Some have returned to tell their stories. Thousands of others have not been as lucky.
They’re Paid Billions to Root Out Child Labor in the U.S. Why Do They Fail?
Private auditors have failed to detect migrant children working for U.S. suppliers of Oreos, Gerber baby snacks, McDonald’s milk and many other products.
The missile and drone attacks killed at least 30 people and damaged critical industrial and military infrastructure, part of a wintertime campaign that Ukraine had been dreading.
A Times investigation found that troops were disorganized, out of position and relied on social media to choose targets. Behind the failure: Israel had no battle plan for a massive Hamas invasion.
A group of parents reeling from a mass shooting at their children’s private Christian school believed no one was in a better position to persuade the G.O.P. to enact limited gun control.
Israel has vowed time and again to eliminate the group responsible for the brutal Oct. 7 attack, but critics increasingly see that goal as unrealistic or even impossible.
As Israel’s ground campaign broadens in southern Gaza, thousands more people are pouring into areas that are struggling to offer shelter or security.
Michigan Supreme Court Decides Trump Can Stay on Ballot
After Colorado’s top court ruled that the former president was disqualified for engaging in insurrection, justices in Michigan considered a similar challenge.
Chinese Spy Agency Rising to Challenge the C.I.A.
The ambitious Ministry of State Security is deploying A.I. and other advanced technology to go toe-to-toe with the United States, even as the two nations try to pilfer each other’s scientific secrets.
It has not snowed in New York in a very long time. But onstage at Lincoln Center, inside a shop display, and in a busker’s saxophone, there are flakes to be found.
In Campus Protests Over Gaza, Echoes of Outcry Over Vietnam
The war in Vietnam ignited a protest movement that helped define a generation. Is the war between Israel and Hamas doing the same thing?
Netanyahu Visits Gaza as Palestinians Mourn an Attack That Officials Say Killed Dozens
The Gazan Health Ministry blamed Israeli airstrikes for the deaths, and Israel’s military said it was reviewing the episode.
Hoping for Peace With Houthis, Saudis Keep Low Profile in Red Sea Conflict
Riyadh is seeking to avoid getting dragged back into a bloody clash with the Yemeni militia, which has sowed chaos by attacking shipping and firing missiles at Israel.
Parking spots for trucks are in short supply around the country, and the problem can lead to unsafe situations for long-haul truck drivers and other motorists.
The Ukrainian Orthodox Church formally changed the date for celebrating to Dec. 25, departing from the Russian tradition of celebrating on Jan. 7, according to the Julian calendar.
What Went Wrong for Ron DeSantis in 2023
The Florida governor entered the year flush with cash and momentum. In the months since, internal chaos and Donald Trump’s indictments have sapped even his most avid supporters.
Apple’s Newest Headache: An App That Upended Its Control Over Messaging
Beeper Mini, which offers iPhone messaging on Android phones, has grown fast and its duel with the tech giant has gotten the attention of antitrust regulators.
Decades after the unexplained deaths of two American climbers in Argentina, a camera belonging to one of them was found in the snow. The film held astonishing images, but the mystery endures.
After a week of heated negotiations, the U.N. Security Council approved a measure that called on Israel and Hamas to pause the fighting to allow for the delivery of more humanitarian aid.
The case will instead first be heard by a federal appeals court, which has put it on a fast track, scheduling arguments for Jan. 9.
Hunter Biden Text Cited in Impeachment Inquiry Is Not What G.O.P. Suggests
A 2019 message from the president’s son alluded to giving his father half his salary. The back story offers unflattering insights into the Biden family but does not support assertions of corruption.
A World Leader on Ukraine, the U.S. Is Now Isolated Over Gaza
The United States finds itself in a defensive crouch and at odds with even staunch allies like France, Canada, Australia and Japan.
THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW (December 22, 2023): The latest issue features MAGIC: The Life of Earvin “Magic” Johnson, by Roland Lazenby; My Jewish Charlie Brown Christmas – The Peanuts special is the most overtly Christian TV holiday classic. So why does it speak to me so deeply?; Seven Fishes (Not Seven Dishes) for Christmas Eve – A modern Italian American take on the Feast of the Seven Fishes offers a streamlined menu any family can pull off….
Roland Lazenby’s big biography of Magic Johnson gives us a wealth of detail, a huge cast of characters and, in a way, the tapestry of our time.
By Thomas Beller
MAGIC: The Life of Earvin “Magic” Johnson, by Roland Lazenby
I once asked a portrait photographer why no one ever smiled in her pictures, and she replied, “A smile is a mask.”
I thought of this aphorism as I read Roland Lazenby’s 800-page biography of Magic Johnson. Sports Illustrated declared his smile to be one of the two greatest smiles of the 20th century. (The other was Louis Armstrong’s.) As Missy Fox, the daughter of his high school coach, says in the book, “That is the one thing he’s always had, that smile.”
My Jewish Charlie Brown Christmas
The Peanuts special is the most overtly Christian TV holiday classic. So why does it speak to me so deeply?
“A Charlie Brown Christmas” was a one-of-a-kind wonder when it premiered in 1965 and remains so almost 60 years later. Unlike the other jingle-belled baubles that TV throws down the chimney each year, it is melancholy and meditative. The animation is minimalist and subdued, full of grays and wafting snowflakes. I could wrap myself in the Vince Guaraldi jazz score like a quilt.
And then there’s the speech.
News, Views and Reviews For The Intellectually Curious
Boomers Daily 