Category Archives: Politics

News: Ceasefire Deal In Gaza, Impeachment Trial Begins In South Korea

MONOCLE RADIO (January 14, 2025): The impeachment trial for South Korea’s embattled president, Yoon Suk Yeol, gets under way with the first hearings in Seoul. Also on the programme: Pope Francis’s biography is published and leaders of Nato’s Baltic nations talk defence.

Then: has there been a “breakthrough” in a deal between Israel and Hamas? Plus: the life and legacy of Italy’s Oliviero Toscani, the photographer behind shock Benetton ads.

The New York Times – Tuesday, January 14, 2025

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Once the Fires Are Out, California Must Remove Tons of Dangerous Debris

Clearing the toxic remnants of burned buildings around Los Angeles will require a complex and expensive mobilization. California has been there before.

This Is Where the Palisades Fire Started

In the hills above Pacific Palisades, there is crime scene tape and scattered debris, clues to what may have caused the initial fire that eventually raged through thousands of structures.

Biden Aides Warned Putin as Russia’s Shadow War Threatened Air Disaster

The White House scrambled to get a message to President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia last year after U.S. intelligence agencies said a Russian military unit was preparing to send explosive packages on cargo planes.

Battles Rage Inside Russia, With Waves of Tanks, Drones and North Koreans

Ukrainian soldiers are describing fierce clashes as Russian forces try to retake territory in the Kursk region that could be key in eventual cease-fire talks.

Politics: Dissent Magazine —- Winter 2025 Preview

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DISSENT MAGAZINE (January 13, 2025): The latest issue features ‘The End of the Biden Era….

A Party Out of Touch

Without confronting the economic conditions that gave rise to right-wing populism, the Harris campaign could not meaningfully address a deepening crisis of liberal democracy.

Wendy Brown

Toward a Revival of Left Populism

Michael Kazin

Exit Right

Gabriel Winant

Europe Can’t “Trump-Proof” Itself

Hans Kundnani

A Fractured Coalition

Alyssa BattistoniTressie McMillan CottomAziz RanaTimothy Shenk and Patrick Iber

Housing for All
Supply and the Housing Crisis: A Debate

Ned ResnikoffBrian Callaci and Sandeep Vaheesan

A Public Model for Home Insurance

Moira Birss and MacKenzie Marcelin

Tenants on the March: An Interview With Cea Weaver 

Andrew Elrod

The Battle Over Los Angeles’s Mansion Tax 

Peter Dreier

A Place to Call Home 

Sarah Jaffe

The New Yorker Magazine – January 20, 2025 Issue

Donald Trump and Elon Musk are sworn in.

THE NEW YORKER MAGAZINE (January 13, 2025): Barry Blitt’s “Two’s a Crowd” – Elon Musk takes center stage.

The Inauguration of Trump’s Oligarchy

Certain business titans have made Mar-a-Lago a scene of such flagrant self-abnegation, ring-kissing, and genuflection that it would embarrass a medieval Pope. By David Remnick

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Lorne Michaels Is the Real Star of “Saturday Night Live”

He’s ruled with absolute power for five decades, forever adding to his list of oracular pronouncements—about producing TV, making comedy, and living the good life. By Susan Morrison

How Religious Schools Became a Billion-Dollar Drain on Public Education

A nationwide movement has funnelled taxpayer money to private institutions, eroding the separation between church and state. By Alec MacGillis

News: Election Results In Croatia, Iran Nuclear Talks Begin In Geneva

MONOCLE RADIO (January 13, 2025): Presidential election results are announced in Zagreb and nuclear talks between the UK, Germany, France and Iran kick off in Geneva. Then: show me the mooney! We investigate the future of lunar investment. Plus: master of wine Patrick Schmitt serves up the latest news for oenophiles.

The New York Times – Monday, January 13, 2025

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Before Taking Office, L.A.’s Mayor Said She Would Not Go Abroad

Mayor Karen Bass of Los Angeles has been criticized for being out of the country when the wildfires broke out. Three years ago, she promised in an interview to cut back on her world travel and focus on the city.

Despite Trump’s Attacks, Republicans Made Big Gains in Mail Voting

As Republican voters embraced a practice that Donald J. Trump railed against for years, softening his tone only slightly in 2024, the party eroded a key Democratic advantage across the country.

Palisades Lost

Days after a devastating wildfire, residents of Pacific Palisades have started sifting through the ruins, and their memories.

Fed-Up Voters in Louisiana Wanted a Change. They Drafted an ‘Old Ball Coach.’

Sid Edwards was a high school football coach who had never run for office. Now, he’s the mayor of Baton Rouge, Louisiana’s second-largest city.

Foreign Affairs: A Race To Lead The Quantum Future

Foreign Affairs Magazine (January 12, 2025): How the Next Computing Revolution Will Transform the Global Economy and Upend National Security

Over the last several years, as rapid advances in artificial intelligence have gained enormous public attention and critical scrutiny, another crucial technology has been evolving largely out of public view. Once confined to the province of abstract theory, quantum computing seeks to use operations based on quantum mechanics to crack computational problems that were previously considered unsolvable. Although the technology is still in its infancy, it is already clear that quantum computing could have profound implications for national security and the global economy in the decades to come.

Read full article

The New York Times – Sunday, January 12, 2025

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L.A. Was Prepared for Serious Fires. But It Wasn’t Ready for Four.

“There were too many houses to protect, and not enough engines,” one fire captain in Los Angeles said. Though fire officials say they were well-prepared and simply overwhelmed by the elements, questions are being raised about whether the intensity of modern fires requires a new playbook.

‘We’re in a New Era’: How Climate Change Is Supercharging Disasters

Extreme weather events — deadly heat waves, floods, fires and hurricanes — are the consequences of a warming planet, scientists say.

Inside Mark Zuckerberg’s Sprint to Remake Meta for the Trump Era

After visiting President-elect Donald J. Trump in November, Mr. Zuckerberg decided to relax Meta’s speech policies. He asked a small team to carry out his goals within weeks. The repercussions are just beginning.

Putin Gets a Snub in the Vast Wine Cellars of a Former Soviet Republic

The Russian president celebrated his 50th birthday at a winery in Moldova. After the invasion of Ukraine, it moved the bottles he was given away from public view.