Tag Archives: Opinion

THE NEW YORK TIMES – THURSDAY, JULY 17, 2025

Senate Approves Bid to Cancel Foreign Aid and Public Broadcast Funds

The bill to claw back $9 billion in congressionally approved spending passed over the objections of Republicans who said it abdicated legislative power.

Even With Trump’s Backing, Epstein Case Leaves Bondi’s Future in Question

The sustained backlash to Attorney General Pam Bondi’s handling of the Jeffrey Epstein investigation has exposed the hazards of her focus on courting President Trump.

What Are President Trump and His Supporters Saying About the Epstein Case?

Their actions range from pressuring the administration to release more information to spinning additional conspiracy theories about Jeffrey Epstein.

President Trump Wants Lower Rates. Firing the Fed Chair Could Push Them Higher.

Investors, who control long-term rates, might demand higher returns if Jerome Powell is fired and the central bank’s independence comes into question.

Can Trump Fire Powell? He Most Likely Lacks a Case, Legal Experts Say.

HARPER’S MAGAZINE – AUGUST 2025 PREVIEW

HARPER’S MAGAZINE: The latest issue features ‘Playing Dead Or Really Dead?’ – The Democrats’ Disappearing Act…

Playing Dead

Do the Democrats really want reform? by Andrew Cockburn

Your Face Tomorrow

The puzzle of AI facial recognition by Michael W. Clune

Debt Reckoning

Has the Treasury market started to crack? by Mary Childs

TIMES LITERARY SUPPLEMENT – JULY 18, 2025 PREVIEW

TIMES LITERARY SUPPLEMENT: The latest issue features Definitions of national security are elastic. After the Battle of Waterloo, the Duke of Wellington judged that the defence of the British homeland rested on two pillars – a strong Royal Navy and a European order “that kept Belgium beyond French control”.

Deep State vs Donald Trump

How accountable are US intelligence agencies to the president and Congress? By Richard Norton-Taylor

A stranger in his own land

Henry James’s return to the United States By Alicia Rix

The Invisible Shell

New light on ‘Captain’ Warner’s weapon of mass destruction By Trevor Pateman

Magical mutability

A poet for yesterday and today By Emma Greensmith

THE NEW YORK TIMES – WEDNESDAY, JULY 16, 2025

Supreme Court Keeps Ruling in Trump’s Favor, but Doesn’t Say Why

In a series of terse, unsigned orders, the court has often been giving the green light to President Trump’s agenda without a murmur of explanation.

Vance Breaks Tie as Senate Moves to Claw Back Foreign Aid and Broadcast Funds

Despite Dire Warnings, the U.S. Economy Is Holding Up. Can That Last?

Economists say it will take time for the effects of trade policies to show up in economic data — but acknowledge they aren’t sure how long.

Republicans in Congress Shift to Backing Ukraine, Matching Trump’s Reversal

After years pressing to end Ukraine aid, many Republicans have changed positions now that President Trump is supporting the country against Russian aggression.

THE NEW YORK TIMES – TUESDAY, JULY 15, 2025

U.S. Inflation Accelerated in June as Trump’s Tariffs Pushed Up Prices

The Consumer Price Index rose 2.7 percent from a year ago, as the global trade war started to bite.

China’s Economy Grows Steadily Despite President Trump’s Tariffs

Official figures showed modest growth in the second quarter as exports shifted to other countries and Beijing invested in manufacturing and infrastructure.

Federal Workers’ ‘Emotional Roller Coaster’: Fired, Rehired, Fired Again

Former government employees are finding that perhaps the only thing harder than getting laid off from the federal government is staying that way.

Supreme Court Clears Way for Dismantling of Education Department

The decision allows President Trump to fire thousands of employees, functionally eliminating an agency created by Congress without legislators’ input.

Behind Trump’s Tough Russia Talk, Doubts and Missing Details

Pentagon officials said details were still being worked out, and experts doubted President Trump’s threat of huge tariffs for Russian trading partners.

THE NEW YORK TIMES – MONDAY, JULY 14, 2025

It’s No Bluff: The Tariff Rate Is Soaring Under Trump

President Trump has earned a reputation for bluffing on tariffs. But he has steadily and dramatically raised U.S. tariffs, transforming global trade.

How Trump Changed His Tone on Vladimir Putin and the War in Ukraine

After years of lavishing praise on the Russian leader, President Trump abruptly changed his posture amid frustration with the lack of a cease-fire.

Inside the Conservative Campaign That Took Down a University President

A group of University of Virginia alumni had long called for eliminating D.E.I., without much success. Then they gained a new ally: President Trump.

Public Broadcasters Brace for Vote on Sharp Funding Cut

THE NEW YORK TIMES – SUNDAY, JULY 13, 2025

Trump’s Tariffs Are Shaping New World Trade Order, Minus the U.S.

Facing growing chaos, the European Union and numerous countries are seeking to forge a global, rules-based trading nexus, one less centered on America.

Trump Is Gutting Weather Science and Reducing Disaster Response

As a warming planet delivers more extreme weather, experts warn that President Trump is dismantling the government’s disaster capabilities.

What to Know About the Secret Service, a Year After It Failed to Protect Trump

The agency withstood criticism and a reckoning after a lone assassin grazed Donald Trump on the campaign trail. Today, recruiting is up.

The Quiet Unraveling of the Man Who Almost Killed Trump

THE NEW YORK TIMES – SATURDAY, JULY 12, 2025

Tariffs or Deals? Trump Seems Content With Punishing Levies.

President Trump’s supporters portray him as a top dealmaker. But, at least for now, far more trading partners have gotten stiff tariffs than trade deals.

Around the World, Flash Flood Disasters Are the ‘Hardest Kind to Prevent’

Scholars and designers of early warning systems say that there are still huge gaps in the ability to predict flash floods and warn those at risk.

An Army of Searchers Combs the Banks of the Guadalupe for the Missing

Judge Blocks Trump Administration Tactics in L.A. Immigration Raids

A federal judge temporarily halted the administration from making indiscriminate arrests based on race and denying detainees access to lawyers.

President Trump’s Birthright Citizenship Ban Faces New Threat: Class Actions

In last month’s decision limiting one judicial tool, universal injunctions, the court seemed to invite lower courts to use class actions as an alternative.

THE NEW YORK TIMES – FRIDAY, JULY 11, 2025

How Netanyahu Prolonged the War in Gaza to Stay in Power

Secret meetings, altered records, ignored intelligence: the inside story of the prime minister’s political calculations since Oct. 7.

Before Tragedy, Texas Repeatedly Rejected Pleas for Flood Alarm Funding

Kerr County repeatedly failed to secure a warning system, even as local officials remained aware of the risks and as funds were available for similar projects.

Trump’s Seesawing on Tariffs Gives the World Whiplash

Blunt letters dictating terms posted to social media and changes late in negotiations have left trading partners wondering what President Trump will do next.

THE ECONOMIST MAGAZINE – JULY 12, 2025 PREVIEW

THE ECONOMIST MAGAZINE: The latest issue features ‘Scrap the asylum systemAnd build something better…

Scrap the asylum system—and build something better

Rich countries need to separate asylum from labour migration

America cannot dodge the consequences of rising tariffs for ever

Their economic impact has been delayed but not averted

After another leader is brought low, Thailand’s voters need a real choice

The kingdom is stagnating while its elites squabble

Sex hormones could be mental-health drugs too

If they can be liberated from ignorance and hucksterism