LITERARY REVIEW (May 1, 2025): The latest issue features ‘Mad About Diana’…
Literary Review – May 2025 Arts & Books Preview
Category Archives: Opinion
The New York Times Magazine – May 4, 2025
THE NEW YORK TIMES MAGAZINE (May 2, 2025): The 5.4.25 Issue features ‘The Happiness Issue’…Susan Dominus on what we’ve learned from nearly a century of research into happiness; Molly Young’s depressing week in “the happiest country on Earth”; Kwame Anthony Appiah on how the idea of happiness got small; Jance Dunn on tips from experts on finding bliss; and more.
My Miserable Week in the ‘Happiest Country on Earth’
For eight years running, Finland has topped the World Happiness Report — but what exactly does it measure?
How Nearly a Century of Happiness Research Led to One Big Finding
Decades of wellness studies have identified a formula for happiness, but you won’t figure it out alone. By Susan Dominus
The Best Advice I’ve Ever Heard for How to Be Happy
Tips from experts, astronauts and Cher on finding bliss. By Jancee Dunn
The New York Times – Friday, May 2, 2025
Trump Moves Waltz to U.N. and Names Rubio Interim National Security Adviser
This is the first significant personnel overhaul of top White House aides, and the kind of shake-up President Trump has sought to avoid in his second term.
Behind Trump’s Deal to Deport Venezuelans to El Salvador’s Most Feared Prison
New details deepen questions about the deportations, showing that El Salvador’s president pressed for assurances that the migrants were really members of the Tren de Aragua gang.
Missteps, Equipment Problems and a Common but Risky Practice Led to a Fatal Crash
New details revealed by The Times show that the failures on Jan. 29 before an Army helicopter crashed into a jet near Reagan National Airport were far more complex than previously known.
Federal Judge Strikes Down Trump’s Use of Alien Enemies Act to Deport Venezuelans
The ruling, which is limited to the Southern District of Texas, prohibited the administration from using the wartime law because the president’s claims about a Venezuelan gang do not add up to an “invasion.”
The Economist Magazine —- May 3, 2025 Preview
THE ECONOMIST MAGAZINE (May 1, 2025): The latest issue features ‘The Taiwan test‘….
A superpower crunch over Taiwan is coming
China has a new chance to call America’s bluff
Investors’ risky bet: they can shrug off the trade war
The relief they are banking on needs to come fast
India must prove Pakistan’s complicity in the attack in Kashmir
It would then have every right to strike back
The New York Times – Thursday, May 1, 2025
Secret Deals, Foreign Investments, Presidential Policy Changes: The Rise of Trump’s Crypto Firm
World Liberty Financial has eviscerated the boundary between private enterprise and government policy in ways without precedent in modern American history.
At Vietnam War Memorial, Grief, Anger and a Sense of Finally Moving On
Visitors to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial on the anniversary of the fall of Saigon said they still felt sadness and fury. And some, at last, had a sense of closure.
U.S. Announces Deal to Share Ukraine’s Mineral Wealth
The Trump administration did not immediately provide details about the agreement, and it was not clear what it meant for the future of U.S. military support for Ukraine.
Gates Foundation Is Rattled by Trump’s Threat to Its Mission
As the Trump administration dismantles foreign aid, Bill Gates, whose philanthropy is devoted to global health, is trying to talk to anyone with the president’s ear.
The Guardian Weekly – May 2, 2025 – Politics Preview
The North America edition showcases Mark Carney, the prime minister of Canada, who achieved a remarkable victory in Monday’s federal election. As our reporter in Ottawa Leyland Cecco explains, Carney reversed a huge Liberal party poll deficit after voters backed him over his conservative opponent, Pierre Poilievre, to stand up to the threats of Donald Trump. Can the dour but tough former central banker succeed in fending off the aggressive advances of his US counterpart?
The big story | Kharkiv suffers in the shadow of a peace deal
While US-led negotiations threaten to carve up Ukraine, deadly Russian attacks continue amid deep cynicism about the process. Luke Harding reports from a city under siege
Science | Why f ish farms on the moon aren’t such a wild idea
The Lunar Hatch project is studying whether aquaculture might be able to provide a source of protein for astronauts on space missions. Kim Willsher paid them a visit
Feature | The dirtiest race in Olympic history
How did the 2012 Olympics women’s 1500m get its reputation? Athletes cheated out of medals talk to Esther Addley about what happened – and how the results unravelled
Opinion | Will Pope Francis’s compassionate legacy endure?
Some, especially within the US, see the forthcoming conclave as an opportunity to establish a more conservative leader, says Guardian associate editor Julian Coman
Culture | The genius of Barrie Kosky and his Wagner phantasmagoria
He put Carmen in a gorilla suit and had Das Rheingold’s Erda represented by a naked elderly woman. What are the the opera director’s plans for his edge-of-the-seat Die Walküre? Fiona Maddocks finds out
London Review Of Books – May 2, 2025 Preview
Dangerous Chimera
Liberty as Independence: The Making and Unmaking of a Political Ideal
by Quentin Skinner.
Red Pants on Sundays
The Maverick’s Museum: Albert Barnes and His American Dream
by Blake Gopnik.
It’s a shitshow
Inside Thatcher’s Monetarism Experiment: The Promise, the Failure, the Legacy by Tim Lankester.
The New York Times – Wednesday, April 30, 2025
How Trump’s Second Term Is Changing Power, Institutions and More
President Trump has wielded the presidency as an instrument of blunt power, ignoring the howls of outrage from Democrats and daring largely docile Republicans to challenge the limits of his authority.
Mark Carney Wins New Term as Canada’s Prime Minister on Anti-Trump Platform
The election was dominated by Mr. Trump and his relentless focus on Canada. Pierre Poilievre, the opposition leader, lost the seat he had held for 20 years.
A Russian Missile Blew Apart These Kyiv Apartments, and a Decades-Old Community
“It feels like I lost my whole extended family,” one survivor said.
Justices Appear Skeptical of School District in Student Disability Rights Case
The case is being watched closely by disability rights groups, which warned that arguments by a school district could threaten broader protections for disabled people.
The New York Times – Tuesday, April 29, 2025
Trump Recasts Mission of Justice Dept.’s Civil Rights Office, Prompting ‘Exodus’
Hundreds of lawyers and other staff members are fleeing the arm of the agency that defends constitutional rights, which appointees intend to reshape to enact President Trump’s agenda.
Inside the Changing White House Briefing Room
The Trump administration has given more time to “new media” and outlets that are more supportive of the president’s policies.
Amid Uncertainty About U.S. Support, Ukraine Pins Its Hopes on Innovation
Ukraine has adapted strategies and weapons during its fight against Russia. It is now banking on expanding the use of domestically produced drones, even though American arms remain crucial.
One Key to a Successful Campaign for Pope? Act Like You’re Not Campaigning.
Crucial meetings will be held this week in which contenders begin jockeying in earnest for the job of leading the Roman Catholic Church.
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The Atlantic Magazine – June 2025 Preview
THE ATLANTIC MAGAZINE (April 28, 2025): The latest issue features “I Run The Country and The World” – Donald Trump explains his victory and his plan…
1. “I run the country and the world”
Asked how his second term so far differed from his first, Trump said: “The first time, I had two things to do — run the country and survive; I had all these crooked guys.”
- “And the second time, I run the country and the world,” he added.
- “I’m having a lot of fun, considering what I do … You know, what I do is such serious stuff.”
2. A third term “would be a big shattering”
Of a potential 2028 run, Trump told the magazine it “would be a big shattering.”
- He continued, “Well, maybe I’m just trying to shatter.” But Trump added, “It’s not something that I’m looking to do. And I think it would be a very hard thing to do.”
- That follows his comments from last month, when said he is “not joking” about a third term,
Reality check: Trump launching a bid for a third term wouldn’t just shatter norms — it would violate the 22nd amendment.
- Meanwhile, the Trump Organization has started selling “Trump 2028” hats.
3. The billionaire class’ “higher level of respect”
The billionaire class has largely bowed to Trump in his second term. He described the mega-rich taking a friendlier posture as “just a higher level of respect.”
- “I don’t know … Maybe they didn’t know me at the beginning, and they know me now,” he continued.
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