Tag Archives: Writing

The New York Times – Tuesday, January 7, 2025

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Four Years After Capitol Riot, Congress Certifies Trump’s Victory Peacefully

Vice President Kamala D. Harris presided over the certification of her own loss without disputing it, and Democrats made no move to challenge the results.

Trudeau to Resign as Canada’s Prime Minister: ‘It’s Time for a Reset’

Justin Trudeau announced Monday that he was also stepping down as leader of Canada’s Liberal Party. He will remain in both roles until a replacement is chosen.

Massacre Upon Massacre: Haiti’s Bleak Spiral Into a Failed State

In Haiti, gangs have killed hundreds of people and shot journalists at a news conference, exposing the country’s fragility and the government’s failures.

N.Y. Judge’s Ruling Shows How Legal Issues Will Follow Trump Into Office

Donald Trump may not face a penalty for his conviction in the hush-money case, but he could still be the first felon to be president — and civil proceedings against him continue.

THE NEW YORK TIMES — Saturday, Dec. 28, 2024

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Trump Backers Battle Online Over Skilled Immigrants

A fierce dispute erupted in the president-elect’s camp between immigration hard-liners and tech industry leaders including Elon Musk.

The War Killed Her Dreams. To Survive, She Treated Its Fighters.

Trapped in Sudan’s brutal civil war, a young woman chose to work in a clinic on the front line, treating civilians and combatants. She had to navigate suspicion from both sides.

Syria’s Alawite Minority, Favored by the Assads, Looks Nervously to the Future

Amid an outcry for justice and accountability and threats online, a once-dominant group is feeling deep anxiety after the ouster of Syria’s dictator.

Video Shows Prison Officers’ Fatal Assault of Inmate in ‘Shocking’ Detail

Robert Brooks died after a savage attack at a New York prison this month that was captured by several officers’ body-worn cameras.

The New York Times —- Thursday, Dec. 26, 2024

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Assist or Resist: Local Officials Debate Trump’s Mass Deportation Threat

Communities are divided on how much to cooperate with immigration agents. In San Diego, the sheriff has vowed to defy a new policy protecting migrants.

How a Consulting Firm and Trump’s I.R.S. Pick Pushed a Problematic Tax Credit

Billy Long worked with Lifetime Advisors, a company that solicited clients to claim a pandemic-era tax credit that the I.R.S. said became a magnet for fraud.

Mpox Is Spreading in Congo’s Capital, Threatening Global Efforts to Contain the Virus

Our reporter went to Congo, where the mpox epidemic has reached the teeming capital, infecting children and their mothers, who sell sex to survive.

He Inherited a Seat in Britain’s House of Lords. How Will It Feel to Lose It?

The U.K. government has pledged to remove hereditary peers from Parliament in 2025. For Lord Cromwell and 87 others, it is a wistful departure.

The New York Times Magazine – Dec. 22, 2024

In this issue, Nicholas Casey and Paolo Pellegrin on the journey to receive medical treatment for Palestinians in Gaza; Jason Diamond on the dancer and choreographer Mikhail Baryshnikov; Jenna (J) Wortham on the new social media platform Bluesky; and more.

THE NEW YORK TIMES MAGAZINE (December 21, 2024): The 12,22,24 issue features ‘Escape From Gaza’…

For a Desperate Few, a Hectic Escape From Gaza

The war is nearly impossible to flee — except for a small number of sick and wounded who are offered a dramatic path to safety. By Nicholas Casey

Is Mikhail Baryshnikov the Last of the Highbrow Superstars?

Fifty years since he left the Soviet Union, he insists on using his huge fame to bring attention to difficult, esoteric art. By Jason Diamond

Another New Twitter? Good Luck With That.

Users are now flocking to Bluesky. But every social media platform becomes a wasteland in the end. By J Wortham

The New York Times —- Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024

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Congress Approves Spending Extension, Ending Shutdown Crisis

The Senate passed the measure, sending it to President Biden’s desk, shortly after the midnight deadline for funding to lapse.

Insurers Are Deserting Homeowners as Climate Shocks Worsen

Without insurance, it’s impossible to get a mortgage; without a mortgage, most Americans can’t buy a home.

Weight Loss Drugs Changed Their Lives. Then They Lost Coverage.

In Michigan, the state’s largest insurer has tightened restrictions around medications like Wegovy. Patients are panicking.

Al-Assad’s Soldiers Hope for Amnesty. First, They Have to Take a Number.

Syria’s new rulers say they will spare conscripts of Bashar al-Assad and pursue those who oversaw his regime’s abuses. Hundreds are lining up to learn which promise applies to them.

The New York Times —- Friday, December 20, 2024

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Elon Musk Flexes His Political Strength as Government Shutdown Looms

The world’s richest man led the charge to kill a bipartisan spending deal, in part by promoting false and misleading claims about it.

Government Lurches Toward Shutdown After House Tanks Trump’s Spending Plan

Dozens of right-wing Republicans joined Democrats in opposing a bill ordered up by President-elect Donald J. Trump to tie a government funding extension to a two-year deferral of the debt limit.

The Once Booming Drug Town Going Bust Under Taliban Rule

Funding its war against the United States, the Taliban reaped millions from boom towns trading opium, heroin and meth. Victorious, the group crushed the trade, leaving ghost towns in its wake.

With Guilty Verdicts, Rape Victim’s Ordeal in France Becomes a Message of Hope

Dozens of men who abused Gisèle Pelicot were convicted, including the man who invited them to do so: her husband of 50 years. She wanted the public trial to show rape victims they were not alone.

THE NEW YORK TIMES —THURSDAY, DEC. 19, 2024

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Giant Companies Took Secret Payments to Allow Free Flow of Opioids

Drugmakers including Purdue Pharma paid pharmacy benefit managers not to restrict painkiller prescriptions, a New York Times investigation found.

A Weary Biden Heads for the Exit

Still stinging from the election, President Biden is pushing for his final priorities but has largely absented himself from the national conversation about Donald Trump after warning repeatedly that he was a threat to American democracy.

The Wrath of Trump: House Republicans Map a Case Against Liz Cheney

President-elect Donald J. Trump has never been shy about his desire to see his enemies punished. But he often shows a measure of caution about taking credit for potential prosecutions himself.

A Rift in Trump World Over How to Make America Healthier

Statements by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Elon Musk tap into a dispute over whether lifestyle changes or drugs are a better way to treat obesity.

Politics: The Guardian Weekly – December 20, 2024

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The Guardian Weekly (December 18, 2024): The latest issue features Did democracy survive? Reflections on a year of elections. Plus The best film, music and TV of 2024

This was a year in which billions of people living in more than 80 countries had the right to cast their democratic votes in elections. But with democracy around the world under ever-greater threats – from attacks on freedom of speech, equality of participation and plurality of media to name a few – how did the election process bear up? Jonathan Yerushalmy and Oliver Holmes find reasons for hope amid the pressure.

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The big story | France and the shadow of the Pelicot trial
The mass rape case, in which verdicts and sentencing are expected this week, has horrified the world. But this is not French society’s first attempt to confront a sexually abusive culture, writes Kim Willsher, who has witnessed the harrowing proceedings in Avignon

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Spotlight | How Ukrainian power plant workers keep the country running
As winter closes in, Shaun Walker visits a Soviet-era coal-fired thermal installation to explore how it has held up to Russian attacks

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Opinion | After the fall of Assad, the least Syrians deserve is our optimism
With the tyrannical dynasty gone, it’s important not to impose a negative script on what comes next. Syrians deserve support and hope, argues Nesrine Malik

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The shamelessness of Fifa’s process in awarding the 2034 tournament to Riyadh was a display of contempt for governance, democracy and good sense, writes Barney Ronay


What else we’ve been reading

Former French prime minister Michel Barnier, left, and the newly appointed François Bayrou.

With France on its fourth prime minister in a year and Germany facing a snap election in February, Paris and Berlin correspondents Jon Henley and Deborah Cole explain why the driving forces of the European Union are in the doldrums. An excellent primer to understand what will be a shaky start to next year for European politics. Isobel Montgomery, deputy editor

THE NEW YORK TIMES — Wednesday, Dec. 18, 2024

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Ukraine Says It Killed General Who Led Russia’s Nuclear Defense Force

A Ukrainian official said Kyiv was responsible for the assassination in Moscow of Gen. Igor Kirillov, the chief of Russia’s radioactive, chemical and biological defense forces.

Behind Germany’s Political Turmoil, a Stagnating Economy

One of Europe’s powerhouses is losing its competitive edge, and the political class can’t agree on why — or what to do about it.

Elon Musk and SpaceX Face Federal Reviews After Violations of Security Reporting Rules

Federal agencies have opened at least three reviews into whether the company and its leader complied with disclosure protocols intended to protect state secrets, people with knowledge of the matter said.

Seeking Relief From Brain Injury, Some Veterans Turn to Psychedelics

Unable to find effective treatments at home, veterans with brain-injury symptoms are going abroad for psychedelics like ibogaine that are illegal in the U.S.

The New York Times — Sunday, December 15, 2024

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Syria Shudders as Assad’s Prison Atrocities Come Into the Light

At the country’s most notorious prison, Syrians confront their worst fears: that they will never know what happened to the loved ones who disappeared.

South Korea’s President Is Impeached After Martial Law Crisis

Some members of President Yoon Suk Yeol’s own party helped remove him from office. But the political uncertainty is far from over.

What Ever Happened to the Lady Jaguars?

When we met them a dozen years ago, they were teenagers in trouble, playing for a basketball team that always lost. Did they find a way to win at life?

Gas Could Mean Billions for Indigenous People in Canada. Some Fear a Cost.

New export terminals along the rugged Pacific coastline have reignited a generations-old debate over identity and environmental stewardship.