Tag Archives: Politics

History Today Magazine – May 2025 Preview

History Today | The World's Leading Serious History Magazine

HISTORY TODAY MAGAZINE (April 24, 2025): The latest issue features ‘The Fall of Saigon’ …

The Fall of Saigon

The Vietnam War effectively ended on 30 April 1975 with the arrival of the North Vietnamese army in Saigon. Thousands fled the city, but many more were left behind.

VE Day: The Quiet After the Peace

When VE Day finally came in May 1945 it was met with relief, exhaustion, and cynicism. Was the Second World War really over?

Stalin’s Man in Belgrade

Teodoro Castro or Iosif Grigulevich? Costa Rica’s ambassador to Yugoslavia was a Soviet spy sent to kill Tito.

Sex Workers and Salvation in the Renaissance

Renaissance Florence had a problem: it wanted female sex workers, but it also needed to offer them a way out. The solution was a new brothel district – and a nunnery for former prostitutes

The New York Times – Thursday, April 24, 2025

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Trump Pressures Ukraine to Accept a Peace Plan That Sharply Favors Russia

The U.S. proposal would freeze territory along the current front lines of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, which Ukraine has rejected.

Cuomo’s Campaign Strategy: Limit Appearances and Avoid Confrontation

Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo is embracing a so-called Rose Garden strategy in his tightly controlled campaign for mayor of New York City.

N.Y.C. Mayor’s Race Is Jolted by 4 Major Endorsements of Adrienne Adams

Ms. Adams, the City Council speaker, won endorsements from Letitia James, the state attorney general, and from three major unions including District Council 37.

China Has an Army of Robots on Its Side in the Tariff War

Enormous investments in factory equipment and artificial intelligence are giving China an edge in car manufacturing and other industries.

The New Republic ———- May 2025 Preview

THE NEW REPUBLIC MAGAZINE (April 23, 2025): The latest issue features ‘How the Radical Right Captured The Culture’…

Who Were Those Gullible People Who Believed Donald Trump’s Bullsh*t?

His campaign promises, from peace in Ukraine to “beautiful” tariffs, were truly unbelievable. And yet, somehow, many people believed him.

Will Trump Finally Kill the Bretton Woods System?

For better and often for worse, the U.S.-led IMF and World Bank have dominated the post–World War II international economy. Project 2025 and the Trump administration could change that.

The New York Times – Wednesday, April 23, 2025

Under Hegseth, Chaos Prevails at the Pentagon

The defense secretary’s inner circle is in disarray, and distrust is growing among civil servants and senior military officials.

Francis’ Death Silences a Voice for the Voiceless

As democratic values and alliances were being turned upside down, the pope was a consistent moral guidepost. Who can play that role now?

He Was a Prophet of Space Travel. His Ashes Were Found in a Basement.

During his life, Willy Ley predicted the dawn of the Space Age with remarkable accuracy. How did his remains end up forgotten in a co-op on the Upper West Side?

Foreign Affairs Magazine – May/June 2025 Preview

Semafor Flagship: A launchpad, not a destination | Semafor

FOREIGN AFFAIRS MAGAZINE (April 22, 2025): The latest issue features ‘The Committee to Run the World?’….

The Rise and Fall of Great-Power Competition

Trump’s New Spheres of Influence by Stacie E. Goddard

The Return of Great-Power Diplomacy

How Strategic Dealmaking Can Fortify American Power by A. Wess Mitchell

The Russia That Putin Made

Moscow, the West, and Coexistence Without Illusion by Alexander Gabuev

The Once and Future China

How Will Change Come to Beijing? by Rana Mitter

The New York Times – Tuesday, April 22, 2025

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Pope Francis’ Legacy in the U.S.: A More Open, and Then Divided, Church

Pope Francis’ transformative vision for the American church made it more open, but also energized conservative resistance that further divided it.

Francis, the First Latin American Pope, Dies at 88

After decades of conservative leadership, Francis tried to reset the course of the Roman Catholic Church, emphasizing inclusion and care for the marginalized over doctrinal purity.

E.P.A. Set to Cancel Grants Aimed at Protecting Children From Toxic Chemicals

The cancellations, set to apply to pending and active grants, also affect research into “forever chemicals” contaminating the food supply.

White House Assesses Ways to Persuade Women to Have More Children

Baby bonuses and menstrual cycle classes are among the ideas pitched to Trump aides as they consider plans to try boosting the birthrate.

The New Yorker Magazine – April 28, 2025 Preview

An illustration of a scene near the Picnic House at Prospect Park. Various dogs are running around and playing.

THE NEW YORKER MAGAZINE (April 21, 2025): Adrian Tomine’s “Lucky Dogs” – At least some of us are happy.By Françoise MoulyArt by Adrian Tomine

Donald Trump’s Deportation Obsession

Right-wing ideologues have long fantasized about the prospect of mass self-deportation: the Trump Administration is attempting something far more radical. By Jonathan Blitzer

How Trump Worship Took Hold in Washington

The President is at the center of a brazenly transactional ecosystem that rewards flattery and lockstep loyalty. By Antonia Hitchens

The Mexican President Who’s Facing Off with Trump

Can Claudia Sheinbaum manage the demands from D.C.—and her own country’s fragile democracy? By Stephania Taladrid

The Powerful Films of the L.A. Rebellion

Also: Adam Gopnik on where to eat near the Frick; Sondheim and Chekhov, Marisa Tomei and Lucas Hedges onstage; the kinetic Afro-pop of Youssou N’Dour; and more.

By Richard Brody, Michael Schulman, Sheldon Pearce, Helen Shaw, Brian Seibert, K. Leander Williams, Jane Bua, and Adam Gopnik

The New York Times – Monday, April 21, 2025

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Hegseth Said to Have Shared Attack Details in Second Signal Chat

The defense secretary sent sensitive information about strikes in Yemen to an encrypted group chat that included his wife and brother, people familiar with the matter said.

Inside the Urgent Fight Over the Trump Administration’s New Deportation Effort

The push to deport a group of Venezuelans raises questions about whether the government is following a Supreme Court order requiring that migrants receive due process.

Trump Administration Draft Order Calls for Drastic Overhaul of State Department

The draft executive order would eliminate Africa operations and shut down bureaus working on democracy, human rights and refugee issues.

Inside the ‘Tropical Gulag’ in El Salvador Where U.S. Detainees Are Being Held

A U.S. senator was allowed to meet with Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia, but he was denied access to where Mr. Abrego Garcia had been held. What is that prison like?

The New York Times – Sunday, April 20, 2025

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Supreme Court, for Now, Blocks Deportation of Migrants Under Wartime Law

More than 50 Venezuelans were believed to be scheduled to be flown out of the country, presumably to El Salvador, from an immigration detention center in Anson, Texas.

Defying the Law and the Courts, Trump Seeks to Shift the Focus

The president is trying to rewrite the narrative of Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia’s wrongful deportation as a dispute about illegal immigration rather than the rule of law.

Trump’s Aid Cuts Hit the Hungry in a City of Shellfire and Starvation

The stark consequences of the rollback are evident in few places as clearly as in Sudan, where a brutal civil war has combined with a staggering humanitarian catastrophe.

The Firefighter With O.C.D. and the Vaccine He Believed Would Kill Him

For years, Timmy Reen tried to hide his compulsions and rituals from everyone at his New York City firehouse — until his secret was forced out in the open.