Like the majority of western news organisations, the Guardian has had no correspondent or reporter in Moscow since the invasion of Ukraine. But the Kremlin’s efforts to shut down outside media coverage has not stopped us from taking the political temperature of Russia. Indeed, as Pjotr Sauer and Shaun Walker report, attempts to close off the country have lost Vladimir Putin support among both the elites and ordinary citizens.
Talking to contacts made from many years working inside Russia, Pjotr and Shaun detail a shifting mood as the invasion drags on into its fourth summer with the economic and personal costs being increasingly felt at home. As one insider explains, “there is profound disappointment in Putin”, accompanied by “a growing sense that some kind of catastrophe is looming”.
The narrative of a bunkered ruler surrounded by underlings too scared to tell them the truth historically leads to putsch or revolution but our analysis shows that at present, though the winds may be chilling at home, Putin is far from being frozen out of power.
Spotlight | Ebola: ‘Out of control’ A new strain of virus, aid cuts and conflict in parts of the Democratic Republic of the Congo have hampered efforts to halt the spread of the virus, report Prosper Heri Ngorora in Goma and Carlos Mureithi
Science | Here be monsters An exhibition, Jurassic Oceans, at London’s Natural History Museum, showcases the fearsome creatures that once lurked below the surface – and offers a stark warning about the impact of warming waters on marine ecosystems today. Matthew Pearce dives in
Feature | When the lights went out in Berlin Earlier this year power was cut to a swathe of the German capital. A shadowy organisation, Volcano Group, claimed responsibility. But in the absence of any leads, theories of eco-terrorism, Russian meddling and far-right activity have flourished, discovers Ben Knight
Opinion | Victory doesn’t happen overnight Arsenal’s careful planning to regain the Premier League title is a lesson in long-term thinking that the Labour party, and Arsenal fan Keir Starmer, should pay attention to, argues Jonathan Freedland
Culture | Back to black with Whistler What does restoring Arrangement in Grey and Black No 1, or Whistler’s Mother, teach you about the artist who heralded a century of great American artists and about the craft of painting colour? Sarah Walden uncovers it all
The outbreaks of hantavirus and Ebola expose the shortsightedness of America’s retreat, under the Trump Administration, from its role as a global-health leader. By Dhruv Khullar
The Trump-Epstein Files: Look but Don’t Touch
The Donald J. Trump and Jeffrey Epstein Memorial Reading Room, in Tribeca, housed three and a half million bound files, along with a handy time line charting the ickiness. By Charlotte Goddu
How Problematic Is Patriotism?
National pride in America has plummeted in the Trump era. Is it worth trying to salvage? By Arthur Krystal
By invoking the American Revolution, twentieth-century anticolonial figures connected their project with the movement for civil rights in the United States. Adom Getachew
THE NEW YORK TIMES MAGAZINE:The 5.24.26 Issue features Azeen Ghorayshi on testosterone and a new male ideal; Avraham Z. Cooper on the interstitium; M.H. Miller on the Venice Biennale; and more.
THE NEW REPUBLIC MAGAZINE: The latest issue features a cover story analyzing the president’s mental fitness alongside reporting on administration impacts on higher education, energy, and agriculture. The issue also explores social issues, including the anti-abortion movement, the rise of digital misogyny, and cultural critiques of television and literature.
His recent tirades confirmed what more than half of America now believes: The president is mentally unfit. How will we survive two and a half more years of this? And what’s he got in store for us?
The president has long been operating under the assumption that he is immune from prosecution. His latest scheme, however, may be a step too far.
Losing It
Seriously – 2 1/2 more years of this?
The Election Fraudsters Who Will Follow in Tina Peters’s Footsteps
We can debate all day whether Colorado Governor Jared Polis should have commuted her sentence. Meanwhile, state and local officials are openly preparing to meddle in the midterm elections.
Why Trump Is So Afraid of Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Kimmel, and The View
Political scientist Meredith Conroy says that late-night shows are still politically relevant in as their audiences shrink.
Intellicurious 