Tag Archives: Politics

THE NEW YORK TIMES – MONDAY, DECEMBER 1, 2025

Zelensky Turns to Europe as Witkoff Is Expected to Meet Putin in Moscow

Volodymyr Zelensky was meeting with France’s leader in Paris. Steve Witkoff, a special envoy for President Trump, was expected to travel to Moscow to meet Vladimir Putin.

Despite Supreme Court Wins, Elite Justice Dept. Unit Has Seen Mass Turnover

Even with an exodus of lawyers, the Office of the Solicitor General has had remarkable success. But close White House ties have raised concerns.

Fight Over 2020 Election in Georgia Persists as Midterms Approach

The Justice Department is trying to access ballots cast in 2020, while several officials who fought over the election outcome are seeking higher office.

Trump-Endorsed Candidate and Sportscaster Lead Honduran Presidential Race

Electoral authorities said partial results showed the two conservative candidates were virtually tied — and far ahead of the governing left-wing party.

Lawmakers Suggest Follow-Up Boat Strike Could Be a War Crime

Top Republicans have joined Democrats in demanding answers about the military campaign the Trump administration says is aimed at targeting drug traffickers.

Reviews: Best Books On Foreign Affairs Of 2025

Foreign Affairs Magazine: The very best of the hundreds of books on international politics, economics, and history that were featured in the magazine this year, selected by Foreign Affairs’ editors and book reviewers.

The Party’s Interests Come First: The Life of Xi Zhongxun, Father of Xi Jinping

by Joseph Torigian

In this prodigiously researched epic, Torigian details the life of Xi Zhongxun—the father of China’s current leader, Xi Jinping—to explain the history of the Chinese Communist Party. Along the way, readers gain a sense of how the younger Xi became the man he is today.

Read the review 

Zbig: The Life of Zbigniew Brzezinski, America’s Great Power Prophet

by Edward Luce

Luce, a gifted storyteller, chronicles the personal life and intellectual journey of former National Security Adviser Zbigniew Brzezinski, who played a significant but underappreciated role in opening the ​United States to China, bringing the Cold War to an end, and shaping the world that came after. In writing this gem of a book, Luce has rendered a genuine service to history.

Read the review 

Our Dear Friends in Moscow: The Inside Story of a Broken Generation

by Irina Borogan and Andrei Soldatov

Soldatov and Borogon, two Russian journalists, tell the story of their one-time group of friends and colleagues—young Russians who, over the course of the Putin years, steadily drift toward nationalist and illiberal ideas and end up as supporters of Russia’s war in Ukraine.

Read the review 

The West: The History of an Idea

by George Varouxakis

In this masterful study, Varouxakis tracks the meanings of “the West” from the late eighteenth century to the present—and argues that the modern notion of the term emerged in the 1830s as a way to distinguish western Europe from Russia. Today, for beleaguered countries such as Ukraine, “the West” is still a powerful idea.

Read the review 

THE NEW YORK TIMES – SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2025

Silicon Valley’s Man in the White House Is Benefiting Himself and His Friends

David Sacks, the Trump administration’s A.I. and crypto czar, has helped formulate policies that aid his Silicon Valley friends and many of his investments.

As Trump Threatens Cartels, He Vows to Free a Convicted Cocaine Trafficker

President Trump’s social media posts about Venezuela and a former Honduran president demonstrated a dissonance in his campaign against drug trafficking.

Mamdani, a Sharp Critic of Police Surveillance, Will Soon Oversee It

Despite his criticism, Zohran Mamdani, New York’s mayor-elect, has reappointed the police commissioner who helped create a ubiquitous web of monitoring.

Fed Up With the Taliban, Pakistan Expels Masses of Afghans

Labeling Afghans a national security threat, Pakistan has forced out about a million this year, depriving them of a haven from Afghanistan’s turmoil.

Netanyahu Asks Israel’s President to Pardon Him in Corruption Cases

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made the contentious appeal weeks after President Trump made the same request to the Israeli president.

THE NEW YORK TIMES – SATURDAY, NOV. 29, 2025

In Firing His No. 2, Zelensky Loses Both a Negotiator and an Enforcer

Andriy Yermak had ensured internal discipline in Ukraine’s politics for President Volodymyr Zelensky. He also led peace negotiations, which must go on without him.

Russia Bombards Ukraine for Nearly 10 Hours in a Deadly Assault

Inside Trump’s Push to Make the White House Ballroom as Big as Possible

President Trump’s ever-growing vision has caused tension with contractors. His architect has taken a step back as the president personally manages the project.

Trump Announces Pardon of Honduran Ex-President in Major Drug Case

The pardon for Juan Orlando Hernández, who prosecutors said had taken bribes from a drug kingpin, would come amid U.S. strikes on alleged cartel vessels in the Caribbean.

How Fraud Swamped Minnesota’s Social Services System on Tim Walz’s Watch

Prosecutors say fraud took root in pockets of the state’s Somali diaspora. President Trump has called attention to the scandal amid his crackdown on immigration.

THE NEW YORK TIMES – FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2025

For D.C. Shooting Suspect, a Long Path of Conflict From Afghanistan to America

The man was among the Afghans who came to the U.S. after the Taliban takeover. Earlier, he served in a paramilitary unit that worked with U.S. forces.

Trump Uses Shooting to Cast Suspicion on Refugees

Death Toll Rises to 128 in Hong Kong High-Rise Fire

Hope of finding survivors has dwindled, with many residents of the densely packed Wang Fuk Court apartment towers still unaccounted for.

Trump Cut Europe Out of the Ukraine Talks. Here’s How Europe Pushed Back.

European leaders were blindsided by President Trump’s 28-point plan to end the Ukraine war, setting off a dash for influence.

THE NEW YORK TIMES MAGAZINE – NOV. 30, 2025

Current cover

THE NEW YORK TIMES MAGAZINE: The 11.30.25 Issue features Emily Bazelon and Rachel Poser on sixty former staff members of the Justice Department; Dennis Zhou on the novelist Solvej Balle; Linda Kinstler on neural implant technology; and more.

America’s Children Are Unwell. Are Schools Part of the Problem?

From A.D.H.D. to anxiety, disorders have risen as the expectations of childhood have changed.

The Athlete Trolling His Way Through Jiu-Jitsu’s Culture Wars

Brazilian jiu-jitsu has been increasingly embraced by right-wing influencers. Craig Jones is an unlikely counterforce. By Adrian Nathan West

I’m a Professor. A.I. Has Changed My Classroom, but Not for the Worse.

My students’ easy access to chatbots forced me to make humanities instruction even more human. By Carlo Rotella

THE ECONOMIST MAGAZINE – NOVEMBER 29, 2025 PREVIEW

THE ECONOMIST MAGAZINE: The latest issue features ‘What China will dominate next’

What China will dominate next

The country’s high-speed innovation holds lessons for the world

This bodge-it budget does not give Britain what it needs

Without ambitious reform, the country will not thrive

How to avoid an unjust peace in Ukraine

If Ukraine and Europe want to control their destiny they must seize the initiative

Japan’s big-spending Takaichinomics is ten years out of date

In a time of higher inflation, a falling yen and rising bond yields make a noxious blend

Iran’s reformists extend a hand

The West should heed Iran’s call to restart nuclear talks

THE NEW YORK TIMES – THURSDAY, NOV. 27, 2025

2 National Guard Members Are in Critical Condition After D.C. Shooting

The suspect, an Afghan man, was arrested after the shooting near the White House. President Trump halted immigration applications from Afghanistan.

Suspect Came to U.S. in 2021 Under Refugee Program, Homeland Security Chief Says

The Biden administration set up the initiative after the Taliban retook power in Afghanistan, to help those who had assisted U.S. troops.

Death Toll From Hong Kong Apartment Fire Rises to 55

Firefighters were trying to fully extinguish the blaze more than 24 hours after it engulfed several towers in the complex. Dozens of people were still missing.

How Europe Lost Its Voice on Ukraine, Then Tried to Get It Back

European leaders were blindsided by President Trump’s 28-point-plan to end the Ukraine war, setting off a dash for influence.

THE GUARDIAN WEEKLY – NOVEMBER 28, 2025 PREVIEW

THE GUARDIAN WEEKLY: The latest issue features ‘A Fighting Chance’ – Can COP conferences deliver on climate justice?

Bitter rows, implacably opposed delegations, threatened walkouts and then, hours after the planned deadline with fear of failure stalking the delegates, a statement towards which recalcitrant countries have been nudged into agreeing is produced. Cop30, which concluded last Saturday in Belém, Brazil, was little different from its recent predecessors, despite the growing urgency of needing to find a solution to our ever hotter planet. For this week’s big story, environment editor Fiona Harvey details how weak consensus was forged between states on the frontline of climate change and the petrostates that sought a rollback from the need to “transition away from fossil” fuels agreed two years ago in Dubai.

Five essential reads in this week’s edition

Spotlight | Is Ukraine edging closer to a peace deal?
A whirl of international diplomacy was sparked by a US-Russian authored ‘peace plan’ to end the Ukraine war. Luke Harding and Pjotr Sauer cast a critical eye over the prospects for an agreement.

Spotlight | Trump, Saudi Arabia and shifting Middle Eastern sands
Pageantry and trillion-dollar promises reveal how Washington’s regional loyalties may be tilting away from Israel and towards the Gulf, writes Julian Borger

Feature | Is Alex Karp the world’s scariest CEO?
His company, Palantir, is potentially creating the ultimate state surveillance tool. Now, Alex Karp’s biographer reveals what makes him tick. By Steve Rose

Opinion | An improbable new adversary for Trump – the Catholic church
Inequality, immigration and civil rights are the battlegrounds on which the church – and some other Christian denominations – are fighting the Trump administration, writes Simon Tisdall

Culture | Edmund de Waal’s loose ends
The celebrated ceramicist explains to Charlotte Higgins why he turned his decades-long f ixation with Axel Salto – the maker of unsettling stoneware full of tentacle sproutings and knotty growths – into a new show

THE NEW YORK TIMES – WEDNESDAY, NOV. 26, 2025

Shorter Days, Signs of Fatigue: Trump Faces Realities of Aging in Office

President Trump has always used his stamina and energy as a political strength. But that image is getting harder for him to sustain.

Trump’s Retribution Push Has Expanded Even as It Hits Legal Barriers

A judge dismissed indictments against two of the president’s foes, but an inquiry shows how he is using a whole-of-government approach to punish those who cross him.

The Question Hanging Over Peace Talks: What Will Putin Accept?

A U.S. proposal appears to cross a number of red lines for the Russian leader, who sees little to lose and much to potentially gain from continuing to fight.

Venezuela’s Nobel Winner Pushes False Claims About Maduro, Critics Say

Maria Corina Machado faces criticism that she is exaggerating threats posed by Venezuela’s leader, Nicolás Maduro, to justify U.S. force to overthrow him.

What the Pentagon’s Attack Videos Reveal About the Boat Strikes at Sea