Tag Archives: The New York Times

The New York Times — Tuesday, December 26, 2023

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China Quietly Rebuilds Secretive Base for Nuclear Tests

Beijing is investing heavily in the modernization of Lop Nur, a sprawling military site where it long detonated atom bombs and thermonuclear warheads.

A White Christmas in New York City (if You Squint a Little)

It has not snowed in New York in a very long time. But onstage at Lincoln Center, inside a shop display, and in a busker’s saxophone, there are flakes to be found.

In Campus Protests Over Gaza, Echoes of Outcry Over Vietnam

The war in Vietnam ignited a protest movement that helped define a generation. Is the war between Israel and Hamas doing the same thing?

Netanyahu Visits Gaza as Palestinians Mourn an Attack That Officials Say Killed Dozens

The Gazan Health Ministry blamed Israeli airstrikes for the deaths, and Israel’s military said it was reviewing the episode.

The New York Times — Monday, December 25, 2023

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Hoping for Peace With Houthis, Saudis Keep Low Profile in Red Sea Conflict

Riyadh is seeking to avoid getting dragged back into a bloody clash with the Yemeni militia, which has sowed chaos by attacking shipping and firing missiles at Israel.

America’s Truckers Face a Chronic Headache: Finding Parking

A rest area with truck parking on the eastbound side of Interstate 90 near Salem, S.D.

Parking spots for trucks are in short supply around the country, and the problem can lead to unsafe situations for long-haul truck drivers and other motorists.

Christmas Comes Early in Ukraine, but Not a Moment Too Soon

Santa handing out gifts to children on Friday at a festival in Kyiv, Ukraine.

The Ukrainian Orthodox Church formally changed the date for celebrating to Dec. 25, departing from the Russian tradition of celebrating on Jan. 7, according to the Julian calendar.

What Went Wrong for Ron DeSantis in 2023

The Florida governor entered the year flush with cash and momentum. In the months since, internal chaos and Donald Trump’s indictments have sapped even his most avid supporters.

Apple’s Newest Headache: An App That Upended Its Control Over Messaging

Beeper Mini, which offers iPhone messaging on Android phones, has grown fast and its duel with the tech giant has gotten the attention of antitrust regulators.

The New York Times — Sunday, December 24, 2023

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Putin Quietly Signals He Is Open to a Cease-Fire in Ukraine

President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia speaking at a rally in February at Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow.

Despite its bravado in public, the Kremlin has indicated its interest in striking a deal to halt the war — so long as it could still declare victory.

Ghosts on the Glacier

Decades after the unexplained deaths of two American climbers in Argentina, a camera belonging to one of them was found in the snow. The film held astonishing images, but the mystery endures.

‘God Is Under the Rubble in Gaza’: Bethlehem’s Subdued Christmas

The war in Gaza has prompted the city, traditionally seen as the birthplace of Jesus, to tone down its Christmas celebrations.

2023 in Photos: A Weary World

Photographers captured historic moments of war, grief and wonder that defined the year.

The New York Times — Saturday, Dec 23, 2023

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U.N. Passes Resolution on Gaza Aid but Does Not Call for ‘Suspension of Hostilities’

The United Nations Security Council passed a resolution, 13-0, on Friday that would allow for more aid to enter Gaza. The United States and Russia abstained.

After a week of heated negotiations, the U.N. Security Council approved a measure that called on Israel and Hamas to pause the fighting to allow for the delivery of more humanitarian aid.

Supreme Court Won’t Hear Case on Trump’s Immunity Defense for Now

Any significant delays could plunge the trial into the heart of the 2024 campaign season or push it past the election.

The case will instead first be heard by a federal appeals court, which has put it on a fast track, scheduling arguments for Jan. 9.

Hunter Biden Text Cited in Impeachment Inquiry Is Not What G.O.P. Suggests

A 2019 message from the president’s son alluded to giving his father half his salary. The back story offers unflattering insights into the Biden family but does not support assertions of corruption.

A World Leader on Ukraine, the U.S. Is Now Isolated Over Gaza

The United States finds itself in a defensive crouch and at odds with even staunch allies like France, Canada, Australia and Japan.

The New York Times Book Review – December 24, 2023

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THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW (December 22, 2023): The latest issue features MAGIC: The Life of Earvin “Magic” Johnson, by Roland Lazenby; My Jewish Charlie Brown Christmas – The Peanuts special is the most overtly Christian TV holiday classic. So why does it speak to me so deeply?; Seven Fishes (Not Seven Dishes) for Christmas Eve – A modern Italian American take on the Feast of the Seven Fishes offers a streamlined menu any family can pull off….

Magic Man: The Story of the Greatest Point Guard in N.B.A. History

A color photograph of a tall man in midair holding a basketball. His uniform is purple and gold.

Roland Lazenby’s big biography of Magic Johnson gives us a wealth of detail, a huge cast of characters and, in a way, the tapestry of our time.

By Thomas Beller

MAGIC: The Life of Earvin “Magic” Johnson, by Roland Lazenby


I once asked a portrait photographer why no one ever smiled in her pictures, and she replied, “A smile is a mask.”

I thought of this aphorism as I read Roland Lazenby’s 800-page biography of Magic Johnson. Sports Illustrated declared his smile to be one of the two greatest smiles of the 20th century. (The other was Louis Armstrong’s.) As Missy Fox, the daughter of his high school coach, says in the book, “That is the one thing he’s always had, that smile.”

My Jewish Charlie Brown Christmas

Two animated Peanuts characters, Charlie Brown and Linus, stand beside a very anemic Christmas tree in the snow.

The Peanuts special is the most overtly Christian TV holiday classic. So why does it speak to me so deeply?


By James Poniewozik

“A Charlie Brown Christmas” was a one-of-a-kind wonder when it premiered in 1965 and remains so almost 60 years later. Unlike the other jingle-belled baubles that TV throws down the chimney each year, it is melancholy and meditative. The animation is minimalist and subdued, full of grays and wafting snowflakes. I could wrap myself in the Vince Guaraldi jazz score like a quilt.

And then there’s the speech.

The New York Times Magazine – Dec 24, 2023

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THE NEW YORK TIMES MAGAZINE (December 22, 2023):

He Was My Role Model. My Mentor. My Supplier.

A portrait of Lonnie in a car looking into the camera.

Decades after I left hustling to become a writer, why did I seek out the man who drew me into that world?

By Mitchell S. Jackson

O.G. rings me in the a.m. to say he’s just touched down in Phoenix. It’s the day before he said he’d arrive, and while there was a time when I’d treat the seeming opacity of his plans as par, the call’s a minor surprise. He asks for my address and tells me he can drop by as soon as he grabs his rental car. “Cool,” I say, as if the call ain’t ramped my pulse, as if my crib is presentable for guests. It isn’t. So I shoot out of bed and get to cleaning and straightening the first floor, going so far as to light a candle. It’s been umpteen years since I’ve seen O.G. — Lonnie’s his name — and God forbid he judge me anything less than hella fastidious.

In Jordan, a Sprawling Palestinian Diaspora Looks Towards Gaza

The story of 2.3 million Palestinian refugees in Jordan has been shaped by generations of war and exile.Photographs

by MOISES SAMAN

How Do You Make a Movie About the Holocaust?

A photo illustration of various stills from movies about the holocaust collaged together.

With “The Zone of Interest,” Jonathan Glazer is just the latest director to confront the problem.

Poetry makes nothing happen, W.H. Auden said in 1939, when words must have seemed especially impotent; but cinema is another matter. For several decades after the end of the Second World War, what’s come to be seen as its central catastrophe — the near-total destruction of the European Jews — was consigned to the status of a footnote. The neglect was rooted in guilt: Many nations eagerly collaborated in the killing, while others did nothing to prevent it. Consumed by their own suffering, most people simply didn’t want to know, and a conspiracy of silence was established.

The New York Times — Friday, December 22, 2023

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U.S. Says It’s Ready to Back U.N. Resolution to Allow More Aid Into Gaza

U.N. headquarters in New York. Diplomats were working on an aid deal for Gaza.

The timing for a vote on the Security Council resolution was unclear. Diplomats were focused on who would oversee the inspection of aid entering the enclave.

Key Hamas Plotters of Oct. 7 Elude Israel’s Grip on Gaza

Israel has battered Gaza in its quest to destroy Hamas, without finding the commanders it has named as its most important targets.

Live from the Jungle: Migrants Become Influencers on Social Media

TikTok, Facebook and YouTube are transforming global migration, becoming tools of migrants and smugglers alike.

Democrats Keep Hoping It’s Curtains for Trump. He’s Still Center Stage.

As Donald Trump faces a new threat to his political future, this time over the question of ballot eligibility, Democrats again find themselves looking toward American institutions to stop him.

The New York Times — Thursday, Dec 21, 2023

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Gaza Truce Talks Bog Down Over Disputes on Aid Inspections

Diplomats at the Security Council were engaged in intense, behind-the-scenes negotiations on Wednesday over a resolution calling for a pause in fighting in Gaza.

In Cairo and at the U.N., negotiators struggled to come up with plans for pausing the fighting, freeing hostages and speeding up help for Gazans.

Amid Gaza War and Red Sea Attacks, Yemen’s Houthis Refuse to Back Down

Armed men standing on the beach as the commercial ship Galaxy Leader, which was seized by the Houthis last month, was anchored off the coast of Yemen this month.

The militia, which has targeted ships it says are connected to Israel, has vowed not to stop until the siege in Gaza ends and claims that a new U.S.-led maritime task force cannot deter the attacks.

Trump Cases Crashing Into Supreme Court Could Reshape 2024 Election

The ruling that Donald Trump is not eligible for the ballot in Colorado is the latest election-related issue likely to land before the justices. The implications for 2024 could be profound.

Inside the Booming Business of Cutting Babies’ Tongues

Dentists and lactation consultants around the country are pushing “tongue-tie releases” on new mothers struggling to breastfeed.

The New York Times — Wednesday, Dec 20, 2023

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Trump Is Disqualified From 2024 Ballot, Colorado Court Says in Explosive Ruling

Former President Donald J. Trump at a rally in Durham, N.H., last week. His political opponents have sought to keep him off the 2024 presidential ballot by citing the 14th Amendment.

The decision, the first by a court to find that Donald Trump is ineligible to hold office again because he engaged in insurrection, is likely to put a monumental case before the U.S. Supreme Court.

Red Sea Attacks Pose Another Threat to Global Economy

Ships awaiting passage through the Suez Canal in 2021. When shipping companies avoid the canal, they often must spend millions of dollars more on fuel to transport their goods on longer routes.

Already hampered by problems at the Panama Canal, shipping companies are now steering clear of the Suez Canal to avoid being attacked in the Red Sea.

7 Months Inside an Online Scam Labor Camp

A man was abducted by a Chinese gang and forced to work in a scam operation. He gathered financial information, photos and videos and shared the material with The New York Times.

In Iceland, a Fiery Show of Lava and Smoke

Icelanders had been girding for an eruption. When it happened, they wanted to see it.

The New York Times — Tuesday, December 19, 2023

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U.S. Urges Israel to Do More to Spare Civilians in Gaza and Pushes Hostage Talks

Two military officials standing at lecterns against a backdrop of American and Israeli flags.

The American defense secretary reiterated “unshakable” support for Israeli security, but said protecting Palestinians was a “moral duty and a strategic imperative.”

How Putin Turned a Western Boycott Into a Bonanza

If companies want to leave Russia, the president is setting the terms — in ways that benefit his government, his elites and his war.

Pope Francis Allows Priests to Bless Same-Sex Couples

A church official said the blessings amounted to “a real development” that nevertheless did not amend “the traditional doctrine of the church about marriage.”

Chimps Can Still Remember Faces After a Quarter Century

Long-term memories may have been vital to our own evolution, suggests a new study of chimpanzees and bonobos.