Category Archives: Politics

The New York Times – Friday, May 9, 2025

Pope Leo XIV, the First American Pontiff, Took a Global Route to the Top Post

Robert Francis Prevost, who led the Vatican office that selects and manages bishops around the world, has spent much of his life outside the United States.

U.S.-U.K. Trade Deal to Build on Close Ties but Leave Some Tariffs in Place

Much of the agreement President Trump unveiled Thursday still needs to be negotiated, but the administration said the deal with one of America’s closest allies would be the first of many.

Europe Alone and in Shock on V-E Day

On the 80th anniversary of Nazi Germany’s defeat, echoes of tyrannies past shake a continent that is trying to find its footing in the face of President Trump’s hostility.

The Economist Magazine – May 10, 2025 Preview

THE ECONOMIST MAGAZINE (May 8, 2025): The latest issue features All grown up: Saudi Arabia’s surprising transformation‘…

Saudi Arabia is pulling off an astonishing transformation

Muhammad bin Salman is going from troublemaker to peacemaker

What Putin wants—and how Europe should thwart him

Many Europeans are complacent about the threat Russia poses—and misunderstand how to deter its president

Luck stands between de-escalation and disaster for India and Pakistan

Sooner or later, the luck will run out

The war in Gaza must end

America should press Binyamin Netanyahu to accept a ceasefire, then press Hamas to disarm

Donald Trump is right to ditch Joe Biden’s chip-export rules

Time to get realistic

THE NEW YORK TIMES – THURSDAY, MAY 8, 2025

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China Agreed to U.S. Tariff Talks but Is Likely to Play Hardball

Beijing says it will meet with American officials to discuss trade, but warned Washington against using the engagement to ratchet up pressure on China.

3 Former Officers Acquitted of All State Charges in Tyre Nichols’s Death

The former Memphis officers had been charged with second-degree murder and other crimes in the beating death of Mr. Nichols.

Waiting for the Smoke That Heralds a New Pope

As 133 cardinals were sequestered in the Sistine Chapel where they would vote for a new leader of the Catholic Church, the faithful and the curious gathered in St. Peter’s Square.

THE GUARDIAN WEEKLY – MAY 9, 2025 POLITICS PREVIEW

THE GUARDIAN WEEKLY (May 7, 2025): The latest issue features ‘Trump meets political gravity’…

The Weekly’s cover focuses on the US president, who has at last been feeling the pull of domestic political gravity. Trump’s chaotic first 100 days in office – marked last week – have featured a blitz of sweeping and vengeful changes to America that have been hard to fully compute. But as the US economy falters and his poll ratings sink, David Smith asks whether the seemingly unchallengeable president is showing some signs of vulnerability.


Five essential reads in this week’s edition

Spotlight | Russia’s new sabotage campaign in Europe
Moscow’s intelligence services have launched a new type of attack on the west, violent but piecemeal and hard to prove, writes Shaun Walker

Spotlight | Palestinians face difficult decisions over future in Gaza
As Israel’s aid blockade rumbles on and humanitarian zones disappear, fears of a ‘second Nakba’ are being realised. Bethan McKernan reports

Feature | How Ticketmaster ate the live music industry
From grassroots gigs to stadium shows, there’s no escaping the ticketing giant, making billions from increasing prices (and whacking on fees). Dorian Lynskey investigates who is really to blame for the great rock’n’roll rip-off

Opinion | We recall the joy of VE Day. My worry is what we forget
In 1945, Sheila Hancock’s street party tea was a muted celebration, full of uncertainty. Then, as now, we faced a long struggle towards a better world

Culture | Black Sabbath on reconciling for their final gig
Heavy metal’s godfathers are preparing a star-studded farewell – but will Ozzy Osbourne be well enough to perform? In their first interview for two decades, the original lineup talk to Alexis Petridis

The New York Times – Wednesday, May 7, 2025

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Supreme Court Lets Trump Enforce Transgender Troop Ban as Cases Proceed

Lower courts had blocked the policy, saying it was not supported by evidence and violated equal protection principles.

India Strikes Pakistan but Is Said to Have Lost Jets

Officials and witnesses said that at least two Indian aircraft had crashed after India struck Pakistani targets, escalating the conflict between the nuclear powers.

At This Humble Used Car Lot, Tariffs Are Beginning to Sting

Antonio Austin is trying to hold his car business together as President Trump’s tariffs drive up costs — and drive his customers deeper into crisis.

The Spectator World Magazine – June 2025

THE SPECTATOR WORLD (May 6, 2025): The latest issue features ‘The Reviving of the American Mind’…

The reviving of the American mind

For too long, academia has stifled intellectual originality

Keep AI ghouls out of the classroom

What if your first encounter with Shakespeare or Herman Melville was with an AI avatar in history class?

The Palisades, reimagined

You can see how wrecked the place is, and how temporarily low the de jure population – but the clean-up and rebuilding are well under way

The Trump administration is giving us excellence, not equity

We may not be in a golden age, but we can see one on the horizon

Wokeism is stifling thought in America’s universities

What if your first encounter with Shakespeare or Herman Melville was with an AI avatar in history class?

The New York Times – Tuesday, May 6, 2025

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Trump Crypto Deals Provoke Senate Backlash and Calls for Investigation

Some Democrats who had supported legislation for so-called stablecoins are now demanding tougher language to prevent fraud and money laundering.

Guantánamo Migrant Operation Has Held Fewer Than 500 Detainees, and None in Tents

The three-month-old operation never expanded to fulfill President Trump’s vision of housing 30,000 at the offshore U.S. base.

Congress’s Fight Over Trump’s Agenda Runs Through Alaska

Republicans in Congress are clashing over whether to repeal Biden-era clean energy tax credits that are a lifeline for some of their constituents.

1d agoBy Catie Edmondson and Ash Adams

The New Yorker Magazine – May 12 & 19, 2025 Preview

A series of images about New York City featuring a bagel a pigeon the subway and a baseball game.

THE NEW YORKER MAGAZINE (May 5, 2025): The latest issue features Christoph Niemann’s “Spotted in New York City” – Small moments that span a century.

The Promise of New York

Other cities have better infrastructure, fewer rats, cleaner streets, plentiful public toilets, more elbow room. Yet people continue to flock here.

By Alexandra Schwartz

Ed Helms Dives Into Disaster

In a new book, the boundlessly curious “Hangover” star probes history’s greatest blunders—like how the C.I.A. tried to make Castro’s beard fall out—as a way to face the present.

By Henry Alford

Why Can’t New York Have Nice Mayors?

As the Trump Administration encroaches on the city, Andrew Cuomo and Eric Adams try to salvage their political careers.

By Eric Lach

The New York Times – Monday, May 5, 2025

As Gaza Siege Grinds On, Gazan Children Go Hungry and Patients Die

The effect of Israel’s total siege has become “catastrophic,” doctors say. Food, water and medicine shortages are prompting a surge of preventable illnesses, and deaths.

A Conclave Like No Other

More cardinals from more countries than ever will gather in the Sistine Chapel starting Wednesday to choose a new pope at a precarious time for the church.

‘I Have Cancer,’ the TikTok Star Said. Then Came the Torrent of Hate.

Sydney Towle’s videos have drawn an enormous audience on TikTok, where her followers praise and support her. On Reddit, an army of skeptics was determined to paint her as a fraud.

The New York Times Magazine – May 4, 2025

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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