Tag Archives: Writing

THE NEW YORK TIMES – FRIDAY, JANUARY 23, 2026

Hundreds of Minnesota Businesses Are Set to Close in Protest Against ICE

Many business owners won’t open their doors today after protesters called for a pause on economic activity and work as part of a strike against the federal immigration crackdown.

D.H.S. Cited Foreign Students’ Writings and Protests Before Their Arrests

Trump Rescinds Canada’s Invitation to Join His ‘Board of Peace’

President Trump appeared to be lashing out in response to Prime Minister Mark Carney’s remarks that rejected his efforts to dismantle the international order.

European Leaders to Propose Greenland Investment and Arctic Security Plans

The Final Indignities Inflicted on Iran’s Protest Victims

Witness testimony and videos from Tehran’s largest cemetery show disrespectful treatment of the dead after a brutal government crackdown.

TikTok Strikes Deal for New U.S. Entity, Ending Long Legal Saga

The app’s Chinese parent company said it had reached a deal with a group of non-Chinese investors to create a new American TikTok to avoid a ban in the U.S.

After TikTok Deal, Chinese Companies Search for a New Global Path

Chinese firms must contend with geopolitical tensions and mistrust to do business in the United States. Some are choosing to avoid the U.S. altogether.

THE NEW YORK REVIEW OF BOOKS – FEBRUARY 12, 2026

Table of Contents - February 12, 2026 | The New York Review of Books

THE NEW YORK REVIEW OF BOOKS: The latest issue features Alma Guillermoprieto on the US’s mad invasion of Venezuela; Fintan O’Toole on the nightmare of Trumpian imperialism; Hermione Lee on Gertrude Stein; Ian Frazier on the sea of chicken; Jérôme Tubiana on the crisis in Darfur; Jenny Uglow on precious stones; Beatrice Radden Keefe on Gothic fever; Aryeh Neier and Gara LaMarche on the dire state of philanthropy in Trump’s America; Regina Marler on Jane DeLynn; Laurence H. Tribe on Jill Lepore; poems by Fernando Pessoa, Ben Lerner, and Kathleen Ossip; and much more.

A More Pliant Chavista

President Trump’s decision to support Delcy Rodríguez as Venezuela’s new leader makes clear that oil, not democracy, is his main concern.

Whose Hemisphere?

The US capture of Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro reinforces the Trump administration’s capacity to invent any pretext to justify the use of armed force.

Epic Ambitions

A new life of Gertrude Stein treats her as a philosopher of language to trust, not explain—and gathers force from archival discoveries and intriguing plots of her reception and reputation.

Gertrude Stein: An Afterlife by Francesca Wade

Is the Constitution ‘Dead, Dead, Dead’?

The difficulty of amending the Constitution does not mean that it is a flawed and outdated relic of a distant past.

We the People: A History of the US Constitution by Jill Lepore

THE NEW YORK TIMES – THURSDAY, JANUARY 22, 2026

China Wins as Trump Cedes Leadership of the Global Economy

President Trump used a keynote speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, to renounce the last vestiges of the liberal democratic order.

Trump Promotes Gaza Plan and Meets With Zelensky at Davos

Few Voters Say Trump’s Second Term Has Made the Country Better, Poll Finds

Trump’s Rift With Europe Is Clear. Europe Must Decide What to Do About It.

After President Trump aired his disdain for Europe, its leaders will gather in Brussels Thursday to take stock of what comes next.5h agoBy Steven Erlanger and Jeanna Smialek

THE GUARDIAN WEEKLY – JANUARY 23, 2026 PREVIEW

THE GUARDIAN WEEKLY: The latest issue features ‘On Thin Ice’ – Why Trump wants Greenland – and what it means for the western alliance.

The dystopian nightmare of 2026 continued apace this week with Donald Trump seemingly hell-bent on taking over Greenland, either by purchase or military force if necessary, while potentially collapsing the entire western security alliance in the process.

Updates were delivered by the US president to European leaders in a trademark stream of social media insults and invective. As ever with Trump, it’s hard to tell if it all should be read as maximalist positioning ahead of a negotiation, or a genuine precursor to a military attack. But as Patrick Wintour and Jennifer Rankin write in this week’s Big Story, the damage among fellow Nato members already looks to have been done.

Melting sea ice has much to do with Greenland’s increasing strategic desirability. With the help of some great graphics, visuals editor Ashley Kirk explains what’s changing in the Arctic and who lays claim to what.

Spotlight | The man who trusted Trump – and paid with his life
Many Iranian protesters believed a US president would – for the first time – rescue them, but now people can only despair after mass arrests and brutality. Deepa Parent and William Christou report

Environment | Where have all Thailand’s dugongs gone?

The Andaman coast was one of few places in the world with a viable population of the marine mammals, but then dead ones began washing up. Now half have gone. Gloria Dickie reports from Phuket

Feature | Cuba edges closer to collapse
Disillusioned with the revolution after 68 years of US sanctions and a shattered economy, one in four Cubans have left in recent years. Can the regime, and country, survive? By Andrei Netto in Havana

Opinion | Take a lesson from the past, and light the way forward
As Martin Kettle writes his last regular column for the Guardian, his thoughts turn to the examples and hope we can take from history

Culture | Michael Sheen on launching Welsh National Theatre
As the newly founded national company’s first show comes to the stage, the proudly Welsh actor tells Kate Wyver about his plan to bring big productions back to his homeland

THE NEW YORK TIMES – WEDNESDAY, JAN. 21, 2026

Justices Seem Poised to Reject Trump’s Attempt to Fire Fed Governor

During arguments, the Supreme Court appeared concerned that the president’s efforts to oust Lisa Cook could imperil the central bank’s independence.

Trump Assails Europe and Demands Control of Greenland

U.S. Pivot in Syria Leaves an Old Ally in the Lurch

A Kurdish force that helped defeat the Islamic State is collapsing as the Trump administration turns to back the new Syrian government.

U.S. Starts Moving ISIS Detainees From Syria to Iraq

Israeli Strikes in Gaza Kill 11, Including Three Journalists

THE NEW YORK TIMES – TUESDAY, JANUARY 20, 2026

European Leaders Push Back as Trump Reinforces Greenland Threats

President Trump fired off a series of mocking social media posts overnight that underscored his designs on Greenland and risked damaging a longstanding diplomatic alignment.

A Venezuelan Political Prisoner Finally Comes Home

Ángel Godoy was jailed after writing columns that angered the government of President Nicolás Maduro. Now his family is trying to make up for lost time.

With Threats to Greenland, Trump Sets America on the Road to Conquest

After a century of defending other countries against foreign aggression, the U.S. is now positioned as an imperial power trying to seize another nation’s land.

Trump’s First Year Could Have Lasting Economic Consequences

President Trump’s policies have so far done little to change the state of the American economy, but economists warn they will ultimately weaken the U.S.

Supreme Court to Hear Case Testing Limits of Hawaii Gun Law

The justices will hear arguments over whether a Hawaii law that imposes restrictions on carrying concealed weapons violates the Second Amendment.

THE NEW YORK TIMES – MONDAY, JANUARY 19, 2026

Starmer Tells Trump Tariff Threat Over Greenland Is Wrong

Prime Minister Keir Starmer of Britain told President Trump that it would be wrong for him to tariff NATO allies as part of a campaign to control Greenland.

After Trump Reignites a Trade War Over Greenland, Europe Weighs Hitting Back

Europe’s dependence on the U.S. for NATO security limits its options. Its strongest response would be a trade “bazooka,” and other options are possible.

Noem Denies Use of Chemical Agents in Minnesota, Then Backtracks

Kristi Noem, the homeland security secretary, said officers had not used pepper spray and similar measures before being confronted with a contradictory video.

Pentagon Tells 1,500 Troops to Prepare for Possible Deployment to Minnesota

n+1 Magazine – Winter ’26

n+1 Magazine: The latest issue features the ‘Winter 2026 issue, CLOSE ENCOUNTERS’ – H is for hawks. Trump’s cleavage: a semiotic investigation. Haters, waiters, trash containers. Emily Callaci and Dayna Tortorici on intra-feminist debates. Matthew Porges on new space odysseys.

Sinophobic Sinophilia

In the contemporary Chinese context, the idea that crucial parts of the central government could simply cease to operate for more than a month, as part of a procedural standoff between rival governing factions, would beggar belief. And in turn, to an American observer, the thought that miles of new high-speed rail lines could simply materialize by bureaucratic fiat, unencumbered by years of legislative horse-trading, environmental review, suburban backlash, and budgetary overshoot, is no less astonishing.

City of Meh

Adams will be remembered for his petty corruption, his self-mythologizing, and his ignominious dealmaking with the Trump White House; but he should also be remembered as the mayor who got New Yorkers to stop tossing giant bags of trash onto city sidewalks as if there were no alternative. You can laugh at a New York mayor who walks into a press conference wheeling out a trash can, beaming as if he invented the contraption, while “Empire State of Mind” blares triumphantly in the background. But truly, Adams’s proclaimed “trash revolution” represented a tremendous advance over abysmal past practice.

Mere Domination

“Men make their own history,” Marx wrote, “but they do not make it as they please; they do not make it under self-selected circumstances, but under circumstances existing already, given and transmitted from the past.” That may be broadly true, but Dick Cheney got to make history under the exact circumstances he would have chosen.

THE NEW YORK TIMES – SUNDAY, JANUARY 18, 2026

After Trump Reignites a Trade War Over Greenland, Europe Weighs Going All-Out

Europe’s dependence on the United States for NATO security limits its options. Its strongest response could be retaliating with its own trade “bazooka.”

Why It’s Hard to Run Venezuela

Venezuela sprawls over terrain twice the size of California, with vast tracts of treacherous jungles, steep mountains and cities filled with guns.

Under Patel, F.B.I. Scours Its Records to Discredit Trump Opponents

As the F.B.I. has added payback to its portfolio, Republican lawmakers have emerged as a clearinghouse for leaks and whistle-blowers.

D.H.S.’s Role Questioned as Immigration Officers Flood U.S. Cities

The Department of Homeland Security was formed after 9/11 amid international terrorism threats. Now, its most visible targets are domestic.

Conservative Rally Organizer Chased From Minneapolis Streets by Counterprotesters

How Many People Has the Trump Administration Deported So Far?

An analysis of government data reveals it was the nature of the deportations, rather than their number, that changed the most.

THE NEW YORK TIMES – SATURDAY, JANUARY 17, 2026

Justice Dept. Is Said to Begin Criminal Inquiry Into Minnesota Leaders

The investigation into Gov. Tim Walz and Mayor Jacob Frey is a major escalation in the state-federal battle over the conduct of immigration agents in Minneapolis.

The People of Minneapolis vs. ICE: A Street-Level View

Video Analysis of ICE Shooting Sheds Light on Contested Moments

Iran’s Supreme Leader, Unbending Over Time

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has built his 37-year rule on uncompromising repression. His answer to the current protests is no different.

What to Know About the Protests in Iran

Trump Has Machado’s Nobel Prize, but Neither Got What They Really Wanted

President Trump has María Corina Machado’s medal, but he is not recognized as the Nobel laureate. She did not win his endorsement to become Venezuela’s president.

In Spain’s ‘Little Caracas,’ Venezuelan Exiles Are Still Waiting

In the largest Venezuelan community outside the Americas, many cheered Nicolás Maduro’s capture, but were adapting to the fact that his allies remained in charge.