Tag Archives: Trump

Politics: The Guardian Weekly – April 5, 2024

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The Guardian Weekly (April 5, 2024) – The new issue features ‘Lone Star’ – Have the UN vote and questions about its conduct in Gaza left Israel isolated?; Liz Truss bids for political resurrection; Will IS strike again?; Nick Cave’s devilish change of direction…

Spotlight | IS affiliates could launch new wave of terror on the west

Islamic State has stalled in Iraq and Syria but officials believe it has been planning new attacks on the west for years, reports Jason Burke; while Angelique Chrisafis writes that France’s interior minister has met intelligence services to assess the terrorist threat to the country ahead of this summer’s Olympic Games

Environment | True cost of a city built from scratch

Nusantara is billed as a state-of-the-art capital city that will coexist with nature – but not all residents of Borneo’s Balikpapan Bay are happy, find. By Rebecca Ratcliffe and Richaldo Hariandja

Feature | 49 days later

Liz Truss trashed the economy as Britain’s shortest-serving prime minister. But she is back, launching a new conservative movement and spreading her ideology across the world. You just can’t keep a bad politician down, argues David Runciman

Culture | The devil in the details

In the past nine years, Nick Cave has lost two sons – an experience he explores in a deeply personal new ceramics project. He discusses mercy, forgiveness, making and meaning with Simon Hattenstone

Architecture | A Māori-built environment

A new wave of Indigenous architects are behind a series of stunning buildings embracing tribal identity in Aotearoa New Zealand, Oliver Wainwright discovers

The New York Times — Wednesday, April 3, 2024

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Israeli Strikes Kill 7 Aid Workers in Gaza

The attack on clearly marked vehicles run by the World Central Kitchen shows how dangerous relief work has been during the war, and adds fuel to accusations that Israel has bombed indiscriminately.

Israeli Army Withdraws From Major Gaza Hospital, Leaving Behind a Wasteland

Al-Shifa Hospital lies in ruins after a battle there between Israeli soldiers and Gazan gunmen. Shortly before withdrawing, the Israeli military brought journalists from The Times to witness the damage.

His Brownstone Is Worth $5.4 Million. Why Is His Tax Bill So Low?

Housing advocates and even some homeowners in wealthier neighborhoods say New York’s property tax system is unfair. A court case could force the city to make changes.

The Organ Is Still Working. But It’s Not in a Body Anymore.

Perfusion keeps a donated organ alive outside the body, giving surgeons extra time and increasing the number of transplants possible.

The New York Times — Tuesday, April 2, 2024

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3 Top Iranian Commanders Are Reported Killed in Israeli Strike in Syria

The airstrike on an Iranian Embassy building was one of the biggest attacks yet in a shadow war that has increasingly been moving into the open.

Johnson Outlines Plan for Ukraine Aid; House Could Act Within Weeks

The G.O.P. speaker’s proposed conditions for sending a fresh infusion of military assistance to Kyiv are the strongest sign to date that he plans to defy critics in his own party and push through the aid package.

Florida Court Allows 6-Week Abortion Ban, but Voters Will Get to Weigh In

The Florida Supreme Court found that the State Constitution’s privacy protections do not extend to abortion. But it also allowed a ballot question on whether to expand abortion access.

The Church of Trump: How He’s Infusing Christianity Into His Movement

Ending many of his rallies with a churchlike ritual and casting his prosecutions as persecution, the former president is demanding — and receiving — new levels of devotion from Republicans.

Previews: The New Yorker Magazine – April 8, 2024

A person's silhouette walks up stairs toward a busy city street.

The New Yorker (April 1, 2024): The new issue‘s cover features Pascal Campion’s “Into the Light” – The artist depicts stepping out of the subway into the overwhelming glow of the city.

So You Think You’ve Been Gaslit

An anthropomorphic lantern being lit by a man.

What happens when a niche clinical concept becomes a ubiquitous cultural diagnosis.

By Leslie Jamison

When Leah started dating her first serious boyfriend, as a nineteen-year-old sophomore at Ohio State, she had very little sense that sex was supposed to feel good. (Leah is not her real name.) In the small town in central Ohio where she grew up, sex ed was basically like the version she remembered from the movie “Mean Girls”: “Don’t have sex, because you will get pregnant and die.”

Black Holes Are Even Weirder Than You Imagined

An artistic rendering of two supermassive black holes.

It’s now thought that they could illuminate fundamental questions in physics, settle questions about Einstein’s theories, and even help explain the universe.

By Rivka Galchen

Black holes are, of course, awesome. But, for scientists, they are more awesome. If a rainbow is marvellous, then understanding how all the colors of the rainbow are present, unified, in ordinary white light—that’s more marvellous. (Though, famously, in his poem “Lamia,” John Keats disagreed, blaming “cold philosophy” for unweaving the rainbow.) In recent years, the amount of data that scientists have discovered about black holes has grown exponentially. In January, astronomers announced that the James Webb Space Telescope had observed the oldest black hole yet—one present when the universe was a mere four hundred million years old. (It’s estimated that it’s now 13.8 billion years old.) Recently, two supermassive black holes, with a combined mass of twenty-eight billion suns, were measured and shown to have been rotating tightly around each other, but not colliding, for the past three billion years. And those are just the examples that are easiest for the public to make some sense of. To me, a supermassive black hole sounds sublime; to a scientist, it can also be a test of wild hypotheses. “Astrophysics is an exercise in incredible experiments not runnable on Earth,” Avery Broderick, a theoretical physicist at the University of Waterloo and at the Perimeter Institute, told me. “And black holes are an ideal laboratory.”

The New York Times — Monday, April 1, 2024

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Some Potential Trump Witnesses Get Carrots. Michael Cohen Got the Stick.

Former President Donald J. Trump has taken different approaches to those who may testify at his trials. Some, he attacks publicly. Others he rewards for loyalty.

Protests Against Netanyahu Intensify as Cease-Fire Talks Resume

Thousands have taken to the streets of Israel to demand that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu be replaced.

‘A Chance to Live’: How 2 Families Faced a Catastrophic Birth Defect

Cases of trisomy 18 may rise as many states restrict abortion. But some women choose to have the babies, love them tenderly and care for them devotedly.

The New York Times — Sunday, March 31, 2024

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‘Shortcuts Everywhere’: How Boeing Favored Speed Over Quality

Problems have plagued the manufacturer even after two fatal crashes, and many current and former employees blame its focus on making planes more quickly.

A Russian Defector’s Killing Raises Specter of Hit Squads

The death in Spain of Maksim Kuzminov, a pilot who delivered a helicopter and secret documents to Ukraine, has raised fears that the Kremlin is again targeting its enemies.

A Stork, a Fisherman and Their Unlikely Bond Enchant Turkey

Thirteen years ago, a stork landed on a fisherman’s boat looking for food. He has come back every year since, drawing national attention.

A Loyal Israel Ally, Germany Shifts Tone as the Toll in Gaza Mounts

Supporting Israel is seen as a historic duty in Germany, but the worsening crisis has pushed German officials to ask whether that backing has gone too far.

The New York Times — Thursday, March 28, 2024

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The Five Minutes That Brought Down the Francis Scott Key Bridge

When a massive cargo ship lost power in Baltimore, crews scrambled to control the ship and to evacuate the bridge lying ahead. But it was too late.

A Pivot to China Saved Elon Musk. It Also Binds Him to Beijing.

Tesla and China built a symbiotic relationship, with credits, workers and parts that made Mr. Musk ultrarich. Now, his reliance on the country may give Beijing leverage.

Israel Deploys Expansive Facial Recognition Program in Gaza

The experimental effort, which has not been disclosed, is being used to conduct mass surveillance of Palestinians in Gaza, according to military officials and others.

The Economist Magazine – March 30, 2024 Preview

The Economist Magazine (March 21, 2024): The latest issue features

The AI doctor will see you…eventually

A doctor with a computer screen head displaying a loading icon

Artificial intelligence holds huge promise in health care. But it also faces massive barriers

Better diagnoses. Personalised support for patients. Faster drug discovery. Greater efficiency. Artificial intelligence (ai) is generating excitement and hyperbole everywhere, but in the field of health care it has the potential to be transformational. In Europe analysts predict that deploying ai could save hundreds of thousands of lives each year; in America, they say, it could also save money, shaving $200bn-360bn from overall annual medical spending, now $4.5trn a year (or 17% of gdp). From smart stethoscopes and robot surgeons to the analysis of large data sets or the ability to chat to a medical ai with a human face, opportunities abound.

The triple shock facing Europe’s economy

After the energy crisis, Europe faces surging Chinese imports and the threat of Trump tariffs

Russia is gearing up for a big new push along a long front line

Ukraine must prepare

Antarctica needs a lot more attention

Melting ice sheets do more than raise sea levels

The New York Times — Wednesday, March 27, 2024

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Supreme Court Seems Inclined to Reject Bid to Curtail Abortion Pill Access

A majority of the justices questioned whether a group of anti-abortion doctors and organizations trying to sharply limit availability of the medication could show they suffered harm.

Rescue Effort Turns Into Search for Bodies of 6 Workers on the Bridge

Questions swirl over the bridge’s collapse after a massive cargo ship slammed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge moments after losing power early on Tuesday.

Biden’s TikTok Challenge: Reach Gen Z, Without Drawing Its Wrath

For his campaign, navigating the platform has meant encountering over and over some of the thorniest issues plaguing Mr. Biden’s re-election bid.

Judge Imposes Gag Order on Trump in Manhattan Criminal Trial

The order limiting the former president’s speech came after Justice Juan M. Merchan set an April 15 trial date for the case, which involves a sex scandal cover-up.

The New York Times — Tuesday, March 26, 2024

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U.N. Security Council Calls for Immediate Cease-Fire in Gaza as U.S. Abstains

The U.S. decision not to vote on the resolution drew criticism from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel, who ordered a delegation to hold back from a planned trip to Washington.

Trump Criminal Trial Is Set for April 15 as His Attempt at Delay Fails

Donald Trump is poised to become the first ex-president to go on trial on criminal charges, in a case related to hush money paid to a porn star.

The First Flight of Their Lives: An Airlift After Agony in Gaza

The evacuees make up only a tiny fraction of the thousands of civilians, including many children, who have suffered grievous injuries over the course of Israel’s monthslong campaign against Hamas and its bombardment of Gaza.