
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

Do the Democrats really want reform? by Andrew Cockburn
The puzzle of AI facial recognition by Michael W. Clune
Has the Treasury market started to crack? by Mary Childs

How accountable are US intelligence agencies to the president and Congress? By Richard Norton-Taylor
Henry James’s return to the United States By Alicia Rix
New light on ‘Captain’ Warner’s weapon of mass destruction By Trevor Pateman
A poet for yesterday and today By Emma Greensmith

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

The Consumer Price Index rose 2.7 percent from a year ago, as the global trade war started to bite.
Official figures showed modest growth in the second quarter as exports shifted to other countries and Beijing invested in manufacturing and infrastructure.
Former government employees are finding that perhaps the only thing harder than getting laid off from the federal government is staying that way.
The decision allows President Trump to fire thousands of employees, functionally eliminating an agency created by Congress without legislators’ input.
Pentagon officials said details were still being worked out, and experts doubted President Trump’s threat of huge tariffs for Russian trading partners.

President Trump has earned a reputation for bluffing on tariffs. But he has steadily and dramatically raised U.S. tariffs, transforming global trade.
After years of lavishing praise on the Russian leader, President Trump abruptly changed his posture amid frustration with the lack of a cease-fire.
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.

Facing growing chaos, the European Union and numerous countries are seeking to forge a global, rules-based trading nexus, one less centered on America.
As a warming planet delivers more extreme weather, experts warn that President Trump is dismantling the government’s disaster capabilities.
The agency withstood criticism and a reckoning after a lone assassin grazed Donald Trump on the campaign trail. Today, recruiting is up.

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

Secret meetings, altered records, ignored intelligence: the inside story of the prime minister’s political calculations since Oct. 7.
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.
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: The latest issue features ‘Scrap the asylum system‘ – And build something better…
Rich countries need to separate asylum from labour migration
Their economic impact has been delayed but not averted
The kingdom is stagnating while its elites squabble
If they can be liberated from ignorance and hucksterism

An analysis of Camp Mystic shows that several buildings were in known hazard zones. A $5 million expansion in 2019 did nothing to alleviate the problem.
Flash floods hit during the night, but many local officials appeared unaware of the unfolding catastrophe, initially leaving people near the river on their own.
Research ships are studying the seas for science and resources, but the data they gather could also be useful in a conflict with Taiwan or the U.S.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer of Britain and President Emmanuel Macron of France are set to confirm a strengthened defense relationship at a summit today.