Category Archives: Opinion

LONDON REVIEW OF BOOKS – DECEMBER 4, 2025 PREVIEW

LONDON REVIEW OF BOOKS: The latest issue features ‘Robert Frost’s ugly feelings’….

Love and Need: The Life of Robert Frost’s Poetry by Adam Plunkett

Short Cuts: A Bridge across the Humber

Undaunted Mind: The Intellectual Life of Benjamin Franklin by Kevin J. HayesIngenious: A Biography of Benjamin Franklin, Scientist by Richard Munson

A Common Grave: Being Catholic in English America by Susan Juster

THE NEW YORK TIMES – WEDNESDAY, NOV. 26, 2025

Shorter Days, Signs of Fatigue: Trump Faces Realities of Aging in Office

President Trump has always used his stamina and energy as a political strength. But that image is getting harder for him to sustain.

Trump’s Retribution Push Has Expanded Even as It Hits Legal Barriers

A judge dismissed indictments against two of the president’s foes, but an inquiry shows how he is using a whole-of-government approach to punish those who cross him.

The Question Hanging Over Peace Talks: What Will Putin Accept?

A U.S. proposal appears to cross a number of red lines for the Russian leader, who sees little to lose and much to potentially gain from continuing to fight.

Venezuela’s Nobel Winner Pushes False Claims About Maduro, Critics Say

Maria Corina Machado faces criticism that she is exaggerating threats posed by Venezuela’s leader, Nicolás Maduro, to justify U.S. force to overthrow him.

What the Pentagon’s Attack Videos Reveal About the Boat Strikes at Sea

THE NEW YORK TIMES – TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2025

Comey and James Cases Dismissed; Judge Faults Prosecutor’s Appointment

The decision to toss out the charges against James Comey and Letitia James is a setback to President Trump’s efforts to wield the criminal justice against his perceived foes.

$10 Billion and Counting: Trump Administration Snaps Up Stakes in Private Firms

The Trump administration is trading billions of dollars of taxpayer money for ownership stakes in companies. The unusual practice shows no sign of slowing.

How Rubio Tried to Bring a Pro-Russia Peace Plan to Middle Ground

While President Trump attacked the Ukrainians, Secretary of State Marco Rubio flew to Geneva to seize control of negotiations that were going off the rails.

Europe Toils to Have a Say in Trump’s Push to End the Ukraine War

Initially cut out of development of the 28-point peace plan, European leaders are now trying to recast its pro-Russian slant. So far, it seems to be working.

U.S. Plans Compounds to House Palestinians in Israeli-Held Half of Gaza

The project could offer relief for tens of thousands of Palestinians, but has raised questions about whether it could entrench the partition of Gaza.

THE ATLANTIC MAGAZINE – JANUARY 2026 PREVIEW

THE ATLANTIC MAGAZINE: The latest issue features ‘The Most Powerful Man in Science’

Why Is Robert F. Kennedy Jr. So Convinced He’s Right?

How an outsider, once ignored by the public-health establishment, became the most powerful man in science by Michael Scherer

What Sam Shepard Couldn’t Outrun

The actor, playwright, and self-made cowboy was also a poet of masculine angst. By Michael O’Donnell

An Anatomy of the MAGA Mind

Under Trump, post-liberal intellectuals have abandoned tradition for radicalism and scholarship for vulgarity. By George Packer

THE NEW YORKER MAGAZINE – DECEMBER 1, 2025

A woman with a headscarf turns away from a butterfly to look at the reader. A reprint of the original cover by Rea Irvin...

THE NEW YORKER MAGAZINE: The latest cover features Malika Favre’s and Rea Irvin’s Eustace Tilley – The covers for the fourth and final centenary special issue.

The Justice Department Hits a New Low with the Epstein Files

Not only is the department’s behavior not normal; it is also, as is becoming increasingly clear, self-defeating. By Ruth Marcus

Disappeared to a Foreign Prison

The Trump Administration is deporting people to countries they have no ties to, where many are being detained indefinitely or forcibly returned to the places they fled. By Sarah Stillman

The Airport-Lounge Wars

When you’re waiting for a flight, what’s the difference between out there and in here? By Zach Helfand

THE NEW YORK TIMES – MONDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2025

As U.S. Presses for Peace, Zelensky Says Ukraine Faces a ‘Critical Moment’

President Trump said in a social media post that “something good just may be happening” in the talks, but gave no details.

Russian Disinformation Comes to Mexico, Seeking to Rupture U.S. Ties

A U.S. government cable said that Kremlin-run outlets had scaled up their efforts across Latin America, seeking to turn people against the United States and garner support for Russia.

He Saw the Best of America and Then Fought for Russia in Ukraine

Col. Andrei Demurenko’s war story began at Fort Leavenworth, Kan., at a moment of hope and peace. It ended with a mortar blast in Ukraine.

Why Europe and the U.S. Are Still Haggling on Trade

While a broad agreement was reached months ago, officials will meet this week to discuss the details. Europe has a wish list, but so does the U.S.

THE NEW YORK TIMES – SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2025

Kash Patel Under Scrutiny for Use of SWAT Teams to Protect His Girlfriend

The F.B.I. director’s travel on government jets has also contributed to growing questions inside the administration about his use of taxpayer-funded resources.

Ukrainian and U.S. Officials Meet to Discuss Trump’s Plan to End War With Russia

The talks, which Ukraine said would include European officials, come as the Trump administration pushes Kyiv to accept a 28-point peace plan.

In Russian-Occupied Mariupol, Everything Ukrainian Must Go

Russia is remaking Mariupol, which was under siege in 2022. Ukrainians seeking to move back are finding it hard to recognize the city, or to reclaim their property.

For Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Rough Education in MAGA Politics

The Georgia congresswoman strove to be both the ultimate Trump warrior and to be taken seriously. She wound up in political exile.

THE NEW YORK TIMES MAGAZINE – NOV. 23, 2025

Current cover

THE NEW YORK TIMES MAGAZINE: The 11.23.25 Issue features Daniel Bergner on how antidepressants could be disrupting the sexual development of teenagers; Coralie Kraft on three people who fell in love with A.I. chatbots; Jordan Kisner on the power of screaming and the Greek heroine Electra; Tina Brown in conversation with Lulu Garcia-Navarro; and more.

‘It’s a Culture Now of Fear’: A Year of Chaos Inside the Justice Department

Sixty former staffers describe an environment of suspicion and intimidation within the nation’s most powerful law enforcement agency. By Emily Bazelon and Rachel Poser

Houses Collapsing Into the Sea? It’s Not as Baffling as It Looks.

Viewers seem baffled by viral videos of homes left to tumble into the ocean. But this is how we approach a growing range of “stranded” assets. By Brooke Jarvis

More Teens Are Taking Antidepressants. It Could Disrupt Their Sex Lives for Years.

Research on adults who take S.S.R.I.s shows they tamp down sexual desire. Why aren’t we studying what that could mean for adolescents who take them? By Daniel Bergner

THE NEW YORK TIMES – SATURDAY, NOV. 22, 2025

The A.I. Boom Is Driving the Economy. What Happens if It Falters?

A windfall for companies that build data centers and their suppliers is overshadowing weakness in other industries.

‘Fascist’? ‘Communist’? For an Afternoon, They Were Just 2 Guys From Queens.

Acid insults were set aside as Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani of New York and President Trump promoted their shared goals in an Oval Office meeting.

The Trump-Mamdani Buddy Movie? It’s Getting Mixed Reviews.

The casting aside of months of traded insults was a development that seemed good for New York City but struck some of both men’s followers as odd.

Trump Offers a Ukraine Peace Plan the Kremlin Can Love

While President Trump at times suggested he was willing to bolster support for Ukraine, he has repeatedly accommodated Russia’s demands.

European Leaders to Discuss Support for Ukraine in Response to U.S. Peace Plan

THE NEW YORK TIMES – FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2025

A.I. Growth Has Been Eye-Popping, but Some Worry About a House of Cards

It is a time of superlatives in the tech industry, with historic profits, stock prices and deal prices. It’s enough to make some people very nervous.

Asian and European Stocks Fall Over Fears of an A.I. Bubble

A sharp decline, after a rally fueled by Nvidia’s strong earnings, underscored how investor anxiety over A.I. is driving broad market swings.

Congressional Republicans Begin to Look Beyond Trump

Election defeats earlier this month and the approach of 2026 have G.O.P. lawmakers cautiously asserting themselves.

European Leaders Back Zelensky After U.S. Plan Leaves Them Out

It would require Kyiv to surrender territory, reduce its army’s size and relinquish some weaponry, according to officials familiar with the proposal.

Trump and Mamdani Will Meet for First Time, With Implications for New York

Zohran Mamdani, the mayor-elect of New York City, will visit President Trump at the White House today. The stakes are high for the city.