Category Archives: Opinion

THE NEW YORK TIMES – SUNDAY, AUGUST 17, 2025

Putin Sees Ukraine Through a Lens of Grievance Over Lost Glory

After Friday’s summit, President Vladimir Putin of Russia again implied that the war was all about his country’s diminished status since the Soviet Union’s fall.

Ukrainians Fleeing Russia’s Attacks Say the Alaska Summit Was an Insult

Evacuees at a shelter in eastern Ukraine reacted angrily to talk that land that has long been theirs could be given to Russia in exchange for peace.

Trump’s Selective Stance on Justice: Redemption for Some, Scorn for Others

President Trump, himself a felon, has shown leniency to criminals he seems to identify with — people who are white or wealthy, or who rioted on Jan. 6, 2021.

Fox News Warrior Takes on Prosecutor Role in Trump’s D.C. Crackdown

Israel Says Iranian Agents Recruited Dozens of Its Citizens

Israelis have been cajoled into acts of sabotage and even assassination plots, the authorities say, raising questions about greed, gullibility and loyalty.

THE NEW YORK TIMES – SATURDAY, AUGUST 16, 2025

Trump Backs Off Cease-Fire Demand in Ukraine War, Aligning With Putin

Breaking with Ukraine and European allies, President Trump adopted Russia’s preference for pursuing a sweeping peace deal after meeting with President Vladimir Putin.

After Alaska Summit, Europeans Worry Trump Will Pressure Ukraine

In a Wider Redistricting War, Republicans Have an Advantage

Republicans have a clear edge over Democrats in the total number of states that could redraw their maps.

THE NEW YORK TIMES – FRIDAY, AUGUST 15, 2025

D.C. Files Lawsuit Challenging Administration’s Police Takeover

The lawsuit comes after the Trump administration moved to expand its control of the city’s police department by installing an “emergency commissioner.”

Trump Flies to Alaska for High-Stakes Summit With Putin

Feds Turn Into Beat Cops Under Trump’s D.C. Policing Surge

SpaceX Gets Billions From the Government. It Gives Little to Nothing Back in Taxes.

THE ECONOMIST MAGAZINE – AUGUST 16, 2025 PREVIEW

THE ECONOMIST MAGAZINE: The latest issue features How to win at foreign policy

How to win at foreign policy

Donald Trump’s capricious dealmaking destabilizes the world

Xi Jinping’s weaponisation of rare-earth elements will ultimately backfire

How the West can break China’s grip on these vital minerals

America and its Asian allies need to spend more to deter China

It should be a two-way street

The shutdown of ocean currents could freeze Europe

When climate change poses a strategic threat, it needs a strategic response

Why South Africa should scrap Black Economic Empowerment

The ruling party’s flagship policy is a cause of the country’s problems, not a solution

THE NEW YORK TIMES – THURSDAY, AUGUST 14, 2025

Why Putin Thinks Russia Has the Upper Hand

As he heads to Alaska for talks with President Trump, Vladimir Putin is projecting confidence that his edge on the battlefield will secure a peace deal on his terms.

How a Call From President Trump Ignited a Frantic Week of Diplomacy by Ukraine

Once a vague proposal for a territorial swap gained clarity, a worried President Volodymyr Zelensky worked to rally allies before Friday’s Trump-Putin summit.

Fed Faces High Bar for Big Cuts Despite White House Pressure

The Federal Reserve is poised to lower interest rates in September. But signs of stickier inflation could limit how much relief officials can ultimately provide.

Trump Wants to ‘Take Back’ D.C., but the Federal Government Controls Much of It

President Trump and his allies have berated local officials. Yet the federal government has often made it harder for those officials to manage the capital.

THE GUARDIAN WEEKLY – AUGUST 15, 2025 PREVIEW

THE GUARDIAN WEEKLY: The latest issue features Sudan’s hidden horror: The inside story of a refugee camp massacre. Plus: The films that capture a nation’s soul

While the wars raging in Ukraine and Gaza have dominated global news agendas for months turning into years, relatively little attention has been paid to the ongoing civil war in Sudan – which for many western media outlets remains out of sight and largely out of mind.

This can’t be said of the Guardian’s Mark Townsend, who has reported tirelessly on the effects of the war between the Arab-led Rapid Support Forces and Sudanese military since it broke out in April 2023. It’s a conflict that has been characterised by repeated atrocities, forcing millions from their homes and causing the world’s largest humanitarian crisis.

In April this year, just as a British-led conference was being held in London to explore how to end the war, one such atrocity was unfolding in Zamzam refugee camp in North Darfur. Details were at first sketchy, but only now – thanks to the piecing together of intelligence reports and witness testimony – can it be revealed what happened during the attack on the camp by RSF forces and why it was not stopped.

As Mark’s remarkable account reveals, the 72-hour rampage in April may have taken the lives of more than 1,500 civilians in one of the most notorious war crimes of Sudan’s catastrophic conflict.

Five essential reads in this week’s edition

The big story | The ruins of Gaza, as seen from above
Guardian international correspondent Lorenzo Tondo joins a Jordanian military airdrop for a rare chance to observe a landscape devastated by Israel’s offensive. With photography by Alessio Mamo

Science | The truth about sunscreen
Too much exposure to the sun has traditionally been seen as a danger. Now claims that sunscreen is toxic flood the internet. Our science editor, Ian Sample, weighs up the evidence

Interview | Demis Hassabis, the cautious AI optimist
The head of Google’s DeepMind tells Steve Rose how artificial intelligence could usher in an era of ‘incredible productivity’ and ‘radical abundance’. But who will it benefit?

Opinion | The world is in flames. But I’ve found some hope amid the gloom
Columnist Jonathan Freedland makes a moral case for escapism, as a means of retaining the ability to see the world – and the people – around us

Culture | The films that capture a nation’s soul
What single film best represents a nation? Twelve writers choose the one work they believe most captures their home’s culture and cinema – from a bold cricket musical to a nine-hour documentary, gritty crime dramas to frothy tales of revenge

The Nation Magazine – SEPTEMBER 2025 Preview

Cover of September 2025 Issue

THE NATION MAGAZINE: The latest issue features ‘Zohran Mamdani’s New York’ – “To fight for working people must also mean fighting for their quality of life”

Mamdani’s Victory Over Fear

New York’s political establishment threw the whole post-9/11 playbook against the Democratic nominee for mayor, and came up empty. By Spencer Ackerman

Why We Must Release the Epstein Files

We need justice for the survivors of his predations, and we need to restore public trust in our institutions. By Rep. Ro Khanna

On the Power of Small Acts of Noncompliance

At a moment when large-scale resistance can feel futile,
there are other ways to oppose, engage, and fight back. By Elie Mystal

Washington’s Dangerous China Consensus

Fantasies of national unity drive the bipartisan push for a new cold war. By Jeet Heer

THE NEW YORK TIMES – WEDNESDAY, AUG 13, 2025

Trump Has Made Himself the Chip Industry’s Leading Decision Maker

By imposing new fees on exports and briefly demanding a C.E.O.’s firing, President Trump has bluntly intervened in the operations of major companies.

Show of Force Begins to Take Shape as Guard Troops Deploy in D.C.

President Trump has deployed 800 Guard members and 500 federal agents to fight crime, even as official figures show a sharp drop

Trump Deploys Guard for D.C. Crime but Called Jan. 6 Rioters ‘Very Special’

President Trump said he needed the National Guard to secure the capital. But on the most lawless day in its recent history, he had a very different reaction.

Trump to Speak With Zelensky and European Allies on Ukraine

Several allies will host President Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky for a video call, the latest in a summer-long effort to hold ranks in supporting Ukraine.

Putin and Trump Will Meet at U.S. Military Base in Anchorage on Friday

COMMENTARY MAGAZINE – SEPTEMBER 2025 PREVIEW

Commentary Magazine – A Jewish magazine of politics, high culture, cultural  and literary criticism, American and Israeli campaigns and elections, and  world affairs.

COMMENTARY MAGAZINE: The latest issue features ‘Board Games’ – The Supreme Court has outlawed counting by race in college admissions. Here’s how universities might try to defy the ruling and keep affirmative action without admitting it.

How Israel Can Defend Itself in the Future

Can it take lessons from a policy that failed even as it succeeded? by Jonathan Schanzer

College Board Games

The Supreme Court has outlawed counting by race in college admissions. Here’s how universities might try to defy the ruling and keep affirmative action without admitting it. by Naomi Schaefer Riley

When Artificial Intelligence Goes Nuts

by James B. Meigs

Why Jeans Are Making Progressives Blue

by Christine Rosen

THE NEW YORK TIMES – TUESDAY, AUGUST 12, 2025

U.S. Inflation Report Shows Effects of President Trump’s Tariffs

One gauge showed prices increasing at the fastest annual pace in five months, a sign that businesses are passing along tariff-related costs to customers.

Gaming Out the Price of a Trump Trade Deal With China

President Trump again delayed higher tariffs on China. But his recent moves on chips have stoked fears he’s willing to give too much to make a deal.

Trump, Seeking Friendlier Economic Data, Names New Statistics Chief

Russia Makes a Swift Battlefield Advance, Seeking an Edge in Trump Talks

Russian forces have moved several miles into Ukrainian-held territory in the east, threatening to outflank Ukraine’s positions.

Ahead of Trump-Putin Talks, Europe Says Ukraine Must Be Part of Peace Process

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