Category Archives: Opinion

FOREIGN AFFAIRS MAGAZINE JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2026

FOREIGN AFFAIRS MAGAZINE: The latest issue features ‘How Strong Are The Strongmen?’

The Weakness of the Strongmen

What Really Threatens Authoritarians? Stephen Kotkin

The Price of American Authoritarianism

What Can Reverse Democratic Decline? By Steven LevitskyLucan A. Way, and Daniel Ziblatt

The Illiberal International

Authoritarian Cooperation Is Reshaping the Global Order by Nic CheesemanMatías Bianchi, and Jennifer Cyr

How China Wins the Future

Beijing’s Strategy to Seize the New Frontiers of Power by Elizabeth Economy

THE NEW YORK TIMES – WEDNESDAY, DEC. 17, 2025

Trump Dangles Cash Payments to Buoy Voters’ Views of the Economy

With tariffs unpopular and prices still high, the White House has teased the promise of tariff rebates and large tax refunds next year.

Reiner Family Associate Details Events Before and After Killings Were Discovered

A person close to the family provided a detailed account of what occurred in the Reiner house after a massage therapist received no response at the gate.

Warner Bros. Says Ellisons ‘Misled’ Shareholders in Takeover Bid

The claim was made as part of Warner Bros. Discovery’s dismissal of Paramount’s hostile takeover offer.

Trump Revised Chevron’s Venezuela Deal. Maduro’s Oil Trader Profited

.A firm controlled by a businessman tied to a seized tanker carrying Venezuelan oil has sold millions of barrels from a Chevron-operated oil field.

Trump Orders Blockade of Some Oil Tankers to and From Venezuela

THE NEW YORK TIMES – TUESDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2025

U.S. Unemployment Rate Rises, a Warning Sign for the Economy

Employers added 64,000 jobs in November and the unemployment rate rose to 4.6 percent, according to data delayed by the government shutdown.

Cooling Labor Market and Elevated Inflation Stoke Fed Divisions

Suspected Sydney Gunmen Were Motivated by ISIS, Australia’s Leader Says

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said two gunmen who killed 15 people at a Jewish holiday celebration were motivated by “Islamic State ideology.”

Australia Doubles Down on Gun Control After Mass Shooting

The country has long looked warily at the cycle of gun violence in the United States, where meaningful changes in policy have been rare

Nick Reiner’s Struggles With Drugs Left His Parents ‘Desperate’

Mr. Reiner, 32, who was arrested in connection with the deaths of Rob and Michele Reiner, once estimated he had been in drug treatment 18 times as a teenager.

THE NEW ATLANTIS —— WINTER 2026 ISSUE

THE NEW ATLANTIS MAGAZINE: The latest issue features….

American Diner Gothic

In the 2020s, the weird soul of placeless America is being born on Discord servers. Robert Mariani

The Bills That Destroyed Urban America

The planners dreamed of gleaming cities. Instead they brought three generations of hollowed-out downtowns and flight to the suburbs. Joseph Lawler

The Folly of Golden Dome

Trump’s vaunted missile defense system is a plan for America’s retreat and defeat. Robert Zubrin

THE NEW YORKER MAGAZINE – DECEMBER 22, 2025

Illustrated figures doing whimsical activities in an M.C. Escher-style building.

THE NEW YORKER MAGAZINE: The latest cover features Cartoons & Puzzles: A magazine maze, cartoonists on their forebears, Stephen Sondheim’s puzzle love, a hundredth-birthday diary, and more.

The Year In Trump Cashing In

In 2025, the President’s family has been making bank in myriad ways, many of them involving crypto and foreign money. By John Cassidy

In the Wake of Australia’s Hanukkah Beach Massacre

A conversation about the country’s unique Jewish community and rising levels of antisemitism.

The Federal Judge at the Trump Rally

Emil Bove violated a basic tenet of judicial ethics, presumably on purpose. By Ruth Marcus

History’s Judgment of Those Who Go Along

Some civil servants and senior officials in the Trump Administration are experiencing bouts of conscience

THE NEW YORK TIMES – MONDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2025

Police Resume Search for Brown University Gunman After Releasing Person of Interest

The authorities said they were renewing their hunt for the gunman, who killed two people. Officials released a person of interest late Sunday.

Hollywood Director Rob Reiner and His Wife, Michele, Are Found Dead

The Los Angeles Police Department said it was investigating an apparent homicide at the couple’s home. The family said they were “heartbroken by this sudden loss.”

Rob Reiner: An Actor Who Went On to Direct Classic Films

Rob Reiner starred in “All in the Family” before directing films including “When Harry Met Sally …,” “The Princess Bride” and “A Few Good Men.”

Australian Police Plan to Charge Suspect in Bondi Massacre

Officials said a father and son killed at least 15 people at a Jewish holiday celebration. More than three dozen others were hospitalized, including a surviving suspect.

THE NEW YORK TIMES – SUNDAY, DECEMBER 14, 2025

At Least 11 Killed After Jewish Community Is Targeted in Sydney Attack

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese called the shooting on Bondi Beach during a Hanukkah celebration a terrorist attack. At least one gunman is dead and another is in custody.

Deadly Attack on U.S. Troops Exposes Growing Challenges for Syria’s Leader

The attacks further complicate President Ahmed al-Sharaa’s efforts to unify the country and rebuild international relationships, analysts say.

Person of Interest Detained Over Deadly Shooting at Brown

Mayor Brett Smiley of Providence said this morning that an individual had been detained a day after a shooting inside a classroom killed two students and injured nine others.

The S.E.C. Was Tough on Crypto. It Pulled Back After Trump Returned to Office.

An investigation by The Times found the administration’s change in enforcement benefited the industry, including companies that had ties to the president.

THE NEW YORK TIMES MAGAZINE – Dec. 14, 2025

In this Great Performers issue, some of the year's best actors show us how they conjure feelings on cue; Wesley Morris invents his own categories of awards; and more.

THE NEW YORK TIMES MAGAZINE: The 12.14.25 Issue features Great Performers issue, some of the year’s best actors show us how they conjure feelings on cue; Wesley Morris invents his own categories of awards; and more.

We Asked 10 of the Year’s Best Actors How They Conjure Feelings on Cue

Teyana Taylor, Liam Neeson, Rose Byrne and more of our best actors on how they summon the emotions that move us.

This Year’s Film Performances Were So Good, We Had To Invent New Awards

Best Acting in a Helmet, Best Nervous Breakdown, Craziest Charm—the film performances so good Wesley Morris had to invent his own categories. By Wesley Morris

Why Won’t Senators Stand Up to Trump? We Asked 3 Who Called It Quits.

THE NEW YORK TIMES – SATURDAY, DEC. 13, 2025

Venezuela Oil Tanker Seized by U.S. Was Part of Effort to Finance Cuba

Firms with ties to Cuba are getting a larger share of Venezuelan oil exports, as the island’s security agents boost President Nicolás Maduro’s defenses.

Behind the Venezuelan Opposition Leader’s Daring Escape to Oslo

An American firm with experience in special operations spirited María Corina Machado out of the country in a secretive land, sea and air operation.

In Trump’s Justice Dept., Failing in Court Might Be Better Than Bucking the Boss

Thursday demonstrated an emerging reality for President Trump: Commanding the Justice Department is not the same as controlling the justice system.

Biden Has Raised Little of What He Needs to Build a Presidential Library

Former President Biden’s library foundation has told the I.R.S. that it expects to bring in $11.3 million — not enough for a traditional presidential library.

THE ECONOMIST MAGAZINE – DECEMBER 13, 2025 PREVIEW

THE ECONOMIST MAGAZINE: The latest issue features ‘Europe’s populist right’

Can anyone stop Europe’s populist right?

Apocalyptic warnings by mainstream politicians are doomed to fail

More reasons for America’s friends to plan for the worst

A strategy that scorns Europe, bullies Latin America and is vague on Asia

Don’t fear China’s trillion-dollar trade surplus

It is a problem not for the rest of the world, but for China

America’s Supreme Court should strike down Donald Trump’s tariffs

The judges’ credibility is at stake

The battle for Warner Bros is a prelude to the real streaming war

Professionally made shows face tough competition from independent makers