Watching the Trump show from the distance afforded by my brief leave of absence has been like watching a frenzy of ants. It’s hypnotic, in part because it appears devoid of meaning. Keep your eye on the bouncing ball, goes the adage. But what if the ball is a blur? When Trump was in business, […]

Britain is moving towards an exit from the European Union on March 29, possibly with no agreement, and thus courting – according to the Bank of England – an 8 percent drop in GDP and a 7.5 percent rise in unemployment. A drear prospect, attended by matching drear commentaries on the stupidity of the 52 […]

At 3 a.m. on Jan. 10, bleary-eyed Congolese sat stunned in front on their TVs and radios. The preliminary results of the Democratic Republic of Congo’s presidential elections were announced, and it was not, as many had feared, the anointed successor of President Joseph Kabila. Nor was it the opposition leader Martin Fayulu, whom the […]

This article is part of David Leonhardt’s newsletter. You can sign up here to receive it each weekday. First, Obamacare marches on: In the latest sign of the law’s success, Maine has become the 36th state to expand Medicaid, thanks to the insistence of the state’s voters. Janet Mills, Maine’s new Democratic governor, implemented the […]

International media companies and platforms would have us all consume the same movies, television shows and music, streamed across the globe. Unfortunately, censorship is becoming globalized alongside culture. In response to a request by Saudi authorities, Netflix recently removed an episode of the stand-up comedy show “Patriot Act,” featuring Hasan Minhaj. The Saudi government accused […]

We have a year and seven fretful months before the Democratic Party’s national convention decides its nominee for president in July 2020. In the last race, the Republicans fielded 17 major candidates. The smart money was on Florida Governor Jeb Bush. He dropped out in February 2016, too choked up to mention Donald Trump, who […]

(Want to get this briefing by email? Here’s the sign-up.) Good morning. The oceans are warming up faster than thought, the U.S. shutdown remained a logjam, and Norway disclosed the kidnapping of a tycoon’s wife. Here’s the latest: Oceans are warming far faster than we thought A new analysis reports that ocean temperatures are rising […]

“Government,” declared Ronald Reagan in his first Inaugural Address, “is not the solution to our problem, government is the problem.” Republicans have echoed his rhetoric ever since. Somehow, though, they’ve never followed through on the radical downsizing of government their ideology calls for. But now Donald Trump is, in effect, implementing at least part of […]

To the Editor: Re “A Woman’s Rights” (editorial series): As a reproductive health care provider at Family Health Options Kenya, I found that my efforts to resuscitate dying women and children were the most devastating moments of my career. I remember Jennifer (it’s a pseudonym), 21, who was 33 weeks pregnant, living in Kibera, an […]

To the Editor: Re “Trump Walks Out When Pelosi Says No to Wall Funds” (front page, Jan. 10): Much has been made of the fact that as a candidate Donald Trump promised repeatedly to build a border wall that Mexico would pay for. We should not forget, however, that he also claimed that nobody negotiated […]