Category Archives: Newspapers

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.

Front Page: The New York Times —- May 26, 2023

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White House and G.O.P. Close In on Deal to Raise Debt Limit and Cut Spending

“It takes a while to make it happen, and we are working hard to make it happen,” Speaker Kevin McCarthy said of a debt-ceiling deal.

The details were not finalized, but negotiators were discussing a compromise that would allow Republicans to point to spending reductions and Democrats to say they had prevented large cuts.

Leaders Let Problems Mount at Brutal SEAL Course, Navy Finds

Navy SEAL candidates at the Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL course in Coronado, Calif., in a photo commissioned by the Defense Department.

Overzealous instructors, unchecked drug use, and inadequate leadership and medical oversight turned a tough selection course into a dangerous ordeal, investigators found.

Oath Keepers Leader Is Sentenced to 18 Years in Jan. 6 Sedition Case

The sentence for Stewart Rhodes was the longest so far in the federal investigation of the Capitol attack and the first issued to a defendant convicted of sedition.

How Erdogan Reoriented Turkish Culture to Maintain His Power

Turkey’s president has made a spectacle of the Ottoman past, using monuments and TV shows to rally his voters. His cultural opponents have faced censorship, or jail.

Front Page: The New York Times —- May 25, 2023

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In Shaky Start, Ron DeSantis Joins 2024 Race, Hoping to Topple Trump

Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida will seek to turn the Republican primary race into a two-man contest against former President Donald J. Trump.

The Florida governor, Donald Trump’s strongest challenger since 2016, made an unusual and glitch-marred entrance on Twitter alongside Elon Musk. He now faces a daunting clash with Mr. Trump and his scorched-earth tactics.

Tina Turner, Magnetic Singer of Explosive Power, Is Dead at 83

Tina Turner in concert in Los Angeles in 1984. Her album “Private Dancer,” released that year, returned her to the spotlight after a long absence and lifted her into the pop stratosphere.

Hailed in the 1960s for her dynamic performances with her first husband, Ike, she became a sensation as a recording artist, often echoing her personal struggles in her songs.

Potential Debt Ceiling Deal Would Barely Change Federal Spending Path

Negotiators have focused on a relatively small corner of the budget, shunning new revenues or cuts to the fastest-growing programs

Ukrainians Were Likely Behind Kremlin Drone Attack, U.S. Officials Say

American spy agencies do not know exactly who carried out the attack this month, but suggest it was part of a series of covert operations orchestrated by Ukraine’s security services.

Front Page: The New York Times —- May 24, 2023

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China and Russia, Targets at G7 Summit, Draw Closer to Fend Off West

Beijing’s harsh reaction to the G7 communiqué stems from fears of a U.S.-led coalition in Asia to contain China’s rise, analysts say.

Beijing and Moscow are holding visits this week as alarm grows in China that Western countries backing Ukraine are turning their attention to Asia.

McCarthy, Bracing for Defections, Eyes a Fraught Path to a Debt Limit Deal

Speaker Kevin McCarthy and President Biden will need to make compromises in order to reach a deal on the debt ceiling.

With right-wing Republicans all but certain to oppose any bipartisan compromise, the speaker has a narrow path to push one through the closely divided House.

Surgeon General Warns That Social Media May Harm Children and Adolescents

The report by Dr. Vivek Murthy cited a “profound risk of harm” to adolescent mental health and urged families to set limits and governments to set tougher standards for use.

After Uvalde, a Cemetery Anchors Families of Victims

One year after 19 children and two teachers were killed at a Texas elementary school, the families of the victims have forged a new community, channeling their grief into action.

Front Page: The New York Times —- May 23, 2023

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A Breakthrough Deal to Keep the Colorado River From Going Dry, for Now

Lake Mead, the largest reservoir in the country, is formed on the Colorado River at the Hoover Dam. The reservoir’s water level has significantly dropped, along with the river.

The agreement on cuts, aided by a wet winter and $1.2 billion in federal payments, expires at the end of 2026.

He Was Investigating Mexico’s Military. Then the Spying Began.

Alejandro Encinas, Mexico’s under secretary for human rights, was targeted by spyware while investigating abuses by the nation’s military.

While looking into abuses by the armed forces, the country’s top human rights official was targeted with Pegasus, the world’s most notorious spyware, The Times found.

Russia Claims Bakhmut, but Some See a ‘Pyrrhic Victory’

A top Ukrainian official essentially acknowledged that the devastated city had been lost. Thousands of Ukrainian and Russian soldiers died there, but the cost for Moscow was especially steep, experts say.

Bakhmut Is Gone: An Aerial Look at the War’s Destruction

Drone footage taken by The New York Times captured the scorched buildings, destroyed schools and cratered parks that now define the city in eastern Ukraine.

Front Page: The New York Times —- May 22, 2023

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Start-Ups Bring Silicon Valley Ethos to a Lumbering Military-Industrial Complex

A display showing Altius drones, made by Anduril Industries, at a military convention in National Harbor, Md., last month. New advances in autopilot technology helped inspire a flood of American start-ups.

Small, fast-moving U.S. tech firms are using the war in Ukraine to demonstrate a new generation of military systems but face the challenge of selling them to a risk-averse Defense Department.

Biden Announces More Aid for Ukraine as Group of 7 Powers Meet in Japan

President Biden with President Volodomyr Zelensky of Ukraine in Hiroshima, Japan, on Sunday.

President Volodomyr Zelensky of Ukraine received vows of resolute support and promises of further weapons shipments even as Russian forces claimed to have seized the war-torn city of Bakhmut.

Rice. Half of Humanity Eats It. And Climate Change Is Wrecking It.

From the Mississippi to the Mekong, farmers and researchers are finding creative fixes for the dire threats of global warming, extreme rains and sea-level rise.

What Tim Scott’s 2024 Campaign Could Mean for Black Republicans

The South Carolina senator’s bid for the White House — as the sole Black Republican in the Senate — could raise not only his profile, but those of Black conservatives across the country.

Front Page: The New York Times —- May 21, 2023

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Democrats’ Phalanx Around Biden Has an Eric Adams-Size Hole

Mayor Eric Adams of New York City has been highly critical of President Biden over immigration. “The president and the White House have failed New York City on this issue,” he said last month.

The New York mayor has loudly blamed President Biden for an influx of migrants, amplifying concerns many Democrats share but irritating Mr. Biden’s aides and weakening his political position.

Guards Brutally Beat Prisoners and Lied About It. They Weren’t Fired.

When New York State accused prison guards of abuse, the disciplinary proceedings tilted heavily in the guards’ favor, a review of records shows.

The U.S. Left Them Behind. They Crossed a Jungle to Get Here Anyway.

For thousands of Afghans, the American withdrawal from Kabul was just the beginning of a long, dangerous search for safety.

There’s No Ocean in Sight. But Many Hawaiians Make Las Vegas Their Home.

The scenery can’t compare. So why are Hawaiians increasingly moving there?

#news #newspapers #frontpage

The New York Times Book Review-Sunday May 21, 2023

Illustration by Dakarai Akil

THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW – MAY 21, 2023

In This Satire, Televised Blood Baths Offer Prisoners a Path to Freedom

You can’t applaud Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah’s thrilling debut novel, “Chain-Gang All-Stars,” without getting blood on your hands.

The Martian Chronicles

Astronauts simulating a Mars spacewalk. As Matthew Shindell points out, our obsession with the planet is a relatively recent phenomenon.

In Matthew Shindell’s “For the Love of Mars,” perceptions of the planet reflect the changing culture of Earth.

Essential Neil Gaiman and A.I. Book Freakout

From the cult comic book series “The Sandman” to the giddy novel “Good Omens” (co-written with his friend Terry Pratchett) to the horror-tinged children’s story “Coraline” and beyond, the fantasy writer Neil Gaiman is so inventive and so prolific that you’ve probably stumbled across his influential work without even realizing it.