Tag Archives: Writing

THE NEW YORK TIMES – SATURDAY, MARCH 21, 2026

U.S. Lifts Sanctions on Iranian Oil as War Enters Fourth Week

The move reversed earlier efforts to impose “maximum pressure” on Iran and reflected how little success the Trump administration has had in calming global markets.

Why Energy Is Such a Potent Target in the War With Iran

The Strait of Hormuz Was Supposed to Be Too Big to Fail

But at just 35 miles wide, it did. It’s just the latest evidence of how dependent the global economy is on a handful of choke points.

Striking Down Pentagon Press Limits, Judge Vindicates Independent Journalism

The ruling cut deeper than left-versus-right politics, declaring that the policy imposed by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was unconstitutional.

Judge Rules Pentagon Restrictions on Press Are Unconstitutional

It was a victory for The Times, which filed suit challenging the rules.

Public References to Cesar Chavez Are Being Removed Across the U.S.

The removals followed a New York Times investigation that revealed the labor leader sexually abused women and girls.

THE NEW YORK TIMES – FRIDAY, MARCH 20, 2026

Oil Prices Remain High as More Attacks Are Reported in the Mideast

The price of oil eased only slightly after the Trump administration sought to calm markets. A drone attack caused fires at a Kuwaiti oil refinery for a second day.

U.S. Military Ramps Up to Clear Strait of Hormuz

Israel and the U.S. Are Starting to Show Their Different Priorities in Iran

The U.S. is a superpower that views Iran through the prism of global responsibilities and strategic goals. Israel has a much more regional approach.

Spain Says the Sun Shields It From Rising Gas Costs. Is That True?

Using Charm and Restraint, Japan’s Leader Mostly Avoids Trump’s Wrath

During her first visit to the White House, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi drew praise from President Trump. The war in the Middle East will test their relationship.

Cesar Chavez Avenue May Soon Be Gone. Yet to Be Confronted: His Legacy.

After revelations of sex abuse, the public is left to make sense of the labor leader’s work and life.

THE GUARDIAN WEEKLY – MARCH 20, 2026 PREVIEW

THE GUARDIAN WEEKLY: The latest issue features ‘The Squeeze’ – How Iran Blocked The Straight of Hormuz…and What Comes Next.

As fighting in the Middle East entered its third week, focus has shifted to Tehran’s closure of a key maritime passage, and the potentially huge global economic impact.

For our big story this week, Jillian Ambrose explains how the war in Iran has effectively blocked the Gulf states from exporting a fifth of the world’s oil supply through the strait of Hormuz. Peter Beaumont sets out the significance of the route and the possible options to counter the blockade, while Hannah Ellis-Petersen reports on the building anger and resentment in the region over being dragged into a war they did not start and had diplomatically tried to prevent.

Peter also looks at “the escalation trap” that lies ahead for both sides in the conflict, and we have on-the-ground reports from Jason Burke in northern Israel and William Christou in southern Lebanon, as well as a stark account of day-to-day life from inside Tehran.

Spotlight | ‘Extraordinary cruelty’
Kaamil Ahmed and Alex Clark examine the evidence that starvation is being used as a weapon of war in Sudan

Technology | Star fruit
As Apple reaches its half-century, Chris Stokel-Walker rounds up its biggest triumphs and flops

Feature | Feminism’s not dead!
In a stirring riposte to all those who have declared the death of the women’s movement, Rebecca Solnit outlines the advances that have been made and argues it’s no time to give up the fight

Opinion | The British right’s Maga obsession
UK conservatives were once hostile to the US, but now are keen to emphasise loyalty to Trump above all else, writes Kojo Koram

Culture | One win after another
After 11 nominations without a single win, film-maker Paul Thomas Anderson deservedly struck gold at the Oscars with One Battle After Another, says Xan Brooks

THE NEW YORK TIMES – THURSDAY, MARCH 19, 2026

Oil Prices Soar Amid Attacks on Energy Facilities in Gulf

Oil and natural gas prices climbed and European gas prices surged as tit-for-tat attacks on energy infrastructure in the Persian Gulf heightened fears that the war would set off an energy crisis.

On Iran, Gabbard Turned Over Intelligence Duties to Trump

For U.S., Unmet Expectations in Iran Fit a Familiar Pattern in the Region

Iran’s military retaliation and political defiance evoke a decades-old pattern of unrealized goals for American interventions in the region.

Iran Maintains Near-Total Internet Blackout Amid U.S.-Israeli Strikes

E.U. Loan for Ukraine Becomes Election Leverage for Orban

European leaders are pushing Prime Minister Viktor Orban to stop blocking a €90 billion loan to Ukraine. But the issue is a rallying cry in remarkably close elections in Hungary set for April 12.

THE NEW YORK TIMES – WEDNESDAY, MARCH 18, 2026

Netanyahu Hopes Strikes on Iran Will Lead to Uprising and Regime Change

Israel’s attacks are part of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s strategy to encourage Iranians to overthrow their rulers. Some see that as wishful thinking.

Trump’s Friendship With Japan’s Leader Faces Test Over Iran

Israel Escalates Attacks in Lebanon as Iran Strikes Near Tel Aviv

Israel carried out deadly strikes in Beirut, intensifying its assault against Hezbollah militants. Tehran retaliated for the killing of its de facto leader.

Kharg Island Is an Appealing Target for Trump, With High Risks

Why This Jump in U.S. Gas Prices Feels Different

Here’s a state-by-state look at the increase, and how it could affect you.

THE NEW YORK TIMES – TUESDAY, MARCH 17, 2026

Israel Says It Has Killed Iran’s De Facto Leader

Ali Larijani, Iran’s top security official, was killed in an overnight strike, the Israeli military said. His death would deal another severe blow to Iran’s power structure.

Death of Ali Larijani Would Be a Blow to Iran’s Power Structure

The killing of Mr. Larijani would remove a prominent voice of defiance who was also seen as a pragmatist with the clout to negotiate with the U.S.

Pulled Into War, Gulf Countries Face the Limits of U.S. Security Guarantees

Barraged by Iranian attacks and questioning the value of security ties with the U.S., Gulf countries have turned to Ukraine, Australia and Italy for help.

War in the Gulf Is Now Churning the U.S.-China Relationship

With a presidential summit most likely delayed, and tensions rising over Iran, vital issues for the U.S. and China are also being cast into uncertainty.

Afghan Officials Say at Least 400 Dead in Pakistani Airstrike on Kabul

The attack hit a drug rehabilitation facility, Afghanistan said, suggesting that its victims included civilians. Pakistan said it had targeted an ammunitions depot.

What to Know About the Clashes Between Pakistan and Afghanistan

THE NEW YORK TIMES – MONDAY, MARCH 16, 2026

Trump Disparages Allies for Rebuffing His Requests for Military Assistance

“We don’t need anybody,” President Trump declared, even as he said several countries had agreed to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

Israel’s Expanding Ground Assault in Lebanon Meets Resistance in Hilltop Town

‘This Is Not Our War’: Europe and U.K. Push Back Against Trump’s Demands

America Is an Oil Exporter. Why Does a Mideast War Raise U.S. Gas Prices?

With Iran War, Trump Risks Stepping on Gains From His Own Tax Cuts

President Trump’s war in Iran has raised some costs just as many Americans were starting to see savings from last year’s tax cuts

One of Epstein’s Levers of Power: Access to Elite Private Schools

Jeffrey Epstein used that access to build relationships and gain influence even after he was convicted of sex crimes in Florida.

The Epstein Files: A Timeline

GAGOSIAN QUARTERLY – SPRING 2026 PREVIEW

Gagosian Quarterly Spring 2026 | Gagosian Quarterly

Gagosian Quarterly: The Spring 2026 issue features Jeff Koons pays homage to Duchamp’s tremendous generosity. On the occasion of an exhibition of historic works by Jasper Johns, Larry Gagosian reflects on the artist’s crosshatching technique and its impact on audiences past and present. We also trace the evolution of Michael Heizer’s complex negative sculptures and celebrate the fortieth anniversary of Nan Goldin’s The Ballad of Sexual Dependency.

The House on Utopia Parkway: Joseph Cornell’s Studio Re-Created by Wes Anderson

The House on Utopia Parkway: Joseph Cornell’s Studio Re-Created by Wes Anderson is an exhibition conceived by curator Jasper Sharp and the acclaimed American filmmaker. The show brings Cornell’s New York studio to the heart of Paris, transforming Gagosian’s storefront gallery into a meticulously staged tableau—part time capsule, part life-size shadow box—for the first solo presentation of the artist’s work in Paris in more than four decades. In this video, Anderson discusses the genesis of the exhibition and the process by which it came together.

Michael Heizer: Negative Sculpture

Michael Heizer: Negative Sculpture

Across his nearly six-decade career, Michael Heizer has continued to probe the possibilities of sculptural form defined by its absence. His exhibition Negative Sculpture features Convoluted Line A and Convoluted Line B, among the artist’s most complex negative sculptures. Here, we consider a selection of works that have preceded the new sculptures.

Over the Guardrails, Into the Water

Over the Guardrails, Into the Water

Mike Stinavage meets with actor—and now director—Kristen Stewart to talk about her debut feature-length film, The Chronology of Water.

Berthe Weill

Berthe Weill

Valentina Castellani is the author of Trading Beauty: Art Market Histories from the Altar to the Gallery (2026), an expansive history of the art market and of the dealers who charted its course. Here—inspired by the recent exhibition Make Way for Berthe Weill: Art Dealer of the Parisian Avant-garde at the Musée de l’Orangerie, Paris—Castellani considers the impact of the French gallerist.

Titus Kaphar: The Fire This Time

Titus Kaphar: The Fire This Time

On the occasion of his exhibition The Fire This Time at Gagosian, Paris, Titus Kaphar explores themes of history, representation, and collective memory in his recent paintings and hand-carved wood sculptures.

A Tremendous Generosity: Jeff Koons on Marcel Duchamp

A Tremendous Generosity: Jeff Koons on Marcel Duchamp

Jeff Koons tells Alison McDonald about his appreciation for the pioneering artist and thinker Marcel Duchamp.

Jonas Wood: The Rules of the Game

Jonas Wood: The Rules of the Game

Following a recent visit to Jonas Wood’s Los Angeles studio, Justin Beal thinks through the artist’s paintings of tennis courts—the subject of an exhibition at Gagosian, Beverly Hills—examining their relation to the game, color theory, and the rewards of practice.

Game Changer
Beatrice Wood

Beatrice Wood

Salomé Gómez-Upegui honors Beatrice Wood, the “Mama of Dada,” an underappreciated trailblazer within the movement who went on to become a brilliant ceramist.

Jasper Johns: Between the Clock and the Bed

Jasper Johns: Between the Clock and the Bed

On January 22, Gagosian, in partnership with Castelli Gallery, opened an exhibition of historic works by Jasper Johns at the 980 Madison Avenue gallery in New York. A survey of the crosshatch paintings and drawings that dominated his practice from 1973 to 1983, the presentation united works that have rarely been seen with loans from sources including distinguished American museums. The exhibition commemorates the fiftieth anniversary of this body of work’s debut at Castelli Gallery in 1976. Here, Larry Gagosian speaks with the Quarterly’s Alison McDonald about the impetus for this project, his memories of seeing the exhibition in 1976, and the enduring impact of these paintings on artists and collectors.

Nan Goldin: Another Word for Love

Nan Goldin: Another Word for Love

For the fortieth anniversary of Nan Goldin’s genre-defining photobook The Ballad of Sexual Dependency (Aperture, 1986), Gagosian, London, will be exhibiting all of its 126 photographs, the first time the entire body of work will be shown in the United Kingdom. To celebrate the occasion, David Velasco looks back to the series’ creation and evolution, considering the radical exploration of seeing and love at the core of The Ballad.

Frank Gehry: Every Building, a Self-Portrait

Frank Gehry: Every Building, a Self-Portrait

Deborah McLeod, senior director at Gagosian, Beverly Hills, reflects on the generous and innovative vision of Frank Gehry. Having worked with the architect and artist for more than a decade, McLeod addresses his outsize impact on the city of Los Angeles and the world beyond.

Fashion and Art: Thomas Gainsborough

Fashion and Art: Thomas Gainsborough

The Frick Collection, New York, opened Gainsborough: The Fashion of Portraiture on February 12. The first exhibition devoted to the English artist’s portraiture ever held in New York, the show comprises more than two dozen paintings and explores the role of fashion in Gainsborough’s depictions, in terms both of the sitters’ clothes and of the larger context of class, labor, craft, and time. Aimee Ng, the Frick’s Peter Jay Sharp Chief Curator, has been working on the show for a decade; last fall she met with the Quarterly’s Derek C. Blasberg to talk about this historic project.

THE NEW YORK TIMES – SUNDAY, MARCH 15, 2026

Israel Launches New Strikes on Iran

Iran’s foreign minister claimed the Strait of Hormuz was open to all except America or its allies.

For Trump, a Promised Economic Boom Collides With the Costs of War

President Trump had envisioned a growing economy and improving fortunes for American families in 2026. That appears at risk with the war with Iran.

Iran and the U.S.: A Long History of Antagonism

The governments of both countries have repeatedly cast the other as evil, perpetuating a cycle that has culminated in the present war.

The Billionaire Backlash Against a Philanthropic Dream

The Giving Pledge, once trendy among the world’s richest, has come upon hard times.

It’s Good to Be a Billionaire, Even at Tax Time

Paying taxes would feel better if the truly rich were bearing a fair share, our columnist writes.

Are Driverless Cars Safe? Waymo’s C.E.O. Has Been Trying to Make the Case.

Waymo’s co-chief executive, Tekedra Mawakana, knows she needs to earn the public’s trust. It won’t be easy.

6 min read

THE NEW YORK TIMES – SATURDAY, MARCH 14, 2026

Why Little Was Done to Head Off Oil’s Strait of Hormuz Problem

Geography and regional rivalries have prevented Gulf countries from finding a true alternative to the strait, which the war with Iran has effectively shut down.

U.S. Bombs Iranian Oil Hub

President Trump threatened to “wipe out” oil infrastructure on Kharg Island. The U.S. embassy in Baghdad was hit for the second time, an Iran-backed militia group said.

Trump and Rubio’s Vision of War: The Art of Destroy and Deal

TikTok Investors Are Set to Pay $10 Billion Fee to Trump Administration

The large fee is the latest example of the White House’s inserting itself into corporate deal making in unusual and aggressive ways.

Is Latin America Ready to Abandon Cuba?

Latin America’s left saw Cuba as its lodestar. Now leaders across the spectrum are hesitant to aid a nation in the Trump administration’s cross hairs.