Category Archives: Politics

THE NEW YORK TIMES – SUNDAY, JANUARY 11, 2026

Trump’s ‘Superstar’ Appellate Judges Have Voted 133 to 12 in His Favor

Trump promised to fill the appeals courts with “my judges.” Now they’ve formed a nearly united phalanx to defend his agenda from legal challenges.

Trump Is Briefed on Options for Striking Iran as Protests Continue

The president has said he will be “hitting them very hard” if Iranian leaders kill protesters amid widespread demonstrations calling for changes in the country.

Death Toll Grows as Nationwide Protests Rock Iran for a Third Night

Antigovernment unrest that began two weeks ago has intensified in recent days, as has violence.

Trump Is the Political Earthquake Shaking Latin America

The U.S. capture of Nicolás Maduro has divided the region. But every nation wants to avoid being next.

U.S. Launches Major Strikes on Islamic State Targets in Syria

The airstrikes followed an even larger attack in December to avenge the killing of three Americans last year.

Smithsonian Removes Label Noting Trump Impeachments

When the National Portrait Gallery replaced a portrait of President Trump this week, it took down a biography of his first term.

THE NEW YORK TIMES – SATURDAY, JANUARY 10, 2026

How Venezuela’s New Leader Went From Revolutionary to Trump’s Orbit

Delcy Rodríguez, a guerrilla’s daughter, started out as a provocateur. She pivoted to revive a ravaged economy, making her vital to U.S. plans to run Venezuela.

U.S. and Venezuela Explore Restoring Diplomatic Ties

The move embodied the contradictions and fast-changing nature of the two countries’ relationship after the capture of President Nicolás Maduro.

Iran’s Protests Were Set Off by a Plunging Currency

In a serious challenge to Iran’s authoritarian government, angry protests have spread from major cities to the impoverished towns in the hinterland.

Iran Is Bracing for a Weekend of Unrest. Here’s What to Know.

THE NEW YORK TIMES – FRIDAY, JANUARY 9, 2026

U.S. Hiring Remains at a Modest Pace, and Weaknesses Are Evident

Employers added 50,000 jobs in December, and the unemployment rate fell to 4.4 percent as hiring continued despite economic uncertainty and volatile public policy.

Iran’s Supreme Leader Vows to ‘Not Back Down’ as Protests Swell

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei dismissed days of fierce protests as wanton destruction and accused the demonstrators of trying to “please” President Trump.

December’s Jobs Data Reinforces Fed’s Cautious Approach to Future Cuts

Wary of Investing in Venezuela, Big Oil Heads to the White House

The amounts of money, time and political uncertainty trouble executives at large Western oil companies, who plan to meet with President Trump today.

Trump Defends U.S. Military Spending Plan to Combat ‘Real Threats’

President Trump said in an interview on Fox News that the U.S. needed a $600 billion increase in military spending next year. He did not specify the threats.

THE ECONOMIST MAGAZINE – JANUARY 10, 2026 PREVIEW

THE ECONOMIST MAGAZINE: The latest issue featuresThe Donroe delusion‘…

In Donald Trump’s world, the strong take what they can

That will be bad for America—and everyone else

Do not mistake a resilient global economy for populist success

Protectionism is failing to revive manufacturing

Does Japan have a “foreigner problem”?

Yes—but it is not what populist politicians say it is

AI is transforming the pharma industry for the better

It is changing the way drugs are discovered and tested

France is paralysed, and everyone is to blame

The budgetary impasse is just one symptom of collective political uselessness

THE NEW STATESMAN MAGAZINE – JANUARY 9, 2025

What Trump wants

THE NEW STATESMAN: The latest issue features What Trump wants‘…

The age of invasion

How Trump’s new global strategy will assert Washington’s hemispheric ambitions By John Bew

Why Starmer won’t condemn Trump on Venezuela

Jeremy Corbyn, Clare Short, Robert D Kaplan and others reflect on the consequences of the Caracas attack By Ailbhe Rea

The world after Trump’s Venezuela gambit

By New Statesman

Fiona Hill: “The UK needs to think of its own sovereignty”

By Megan Gibson

THE NEW YORK TIMES – THURSDAY, JANUARY 8, 2026

Trump Says U.S. Oversight of Venezuela Could Last for Years

In a wide-ranging interview with The Times, President Trump said “only time will tell” when it comes to how long the U.S. aims to control the country.

Videos Contradict Trump Administration Account of ICE Shooting in Minneapolis

A Times analysis of footage from three camera angles shows that the motorist was driving away from — not toward — a federal officer when he opened fire.

When It Comes to Russia, Trump Navigates Conflicting Goals

President Trump’s efforts to court President Vladimir Putin of Russia are rife with contradictions about stability and displays of American power.

Colombia’s President Feared a U.S. Attack. Then Trump Called.

The conversation appeared to defuse a crisis that erupted after President Trump said military action against Colombia “sounds good.” President Gustavo Petro spoke to The New York Times just before the call.

THE GUARDIAN WEEKLY – JANUARY 9, 2026 PREVIEW

THE GUARDIAN WEEKLY: The latest issue features ‘The Donroe Doctrine’ – Donald Trump stakes his claim to the Western Hemisphere.

Donald Trump consigned the remnants of the rules-based international order to the bottom of the Caribbean Sea as US forces extracted Nicolás Maduro to face trial in the US. With allies and adversaries of Washington still adjusting to last weekend’s audacious assault on Caracas, Trump and his inner circle are thinking about their next steps to secure US interests in what they regard as “our hemisphere”.


Our reporting team, led by Latin American correspondent Tom Phillips, gauges the reaction to Maduro’s abduction on the ground in Caracas and among Venezuela’s closest neighbours, while Dan Sabbagh explains how the US military had planned and executed the operation.

Since the start of the US military buildup and blockade of Venezuela, Trump had claimed that Maduro needed to be “brought to justice” for his alleged role in drug trafficking, which Trump claimed had caused thousands of deaths in the US. But, as international commentators Julian Borger and Nesrine Malik explain, that has proved the thinnest of justifications and already by last Saturday it was clear that Venezuela’s huge oil reserves were uppermost on his mind.

Spotlight | Iran in turmoil
An ailing economy and plummeting exchange rate have prompted the biggest street protests in many years, report Deepa Parent and William Christou

Science | Is de-extinction really possible?
Bringing woolly mammoths and dire wolves back to life captured the public’s imagination last year but, Patrick Greenfield reports, there are questions around what can actually be achieved

Feature | The power and purpose of guilt
Psychologist Chris Moore saw first-hand how powerful and complex an emotion it is, as he explains to Emine Saner

Opinion | Adieu to the French art of lunch
Paul Taylor mourns the demise of a convivial lunch at a bistro serving freshly prepared food and the end of an unpretentious part of working culture

Culture | Is the crisis in masculinty just a joke?
It’s a ridiculous time to be male – and that’s good news for a new genre of social media comedy poking fun at the manosphere, finds Matthew Cantor

THE NEW YORK TIMES – WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 7, 2026

U.S. Forces Intercept Oil Tanker That Defied Blockade of Venezuela

The U.S. had been pursuing the Russian-flagged tanker as part of its pressure campaign against Venezuela. The move deepens a confrontation with Russia.

Europe and Rest of World Try to Come to Terms With Trump the Imperialist

Needing support to fend off Russia in Ukraine, European leaders are cautious about criticizing President Trump on Greenland, Iran, Venezuela and much else.

Stephen Miller Offers a Strongman’s View of the World

President Trump’s trusted adviser is casting his hard-right gaze abroad, saying the world must be governed by “force.”

Cuba’s Long-Suffering Economy Is Now in ‘Free Fall’

Warner Bros. Board Rebuffs Paramount’s Latest Buyout Offer

The board said the blockbuster deal it reached with Netflix last month posed less risk.

FOREIGN POLICY MAGAZINE – WINTER 2026 PREVIEW

Winter-2026-foreign-policy-cover-world-minus-one-small

FOREIGN POLICY MAGAZINE: The latest issue features ‘The World Minus One’ – The emergence of a post-American order.

The World-Minus-One Moment

Managing the global order with an antagonistic Washington. By Amitav Acharya

The Pillars of the Global Nuclear Order Are Cracking

U.S. allies and partners are taking steps toward a post-American nuclear order.Rebecca Lissner,  Erin D. Dumbacher

Can China Replace an Absent America in the Climate Fight?

Beijing never bought the argument that reducing emissions would cause economic harm. Kelly Sims Gallagher

Cyberdefense Enters a Dangerous New Phase

Allies fear that Washington is retreating from leadership at the worst possible time. Rishi Iyengar

THE NEW YORK TIMES – TUESDAY, JANUARY 6, 2026

Venezuela Braces for Economic Collapse From U.S. Blockade

Venezuela could lose the bulk of its oil export revenues this year if the U.S. blockade stays in place, a scenario that would set off a humanitarian crisis.

Zelensky’s Assessment Darkens as Europeans Gather to Talk Peace

With Russia still seen as unlikely to stop fighting Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelensky’s tone has shifted from upbeat to cautionary.

Stephen Miller Asserts U.S. Has Right to Take Greenland

Why Trump Refused to Back Machado: Fears of Chaos, and Fraying Ties

In China, a Debate About Political Power Ignites After Maduro’s Capture

The reactions revealed a society divided: Some saw what happened in Venezuela as a playbook for seizing Taiwan, while others warned about ideological rigidity.

Chevron’s Risky Bet to Stay in Venezuela May Now Give It an Advantage