Category Archives: Newspapers

The New York Times — Sunday, January 21, 2024

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In Strategic Bind, Israel Weighs Freeing Hostages Against Destroying Hamas

Some Israeli commanders said the government’s two main goals were mutually incompatible. To eradicate Hamas, the military would have to engage in a lengthy war that would most likely cost the hostages’ lives.

For the Anti-Trump Wing of the G.O.P., It All Comes Down to Tuesday

The old guard of the Republican Party has rallied around Nikki Haley ahead of New Hampshire’s primary, in a long-shot bid to stop the former president’s march to the nomination.

‘America Is Under Attack’: Inside the Anti-D.E.I. Crusade

The backlash against “wokeism” has led a growing number of states to ban D.E.I. programs at public universities. Thousands of emails and other documents reveal the playbook — and grievances — behind one strand of the anti-D.E.I. campaign.

How Allegations of an Office Romance Came to Complicate the Case Against Trump

The claims involving Fani Willis and Nathan Wade, the special prosecutor she hired to manage the sprawling case in Georgia, have led to new questions about Mr. Wade’s qualifications.

The New York Times — Saturday, January 20, 2024

Divisions Emerging in Israel Over Gaza War

Protesters demanded action to free hostages, a war cabinet minister criticized the military campaign and the Israeli prime minister publicly ruled out a two-state solution, rebuffing the U.S.

America Stares Down a Trump-Biden Repeat in Disbelief and Denial

Unable to fathom a 2020 rematch, many Americans are clinging to forlorn hopes and floating wild theories — including that Michelle Obama might replace President Biden.

Israeli Women Fight on Front Line in Gaza, a First

After a long struggle for acceptance, Israel’s female combat soldiers are pushing new boundaries after rushing into battle on Oct. 7.

With Harsh Anti-L.G.B.T.Q. Law, Uganda Risks a Health Crisis

The country had made great progress against H.I.V. Now terrified patients have fled clinics, and experts fear a resurgence.

The New York Times Book Review – January 21, 2024

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THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW (January 19, 2024): The latest issue features the excitement over advance copy reviews of a January novel, Kaveh Akbar’s “Martyr!” …“You’ve got to read this,” one editor said. “One of the most electric novels I’ve read in a long while,” another said. This kind of thing — everyone thrilled by the same book — is unusual at the TBR, and explains why “Martyr!,” about a grieving young man’s search for meaning, graces our cover this week.

A Death-Haunted First Novel Incandescent With Life

This colorful illustration features a large red bird and a horse’s head and neck, both adorned with Farsi letters, as well as a skyward-bound airplane and a black-hooded figure with many faces holding a torch in one hand and a sword in the other. These details are laid over a backdrop of blue-green mountains and yellow sky.

In “Martyr!,” the poet Kaveh Akbar turns a grieving young man’s search for meaning into a piercing family saga.

Martyr!, by Kaveh Akbar

Reviewed by By Junot Díaz


Cyrus Shams, the aching protagonist at the heart of Kaveh Akbar’s incandescent first novel, is a veritable Rushdiean multitude: an Iranian-born American, a “bad” immigrant, a recovering addict, a straight-passing queer, an almost-30 poet who rarely writes, an orphan, a runner of open mics, an indefatigable logophile, a fiery wit, a self-pitying malcontent. But above all else Cyrus is sad; profoundly, inconsolably, suicidally sad.

Here are the books discussed in this week’s episode:

  • “Knife,” by Salman Rushdie
  • “James,” by Percival Everett
  • “The Book of Love,” by Kelly Link
  • “Martyr,” by Kaveh Akbar
  • “The Demon of Unrest,” by Erik Larson
  • “The Hunter,” by Tana French
  • “Wandering Stars,” by Tommy Orange
  • “Anita de Monte Laughs Last,” by Xochitl Gonzalez
  • “Splinters,” by Leslie Jamison
  • “Neighbors and Other Stories,” by Diane Oliver
  • “Funny Story,” by Emily Henry
  • “Table for Two,” by Amor Towles
  • “Grief Is for People,” by Sloane Crosley
  • “One Way Back: A Memoir,” by Christine Blasey Ford
  • “The House of Hidden Meanings: A Memoir,” by RuPaul

The New York Times — Friday, January 19, 2024

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Eyeing Super Tuesday, Trump Is Eager to Dispatch Rivals Sooner Than Later

A line of people outside a brick building. They are bundled up in warm clothing. A woman near the front of the line has a Trump winter hat.

The former president is looking to lock up the nomination by Super Tuesday on March 5, but Nikki Haley and Ron DeSantis insist they plan to compete deep into March.

How Biden’s Immigration Fight Threatens His Biggest Foreign Policy Win

The debate over immigration in the United States is spilling over into other parts of President Biden’s agenda, particularly the war in Ukraine.

Nikki Haley Is Chasing Independents. They Have a Mind of Their Own.

Her chance to beat Donald J. Trump in New Hampshire depends on her ability to win over its famously freethinking voters. Her challenge is that they come in all stripes.

A Reporter’s Journey Into How the U.S. Funded the Bomb

Watching “Oppenheimer,” a journalist wondered (perhaps a bit obsessively): How did the president get the $2 billion secret project past Congress?

The New York Times — Thursday, January 18, 2024

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Johnson Casts Doubt on Border Deal to Unlock Ukraine Aid, Defying Biden

Speaker Mike Johnson, wearing a dark suit and burgundy tie, speaks before microphones outside the White House.

A White House meeting between the president and congressional leaders did little to break the stalemate over aid to Ukraine, as the Republican speaker insisted on a tougher immigration crackdown.

Conservative Justices Appear Skeptical of Agencies’ Regulatory Power

The Supreme Court considered whether to overrule the seminal 1984 Chevron decision, which requires judges to defer to agencies’ interpretations of ambiguous statutes.

China Told Women to Have Babies, but Its Population Shrank Again

Faced with falling births, China’s efforts to stabilize a shrinking population and maintain economic growth are failing.

The F.D.A. Warned an Asthma Drug Could Induce Despair. Many Were Never Told.

Singulair, now a generic, is still used by millions of people in the United States even after thousands of patients and dozens of studies have described harm.

The New York Times — Wednesday, Jan 17, 2024

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After Iowa, Trump Is Back to Command the National Psyche. He Never Actually Left.

Donald Trump walking away from an airplane on a snowy airport tarmac.

The former president’s detractors own no earplugs effective enough to block out his steamrolling bid for a third nomination.

U.S. Strikes Houthi Targets in Yemen for a Third Time

The American strikes destroyed four missiles that posed a threat to ships in the Red Sea, the Pentagon said. They came on the third day in a row the Houthis have defiantly fired at passing ships.

A Times Investigation Tracked Israel’s Use of One of Its Most Destructive Bombs in South Gaza

A Times visual investigation reveals that one of Israel’s largest munitions was regularly being dropped in areas designated safe for i

Israel Unearths More of a Subterranean Fortress Under Gaza

The Israeli military has been surprised by the extent, depth and quality of the tunnel network beneath Gaza.

The New York Times — Tuesday, January 16, 2024

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Voters Look Past Legal Problems to Give Trump a Big Victory

Donald J. Trump, wearing a long jacket, waves to a crowd from a stage.

The possibility of a two-person race remains elusive for Trump foes, who fear a split field will ease his path to the nomination.

U.S. and Iran Battle Through Proxies, Warily Avoiding Each Other

Iran wants to flex its muscles without directly taking on the U.S. or Israel, but that cautious strategy is subject to miscalculation on all sides.

The Smoothie Stop-By: When a President Tries to Be a Regular Joe

For a commander in chief, retail campaigning isn’t easy, what with the counterassault team that follows him everywhere. But President Biden is starting to hit the hustings on every Main Street he can find.

The War Has Reined In Ukraine’s Oligarchs, at Least for Now

Oligarchs have lost billions from the shelling of their factories, and the government has used its wartime powers to break their political influence.

The New York Times — Monday, January 15, 2024

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The Next Battle in Higher Ed May Strike at Its Soul: Scholarship

A pillar at Harvard University reads “veritas,” meaning truth.

Cases involving Stanford, Harvard and M.I.T. are fueling skepticism over the thoroughness of research — even from the academic world’s biggest stars.

In Iowa, Nikki Haley Has the Attention of Democrats and Independents

Ms. Haley has attracted the interest of non-Republicans who say they’ll caucus for her, as rivals attack her for an insufficiently conservative message.

How College-Educated Republicans Learned to Love Trump Again

Blue-collar white voters make up Donald Trump’s base. But his political resurgence has been fueled largely by Republicans from the other end of the socioeconomic scale.

War or No War, Many Older Ukrainians Want to Stay Put

The front line in Ukraine is largely peopled by the elderly these days. Some can’t afford to get out. Others say they won’t abandon their homes.

The New York Times — Sunday, January 14, 2024

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The Regional War No One Wanted Is Here. How Wide Will It Get?

A group of men wearing white hats. Some are holding firearms.

With the U.S.-led attacks in Yemen, there is no longer a question of whether the Israel-Hamas war will escalate into a wider conflict. The question is whether it can be contained.

On the Ballot in Iowa: Fear. Anxiety. Hopelessness.

As Monday’s caucuses approach, voters casually throw around the prospect of World War III and civil unrest, anxious of divisions they fear are tearing the country apart.

Will You Vote for Trump Again?

It’s the question weighing on Republicans across the country. But Iowans get to decide first. We listened as they grappled with their choices.

In a Setback for Beijing, Taiwan Elects Lai Ching-te as President

Taiwan’s vice president, whose party has emphasized the island’s sovereignty, defeated an opposition party that favors reviving engagement with China.

The New York Times — Saturday, January 13, 2024

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U.S. Strikes Against Houthis in Yemen for Second Day, as Conflict Escalates

A bespectacled man stands speaking at a lectern filled with microphones while brandishing a gun.

The military fired at a target in response to rising attacks on Red Sea shipping, which the Houthis linked to the war between Israel and Hamas.

Federal Scientists Recommend Easing Restrictions on Marijuana

In newly disclosed documents, federal researchers find that cannabis may have medical uses and is less likely to cause harm than drugs like heroin.

The Story Ron DeSantis Does Not Tell Is His Own

Ron DeSantis has made lots of changes to try to revamp his struggling campaign. But he rarely tries talking about himself.

How the Russian Government Silences Wartime Dissent