THE NEW YORK TIMES MAGAZINE: The 6.8.25 Issue features Sarah Viren on the declining protections of academic freedom; Robert Draper on the D.C. restaurant that’s become a hotspot for Trump administration insiders; Carlo Rotella on how roots music is thriving in the age of the algorithm; and more.
The gowns and mortar boards were out in customary force at Harvard last week for graduation day. Founded in 1636, 140 years before the United States itself, the university knows a thing or two about how to do pomp and ceremony.
But this year’s rituals played out under a cloud with Harvard, along with several other universities in the US, having come under sustained attack from the Trump administration.
Trump has claimed his escalating battle with America’s oldest, wealthiest and most prestigious university is about tackling campus antisemitism, foreign influence and “woke” or “leftist” ideology in academia. Others see a more sinister authoritarian agenda, where the goal is to enforce deference from America’s largest institutions. Bring down the oldest of them all, the theory goes, and the rest will surely follow.
Five essential reads in this week’s edition
The big story | Is Viktor Orbán’s grip on power weakening? Opposition activists and journalists explain why the Orbánisation of the US may fail and how a former ally could end the Hungarian PM’s 15-year reign. By Ashifa Kassam and Flora Garamvolgyiin Budapest
Science | The risk and reward of rapid Everest ascents The use of xenon gas and hypoxic tents before recent expeditions has triggered alarm in Nepal, where guides fear it could encourage inexperienced climbers. Hannah Ellis-Petersen and Gaurav Pokharel report
Interview | Jacinda Ardern on leadership, legacy and why she quit The former prime minister of New Zealand tried to do politics differently. But six years into power she dramatically resigned. In an exclusive interview with the Guardian’s editor-in-chief, Katharine Viner, she explains why
Opinion | So long, Elon: all you really shredded was your reputation Judging by Musk’s approval ratings, Tesla investors won’t be the only ones happy to see the dethroning of the king of Doge, writes Marina Hyde
Culture | Inside Britain’s new museum of absolutely everything Poison darts, a dome from Spain, priceless spoons and Frank Lloyd Wright furniture … Oliver Wainwright is wowed by how the V&A East Storehouse lets visitors ‘breathe the same air’ as its 250,000 artefacts
From trout to treasure and wine to witches, it’s the county that has it all. Country Life writers present 13 tales tall and true from Hampshire’s rich history.
The legacy
Kate Green salutes Edward, 3rd Baron Montagu of Beaulieu and his matchless motoring collection
A room with a view
Adam Rattray visits the rented lodgings where Jane Austen spent her final days and reveals secrets recently uncovered in the house in Winchester, Hampshire
City of legend
Winchester is a place of kings and cobbles. Jason Goodwin visits our venerable one-time capital and finds it ageing well
London Life
Will Hosie welcomes top-class women’s tennis back to The Queen’s Club and washes down burgers with martinis to mark the return of the high-low restaurant, plus our writers have all you need to know this month
Travel
Emma Love has all the latest news, from Arles to Antwerp, Steven King hails the revival of Madrid and Pamela Goodman learns to love camels
Into the Goodwood
The West Sussex estate’s fresh focus on art and education is heralded with an exhibition of Dame Rachel Whiteread’s work
Nishat Khan’s favourite painting
The composer and musician chooses a fascinating scene that you could almost step into
The good stuff
Hetty Lintell strides into summer with bold red-and-white stripes
Interiors
A copper-topped kitchen catches the eye of Arabella Youens
Shape shifters
Non Morris is mesmerised by the tiered grass amphitheatre sculpted by Kim Wilkie in the garden of The Holt in Hampshire
Winging it
Mark Cocker hails the majestic merlin, the favoured hunting foil of Mary, Queen of Scots
Arts & antiques
Mollie Dent-Brocklehurst tells Carla Passino why she’ll never part with a remarkable drawing of a little girl with her hair ablaze
THE NEW YORK TIMES MAGAZINE: The 6.1.25 Issue features Katie Engelhart on Canada’s Medical Assistance in Dying program; Alex Dziadosz on how the Trump administration shut down a task force cracking down on illegal offshore money; Melissa Febos on her year of celibacy; and more.
Russian oligarchs use the offshore system to shield their luxury assets. The Trump administration is ending an effort to find and seize them. By Alex Dziadosz
Israel allowed a trickle of aid to enter Gaza last week while pinning its hopes of assuaging condemnation of the two-month-long blockade of the territory by this week permitting the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, an Israeli-backed logistics group, to begin rigidly controlled deliveries that are barely a drop in the ocean of what the population needs.
While foreign journalists remain unable to report from Gaza, our correspondents Jason Burke, in Jerusalem, and Malek A Tantesh, who is based in Gaza, have written a powerful report on life in Gaza City for this week’s cover story. Even as attacks continue, more and more civilians move into the city, pushed out from northern Gaza as Israel’s new offensive intensifies. Life has been reduced to the very basics with, as the head of the Gaza NGOs Network, Amjad Shawa, put it, people “living in rubbish dumps, cesspits. There are flies, mosquitoes. We have no water to deliver, no food, no tents or blankets or tarpaulins, nothing. People are very, very hungry but there is nothing to give them.”
Spotlight |‘I knew I would die in jail’
Daniel Boffey reports on how the right-hand man of Georgia’s de facto ruler ended up on the run and what effect that had on the country’s relationships with Russia and the west
Science | Weight-loss drugs have additional gains The benefits of Ozempic and similar medications go beyond treating obesity, as science correspondents Hannah Devlin and Nicola Davis discover from talking to researchers
Feature | A deadly Amazon quest An extract from the book Dom Phillips was working on when he and the Brazilian Indigenous expert Bruno Pereira were killed
Opinion | Why Trump’s jaw-jaw isn’t working Because, argues Simon Tisdall, both Vladimir Putin and Benjamin Netanyahu have calculated that a forever war is better for them personally than the reckoning peace would bring
Culture | The soul queen of New Orleans At 84, Irma Thomas has a new album and a new generation of fans, but as she tells Garth Cartwright, her musical journey has not been easy
His friend and fellow cop killed himself. Then he nearly became a statistic as well. Why do more police officers die by suicide than in the line of duty? By Jamie ThompsonCreditDanny Wilcox Frazier for The New York Times
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
Jubilation and bittersweet tears greeted the end of hostilities in 1945, reports Octavia Pollock.
Mrs Olga Hopkins, Second World War veteran, takes centre stage on this week’s Frontispiece.
The carver, the baker and fancy shoemaker
Jane Wheatley meets some of the craftspeople enhancing the Cotswolds’ standing as a hive of creativity.
‘I am the Marquis of marmite’
Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen is applying his trademark swagger to a new passion for painting, reveals James Fisher.
Nothing lasts forever
Laura Parker reveals in those ‘blink and you’ll miss it’ moments that only Nature can provide.
The Cotswolds never disappoints (above)
Penny Churchill showcases glorious country houses for sale in two ‘golden triangles’.
All set for the Chelsea chop?
This it the time to prune our late-flowering herbaceous perennials — join John Hoyland in wielding the secateurs.
Martina Froth’s favourite painting
The Yale Centre for British Art Director chooses a work tinged with a melancholy sadness.
An estate made public
John Goodall investigates the gradual architectural revolution of Bowood in Wiltshire, a house that boasts a remarkable history.
The legacy
Kate Green pay tribute to Alan Turing, the code cracker who curtailed the Second World War.
The Badminton A-Z (above)
From amateur riders to Zaragoza, Kate Green guides you through the world-class eventing action.
New series: Winging it
The elegant hobby is capable of snatching swallows in flight — Mark Cocker is rapt by raptors.
The good stuff
Hetty Lintell is wowed by watches.
Interiors
Restful bedroom furniture and accessories, with Amelia Thorpe.
London Life
Rosie Paterson reveals how bees are creating a buzz in the capital, our writers have all your need to know this month and Selina Cadell shares her on-stage experiences of the Theatre Royal Drury Lane.
A soft touch
Tiffany Daneff marvels at the flower-filled paradise of Hampnett House in Gloucestershire.
Travel (above)
Emma Love has an eye for adventure, Mark Hedges goes wild on safari in Botswana, Rosie Paterson hits the walking trail in Sri Lanka and Pamela Goodman hail’s Giubbilei’s gardens.
Art and antiques
Simon Finch tells Carla Passino he will not part with his £1 note signed by a Great Train Robber.
One king to rule them all
Mary Miers explores the artistic and cultural legacy of James I.
News, Views and Reviews For The Intellectually Curious
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