Monocle on Saturday, February 3, 2024: The US military launched airstrikes against targets in Syria and Iraq on Friday. How has the country’s power changed across different administrations?
Also on the programme: Georgina Godwin and international correspondent Nina dos Santos discuss why men are drifting to the far right, the many conspiracies surrounding Taylor Swift and Venice Carnival’s celebration of Marco Polo this weekend. Plus: Alice Haddon and Ruth Field join us to talk about their therapeutic wellness retreat, The Heartbreak Hotel.
The strikes, in response to a drone attack that killed three U.S. soldiers in Jordan this week, were a sharp escalation of hostilities in the Middle East.
The ceremony at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware came shortly before the Biden administration announced airstrikes against Iran-backed proxies in Iraq and Syria.
Speaker Mike Johnson, who once routinely stopped for hallway interviews, has taken to pressing his iPhone to his ear as he walks through the Capitol, avoiding questions as he navigates a tough new job.
Job Market Starts 2024 With a Bang
U.S. employers added 353,000 jobs in January, far exceeding forecasts, and revised figures showed last year was even stronger than previously reported
THE NEW YORK TIMES MAGAZINE (February 2, 2024): The new issue features ‘The Long Shadow of 1948’ – How the decisions that led to the founding of Israel left the region in a state of eternal conflict…
How the decisions that led to the founding of Israel left the region in a state of eternal conflict.
A discussion moderated by Emily Bazelon
One year matters more than any other for understanding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. In 1948, Jews realized their wildly improbable dream of a state, and Palestinians experienced the mass flight and expulsion called the Nakba, or catastrophe. The events are burned into the collective memories of these two peoples — often in diametrically opposed ways — and continue to shape their trajectories.
There’s a scene in that modern classic of screwball existentialism, “Being John Malkovich,” from 1999, in which John Malkovich, playing a version of himself, enters a portal that others have been using to climb inside his mind. Suddenly, Malkovich is in a world populated solely by variations on himself: Malkovich as a flirtatious sexpot, a genteel waiter, a jazz chanteuse, a bemused child, everyone speaking only the word “Malkovich.” In a way, that scene is a microcosm of the actor’s decades-long, always-interesting career.
Top European leaders coordinated to get the Hungarian prime minister, Viktor Orban, to agree to the 50-billion-euro plan aimed at keeping Ukraine’s economy afloat during the war with Russia.
The order served as both a sharp-edged diplomatic notice to Israel and a message to Arab Americans, a key part of the political coalition the president needs to be re-elected.
London Review of Books (LRB) – February 1, 2024: The latest issue features Origins of the Gay Novel; Protest, what is it good for?; Poems of Enheduana; Caspar David Friedrich, Israel’s War and more….
The Guardian Weekly (February 1, 2024) – The new issue features ‘Party Crasher’ – Is Trump more vulnerable than he seems?; Israel, the ICJ ruling and The West; Europe’s Big Bad Wolves and more….
It had all seemed like business as usual for Donald Trump in the aftermath of last week’s New Hampshire Republican primaries, where he scored a comfortable victory over his only remaining challenger, Nikki Haley. And yet … was there something in his subsequent outburst towards Haley that suggested all was not well in Trumpworld?
Barring the mother of all reversals, Trump will soon be confirmed as the Republican presidential nominee. But, as David Smith and Jonathan Freedland outline in this week’s big story, Trump remains a deeply polarising figure in American politics, not least within his own party.
And his petulant irritation at Haley over her refusal to concede the race was a visible reminder to American floating voters of the unhinged personality that lurks beneath the orange veneer, something his campaign team will be desperate to avoid more of.
“The shadow of Trump is long, and his return seems closer than ever,” explains illustrator Alberto Miranda on his cover art for this week’s Guardian Weekly. “He is a controversial figure with a dangerous side and, at the same time, has an utterly comical aspect. That’s why we wanted to portray his influence in the Republican party in an almost grotesque manner.”
Senators criticized the chief executives of Meta, TikTok, Snap, X and Discord for not doing enough to prevent child sexual abuse online, amid rising fears over how the platforms affect youths.
Portraits of Gen. Valery Zaluzhny hang in coffee shops and bars inside Ukraine, but his strained relationship with President Volodymyr Zelensky may cost him his post.
Seeking asylum has become the surest way for migrants to stay in the U.S. The underfunded immigration system can’t keep up, so cases languish for years.
Platoonmates Killed in Jordan Saw Army Service as a Life Ladder
Two of the American troops killed on Sunday were, like many young Black women, drawn to the military for the opportunities and level playing field it offered.
Protesters blocking roads in and out of Paris, who say farms are squeezed by low prices and excessive regulation, seemed unmoved by promises from Prime Minister Gabriel Attal.
From outside Gaza, the scale of death and destruction is impossible to grasp, shrouded by communications blackouts, restrictions barring international reporters and extreme challenges facing local journalists.
Mayor Adams Loses Showdown Over 2 Criminal Justice Bills
The New York City Council overrode the mayor’s veto of two bills that would expand documentation of police stops and end solitary confinement.
The attack on Sunday killed three Army reservists, the first known American military deaths from hostile fire in the turmoil spilling over from Israel’s war with Hamas.
Donors have pulled funds for the main aid agency in Gaza after allegations that some employees took part in the Oct. 7 attack, but it is not clear who would fill the vacuum if it ran out of money.
Voting Is Bewildering This Primary Season. That Worries Experts.
New Hampshire’s ballot didn’t include President Biden. South Carolina has two primaries. Nevada has a primary and a caucus. A morass of dates and formats could keep some voters away.
News, Views and Reviews For The Intellectually Curious
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