Category Archives: Newspapers

Front Page: The New York Times- Thursday May 4, 2023

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Fed Makes 10th Rate Increase and Opens Door to Pause

Cutting interest rates this year “is not in our forecast,” Jerome H. Powell, the Fed chair, said during a news conference on Wednesday.
CREDITPETE MAROVICH FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES

The Fed raised rates by a quarter point, bringing them above 5 percent for the first time in more than 15 years.

Moscow Claims Explosions Above the Kremlin Were an Attempt to Kill Putin

Russian law enforcement officers standing guard in Red Square in Moscow on Wednesday. Two drones detonated above the Kremlin earlier in the day.
CREDIT

Russia said Ukraine had launched a drone attack, which Kyiv vehemently denied, accusing Russia of manufacturing a pretext for escalation.

Companies Flock to Biden’s Climate Tax Breaks, Driving Up Cost

A law to boost clean energy appears to be more potent than predicted, with big implications for both budget talks and efforts to fight climate change.

The ‘Peace Dividend’ Is Over in Europe. Now Come the Hard Tradeoffs.

Defending against an unpredictable Russia in years to come will mean bumping up against a strained social safety net and ambitious climate transition plans.

Front Page: The New York Times — May 3, 2023

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After Pandemic Rebound, U.S. Manufacturing Droops

Colonial Diversified Polymer Products in Dyersburg, Tenn., makes molded rubber products like gaskets and mats.
CREDITWHITTEN SABBATINI FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES

Factories that roared out of the recession have stalled, hampering the economy, even as a new wave of production looms.

Is the Debt Limit Constitutional? Biden Aides Are Debating It.

President Biden is set to meet with Speaker Kevin McCarthy at the White House on May 9 to discuss fiscal policy.
CREDITAL DRAGO FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES

As the government heads toward a possible default on its debt as soon as next month, officials are entertaining a legal theory that previous administrations ruled out.

A Brutal Sex Trade Built for American Soldiers

It’s a long-buried part of South Korean history: women compelled by force, trickery or desperation into prostitution, with the complicity of their own leaders.

Writers Go on Strike and Late Shows Go Dark

How long they stay off the air is an open question. During the last strike, they gradually returned after a couple of months.

Front Page: The New York Times – Tuesday, May 2, 2023

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Late-Night Negotiating Frenzy Left First Republic in JPMorgan’s Control

A First Republic Bank in downtown San Francisco where the troubled institution is headquartered.
CREDIT

The resolution of First Republic Bank came after a frantic night of deal making by government officials and executives at the country’s biggest bank.

In an Unsteady Banking Industry, First Republic’s Problems Stood Out

Many banking industry experts say First Republic’s issues were unique to the once high-flying lender.
CREDITJIM WILSON/THE NEW YORK TIMES

The bank’s rivals appear on firmer footing this time, in contrast with the widespread panic after the failures of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank in March.

Ukraine Wants to Push Forward. Not So Fast, Says Its Black Soupy Mud.

The unusually wet ground is one obstacle that the Ukrainian military, for all of its ingenuity, is finding difficult to overcome as it prepares for a counteroffensive against Russian forces.

Short on Staff, Prisons Enlist Teachers and Case Managers as Guards

The patchwork system that has evolved to address the situation has drained morale among staff members and placed additional strains on prisoners.

Front Page: The New York Times – Monday, May 1, 2023

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They Refused to Fight for Russia. The Law Did Not Treat Them Kindly.

A pro-war sign in Russia. Despite widespread efforts to draft and retain soldiers, there has been a reported increase in AWOL cases.
CREDITNANNA HEITMANN FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES

Since Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, hundreds of Russian men have faced criminal charges for becoming war refuseniks. That has not stopped others from going to unusual lengths to avoid battle.

Iranian Insider and British Spy: How a Double Life Ended on the Gallows

Alireza Akbari during an interview in Tehran. Iran announced in January that Mr. Akbari had been executed on charges of espionage for Britain.
CREDITKHABAR ONLINE NEWS AGENCY

In January, Iran executed a former senior official who provided Britain with valuable intelligence on Iranian nuclear and military programs over a decade, according to Western intelligence officials.

Airman in Leaks Case Worked on a Global Network Essential to Drone Missions

Airman Jack Teixeira’s unit is part of a vast system that carries video and data from spy satellites and drone missions worldwide.

In San Francisco, a Troubled Year at a Whole Foods Market Reflects a City’s Woes

Tech workers have stayed home, and ongoing social problems downtown are forcing civic and business leaders to confront harsh realities about the city’s pandemic recovery.

Front Page: The New York Times — April 30, 2023

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Life in Ukraine’s Trenches: Gearing Up for a Spring Offensive

CREDITDAVID GUTTENFELDER FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES

With fighting in the eastern Donbas region settling into a bloody stalemate, a patch of the Zaporizhzhia region of southeastern Ukraine could prove to be the war’s next big theater.

How Scalia Law School Became a Key Friend of the Court

CREDITILLUSTRATION BY MEL HAASCH

The school cultivated ties to justices, with generous pay and unusual perks. In turn, it gained prestige, donations and influence.

As Biden Runs Again, Black Voters’ Frustration Bubbles

In interviews, Black voters, organizers and elected officials pointed to what some saw as unkept promises — raising questions about the enthusiasm of Democrats’ most loyal voters.

If You Don’t Use Your Land, These Marxists May Take It

The Landless Workers Movement organizes Brazil’s poor to take land from the rich. It is perhaps the largest — and most polarizing — social movement in Latin America.

Front Page: The New York Times — April 29, 2023

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Fed Slams Its Own Oversight of Silicon Valley Bank in Post-Mortem

The Federal Reserve faulted its oversight of Silicon Valley Bank, saying it failed to take forceful enough action to prevent its collapse.
CREDITJIM WILSON/THE NEW YORK TIMES

The Federal Reserve released hundreds of pages documenting how bank supervision and regulation failed to prevent the lender’s collapse. The F.D.I.C. released a separate report on Signature Bank.

North Carolina Gerrymander Ruling Reflects Politicization of Judiciary Nationally

The North Carolina Supreme Court reversed itself on Friday on a key voting rights case after its majority flipped from Democratic to Republican.
CREDITSEAN RAYFORD/GETTY IMAGES

When it had a Democratic majority last year, the North Carolina Supreme Court voided the state’s legislative and congressional maps as illegal gerrymanders. Now the court has a Republican majority, and says the opposite.

Homeless in the City Where He Was Once Mayor

Craig Coyner’s descent onto the streets of Bend, Ore., came after decades spent fighting as a lawyer and politician for those on the edge of society.

Gov. Hochul Gets a Budget Deal, but No Signature Win

The budget deal contained a series of hard-fought wins for the governor, but left her without a grand policy achievement to trumpet.

The New York Times Book Review – April 30, 2023

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The New York Times Book Review (April 30, 2023): On the cover this week – Ned Blackhawk’s “The Rediscovery of America,” a sweeping, important, revisionist work of American history that places Native Americans front and center. Illustrating it is “Les Castors du Roi,” a 2011 painting by Kent Monkman, a Cree artist in Canada’s Dish With One Spoon Territory.

Read Your Way Through Boston

An illustration depicting a snowy street in Boston; a man in the foreground is engrossed in reading his book.
Credit…Raphaelle Macaron

Paul Theroux, the quintessential travel writer, has also enshrined his Massachusetts roots in his writing. Here are his recommendations for those who come to visit.


My father, like many passionate readers, was a literary pilgrim in his native Massachusetts, a state rich in destinations, hallowed by many of the greatest writers in the language. “Look, Paulie, this is the House of the Seven Gables — go on, count them!”

Everything, Everywhere, in One Big Book

This color photo shows a woman flipping pages of a book posed on top of a long low bookcase filled with volumes. Behind the woman, stretching to the top of the photograph are more bookshelves filled with books.
A woman consults a book at the New York Public Library on Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street in Manhattan.Credit…Ángel Franco/The New York Times

In “All the Knowledge in the World,” Simon Garfield recounts the history of the encyclopedia — a tale of ambitious effort, numerous errors and lots of paper.

In ‘Ordinary Notes,’ a Radical Reading of Black Life

The book cover for “Ordinary Notes,” by Christina Sharpe, is lilac with bold black type. A blurry photo of houses at twilight sits along the bottom edge.

The scholar Christina Sharpe’s new book comprises memories, observations, artifacts and artworks — fragments attesting to the persistence of prejudice while allowing glimpses of something like hope.

Front Page: The New York Times — April 28, 2023

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U.S. Economy Continues to Grow, but More Slowly

CREDITKARL RUSSELL

Gross domestic product increased 1.1 percent in the first quarter as consumer spending remained robust despite higher interest rates.

Biden Faces His First Big Choice on Debt Limit

President Biden faces a cascading set of decisions as the nation barrels toward default. He will need to find what, if any, common ground on spending cuts he has with Republicans.
CREDITDOUG MILLS/THE NEW YORK TIMES

After Republicans passed a bill that pairs spending cuts and fossil fuel support with raising the nation’s borrowing cap, the president must decide when and how to negotiate

New York Officials Failed to Address the Housing Crisis. Now What?

The state seemed poised to take the first meaningful action in decades to address its deep housing shortage. But the plans fell apart, in yet another indictment of dysfunction in Albany.

Meet the Climate Hackers of Malawi

On tiny farms they’re testing creative ideas to stay ahead of the cascading threats — heat and drought, cyclones and floods — transforming their world.

Books: The Top Twelve Best Reviews – April 2023

12 Books to Read: The Best Reviews of April

Pegasus

Shakespeare’s Book: The Story Behind the First Folio and the Making of Shakespeare

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By Chris Laoutaris Pegasus

After William Shakespeare’s death, his colleagues collected his plays in a single, history-making volume. Review by Malcolm Forbes.

Read the review

The Best Minds: A Story of Friendship, Madness, and the Tragedy of Good Intentions

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By Jonathan Rosen Penguin Press

A young man’s ife of brilliant promise was overtaken when his struggle with mental illness took a turn into delusion and nightmare. Review by Richard J. McNally.

Read the review

A Brutal Reckoning: Andrew Jackson, the Creek Indians, and the Epic War for the American South

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By Peter Cozzens Knopf

The most consequential Indian war in U.S. history didn’t take place on the prairie but among the forsts and marshes of the Deep South. Atrocities were committed by both sides. Review by Fergus M. Bordewich.

Read the review

Knopf

The Earth Transformed: An Untold History

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By Peter Frankopan Knopf

The names and dates of battles that changed history are well-remembered. But what about storms or volcanic eruptions? For eons, human civilizations have shaped—and been shaped by—the natural world. Review by Tunku Varadarajan.

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Front Page: The New York Times — April 27, 2023

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House G.O.P. Passes Debt Limit Bill, Paving the Way for a Clash With Biden

Speaker Kevin McCarthy barely cobbled together the votes to pass his debt limit plan, which would cut spending and roll back parts of President Biden’s agenda.
CREDIT

House Republicans narrowly passed a bill to raise the debt ceiling while cutting spending by nearly 14 percent over a decade. President Biden has vowed to veto the measure.

On Eve of Trial, Discovery of Carlson Texts Set Off Crisis Atop Fox

The discovery of the texts added pressure on the Fox leadership as it sought to find a way to avoid a trial in the Dominion defamation lawsuit.
CREDITREBECCA NOBLE FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES

Private messages sent by Tucker Carlson that had been redacted in legal filings showed him making highly offensive remarks that went beyond the comments of his prime-time show.

In Searing Detail, Trump’s Accuser Tells Her Story

E. Jean Carroll, who says Donald Trump raped her, told a chilling story on the stand. The former president harangued her from outside the courtroom.

In an Indian Village, Cultivating Girls’ Big-League Dreams

A new $500 million women’s cricket league is offering the kind of opportunities that never existed before in India. The girls of one Punjab village are ready.