Andy Burnham is to become Britain’s seventh prime minister in a decade, having secured the Labour leadership with the landslide support of his party’s MPs.
The former Manchester mayor is now set to replace Starmer as Labour leader on Friday before walking through the doors of No 10 and becoming prime minister next Monday.
For our big story this week, Daniel Boffey looks at how Burnham charted the route from school politics to No 10, while Jessica Elgot runs through the bulging in-tray awaiting him when he steps into the new role. And Gaby Hinsliff examines how the PM-in-waiting might fare on the global stage, asking whether, unlike Keir Starmer, he has the skills to deal with Donald Trump.
Spotlight | A revolution in ruins Discontent with Venezuela’s Trump-backed government is mounting as Chávez heirs struggle to respond to the earthquake disaster, writes Tom Phillips
Science | We’re going on a water bear hunt Scientists hope DNA sequencing tardigrades – tiny yet virtually indestructible creatures – could help us understand the secrets of their superpowers. Patrick Barkham reports
Feature | The battle of the Bell hotel Tim Burrows visits the town of Epping in Essex to hear from local people about the impact of last year’s far-right protests that centred on a hotel housing asylum seekers
Opinion | The real source of Trump’s power exposed The Nato summit showed the US president’s willingness to violate all norms, rules and laws – and leave everyone else to pick up the pieces, argues Robert Reich
Culture | Never-ending story With Christopher Nolan’s take on the Odyssey set to break box office records, Charlotte Higgins asks why a poem from 600BC holds a vice-like grip on pop culture
As President Trump resumes his war, the focus is now on the Strait of Hormuz. But it remains unclear how far the U.S. military will go to exert control.
The U.S. launched attacks against Iranian targets, hours after Iran targeted American military sites in the region. Neither side showed signs of backing down.
The country’s economy expanded by 4.3 percent in the second quarter from a year ago, reflecting a broad slump outside of its export-oriented manufacturing might.
India is driving out Bangladeshi immigrants it says are in the country illegally. Bangladesh is pushing back, leaving people stranded along the border amid increasing tensions between the countries.
The countries slid back to open war over the waterway, as the U.S. planned to reinstate a blockade on Iranian ports. Tehran said it had attacked tankers and fired at U.S. military sites.
Democrats have hope for candidates for governor in Iowa and Ohio, but if the G.O.P. seizes supermajorities in the legislatures, their power would be limited.
An O.M.B. Plan to Defund Science—and Anything Trump Doesn’t Like
Under a new proposal, Administration officials could deny government grants to any group or project on the ground that it didn’t fit the President’s agenda. By Elizabeth Kolbert
When A.I. Is a Member of the Family
A single mom, her two daughters, and the chatbots that fill in the gaps. By Jessica Contrera
Inside ICE’s Largest Detention Center
On a military base in West Texas, where the government has built a sprawling tent complex to hold thousands of immigrants, deprivation and dire conditions are part of the design. By Jonathan Blitze
The Lost Art of the Bromance
New books, articles, and shows lament a crisis of connection among American men. But the picture of friendship that emerges can feel romanticized and brittle. By Katy Waldman
The bid to groom Iran’s former president as an intelligence asset culminated in an effort to relocate him at the start of the war. But the plan fell apart.
Iranian officials called for revenge against the U.S. and Israel for killing the late supreme leader, as new attacks pushed the region into deeper uncertainty.
The U.S. said it hit about 140 targets in Iran after Tehran attacked a ship in the Strait of Hormuz. Iran said it responded by firing at U.S. targets in Jordan, Oman and Qatar.
Mr. Graham died of a “brief and sudden” illness, his office said. Over more than two decades in the Senate, he consistently pushed for the use of U.S. military power overseas.
THE NEW YORK TIMES MAGAZINE:The 7.12.26 Issue features Pamela Colloff on the death penalty in Florida; Madelein Schwartz on positive parenting in France; Helen Ouyang on A.I. writing summaries of patient exams for doctors; and more.
For generations, writing up a summary of a patient exam was a vital step for physicians trying to make an accurate diagnosis. What happens when A.I. does it for them? By Helen Ouyang
The secretary of state effectively controls Venezuela’s finances, its natural resources and its government. His grip is a vivid manifestation of U.S. power.
During the war, Israel attacked Iran’s steel plants, saying they provided forces with revenue and the means to make weapons, but it also hurt the civilian economy.
Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei did not appear at his father’s funeral, fueling speculation about his physical condition and leaving a power vacuum in a divided country.
Experts said the lack of such capabilities poses a potential risk when President Trump travels overseas. The White House defended the aircraft’s safety.
News, Views and Reviews For The Intellectually Curious
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