THE NEW YORK TIMES MAGAZINE:The 8.23.26 Issue features Christopher Cox on the fragility of American power grids; Christopher Payne’s images of transformers; Nicholas Casey on people who came to the U.S. and were deported to countries like Eswatini; and more.
In matters of work, school and even romance, we turn to A.I. chatbots. But what happens when the bots begin talking to one another? By Callie Holtermann
As the Trump administration sends a growing number of immigrants to countries they have no connection to, some find themselves imprisoned with no way out. By Nicholas Casey
In a rare interview, the onetime political outcast reflects on her route from “the uncomfortable side of history” to the threshold of leading Italy’s most durable postwar government.
President Trump’s promises to restore fiscal order and reduce America’s debt have been hampered by spending on the Iran war, tax cuts and tariff refunds.
Trump’s Order to Cut Military Exercises With South Korea Carries Risks, Experts Say
President Trump’s decision to curtail the military exercises came as allies question the U.S. commitment to longstanding alliances.
For weeks, there has been no diplomatic progress, but also no full-scale fighting, as both sides seem to believe they can hold out longer than the other.
Moscow is taking advantage of Ukraine’s depleted stock of interceptors and is intensifying attacks, worsening the civilian death toll.24m agoBy Constant Méheut
The curtain came down last week on the summer sideshow of the Clacton byelection, called by Nigel Farage amid mounting scrutiny of his finances.
For our big story this week, Daniel Boffey explores what this campaign – in which the Reform UK leader’s main challenger was a parody candidate called Count Binface – tells us about the current state of politics in Britain.
Farage’s byelection win brought the situation full circle as, shortly after he was declared victor, parliament’s standards watchdog announced it had reopened its investigation into him, report Rowena Mason and Peter Walker.
Analysing the result, political correspondent Alexandra Topping brands the contest futile and says that while Farage aimed to make the financial questions surrounding him disappear, it was the MP himself who has been absent from the political stage over the past few weeks.
Spotlight | Scramble for soldiers As battlefield losses mount, Pjotr Sauer asks whether Vladimir Putin will order another mobilisation
Science | Wing and a prayer A disease threatening bat species has spread to northern Canada. Trina Moyles reports on the race to find a cure
Feature | A hymn to the weekend In 1926, Henry Ford gave his employees both Saturdays and Sundays off – and the two-day chunk of time to party, pray or simply do nothing was born. Now the weekend has changed beyond recognition, says Jess Cartner-Morley
Opinion | Meet the second most dangerous man in the US As chief US diplomat, Marco Rubio could do great good. But, says Simon Tisdall, his pandering and neglect are a disgrace we shouldn’t ignore
Culture | Through my eyes As their new album is released, Sam Smith talks to Juan A Ramírez about fans, fame and finding sanctuary in New York
HARPER’S MAGAZINE:Erin Somers charts the rise and fall of cultivated meat, Barrett Swanson reports on the Ugly People Festival in Italy, Kyle Berlin on the French bestseller whose controversy divided the country, a pseudonymous memoir of a government official in Beijing, Finn Brunton on prediction markets and crypto-anarchism, Thomas Frank on the Obama Center, Kasia Boddy reviews William Kennedy’s Albany Trilogy, five stories from Diane Williams, and more.
Where’s The Beef?
The lab-grown-meat revolution that wasn’t by Erin Somers