Tag Archives: Writing

THE NEW YORK TIMES – WEDNESDAY, DEC. 10, 2025

Inside the Pentagon’s Scramble to Deal With Boat Strike Survivors

Officials initially weighed sending survivors of U.S. attacks on boats suspected of drug smuggling to a notorious prison in El Salvador, to avoid American courts.

Democrats Say Hegseth Balked at Call for Full Video of Boat Strike

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth briefed congressional leaders about the monthslong military campaign targeting people suspected of trafficking drugs at sea.

The Challenges to Europe’s Security Go Beyond Trump’s Lack of Support

Europeans find themselves stranded between hostile powers, Russia and the U.S., with key decisions looming over the future of Ukraine.

Trump Says Americans Are Doing Great, Even as Views on the Economy Sour

President Trump’s speech in Pennsylvania was meant to alleviate concerns about affordability. But he kept going off script and dwelling on issues like immigration.

Stephen Miller’s Stock Sale Raises Questions, Ethics Experts Say

House Democrat Seeks to Impeach Kennedy for Undercutting Public Health

THE NEW YORK TIMES – TUESDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2025

Supreme Court Is Asked to Take Another Ax to Campaign Finance Limits

The case centers on efforts by Republican officials to lift limits on how much money political parties can spend in coordination with candidates.

A Key Question for the Supreme Court: What About the Fed?

On Monday, the justices seemed poised to allow President Trump to remove officials but appeared to struggle with how to insulate the Federal Reserve

Trump Insists Tariffs Will Buoy the Economy. For Now, He’s on Damage Control.

President Trump rolled out a bailout for farmers as he makes the case that his policy is working — or will soon.

A Frustrated Congress Pushes the Pentagon to Produce the Boat Strike Orders

In a sign of bipartisan vexation with the Defense Department, the defense policy bill aims to compel the Pentagon to share execute orders and documentation.

In Thailand and Cambodia, Taking Shelter (Again) as Fighting Reignites

Hundreds of thousands of people fled a deadly border conflict, the authorities said, some sheltering at a racetrack in Thailand and some near temples in Cambodia.

THE NEW YORK TIMES – MONDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2025

Obamacare Users Face Higher Deductibles, Higher Premiums

People who have insurance under the Affordable Care Act are being asked to pay more for plans that will cover less of their care.

China’s Trade Surplus Climbs Past $1 Trillion for First Time

President Trump’s tariffs weren’t enough to hold back the global export flood by China, which pushed past last year’s record in just 11 months.

China’s Weak Currency Is Powering Its Exports, Drawing Criticism

Supreme Court Considers Trump’s Power to Fire Independent Officials

The Supreme Court has generally allowed the firings to take effect through temporary emergency orders. This case is an opportunity for a conclusive ruling.

These Independent Agencies Could Be Affected by a Supreme Court Case

Must the Military Disobey Unlawful Orders? Pam Bondi Has Said Yes.

As a lawyer, Ms. Bondi, now the attorney general, filed a Supreme Court brief last year saying service members who followed such orders were committing crimes.

THE NEW YORK TIMES – SUNDAY, DECEMBER 7, 2025

Conservative Project at Supreme Court Meets Trump’s Push to Oust Officials

President Trump has repeatedly ousted leaders of independent agencies despite federal laws meant to shield those regulators from politics.

How Biden Ignored Warnings and Lost Americans’ Faith in Immigration

Former President Biden and his top advisers rejected recommendations that could have eased the border crisis that helped return Donald Trump to the White House.

For Landmark Test of Executive Power, Echoes of a 1930s Supreme Court Battle

Franklin D. Roosevelt’s efforts to dismiss a Federal Trade Commission leader offer parallels to the current fight over President Trump’s actions.

Superpower Competition: The Missing Chapter in Trump’s Security Strategy

President Trump is shifting from discussion of the long-lasting competition among the world’s biggest economies and nuclear powers.

Hegseth Skirts Questions About Releasing Video of Sept. 2 Boat Attack

THE NEW YORK TIMES – SATURDAY, DECEMBER 6, 2025

Battlefield Picture Worsening for Ukraine as Trump Pushes Peace Plan

Russian forces have advanced on several fronts in recent weeks. Vladimir Putin says Russia will achieve its territorial aims by whatever means necessary.

Trump’s National Security Strategy Focuses on Profit, Not Spreading Democracy

President Trump’s new strategy describes a country that is focused on doing business and reducing migration while avoiding passing judgment on authoritarians.

The Supreme Court, Once Wary of Partisan Gerrymandering, Goes All In

The court’s conservative majority said that Texas’ asserted political motives justified letting the state use voting maps meant to disadvantage Democrats.

Have Trump’s Tariffs Hit the ‘High-Water Mark’?

Companies are petitioning for exemptions from the Trump administration’s high levies on foreign-made goods, saying they hurt business and raise prices.

Angst Turns to Anger in Hollywood as Netflix Hooks Warner Bros.

Much of the entertainment capital fears that Netflix’s deal will lead to more job losses and theater closings and fewer boundary-pushing movies.

THE NEW YORK TIMES – FRIDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2025

Panel Votes to End Recommendation for Hepatitis B Shots for Newborns

The divisiveness and dysfunction surrounding the decision raised questions about the reliability of the process — and the future of the C.D.C.

Consumer Prices Rose Slightly in September

The most recent Personal Consumption Expenditures index was delayed because of the government shutdown.

Trump’s Approval Rating Dips as Views of His Handling of the Economy Sour

Netflix to Buy Warner Bros. in $83 Billion Deal, Creating a Streaming Colossus

The deal to acquire the Hollywood giant’s television and film studios as well as HBO Max will bulk up the world’s biggest paid streaming service.

Videos Said to Show Boat-Strike Survivors Waving From Overturned Hull

A new detail about the survivors of a U.S. strike in the Caribbean further complicates the military’s explanations for launching a follow-up attack.

Second Strike Scrutiny Obscures Larger Question About Trump’s Boat Attacks

THE NEW YORK TIMES – THURSDAY, DEC. 4, 2025

U.S. Military’s Planning for Boat Strikes Takes On New Significance

Senior military officials are set to go to Capitol Hill today to answer questions about one attack amid an uproar over the killing of survivors.

The ‘Useful Idiots’ From America Whom Putin Is Playing Like a Flute

Thomas L. Friedman

The Furor Over Trump’s Boat Attacks and a Follow-Up Strike, Explained

Will All Newborns Still Receive Hepatitis B Shots? A Committee’s Vote Will Tell.

A federal vaccine panel is likely to decide today that the shots should be delayed for infants whose mothers test negative for the virus.

Republican Anger Erupts at Mike Johnson as Party Frets About Future

A small group of G.O.P. women have been among the most vocal in raising what their colleagues say is a broader frustration with the House speaker.

THE GUARDIAN WEEKLY – DECEMBER 5, 2025 PREVIEW

THE GUARDIAN WEEKLY: The latest issue features ‘After The Inferno’ – Anger and questions in the wake of the Hong Kong fires…

Watching with horror from London last week as flames ripped through seven adjacent apartment blocks in Hong Kong, it was impossible not to think back to the Grenfell Tower fire of 2017, which exposed major systemic failures around UK social housing and eventually led to law changes around safety and accountability for high-rise buildings.

The comparisons with Hong Kong were not just visually obvious but also because the semi-autonomous city’s worst fire in decades appears to have followed months of complaints from residents about shoddy materials used in building works.

Hong Kong is of course a very different place to London, with politicians facing less public accountability in a political climate that makes it much harder for citizens to express dissent. But, as anger rises, hard questions are nevertheless being asked of authorities amid accusations of negligence and corruption.

Five essential reads in this week’s edition

The big story | Can Europe unite to tame Russia – without the US?
Washington’s Putin-appeasing plan for peace in Ukraine has failed, but many heard the death knell sound for European reliance on US protection, writes Patrick Wintour

Spotlight | If Rachel Reeves goes, will Keir Starmer fall with her?
British prime ministers rarely sack their chancellors – and when they do it almost inevitably leads to their own downfall. After last week’s budget, Starmer knows the same is true of him and Reeves, says Jessica Elgot

Feature | The dangerous rise of extremist Buddhism
Buddhism is still largely viewed as a peaceful philosophy – but across much of south-east Asia, the religion has been weaponised to serve nationalist goals. Sonia Faleiro investigates

Opinion | From the West Bank to Syria and Lebanon, Israel’s onslaught continues
Broken ceasefires, bombing, ground incursions and mounting deaths: Israeli imperialism is now expanding across the region, says Nesrine Malik

Culture | Ethan Hawke and Richard Linklater: two men on the moon
As their 11th movie together, Blue Moon, is released, the actor and director tell Xan Brooks about musicals, the legacy of Philip Seymour Hoffman and what being bald and short does to your flirting skills

THE NEW YORK TIMES – WEDNESDAY, DEC. 3, 2025

Search for Fed Chief Puts Pressure on Bessent to Deliver for Trump

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent could face President Trump’s wrath if the person chosen as the next Federal Reserve chair does not quickly lower interest rates.

Trump Calls Affordability a ‘Con Job’ as His Edge on the Economy Slips

President Trump is growing frustrated as Americans struggle with higher prices and pessimism over the state of the economy.

After Decades in Combat, a SEAL Comes Under Scrutiny in Boat Strikes

Adm. Frank Bradley will soon face questions from lawmakers, as Republicans and Democrats express concerns about a Sept. 2 attack on a boat in the Caribbean.

Hegseth Says He Did Not See Survivors of Boat Attack Clinging to Wreckage

Europe Wants to Get the Word Out: Russia Is to Blame for Sabotage

Officials are accusing Russia of smaller-scale assaults. President Vladimir V. Putin sought to turn the tables, saying that if Europe were to start a war, Russia is ready.

LITERARY REVIEW – DECEMBER 2025

LITERARY REVIEW : The latest issue features  Peter Marshall on Holbein * Joanna Kavenna on Camus * Sophie Oliver on Margaret Atwood * Dorian Lynskey on George Orwell * Daisy Dunn on Clodia of Rome * David Andress on Jean-Paul Marat * John Foot on the Spanish Civil War * Jerry White on high-rise buildings * Edward Shawcross on Mexico * Daniel A Bell on the Chinese examination system * Anna Reid on Russian women * Charles Darwent on Barnett Newman * Robert Crawford on T S Eliot * Ian Sansom on William Golding * Mark Lawson on John Updike * Charles Shaar Murray on musicians * Patrick Porter on NATO * Thomas Morris on Renaissance diagrams * Diane Purkiss on palmistry *  Nigel Andrew on penguins * John Mullan on pedants * Molly Pepper Steemson on Anthony Bourdain * Mark Ford on Helen Vendler * Emma Smith on book

Holbein: Renaissance Master By Elizabeth Goldring

It’s an irony to savour: the man who invented the Tudors was a German. If Henry VIII, his wives and courtiers exercise a stronger hold on the public imagination than their Plantagenet precursors or Stuart successors, it is because we can all picture them so clearly. That, in turn, is due to an extraordinary sequence of portraits and drawings produced between the late 1520s and early 1540s by Hans Holbein of Augsburg (c 1497–1543), many of which have become instantly recognisable. 

Doublethink & Doubt

Orwell: 2+2=5 By Raoul Peck (dir)

George Orwell: Life and Legacy By Robert Colls

Nobody under the age of seventy-five has heard George Orwell’s voice. The only extant video footage is in a silent movie of the Eton Wall Game. None of his many wartime recordings for the BBC Eastern Service has survived. By all accounts his voice, damaged by a bullet to the throat during the Spanish Civil War, was thin, flat and weak. In fact, the controller of the BBC Overseas Service complained that putting on ‘so wholly unsuitable a voice’ made the BBC appear ‘ignorant of the essential needs of the microphone and of the audience’.