The New York Times — Tuesday, July 9, 2024

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Biden Says He Is ‘Firmly Committed’ to Staying in the Race

President Biden defied his critics in a letter to Democratic members of Congress and in fiery remarks on MSNBC.

Following Trump’s Lead, Republicans Adopt Platform That Softens Stance on Abortion

The document reflects the former president’s ideological grip on his party, outlining the same nationalistic priorities that his campaign website does.

France Learns a New Word: Ungovernable

Far from producing a “clarification,” President Emmanuel Macron’s snap election has yielded a muddle that could take months to sort out.

Russia Strikes Children’s Hospital in Deadly Barrage Across Ukraine

President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia launched at least 40 missiles at targets across Ukraine, including the country’s largest children’s hospital.

Education: “Schooling’s Stagnation” – July 13, 2024

Special reports: Must try harder

The Economist SPECIAL REPORTS (July 8, 2024): The latest special report features “Schooling’s Stagnation” – Must try harder…

Must try harder

Schools in rich countries are making poor progress. They need to get back to basics, argues Mark Johnson

Schools in rich countries are making poor progress

Hanging on to the best of them is getting harder

The rich world’s teachers are increasingly morose

Will artificial intelligence transform school?

Efforts to teach character bring promise and perils

England’s school reforms are earning fans abroad

The New Yorker Magazine ‘Interview Issue’ July 2024

gif cover of 2024 Interviews Issue

The New Yorker (July 8, 2024): The new digital issue features The Interviews Issue – A week of conversations with figures of note.

Nicolas Cage Is Still Evolving

The actor talks about the origins of “Adaptation,” his potential leap to television, and the art of “keeping it enigmatic.”

By Susan Orlean

Square black and white portrait of Nicolas Cage. Cage is wearing a suit and is photographed from the side looking at the camera.
Triptych of three blackandwhite portraits of Nicolas Cage in a black suit and white collared shirt. In the middle image...

The wobbly distinction between reality and artifice fascinates Nicolas Cage. The first time we encountered each other was in 2001, during the making of “Adaptation”—a film based on Charlie Kaufman’s struggle to adapt my book “The Orchid Thief” for the screen—in which Cage played Kaufman and his twin, Donald. He was in the middle of a scene, and I tiptoed onto the set as quietly as possible, convinced that any distraction would trigger one of the eruptions for which Cage had become famous. Between takes, he glanced at the handful of people watching, and exclaimed cheerily, “Oh, guys, look!” He pointed at me and a small, fuzzy-haired man I hadn’t noticed beside me. “It’s the real Charlie and the real Susan!” He seemed tickled by this collision between the characters in the movie and their real-life counterparts, and insisted that the crew take note. (Kaufman and I, who had never met before that moment, slunk away sheepishly.)

Ira Glass Hears It All

Ira Glass cycling on the street in New York.

Three decades into “This American Life,” the host thinks the show is doing some of its best work yet—even if he’s still jealous of “The Daily.”

By Sarah Larson

It can be easy to take the greatness of “This American Life,” the weekly public-radio show and podcast hosted by Ira Glass, for granted. The show, which Glass co-founded in 1995 at WBEZ, in Chicago, has had the same essential format for twenty-eight years and more than eight hundred episodes. It was instrumental in creating a genre of audio journalism that has flourished in recent decades, especially since the podcast boom—which was initiated by the show’s first spinoff, “Serial,” in 2014. Like “The Daily Show” or Second City, “This American Life” has trained a generation of talented people, and Glass’s three-act structures, chatty cadences, and mixture of analysis and whimsy are now so familiar as to seem unremarkable.

News: France’s Far-Right Falls Short, West Africa Summit, Modi In Moscow

The Globalist Podcast (July 8, 2024): The latest from France as the election results come in. Then: Ecowas’ annual summit – can the regional economic bloc still find common ground?

And, Indian-Russian relations as India’s prime minister, Narendra Modi, visits Moscow. Plus: the latest news from business and the world of sailing.

The New York Times — Monday, July 8, 2024

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Top House Democrats Privately Say Biden Must Go as Allies Insist He Must Do More

During a private meeting of top House Democrats, several senior lawmakers said it was time for President Biden to withdraw, while a Senate Democrat said publicly he must do more to reassure voters.

Wildlife Protections Take a Back Seat to SpaceX’s Ambitions

A New York Times investigation found that Elon Musk exploited federal agencies’ competing missions to achieve his goals for space travel.

French Election Yields Deadlock as Left Surges and Far Right Comes Up Short

The outcome left no party with an absolute majority and France bracing for potential political paralysis.

After 9 Months of War, Israelis Call for a Cease-Fire Deal and Elections

A day of nationwide anti-government protests comes amid signs of progress toward a truce and hostage deal with Hamas, as well as continued fighting.

Travel: A Tour Of Kraków In Southern Poland (2024)

DW Travel (July 7, 2024): Polish YouTuber Eva zu Beck takes a tour of Kraków,  a southern Poland city near the border of the Czech Republic, is known for its well-preserved medieval core and Jewish quarter. Included in the tour are the historic Sukiennice Market, Wawel Castle and the Kazimierz neighborhood with its long jewish history.

CHAPTERS:
00:00 Intro
01:05 Sukiennice Market
02:34 Krakow’s Old Town
03:33 Wawel Royal Castle
04:45 Kazimierz neighborhood
08:03 Stary Kleparz Market
09:44 Hamsa restaurant in Kazimierz
12:24 Enjoy the evening at the Vistula river

International Art: Apollo Magazine – July/Aug 2024

Apollo Magazine (June 2, 2024): The new July/August 2024 issue features

• On the road with Ed Ruscha

• An interview with Jeremy Frey

• How to build a 21st-century museum

• France chases the Olympic dream

Plus: Hildegard Bechtler on the art of stage design, very fancy Victorian ice creams, the art market braces for stormy weather, a Madonna pregnant with meaning and a preview of Parcours des Mondes; reviews of Kafka in Oxford, the gardeners of the Bloomsbury Group, and the silversmith who struck gold for Tiffany & Co.

Sunday Morning: Stories And News From London, Merano And Marseille

Monocle on Sunday, July 7, 2024: Emma Nelson, Nina dos Santos and Rainbow Murray on the weekend’s biggest talking points.

We also speak to Monocle’s editorial director, Tyler Brûlé, in Merano and Monocle’s correspondent in Marseille, Mary Fitzgerald.

The New York Times — Sunday, July 7, 2024

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In Ukraine, Killings of Surrendering Russians Divide an American-Led Unit

A German medic said he was so troubled that he confronted his commander. Others boasted about killings in a group chat.

The Reintroduction of Kamala Harris

Vice President Kamala Harris has spent the past year trying to quiet her doubters. Now, with President Biden’s candidacy on the line, Democrats are assessing whether she is up to being the nominee.

Crisis? What Crisis? Biden Rejects Democratic Pessimism.

After last week’s devastating debate performance, the president’s prime-time interview with ABC News was an exercise in not just damage control but reality control.

Reformist Candidate Wins Iran’s Presidential Election

Masoud Pezeshkian, a cardiac surgeon and relative moderate in the ruling establishment, defeated an ultraconservative former nuclear negotiator in a runoff.

The New York Times Magazine – July 7, 2024

THE NEW YORK TIMES MAGAZINE (July 6, 2024): The latest issue features

Eddie Murphy Is Ready to Look Back

By David Marchese

Eddie Murphy has been so famous for so long, occupying such a lofty place in the cultural landscape, that it can be easy to overlook just how game-changing a figure he actually is.

Let’s start, as Murphy’s career did, with standup. There had been star comics before — Steve Martin, Richard Pryor — but none exploded with anything like Murphy’s speed or intensity.

Ti West Is Turning Hollywood Into a Horror Show

Ti West.

His “X” trilogy — which culminates with “MaXXXine” — obsesses over cinema, stardom and the industry itself.

By RYAN BRADLEY

The Real Problem With Legal Weed

New York is trying to treat an addictive substance just like any other product.

By CHARLES FAIN LEHMAN

News, Views and Reviews For The Intellectually Curious