commander in absentia, treating the war in Ukraine as unfortunate but distant. His options have narrowed, but he is still betting on outlasting his foes.

The New York Times – Sunday, May 28, 2023

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White House and G.O.P. Strike Debt Limit Deal to Avert Default

President Biden meeting with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy in the Oval Office. The deal capped months of political brinkmanship and a marathon set of negotiations.

With the government on track to reach its borrowing limit within days, negotiators sealed an agreement to raise the debt ceiling for two years while cutting and capping certain federal programs.

Ken Paxton Is Temporarily Suspended After Texas House Vote

Ken Paxton, attorney general of Texas who was impeached by the Texas House on Saturday, addressing the news media a day earlier at his office in Austin, Texas.

The state attorney general and conservative star faces a trial in the Senate.

Missteps and Miscalculations: Inside Fox’s Legal and Business Debacle

Fox’s handling of the defamation suit brought by Dominion Voting Systems, which settled for $787.5 million, left many unanswered questions.

Reparations Are a Financial Quandary. For Democrats, They’re a Political One, Too.

Republicans have criticized recent estimates of what Black Americans are owed in reparations. But for Democrats, they pose deeper problems for a party eager to retain the allegiance of Black voters.

Front Page – The New York Times —- May 27, 2023

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Hundreds of Thousands Have Lost Medicaid Coverage Since Pandemic Protections Expired

Melissa Buford, a diabetic with high blood pressure, is no longer eligible for Medicaid because her income increased.

As states begin to drop people from their Medicaid programs, early data shows that many recipients are losing their coverage for procedural reasons.

This Little-Known Pandemic-Era Tax Credit Has Become a Magnet for Fraud

The Internal Revenue Service issued an alert on Thursday warning businesses about scams related to the Employee Retention Credit.

The Employee Retention Credit has spawned a cottage industry of firms claiming to help businesses get stimulus funds, often in violation of federal rules.

Colleges Will Be Able to Hide a Student’s Race on Admissions Applications

If requested, the Common App will conceal basic information on race and ethnicity — a move that could help schools if the Supreme Court ends affirmative action.

Sedition Sentence for Oath Keepers Leader Marks Moment of Accountability

The 18 years in prison given to Stewart Rhodes for a rarely charged crime underscored the lengths to which the Justice Department and the courts have gone in addressing the assault on the Capitol.

The New York Times Book Review-Sunday May 28, 2023

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THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW – MAY 28, 2023:

The New Definitive Biography of Martin Luther King Jr.

“King: A Life,” by Jonathan Eig, is the first comprehensive account of the civil rights icon in decades.

Growing up, he was called Little Mike, after his father, the Baptist minister Michael King. Later he sometimes went by M.L. Only in college did he drop his first name and began to introduce himself as Martin Luther King Jr. This was after his father visited Germany and, inspired by accounts of the reform-minded 16th-century friar Martin Luther, adopted his name.

Victor LaValle’s Latest Mixes Horror With a History of the West

A black-and-white historical photograph of a farm with mountains in the background.

His novel “Lone Women” follows a Black homesteader in Montana who is haunted by secrets and a dark past.

Victor LaValle’s enthralling fifth novel, “Lone Women,” opens like a true western, with a scene of dark, bloody upheaval and a hint of vengeance. But nothing in this genre-melding book is as it seems. When we meet Adelaide Henry, the grown daughter of Black farmers, she is in a daze, dumping gasoline all over her family’s farmhouse. We don’t know why she’s doing what she’s doing, what happened to her family or, most important, what else she has or hasn’t done.