Members phkrause Posted November 14, 2023 Author Members Share Posted November 14, 2023 November 13, 2023 By German Lopez Good morning. We’re covering a change in America’s drug crisis — as well as Al Shifa Hospital, South Africa and Diana. In Kalamazoo, Mich.Hilary Swift for The New York Times Narrow focus When political leaders talk about America’s current drug crisis, they are typically referring to opioids like painkillers, heroin and fentanyl. And when they have passed laws to deal with the problem in the past decade, those policies have centered on opioids. They have, for example, focused on boosting access to medications that treat only opioid addiction or reverse only opioid overdoses. That narrow focus has neglected the rise of other drugs, as my colleague Jan Hoffman reports today. In the last five years, overdose deaths involving methamphetamine have tripled. Those linked to cocaine have doubled. People addicted to opioids increasingly use other substances, including meth, cocaine and prescription medications like Valium and Xanax. Meth use, in particular, has also made it difficult to stabilize patients and keep them in treatment for any drug, as one addiction doctor explained to Jan: The paranoia and hallucinations caused by meth disorient them, he said. One patient threw himself in a river to escape nonexistent people who were chasing him. Others insisted that dumpsters were talking to them, that color-coded cars were sending them messages. These types of problems are why experts have long urged policymakers to take a comprehensive approach to drug addiction. More support for opioid addiction medications is important, but so is funding underused treatments that address meth and cocaine addiction (such as paying people to stop using drugs). Treating a patient.Hilary Swift for The New York Times Revolving door The changing nature of the drug crisis was predictable, because drug use is historically faddish. In the 1970s, America struggled with heroin. In the ’80s, it was cocaine. In the ’90s and early 2000s, meth. Since then, opioids have taken off. One explanation for this is what’s known as generational forgetting: Young people tend to avoid the drug that is currently causing a crisis. But because they don’t have personal experiences with the drugs that caused harm before their time, they are more willing to use those substances. Different drugs can also complement each other, and so their popularity can rise simultaneously. Opioids, for example, often cause users to doze off, which can leave those who live on the streets vulnerable to theft or rape. So opioid users sometimes use stimulants, like meth and cocaine, to stay awake. And if they receive treatment for opioid addiction, they may continue using stimulants. All of this leads to a revolving door for different kinds of drug crises. It has happened before, and it is happening again. Read Jan’s full story, which includes details about the rise of a kind of meth so pure that some are calling it “super meth.” Related: Arizona rehab centers provided shoddy or nonexistent addiction treatment to Native Americans that cost the state as much as $1 billion, officials say. Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT THE LATEST NEWS Israel-Hamas War Israeli forces are closing in on Al Shifa, a major Gaza hospital. Israel accuses Hamas of building a command center underneath it. Hamas and hospital officials deny this claim and say Israel is risking innocent lives. The United States attacked armed groups in Syria, while Israel continued to strike Hezbollah in Lebanon. Benjamin Netanyahu pushed back against the idea that the Palestinian Authority, the Western-backed government in the occupied West Bank, could run Gaza after the war. “It’s only going to get worse”: As fighting rages on in Gaza, Israeli military raids and violent protests are on the rise in the West Bank. More than 100,000 people marched in cities across France to support Jewish citizens and protest antisemitism. Britain David CameronSuzanne Plunkett/Reuters David Cameron, the former British prime minister, is returning as foreign secretary. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is rearranging his cabinet after firing a minister who accused the police of favoring pro-Palestinian protesters. More International News “There’s no moving forward”: Young South Africans face one of the highest youth unemployment rates in the world. Hundreds of thousands of people protested in Spain after the prime minister promised amnesty to Catalan separatists in exchange for political support. Following a Times article, anticorruption officials in Nepal are investigating an airport financed and built by China. A pro-democracy government formed as an alternative to Myanmar’s junta operates out of a small office three blocks from the White House. Politics Senator Tim Scott suspended his campaign for the 2024 Republican nomination. The F.B.I. is investigating whether Mayor Eric Adams pressured officials to sign off on a new Turkish consulate in Manhattan despite safety concerns. Representative Brian Higgins, a New York Democrat, said he would leave the House early after 19 years, citing institutional dysfunction. An Alabama mayor killed himself after a news website published a photo of him in makeup and reported that he wrote erotic fiction. Demographics In Midland, Texas.Desiree Rios for The New York Times The children of immigrants, predominantly Hispanics, make up the fastest-growing demographic group in Texas, a Times analysis found. In Vermont, baby boomers are aging out of the work force and subsequent generations aren’t large enough to fully replace them. Business The Biden administration is investing billions in nuclear power. But the industry has consistently struggled to build plants on time and on budget. After Tesla fired an employee who had concerns about workplace safety, he leaked personnel records and sensitive data about driver-assistance software. Other Big Stories A small study found a gene editing treatment reduced dangerous cholesterol levels in patients with heart disease. A nearly two-mile section of a major Los Angeles freeway, Interstate 10, is closed indefinitely after a fire. Opinions Society wants women to get married. But the growing culture of commitment-averse men makes marriage a lofty goal, Anna Louie Sussman writes. Gail Collins and Bret Stephens discuss Israel and the Republican debate. Here are columns by David French on abortion and Jamelle Bouie on Republican culture wars. A subscription to match the variety of your interests. News. Games. Recipes. Product reviews. Sports reporting. A New York Times All Access subscription covers all of it and more. Subscribe today. MORNING READS A Burmese Python in the Everglades.Zack Wittman for The New York Times Less than charming: Meet the people whose job is to find and euthanize invasive pythons in Florida. Treasure: Billions in gold and jewels sank in 1708. Colombia’s government wants them found. A morning listen: One Tennessee county arrested and illegally jailed children. Listen to the four-part story, “The Kids of Rutherford County,” from “Serial.” Metropolitan Diary: “I have a strange request.” Lives Lived: Karen Davis was a fierce animal-rights activist who led campaigns to recognize the dignity of chickens, turkeys and other farmyard fowl. She died at 79. SPORTS Sunday Night Football: The New York Jets failed to score a touchdown for the second straight game in a 16-12 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders. Around the N.F.L.: The Houston Texans upset the Cincinnati Bengals, 30-27, thanks to the rookie phenom C.J. Stroud. And the Detroit Lions outlasted the Los Angeles Chargers in a 41-38 shootout. Here are takeaways. Superstar: Caitlin Clark became Iowa’s all-time points leader in women’s basketball during the Hawkeyes’ win over Northern Iowa. Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT ARTS AND IDEAS Elizabeth Debicki as Diana.Daniel Escale/Netflix Recent history: Most of Netflix’s “The Crown” has felt quaint and far away in its dramatization of the reign of Queen Elizabeth II. But the latest season — the first part of which arrives on Thursday — will tackle one of the most analyzed eras in recent British history: the final days of Diana, Princess of Wales, and the fallout from her death. The show’s depiction of the period has already set off conversations about accuracy and sensitivity. “People who lived through Diana’s death feel a sense of ownership over that history,” Annie Sulzberger, the head of research for the show, said. More on culture “The Marvels,” which cost $300 million to make and market, debuted to $47 million in ticket sales in the U.S. and Canada. That’s the lowest ever for a Marvel release. Peter Nygard, a former fashion mogul, was convicted of sexual assault in Canada. Programs teaching children how to be YouTubers are popping up everywhere, The Washington Post reports. THANKSGIVING PREP LIST Make-ahead recipes are key to a stress-free meal. This year Melissa Clark created a truly delicious make-ahead turkey that travels well, too. THE MORNING RECOMMENDS … Christopher Testani for The New York Times Skip takeout and cook your own delicious sesame chicken. Buy a Wirecutter-approved tablet. Start your day off right with a drip coffee maker. Take our news quiz. GAMES Here is today’s Spelling Bee. Yesterday’s pangram was belittlement. And here are today’s Mini Crossword, Wordle, Sudoku and Connections. Thanks for spending part of your morning with The Times. See you tomorrow. — German Sign up here to get this newsletter in your inbox. Reach our team at themorning@nytimes.com. Continue reading the main story Editor: David Leonhardt News Editor: Tom Wright-Piersanti News Staff: Desiree Ibekwe, Lauren Jackson, Sean Kawasaki-Culligan, Brent Lewis, German Lopez, Ian Prasad Philbrick, Ashley Wu News Assistant: Lyna Bentahar Saturday Writer: Melissa Kirsch Quote phkrause By the decree enforcing the institution of the papacy in violation of the law of God, our nation will disconnect herself fully from righteousness. When Protestantism shall stretch her hand across the gulf to grasp the hand of the Roman power, when she shall reach over the abyss to clasp hands with spiritualism, when, under the influence of this threefold union, our country shall repudiate every principle of its Constitution as a Protestant and republican government, and shall make provision for the propagation of papal falsehoods and delusions, then we may know that the time has come for the marvelous working of Satan and that the end is near. {5T 451.1} Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members phkrause Posted November 14, 2023 Author Members Share Posted November 14, 2023 November 14, 2023 By David Leonhardt Good morning. We’re covering the debate over Al-Shifa, Gaza’s biggest hospital — as well as a Supreme Court ethics code, elder care and fake online reviews. Al-Shifa Hospital last month.Mohammed Saber/EPA, via Shutterstock Brutal trade-offs The battle over Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza highlights a tension that often goes unmentioned in the debate over the war between Israel and Hamas: There may be no way for Israel both to minimize civilian casualties and to eliminate Hamas. The reality of this trade-off still doesn’t answer the question of what should happen in Gaza. Some people will conclude that the human cost, in the lives of innocent Palestinians, does not justify removing Hamas from power — or that Israel may be undermining its own interests by trying to dismantle Hamas. Others will conclude that Hamas’s recent killings of innocent Israelis and its repeated vows to destroy Israel represent a threat that no country would accept on its border. Nonetheless, Al-Shifa — a major hospital that includes a neonatal department — highlights the lack of simple answers in Gaza, and I want to use today’s newsletter to explain. Hamas and hospitals There is substantial evidence that Hamas has used the hospital for military operations and has built a command center underneath it as part of Gaza’s tunnel network: A New York Times journalist in 2008 watched armed Hamas militants walking around Al-Shifa Hospital in civilian clothes and witnessed Hamas execute a Palestinian man accused of collaborating with Israel. Amnesty International concluded that in 2014 Hamas used parts of Al-Shifa “to detain, interrogate, torture and otherwise ill-treat suspects, even as other parts of the hospital continued to function as a medical center.” More recently, Israel has released audio recordings that purport to contain conversations in which Hamas fighters discuss tunnels under Al-Shifa as well as videos of interrogations in which captured militants discuss the tunnels. Israeli officials allowed Times reporters to view photographs that appear to show secret entrances inside the hospital that lead to a military compound underneath. U.S. officials say their own intelligence also indicates Hamas has built a tunnel network under Al-Shifa that includes command and control areas as well as weapons storage. Hamas has a long history of placing its operations in hospitals, mosques and other civilian areas so that Israel must risk killing innocent bystanders — and thereby damage its reputation — to attack Hamas fighters. “I’ve seen these things for myself,” Steven Erlanger, a longtime Times correspondent, has said on “The Daily” podcast. Hamas denies that it uses civilians as shields, and two Norwegian doctors who have worked in Gaza have backed its denials. The head of Al-Shifa Hospital, Dr. Mohammed Abu Salmiya, has also said Hamas does not operate there. He told The Times last week that Israeli allegations were “untrue.” But it’s worth remembering that officials with the Gaza Health Ministry have had a problematic record in recent weeks: On Oct. 17, they claimed that Israel was responsible for an explosion at another hospital and said the explosion killed about 500 people. Both claims appear to be false, as I have explained. A Palestinian rocket was the likely cause, according to U.S., Canadian and French officials, and the death toll appears to have been much lower. The situation with Al-Shifa seems similar: Outsiders cannot know the truth for certain (at least until cameras are allowed inside the hospital and the tunnels underneath it), but the Israeli claims have much more evidence behind them than Hamas’s claims. Sheltering outside Al-Shifa Hospital.Bashar Taleb/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images The U.S. position The likelihood that Hamas is operating inside and underneath Al-Shifa creates the trade-offs that I described above. If Israel is committed to ending Hamas’s rule of Gaza, it almost certainly needs to attack Hamas’s major command centers — and destroying the Al-Shifa operations puts patients, doctors and nurses there at mortal risk. “The Israeli government says it will not allow any political or security role for Hamas in ruling Gaza, but Hamas has firm control of Gaza now,” my colleague Julian Barnes, who covers intelligence from Washington, told me. “The problem is that the tactics Israel is using to destroy the tunnels, eliminate the weapons and force Hamas out of power is causing huge civilian suffering, which in turn is putting pressure on the government to stop. And it is increasing pressure on Israel’s allies to make the government change tactics.” There is a potential middle ground in which Israel tries to root out Hamas while also reducing civilian casualties. (Israel says it is pursuing this strategy; Gaza officials say Israel has shown a disregard for Palestinian lives.) One way for Israel to do so would be to use more ground troops around hospitals, Julian says, but that approach would have its own downside by exposing Israeli troops to more danger. U.S. officials have advocated a version of this middle ground. It would involve allowing more humanitarian aid into Gaza than Israel has allowed so far and not attacking hospitals where patients are still receiving treatment, U.S. officials say. “Hospitals must be protected,” President Biden said yesterday. Jake Sullivan, Biden’s national security adviser, has gone into more detail: “The United States does not want to see firefights in hospitals, where innocent people, patients receiving medical care, are caught in the crossfire.” But Sullivan also said that Hamas continued to use hospitals and other civilian buildings as “human shields” — which underscores that war often involves horrific trade-offs. More war news Al-Shifa Hospital is no longer functioning, according to the W.H.O. “I’m watching patients die in front of my eyes and I can’t provide them the slightest bit of help,” a neonatal doctor at the hospital said. As of this weekend, satellite photos showed many displaced people sheltering on Al-Shifa’s grounds. Fighting disrupted the evacuation of patients and medical staff from another hospital in northern Gaza, Al-Quds, the Palestinian Red Crescent said. The U.N. said its fuel reserves in Gaza could run out as soon as today. Hamas released a video depicting the lifeless body of a 19-year-old Israeli soldier captured on Oct. 7. It said she was killed in an Israeli airstrike. Dozens of State Department employees have signed memos objecting to the Biden administration’s policy and calling for a cease-fire in Gaza. Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT THE LATEST NEWS The Supreme Court The Supreme Court justices. Erin Schaff/The New York Times The Supreme Court adopted an ethics code for its nine justices after some took undisclosed gifts and property deals. The code prohibits justices from letting “family, social, political, financial or other relationships” influence their conduct and says they must recuse themselves from a case if they have a personal bias or financial interest. But many of the rules are “not new,” the court said, and it didn’t say how they would be enforced. The court rejected an appeal from an Illinois prisoner in solitary confinement who argued that denying him outdoor exercise was cruel and unusual punishment. Congress Enough House Republicans oppose Speaker Mike Johnson’s plan to avert a government shutdown that it will need Democratic votes to pass. Representative Abigail Spanberger, a centrist Virginia Democrat who represents a swing district, will run for governor in 2025. More Politics Donald Trump called his political opponents “vermin.” His campaign said his critics’ “sad, miserable existence will be crushed” if he becomes president again. Biden met with Indonesia’s president, Joko Widodo, seeking stronger ties as China becomes more aggressive. Joko urged Biden to back a cease-fire in Gaza. Biden will meet with Xi Jinping tomorrow to defuse economic tension with China. But officials aren’t expecting their summit to produce agreement. “We are not failing”: Read about the last days of Tim Scott’s presidential campaign. Maryanne Trump Barry, Trump’s older sister and a former federal judge, died at 86. Other Big Stories Rising care costs are devouring the savings and incomes of older Americans and their relatives. Hundreds of migrants have been left with debilitating injuries after trying to climb over the wall that separates Mexico and the U.S. The gap in life expectancy between men and women in the U.S. is at its widest in nearly 30 years, as more men die of drug overdoses and Covid. Dozens of homeless people have died in Anchorage as winter arrived. The city has kept a pandemic-era shelter closed. Opinions This photo from Gaza is hard to look at. But it’s important that you see it, Lydia Polgreen writes. Here are columns by Paul Krugman on immigration and Thomas Friedman on a two-state solution. MORNING READS A microdistillery in Santiago.Tomas Munita for The New York Times Boom time: Chile is known for its wines, but in recent years the country has turned to gin. Insta medicine: Patients are sending selfies and getting dermatology prescriptions. Stolen stars: Fake online reviews are a billion-dollar industry. Lives Lived: After an acting career that included playing an Olympic sprinter, Shirley Jo Finney directed award-winning plays about the Black experience in America. She died at 74. SPORTS N.F.L.: The Broncos beat the Bills, 24-22, handing Buffalo another devastating loss in a season full of them. M.L.B.: Arizona’s Corbin Carroll and Baltimore’s Gunnar Henderson are Rookies of the Year. Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT ARTS AND IDEAS Auguste Toulmouche, via Wikipedia A timeless stare: In the 1866 painting “The Hesitant Fiancée,” three well-dressed Parisian women surround a bride who glares straight at the viewer, clearly upset. The work, by Auguste Toulmouche, was unusual for its time in depicting a woman reluctant to be wed. The painting has found a new audience on TikTok, where women are repurposing it to express their own moments of outrage — including as a response to being told, “You should smile more.” Related: The Cut looked back on a year of trends and drama on TikTok. More on culture CBS said it would have new scripted shows again in February. Late night hosts joked about Tim Scott’s decision to drop out of the presidential contest: “The announcement has really shaken up the race for fifth place.” THANKSGIVING PREP LIST Homemade stock is the secret to delicious Thanksgiving side dishes. Make chicken or veggie stock now, freeze it and use it in our favorite gravy and stuffing recipes. The Holiday Sale is on. Subscribe to Cooking and save. A Cooking subscription answers “What’s for dinner?” deliciously, every day. Explore more than 4,000 five-star recipes. Save 50% on your first year of Cooking. THE MORNING RECOMMENDS … Green bean casserole.David Malosh for The New York Times Upgrade your green bean casserole with Eric Kim’s new recipe. Buy one of Wirecutter’s favorite advent calendars. Keep warm using a space heater. Here’s how to use one safely. GAMES Here is today’s Spelling Bee. Yesterday’s pangram was glorify. And here are today’s Mini Crossword, Wordle, Sudoku and Connections. Thanks for spending part of your morning with The Times. See you tomorrow. — David Sign up here to get this newsletter in your inbox. Reach our team at themorning@nytimes.com. Continue reading the main story Editor: David Leonhardt News Editor: Tom Wright-Piersanti News Staff: Desiree Ibekwe, Lauren Jackson, Sean Kawasaki-Culligan, Brent Lewis, German Lopez, Ian Prasad Philbrick, Ashley Wu News Assistant: Lyna Bentahar Saturday Writer: Melissa Kirsch Quote phkrause By the decree enforcing the institution of the papacy in violation of the law of God, our nation will disconnect herself fully from righteousness. When Protestantism shall stretch her hand across the gulf to grasp the hand of the Roman power, when she shall reach over the abyss to clasp hands with spiritualism, when, under the influence of this threefold union, our country shall repudiate every principle of its Constitution as a Protestant and republican government, and shall make provision for the propagation of papal falsehoods and delusions, then we may know that the time has come for the marvelous working of Satan and that the end is near. {5T 451.1} Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members phkrause Posted November 16, 2023 Author Members Share Posted November 16, 2023 November 15, 2023 Continue reading the main story SUPPORTED BY Apple Card By David Leonhardt Good morning. We’re covering Hollywood’s turmoil — as well as a raid on Al-Shifa Hospital, A.I. and Thanksgiving prep. In Los Angeles.Mark Abramson for The New York Times ‘Generational disruption’ Streaming technology has allowed people to spend much more time watching entertainment than they did in the past. They can binge entire shows if they enjoy the first episode. They can watch almost any movie on an airplane flight or a subway ride. Normally, a big increase in the use of a product also increases the profits of the companies that make that product. But something strange has happened in Hollywood lately: Even as Americans spend more time watching movies and television shows, the studios that produce this entertainment are struggling. Disney’s stock price has fallen more than half from its 2021 peak, and the company fired its C.E.O. last year. Shares of Paramount Pictures’ parent company are worth less than they were 25 years ago. Warren Buffett recently described streaming as a particularly difficult environment in which to make money. How could this be? I asked my colleague Jonathan Mahler — the co-author of a new Times Magazine article about the problems at Warner Brothers — how Hollywood could simultaneously be booming and suffering. I found his explanation clarifying, and I’m devoting today’s newsletter to it. Cords cut As Jonathan pointed out, streaming has both expanded the entertainment business and undermined its old model. Perhaps the most important disruption has been the decline of cable television. For years, studios made large profits through cable television. They licensed their old movies and shows for rebroadcast, and the studios’ parent companies, like Disney and Paramount, owned cable networks themselves. “These networks were bundled into expensive packages, forcing consumers to pay for dozens of channels they didn’t watch,” Jonathan notes. Families paid hundreds of dollars a year for their cable bundle, and the entertainment companies made additional money from advertising. But then came Netflix. When it started a streaming service in 2007, Hollywood failed to recognize how much of a threat the service would be, and the studios sold Netflix the right to broadcast movies and shows at a relatively low price. Netflix used its new library of content to attract millions of subscribers. “What these legacy companies didn’t realize until it was too late was that streaming wasn’t just going to become the dominant mode by which people watched movies, replacing DVDs,” Jonathan said. “It was also going to replace cable TV.” This cord-cutting revolution has led to a 40 percent decline in cable subscribers since 2014. As Clare Malone wrote in The New Yorker, “The advent of streaming video has demolished old business models.” Studios have since started their own streaming services, and some have attracted a large number of subscribers. But in an effort to catch up to Netflix, other services have often charged less. Buffett, speaking at the most recent annual meeting of Berkshire Hathaway, his investment firm, said that this low-price model “doesn’t work.” Adding to the financial pressures on the studios, all of them — including newer players like Netflix and Amazon — are spending money to create new content that can woo and retain subscribers. The movie theater business has also shrunk, because of both streaming and Covid. And the recent settlements of the actors’ and writers’ strikes mean that many of Hollywood’s workers are no longer as low-paid as they had been. Eventually, a few successful companies will probably emerge. Americans spend more than enough money on movies and TV shows to create healthy profits. But not all the companies that thrived in the past are likely to do so in the future. The current turmoil is in many ways a fight for survival. David Zaslav, the C.E.O. of Warner Bros. Discovery, has described the situation as a “generational disruption.” Zaslav is the subject of the Times Magazine article by Jonathan, James B. Stewart and Benjamin Mullin. In the article, you will read about Zaslav’s enormous compensation, the renovation of his Beverly Hills home, his recent cuts to the studio’s budget, his role in the success of “Barbie” and his attempts to reverse the sharp decline in his company’s stock. It’s an entertaining Hollywood yarn. Continue reading the main story A MESSAGE FROM Apple Card Real cash on every Apple Card purchase. Earn up to 3% Daily Cash back on every purchase. Plus, pay no fees at all. Terms apply. Apply now ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR Al-Shifa Hospital Israel said its troops are raiding Gaza’s largest hospital, Al-Shifa, which it believes Hamas is using for military purposes. Details about the attack are scarce. What happens in Al-Shifa now is likely to shape the war, The Times’s Patrick Kingsley writes. These maps show how Israel advanced toward the hospital. Israeli forces likely fired at least three projectiles that struck Al-Shifa on Friday, a Times investigation found. Israel had said they were Palestinian misfires. Children’s Hospital Footage The Israeli military released footage showing what it said were Hamas facilities below a different medical facility, Gaza’s main children’s hospital. The footage showed items that appeared to be weapons and explosives. It also included a calendar that began on Oct. 7, the day of Hamas’s attacks in Israel, and contained the phrase, “Al Aqsa Flood Battle,” the group’s name for the assault. The Gaza health ministry, which is controlled by Hamas, disputed the video and said the hospital basement had been used as a shelter, not a military facility. A Hamas spokesman called the Israeli presentation a “lie and charade.” American Response President Biden said he believed Hamas would agree to release hostages held in Gaza. More than 500 U.S. officials signed a letter to Biden protesting his support of Israel in its war in Gaza. Tens of thousands joined a rally at the National Mall in Washington in support of Israel. MORE NEWS Congress Speaker Mike JohnsonKenny Holston/The New York Times The House passed a bill to extend government funding into next year with more Democratic than Republican support. A similar bill led to Kevin McCarthy’s ouster, but hard-line Republicans don’t seem inclined to unseat Speaker Mike Johnson. A former campaign aide to Representative George Santos admitted to impersonating a House staff member and pleaded guilty to wire fraud. Late night hosts made fun of chaos at the Capitol: A House Republican accused McCarthy of elbowing him, and Senator Markwayne Mullin, an Oklahoma Republican, challenged a labor leader to a fight. More Politics The Supreme Court’s new ethics code is toothless, legal experts say. The Atlanta district attorney prosecuting Trump said that a trial in the case might not end until after the 2024 election. Trump planned to refuse to leave the White House “under any circumstances” despite losing the 2020 election, his former lawyer told Georgia prosecutors. Ukrainian authorities indicted three people for treason, accusing them of working with Russia to help Rudy Giuliani promote corruption allegations against the Bidens. Climate Ahead of Biden and Xi Jinping’s meeting today, the U.S. and China have agreed to tackle global warming by increasing renewable energy capacity. Biden wants to keep competition from becoming conflict. The U.S. has experienced 25 billion-dollar weather disasters this year, a federal report found. Other Big Stories In Buenos Aires.Sarah Pabst for The New York Times Presidential candidates in Argentina are using A.I. images and videos in their campaigns. Inflation eased last month. Federal Reserve officials believe their approach is working, and stocks rose. Opinions Some people question the worth of humanities majors. But the communication and critical thinking skills they teach are invaluable, Beth Ann Fennelly writes. Here are columns by Thomas Edsall on affirmative action and Ross Douthat on religion. MORNING READS A classic lobster roll.Victoria Will for The New York Times Rising costs: This New York City restaurant charges $32 for a lobster roll. The owner explains why. Brain fog: More Americans say they have serious cognitive problems than at any time in the last 15 years. Long Covid is a factor. “Metal for Orcas”: Sailors are blasting a special playlist to keep whales from ramming their boats. Inverted Jenny: See what a $2 million stamp looks like. Lives Lived: Maj. Gen. Roland Lajoie helped coordinate U.S.-Soviet relations in the last decade of the Cold War, then oversaw the destruction of nuclear weapons from former Soviet republics. He died at 87. Continue reading the main story A MESSAGE FROM Apple Card Real cash on every Apple Card purchase. Earn up to 3% Daily Cash back on every purchase. Plus, pay no fees at all. Terms apply. Apply now SPORTS Soccer: Emma Hayes, a multi-championship-winning coach in the English Women’s Super League, will become the head coach of the U.S. women’s national soccer team. N.B.A.: The Minnesota Timberwolves beat the Golden State Warriors, 104-101. The Warriors’ forward Draymond Green was ejected from the game after putting the Timberwolves’ Rudy Gobert in a chokehold. Golf: Rory McIlroy resigned from the PGA Tour’s board, five months after the tour’s deal with the Saudi sovereign wealth fund. ARTS AND IDEAS Lady Bird JohnsonABC News Studios In her own words: The former first lady Lady Bird Johnson embodied contradiction. Even her name — a childhood nickname — belied her grit, intellect and ambition. “The Lady Bird Diaries,” a new Hulu documentary based on private tapes, tells her story without outside perspectives or critiques. What emerges is a picture of a loving wife — and a trusted adviser who had surprising influence. “In an era when a woman’s power could generally find expression only through her husband,” the Times columnist Rhonda Garelick writes, “she found herself married to the most powerful man in the world. She seized the opportunity.” More on culture The BBC said it had received five complaints about “inappropriate behavior” by the comedian Russell Brand when he worked on its radio shows. Steve Carell will make his Broadway debut in a revival of Chekhov’s “Uncle Vanya” next year. THANKSGIVING PREP LIST Click around “The Ultimate Guide to Thanksgiving” and consider trying a new potato or sweet potato dish this year. The Holiday Sale is on. Subscribe to Cooking and save. A Cooking subscription answers “What’s for dinner?” deliciously, every day. Explore more than 4,000 five-star recipes. Save 50% on your first year of Cooking. THE MORNING RECOMMENDS … Christopher Testani for The New York Times Bookmark these classic deviled eggs for the holiday season. Read this before looking for Black Friday discounts. Take these gadgets with you on a trip. GAMES Here is today’s Spelling Bee. Yesterday’s pangram was dependently. And here are today’s Mini Crossword, Wordle, Sudoku and Connections. Thanks for spending part of your morning with The Times. See you tomorrow. — David P.S. At least 250,000 Americans rallied in Washington against the Vietnam War 54 years ago today. Sign up here to get this newsletter in your inbox. Reach our team at themorning@nytimes.com. Editor: David Leonhardt News Editor: Tom Wright-Piersanti News Staff: Desiree Ibekwe, Lauren Jackson, Sean Kawasaki-Culligan, Brent Lewis, German Lopez, Ian Prasad Philbrick, Ashley Wu News Assistant: Lyna Bentahar Saturday Writer: Melissa Kirsch Quote phkrause By the decree enforcing the institution of the papacy in violation of the law of God, our nation will disconnect herself fully from righteousness. When Protestantism shall stretch her hand across the gulf to grasp the hand of the Roman power, when she shall reach over the abyss to clasp hands with spiritualism, when, under the influence of this threefold union, our country shall repudiate every principle of its Constitution as a Protestant and republican government, and shall make provision for the propagation of papal falsehoods and delusions, then we may know that the time has come for the marvelous working of Satan and that the end is near. {5T 451.1} Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members phkrause Posted November 17, 2023 Author Members Share Posted November 17, 2023 November 16, 2023 SUPPORTED BY UPWAY By David Leonhardt Good morning. We’re covering a surprising shift in economic thinking — as well as Al-Shifa Hospital, the Biden-Xi summit and football. President Biden Haiyun Jiang/The New York Times A new economics A then-obscure think tank named the Roosevelt Institute released a report in 2015 that called for a new approach to economic policy. It was unabashedly progressive, befitting the history of the institute, which was created by trusts honoring Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt. The report called for higher taxes on the rich, a higher minimum wage, more regulation of Wall Street, more support for labor unions, more aggressive antitrust enforcement and more government investment in economic growth. National news outlets covered the report while also noting how much of a break it represented with decades of economic policy by both the Democratic and Republican Parties. There was ample reason to be skeptical that much would change. But much has changed in the past eight years. President Biden has enacted the biggest government investment programs in decades, two of which — in infrastructure and semiconductor development — received bipartisan support. Both the Biden and Trump administrations showed more interest in antitrust policy than their predecessors. Many states, blue and red, have increased their minimum wages. American workers have become more interested in unionizing, and labor unions in both the auto industry and Hollywood have recently won big victories. Even some Republican politicians speak positively about unions. “It’s very surprising this all happened,” Felicia Wong, the longtime president of the Roosevelt Institute, told me. “For a long time, those of us who have been arguing for it were on the outside looking in.” In today’s newsletter, I want to consider two questions: What explains the shift toward what Wong and her colleagues call (in a new report, released today) a New Economics? And is that shift likely to continue? Unmet promises The simplest explanation for the shift is that the old economic approach hasn’t worked very well for most Americans. Starting in the 1980s, the U.S. moved toward an economic policy that’s variously described as laissez-faire, neoliberal or market-friendly. It involved much lower taxes for the wealthy, less regulation of business, an expansion of global trade, a crackdown on labor unions and an acceptance of very large corporations. The people selling this policy — like Milton Friedman, a Nobel laureate in economics — promised that it would bring prosperity for all. It has not. Incomes for the bottom 90 percent of workers, as ranked by their earnings, have trailed economic growth, and wealth inequality has soared. For years, Americans have told pollsters that they were unhappy with the country’s direction. Perhaps most starkly, the U.S. now has the lowest life expectancy of any affluent country; in 1980, American life expectancy was typical. Conventional wisdom rarely changes quickly. Friedman and his fellow laissez-faire intellectuals spent decades on the fringes, before the 1970s oil crisis and other economic problems caused many Americans to embrace their approach. But conventional wisdom can change eventually. And after decades of unmet promises about the benefits of a neoliberal economy, more people have grown skeptical of it recently. Donald Trump also played a crucial role. He won the Republican nomination in 2016 while defending Social Security and Medicare and criticizing free trade and high immigration, two pillars of neoliberalism. By doing so, he proved that even many Republican voters had drifted from the views of Ronald Reagan and Paul Ryan. As president, Trump often contradicted his own populist rhetoric. (His one big piece of legislation was a tax cut that mostly benefited the rich.) But he shattered so many basic norms of governance that Democrats came to think they too could discard long-held beliefs. As Neera Tanden, who is now Biden’s top domestic policy adviser, said to me in 2018, “Donald Trump has widened the aperture for policy discussions in the United States.” Still vulnerable Where does the New Economics go from here? For all the progress it has made, the movement remains far from its biggest goals. In many ways, Americans are still living in the Reagan era. Taxes on the rich remain low. Corporations are much larger than in the past, and they can often prevent workers from forming unions even when most employees at a work site want to join one. Many progressive proposals, like universal pre-K, remain dreams. In the short term, the biggest question is probably whether Biden can win re-election, given Trump’s lack of a consistent economic policy. One threat to Biden’s re-election is voters’ unhappiness with the economy’s recent performance, especially inflation. Today’s high prices are mostly not Biden’s fault, as my colleague German Lopez has explained; inflation has also been a problem in other countries, related to Covid disruptions, the war in Ukraine and other factors. But Biden has failed to persuade voters that he is sufficiently focused on high prices, and they give his overall economic policy much lower marks than they give his specific policies, like the investments in infrastructure and semiconductors. For all these reasons, the New Economics both has made surprising progress over the past decade and remains vulnerable to reversal. Related: After ignoring inequality for years, economists are now publishing books about it. They disagree on how to address the problem, The Times’s Jennifer Szalai writes. Continue reading the main story A MESSAGE FROM UPWAY Upway — Your Next E-Bike, Priced Just Right. Upway sells e-Bikes from top brands, all priced up to 60% off retail. Their master mechanics rigorously certify every Upway e-Bike, backed by a 1-year warranty and 14-day returns. Your Upway e-Bike arrives 99% assembled at your doorstep within a week. Choose from a broad selection of e-Bikes, including brands like Specialized, Giant and Aventon. Upway's mission is to make electric mobility accessible to everyone. Bike Friday has started: benefit from up to $1,200 off on a selection of e-Bikes! Shop now THE LATEST NEWS Biden-Xi Summit Biden and Xi Jinping. Doug Mills/The New York Times President Biden and Xi Jinping met at an estate near San Francisco, reaching modest agreements to ease U.S.-China tensions. It was their first conversation in a year. Biden said China would regulate chemicals that make fentanyl, which has fueled America’s opioid epidemic, and that the two countries’ militaries would resume talks to avoid accidents. Xi criticized U.S. export controls on advanced computer chips and called for the U.S. to stop sending weapons to Taiwan. The public exchanges were carefully choreographed. “We have to ensure that competition does not veer into conflict,” Biden said. “Planet Earth is big enough” for both superpowers, Xi replied. Asked if he would keep referring to Xi as a dictator, Biden said, “Well, look, he is.” Xi signaled that China might send new pandas to the U.S., The Washington Post reports. (The National Zoo in Washington had to return three recently.) “He said, Xi said”: Late night hosts joked about the meeting. Gaza Hospital Battle Sources: Photos and videos released by the Israeli military, statements from health officials in Gaza, Maxar Technologies (satellite image from Nov. 11) The New York Times Israel raided buildings on the campus of Gaza’s largest hospital, Al-Shifa, searching for evidence of a Hamas military presence. See where the troops were reported. Israel released video of about 10 guns it said soldiers had found in a radiology building, as well as ammunition and body armor. A senior Israeli official said troops were interrogating people inside the hospital. “Everyone is scared,” a witness said. Israel believes the raid will pressure Hamas to finish a deal to trade dozens of Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners. What Israel finds — or doesn’t — in the hospital could affect international sentiment about the invasion, Patrick Kingsley and Iyad Abuheweila write. More on the War Biden said ending the conflict permanently required a Palestinian state, alongside the Israeli one. Christopher Wray, the F.B.I. director, said the bureau was investigating tips related to Hamas “radicalization and recruitment” in the U.S. Law enforcement authorities clashed with protesters calling for a cease-fire outside the Democratic National Committee, CNN reports. Congress The Senate overwhelmingly passed a bill to extend government funding into next year. Biden is expected to sign it, averting a shutdown. Hard-line House Republicans blocked a separate spending bill, protesting Speaker Mike Johnson’s decision to pass the bill to avert a shutdown with Democratic votes. Tammy Murphy, the wife of New Jersey’s Democratic governor and a former financial analyst, is running for Robert Menendez’s seat in the Senate. More on Politics New Hampshire will hold its presidential primary on Jan. 23, defying the Democratic Party’s efforts to put South Carolina first. Lawyers for Trump called for a mistrial in his New York civil fraud case, accusing the judge and his clerk of political bias. U.S. officials have arrested hundreds of people on the terrorist watch list at the southern border in recent years. That is a small fraction of the migrants apprehended. International Britain’s Supreme Court ruled against a government plan to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda. An Interpol campaign identified a woman killed in Belgium 31 years ago. She was British, and a relative recognized her flower tattoo. “The smell of death is everywhere”: Seven months into Sudan’s civil war, a paramilitary group is on the verge of seizing the entire Darfur region. Armed boats that are officially commercial fishing vessels are helping China quietly gain command in the South China Sea. Climate In Louisiana. Emily Kask for The New York Times “You could taste the salt”: Extreme weather is tainting drinking water in the South. Southeastern Florida is preparing for up to 10 inches of rain. That could cause flash floods in and around Miami. Other Big Stories The mother of a 6-year-old who shot his first-grade teacher in Virginia received a 21-month prison sentence. Staffing shortages and outdated technology threaten the safety of the U.S. aviation system, a report found. American bishops are navigating a contentious relationship with Pope Francis that has brought street protests to a usually drama-free meeting. Opinions Any calls for a cease-fire in Gaza must also include a demand for the release of hostages, Moshe Emilio Lavi, whose brother-in-law was kidnapped, writes. The West Wing may believe Bidenomics is working, but it hasn’t improved most voters’ lives. That’s a problem for the president in 2024, Karen Petrou argues. Here are columns by Pamela Paul on liberalism, Gail Collins on Trump, Charles Blow on anti-Zionism and Bret Stephens on antisemitism. MORNING READS A hooded warbler. Micah Green for The New York Times Bird watching: The narrow peninsula of Fort Morgan, Ala., is a crucial pit stop on migration flights. Helicopter parenting: Facebook groups for parents of children in college have become mainstream, The Cut reports. Iceland: A volcano may soon erupt. Here’s what to watch for. Lives Lived: Joe Sharkey advised business travelers in hundreds of New York Times columns, and survived a midair jet crash in 2006. He died at 77. SPORTS N.H.L.: An arrest has been made over the death of Adam Johnson, a former Pittsburgh player whose neck was cut by a skate during a match in England. M.L.B.: Major League Baseball is likely to shorten the pitch clock to 18 seconds from 20 with runners on base next year, to limit game times. Soccer: Megan Rapinoe underwent successful surgery to repair the Achilles’ tendon that she tore in her final professional game. Basketball: The N.B.A. suspended Draymond Green for five games over a fight during which he put the Timberwolves’ Rudy Gobert in a chokehold. Continue reading the main story A MESSAGE FROM UPWAY Upway — Your Next E-Bike, Priced Just Right. Upway sells e-Bikes from top brands, all priced up to 60% off retail. Their master mechanics rigorously certify every Upway e-Bike, backed by a 1-year warranty and 14-day returns. Your Upway e-Bike arrives 99% assembled at your doorstep within a week. Choose from a broad selection of e-Bikes, including brands like Specialized, Giant and Aventon. Upway's mission is to make electric mobility accessible to everyone. Bike Friday has started: benefit from up to $1,200 off on a selection of e-Bikes! Shop now ARTS AND IDEAS James Kerr/Scorpion Dagger Football everywhere: The N.F.L. is already a broadcast juggernaut — its games accounted for 83 of the nation’s 100 most-viewed telecasts last year. To reach viewers who don’t watch broadcast TV — many of whom are young — the league is expanding onto streaming services with documentaries that show its personal side. It has more than 50 productions in the works, Emmanuel Morgan writes in The Times, including a Netflix documentary on the Dallas Cowboys’ famously ornery owner, Jerry Jones. More on culture Justin Torres won the National Book Award for “Blackouts,” his novel about erasure and queer history. Jimmy Kimmel will host the Oscars for a fourth time next year. Jennifer Aniston and other “Friends” actors shared their memories of Matthew Perry, who died last month. THANKSGIVING PREP LIST Watch a step-by-step pie dough tutorial, then make and freeze your own. Have you seen our glorious collection of Thanksgiving pies? Curious about Cooking? The Holiday Sale is on. Readers of The Morning can save 50% on a Cooking subscription for the first year. Search by ingredient or explore editors’ collections to easily find the right recipes. THE MORNING RECOMMENDS … Johnny Miller for The New York Times Bake cranberry lemon bars, perfect for a potluck Thanksgiving. Keep clothes looking new with a fabric shaver. Buy an office chair that feels “like going to a spa.” GAMES Here is today’s Spelling Bee. Yesterday’s pangram was meatloaf. And here are today’s Mini Crossword, Wordle, Sudoku and Connections. Thanks for spending part of your morning with The Times. See you tomorrow. — David Sign up here to get this newsletter in your inbox. Reach our team at themorning@nytimes.com. Editor: David Leonhardt News Editor: Tom Wright-Piersanti News Staff: Desiree Ibekwe, Lauren Jackson, Sean Kawasaki-Culligan, Brent Lewis, German Lopez, Ian Prasad Philbrick, Ashley Wu News Assistant: Lyna Bentahar Saturday Writer: Melissa Kirsch Quote phkrause By the decree enforcing the institution of the papacy in violation of the law of God, our nation will disconnect herself fully from righteousness. When Protestantism shall stretch her hand across the gulf to grasp the hand of the Roman power, when she shall reach over the abyss to clasp hands with spiritualism, when, under the influence of this threefold union, our country shall repudiate every principle of its Constitution as a Protestant and republican government, and shall make provision for the propagation of papal falsehoods and delusions, then we may know that the time has come for the marvelous working of Satan and that the end is near. {5T 451.1} Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members phkrause Posted November 19, 2023 Author Members Share Posted November 19, 2023 November 17, 2023 SUPPORTED BY APPLE TV+ By David Leonhardt Good morning. We’re covering football’s young victims — as well as Al-Shifa Hospital, Xi Jinping and accusations against Diddy. The New York Times Demons of our culture I want to make clear that the subject of today’s newsletter is especially difficult. It involves a Boston University study of athletes who played contact sports — like football — as children and died before turning 30, many by suicide. The Times has just published an interactive article about the study, including childhood videos of the athletes and filmed interviews with their parents. The article begins with a heartbreaking recording that Wyatt Bramwell, who was 18 at the time, made minutes before shooting himself in 2019. “The voices and demons in my head just started to take over everything I wanted to do,” Bramwell tells the camera as he sits in the driver’s seat of his car. He goes on to ask his father to donate his brain to be studied. Bramwell then tells his family that he loves them and says goodbye. He was one of the 152 athletes whose brains the Boston University researchers studied. More than 40 percent — 63 of the 152 — had chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or C.T.E., a degenerative brain disease linked to repeated hits to the head. Of the 63, 48 had played football, while others had wrestled or played hockey or soccer. Some had never played beyond high school. In the interviews with parents, they talk about what they would — or would not — have done differently. “There is a line between the love of a game and the dangers it presents, and even those who have lost a child cannot agree where it is,” writes the team of Times journalists who produced the article — Kassie Bracken, John Branch, Ben Laffin, Rebecca Lieberman and Joe Ward. “But as we learn more about what contact sports can do to the brain, it may be harder to justify letting children play.” Although much about C.T.E. remains unclear, the risks clearly seem to rise with time spent playing football or another contact sport. For that reason, many C.T.E. researchers recommend that young children play only touch or flag football. Some experts believe tackle football should not start until high school. Other people, no doubt, will ask why tackle football exists at all. It almost certainly isn’t going away, however. N.F.L. games made up 82 of the 100 most watched broadcasts in the U.S. last year. Both college and high school football are beloved rituals. Several holidays, including Thanksgiving, revolve partly around football. But if football is the country’s leading form of popular culture, it is also one that kills some of the people who play and love it. Figuring out how to make it safer remains an urgent matter of public health. You can read my colleagues’ story and watch the embedded videos here. If you are having thoughts of suicide, call or text 988 for help or visit SpeakingofSuicide.com. Continue reading the main story A MESSAGE FROM APPLE TV+ 'Monarch: Legacy of Monsters' Now streaming on Apple TV+ Subscribe THE LATEST NEWS Israel-Hamas War On the grounds of the Al-Shifa Hospital. Daniel Berehulak/The New York Times The Israeli military showed Times journalists a shaft that it said was evidence of a Hamas facility under Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza. Electrical wiring and a staircase were visible inside. It was unclear where the shaft led or how deep it was, and its existence does not prove Israel’s claim that Hamas has used Al-Shifa to hide command centers. Hamas and hospital officials reject the accusation. Gaza was in a communications blackout yesterday during a fuel shortage. The U.N. said Gaza’s entire population was at risk of starvation. In response to a post that accused Jews of “dialectical hatred against whites,” Elon Musk described it as “the actual truth.” IBM reacted by pausing its advertising on X, Musk’s platform. Jewish celebrities and influencers confronted TikTok executives in a private call, urging them to address antisemitism on the platform. “Shame on you,” Sacha Baron Cohen said. Asia-Pacific Summit The APEC Summit. Doug Mills/The New York Times President Biden emphasized the U.S. economy’s strength and discussed supply chains and clean energy with Indo-Pacific diplomats. Xi Jinping, China’s leader, sought to woo U.S. business executives at a dinner Wednesday night. “China is ready to be a partner and friend of the United States,” he said. China needs American investments and technology. This shifted the power dynamic at the summit. In his meeting with Biden, Xi reiterated that he was determined to unify China with Taiwan. After Biden called Xi a dictator, the Chinese Foreign Ministry described the comment as “extremely wrong.” See how Antony Blinken, the secretary of state, reacted to Biden’s remarks in this video from CNN. Car talk, an old photo and a birthday wish: Despite differences, Biden and Xi tried to play nice. Politics Representative George Santos Kenny Holston/The New York Times Representative George Santos, a New York Republican, said he wouldn’t seek re-election after an ethics report suggested that he had illegally used campaign funds for spas, Hermès purchases and other personal purposes. A federal jury convicted a man who last year tried to kidnap Nancy Pelosi and attacked her husband with a hammer after breaking into their home. Truth Social, Trump’s social media platform, has struggled to attract advertisers and could be at risk of folding. New York City F.B.I. agents searched the homes of an aide to Mayor Eric Adams and a former Turkish Airlines executive this month as part of a corruption inquiry into Adams’s 2021 campaign. Adams announced budget cuts that would freeze New York City police hiring and close libraries on Sundays. He cited the rising costs of the migrant crisis as one reason. International Pedro Sánchez will remain Spain’s prime minister after promising amnesty to Catalan separatists, enraging conservatives. Ukrainians have been escaping Russian-controlled territory. Read about their dangerous route. Other Big Stories Sean Combs. Nina Prommer/EPA, via Shutterstock Cassie, an R&B singer, accused the music producer Sean Combs of rape and physical abuse. Combs, known as Diddy, denied the accusations. Members of the United Autoworkers Union approved contracts with General Motors, Ford and Stellantis, securing big wage increases. A major section of a freeway in Los Angeles, on Interstate 10, that was shut down because of fire damage is expected to reopen no later than Tuesday. A jury deadlocked in the federal civil rights trial of a former Louisville police detective involved in the 2020 raid that killed Breonna Taylor. British regulators approved a sickle-cell disease treatment derived from CRISPR, the gene-editing technique. A Chicago train struck a plow on the tracks, injuring dozens. Opinions Orchestras have the power to revive cultural diplomacy between the U.S. and China, Matías Tarnopolsky, the head of the Philadelphia Orchestra, argues. House Republicans’ fights over spending have nothing to do with policy; the fighting is the point, Molly Reynolds writes. Here are columns by David Brooks on antisemitism and Michelle Goldberg on Representative Jamaal Bowman. MORNING READS CBD gummies. Jackie Russo for The New York Times Pot over pills: Many seniors are using cannabis instead of prescriptions to sleep and manage pain. Health: Protein is essential for every function in the body. Are you getting enough? Take our quiz. Modern Love: Fancy cheese — or what it represented — came between them. Lives Lived: Sally Darr achieved culinary renown in the 1980s when she opened La Tulipe in Greenwich Village. It offered exquisite yet homey French cooking — and agonizing delays resulting from Darr’s perfectionism. She died at 100. SPORTS Sideline reporter: Charissa Thompson, a Fox Sports and NFL on Prime Video host, said that she made up some quotes from coaches in halftime reports in the late 2000s. N.F.L.: The Baltimore Ravens beat the Cincinnati Bengals, 34-20, in a big divisional matchup, but Joe Burrow’s wrist injury was the story of the night. Michigan scandal: Wolverines coach Jim Harbaugh decided to accept his three-game suspension rather than fight the Big Ten in court, as both he and the university signaled earlier in the week. M.L.B.: League owners unanimously approved a plan for the Oakland Athletics to move to Las Vegas. Continue reading the main story A MESSAGE FROM APPLE TV+ 'Monarch: Legacy of Monsters' Now streaming on Apple TV+ Subscribe ARTS AND IDEAS How some visually impaired people see dance. New art form: Audio descriptions help blind and visually impaired people experience dance performances, narrating the show through a headset. But they can often be stale, lacking the emotion of the choreography. Recent experiments, like the film “Telephone,” are changing that. They are turning audio descriptions into a space for artistic exploration. The audio is rich and evocative, matching the power of the dance. Listen to an example. Related: The artist Christine Sun Kim relies on closed captions, but thinks most of them “suck.” She rewrote some in this video for Pop-Up Magazine. More on culture A show of Africa’s medieval treasures opens at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on Sunday. The Times’s Holland Cotter describes it as “resplendent." Seth Meyers made fun of George Santos’s Botox and OnlyFans spending. THANKSGIVING PREP LIST Clean out your fridge (not fun) and consider a few Thanksgiving desserts beyond pie (fun). Curious about Cooking? The Holiday Sale is on. Readers of The Morning can save 50% on a Cooking subscription for the first year. Search by ingredient or explore editors’ collections to easily find the right recipes. THE MORNING RECOMMENDS … Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews. Change the menu with a sushi bake for Friendsgiving. Recover from a bad night’s sleep with these tips. Grab these gifts for Secret Santa. Send a holiday card. There is still time. Take our news quiz. GAMES Here is today’s Spelling Bee. Yesterday’s pangrams were adaptation and adoption. And here are today’s Mini Crossword, Wordle, Sudoku and Connections. Thanks for spending part of your morning with The Times. See you tomorrow. — David Sign up here to get this newsletter in your inbox. Reach our team at themorning@nytimes.com. Editor: David Leonhardt News Editor: Tom Wright-Piersanti News Staff: Desiree Ibekwe, Lauren Jackson, Sean Kawasaki-Culligan, Brent Lewis, German Lopez, Ian Prasad Philbrick, Ashley Wu News Assistant: Lyna Bentahar Saturday Writer: Melissa Kirsch Quote phkrause By the decree enforcing the institution of the papacy in violation of the law of God, our nation will disconnect herself fully from righteousness. When Protestantism shall stretch her hand across the gulf to grasp the hand of the Roman power, when she shall reach over the abyss to clasp hands with spiritualism, when, under the influence of this threefold union, our country shall repudiate every principle of its Constitution as a Protestant and republican government, and shall make provision for the propagation of papal falsehoods and delusions, then we may know that the time has come for the marvelous working of Satan and that the end is near. {5T 451.1} Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members phkrause Posted November 20, 2023 Author Members Share Posted November 20, 2023 November 18, 2023 By Tanya Sichynsky Good morning. We have a plan to help you prepare for Thanksgiving — and stay sane. The New York Times A guide to Thanksgiving Last Thanksgiving, just as a jubilant Santa Claus was making his way across 34th Street on TV, I noticed something alarming in the kitchen of my childhood home. The oven I had preheated for my stuffing had not, in fact, heated. My dad, flashlight in hand and flanked by a gaggle of panicked observers, crouched down on the floor, removed the oven drawer and began troubleshooting. My mom and I took stock of our uncooked dishes. The turkey was safe: My family has been deep-frying our holiday bird for decades, a beloved if controversial method. But the fate of my stuffing, my mom’s sweet potato casserole and cornbread, and the rather gratuitous glazed ham my brother requests every year all hung in the balance like a bloated Snoopy parade balloon. Featured Recipe Sweet Potato Casserole View this recipe → At 1:38 p.m., with guests scheduled to arrive at 4, we called it: The oven was toast. We quickly devised a plan to spread out the remaining cooking across all our other appliances. The stovetop was still working, sparing us a frantic course correction on the sautéed green beans, gravy and wild rice. My parents’ new toaster oven could miraculously fit a cast-iron skillet inside, so in went the cornbread, followed by the sweet potato casserole. We’d treat the gas Weber grill like an oven, closely monitoring the lid thermometer as the stuffing and ham baked inside. That chaotic day helped inform NYT Cooking’s Ultimate Guide to Thanksgiving, an interactive planner that distills the holiday into four big decisions: how to cook the turkey, which side dishes to make, what to prepare ahead of time and how to end the meal. The guide steers you toward the perfect recipes based on the size of your party and your favorite flavors. There is value in preparing as much as you can ahead of time. Doing so provides not just an insurance policy should your most important appliance fail; advance work is good for your sanity, which, on a holiday that can be emotionally taxing, deserves safeguarding. In the rest of this newsletter, I’ll be giving my recommendations for what you can do over the next few days. David Malosh for The New York Times Thanksgiving road map Tomorrow: If you haven’t already gotten ahead on a chicken or vegetable stock to fortify your stuffing, gravy and soup (assuming that’s your kind of thing), the time to do so is now. You also don’t need to fuss with gravy on the day itself. Claire Saffitz’s white wine gravy and Eric Kim’s vegetarian umami gravy, bolstered with nutritional yeast, are both excellent make-ahead candidates. Later in the evening, roast some sweet potatoes, scoop out the flesh and prep it for pie filling or a casserole (though you’ll want to hold off on topping a casserole with nuts, brown sugar or marshmallows until just before baking). Monday: Assemble, cook and cool creamy casseroles like scalloped potatoes, which will hold up texturally, thanks to their high fat content. It’s also a fine time to make cranberry sauce, which benefits from a few days in the fridge. Tuesday: It’s time to tackle vegetable prep. Blanch green beans for casseroles, trim your brussels sprouts to glaze with cider, and peel and prep butternut squash to glaze with ginger beer. And don’t forget to leave your stuffing bread out on a baking sheet overnight, to dry out the bread sufficiently before storing it in an airtight container. Wednesday: Tend to delicate tasks that you might otherwise put off until the big day, like washing and drying leafy herbs and salad greens, and whisking together salad dressing. You can also make your mashed potatoes, then cool and refrigerate them. “When mashed potatoes chill, their starches firm up,” my colleague Genevieve Ko writes in her recipe, “and when reheated gently, they relax into a mash with an even silkier texture.” And, of course, bake apple pie, red wine-pear cardamom cake or Basque cheesecake the day before. When your oven goes kaput, for that foresight you’ll be oh so thankful. See more recipes in this guide to Thanksgiving. Last chance before Thanksgiving to save on Cooking. Less mess, less stress. A Cooking subscription brings you easy recipes plus step-by-step guides, videos, photos and more. Subscribe and save 50% on your first year of Cooking. Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT THE WEEK IN CULTURE Sean Combs Etienne Laurent/EPA, via Shutterstock Sean Combs, the hip-hop mogul known as Diddy, reached a settlement with the singer Cassie one day after she filed a lawsuit accusing him of rape and abuse. André 3000 released his first album in almost two decades, but it’s not a rap record. It’s instrumental and centered on woodwinds. The new “Hunger Games” movie came out. Amy Nicholson writes in her review that the film so echoes our own world that it “moves us to spend its gargantuan running time reflecting on contemporary headlines.” The singer Pink will give away 2,000 banned books at her upcoming Florida concerts in collaboration with PEN America and a local bookstore, NBC News reports. Comedian and actor Kevin Hart will receive the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor at a ceremony in March. A musical based on the trial involving Gwyneth Paltrow over a 2016 skiing accident is being staged in London. The rappers Drake and J. Cole plan to tour together next year, Pitchfork reports. Season 6 of “The Crown” was released on Netflix. The show’s depiction of Princess Diana’s death and its aftermath, a writer for Vulture says, is “careful to fault.” The so-called puking bird won New Zealand’s “Bird of the Century” poll. The comedian John Oliver led the campaign, NBC reports. “There was this riotous sense of fun”: Read an oral history of Jezebel, the feminist website that is shutting down. A.S. Byatt, a British critic and scholar whose 1990 novel, “Possession,” won the Booker Prize, died at 87. George Brown, a founding member and drummer of the group Kool & the Gang, died at 74. THE LATEST NEWS Sam Altman. Jim Wilson/The New York Times The board of directors of OpenAI, the artificial intelligence company, pushed out Sam Altman, its high-profile chief executive, accusing him of not being “consistently candid.” Donald Trump can remain on Colorado’s 2024 Republican primary ballot, a judge ruled, rejecting an effort to bar him over Jan. 6. Israel said it had found weapons at a school in Gaza and would let fuel into the enclave to run desalination and sewage plants. More companies, including Apple and Disney, suspended advertising on X after Elon Musk, the platform’s owner, endorsed a post accusing Jews of “hatred against whites.” A top House Republican launched a new push to expel Representative George Santos from Congress after an ethics report accused him of campaign fraud. Rosalynn Carter entered hospice care alongside her husband, former President Jimmy Carter, at their Georgia home. She is 96 and has dementia. CULTURE CALENDAR By Alexis Soloski 📺 “Squid Game: The Challenge” (Wednesday) An anticapitalist satire in which playground contests are played for deadly stakes might not seem like an obvious fit for reality television, but Netflix has taken the “Squid Game” phenomenon and made it real. In this new 10-episode series, 456 sweat-suited candidates vie for a $4.5 million prize, playing games like Red Light, Green Light. Some small comfort: In a bold departure from the series, the losers don’t actually die. 🎬 “Wish” (Wednesday) When you wish upon a star, the song says, your dreams come true. And if you’ve been wishing for an animated movie to whisk the children off to when the tryptophan haze of Thanksgiving has passed, congratulations. This new Disney musical, voiced by the Oscar winner Ariana DeBose and Chris Pine (wait, can Chris Pine sing?), is a tale of a dreamer who opposes a sorcerer king. Alan Tudyk plays a goat. Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT REAL ESTATE Chris Mottalini/Clarkson Potter Living small: A South Korean ceramist taught himself design and construction to create a collection of small buildings. What you get for $1.8 million: A 2023 house in Tivoli, N.Y.; a 19th-century Shingle Style home in Signal Mountain, Tenn.; or an 1891 limestone three-bedroom house in Denver. The hunt: A retired second-grade teacher wanted to find a home with mystery and character in Colorado Springs. Which did she choose? Play our game. LIVING McDonald’s/Crocs Fast (food) fashion: McDonald’s, through its collaborations with brands like Crocs, is becoming an unlikely source of style. “It never fails”: Five chefs and food-obsessed locals debate the 25 essential dishes to eat in Mexico City. Girl meets dog: For some without partners, pet ownership is helping to fill a romantic void. ADVICE FROM WIRECUTTER Gift season is upon us As we barrel toward the holiday season, it’s time to consider gifts for those lucky recipients on your list. Start here, with New York Times and Wirecutter editors’ ultimate gift guide, which you can easily sort by category and price. The nearly 400 gifts range from the unnecessary but amazing (tomato candle, anyone?) to the exceptionally luxe, including a beautifully built record player. And if you’re eager to get started, Wirecutter has a running list of the best early Black Friday deals. — Jason Chen GAME OF THE WEEKEND Josh Dobbs Matt Krohn/Associated Press Minnesota Vikings vs. Denver Broncos: This is a matchup of two teams on hot streaks. Both started the season 1-4, only to go unbeaten over the last month. The Broncos’ defense has been their strength. They twice held the Super Bowl champion Chiefs to fewer than 20 points. But tomorrow, the Broncos will face a pass-heavy offense led by an exciting new starting quarterback: Josh Dobbs. Dobbs, 28, has spent most of his career as a backup or practice squad player; he is also an aerospace engineer who interned for NASA. After the Vikings lost their quarterback, Kirk Cousins, to injury, they picked up Dobbs. He quickly led the team to two wins. 8:20 p.m. Eastern tomorrow on NBC. For more The N.F.L. is gaining popularity in Germany, where millions of people are now avid fans. NOW TIME TO PLAY Here is today’s Spelling Bee. Yesterday’s pangram was quieting. See the hardest Spelling Bee words from this week. Take the news quiz to see how well you followed this week’s headlines. And here are today’s Mini Crossword, Wordle, Sudoku and Connections. Thanks for spending part of your weekend with The Times. Sign up here to get this newsletter in your inbox. Reach our team at themorning@nytimes.com. Continue reading the main story Editor: David Leonhardt News Editor: Tom Wright-Piersanti News Staff: Desiree Ibekwe, Lauren Jackson, Sean Kawasaki-Culligan, Brent Lewis, German Lopez, Ian Prasad Philbrick, Ashley Wu News Assistant: Lyna Bentahar Saturday Writer: Melissa Kirsch Quote phkrause By the decree enforcing the institution of the papacy in violation of the law of God, our nation will disconnect herself fully from righteousness. When Protestantism shall stretch her hand across the gulf to grasp the hand of the Roman power, when she shall reach over the abyss to clasp hands with spiritualism, when, under the influence of this threefold union, our country shall repudiate every principle of its Constitution as a Protestant and republican government, and shall make provision for the propagation of papal falsehoods and delusions, then we may know that the time has come for the marvelous working of Satan and that the end is near. {5T 451.1} Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members phkrause Posted November 20, 2023 Author Members Share Posted November 20, 2023 November 19, 2023 By Lauren Jackson Good morning. We’re covering the rise of good-looking comedians — as well as the Israel-Hamas war, Sam Altman and Pablo Escobar’s hippos. Matt Rife Courtney Asztalos and Michael W. Hicks for The New York Times Beauty and the bit A beautiful person is so often a confrontation. Even in silence, symmetrical features announce their presence and elicit a reaction: desire, admiration, curiosity, resentment, belittlement, rage or envy. The response is rarely neutral. In this way, beautiful people are different from comedians who have to work for a crowd’s attention. Comics choreograph their lines, pauses and gestures to get a laugh. Then they practice, and fail, and practice more. Why would an attractive person toil for a reaction if they don’t have to? This is why my colleague Jason Zinoman, The Times’s comedy critic, recently chose to disclose a bias of his: He is skeptical of attractive men in comedy. And he isn’t alone. The conventional wisdom is that male comics need to be relatable, not hot, lest their beauty distract from the bit. But that may be changing. Stand-up stages are crawling with beautiful men. Chris Rock is showing off his abs. Jimmy Fallon smiles boyishly on late night. Trevor Noah and his dimples date actresses. An industry once known for nerdy, affable guys — Jerry Seinfeld, Bob Newhart, Jim Gaffigan — is becoming another venue for charmers. One annoyed late night writer complained to his peers: “You’ve let the popular kids appropriate the very art form that helped you deal.” No one represents this shift better than Matt Rife, a cartoonishly hot man who became famous by posting his comedy on TikTok. The platform’s algorithms, which funnel attention toward people who could be in perfume ads, led to more viral videos. On Wednesday, he made his comedic debut on Netflix, with a special entitled “Natural Selection.” Brandon Celi Rife leans into his sex appeal. He styles his hair like a member of BTS, posts workout clips online and uses a shirtless photo on his website. But his beauty doesn’t only explain his popularity; it’s become part of his act. In the trailer for “Natural Selection,” he smiles for photos with screaming women and is mock arrested by police officers who, like Zinoman, are skeptical of his mixing of cheekbones with comedy. “Why did the algorithm choose you?” one asks. “I heard he got lip filler,” another replies. In another video, Rife laments his good fortune: “I can’t even hang myself because my jawline will cut the rope,” he said, adding a curse word. Like a tyrant, Rife’s beauty rules his comedy. But he’s not a victim — the day after his special was released, it became the No. 1 TV show on Netflix in the U.S. Royalties have a way of taking the sting out of envy. Read more of Jason’s critique and our story on how Rife blew up. More on beauty Young men online are watching videos about how to be hot. “Being average-looking is, by definition, completely normal. Why hadn’t anyone prepared me for it?” Read this essay on beauty in The Point. Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT NEWS Al-Shifa Hospital U.N. workers who visited Al-Shifa, the major Gaza hospital that the Israeli military stormed four days ago, called it a “death zone.” The team said several patients had died because of a lack of medical services, and reported signs of gunfire inside the hospital. Israel’s seizure of Al-Shifa is central to its plan to eradicate Hamas. So far it is not clear the strategy is working, write Eric Schmitt, Ronen Bergman and Adam Goldman. More on the War Parts of southern Gaza were hit by airstrikes, according to the U.N. and a Palestinian news agency, even as the Israeli military warns residents to evacuate from the north to the south. President Biden used an opinion piece in The Washington Post to call for an end to extremist violence against Palestinians in the West Bank. He said the U.S. was prepared to issue visa bans against attackers. Politics Ron DeSantis is courting Iowa’s religious right by targeting Donald Trump’s criticism of abortion restrictions. Manhattan’s top federal prosecutor joined a push to strip Mayor Eric Adams’s administration of control of the Rikers Island jail. International In Doradal, Colombia. Raul Arboleda/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images Colombian officials plan to sterilize rampaging hippos descended from a herd owned by the drug lord Pablo Escobar. A 6.7-magnitude earthquake struck the southern Philippines, killing at least seven people. A French senator is being investigated on suspicion of spiking a fellow lawmaker’s drink with the intent to sexually assault her. An invisible war: Russia and Ukraine are also fighting to control the radio waves they use to guide drones and locate targets. The Austrian government is turning Hitler’s birthplace into a police station. Some locals think it’s a missed educational opportunity. Tech Sam Altman, the chief executive pushed out at OpenAI two days ago, is reportedly in discussions about returning to the post. Warner Bros. and Sony paused ad spending on X, formerly Twitter, after Elon Musk endorsed an antisemitic conspiracy theory on the platform. Several other big advertisers had already pulled back. Musk’s spaceflight company, SpaceX, launched a test flight of its Starship rocket. It failed, but showed progress from a previous test. Other Big Stories In Minnesota. Tim Gruber for The New York Times Half of assisted-living operators earn at least 20 percent more than it costs to run their sites. Facilities layer on extra fees, driving profits. The College Board earns millions from its Advancement Placement program. The tests may not actually help students. A 23 year-old died after a Taylor Swift concert in Brazil, where there were complaints of extreme heat and a lack of water. FROM OPINION Students are experiencing a learning loss crisis. All levels of government need to devote substantial resources to make up for lost ground, the Times editorial board writes. Here are columns by Maureen Dowd on David Axelrod vs. Biden and Ross Douthat on Nikki Haley. The Sunday question: Is the Supreme Court’s ethics code a step in the right direction? Recent reports about the justices’ conduct caused many Americans to lose trust, and the new code they have adopted will allow the court to regain that trust if they “show they are following the new rules they have set,” The Washington Post’s editorial board writes. But no one besides the justices themselves can hold them accountable, and “‘trust us’ is never an adequate answer, especially when dealing with matters of ethics,” Erwin Chemerinsky writes for The Los Angeles Times. Last chance before Thanksgiving to save on Cooking. Less mess, less stress. A Cooking subscription brings you easy recipes plus step-by-step guides, videos, photos and more. Subscribe and save 50% on your first year of Cooking. MORNING READS Diana and Dodi Fayed in 1997. Mario Brenna “The Crown”: Read the story behind a photo of Diana and Dodi Fayed — and the true history behind Season 6. Dorothy loves New York: Meet the 98-year-old who has found fame on Instagram. Happy New Year? With six weeks of 2023 left, some on social media are popping the champagne and jump-starting their resolutions. Visiting Havana: Read about a Cuban tattoo shop in The Miami Native. Vows: A bite of bruschetta laid the foundation for their relationship. Lives Lived: Viktor Belenko was a lieutenant in the Soviet Union’s elite Air Defense Forces who defected to the West in a fighter jet. He died at 76. Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT TALK | FROM THE TIMES MAGAZINE Emma Chamberlain Mamadi Doumbouya for The New York Times By David Marchese Earlier this year I spoke with Emma Chamberlain, a pioneer of YouTube virality, about the psychological costs of online fame. Do you think there’s a natural shelf life to being a YouTube star? Both in terms of the star’s ability to keep doing it and the audience staying interested? Yes. This schedule that YouTubers put themselves on is rigorous. There’s pressure to be producing at a level that is unrealistic. Inevitably people burn out or they become too obsessed with being consistent, and they never take time off to evolve their creative side, so it becomes stale. Your life is different from what it was when you started on YouTube: You’re in Lancôme campaigns. You’re at the Met Gala. Do you worry that the rarefied circumstances of your life now might chip away at your relatability? I have thought about this a lot. And guess what? People who have one follower on Instagram? There is no difference between me and those people. I think a lot of celebrities don’t feel that way. There are some who have this experience, and they feel immortal, unstoppable. I know that’s not true. Unlike movie stars or reality-TV stars or even online influencers, the YouTube celebrity is still such a new phenomenon that we don’t have much in the way of templates for what a career that started in that space tends to look like. But do you have any sense of what your arc might look like? I have vague ideas of things that I might want to pursue when I’m older. Also, if I want to quit, maybe I quit! Maybe when I’m 30, I’ll be like, I’m done. I’m going to open up a tiny coffee shop and work there and get married and have babies. No one knows! Read more of the interview here. More from the magazine A scuffle with a homeless man in San Francisco has raised fears about the city’s future. But what really happened? Russell Brand built an army of fans with his podcast. Now, amid sex-assault claims against him, they’ve become his whole world. Read the full issue. BOOKS Donnell Library Siegelman — PIX From the archive: A look at the literary lives of New York City’s children through the years. Our editors’ picks: “Absolution,” about two American women who try to help people in Vietnam, and eight other books. Times best sellers: Barbra Streisand’s memoir, “My Name Is Barbra,” makes a first appearance on the hardcover nonfiction best-seller list. THANKSGIVING PREP LIST If you have a frozen turkey, allow one day of thawing in the refrigerator for every four pounds of bird, and choose from our best turkey recipes. Today is a good day to plan your table setup and pick out serveware, napkins, unscented candles and drinking glasses. THE MORNING RECOMMENDS … Get ahead with this mashed potato casserole, which can be made two days before Thanksgiving. Stop bedbugs from coming home with you from vacation. Add warmth to your home with these Christmas lights. THE WEEK AHEAD What to Watch For Argentina is holding a runoff presidential election today. Biden will turn 81 and pardon two turkeys tomorrow. The Netherlands has elections on Wednesday. Thursday is Thanksgiving. What to Cook This Week David Malosh for The New York Times Fresh ricotta is one of those magic ingredients that elevate a dish, Emily Weinstein writes in the Five Weeknight Dishes newsletter. She recommends mixing it into a pasta bake, dolloping it on a charcuterie board or using it as a cloudlike base for squash on toast — a great Thanksgiving appetizer. NOW TIME TO PLAY Here is today’s Spelling Bee. Yesterday’s pangram was packable. Can you put eight historical events — including the creation of the Silk Roads, the painting of “The Hesitant Fiancée” and the amendment of the Clean Air Act — in chronological order? Take this week’s Flashback quiz. And here are today’s Mini Crossword, Wordle, Sudoku and Connections. Thanks for spending part of your weekend with The Times. Sign up here to get this newsletter in your inbox. Reach our team at themorning@nytimes.com. Continue reading the main story Editor: David Leonhardt News Editor: Tom Wright-Piersanti News Staff: Desiree Ibekwe, Lauren Jackson, Sean Kawasaki-Culligan, Brent Lewis, German Lopez, Ian Prasad Philbrick, Ashley Wu News Assistant: Lyna Bentahar Saturday Writer: Melissa Kirsch Quote phkrause By the decree enforcing the institution of the papacy in violation of the law of God, our nation will disconnect herself fully from righteousness. When Protestantism shall stretch her hand across the gulf to grasp the hand of the Roman power, when she shall reach over the abyss to clasp hands with spiritualism, when, under the influence of this threefold union, our country shall repudiate every principle of its Constitution as a Protestant and republican government, and shall make provision for the propagation of papal falsehoods and delusions, then we may know that the time has come for the marvelous working of Satan and that the end is near. {5T 451.1} Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members phkrause Posted November 21, 2023 Author Members Share Posted November 21, 2023 November 20, 2023 I’m turning over today’s newsletter to Amanda Taub, who is part of a Times team that has spent the past two years reporting on a major economic challenge for India: gender inequality. — David Leonhardt By Amanda Taub Good morning. We’re also covering Rosalynn Carter, Argentina’s election and OpenAI. Arti Kumari Andrea Bruce for The New York Times India’s daughters There is one change, so simple it can be described in just six words, that could lift millions of people out of poverty and expand the world’s fifth-largest economy: Get more Indian women paid jobs. In many other countries, female labor-force participation has propelled economic growth. But India has one of the world’s lowest rates of formal employment for women. The percentage of women doing paid work has dropped sharply in recent years. Last year, 24 percent had a paid job, down from 29 percent in 2010. In China, by comparison, that rate is about 60 percent. “Every month, I read a statistic somewhere about how our G.D.P. is losing out because we don’t have ‘productive workers’ in the work force, and by that they mean women,” said Shrayana Bhattacharya, an economist at the World Bank. But changing that is easier said than done. Risk vs. reward One problem is India’s “jobless growth”: Although the country has some big companies, especially in technology, they are clustered in a few large cities. Much of the country’s recent economic growth has been concentrated in small, family-owned firms that employ few outsiders. That has had pronounced effects for women because it reinforces the patriarchal norms that keep them at home. In societies like India’s that place a high premium on family “honor” — which depends on female members’ reputations for chastity — letting an unmarried daughter work outside the home can seem risky because unsupervised contact with men could jeopardize her reputation. The result is what Alice Evans, a lecturer at King’s College London, calls the “patrilineal trap”: Even many families that would like their daughters to have jobs are afraid of the reputational cost of being the first to try. In many countries, Evans said, the patrilineal trap breaks when the economy creates enough well-paying, reliable jobs to make paid work extremely attractive. As more young women move to cities for jobs, the norms shift, and letting a daughter work no longer seems as risky. That’s what has started to happen in Bangladesh, for instance. But in India, the trap is still too powerful for most to escape. That can have catastrophic consequences. Without a way to earn a living, many women cannot escape violent marriages. Marital rape is not criminalized in India, and thousands of women are killed each year by their husbands or in-laws. Uncertainty’s cost If you were going to bet on a young woman to make it out of the trap, you might think Arti Kumari, the academic superstar of her village in Bihar, a rural state on the border with Nepal, would be a good one to back. When she was growing up, her friends and relatives used superlatives to describe her: the smartest, the strongest, the most determined. While other girls in her village married in their late teens, Arti finished high school and enrolled in college. But there were few jobs near her home. And traveling to another city for work seemed too precarious: She and her family worried that she might be left with nothing if she took the financial and reputational risks of moving but then couldn’t land a good job or was fired. Only federal government jobs, which effectively offer lifetime tenure in India, seemed to offer enough security to counterbalance the risks. Arti set her sights on winning one, but many other young people had the same idea. Since 2014, there has been an average of only three government jobs for every thousand young Indians pursuing one. Arti took exam after exam, but she didn’t make the cut. Meanwhile, the pressures of the trap grew stronger. Her family insisted on an arranged marriage. Her future mother-in-law, she knew, would expect her to stay home and care for the household. But Arti pushed back. She negotiated delays to the wedding so she could study for more exams. Then, after the string of disappointments continued, she secured her fiancé’s promise to let her keep trying for a job after marriage. When her wedding day dawned, Arti remained unemployed but determined. “I want to get the job as soon as possible, so that I can be independent and stand on my own feet,” she said. “I won’t have to be dependent on my husband.” For more: You can read India’s Daughters, a continuing series on this subject. And to receive the series’s final chapter and find out how Arti’s story ends, sign up for the Interpreter newsletter. Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT THE LATEST NEWS Israel-Hamas War Israel’s military released videos of what it said was a fortified tunnel beneath the Shifa Hospital complex, bolstering its case that Hamas used the hospital for military operations. Israeli also released videos that it said showed two hostages being taken inside the hospital on Oct. 7, the day of Hamas’s major attack. Aid workers evacuated 31 premature babies in precarious health from Al-Shifa to a hospital in southern Gaza. Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi militia hijacked a ship in the Red Sea, hours after threatening to target Israeli vessels. Israel’s military said no Israelis were on board. Israel and Hamas are close to agreeing a pause in fighting of several days so hostages can be released, a White House official said. For almost two decades, an Israeli peace activist and a Hamas official quietly maintained an informal line of communication. The Oct. 7 attacks ended that. “They are alive, but they are not OK”: A Palestinian filmmaker in the U.S. is trying to keep in touch with his family in Gaza through communication blackouts. Watch our video. Rosalynn Carter Rosalynn and Jimmy Carter in 1976. Mikki Ansin/Getty Images Rosalynn Carter helped propel her husband, Jimmy Carter, from rural Georgia to the White House. They were from the same small Georgia town and spent eight decades together. She died at 96. “White House aides consider her the most influential First Lady since Eleanor Roosevelt,” The Times wrote in 1978. She attended cabinet meetings and security briefings. Michelle Obama said Rosalynn Carter “reminded me to make the role of first lady my own.” Bill and Hillary Clinton said she would be remembered as “the embodiment of a life lived with purpose.” See her life in photos from CBS News. Politics Greg Abbott, Texas’ governor, endorsed Donald Trump at an event near the southern border. “We need a president who’s going to secure the border,” Abbott said. At a hearing today, Trump’s lawyers will challenge a gag order placed on him in his federal election case. President Biden turns 81 today. Another birthday may offer a reminder of his age to an already skeptical electorate, writes Peter Baker. Tech OpenAI’s board of directors stood by its decision to push out its former chief executive, Sam Altman. Microsoft, an investor in the company, said it was hiring him to lead a research lab. Kyle Vogt, the chief executive of the driverless carmaker Cruise, resigned. The company pulled its autonomous cars off the road last month after a series of problems. New York The Times examined 94 attacks in New York City by mentally ill homeless people and found failures by an underfunded social safety net. The city and the state have paid out $110 million in settlements to people who were investigated by a police detective accused of rigging dozens of murder cases. Other Big Stories Javier Milei, Argentina’s president-elect. Cristina Sille/Reuters Javier Milei, a brash far-right libertarian with little political experience, won Argentina’s presidential election. A study found evidence that distinct groups of apes cooperate, challenging the notion that humans are the only primates capable of group-to-group alliances. A man suspected of shooting to death three women and a 13-year-old girl in Memphis was found dead after an hourslong manhunt. The fastest-growing places along the Atlantic coast are also among the most hurricane-prone. “It’s a market of haves and have-nots”: America’s unique and ubiquitous 30-year fixed-rate mortgage is creating inequality between new buyers and established homeowners. Laboratories in at least four U.S. states are investigating a mysterious respiratory illness in dogs. Opinions We need to recognize Malcolm X as a human being with flaws and vulnerabilities to truly understand his revolutionary legacy, Peniel E. Joseph writes. Here are columns by David French on antisemitism and Jane Coaston on abortion. Last chance before Thanksgiving to save on Cooking. Less mess, less stress. A Cooking subscription brings you easy recipes plus step-by-step guides, videos, photos and more. Subscribe and save 50% on your first year of Cooking. MORNING READS At Badwater Basin. Sudden life: Visitors flock to Death Valley for its heat and barren landscape. This fall, they’ve been drawn in by something else: a lake that appeared almost overnight. Anxiety: It’s a good time to be a professional bedbug killer in Asia. Last wish: A cancer patient wanted to help pay others’ medical debt. She has posthumously raised enough to erase $20 million. New housing: In New York City’s financial district, families are filling empty offices. Metropolitan Diary: Good shoes, good deed. Lives Lived: Karel Schwarzenberg was a Czech prince who twice served as his country’s foreign minister, and quietly subverted aristocratic expectations. He died at 85. SPORTS Sunday Night Football: The Denver Broncos extended their winning streak with a comeback to beat the Minnesota Vikings, 21-20. Around the N.F.L.: The Detroit Lions beat the Chicago Bears and improved their record to 8-2. And the San Francisco 49ers’ Brock Purdy had a perfect quarterback rating in his victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Here are takeaways. M.L.B.: The Phillies re-signed the pitcher Aaron Nola in a seven-year, $172 million contract, taking a top pitcher off the free-agent market early. U.N.C.: The North Carolina field hockey team won its second straight national title, this one with a 23-year-old first-time head coach who played on the team last year. Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT ARTS AND IDEAS Travis Kelce and Jason Kelce. Wave Sports + Entertainment Helmets off, mics up: The N.F.L. often suppresses individuality — players wear helmets, there’s a strict uniform policy and extravagant celebrations risk a fine. But an influx of more tolerant coaches, and more business-conscious players, has fostered a surprising trend: the football player podcast. On shows like Travis and Jason Kelce’s “New Heights” and Von Miller’s “The Voncast,” players have a direct line to fans — and a way build their brands. “I think it’s fun and guys will keep doing it as long as there’s a thirst from the audience,” Jason Kelce said. More on culture Police officers in London questioned the comedian Russell Brand in relation to three allegations of sexual offenses, according to British news outlets. Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour has encountered tragedy and mishaps in Brazil. Two fans have died and a show was postponed. THANKSGIVING PREP LIST If you’re cooking a fresh turkey for Thanksgiving, pick it up today. Or browse our nonturkey mains and vegetarian centerpieces. Make apple pie filling, if that’s on the menu. Shop for perishables. THE MORNING RECOMMENDS … Jason Henry for The New York Times Pick an easy dinner for the night before Thanksgiving. Read books that experts say can make your relationship stronger. Navigate Thanksgiving air travel chaos this Thanksgiving with this gear. Clean your luggage. Here’s how. Take our news quiz. GAMES Here is today’s Spelling Bee. Yesterday’s pangram was obedience. And here are today’s Mini Crossword, Wordle, Sudoku and Connections. Thanks for spending part of your morning with The Times. See you tomorrow. Sign up here to get this newsletter in your inbox. Reach our team at themorning@nytimes.com. Continue reading the main story Editor: David Leonhardt News Editor: Tom Wright-Piersanti News Staff: Desiree Ibekwe, Lauren Jackson, Sean Kawasaki-Culligan, Brent Lewis, German Lopez, Ian Prasad Philbrick, Ashley Wu News Assistant: Lyna Bentahar Saturday Writer: Melissa Kirsch Quote phkrause By the decree enforcing the institution of the papacy in violation of the law of God, our nation will disconnect herself fully from righteousness. When Protestantism shall stretch her hand across the gulf to grasp the hand of the Roman power, when she shall reach over the abyss to clasp hands with spiritualism, when, under the influence of this threefold union, our country shall repudiate every principle of its Constitution as a Protestant and republican government, and shall make provision for the propagation of papal falsehoods and delusions, then we may know that the time has come for the marvelous working of Satan and that the end is near. {5T 451.1} Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members phkrause Posted November 21, 2023 Author Members Share Posted November 21, 2023 November 21, 2023 After another dizzying day of news from Silicon Valley, I asked my colleague Kevin Roose to make sense of the fight over OpenAI. The piece he wrote below is the most clarifying thing I’ve yet read on the topic. — David Leonhardt By Kevin Roose Technology Columnist Good morning. We’re also covering the Israel-Hamas war, migrant stories and David Letterman. Sam Altman Jim Wilson/The New York Times Fight for the future If they had been the plot of a science fiction movie, or an episode of “Succession,” the events at OpenAI last weekend would have seemed a little over-the-top. A secret board coup! Fears of killer A.I.! A star C.E.O., betrayed by his chief scientist! A middle-of-the-night staff revolt that threatens to change the balance of global tech power! If you haven’t been paying attention to all the twists and turns in the saga, that’s OK. It’s been a confusing ride, with lots of complex jargon and hard-to-follow details. But it’s an important story, even if you’re not particularly interested in A.I. If you’ve ever used ChatGPT or drawn a picture with DALL-E 3, or if you care about whether powerful A.I. systems might someday threaten human survival, all of that is wrapped up in the drama at OpenAI, the country’s most prominent maker of artificial intelligence. Here’s what you need to know: Why did this happen? OpenAI’s board fired its chief executive, Sam Altman, in a surprise on Friday. The board’s explanation — that Altman had not been completely candid with them — was vague and opaque. We still don’t know exactly what happened between Altman and the board. But OpenAI’s unusual governance structure — it is run by a nonprofit board that controls a for-profit subsidiary and can vote to replace its leaders — allowed the board to fire Altman without explaining itself. What was the coup about? The coup was led by Ilya Sutskever, OpenAI’s chief scientist, who had butted heads with Altman. Sutskever wants the company to prioritize safety and was worried that Altman was more focused on growth. Sutskever is among a faction of A.I. experts who are fearful that A.I. may soon surpass human abilities and become a threat to our survival. Several of OpenAI’s board members have ties to effective altruism, a philosophical movement that has made preventing these threats a top priority. Altman has concerns about A.I. risks, too. But he has also expressed optimism that A.I. will be good for society, and a desire to make progress more quickly. That may have put him at odds with the safety-minded board members, whose job is to see that powerful A.I. is developed responsibly. Ilya Sutskever Jim Wilson/The New York Times What’s happened since the coup? Over the weekend, it looked as though Altman might return to OpenAI, under the condition that major changes were made to the board. That didn’t happen. Instead, late on Sunday night, the board affirmed its decision, writing in a memo to employees that Altman’s “behavior and lack of transparency in his interactions with the board undermined the board’s ability to effectively supervise the company in the manner it was mandated to do.” The board then appointed Emmett Shear — the former chief executive of Twitch, a livestreaming company — to be OpenAI’s second interim C.E.O. in just a few days. (Mira Murati, the chief technology officer, had been given the job, only to lose it after signaling her support for Altman.) In response, Microsoft — OpenAI’s biggest investor and a major strategic partner — offered to give Altman and his top lieutenant, Greg Brockman, a job running a new A.I. lab. Nearly all of OpenAI’s roughly 770 employees signed a letter threatening to quit and go work for the new Microsoft team, unless the start-up’s board resigned and brought back Altman and Brockman. In another surprise twist, Sutskever then had second thoughts. He wrote in a post on X on Monday that he deeply regretted having taken part in the ouster and that he had “never intended to harm OpenAI.” He also signed the letter pledging to follow Altman and Brockman to Microsoft unless the board reversed its decision. That sounds messy! But why does this matter to the rest of us? Corporate infighting is not new. But what makes the OpenAI story stand out is the stakes. OpenAI is no ordinary company. It built ChatGPT, one of the fastest-growing tech products of all time, and it employs many of the top A.I. researchers. The company is also unusually ambitious and saw its role as building a digital superintelligence that would eventually become more powerful than humans. In addition, Altman was a well-liked leader and a figurehead for the A.I. industry, making the board’s decision to oust him even more of a mystery. In a larger sense, what’s happening at OpenAI is a proxy for one of the biggest fights in the global economy today: how to control increasingly powerful A.I. tools, and whether large companies can be trusted to develop them responsibly. More on OpenAI On the “Hard Fork” podcast, Kevin interviewed Altman about the future of A.I. shortly before he was fired. The saga over the leadership of OpenAI has deepened the parallels between Altman and Steve Jobs, who quit Apple in 1985 after its board marginalized him. Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT THE LATEST NEWS Israel-Hamas War Even as negotiators work to free hostages in Gaza, Hamas has given no public updates about their condition, leaving their families desperate. Many of the Israelis abducted by Hamas on Oct. 7 had serious medical problems or were badly injured in the attack. Doctors say they need care urgently. An attack on a northern Gaza hospital killed at least 12 people, the Gaza health ministry said. Israel said its troops had been attacked from within the hospital. None of Gaza’s 36 hospitals are functional enough to treat critical trauma cases or perform surgery, according to the World Health Organization. Aid workers transported 28 premature babies who were in intensive care at Al-Shifa Hospital to Egypt for treatment, the U.N. said. Here’s an account of giving birth in Gaza during Israel’s siege. The two sides’ narratives of the conflict diverge, leaving little room for mutual empathy, Roger Cohen writes. Planes are losing satellite signals and flights have been diverted because of electronic warfare tactics in the Middle East and Ukraine. The Oslo peace process could have settled the Israeli-Palestinian conflict decades ago. The reasons it failed — violence, extremism and weak leaders — help clarify today’s fighting. A Times Magazine article explains. Politics Election officials in Pella, Iowa. Jordan Gale for The New York Times A federal court effectively blocked civil rights groups from suing under the Voting Rights Act, which would weaken the law. The plaintiffs are likely to appeal the ruling. “Vermin,” “sick”: Donald Trump’s verbal attacks on his political opponents are alarming autocracy experts. Americans are angry about more than just inflation. Those broader frustrations, more than their own financial situations, may be driving their unhappiness with the economy. President Biden pardoned two turkeys — Liberty and Bell — and joked about his age. “This is the 76th anniversary of this event. And I want you to know I wasn’t there for the first one.” War in Ukraine The trauma and uncertainty of conflict is causing regressions in the development of Ukrainian children with special needs. Little territory is changing hands in the war. As casualties increase, for Ukrainian soldiers and medics the conflict is anything but static. Lloyd Austin, the defense secretary, visited Kyiv as concerns grow about American aid. “The United States will continue to stand with Ukraine in their fight for freedom,” he said. Tech Carbon-free electricity — from wind, solar and hydroelectric sources — has never been more plentiful. But the use fossil fuels is still rising globally, as these charts show. Self-driving taxis have slowed emergency response times in San Francisco and Austin, local officials say. “A legal issue and an ethical issue”: The U.S. and a handful of other nations are developing lethal A.I.-controlled drones that could reshape warfare. X sued the advocacy organization Media Matters for publishing research that showed ads on the platform appeared next to antisemitic content. X rejected the group’s findings. Migration In Bed-Stuy. Todd Heisler/The New York Times “It is not an easy system to navigate”: The Times spoke to five migrants in New York City about how they seek shelter, earn money and are trying avoid deportation. Two million migrants in the U.S. are waiting for decisions on their asylum applications. Fewer than 1,500 officials can rule on the claims. Other Big Stories An evolutionary marvel: The Omicron variant of Covid has given rise to an impressive number of immunity-evading descendants. Hundreds of people, including a former lawmaker, were sentenced to prison in a trial that prosecutors said dealt a crucial blow to the Mafia in southern Italy. The A.C.L.U. called on a Kansas school to review its dress code after an 8-year-old Native American boy who grew his hair out to reflect his heritage was made to get a haircut. Opinions The Federalist Society no longer supports the rule of law, and young lawyers need a conservative movement that will, George Conway, J. Michael Luttig and Barbara Comstock write. As Brexit divides Northern Ireland from the rest of the U.K., the dream of Irish reunification has become more realistic, Megan Stack writes. Here are columns by Michelle Goldberg on antisemitism and Zeynep Tufekci on Apple and Google. Thanksgiving is here. Readers of The Morning can save 50% on a Cooking subscription for the first year. Search by ingredient or explore editors’ collections to easily find the right recipes. MORNING READS Rosalynn and Jimmy Carter at the 1977 inauguration. Bettmann, via Getty Images Trendsetter: Rosalynn Carter did not play the White House dress-up game as designed by the likes of Jackie Kennedy, but she understood the power and the political use of clothes. Travel deals: Bargain shoppers can find Black Friday discounts on hotels, tours and cruises. Bedtime sniffles: It’s not just you — people really do cough more at night. We asked experts to explain. Lives Lived: The novelist Herbert Gold emerged after World War II as a promising young writer who explored the complexities of love, marriage and Jewish identity. He died at 99. SPORTS N.F.L.: The Philadelphia Eagles defeated the Kansas City Chiefs, 21-17, in a Super Bowl rematch, cementing their place atop the league. Soccer: The U.S. men’s national team qualified for the Copa América, despite a 2-1 loss to Trinidad and Tobago. N.B.A.: The New York Knicks argued their dispute with the Toronto Raptors over scouting reports and video files should stay in federal court and not be moved to league-run arbitration. Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT ARTS AND IDEAS Julia Perry Talbott Music Library Special Collections and Westminster Choir College Archives (Julia Perry Collection), Rider University. Making room: The composer Julia Perry achieved significant success during the 1950s and ’60s. She earned two fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation and European audiences embraced her. Yet Perry’s career later fell into obscurity. She died in 1979 with only a few published works. This week, her 1951 “Stabat Mater” is part of the The New York Philharmonic’s program. “Programming Julia Perry is about making room,” said J’Nai Bridges, a mezzo-soprano who will make her Philharmonic debut during the performance. “Not just to tick boxes, but because we want to continue performing beautiful music.” More on culture The Guggenheim has appointed Mariët Westermann, the vice chancellor of N.Y.U. Abu Dhabi, as its director and chief executive. She will be its first female director. David Letterman finally returned to “The Late Show” on CBS, which he hosted for 22 years, as a guest. THANKSGIVING PREP LIST Prep vegetables like carrots, green beans, brussels sprouts and butternut squash. Toast nuts. Leave out torn bread cubes for one of our best stuffing recipes. THE MORNING RECOMMENDS … David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews. Cozy up with this winter squash and wild mushroom curry. Avoid family drama this holiday season. Buy your loved ones a gift that will last forever (or extremely close). Explore early Black Friday deals. GAMES Here is today’s Spelling Bee. Yesterday’s pangram was graphic. And here are today’s Mini Crossword, Wordle, Sudoku and Connections. Thanks for spending part of your morning with The Times. See you tomorrow. Sign up here to get this newsletter in your inbox. Reach our team at themorning@nytimes.com. Continue reading the main story Editor: David Leonhardt News Editor: Tom Wright-Piersanti News Staff: Desiree Ibekwe, Lauren Jackson, Sean Kawasaki-Culligan, Brent Lewis, German Lopez, Ian Prasad Philbrick, Ashley Wu News Assistant: Lyna Bentahar Saturday Writer: Melissa Kirsch Quote phkrause By the decree enforcing the institution of the papacy in violation of the law of God, our nation will disconnect herself fully from righteousness. When Protestantism shall stretch her hand across the gulf to grasp the hand of the Roman power, when she shall reach over the abyss to clasp hands with spiritualism, when, under the influence of this threefold union, our country shall repudiate every principle of its Constitution as a Protestant and republican government, and shall make provision for the propagation of papal falsehoods and delusions, then we may know that the time has come for the marvelous working of Satan and that the end is near. {5T 451.1} Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members phkrause Posted November 23, 2023 Author Members Share Posted November 23, 2023 November 22, 2023 On this day before Thanksgiving, we want to highlight a group of people who deserve our gratitude: the firefighters who battle the country’s increasing number of forest fires, often for relatively little pay. My colleagues Max Whittaker and Thomas Fuller tell you their stories, in words and photos. — David Leonhardt By Thomas Fuller San Francisco Bureau Chief, National Good morning. We’re also covering a brief cease-fire in Gaza, Sam Altman’s return and notable books of 2023. Max Whittaker for The New York Times On the fire line It was a relatively quiet wildfire season in the U.S. But there is no summer vacation for the Tallac Hotshots, a federal firefighting crew based near Lake Tahoe in California. The crew members spent early July in triple-digit heat in Arizona, fighting a wildfire for 14 straight days. From there they traveled to a thickly wooded evergreen forest in Oregon; then to the dense, steep terrain of Klamath National Forest in California; and then to remote wilderness in Northern California, where they arrived by helicopter and fought fires in near-freezing temperatures. Their current assignment has taken them to Tennessee, where they will likely spend Thanksgiving Day swinging hand tools to contain blazes fueled by extreme drought. “It’s really physical, but it’s extremely mental, too,” said Kyle Betty, the superintendent of the Tallac Hotshots, who has been a federal firefighter for 22 years. “The things that you see, the things that you face — every day you have to get up and do it again.” Max Whittaker for The New York Times The “hotshot” moniker, which dates back to the 1940s, describes firefighters who travel to battle the hottest, most treacherous and most technically challenging wildfires. There are around 100 such crews in the U.S., most of which work for the U.S. Forest Service. Max Whittaker for The New York Times During their deployments, the crews often have no access to cellphone signals or showers. They sometimes sleep in the open air. A standard shift is 16 hours, and crews can work three weeks straight without a break. Max Whittaker for The New York Times Base pay for entry-level federal firefighters is $16 an hour — far less than the amount earned by California state fighters, who battle many of the same blazes. “They are the premier firefighting force in the U.S.,” said Evan Pierce, who helped write a University of Washington report on firefighter salaries. “But they are working longer and in more dangerous conditions — for less pay.” Max Whittaker for The New York Times Instead of fire engines and hoses, hotshot crews use hoes, shovels and chain saws to carve out dirt tracks to choke the progress of a fire. Max Whittaker for The New York Times The Tallac Hotshots crew members hail from across the country. Elsa Gaule, pictured above, is one of the crew’s captains. She spent her earliest years in Alaska in a house without a toilet or running water. She and the other crew members are drawn to the outdoors and the deep sense of camaraderie. “I’m not a very good sit-at-a-desk person,” Gaule said. “Until my knees and back give out, I’ll continue doing this.” Read the full story on the Tallac Hotshots. Max Whittaker for The New York Times Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT THE LATEST NEWS Gaza Hostage Deal A rally in Tel Aviv calling for the release of hostages. Amit Elkayam for The New York Times Israel and Hamas agreed to a brief cease-fire in Gaza to allow for the release of 50 hostages captured by Hamas last month. Hamas said Israel would release 150 Palestinians held in Israeli prisons. The pause would also allow for more deliveries of aid and fuel for civilians in Gaza, according to Qatar, the country leading mediations. The deal would pause fighting for at least four days, with each side releasing a portion of the captives each day. The hostages would not be released until Thursday at the earliest to allow Israeli judges to review potential legal challenges, according to an Israeli official. Israel’s acceptance of the terms of the agreement reflects the pressure brought by the Biden administration, Michael D. Shear writes. Three American hostages — two women and a toddler — will be among those released from Gaza, White House officials said. Despite the deal, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that the war would continue until Israel achieved “total victory” over Hamas. More on the War The U.S. destroyed two facilities used by Iranian proxies in Iraq in a round of airstrikes. Attacks against American forces in the region have risen recently. Israel released a celebrated Palestinian poet two days after its military detained him as he fled to southern Gaza. A talent agency stopped representing the actor Susan Sarandon after she said that Jewish people were “getting a taste of what it feels like to be a Muslim in this country, so often subjected to violence.” A production company dropped the actor Melissa Barrera from the next “Scream” film after she posted that Western media depicted only the Israeli version of events. “Why they do that, I will let you deduce for yourself,” Barrera wrote on Instagram, according to Variety. Senator Bernie Sanders called for an end to “Israel’s indiscriminate bombing” and warned against a long-term Israeli occupation of Gaza in an opinion piece for The Times. OpenAI Sam Altman Carlos Barria/Reuters OpenAI reinstated Sam Altman as its chief executive, less than a week after the company’s board of directors pushed him out. The company will also overhaul its board, jettisoning several members who had opposed Altman. Only one holdover will remain. Tensions between Altman and board members were high for more than a year before his ouster. Altman’s grip on the board slipped after more business-minded members left, The Wall Street Journal reports. More on Tech The chief executive of Binance, the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange, pleaded guilty to breaking money laundering rules. The I.R.S. again delayed enforcing a rule that would require users of Venmo and other digital wallets to pay taxes on small transactions. Ford scaled back production and investment plans at an electric vehicle battery plant in Michigan, citing slower-than-expected adoption of the cars in the U.S. and rising labor costs. Politics House Speaker Mike Johnson, facing conservative criticism for teaming with Democrats to avert a government shutdown, visited Donald Trump in Florida this week. Democrats tried to ignore Trump after he lost. Now they hope that more attention on his record will lift President Biden in 2024. Births rose in states that banned abortion after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, suggesting that the bans blocked up to a quarter of women in those states who wanted an abortion from getting one. Significant numbers of election officials in the U.S. have retired or quit in response to rising threats and partisan interference in their jobs. Other Big Stories Dr. Nader Moazami has pioneered a new way of harvesting hearts. Hilary Swift for The New York Times A new method for retrieving hearts from organ donors, which involves restarting blood circulation and limiting its flow to the brain, has ignited an ethical debate among doctors. The fragility of Ukraine’s energy system is compounding concerns that Russia will soon resume attacks on its power grid. The San Diego Humane Society shipped hundreds of rabbits, guinea pigs and rats to Arizona to be adopted as pets. Instead, they may have been turned into reptile food. More people are expected to travel this Thanksgiving compared with last year, encouraged by a drop in airfares and gas prices. Severe weather threatens delays and congestion. The former CNN president Jeff Zucker may soon take control of two prominent right-leaning British media outlets. Opinions Rosalynn Carter was formidable in her advocacy of mental health treatment, Jonathan Alter, a Jimmy Carter biographer, writes. Here are columns by Thomas Friedman on Palestinian citizens of Israel, Ross Douthat on Argentina’s elections, and Bret Stephens on “cease-fire now.” Thanksgiving is here. Readers of The Morning can save 50% on a Cooking subscription for the first year. Search by ingredient or explore editors’ collections to easily find the right recipes. MORNING READS Silvia Tack Get reading: Here are The New York Times Book Review’s 100 Notable Books of 2023. Holiday style: A costume designer who oversees wardrobes for Hallmark Christmas movies shares his approach to dressing festively. “You’re not hungry?” What happens when weight loss drugs collide with Thanksgiving? Lives Lived: The evangelical pastor Carlton D. Pearson was branded a heretic for declaring that hell does not exist and advocating gay rights. He died at 70. SPORTS M.L.B.: The San Diego Padres hired Mike Shildt as their new manager. College football: Florida State fell out of the top four of the latest playoff rankings, ceding its spot to undefeated Washington. ARTS AND IDEAS Joaquin Phoenix, and his bicorns, in “Napoleon.” Aidan Monaghan/Apple Original and Columbia Pictures The emperor’s hats: When the costume designer David Crossman got a job on Ridley Scott’s “Napoleon,” which is out today, he had to recreate Napoleon Bonaparte’s iconic bicorn hats with a modern twist: Joaquin Phoenix, the film’s star, is vegan and doesn’t wear animal products. As a result, the hats in the film are made from Ugandan tree bark, which Crossman said gives them a texture that synthetic fabrics couldn’t match. More on culture The BBC will halt production of the long-running car program “Top Gear” after a presenter was seriously injured in a crash during filming. “Trump’s the only guy who gets his cardio in by storming out of courtrooms”: Late night hosts discuss Trump’s health report. THANKSGIVING PREP LIST Brine your turkey. Bake pies. Wash and dry salad greens. Prep our make-ahead potatoes and the filling of a sweet potato casserole. THE MORNING RECOMMENDS … Christopher Testani for The New York Times Win Thanksgiving with a side of this creamy baked macaroni and cheese. Don a sturdy-yet-stylish apron. Spend less than a $100 on a Wirecutter-approved gift. GAMES Here is today’s Spelling Bee. Yesterday’s pangrams were advantage and advantaged. And here are today’s Mini Crossword, Wordle, Sudoku and Connections. Thanks for spending part of your morning with The Times. See you tomorrow. P.S. The Times’s Hannah Dreier won a National Press Foundation award for her “heartbreaking and harrowing” investigative reporting on migrant child labor. Sign up here to get this newsletter in your inbox. Reach our team at themorning@nytimes.com. Continue reading the main story Editor: David Leonhardt News Editor: Tom Wright-Piersanti News Staff: Desiree Ibekwe, Lauren Jackson, Sean Kawasaki-Culligan, Brent Lewis, German Lopez, Ian Prasad Philbrick, Ashley Wu News Assistant: Lyna Bentahar Saturday Writer: Melissa Kirsch Quote phkrause By the decree enforcing the institution of the papacy in violation of the law of God, our nation will disconnect herself fully from righteousness. When Protestantism shall stretch her hand across the gulf to grasp the hand of the Roman power, when she shall reach over the abyss to clasp hands with spiritualism, when, under the influence of this threefold union, our country shall repudiate every principle of its Constitution as a Protestant and republican government, and shall make provision for the propagation of papal falsehoods and delusions, then we may know that the time has come for the marvelous working of Satan and that the end is near. {5T 451.1} Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members phkrause Posted November 24, 2023 Author Members Share Posted November 24, 2023 November 23, 2023 By Sam Sifton Good morning, and happy Thanksgiving. We’ve got a holiday pep talk — as well as the Gaza cease-fire, the Dutch election and secrets. Johnny Miller for The New York Times Deep breaths Good morning. You taking care of yourself? Getting some “me” time? I don’t write much about feelings, generally, but this is a day that can be thick with them: judgy siblings; over-served cousins; ungrateful offspring; that silent stranger who arrived with your aunt and who might be her boyfriend, it’s hard to say. Here’s what to know: Every little thing is going to be all right. You’re going to serve the best meal that you can under the circumstances, and it’s going to be delicious and well received. You are not going to change anyone’s mind or behavior today, and that’s all right, too. Put an ashtray out on the porch for Uncle Bertie. Change is not what today is about. Today is about giving thanks. Today is about practicing radical empathy. Today is about acceptance of things as they are, not as you wish them to be. Just do your best! Make a negroni if you need to chill out. Don’t forget to breathe. And I bet it’s a fantastic day. (Here’s a collection of The Times’s best Thanksgiving cocktail recipes.) If you’re in need of cooking assistance, we’ve got you covered: our ultimate guide to cooking the feast; the last-minute recipes you need when you’ve forgotten, say, to make a gluten-free option for that kid home from college; a fantastic video teaching you how to carve and plate your turkey. On which subject, and just so you have it right here in your inbox: Your turkey is done when its internal temperature is 165 degrees. You can pull it from the oven or smoker or deep fryer when the temperature is a little lower than that. The temperature will continue to rise as the turkey rests — and it absolutely needs to rest, so that its internal juices settle into the meat rather than running all over your cutting board. Thirty minutes minimum, please! Finally, don’t forget to give thanks to all those around you today. They matter. And enjoy your meal. Sam Sifton writes the Cooking newsletter, which you can sign up for here. Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT THE LATEST NEWS Gaza Hostage Deal The four-day cease-fire between Israel and Hamas and any release of hostages will not begin until Friday at the earliest, Israeli officials said. The two sides are working out the final details of the arrangement — they still disagree on how many captives are being held in Gaza. Secret negotiations and two critical phone calls: Here’s how President Biden persuaded Israel and Hamas to compromise on the hostage deal, at least for now. The Biden administration is pushing the Israeli government to set up safe areas in Gaza, let in more aid and take other steps to protect Palestinian civilians. The news about a temporary cease-fire was met with mixed emotions in Gaza. “This period is not enough to pull the dead bodies from under the rubble and bury them,” one resident said. Israel’s decision to pause fighting comes after a weekslong debate about whether a truce would strengthen Hamas. More on the War Becca Gertler, left, and her mother, Marci Rosa. Sara Hylton for The New York Times Many Jewish families in the U.S. will sit down for Thanksgiving dinner ideologically divided over Israel’s response to the Hamas terrorist attacks. The Israeli military released videos of what it said was a Hamas tunnel system beneath Al-Shifa Hospital. Hamas and hospital administrators have denied claims that militants used the complex for cover. A former State Department official was charged with a hate crime after he was filmed harassing a halal food vendor in Manhattan. Some American supporters of a cease-fire in Gaza are using fax machines to get lawmakers’ attention, The Washington Post reports. Politics Courts in Maryland and Oregon struck down gun control measures, the latest rulings to take a broad interpretation of the Second Amendment. The chief executive of the main super PAC backing Ron DeSantis’s presidential bid resigned after infighting among the candidate’s allies. Biden’s 2022 climate law has spurred investment in energy projects. It has also delivered windfalls for big banks by creating a market for green tax credits. The Bidens will spend Thanksgiving on Nantucket, as they have since the 1970s. They’re staying at the beachfront home of a billionaire friend. International Geert Wilders, leader of the Party for Freedom. Peter Dejong/Associated Press A far-right party led by Geert Wilders, who campaigned on an anti-immigrant platform, was on track to win the most seats in Dutch parliamentary elections. The World Health Organization has asked China to share information about unconfirmed reports of an unusual number of respiratory illnesses affecting children. Pakistan has expelled thousands of Afghans after a rise in tensions between the two countries. Western leaders directly criticized Russia’s war in Ukraine at a virtual G20 meeting. Vladimir Putin, who attended via video link, rejected the criticism and called the war “a tragedy.” South Korea said it would no longer abide by a ban on surveillance flights near North Korea after Pyongyang launched a military spy satellite. The killing of a 22 year-old woman has prompted debate and protest in Italy, where chauvinistic attitudes remain deeply rooted. Tech OpenAI employees celebrated Sam Altman’s return as chief executive over chicken tenders and boba tea. Read what happened in the five days between Altman’s firing and reinstatement. Altman’s return was a victory for capitalists over those who see A.I. as something to be restrained, Kevin Roose writes. A federal case against the crypto exchange Binance alleged that its founder, Changpeng Zhao, and his deputies knew that criminals used the platform. Other Big Stories Two people died after a speeding car hit a barrier, took flight, then burst into flames at a bridge near Niagara Falls that links the U.S. and Canada. U.S. gas and diesel prices have plunged, with American oil production high, European demand is weak and OPEC Plus countries are in disarray. Opinions The military assistance the U.S. guarantees without conditions only undermines regional stability and Israeli security, Josh Paul, a former director of U.S. arms transfers, writes. Here are columns by Maureen Dowd’s brother, Kevin, on the 2024 elections, Nick Kristof on Texas homelessness and Jamelle Bouie on the Senate. Thanksgiving is here. Readers of The Morning can save 50% on a Cooking subscription for the first year. Search by ingredient or explore editors’ collections to easily find the right recipes. MORNING READS Paul Schwartz, “chief balloon officer.” Emma Rose Milligan for The New York Times Getting Snoopy to soar: Behind New York City’s painstaking preparations for the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. History lesson: Everything you learned about Thanksgiving is wrong. “The One With…”: Read Vulture’s ranking of “Friends” Thanksgiving episodes. Secret good news: New research suggests that keeping positive secrets to yourself can have an “energizing” effect. Siesta time: Here’s how to have a great nap — you deserve it. Lives Lived: The British-born dancer Joan Jara dedicated much of her life to finding justice for her husband, Victor Jara, a popular Chilean folk singer and songwriter who was killed during the military coup that brought Gen. Augusto Pinochet Ugarte to power in 1973. She died at 96. SPORTS N.F.L.: Jim Irsay, the Indianapolis Colts owner, said he was profiled by the police for being “a rich, white billionaire” when officers arrested him in 2014 for driving under the influence. Women’s college basketball: The UConn star guard Azzi Fudd will miss the remainder of the season after injuring her right knee. Men’s college football: In an interview with The Athletic, the U.S.C. coach Lincoln Riley said he would return to coach the Trojans next year. Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT ARTS AND IDEAS J. Crew executives at the company’s offices in Lower Manhattan. Amir Hamja/The New York Times The big 4-0: Over the four decades since J. Crew was founded, the preppy aesthetic that its founder sought to bring to the masses has been rejected and embraced, defined and redefined. Along the way, the company matured into a beloved American brand. Now, after surviving an identity crisis in the late 2010s and Covid-era bankruptcy, J. Crew is hoping for a renaissance. More on culture Sheila Kennedy, a former model, sued Axl Rose of the band Guns N’ Roses, accusing him of raping her in a New York hotel in 1989. THE MORNING RECOMMENDS … Prevent neck pain with these exercises. Drink wine from an elegant yet inexpensive glass. Buy the perfect gift for a tween. Follow Wirecutter’s live coverage of the best early Black Friday deals. GAMES Here is today’s Spelling Bee. Yesterday’s pangrams were nondairy and ordinary. And here are today’s Mini Crossword, Wordle, Sudoku and Connections. Thanks for spending part of your morning with The Times. See you tomorrow. Sign up here to get this newsletter in your inbox. Reach our team at themorning@nytimes.com. Continue reading the main story Editor: David Leonhardt News Editor: Tom Wright-Piersanti News Staff: Desiree Ibekwe, Lauren Jackson, Sean Kawasaki-Culligan, Brent Lewis, German Lopez, Ian Prasad Philbrick, Ashley Wu News Assistant: Lyna Bentahar Saturday Writer: Melissa Kirsch Quote phkrause By the decree enforcing the institution of the papacy in violation of the law of God, our nation will disconnect herself fully from righteousness. When Protestantism shall stretch her hand across the gulf to grasp the hand of the Roman power, when she shall reach over the abyss to clasp hands with spiritualism, when, under the influence of this threefold union, our country shall repudiate every principle of its Constitution as a Protestant and republican government, and shall make provision for the propagation of papal falsehoods and delusions, then we may know that the time has come for the marvelous working of Satan and that the end is near. {5T 451.1} Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members phkrause Posted November 25, 2023 Author Members Share Posted November 25, 2023 November 24, 2023 Thanksgiving and climate change aren’t normally subjects that go together. But maybe we’d all be better off if they did. On this day before the holiday, my colleague David Gelles profiles a scientist with a different way of approaching climate action — David Leonhardt By David Gelles Good morning. We’re also covering a brief cease-fire in Gaza, Argentina’s economy and wild turkeys. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson Karsten Moran for The New York Times Joy in action There’s no shortage of reasons to be alarmed by climate change these days. This year is almost certain to be the hottest in recorded history. Extreme weather is wreaking havoc around the globe. Fossil fuel production and emissions are still rising, and world leaders are not moving fast enough. But take a moment to imagine: What if we actually succeed in addressing the climate crisis, and emerge into a new, more bountiful, more prosperous future? While there’s plenty of bad news to go around, it’s not unreasonable to imagine that enduring progress is within reach. Practically every day, there are encouraging new signs that after decades of dithering, the world is finally getting more serious about tackling climate change. Wind and solar power are cheaper than ever and are being built at record rates around the globe. Advances in critical new technologies, from carbon capture to fusion power, are occurring with startling speed. Sales of electric vehicles are booming, and badly needed charging stations are being built. Emissions from China, the world’s largest polluter, will peak within the next couple years, many researchers believe. In the United States, the transition to clean power is happening faster than many realize. Those two countries just agreed to accelerate their efforts to reduce emissions, delivering a much-needed jolt of ambition ahead of climate talks in Dubai this month. Efforts to crack down on emissions of methane — a potent but often overlooked greenhouse gas — are ramping up. Brazil, Indonesia and other countries are taking serious steps to reduce deforestation. Youth activists are using protests and lawsuits to take on the fossil fuel industry. And in a powerful message that could be a sign of things to come, Ecuador voted this year to leave some oil in the ground. These are the kinds of developments — large and small, from governments and the private sector — that together will determine just how hot our planet becomes. They are also developments that animate the work of Ayana Elizabeth Johnson, a marine biologist and climate expert, who is attempting to shift the narrative around the fate of our planet. “When we look at climate media, whether that’s filmmaking or newspaper headlines, it’s often really apocalyptic,” she said. “That can be overwhelming, depressing and — most concerning to me — demotivating. It can feel like, ‘We’re screwed, so why bother?’” But as Johnson told me, “There’s a very big reason to bother.” ‘As right as possible’ “When I look at the scientific projections, there is a range of possible futures,” Johnson said. “The temperature could go up by 1.7 degrees Celsius globally or by three degrees. Hundreds of millions of lives hang in that balance. So it’s a huge deal that we get it as right as possible.” Johnson is everywhere these days. A book she edited with Katharine Wilkinson, “All We Can Save,” was a best seller that highlighted the writings of 60 women working to combat climate change. Her next book — “What If We Get It Right?” — comes out next year. She is on the board of Patagonia, the outdoor apparel company that last year committed all of its profits to protecting nature. And a forward-looking art exhibit Johnson curated, “Climate Futurism,” is currently on display at Pioneer Works in Brooklyn. Johnson is not Pollyannish. She knows that climate change is diminishing biodiversity, that vulnerable communities will be disproportionately affected by extreme weather and that drought and famine are likely to get worse. She bristles at being labeled an “optimist.” “Optimism assumes that the outcome will be good,” she said. “That’s unscientific. I don’t harbor any sort of assumption that it will be OK in the end.” But nor is Johnson closed off to the possibility that a climate catastrophe might be averted with the right combination of collective action, technological innovation, conservation, smart policymaking and systemic change. “What people perceive as hope or optimism is actually just joy,” she said. “I’m a joyful person. I find delight in any number of strange things. I have a lightheartedness that people don’t expect from someone who works in climate.” Three overlapping circles Last year, Johnson delivered a TED Talk titled “How to Find Joy in Climate Action.” In it, she encouraged people who are looking for a way to contribute to create a Venn diagram with three overlapping circles: “What are you good at?” “What work needs doing?” And “What brings you joy?” Where those three things overlap is the opportunity for action. For Johnson — a marine biologist who grew up in Brooklyn, wanted to protect coastal cities and loved changing laws — that meant co-founding Urban Ocean Lab, a think tank working on policy change to protect populations threatened by sea level rise. “The opportunity is to do things that you love and that are part of the climate solutions we need,” she said. “If we can find meaningful ways to contribute to the problems we face, it just feels good.” Times subscribers can read more of David Gelles’s work by signing up for the Climate Forward newsletter. Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR A Brief Cease-Fire An aid truck entering Gaza. Said Khatib/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images A four-day pause in fighting in Gaza appeared to have taken hold. Ninety trucks carrying aid entered Gaza from Egypt, a border crossing spokesman said. Thirteen hostages are expected to be released today in exchange for an undisclosed number of Palestinian prisoners, according to Qatar, which helped broker the deal. The Agreement The deal allows for the release of at least 50 women and children abducted by Hamas in exchange for 150 women and minors imprisoned in Israeli jails. Israel and Hamas will receive lists of the hostages and prisoners to be released each day, a Qatari spokesman said. The agreement also includes an increase in humanitarian aid for Gaza. Hamas said that about 200 trucks carrying relief supplies and fuel would enter the territory each day . Israel said warplanes would not fly over southern Gaza during the pause and would refrain from flying over the north for six hours each day. Hostages and Prisoners Older hostages turned over by Hamas will be taken to hospitals, where they will meet their families and be debriefed by the security services, an Israeli official said, adding that those under 12 would be met at the border by their relatives. The Israeli prime minister’s office said that it had received an initial list of hostages to be released and had been in contact with their families. The first group of Palestinians released will only be allowed home once the first Israeli hostages are freed, an Israeli official said. Israel said it would extend the cease-fire by a day for every 10 additional hostages released by Hamas. Both Israel and Hamas have signaled that roughly 30 Palestinians will be exchanged for every ten Israeli hostages. Israel has made lopsided prisoner swaps before. More on the War Israeli forces detained the director of Al-Shifa Hospital while he was evacuating the complex. Israel says the hospital served as a Hamas command center, which Hamas and Gaza health officials deny. A doctor sued a New York hospital for wrongful termination after he was fired as director over social media posts about the war. The Palestinian Authority is Washington’s choice to run Gaza after the war. Few people in the West Bank or Israel believe it is capable of governing, Steven Erlanger writes. This year’s Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade drew some protesters demonstrating against the war. MORE NEWS Politics Republican lawmakers and far-right activists are using Jan. 6 security footage, released by Speaker Mike Johnson, to spread conspiracy theories. A Florida woman accused the New York mayor, Eric Adams, of sexually assaulting her in 1993. Adams denied the accusation and said he does not recall ever meeting her. Big business donors have begun backing Nikki Haley’s presidential campaign. Many see her as a welcome alternative to Donald Trump. The city of Charleston elected a Republican mayor for the first time since the 1870s. International Savings in Buenos Aires. Anita Pouchard Serra for The New York Times Faced with a faltering economy, Argentines increasingly save and spend using the U.S. dollar. Javier Milei, the president-elect, wants to use it to replace the Argentine peso. Data from China suggested that an increase in respiratory illnesses among children in the country was not caused by novel pathogens, according to the World Health Organization. A far-right party swept national elections in the Netherlands. The party’s leader, Geert Wilders, tapped into discontent with the political establishment. Other Big Stories Out for a strut around. Tony Cenicola/The New York Times Wild turkeys were a 20th-century conservation triumph. But in recent years, their numbers have significantly declined in the South and Midwest. Despite strong consumer spending this year, retailers are nervous that shoppers will decide to pull back after the holiday season. Opinions Cheap, poorly made products are killing people and the planet. Manufacturers and brands must shoulder much of the blame, writes Yvon Chouinard, the founder of Patagonia. Here’s a column by David Brook on Sam Altman and the fight for the soul of A.I. Offer won’t last: Save on Cooking during the Holiday Sale. A Cooking subscription answers “What’s for dinner?” deliciously, every day. Explore more than 4,000 five-star recipes. Save 50% on your first year of Cooking. MORNING READS Waste not, want not. Ryan Liebe for The New York Times Leftovers: Turn your extra turkey, stuffing and cranberry sauce into a Thanksgiving Hot Pocket. Hinsdale: A caretaker lived a frugal life in a trailer park. After he died in June, it was revealed he was a multimillionaire — and had left the fortune to his New Hampshire town. Streaming: Netflix spent more than $55 million on a show that no one will ever see. Play a game: While the news quiz takes a holiday break, try Flashback, The Times’s history quiz. Lives Lived: Charles Peter was the founding editor of The Washington Monthly, a small political journal that challenged liberal and conservative orthodoxies for decades. He was often called the “godfather of neoliberalism.” He died at 96. Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT SPORTS N.F.L.: The Green Bay Packers upset the Detroit Lions, 29-22, in a divisional matchup. A record: The Dallas Cowboys beat the Washington Commanders, 45-10. DaRon Bland, the Cowboys defensive back, recorded his fifth interception return for a touchdown, breaking the single-season N.F.L. record. Job uncertainty: Despite the blowout loss to Dallas, the Washington coach Ron Rivera said he was “not worried” about his job status. ARTS AND IDEAS A class in Brooklyn. Monique Jaques for The New York Times A school for the masses: For those who are bored with their 9-to-5 job, grad school is an option. But if time and money is a problem, then there’s the Brooklyn Institute for Social Research, a nonprofit education center founded in 2012. The institute’s courses, in topics like the novels of Clarice Lispector and the history of trauma, offer the rigor of a liberal arts seminar without the commitment of a degree — and at a fraction of the cost. More on culture Daryl Hall sued John Oates, his partner in the band Hall and Oates. But it’s unclear why, because a judge has sealed the court file. THE MORNING RECOMMENDS … Marki Williams Today is Black Friday, and we’re using this section to highlight recommendations from Wirecutter: Shop the very best Black Friday deals, vetted by Wirecutter experts. Find gifts for the hardest to please. Upgrade your bathroom with these (on-sale) luxurious towels. Stock up on discounted cleaning essentials. Sign up for Wirecutter’s newsletter to get the best deals sent straight to your inbox. GAMES Here is today’s Spelling Bee. Yesterday’s pangrams were anticipate, capacitance, incapacitate, patience, picante and pittance. And here are today’s Mini Crossword, Wordle, Sudoku and Connections. Thanks for spending part of your morning with The Times. See you tomorrow. Sign up here to get this newsletter in your inbox. Reach our team at themorning@nytimes.com. Continue reading the main story Editor: David Leonhardt News Editor: Tom Wright-Piersanti News Staff: Desiree Ibekwe, Lauren Jackson, Sean Kawasaki-Culligan, Brent Lewis, German Lopez, Ian Prasad Philbrick, Ashley Wu News Assistant: Lyna Bentahar Saturday Writer: Melissa Kirsch Quote phkrause By the decree enforcing the institution of the papacy in violation of the law of God, our nation will disconnect herself fully from righteousness. When Protestantism shall stretch her hand across the gulf to grasp the hand of the Roman power, when she shall reach over the abyss to clasp hands with spiritualism, when, under the influence of this threefold union, our country shall repudiate every principle of its Constitution as a Protestant and republican government, and shall make provision for the propagation of papal falsehoods and delusions, then we may know that the time has come for the marvelous working of Satan and that the end is near. {5T 451.1} Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members phkrause Posted November 26, 2023 Author Members Share Posted November 26, 2023 November 25, 2023 By Melissa Kirsch Good morning. The Times Book Review’s 10 Best Books of 2023 will be announced next week. I spoke with the Review’s editors about the yearlong process by which they make their selections. María Jesús Contreras Book ends This past week, The New York Times Book Review published its list of 100 Notable Books of 2023. On Tuesday, a handful of those titles will be named the Review’s 10 Best Books of the year. The list is a closely guarded secret, the product of many months of passionate closed-door debate presided over by Gilbert Cruz, the editor of the Book Review, and Tina Jordan, his deputy. Because I cannot bear to be in close proximity to a secret that I am not in on, I have, in a nonchalant — some might say devastatingly subtle — fashion tried my damnedest to get Gilbert and Tina to slip and tell me the five books of fiction and five of nonfiction their team has chosen. They’re not easily entrapped, these two, and who can blame them for keeping the fruits of their painstaking labor secret? The nominating process begins in October of the previous year, when Review editors begin reading the books slated for publication the following January. Come March, the staff starts meeting monthly to discuss potential titles. The books discussed in these meetings must be nominated by a staffer and have at least one other reader seconding that nomination. Some people come with prepared speeches in support of the book they’re nominating. Others speak extemporaneously. The debate is spirited. By the conclusion of each meeting, it’s clear which books are garnering support and which are losing steam. “What you’re trying to do at that early stage,” Gilbert said, “is nominate books, but then also weed out books and keep the strongest ones so that they keep moving through the process.” The meetings ramp up to once a week when fall arrives. Sometimes the discussions last as long as two hours. Other weeks, everyone in the room seems to quickly agree that the book up for discussion is, or is not, going to make the cut. Gilbert and Tina take anonymous straw polls of the assembled staffers: “If you had to pick three of these five books, which would you choose?” By early October, they stop adding new books and start looking closely at the selections in relation to one another. The goal is to arrive at a list that reflects the year and is balanced — so it doesn’t have, say, two histories that cover the same time period. “There’s sometimes an assumption that we are trying to send a statement with the list,” Gilbert said. But both he and Tina were adamant that the list is not political, and the only statement they’re making is “these are the best books of the year and you should read them.” “We’re not engineering the list in any way,” Tina clarified. “We’re not saying, ‘Oh, gosh, at least three of the books on the fiction list need to be by women.’” A recent study found that less than half of adults had read one or more books for pleasure in the previous year, which Gilbert called “depressingly low.” He hopes that when the Book Review’s list is published on Tuesday at 10 a.m. Eastern, people will find something they’re excited to read. “If The New York Times can be a guide to anyone who cares about books, about the one or two books that they should be reading out of any given year,” he said, “that is a smashing success.” For more The 10 Best Books from each year since 2004. In 2021, The Book Review asked readers to choose the best book of the previous 125 years. Nine new books our editors recommend this week. (These titles were published too late in the year for Tuesday’s list; they’ll be eligible for the 10 Best list for 2024.) Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT THE WEEK IN CULTURE Joaquin Phoenix as Napoleon Bonaparte in “Napoleon,” opening on Wednesday. Apple Original Films/Columbia Pictures Ridley Scott’s “Napoleon” opened this week. Here’s what to read, listen to, eat, watch and visit before — or after — you watch the movie. (French critics have panned it.) Aardman Animations, the studio behind “Wallace and Gromit,” dispelled the rumors that it was running out of clay for its stop-motion films. Shakira settled a tax evasion case in Spain on Monday before it went to trial, agreeing to pay a fine of over $7 million. The N.F.L. star (and world-famous boyfriend) Travis Kelce explained how he and Taylor Swift met in an interview with The Wall Street Journal. Suki Waterhouse and Robert Pattinson announced they are expecting their first child, NBC News reports. The comedian Matt Rife faced criticism for a joke about domestic violence in his recent Netflix special, Variety reports. BMI, the licensing agency that represents songwriters including Taylor Swift and Kendrick Lamar, sold itself to a private equity firm. The TV series “Fargo” returned for a fifth season. Here’s a refresher on the previous four seasons. The rapper ASAP Rocky will stand trial for shooting a former friend in 2021. He faces up to 24 years in prison, Pitchfork reports. Jamie Foxx was accused of sexual assault in a new lawsuit, CNN reports. THE LATEST NEWS A display in Tel Aviv of photos of Israeli citizens held hostage in Gaza. Tamir Kalifa for The New York Times Hamas freed 13 Israelis, 10 Thais and one Filipino who had been held hostage in Gaza in exchange for 39 Palestinian prisoners on the cease-fire’s first day. More than 130 aid trucks reached Gaza. “It’s only a start, but so far it’s gone well,” President Biden said of the cease-fire, adding that “the chances are real” that the two sides will extend it further. Derek Chauvin, the former police officer convicted of murdering George Floyd, was said to have been stabbed in an Arizona prison. A growing number of Chinese citizens, frustrated with harsh Covid restrictions and Xi Jinping’s government, are entering the U.S. from Mexico. An advertiser backlash after Elon Musk endorsed a post accusing Jews of “hatred against whites” could cost X $75 million. Offer won’t last: Save on Cooking during the Holiday Sale. A Cooking subscription answers “What’s for dinner?” deliciously, every day. Explore more than 4,000 five-star recipes. Save 50% on your first year of Cooking. CULTURE CALENDAR By Andrew LaVallee Arts & Leisure Editor 📺 “Faraway Downs” (Sunday): Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman star in this six-episode series about an Englishwoman struggling to protect her ranch in the Australian outback with the help of a rugged cattleman. If this reminds you of the 2008 movie “Australia,” there’s a reason: Baz Luhrmann created this new show from footage shot for the nearly three-hour maximalist original, which our chief film critic Manohla Dargis once described as “a testament to movie love at its most devout, cinematic spectacle at its most extreme, and kitsch as an act of aesthetic communion.” 🎬 “May December” (Friday): This movie is loosely based on the life of Mary Kay Letourneau, a woman convicted in 1997 of raping a 13-year-old boy, whom she later married and had children with. Julianne Moore plays Gracie, a woman in a seemingly tranquil marriage. Natalie Portman, playing an actress hired to portray Gracie in a new film, comes to study her. The film is sometimes disturbing and sometimes unexpectedly hilarious. Our pop culture reporter Kyle Buchanan called it the most fun movie at this year’s Cannes Film Festival. Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT RECIPE OF THE WEEK Craig Lee for The New York Times By Melissa Clark Peanut Butter Blossoms Now that Thanksgiving is over and December’s upon us, it’s time to shift our thoughts away from turkeys and cranberry sauce and toward cookie season in all its sweet glory. Baking a batch of peanut butter blossoms is a fine way to kick it all off. A classic recipe first popularized by a 1957 Pillsbury Bake-Off, these are simple enough to make with pantry staples and a bag of chocolate kisses, and even easier to devour, one chewy blossom at a time. You can substitute other nut butters for the peanut butter: Almond butter mixed with a few drops of almond extract makes for a delightfully fragrant variation. REAL ESTATE Nina Weinman feeds a treat to her dog Beau. Beth Coller for The New York Times Storybook endings: How a Hallmark channel screenwriter secured her dream house. What you get for $550,000: A midcentury-modern home in Sheffield, Ma.; a two-bed, two-bath condo in Chicago; or an Italianate townhouse in Richmond, Va. The hunt: Rather than accept a rent increase, a sales representative decided to buy a studio apartment. With a budget of less than $450,000, which one did he choose? Play our game. LIVING Patrick Dugan, a John Derian sales associate. Jeenah Moon for The New York Times Christmas in September: A week after the first day of fall, the new holiday shop from the retailer John Derian started coming together. “A gateway flaw”: Stretch marks are becoming ubiquitous in lingerie marketing. Some find the strategy disingenuous. Don’t be that tourist: Learn from these readers’ travel mistakes. A different kind of proposal: Brides and grooms are asking friends and family to be part of their wedding party with gifts. ADVICE FROM WIRECUTTER Get giving We’re in the midst of the biggest gift-shopping weekend of the year. As senior editor of Wirecutter’s gift coverage, I can attest that the only thing better than scoring the perfect present for someone on your list is getting it at a discount. Wirecutter has already done some of the legwork for you: Our editors have spent the year vetting sweet, silly and sentimental gifts, and many of our picks are on sale right now. And if gifts aren’t on your mind quite yet, we’ve got you covered with the best early Cyber Monday deals to browse for yourself. — Jennifer Hunter For vetted deals sent straight to your inbox, sign up for Wirecutter’s daily newsletter, The Recommendation. GAME OF THE WEEKEND A Michigan receiver outruns Ohio State defenders during last year’s game. Jay Laprete/Associated Press No. 2 Ohio State vs. No. 3 Michigan, college football: Apart from the national championship, this is the biggest game of the season. The rivalry between Michigan and Ohio State is as ancient and fierce as any in college football, and it’s even better when the teams are undefeated, as they both are this year. These are two of the country’s best defenses — Ohio State allows the fewest passing yards of any team, and Michigan gives up the fewest points — so one big play could decide this one. 12 p.m. Eastern on Fox For more Michigan’s head coach, Jim Harbaugh, won’t be on the sidelines today as he finishes a three-game suspension over his team’s sign-stealing scandal. NOW TIME TO PLAY Here is today’s Spelling Bee. Yesterday’s pangram was factotum. And here are today’s Mini Crossword, Wordle, Sudoku and Connections. Thanks for spending part of your weekend with The Times. — Melissa Sign up here to get this newsletter in your inbox. Reach our team at themorning@nytimes.com. Continue reading the main story Editor: David Leonhardt News Editor: Tom Wright-Piersanti News Staff: Desiree Ibekwe, Lauren Jackson, Sean Kawasaki-Culligan, Brent Lewis, German Lopez, Ian Prasad Philbrick, Ashley Wu News Assistant: Lyna Bentahar Saturday Writer: Melissa Kirsch Quote phkrause By the decree enforcing the institution of the papacy in violation of the law of God, our nation will disconnect herself fully from righteousness. When Protestantism shall stretch her hand across the gulf to grasp the hand of the Roman power, when she shall reach over the abyss to clasp hands with spiritualism, when, under the influence of this threefold union, our country shall repudiate every principle of its Constitution as a Protestant and republican government, and shall make provision for the propagation of papal falsehoods and delusions, then we may know that the time has come for the marvelous working of Satan and that the end is near. {5T 451.1} Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members phkrause Posted November 26, 2023 Author Members Share Posted November 26, 2023 November 26, 2023 By David Leonhardt Good morning. We chat with Will Shortz, who has been editing The Times’s Crossword for 30 years. Clockwise from top left: Oona O’Neill, Uta Hagen and the Alou brothers. Bettmann/Getty Images, Fred Stein Archive/Getty Images, Associated Press Oona, Uta and the Alous Will Shortz celebrated his 30th anniversary as The Times’s Crossword editor this week. He is one of only four Crossword editors since 1942, when the paper began publishing puzzles as a way to offer relief to readers overwhelmed by war news. “It is possible there will now be bleak blackout hours — or if not that then certainly a need for relaxation of some kind or other,” Lester Markel, the paper’s Sunday editor, wrote to Arthur Hays Sulzberger, the publisher, two weeks after the attack on Pearl Harbor. To mark Will’s anniversary, I interviewed him by email for today’s newsletter. I’m grateful to crossword devotees who suggested some of today’s questions. David Leonhardt: You made some big changes to the puzzle when you took over in 1993, introducing more wordplay and popular culture, among other things. But what have been the biggest changes to the puzzle during the past 30 years? Will Shortz: Those are the two biggest changes. But in addition I’ve tried to broaden the range of contributors. When I started, most of the contributors were older (early 50s on average) and overwhelmingly white. Now the average age is probably in the mid- to late 30s, and the people making puzzles are much more diverse. In the whole history of the Times crossword before me, only seven teenage constructors are known to have been published. I’ve published 57 teens. David: What’s one of your favorite puzzles? And clues? Will: My favorite crossword is the Election Day puzzle from 1996, which appeared to predict the result of that year’s presidential contest between Bill Clinton and Bob Dole — but actually had two different solutions. That got a lot of publicity. David: Have you ever been the answer to a clue? Will: Maybe in some other puzzle. I wouldn’t do that in The Times. David: Do you do other crossword puzzles? And what other puzzles or games do you enjoy playing? Will: Occasionally I solve crosswords elsewhere, especially when I’m on vacation. But that’s a busman’s holiday. My favorite board games are Boggle and Razzle. Not many people can beat me at those. Of The Times’s games, I play Wordle and Connections every day. My favorite game of all is table tennis, which I have not missed a day of since Oct. 3, 2012 (over 4,050 days and counting). I own my own table tennis club — one of the largest in North America — and travel all over the world to play (44 countries so far). David: You’re a Hoosier. Do you make INDIANA an answer more often than it otherwise might be? Will: Inserting my interests into the Times crossword would be self-indulgent, so I try not to do that. I work hard to make the puzzle for everyone. Sometimes constructors try to ingratiate themselves by including things of interest to me, like table tennis, but I ignore that. David: Who are a few modestly famous people who’ve appeared multiple times because their names are particularly conducive to crosswords? Will: Any famous or semifamous person with a short name consisting mostly of vowels is going to appear in a lot of crosswords — even after their time has come and gone. Examples that jump to mind are the actresses OONA O’Neill and UTA Hagen, the Bolivian president EVO Morales, any of baseball’s ALOU brothers and NORA of the “Thin Man” movies. David: What complaints do you get most often? Will: That the crosswords have too many names, especially unfamiliar ones. I’m very mindful of that. I try not to overdo the names — and never let obscure ones cross. David: When you became the puzzle editor, you made Monday and Tuesday even easier than they had been and the end-of-the-week puzzles even harder. I’m sure you enjoy editing all the days. But what’s your favorite day of the week to edit? Will: Honestly, I like all days. I don’t care if a puzzle is easy, medium or hard. It should just be good. Maybe my favorite crossword to edit is the Puns and Anagrams, which appears once every eight weeks in the Sunday Magazine. I love the wide variety of wordplay in it. David: A friend of mine is quite proud of his 1,780-day streak of completing the puzzle. What’s the longest streak? Will: Hmm, I wouldn’t know. (Note: Our colleagues who oversee the Games app report that several hundred people — but fewer than 1,000 — have streaks longer than 1,780 days.) The fastest solving time I’ve ever heard of for a daily Times crossword is 45 seconds — by Paolo Pasco, a 23-year-old, Harvard-educated puzzle whiz. He was solving digitally, of course, and typing is easier than writing. But still. David: Are there clues or answers that you regret over the past 30 years? Will: I do my best to forget them. 🙂 Once I allowed SCUMBAG in a puzzle, clued as “Scoundrel.” The word has an unsavory etymology, and someone high up at The Times politely suggested I not use it again. David: World leaders, actors, musicians, athletes — many notable people do the puzzle. Can you think of an especially entertaining story one of them has told you? Will: President Clinton sent a handwritten note to congratulate me on my 50th birthday. He said: “Keep the crosswords coming. Even when I can’t finish them, they’re the only part of The Times that guarantees good feeling!” David: Crossword puzzles have remained popular for more than a century. Why do you think that is? Will: Every kind of puzzle has its own appeal. I think, as human beings, we’re hard-wired to be problem solvers. Crosswords are especially popular though, because they’re so flexible. They can be made easy, medium or hard. They can be small or large. Straightforward or tricky. Modern or classic. There’s a crossword for everyone. The pattern of black-and-white squares is alluring. As humans we like to fill empty spaces. It’s curiously satisfying to fill in the white squares. Finally, I’ll say that crosswords are especially well-suited to the modern age, in which the world moves at lightning speed and our minds race from one thing to the next. A typical crossword has 76 or so answers, each on a different subject. The brain jumps from topic to topic to topic. Crosswords today feel more attuned to the times than ever. For more: Deb Amlen, a crossword columnist for The Times, profiled Will. At the bottom of the profile, you’ll find a puzzle from every year of Will’s career. They’re available even to nonsubscribers until Thursday, Nov. 30. Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR Hostage-Prisoner Exchange Freed Israeli hostages. Fatima Shbair/Associated Press Hamas released another 13 Israeli hostages overnight, all women and children, as well as four Thai citizens. Israel released 39 Palestinian prisoners in exchange. The group included Israa Jaabees, a woman whose face was disfigured when her car exploded at a checkpoint, and who was featured in an Oscar-nominated documentary. The releases came after an hourslong delay that raised fears the cease-fire might collapse. Freed Israeli hostages have begun to reunite with their families. An emotional video from a children’s hospital showed Ohad Munder Zichri, a 9-year-old hostage, running into his father’s arms. Thousands of demonstrators gathered in Tel Aviv to pressure the Israeli government to prioritize the return of hostages over resuming fighting in Gaza. The terms of the truce allow for the cease-fire to be extended in exchange for more hostage releases. A longer pause could jeopardize Israel’s goal of dismantling Hamas, write Patrick Kingsley and Aaron Boxerman. More on the War While counts are imprecise, the pace of death during Israel’s campaign in Gaza has few precedents this century, according to experts. “We went back to the Stone Age”: Faced with fuel shortages, people in Gaza are burning doors and window frames to cook. MORE NEWS Politics Donald Trump is already talking with friends and advisers about who his 2024 running mate should be. Here are the top contenders. More than three dozen members of Congress plan to leave their seats at the next election, setting the stage for major turnover. Read a list of the departing lawmakers. Trump’s pardon of a convicted drug smuggler hampered an ambitious Justice Department investigation into the predatory lending industry. International The E.U. considers forced sterilization a violation of human rights. But in some European countries, people with intellectual disabilities are still being sterilized. Outbreaks of diseases that kill children are on the rise, after pandemic disruption left more than 60 million without a single dose of standard childhood vaccines. Cockroaches and mountains of trash: A public health crisis is unfolding in a coastal Mexican city, weeks after it was ravaged by a hurricane. Other Big Stories At Fort Chaffee. Kenny Holston/The New York Times Shoulder-fired rockets expose troops to brain injuries, the Pentagon says. Despite that, the U.S. has barely changed the way it uses them. The stabbing of Derek Chauvin, who was convicted of murdering George Floyd, is the latest in a series of attacks against high-profile inmates, raising questions about prison safety. Officials in 33 states said Meta had received more than 1 million reports of users under age 13 on Instagram, but disabled only a fraction of the accounts. FROM OPINION Technology has sapped our collective attention span. To reclaim our minds, we must relearn how to pay attention, write D. Graham Burnett, Alyssa Loh and Peter Schmidt. It’s OK to hold onto grief, rather than rushing to get over a loved one’s death, says Mikolaj Slawkowksi-Rode. Offer won’t last: Save on Cooking during the Holiday Sale. A Cooking subscription answers “What’s for dinner?” deliciously, every day. Explore more than 4,000 five-star recipes. Save 50% on your first year of Cooking. Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT MORNING READS Monetochka in Zurich. Marvin Zilm for The New York Times Second act: Meet the Russian pop star rebuilding her career in exile after taking a stand against the invasion of Ukraine. Plane food: Airlines are offering upscale dining options — matcha soufflé pancakes, tapas plates, espresso martinis — for those who can afford it. Vows: When the socialite and former “Real Housewives” star Tinsley Mortimer met Robert Bovard two years ago, it didn’t take long for her to embrace the serenity of Georgia. Lives Lived: Catherine Christer Hennix fused her mathematical knowledge with a passion for minimalist music to create drone compositions that seemed infinite. She died at 75. TALK | FROM THE TIMES MAGAZINE Phil Klay Mamadi Doumbouya for The New York Times By David Marchese I spoke with the acclaimed novelist and military veteran Phil Klay about morality during times of war. War, understandably and probably necessarily in some ways, flattens thinking. But trying to hold on to a morally expansive perspective on war, one in which multiple things could be true at the same time — that the Hamas attack on Oct. 7 was an undeniable atrocity and also that Israel’s military response has been cruelly disproportionate — also seems necessary. Can you talk about that moral tension? There are people who feel like you cannot acknowledge, or shouldn’t acknowledge too much, horrors that are not ideologically convenient. This is why you’ll have the Palestinian National Initiative on CNN, speaking thoughtfully about the suffering of Palestinians but then denying that Hamas targets civilians, which is an insane thing to say. At the same time, if you listen to more neoconservative commentators, they feel aggrieved that the mainstream media is covering the widespread deaths of Palestinian civilians. People urgently want you to feel the moral horror of what is happening, but within a circumscribed circle. I think that is morally blinkered. Why? Out of basic humanist principles, the idea that we must close our eyes to suffering that is not ideologically useful is morally degrading to ourselves. It’s repugnant. What might crack open in someone that they’re able to see the suffering of civilian others as just as grave a human concern as the suffering of civilians on the side they support ideologically? In war, there’s a primary experience: a terrified father in Gaza as bombs are falling, unsure of whether he can protect his family; or the Israeli soldier trying to deal with Hamas’s tunnel network. There is a responsibility when you’re thinking these things through to sit with some of those primary experiences to the extent that you can, and think about them without immediately seeking to churn them into something politically useful. Read more of the interview here. More from the magazine Stephanie Courtney did not intend to sell insurance. She meant to star on Broadway. For the past 15 years, though, she’s been Flo from Progressive. Visit your local municipal meeting — part theater, part dirge, occasionally part circus. BOOKS Mathieu Labrecque “Critical Hits”: In an anthology, writers like Hanif Abdurraqib explain what video games mean to them. “I found a new God”: “Rubyfruit Jungle,” Rita Mae Brown’s breakthrough novel about lesbian identity, was published 50 years ago. Our editors’ picks: “Romney: A Reckoning,” an intimate biography of the senator and former presidential candidate, and eight others. Times best sellers: “My Effin’ Life,” a memoir by the Canadian rock musician Geddy Lee, enters the hardcover nonfiction best-seller list. THE MORNING RECOMMENDS … Roast mushrooms and green beans for this casserole. Buy blankets that are soft yet tough. Find a great gift for less than $25. THE WEEK AHEAD What to Watch For Tomorrow is Cyber Monday, when online retailers offer discounts, followed by Giving Tuesday, a day for charity. The Times’s DealBook Summit begins Wednesday. Guests include Vice President Kamala Harris and Elon Musk. The 91st annual Rockefeller Center tree-lighting ceremony is Wednesday night. The United Nations’ annual conference on climate change, known as COP, begins on Thursday in Dubai. What to Cook This Week David Malosh for The New York Times. If you need a break from Thanksgiving leftovers, Emily Weinstein’s Five Weeknight Dishes newsletter has ideas for some dead-simple dinners, including a five-star shrimp recipe and chile crisp fettuccine Alfredo. NOW TIME TO PLAY Here is today’s Spelling Bee. Yesterday’s pangrams were muzzling and unmuzzling. And here are today’s Mini Crossword, Wordle, Sudoku and Connections. Thanks for spending part of your weekend with The Times. Correction: Friday’s newsletter misspelled the surnames of David Brooks and Charles Peters. Sign up here to get this newsletter in your inbox. Reach our team at themorning@nytimes.com. Continue reading the main story Editor: David Leonhardt News Editor: Tom Wright-Piersanti News Staff: Desiree Ibekwe, Lauren Jackson, Sean Kawasaki-Culligan, Brent Lewis, German Lopez, Ian Prasad Philbrick, Ashley Wu News Assistant: Lyna Bentahar Saturday Writer: Melissa Kirsch Quote phkrause By the decree enforcing the institution of the papacy in violation of the law of God, our nation will disconnect herself fully from righteousness. When Protestantism shall stretch her hand across the gulf to grasp the hand of the Roman power, when she shall reach over the abyss to clasp hands with spiritualism, when, under the influence of this threefold union, our country shall repudiate every principle of its Constitution as a Protestant and republican government, and shall make provision for the propagation of papal falsehoods and delusions, then we may know that the time has come for the marvelous working of Satan and that the end is near. {5T 451.1} Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members phkrause Posted November 28, 2023 Author Members Share Posted November 28, 2023 November 27, 2023 By Lyna Bentahar Good morning. We’re covering The Times’s charity fund — as well as more hostage releases in Gaza, the Booker Prize and the women protecting Indonesia’s forests. Tyhran Khosrovian and Olena Holeha. Sasha Arutyunova for The New York Times Season of giving Last year, Tyhran Khosrovian and Olena Holeha survived the siege of Mariupol. They fled Ukraine, as millions have since the war began, and became refugees in the United States. After arriving in Brooklyn, they slept on a leaky air mattress in an apartment they shared with Khosrovian’s family. A grant from Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of New York, a beneficiary of The New York Times Neediest Cases Fund, helped them buy furniture, including bed frames and mattresses for the entire household. For more than a century, The Times has encouraged readers to donate to charities in New York and beyond through its charity fund, called the Neediest Cases. The endeavor combines journalism and the spirit of giving to tell the stories of families in need. Recently, though, the “Neediest” name had begun to feel outdated. Times journalists complained. One aid organization avoided using the name, calling it “The New York Times Fund” instead. So when my colleague Nicholas Kristof proposed recently that the fund’s journalism leave the newsroom and move to the Opinion pages, the new home offered an opportunity for a new name: The New York Times Communities Fund. Nick, who for 15 years has written a “giving” column to connect readers with various charities, said his recommendations had initially raised questions from The Times, which worried whether highlighting specific charities was appropriate. “Readers really welcomed it because they want to help but they don’t always really know how to,” Nick told me. “Journalism is evolving. Hopefully we’re getting better at what we do. The Communities Fund is one more step in that evolution.” The program got its start in 1912, when The Times’s publisher, Adolph Ochs, sent a reporter to cover New York City’s “neediest cases” and connect readers with the stories of the poor. Soon it expanded to collect donations from readers and distribute the money to aid groups, including Catholic Charities, which has been a beneficiary of the fund for over a century. Each year, journalists like my colleague John Otis, the fund’s onetime lead reporter, would interview people whom the fund had supported. “I really wanted to help tell these kinds of stories, about everyday people struggling to stay afloat despite daunting, sometimes unimaginable circumstances,” John told me. “Subjects put themselves in very vulnerable positions. They poured their hearts out.” Tomorrow is Giving Tuesday, and if you’re looking for somewhere to donate, the Communities Fund has begun its holiday drive. Nick’s giving column also has recommendations for specific charities. If you’re able to give, thank you. For more: Read Vox’s explanation of the history behind Giving Tuesday. Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT THE LATEST NEWS Israel-Hamas War Hostages arriving at an Israeli hospital. Amit Elkayam for The New York Times Hamas released 17 more hostages, including one American — 4-year-old Avigail Idan. “I felt like I was dreaming”: Read the story of a Palestinian man whose 17-year-old son was released from an Israeli prison as part of the exchange. Hamas also freed a Russian hostage, saying it was a gesture of appreciation for Russian support of the Palestinian cause. The cease-fire is set to end after today. But both Israel and Hamas have said they would be open to extending it to continue exchanging captives. A hundred aid trucks reached northern Gaza, according to the Palestinian Red Crescent. An Egyptian official said Israel had blocked trucks from heading north on Saturday until Egypt and Qatar intervened. A top Hamas commander, who led its fighters in northern Gaza, was killed, both sides said. Israel added that it had killed the commander before the cease-fire. Three college students of Palestinian descent were shot and wounded in Burlington, Vt. The police are investigating the attack as a possible hate crime. The U.S. Navy stopped the hijacking of a commercial cargo ship by five pirates in the Gulf of Aden. Officials are investigating if Iran was involved. Politics President Biden will skip the U.N. climate summit in Dubai this week. Many other world leaders, including King Charles III and Pope Francis, plan to go. Virtually every poll shows a close race between Biden and Donald Trump among young voters. Democrats should take that seriously or risk losing their usual advantage, Nate Cohn writes. Ahead of the Iowa caucuses, Ron DeSantis and Nikki Haley’s campaigns are jostling to position their candidates as the singular alternative to Trump. For a year, New York allowed people to file sex-abuse lawsuits beyond the statute of limitations. The last days of the one-time window brought a flurry of cases against institutions, politicians and other high-profile figures. International On patrol. Ulet Ifansasti for The New York Times Female rangers in Indonesia, charged with protecting forests, are taking a nonconfrontational approach to trespassers. Russian women are protesting the Kremlin’s argument that mobilized troops are needed in combat in Ukraine indefinitely. Other Big Stories Groundwater levels are dwindling across the U.S. as a result of overpumping, exacerbated by climate change. Some businesses and landowners are fighting conservation efforts. The teachers’ union in Portland, Ore., reached a tentative deal with the public school district, ending a three-week strike. Ecologists are using the unequal distribution of birds and other species in cities to trace the legacy and impact of bigoted urban policies. Google uses A.I.-powered systems to search for child abuse content. The scanning process can sometimes label innocent parents as child abusers and upend their digital lives. Opinions Many young Chinese women are rejecting sexist propaganda about childbirth and marriage — a problem for the Communist Party, Leta Hong Fincher writes. To fix our fraying social and political health, children need to be taught how to hear and be heard, John Bowe, a speech and presentation expert, argues. Gail Collins and Bret Stephens discuss immigration and the economy. Offer won’t last: Save on Cooking during the Holiday Sale. A Cooking subscription answers “What’s for dinner?” deliciously, every day. Explore more than 4,000 five-star recipes. Save 50% on your first year of Cooking. MORNING READS In Lomé, Togo. Yagazie Emezi for The New York Times “They need to talk”: Counseling services are rare or hard to reach in some West and Central African cities. Hairdressers are helping fill the gap. Breaking free at 10 m.p.h.: In an Atlanta suburb, golf carts give teenagers a taste of independence. “Paju Book City”: A satellite of Seoul is home to around 900 literary businesses. Roman holidays: Europe is becoming a popular backdrop for Hallmark and Lifetime Christmas movies. Love on Duolingo: Single people are meeting potential partners on apps not built for dating, The Wall Street Journal reports. Metropolitan Diary: Tears by the tamales. Lives Lived: Marty Krofft was born into a family of puppeteers. He and his brother Sid turned it into a show-business dynasty, creating fantastical TV shows including “Land of the Lost” and the trippy children’s program “H.R. Pufnstuf.” He died at 86. SPORTS N.F.L.: The Baltimore Ravens won their sixth game in seven contests with a 20-10 victory over the Los Angeles Chargers. Read takeaways from Week 12. Soccer: Manchester United beat Everton, 3-0. One of those goals was an overhead kick by Alejandro Garnacho that sparked debate over whether it could be the league’s best ever. College football: Texas A&M is expected to hire Duke’s Mike Elko as its next head coach. Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT ARTS AND IDEAS On the left is a blank; on the right is a dummy round. Alex Welsh for The New York Times A Hollywood gun debate: In the two years since the cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was fatally shot on the set of the movie “Rust,” filmmakers are split over whether movies and TV shows should use real guns, which are often loaded with dummy rounds or blanks. Some productions now rely on special effects to make prop guns more realistic, while others continue to use real firearms, arguing that the “Rust” tragedy was an anomaly. More on culture The Irish writer Paul Lynch won this year’s Booker Prize for “Prophet Song,” a novel about a near-future Ireland’s descent into totalitarianism and civil war. “Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé,” which chronicles her recent world tour, pulls back the curtain on a private superstar. Read takeaways from the premiere. THE MORNING RECOMMENDS … Wirecutter Staff It’s Cyber Monday, and we’re using this section today to highlight recommendations from Wirecutter: Follow live coverage of the best Cyber Monday deals. Wear an exponentially better bra. Peruse these great gifts under $50. Spruce up your kitchen with these (on-sale) Wirecutter picks. Lose the back-seat driver with a sturdy car mount. Upgrade your mattress. GAMES Here is today’s Spelling Bee. Yesterday’s pangrams were alright and arthralgia. And here are today’s Mini Crossword, Wordle, Sudoku and Connections. Thanks for spending part of your morning with The Times. See you tomorrow. Sign up here to get this newsletter in your inbox. Reach our team at themorning@nytimes.com. Continue reading the main story Editor: David Leonhardt News Editor: Tom Wright-Piersanti News Staff: Desiree Ibekwe, Lauren Jackson, Sean Kawasaki-Culligan, Brent Lewis, German Lopez, Ian Prasad Philbrick, Ashley Wu News Assistant: Lyna Bentahar Saturday Writer: Melissa Kirsch Quote phkrause By the decree enforcing the institution of the papacy in violation of the law of God, our nation will disconnect herself fully from righteousness. When Protestantism shall stretch her hand across the gulf to grasp the hand of the Roman power, when she shall reach over the abyss to clasp hands with spiritualism, when, under the influence of this threefold union, our country shall repudiate every principle of its Constitution as a Protestant and republican government, and shall make provision for the propagation of papal falsehoods and delusions, then we may know that the time has come for the marvelous working of Satan and that the end is near. {5T 451.1} Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members phkrause Posted November 29, 2023 Author Members Share Posted November 29, 2023 November 28, 2023 By David Leonhardt Good morning. We’re covering the extended truce in Gaza — as well as U.S.-China relations, Mexico’s avocado groves and forgetfulness. Residents of Kfar Aza, Israel, watching the announcement of hostage releases. Amit Elkayam for The New York Times A strategic dilemma Israel and Hamas have extended their truce for two days — through tomorrow — which will bring the pause in fighting to six days. The deal is a sign that both sides have benefited from it. What comes next is less clear, though. For Israel’s leaders in particular, the pause has created a strategic dilemma. They have big reasons to extend it again — and big reasons to resume fighting. On the one hand, many international groups and other countries support a cease-fire, pointing to the brutal death toll among Gazan civilians since Oct. 7. President Biden has also pushed for the pause to continue so long as Hamas is releasing hostages. Within Israel, families of the hostages have called on their country’s leaders to prioritize the release of all hostages. On the other hand, the pause offers advantages to Hamas. Its leaders can move to new hiding places. Its militants can fortify their positions in southern Gaza before future fighting. And Hamas can hope that the pause leads the U.S. to push Israel to moderate its war aims. “To end the war now would leave Hamas still in charge of most of Gaza,” my colleague Patrick Kingsley has written. In today’s newsletter, I’ll dig into both sides of the dilemma. Reasons to pause The scale of recent suffering in Gaza has led to intense criticism of Israel. Although the precise toll remains unclear — and the fairest comparisons remain a subject of dispute — analysts agree that many more Gazan civilians have died in the past seven weeks than did Israeli civilians in Hamas’s Oct. 7 terrorist attacks. Many Gazan victims have been children (as this Times article by Raja Abdulrahim, with photos by Samar Abu Elouf and Yousef Masoud, shows). In response, Saudi Arabia has pulled back from earlier diplomatic talks with Israel. U.N. officials have condemned Israel. In the U.S., many Democratic voters, especially those who are younger or more liberal, have grown uncomfortable with the Biden administration’s strong support for Israel. Trucks carrying humanitarian aid into northern Gaza. Samar Abu Elouf for The New York Times The pause in the fighting, however, has also paused some of this diplomatic pressure on Israel. As part of the truce, Israel has allowed hundreds of trucks to enter Gaza carrying food, water and medicine. “The pause reinforces that Israel does not want civilians hurt and would like them to stock up on provisions,” David Makovsky of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy told me. Perhaps most important to Israel’s leaders, the pause has already led Hamas to release 69 hostages, with 20 more scheduled to be released in the next two days. In exchange for each freed Israeli hostage, Israel has released three Palestinian prisoners. Before the truce, many Israelis had harshly criticized Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for not doing more to win the hostages’ freedom. After tomorrow’s scheduled releases, Hamas and its allies would still hold roughly 150 hostages, which could lead to a longer pause and further exchanges. Some analysts even say that Israel should see the success of the pause as a reason to accept a lasting cease-fire. Michael Oren, a former Israeli ambassador to the U.S., has argued that Israel should allow Hamas leaders to surrender and flee (much as the Palestine Liberation Organization members did in Beirut in 1982) in exchange for the return of all hostages. “The terrorists can sail off to Algeria, Libya or Iran,” Oren wrote in The Times of Israel. “Our captives will be united with their families.” Tariq Kenney-Shawa — a fellow at Al-Shabaka, a Palestinian think tank — also says that resuming the war would be a mistake. He argues that eliminating a group with as much local support as Hamas has in Gaza is impossible. To do so, Israel would have to destroy the rest of Gaza, creating the next generation of insurgents. “There really is no military solution to this crisis,” Kenney-Shawa told me. Reasons to fight Still, Kenney-Shawa acknowledged that Hamas would consider a lasting cease-fire at this stage to be a victory. “And their allies in the region would chalk it up as a win,” he added. Hamas would have made Israel look weak — by torturing and murdering its civilians, broadcasting the killings in gleeful online videos and vowing to repeat the attacks. Israel’s government, by contrast, would have failed in its promise to respond by capturing or killing Hamas’s leaders. Some of these leaders are likely now hiding in southern Gaza because of Israel’s success in invading northern Gaza. For these reasons, most observers expect that Israel will soon expand the fight to southern Gaza. “Ultimately, Israel is going to want to continue to conduct military operations against Hamas, particularly the leadership of Hamas, that were the architects of this brutal, bloody massacre, the worst massacre of the Jewish people since the Holocaust,” Jake Sullivan, Biden’s national security adviser, said on Sunday. How Israel chooses to do so is less certain. If it used aerial bombs as much it did in northern Gaza, the civilian toll could be similarly grim. If it used ground forces more heavily, Israeli troops would be at greater risk of death or capture. Either way, Makovsky, a former editor of The Jerusalem Post, told me that he thought Israel’s stated goal of eliminating Hamas, down to every fighter and weapon, was probably impossible. Toppling its current leadership and then declaring a cease-fire, to be followed by international peace talks, seems a more realistic goal. Related The U.S. has warned Israel to fight more surgically once the pause ends to avoid an overwhelming humanitarian crisis, according to senior administration officials. “We were finally able to sleep well,” Dareen Nseir, who lives in Gaza City, said about the pause. Hamas released 11 more Israeli hostages — two women and nine children — yesterday. All came from Kibbutz Nir Oz, where terrorists killed or abducted roughly one in four residents on Oct. 7. More war news Ahed Tamimi, a 22-year-old Palestinian activist, faces indefinite imprisonment in Israel without charges or trial, her lawyer said. Neither she nor her lawyer can view the evidence against her. The Israeli military said it had arrested at least 71 Palestinians in the West Bank since Friday, as it escalates raids in the territory. The Palestinian Authority says the number arrested is at least 112 and includes women, children and former prisoners. The authorities charged a 48-year-old Vermont man with attempted murder in the shooting of three college students of Palestinian descent in Burlington. He pleaded not guilty. Elon Musk, who endorsed an antisemitic post on his social media platform this month, traveled to Israel and met with Netanyahu. Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT THE LATEST NEWS Politics Donald Trump said Republicans should “never give up” trying to repeal the Affordable Care Act. The Biden campaign sees a winning issue. A majority of voters in six battleground states who backed Biden in the last election view the economy as only “fair” or “poor,” according to a New York Times/Siena College poll. Supreme Court justices seemed to be looking for a middle ground as they heard arguments over which drug offenses should count toward a law meant to keep guns from criminals. Rosalynn Carter is lying in repose at the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library in Atlanta. Her memorial service is today. International Clearing burned forest in Ziracuaretiro, Mexico. Cesar Rodriguez for The New York Times To keep up with the growing demand for avocados in the U.S., local officials and criminal gangs are torching Mexico’s forests. New Zealand’s new right-wing government said it would repeal a law that would have gradually banned cigarette sales. Egypt, which is on track to be the first country to eliminate hepatitis C, has promised to share drugs and expertise with other African countries. Rishi Sunak, Britain’s prime minister, abruptly canceled a meeting with the Greek prime minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, after he called for the return of the Parthenon marbles. China G42, an A.I. firm in the United Arab Emirates, has contracts with companies in Europe and the U.S. But it also has deep ties to China, raising alarms at U.S. spy agencies. Student exchanges between the U.S. and China have endured for decades. Geopolitical tensions threaten that. Affluent Chinese citizens have moved hundreds of billions of dollars out of the country this year to buy overseas apartments and stocks, a sign of economic concern. Shein, a Chinese fast-fashion retailer that has gained popularity with Americans, has filed confidentially for a U.S. share listing. Climate Damage caused by Hurricane Eta in Honduras. Inti Ocón/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images Lawyers for a group of Indigenous people who fled from Honduras to the U.S.-Mexico border plan to argue that extreme weather caused by climate change can be grounds for asylum. Biden’s clean energy initiative fueled a boom in solar panel factories. The industry is now worried that an overcrowded market could drive down prices. Environmentalists helped Vietnam secure a promise of billions of dollars from wealthy countries in return for burning less coal. But it has since jailed several of the activists involved. Other Big Stories A vote by the New York State cannabis board saved the licenses of 436 retailers, paving the way for those convicted of marijuana-related offenses to sell it legally. The Mellon Foundation promised $500 million to build monuments in U.S. public spaces that tell more diverse stories. An experimental drug claims to add a healthy year to a dog’s life span. Opinions Trump’s plans for destroying the “deep state” in a second term would weaken government and worsen public services, Donald Moynihan writes. Expressing feminist views in Russia has become increasingly dangerous, Vasilisa Kirilochkina writes. Here’s a column by Paul Krugman on Nikki Haley’s Social Security policy. The Holiday Sale. This Cooking offer won’t last. Less mess, less stress. A Cooking subscription brings you easy recipes plus step-by-step guides, videos, photos and more. Subscribe and save 50% on your first year of Cooking. MORNING READS Cookie Monster Sesame Street Nom nom nom: The cookies that Cookie Monster eats on “Sesame Street” are real — sort of — and baked in the home of a longtime “puppet wrangler.” Purists: Forget the overstuffed burritos from chain restaurants. In the border cities of El Paso and Ciudad Juárez, one filling is all you need. Flies in space: If humans ever live on Mars, they will need to bring bugs with them. Now, what was I looking for? Why your short-term memory falters, and how to make it better. Lives Lived: Audrey Salkeld was a pioneering historian of Mount Everest who herself made it to within 8,000 feet of the summit. She died at 87. SPORTS N.F.L.: The Chicago Bears beat the Minnesota Vikings, 12-10, without scoring a touchdown. Personnel: The Carolina Panthers fired Frank Reich after 11 games, the shortest N.F.L. head-coaching tenure in over 40 years. N.B.A.: LeBron James experienced the largest margin of defeat in his professional career in the Lakers’ 138-94 loss to the 76ers. On the same night, he surpassed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for most minutes played in the league. Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT ARTS AND IDEAS Cave Canem’s retreat this summer. Morgan Maben/Cave Canem Nurturing talent: When Cornelius Eady met Toi Derricotte in the 1990s at a poetry retreat — gatherings that were overwhelmingly white — they realized they had the same wish: to create a program for Black poets. In 1996, Eady and Derricotte set up the poets’ collective Cave Canem. The group has developed major voices in 21st-century poetry, including two U.S. poet laureates, six Pulitzer Prize winners, five National Book Award winners and three MacArthur “genius” grant recipients. More on culture Celine Song’s “Past Lives” won best feature and Lily Gladstone received outstanding lead performance for “Killers of the Flower Moon” at the Gotham Awards. Stephen Colbert canceled “Late Show” episodes for the week as he recovers from appendix surgery. THE MORNING RECOMMENDS … Joseph De Leo for The New York Times Purée red lentils for this soup, our most-reviewed recipe ever. Watch an HBO documentary by Charles Blow, a Times Opinion columnist. Buy a lip balm that’s expensive — and worth it. Earn compliments with one of these slim wallets. GAMES Here is today’s Spelling Bee. Yesterday’s pangram was handicap. And here are today’s Mini Crossword, Wordle, Sudoku and Connections. Thanks for spending part of your morning with The Times. See you tomorrow. — David Sign up here to get this newsletter in your inbox. Reach our team at themorning@nytimes.com. Continue reading the main story Editor: David Leonhardt News Editor: Tom Wright-Piersanti News Staff: Desiree Ibekwe, Lauren Jackson, Sean Kawasaki-Culligan, Brent Lewis, German Lopez, Ian Prasad Philbrick, Ashley Wu News Assistant: Lyna Bentahar Saturday Writer: Melissa Kirsch Quote phkrause By the decree enforcing the institution of the papacy in violation of the law of God, our nation will disconnect herself fully from righteousness. When Protestantism shall stretch her hand across the gulf to grasp the hand of the Roman power, when she shall reach over the abyss to clasp hands with spiritualism, when, under the influence of this threefold union, our country shall repudiate every principle of its Constitution as a Protestant and republican government, and shall make provision for the propagation of papal falsehoods and delusions, then we may know that the time has come for the marvelous working of Satan and that the end is near. {5T 451.1} Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members phkrause Posted November 30, 2023 Author Members Share Posted November 30, 2023 November 29, 2023 By German Lopez Good morning. We’re covering claims of a shoplifting boom — as well as Rosalynn Carter’s memorial, Pope Francis and the 10 best books of 2023. Plastic barriers at a Walgreens. Gabby Jones for The New York Times Viral exaggerations Is the U.S. in the middle of a shoplifting wave? Target and other retail chains have warned of widespread theft. News outlets have amplified the story. On social media, people have posted videos of thieves looting stores. But the increase in shoplifting appears to be limited to a few cities, rather than being truly national. In most of the country, retail theft has been lower this year than it was a few years ago, according to police data. There are some exceptions, particularly New York City, where shoplifting has spiked. But outside New York, shoplifting incidents in major cities have fallen 7 percent since 2019, before the Covid pandemic. Why has the issue nonetheless received so much attention? Today’s newsletter tries to answer that question while taking a deeper look at recent shoplifting trends. The data The various sources of crime data — from government agencies and private groups — tell a consistent story. Retail theft has not spiked nationwide in the past several years. If anything, it appears less common in most of the country than it was before the pandemic. The most up-to-date source is the shoplifting report published this month by the Council on Criminal Justice, which uses police data through the first half of 2023. The other sources go through only 2022. The council tracks 24 major U.S. cities. Overall, shoplifting incidents were 16 percent higher in the first half of 2023 than the first half of 2019. When New York City is excluded, however, reported shoplifting incidents fell over the same time period. Out of the 24 cities, 17 reported decreases in shoplifting. The shoplifting problem “is being talked about as if it’s much more widespread than it probably is,” said Sonia Lapinsky, a retail expert at the consulting firm AlixPartners. Source: Council on Criminal Justice | Data is based on 24 cities. | By The New York Times Other data also indicates that shoplifting is not up in most cities since 2019. Retailers’ preferred measure, called shrink, tracks lost inventory, including from theft. Average annual shrink made up 1.57 percent of retail sales in 2022, up slightly from 2021 (1.44 percent) but down compared with 2019 (1.62 percent). The F.B.I. and the Bureau of Justice Statistics also found that theft and property crime ticked up in 2022 but remained below pre-Covid levels. The notion that the U.S. is enduring a period of higher crime in some areas is not wrong. Car thefts are up by more than 100 percent since 2019. Murders are on track to be 10 percent higher this year than they were in 2019. Source: Jeff Asher, F.B.I. | Data is based on 99 cities; 2022 and 2023 rates are estimated. | By The New York Times Many major downtown areas have also become emptier and more chaotic since the pandemic, which may explain why drugstores and other retailers are more often locking up items even if shoplifting isn’t much more common than in the past. The noise There seem to be several reasons that shoplifting has received so much attention lately: Events in New York tend to receive outsize scrutiny. It is the country’s biggest city, a big retail market and the headquarters for much of the national media. Another city where property crime has risen is Washington, D.C., where many journalists, as well as politicians, also live. Videos of extreme but rare crimes can go viral today. On social media, people post videos of looting flash mobs or thieves ramming cars into stores. “There are millions of property crimes a year,” said Jeff Asher of the research firm AH Datalytics. As a result, people can always find outlandish anecdotes, even if crime is down. Conservative media has promoted these videos as evidence of disorder in liberal cities and under President Biden. Retailers have an interest in spreading the shoplifting narrative because it can suggest that disappointing profits are beyond their control. Inflation may play a role, too. Even if retail theft is not up, retailers might care more about it now. After all, higher prices have eaten into their profit margins by increasing the underlying costs of doing business. That makes reducing theft more important. The rise in murder, car theft and some other crimes makes shoplifting seem like part of a larger story even if it isn’t in most cities. Whatever the full explanation, the current focus on shoplifting is part of a broader trend: The public often overestimates crime. Over the past two decades, most Americans have said that crime is rising, according to Gallup’s surveys. In reality, crime rates have generally plummeted since the 1990s. Related: Some middle-aged white women shoplift at self-checkouts in Britain because people assume they won’t steal, a Guardian columnist argues. Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT THE LATEST NEWS Israel-Hamas War Two newly released hostages. Agence France-Presse — Getty Images Hamas released 12 more hostages, 10 Israelis and two Thais. Israel released another 30 Palestinian women and minors from its jails. More releases are expected on both sides today, the last agreed day of the cease-fire. Top intelligence officials from the U.S. and Israel are in Qatar to discuss extending it. Israel is facing external pressure to make the cease-fire permanent and some internal pressure to resume fighting, The Times’s Patrick Kingsley writes. “They are broken”: Relatives of freed Israeli hostages described the mental state of their loved ones. A 9-year-old girl spoke in whispers after her release, her father told CNN. This chart shows how many hostages are still in Gaza. Christmas is canceled in Bethlehem. Palestinian Christian leaders plan to forgo celebrations in solidarity with Gaza, The Washington Post reports. U.S. Response Biden is struggling to navigate anger from some supporters, and some younger staff members, who disagree with his response to the war. Democrats are clashing over whether to attach conditions, like measures to avoid civilian casualties, to an aid package for Israel. “Too many Americans are exploiting arguments against Israel and leaping toward a virulent antisemitism,” Chuck Schumer, the Senate Democratic leader, writes in a Times Opinion essay. Rosalynn Carter’s Memorial In Atlanta. Erin Schaff/The New York Times Jimmy Carter, 99 and in hospice care, attended the memorial service for Rosalynn Carter, the former first lady who died last week at 96. He sat in a wheelchair wrapped in a blanket. “My mom spent most of her life in love with my dad,” said their daughter, Amy, who read from a letter Jimmy wrote to Rosalynn 75 years ago. The Carters were America’s longest-married first couple. Biden, Bill Clinton and every living first lady — Hillary Clinton, Laura Bush, Michelle Obama, Melania Trump and Jill Biden — attended the service, at an Atlanta Methodist church. Politics The Koch brothers’ conservative political network endorsed Nikki Haley for president, a blow to Ron DeSantis, who had hoped to be the alternative to Donald Trump. Voters are warming to Haley’s candidacy. Hunter Biden, the president’s son, offered to publicly testify to Congress about his family’s business dealings. House Republicans want him to testify behind closed doors first. Trump’s lawyers plan to use his federal Jan. 6 trial to question the results of the 2020 election. International The United Arab Emirates, host of this year’s U.N. climate conference, sought to use its position to lobby on oil and gas deals, a leaked document showed. The wife of Ukraine’s military intelligence chief was poisoned, Ukrainian officials said. She is recovering in a hospital. Sierra Leone arrested 13 military officials and a civilian after a coup attempt that released more than 2,000 prisoners. France plans to ban smoking in parks and near public buildings next year. Tech Google will soon delete accounts on its services — including Gmail and YouTube — that have been idle for two years or more. Amazon, which had been quiet about its A.I. plans, launched a workplace chatbot. A commercial plane crossed the Atlantic without using fossil fuels for the first time, The Washington Post reports. Sports Illustrated published online product reviews under fake author names, possibly generated by A.I., the tech news site Futurism reported. Other Big Stories Cardinal Raymond Burke Remo Casilli/Reuters Pope Francis evicted a top U.S. cardinal, Raymond Burke, from his Vatican home, reports say. Burke, a conservative, is the pope’s leading critic within the church. Charles Munger, Warren Buffett’s longtime partner at the investment firm Berkshire Hathaway, died at 99. Opinions A far-right leader’s surprise election success in the Netherlands speaks to an urban Dutch population that’s been out of touch with farmers’ needs, Paul Tullis writes. Black Americans are at higher risk of amputation and death for treatable limb diseases. A standardized treatment could save them, Anahita Dua writes. Houston has cut homelessness by more than 60 percent. On The Opinions, a new audio show, Nicholas Kristof follows outreach workers to see the city’s strategy in action. Here are columns by Thomas Friedman on the Palestinian Authority and Bret Stephens on the Palestinian cause. The Holiday Sale. This Cooking offer won’t last. Less mess, less stress. A Cooking subscription brings you easy recipes plus step-by-step guides, videos, photos and more. Subscribe and save 50% on your first year of Cooking. MORNING READS In Belém, Brazil. Alessandro Falco for The New York Times Belém: A food-obsessed Amazonian city cooks with ingredients hard to find anywhere else. Status symbol: Dyson’s cordless vacuum has become a must-have for the younger generation. Lives Lived: The singer Jean Knight had one Top 10 hit in her long career, but it was a memorable one: “Mr. Big Stuff,” a brassy anthem of female strength that topped the Billboard R&B chart in 1971 and sold two million copies. She died at 80. SPORTS N.B.A.: Mark Cuban agreed to sell a majority stake in the Dallas Mavericks to Miriam Adelson, a casino magnate, in a multibillion-dollar deal. He’ll keep control over basketball operations. N.F.L.: The Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who tore his Achilles’ tendon in Week 1, cast doubt on his return this season. “I’m not at an ability to play at this point,” he said in a TV interview. College football: Ohio State dropped to No. 6 in the penultimate playoff rankings. Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT ARTS AND IDEAS Timo Lenzen 10 Best Books: The editors of The Times Book Review chose their favorite books of the year, including: “The Fraud” by Zadie Smith, a tale of 19th-century London centered on a real-life criminal trial over the impersonation of a nobleman. “The Bee Sting” by Paul Murray, a tragicomic tale about an Irish family whose fortunes plummet after the 2008 financial crash. “Fire Weather” by John Vaillant, an account of a raging 2016 wildfire in Canada and the perfect storm of factors that led to the catastrophe. See the full list here, and hear Times editors discuss their picks on the Book Review podcast. More on culture Paris Hilton surprised her family with the birth of her second baby, a girl named London, via surrogacy, The Cut reports. Peacock is paying the family of Rex Heuermann, who is accused of killing three women and burying them in Gilgo Beach, to participate in a documentary. THE MORNING RECOMMENDS … David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews. Turn white beans, garlic and chile flakes into a pasta sauce. Work out with your kids. Stuff grown-ups’ Christmas stockings with these Wirecutter-approved items. Monitor your health with a wearable fitness tracker. GAMES Here is today’s Spelling Bee. Yesterday’s pangram was braving. And here are today’s Mini Crossword, Wordle, Sudoku and Connections. Thanks for spending part of your morning with The Times. See you tomorrow. — German Correction: Yesterday’s newsletter misstated the film for which Lily Gladstone won best lead performance at the Gotham Awards. It was “The Unknown Country,” not “Killers of the Flower Moon.” Sign up here to get this newsletter in your inbox. Reach our team at themorning@nytimes.com. Continue reading the main story Editor: David Leonhardt News Editor: Tom Wright-Piersanti News Staff: Desiree Ibekwe, Lauren Jackson, Sean Kawasaki-Culligan, Brent Lewis, German Lopez, Ian Prasad Philbrick, Ashley Wu News Assistant: Lyna Bentahar Saturday Writer: Melissa Kirsch Quote phkrause By the decree enforcing the institution of the papacy in violation of the law of God, our nation will disconnect herself fully from righteousness. When Protestantism shall stretch her hand across the gulf to grasp the hand of the Roman power, when she shall reach over the abyss to clasp hands with spiritualism, when, under the influence of this threefold union, our country shall repudiate every principle of its Constitution as a Protestant and republican government, and shall make provision for the propagation of papal falsehoods and delusions, then we may know that the time has come for the marvelous working of Satan and that the end is near. {5T 451.1} Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members phkrause Posted December 1, 2023 Author Members Share Posted December 1, 2023 November 30, 2023 SUPPORTED BY APPLE CARD By David Leonhardt Good morning. We’re covering Americans’ opinions about the war in Gaza — as well as Henry Kissinger, Elon Musk and Spotify Wrapped. An Israeli soldier at the entrance to Kibbutz Re’im. Amit Elkayam for The New York Times What polls show In our polarized country, it counts as news whenever members of one political party deeply disagree on an issue. The Israel-Hamas war has become an example for the Democratic Party. Many Democrats — including members of the Biden administration — are divided over Israel’s war strategy. That divide has rightly received a lot of attention. But the focus on Democratic infighting can obscure other parts of American public opinion about the war. In today’s newsletter, I will walk through four main findings from recent polls. 1. More Americans support Israelis than support Palestinians. This finding holds across polls. When a Marist poll (conducted for NPR and PBS) asked people which side they sympathized with more, 61 percent chose Israelis and 30 percent chose Palestinians. When YouGov (in a poll for The Economist) asked a similar question with a third option — “about equal” — the results also favored Israelis: Source: The Economist/YouGov poll from Nov. 25-27 In an NBC poll, Israel’s approval rating — with 47 percent of Americans saying they feel positively toward it, compared with 24 percent who feel negatively — was very similar to Ukraine’s right now. Only 1 percent of Americans feel positively about Hamas, and 81 percent felt negatively. Similarly, most people blame Hamas for starting the war — that is, they see the Oct. 7 killing and kidnapping of Israelis as the central cause, rather than longer-standing issues like Israel’s blockade of Gaza. In a Quinnipiac poll that asked Americans who was “more responsible for the outbreak of violence,” 69 percent chose Hamas and 15 percent chose Israel. Most Americans also believe that Israel is an important ally of the U.S. The Quinnipiac poll asked people whether supporting Israel was in the national interest of the United States, and 70 percent said it was. 2. Americans are worried about the civilian toll in Gaza, and support for Israel’s actions has slipped. Although most respondents in the recent Marist poll said that Israel’s military response has been either appropriate or too restrained, the number who called it too aggressive has risen since last month: Source: NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist polls The share of people who said they sympathized more with Palestinians than Israelis has also increased — to 25 percent this month from 15 percent last month, according to the Quinnipiac poll. A major reason appears to be the civilian death toll in Gaza, which is mostly women and children. More than 80 percent of Americans told Ipsos (in a poll for Reuters conducted a couple weeks ago) that Israel should pause military operations, as it since has, to allow humanitarian aid to reach Gazans. 3. Public opinion isn’t always consistent. Consider these two facts: One, most Americans say that Israel’s military response has been both reasonable and understandable. In the Ipsos poll, for instance, 76 percent of people agreed that “Israel is doing what any country would do in response to a terror attack and the taking of civilian hostages.” Two, most Americans say they favor an end to the fighting. They support not only a humanitarian pause but also a full cease-fire. In the YouGov poll, the margin favoring a cease-fire was 65 percent to 16 percent. In the Ipsos poll, 68 percent of people agreed that “Israel should call a cease-fire and try to negotiate.” This combination of views doesn’t quite mesh. A full cease-fire would amount to a defeat for Israel and a victory for Hamas, with Hamas’s leaders able to claim the Oct. 7 attacks as a major success. Still, you can understand why many Americans would hold this mix of views: They both support Israel’s effort to topple Hamas and do not want Palestinians to keep dying. Poll questions don’t always ask people to make consistent choices. I encourage readers to avoid the temptation to focus on only one of these two patterns — the support for a cease-fire or for Israel’s military actions — and to ignore the other one. Yes, only one of the two findings is convenient to each side in the debate, but both findings are real. 4. Very liberal Americans view this war differently from most other Americans. Democrats sometimes like to point out ways in which Republican views depart from majority opinion, and there certainly are such cases. But there are also issues on which Democrats, especially those who identify as very liberal, have views that most Americans do not. This war has become an example. While most Americans told Marist that Israel’s military response was either “about right” or “too little,” most Democrats — 56 percent — said it was “too much.” And this breakdown from the YouGov poll is stark: Source: The Economist/YouGov poll from Nov. 25-27 Self-described “very liberal” Americans express more support for Palestinians than Israelis. No other ideological group does. That helps explain the intensity of the debate on the American left. More on the war Israel and Hamas extended their cease-fire. Hamas said it would last another day, while Israel did not give a timeline. Two Palestinian gunmen killed at least three people in Jerusalem, Israeli officials said. Hamas freed 16 more hostages yesterday, including an American citizen. Read about those released. Hamas said that previous Israeli airstrikes had killed three hostages: a mother and two young red-haired children whose image has spread widely. The claim hasn’t been verified. Israel released more than two dozen women and children from prison, including the prominent Palestinian activist Ahed Tamimi. To some Palestinians in the West Bank, freed prisoners have become a symbol of Hamas’s ability to get results. After Palestinian American students were shot in Vermont, one survivor said the attack shattered the idea that he was safer in the U.S. Continue reading the main story A MESSAGE FROM APPLE CARD Give Gifts. Get Rewarded with Apple Card. Get up to 3 percent Daily Cash back on every purchase, every day. Apply now in minutes. APPLY NOW THE LATEST NEWS Henry Kissinger Henry Kissinger in London in 1972. Evening Standard/Hulton Archive, via Getty Images Henry Kissinger, a scholar-turned-diplomat who shaped U.S. foreign policy over six decades as an adviser to 12 presidents, died at 100. Read his obituary. The most powerful secretary of state of the post-World War II era, Kissinger engineered the U.S. opening to China, negotiated America’s withdrawal from Vietnam and eased relations with the Soviet Union. Kissinger also disregarded human rights when he thought it would serve U.S. interests. He helped topple Chile’s president in 1973 and authorized a bombing campaign in Cambodia that killed 50,000 civilians. Kissinger remained active after leaving office. He co-wrote a book about artificial intelligence at 96 and met with Xi Jinping, China’s leader, in July. Politics Donald Trump was “depressed” and “not eating” after his 2020 election loss, according to Liz Cheney’s memoir. One of Trump’s lawyers warned him last year that it would be a crime to not comply with a subpoena for classified documents he took to Mar-a-Lago. Jamie Dimon, the chief executive of JPMorgan Chase, urged Americans to “help Nikki Haley” win the 2024 Republican nomination. Political operatives and conspiracy theorists are using open records requests to slow down government work, The Texas Tribune reports. President Biden clapped back at Representative Lauren Boebert, a right-wing Republican who has criticized his climate law, while visiting a wind-turbine factory in her district. Climate The U.N. climate conference begins today in Dubai during the hottest year in recorded history. Many are skeptical that the summit, known as COP28, will produce results. Vice President Kamala Harris will attend the summit instead of Biden. Countries have started to clean up their power plants and cars. But emissions from cement or chemical factories have been harder to curb. See the largest sources of planet-warming pollution. The E.P.A. proposed a requirement to replace virtually all lead water pipes in the U.S. over the next decade. Airlines say ethanol, a fuel made from corn, is the future of air travel. But growing enough crops could drain groundwater supplies. Tech Elon Musk said an advertising boycott on his social platform, X, could bankrupt the company. He added a crude insult. Sam Altman, back at OpenAI, said he would improve products and build a new board, with Microsoft as a nonvoting member. Blue vs. green bubbles: Apple will improve the texting experience with Android phones. Other Big Stories For nearly two decades, a loose band of sheriff’s deputies roamed central Mississippi, and, witnesses say, tortured people for information. An Indian man was charged with plotting to kill a Sikh activist in New York City. The thwarted plan resembled an assassination in Canada. Most drivers will probably have to pay $15 to enter some of the busiest streets in Manhattan as soon as next spring. Opinions The recycling industry is slow and limited. Those pushing to abandon it should first try to improve it, Oliver Franklin-Wallis writes. Here are columns by Charles Blow on the 2024 elections, Pamela Paul on Trump and Gail Collins on the Electoral College. The Times has something for everyone — insightful reporting, daily games, doable recipes, detailed product reviews and personalized sports journalism. Enjoy it all with an All Access subscription. MORNING READS Spotify’s Sound Town feature. Spotify Wrapped: Did Spotify say your music taste belongs in Burlington, Vt., or Bozeman, Mont.? Here’s why. Moose on the loose: Fans follow Minnesota’s most famous moose everywhere he goes. All you can eat: Red Lobster had to raise the price on an endless shrimp deal that it said helped it lose $11 million. Thrift-store find: The painting she bought for $4 fetched $191,000 at auction. But then the buyer reneged. Lives Lived: Frances Sternhagen played mothers on “Cheers” and “Sex and the City,” and her Tony-winning Broadway career included “Driving Miss Daisy” and “On Golden Pond.” She died at 93. SPORTS Angel Reese: The L.S.U. women’s basketball star will return after a four-game absence. Her coach declined to say why she was benched. N.B.A.: The police are investigating allegations that the Oklahoma City Thunder guard Josh Giddey, 21, had an inappropriate relationship with a minor. Continue reading the main story A MESSAGE FROM APPLE CARD Give Gifts. Get Rewarded with Apple Card. Get up to 3 percent Daily Cash back on every purchase, every day. Apply now in minutes. APPLY NOW ARTS AND IDEAS Paddington Bear in “Interstellar.” Jason Chou Paddington Bear, everywhere: Jason Chou — or @JaytheChou as he is known on X — is undertaking a feat of digital endurance. In March 2021, he began posting images of Paddington, the anthropomorphized bear, edited into scenes from movies and TV shows like “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” and “Forrest Gump.” In each post, he pledged to continue “until I forget.” He has yet to forget. On Sunday, Chou will reach an impressive milestone: his 1,000th post. More on culture After tensions rose among its members, a country music venue in Scotland voted to end its display of the Confederate flag. THE MORNING RECOMMENDS … Christopher Simpson for The New York Times Roast salmon with fruity citrus, dill, spicy radishes and ginger. Watch Ridley Scott’s “Gladiator” before it leaves Netflix. Choose the perfect gift for a teenager. Curl up and watch a holiday movie on a good TV. GAMES Here is today’s Spelling Bee. Yesterday’s pangram was expound and expounded. And here are today’s Mini Crossword, Wordle, Sudoku and Connections. Thanks for spending part of your morning with The Times. See you tomorrow. — David P.S. Thanks to my colleague Ruth Igielnik, a polling expert, for help with today’s newsletter. Sign up here to get this newsletter in your inbox. Reach our team at themorning@nytimes.com. Editor: David Leonhardt News Editor: Tom Wright-Piersanti News Staff: Desiree Ibekwe, Lauren Jackson, Sean Kawasaki-Culligan, Brent Lewis, German Lopez, Ian Prasad Philbrick, Ashley Wu News Assistant: Lyna Bentahar Saturday Writer: Melissa Kirsch Quote phkrause By the decree enforcing the institution of the papacy in violation of the law of God, our nation will disconnect herself fully from righteousness. When Protestantism shall stretch her hand across the gulf to grasp the hand of the Roman power, when she shall reach over the abyss to clasp hands with spiritualism, when, under the influence of this threefold union, our country shall repudiate every principle of its Constitution as a Protestant and republican government, and shall make provision for the propagation of papal falsehoods and delusions, then we may know that the time has come for the marvelous working of Satan and that the end is near. {5T 451.1} Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members phkrause Posted December 2, 2023 Author Members Share Posted December 2, 2023 December 1, 2023 By David Leonhardt Good morning. We’re covering the U.S. real estate market — as well as fighting in Gaza, COP28 and the royal family. San Diego. Roger Kisby for The New York Times Rent now, buy later Should you rent or buy your next home? It is a question that millions of people — especially younger adults who don’t own a home — wrestle with. It’s also a subject that I have written about in The Times for almost 20 years. Today, I want to revisit it, inspired by the interest of my colleagues on The Daily, many of whom are millennials trying to figure out what to do in their own lives. (Today’s Daily episode is a discussion between Michael Barbaro and me about renting versus buying.) Now is a good moment to examine the question — because the answer is clearer than usual. “This is not the time to buy for most people,” Mark Zandi, the chief economist of Moody’s Analytics, told me. “Mortgage rates are extra high, and house prices are extra high, and there’s not much to choose from in the market.” Zandi added: “If you find the perfect place, then by all means buy it. But most people are not going to find it.” A recent analysis by The Economist magazine came to a similar conclusion. I know that some readers will be surprised by this argument. Renting still brings a stigma. People equate it with throwing away money each month rather than investing in their future. The real estate industry promotes this idea because it makes far more money from a home sale than a rental. (Broker commissions are significantly higher in the U.S. than in many other countries, as Veronica Dagher of The Wall Street Journal has reported. The average sales commission here is 5.5 percent, compared with 4.5 percent in Germany, 2.5 percent in Australia and 1.3 percent in Britain.) In today’s newsletter, I want to explain why people who are frustrated by the state of the housing market shouldn’t feel bad about renting. In the long term, renting now may help you own the home you want in the future. Defying gravity If the housing market behaved as many other markets do, prices would have fallen over the last several years. Mortgage rates have risen sharply since the Covid pandemic receded, as the Federal Reserve has raised interest rates to lower inflation. Source: Freddie Mac, FRED Higher rates make monthly mortgage payments for new homes more expensive, which reduces demand and, in turn, should cause home prices to fall. But prices haven’t fallen. Why not? Many homeowners feel an emotional attachment to their home value. They come up with a price they think they deserve and are unwilling to sell for less. Rather than cutting the price to make a sale, they pull the house off the market. That’s partly why home sales have plummeted recently, but prices have hardly budged. The result is the worst of both worlds for would-be buyers: Home prices in many places are even higher today than they were when mortgage rates were very low. Source: Case-Shiller Home Price Indices, FRED The Bronx exception The rent-versus-buy decision always involves trade-offs. Buying allows people to invest in an asset that they can later sell instead of paying a landlord each month. It also brings the security and comfort of living in a home you control. On the flip side, buyers effectively pay tens of thousands of dollars to real estate agents. (Technically, the seller pays the agents — using the money the buyer paid — but the broker’s fee inflates the cost for a buyer.) Buyers must also pay to fix leaky roofs and broken plumbing. They must tie up money in a down payment, instead of being able to invest it elsewhere. They must bear the risk that house prices will fall — and prices really can fall. Take another look at the home-price chart above; after the housing bubble of the early 2000s, prices didn’t return to their previous peak for more than a decade. And buyers must pay mortgage interest to banks, especially in the early years of a mortgage when payments mostly go to cover interest, not the loan’s principal. The mortgage-interest tax deduction does reduce the effective cost of these payments, but it doesn’t eliminate it. The 2017 tax law signed by Donald Trump reduced the mortgage deduction in many places. Most of the time, these dueling factors argue for buying a home if you can afford to do so and you plan to live there for a long time. If you think you will move in several years, renting often wastes less money than buying. The current housing market has made renting even more attractive. Only if you find an affordable house where you’re confident you will stay for a decade or longer does buying make sense in many places. There are exceptions: Prices in parts of the Midwest and Southeast seem reasonable, according to Moody’s Analytics. Much of the Bronx is also affordable, The Economist noted. A good rule of thumb, Zandi told me, is to lean toward renting unless the rent ratio in your neighborhood — the purchase price of a house divided by the annual cost of renting a similar house — is below 18. In many cities, the average ratio is now above 25. I understand why many people are eager to own their home. But keep in mind that the current market isn’t permanent. Many economists expect both home prices and mortgage rates to fall in coming years. On The Daily, Michael and I talk about a real estate mistake I made when I was in my 30s: I bought a home too soon. Related: Young people are renting out parts of their homes for additional income while interest rates are high, CNBC reports. Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT THE LATEST NEWS Israel-Hamas War Israel obtained a detailed 40-page document outlining Hamas’s plans to launch an attack from Gaza more than a year ago, but officials dismissed it as unfeasible and failed to prepare. The Israeli military announced that it had resumed fighting in Gaza. It said Hamas fired rockets from the territory in the final hours of the cease-fire. International mediators said talks of reviving a cease-fire were continuing. Antony Blinken, the U.S. secretary of state, urged Israel to limit civilian casualties on a visit to the country. Hamas released eight more hostages — six women and two teenagers — yesterday. Watch a video from The Times of Israel of a young woman being reunited with her family. Those released have started to describe their experiences. Children were forced to appear in hostage videos, and others had to watch gruesome footage of the Oct. 7 attacks, they said. Politics Henry Kissinger and Xi Jinping earlier this year. Xinhua/EPA, via Shutterstock Henry Kissinger still influenced global leaders before his death at 100, even as his power in the U.S. waned. An appeals court reinstated a gag order barring Donald Trump from verbally attacking courtroom staff in his New York civil fraud trial. Senate Republicans want changes to immigration law as part of any bill to fund Israel and Ukraine. Some Democrats are open to restricting asylum claims. A Senate panel authorized subpoenas for two prominent conservatives as part of an ethics inquiry into gifts given to Supreme Court justices. Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida, who is running for president, and Gov. Gavin Newsom of California, who may do so in 2028, debated Covid restrictions and immigration on Fox News. The House is set to vote today on whether to expel Representative George Santos, the New York Republican who faces federal fraud charges. He seems to be embracing the spotlight. COP28 World leaders in Dubai. Peter Dejong/Associated Press World leaders are speaking at the U.N. climate summit in Dubai. Two major wars have strained climate diplomacy. Countries like Russia and China have spread disinformation about climate change — another obstacle to diplomacy. War in Ukraine The village of Ovsyanka, Russia. Nanna Heitmann for The New York Times In Russian cities, the war can feel distant. That isn’t true in small villages. Russia labeled the gay rights movement as “extremist.” Other Big Stories Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan. Evan Agostini/Invision, via Associated Press A book publishing “mistake” named the British royals who were said to have asked about the skin color of Prince Harry and Meghan’s baby. An alleged plot to assassinate a Sikh American is testing President Biden’s relationship with Narendra Modi, India’s leader. A judge in Montana temporarily blocked the state from banning TikTok next year. Demand for lithium, a component in batteries for electric vehicles, is reviving a stagnant North Carolina mine. Opinions Vermont’s welcoming nature hides a racism made stark by the shooting of three Palestinians, Jesse Wegman writes. Here are columns by Ross Douthat on Catholicism, Paul Krugman on the Affordable Care Act and Lydia Polgreen on gender. The Times has something for everyone — insightful reporting, daily games, doable recipes, detailed product reviews and personalized sports journalism. Enjoy it all with an All Access subscription. MORNING READS Sarah Mafféïs Health: Tomatoes and berries can help reduce your risk of cancer. See all the recommended foods. Privacy: “We spied on our teenage daughter with a hidden camera. Now what do we do?” Modern Love: If they were just “that fat couple,” she couldn’t bear it. Lives Lived: Shane MacGowan spent nine tumultuous years as frontman for the Pogues, a band that reinvigorated interest in Irish music by fusing it with punk rock. He died at 65. SPORTS N.F.L.: Dak Prescott made his case for M.V.P. with a stellar performance in a 41-35 win over the Seahawks. An accusation: Von Miller, the Buffalo Bills player, was arrested for allegedly assaulting a pregnant woman. A return: Bronny James, the U.S.C. freshman and son of LeBron James, will resume practicing soon, according to his family, four months after he suffered cardiac arrest in a practice session. Nothing but backboard: Some Korean basketball players love the bank shot. See why. Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT ARTS AND IDEAS SZA Nina Westervelt for The New York Times Best of 2023: The Times’s three pop music critics released their lists of the best albums of the year. Here is each critic’s top choice: SZA, “SOS.” Jon Pareles writes: “Her melodies blur any difference between rapping and singing, in casually acrobatic phrases full of jazzy syncopations and startling leaps.” Asake, “Work of Art.” Jon Caramanica writes: “Rooted in the South African dance style amapiano, and playing with a range of more traditional Nigerian styles, it is elegant, careful and precious.” 100 gecs, “10,000 gecs.” Lindsay Zoladz writes: “They wisely look back to a seemingly dead genre — rock music — and enliven it with genuinely appreciative, sonically studious tributes to pop-punk, metal, gonzo alt-rock and yes, even ska.” More on culture Climate protesters interrupted the Met’s revival of Wagner’s “Tannhäuser.” The show was delayed for more than 20 minutes. We asked dozens of creative people to forecast next year’s cultural trends. Get ready for “meatball brown.” THE MORNING RECOMMENDS … Andrew Sullivan for The New York Times Turn leftover bread into a delicious and simple bread pudding. See sea fireflies shine (and say that three times fast). Make clear ice. Bring these gifts to a party host. Take our news quiz. GAMES Here is today’s Spelling Bee. Yesterday’s pangram was aromatic. And here are today’s Mini Crossword, Wordle, Sudoku and Connections. Thanks for spending part of your morning with The Times. See you tomorrow. — David P.S. Steve Moore is retiring after four decades as a security officer at The Times, where he guarded the paper’s headquarters, faced down a gunman and even tangled with an actor. Sign up here to get this newsletter in your inbox. Reach our team at themorning@nytimes.com. Continue reading the main story Editor: David Leonhardt News Editor: Tom Wright-Piersanti News Staff: Desiree Ibekwe, Lauren Jackson, Sean Kawasaki-Culligan, Brent Lewis, German Lopez, Ian Prasad Philbrick, Ashley Wu News Assistant: Lyna Bentahar Saturday Writer: Melissa Kirsch Quote phkrause By the decree enforcing the institution of the papacy in violation of the law of God, our nation will disconnect herself fully from righteousness. When Protestantism shall stretch her hand across the gulf to grasp the hand of the Roman power, when she shall reach over the abyss to clasp hands with spiritualism, when, under the influence of this threefold union, our country shall repudiate every principle of its Constitution as a Protestant and republican government, and shall make provision for the propagation of papal falsehoods and delusions, then we may know that the time has come for the marvelous working of Satan and that the end is near. {5T 451.1} Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members phkrause Posted December 3, 2023 Author Members Share Posted December 3, 2023 December 2, 2023 By Melissa Kirsch Good morning. Dancing offers an opportunity to use our bodies for something beyond mere practicality. Why don’t we do it more? María Jesús Contreras Making moves Remember Snowball, the sulphur-crested cockatoo whose fancy footwork to the Backstreet Boys’ “Everybody (Backstreet’s Back)” brought him viral fame in 2007? I recently rewatched the video, and it holds up. Here is this bird, perched on the back of a chair. As the song opens, he appears to be sketching out his moves, getting a feel for the song. When the chorus arrives, he shrieks and grooves, he high-kicks and head-bangs, settling into his rhythm, possessed by the beat. The video of Snowball is astonishing because of how humanlike he is. Look, an animal moving spontaneously to the music, just like we do! Or, rather, just like we can. We can dance, but how often do we, really? Aside from weddings or other milestone occasions, when was the last time you really cut a rug? We don’t dance as much as we could, or as much as we want to, because we’re afraid to look foolish. That greeting card exhortation to “dance like no one’s watching” caught on for a reason. When I was in high school, a group of friends and I would regularly park a car in our town’s commuter train station parking lot, blast some music from the stereo and dance. There, in one of the weird open spaces suburban teenagers can own after dark, we’d move just to move, trying out our bodies in space, together, before hitting the local diner for grilled cheese. Those nights were exhilarating, opportunities to turn off our brains and let loose, to express ourselves physically, outside of the limited vernacular we normally afforded ourselves as self-conscious teenagers. When you ask people why they don’t dance more, they get pensive, maybe a little defensive. They don’t have time, they don’t have the opportunity, what are they going to do, go to a club? These are people with responsibilities, with jobs and children! Dancing, one person suggested to me sadly, is something you do when you’re young and then you stop. This perception of dancing as unserious, as something frivolous people do, like eating a bowl of whipped cream or sleeping until noon, seems inaccurate, especially once you start deliberately dancing more, as I’ve tried to lately. I’m not talking about complicated choreography that requires learning moves or executing steps; I mean simply moving spontaneously to music. If you start looking for opportunities to dance, you find them. While cooking dinner or cleaning the house. Instead of running in place at the crosswalk during a jog. Perhaps a spontaneous living-room disco with your kids. It’s sort of miraculous: Each little break offers a little dose of endorphins. A little moment of expression. Of returning to yourself in the midst of an otherwise chaotic life. We’re busy. We’re tired. Most of our movement in the course of a day ends up being about utility. We move to get from here to there, to accomplish tasks or as part of an exercise regimen. Dancing is a way of reclaiming movement, of deciding how you want to use your energy and your body rather than just getting things done. It’s holiday party season. There might be opportunities for dancing, should you wish to avail yourself of them. You could find a dance party, or occupy a parking lot, or a corner of the subway, or just the one square foot of space in front of the sink while you do the dishes. Or, if you need more persuasion before you bust a move, you could watch the CBC documentary “Why We Dance,” a lovely exploration of cultural and evolutionary rationales for dancing. But honestly, you don’t need an occasion or a good reason or any reason at all. Put on whatever music makes it impossible for you to sit still (I’m partial lately to “New York Groove” by Ace Frehley) and do your best Snowball (manic screeching optional). For more Need some inspiration? Try dancing with the stairs. Travel the world through these dance tutorials. “Shouldn’t we engage in celebratory movement at least some small part of the time?” From 2013, “Why Don’t We Dance Anymore?” The choreographer Pina Bausch famously said, “I’m not interested in how people move but what moves them.” Gia Kourlas says a new production of her work is “alive, with blistering clarity.” Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT THE WEEK IN CULTURE Christopher Guest as Nigel Tufnel in “This Is Spinal Tap.” Entertainment Pictures, via Alamy The director Rob Reiner said a sequel to the 1984 mockumentary “This Is Spinal Tap” would begin filming in February and would feature Paul McCartney and Elton John. The racketeering and gang conspiracy trial of the Atlanta rapper Young Thug began this week, and is expected to last almost a year. Here’s what to know. Pub-goers across Dublin raised a pint to Shane MacGowan, the lead singer of the Irish folk-punk band the Pogues, who died this week at 65. The Mellon Foundation has now pledged a total of $500 million to build new and reimagined monuments in U.S. public spaces over the next five years. A court in Illinois rejected an appeal by the actor Jussie Smollett, who was seeking to overturn his conviction for reporting a fake hate crime in 2019. Hundreds of ancient artifacts from Crimea, including ceramics and jewelry, were returned to Kyiv after a legal battle between Ukraine and Russia over their ownership. The New York City Ballet reached a deal for a new contract with the union representing its musicians, which includes a 22 percent increase in compensation over three years. Mark Cuban, in addition to selling his majority stake in the Dallas Mavericks, announced that he would leave ABC’s “Shark Tank” after 16 seasons. A piano with a curved keyboard, conceived by the architect Rafael Viñoly, made its debut at Carnegie Hall. Brenda Lee’s “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” has been a holiday staple for 65 years. Lee, who recorded it at 13, has never rested on her laurels. THE LATEST NEWS Sandra Day O'Connor Sandra Day O’Connor in 2005. Matt York/Associated Press Sandra Day O’Connor, the retired Supreme Court justice and the first woman to serve on the court, died at 93. O’Connor, whom Ronald Reagan appointed in 1981, was a decisive vote in cases on sex discrimination, voting rights and religion over her 24 years on the court. A moderate conservative and pragmatist who sometimes sided with the court’s liberals, O’Connor voted to uphold abortion rights and affirmative action. Her departure from the court, to care for her sick husband, accelerated its rightward shift. O’Connor was raised on an Arizona cattle ranch, entered Stanford at 16 and graduated near the top of her law class. She was the last Supreme Court justice to have held elected office, serving in the Arizona State Senate before becoming a judge. Congress The House of Representatives voted to expel George Santos, a New York Republican who lied about his background and faces federal fraud charges. “To hell with this place,” Santos said as he left the Capitol. Santos is the sixth lawmaker to be expelled from the House in U.S. history, and the first who was not either convicted of a crime or a Confederacy supporter. More than 100 Republicans voted to expel Santos. One, Max Miller of Ohio, said the Santos campaign had fraudulently charged his and his mother’s credit cards. Israel-Hamas War Israel said it had launched 200 strikes into Gaza since fighting resumed yesterday. Air-raid sirens in Israel warned of possible incoming rockets. Gazan officials accused Israel of striking southern Gaza, where many displaced Palestinians are sheltering. Antony Blinken, the U.S. secretary of state, blamed Hamas for the cease-fire’s end and said he had seen signs that Israel had begun to take new steps to protect Palestinian civilians. The resumption of fighting left dozens of hostages still in Gaza and reduced the amount of aid entering the enclave, which had increased during the truce. Other Big Stories Federal judges rejected Donald Trump’s claims that presidential immunity protects him from criminal charges and civil lawsuits related to his efforts to overturn the 2020 election. An inmate accused of stabbing Derek Chauvin at a federal prison last week was charged with attempted murder and other crimes. The S&P 500 set a high for the year, erasing its previous decline as investors cheer signs that the Federal Reserve is done raising interest rates. A nationwide shortage of air traffic controllers has resulted in a tired, distracted and demoralized work force prone to making dangerous mistakes. CULTURE CALENDAR By Desiree Ibekwe 🎬 “Poor Things” (Friday): This movie, directed by Yorgos Lanthimos (“The Favourite”) and adapted from a 1992 novel of the same name, has an odd premise. Here goes: Bella (Emma Stone), an unhappily married woman, kills herself and is brought back to life by a scientist (Willem Dafoe) who gives her the brain of her unborn baby. The film won the Golden Lion at this year’s Venice Film Festival, where it roused Oscar buzz for Stone’s performance. 🎧 “Pink Friday 2,” Nicki Minaj (Friday): After delays, Minaj is poised to release her first album in five years. The release comes during a year in which she made Billboard and Vibe’s “Greatest Rappers of All Time” list, created in honor of hip-hop’s 50th anniversary. It’s an album Minaj has spoken about with pride: “It just dawned on me,” she wrote this week, “I am about to release one of the greatest albums of ALL TIME.” The Holiday Sale. This Cooking offer won’t last. Less mess, less stress. A Cooking subscription brings you easy recipes plus step-by-step guides, videos, photos and more. Subscribe and save 50% on your first year of Cooking. Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT RECIPE OF THE WEEK Julia Gartland for The New York Times By Melissa Clark Classic Hot Chocolate Doesn’t the first weekend of December officially kick off hot chocolate season? Try this recipe, which calls for a combination of unsweetened cocoa powder and chopped bittersweet chocolate (or chocolate chips), making it extra rich and deeply flavored. Sweeten it to taste, and float marshmallows or whipped cream on top for a snowy white cap. Dutch-processed cocoa will give you the darkest color and most complex flavor, but natural cocoa powder will also be delightful, lending fruitier, brighter notes. And if you happen to have some early holiday cookies already at hand, dunking is highly encouraged. REAL ESTATE Bryan Anselm for The New York Times Instagrammable desks: Can bright colors and modern design lure workers back to the office? Convertible apartment: This home in Geneva has only one door. Offering support: How responsible are you for helping your elderly neighbors? What you get for $5 million in California: A 2023 house in Palm Springs, a hillside home in Malibu or a hacienda-style retreat in Sonoma. The hunt: These are our editors’ favorite home-buying stories this year, from New York to California to Greece. LIVING Steven Puetzer/Getty Images “Delulu”: Here’s how a shorthand term for delusion became popular among Gen Z. Walking: Go for a stroll outside London. Forgetfulness: Improve your short-term memory. Cold cuts: As charcuterie boards have become more popular, mortadella is now a hot item. ADVICE FROM WIRECUTTER Decorate your Christmas tree like a pro You need more lights than you’d think to make your Christmas tree a top-tier twinkler — about 100 lights per foot of tree. We know it sounds excessive. But after test-trimming trees using varying amounts of lighting, Wirecutter experts found that fewer lights seemed more Scrooge-y than sparkly. A pro tip to get your tree even more dazzling? Instead of winding your lights around the tree, try stringing them vertically in a zigzagging pattern to give the tree more twinkly depth. — Elissa Sanci GAME OF THE WEEKEND Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe. John David Mercer/USA Today Sports, via Reuters No. 1 Georgia vs. No. 8 Alabama, SEC championship: Fans of college football were given a respite this year from Alabama, which has dominated the sport for much of the past decade. Not that Alabama wasn’t good — it’s in the conference title game, after all — but an early-season loss seemed to dash any national championship hopes. Since then, though, the Crimson Tide have been on a tear. They have won 10 in a row, most recently a thrilling, last-minute victory over rival Auburn. If they beat Georgia today, they have a shot at making the College Football Playoff. But that’s a big if: The Bulldogs haven’t lost a game in two years. 4 p.m. Eastern on CBS For more The rest of today’s college football slate is also good, with undefeated Michigan and Florida State both playing in their own conference title games. The Athletic broke down the weekend’s best matchups. NOW TIME TO PLAY Here is today’s Spelling Bee. Yesterday’s pangram was bottleful. Take the news quiz to see how well you followed this week’s headlines. And here are today’s Mini Crossword, Wordle, Sudoku and Connections. Thanks for spending part of your weekend with The Times. — Melissa P.S. David Sanger tells the back story of writing Henry Kissinger’s Times obituary. Sign up here to get this newsletter in your inbox. Reach our team at themorning@nytimes.com. Continue reading the main story Editor: David Leonhardt News Editor: Tom Wright-Piersanti News Staff: Desiree Ibekwe, Lauren Jackson, Sean Kawasaki-Culligan, Brent Lewis, German Lopez, Ian Prasad Philbrick, Ashley Wu News Assistant: Lyna Bentahar Saturday Writer: Melissa Kirsch Quote phkrause By the decree enforcing the institution of the papacy in violation of the law of God, our nation will disconnect herself fully from righteousness. When Protestantism shall stretch her hand across the gulf to grasp the hand of the Roman power, when she shall reach over the abyss to clasp hands with spiritualism, when, under the influence of this threefold union, our country shall repudiate every principle of its Constitution as a Protestant and republican government, and shall make provision for the propagation of papal falsehoods and delusions, then we may know that the time has come for the marvelous working of Satan and that the end is near. {5T 451.1} Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members phkrause Posted December 3, 2023 Author Members Share Posted December 3, 2023 December 3, 2023 By Ian Prasad Philbrick Good morning. We’re covering Times critics’ favorite films of 2023 — as well as Gaza, George Santos and female magicians. Teyana Taylor in “A Thousand and One.” Aaron Ricketts/Focus Features A good year for movies I found myself at the movies this year more often than last. The data suggests that I’m not alone. The number of tickets that U.S. movie theaters sold this year is up 23 percent compared to 2022, according to The Numbers, which tracks film industry statistics. With a month left to go, the domestic box office has already grossed $800 million more than it did last year, according to Box Office Mojo. And though neither metric has yet rebounded to prepandemic levels, it finally feels like the movies are, in some sense, back. Maybe it was the last gasp of widespread Covid precautions. Maybe it was the monotony of at-home streaming or just the desire to finally get off the couch. Maybe it was the popcorn. But I suspect that much of the reason Americans flocked to theaters this year had to do with the quality and variety of what was on offer there. A quick scan of The New York Times’s list of the year’s best movies makes the point. The films, picked by the critics Manohla Dargis and Alissa Wilkinson, span a number of genres, including dramas and biopics. They came from legacy studios, tech companies and independent studios alike. They’re the work of veteran directors like Wes Anderson and Steve McQueen, as well as new ones like A.V. Rockwell and Celine Song. What electrified our critics this year? For one thing, they recoiled at the “ordinary evil” — as Alissa terms it — at the center of the Martin Scorsese film “Killers of the Flower Moon,” which chronicles a spate of greed-based murders against members of the Osage Nation in the 1920s. Our critics also lauded several visually striking, sharply observed documentaries, including one that follows a Chilean journalist’s descent into Alzheimer’s, and another that explores trans and nonbinary identity. Both Manohla and Alissa make the point that originality, freshness and subverted expectations seem to have won Americans’ wallets this year, not just the critics’ praise. Instead of an action-adventure blockbuster or franchise sequel, the year’s top-grossing movie was Greta Gerwig’s technicolor-pink “Barbie.” The “Barbenheimer” phenomenon — a pop-cultural fusion of Gerwig’s movie and the Christopher Nolan film “Oppenheimer,” which also made our critics’ lists — became a meme-able magnet for theatergoers, myself included. The movies rebounded this year despite the labor strikes that paralyzed Hollywood for months. Still, the resurgence doesn’t settle all questions about the future of the industry, like whether theaters can fully recover their pre-Covid luster or audiences have lastingly turned the corner on big-budget superhero C.G.I.-fests. But for now, as Manohla concludes, 2023 was “a terrific movie year.” I can’t wait for the sequel. For more Read Manohla and Alissa’s full lists, which also tell you where to watch their top picks and name a few runners-up. Several of this year’s best movies were based on books. Check out The Times’s list of the year’s 10 best. If you prefer your screen time episodic, here’s The Times’s list of the year’s best TV shows. Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT NEWS Israel-Hamas War The U.S. urged Israel to do more to protect civilians in Gaza. Its military appears to be preparing for a ground invasion in the south, to where many civilians have fled. These maps show the scale of displacement. Kamala Harris said that the U.S. fiercely opposes the forced relocation of Gazans to camps outside the enclave. Released hostages have given Israelis hope that more will return. Three-quarters of the 240 prisoners and detainees released by Israel during the weeklong truce had not been convicted of a crime, data shows. Many Israeli mothers are grappling with anxiety as their sons go to fight in Gaza. George Santos George Santos after being expelled from Congress. Kenny Holston/The New York Times The ousting of George Santos revealed how easy it is to abuse campaign finance laws, Rebecca Davis O’Brien writes. “Saturday Night Live” said goodbye to Santos. Emma Stone hosted. International Moustapha Diouf, who survived a disastrous voyage. Carmen Abd Ali for The New York Times After watching 10 migrants die at sea, one man is trying to convince young people in Senegal not to emigrate. An explosion at a Catholic mass in the Philippines killed at least four people. Officials suspect the involvement of the local Islamic State group. A man in Paris with a knife and a hammer killed a tourist and injured several other people, French officials said. At the U.N. climate summit, the U.S. announced a new requirement for oil and gas producers to detect and fix leaks of methane, a potent greenhouse gas. California On Catalina. Sinna Nasseri for The New York Times To protect the island of Catalina, a conservancy proposed a plan that has angered many residents: Kill all the deer. The authorities arrested a suspect in the killing of three homeless men in L.A. They also connected him to a fourth homicide. Research has identified Loma Linda as a Blue Zone, where people exceed life expectancy. Pickleball and religion may explain why, The Los Angeles Times reports. Other Big Stories After the killing of a Sikh activist in Canada, U.S. federal agents received a tip that helped prevent another death. Getting a button-down washed in New York can set you back $6. Still, one cleaner makes only 13 cents on each. FROM OPINION “A great step toward our survival”: Atef Abu Saif, of the Palestinian Authority, records his escape from northern to southern Gaza. As funding is cut, scholars want to show society that there is value in the humanities. But trying to justify the discipline’s existence has only politicized it, Agnes Callard writes. Here are columns by Thomas Friedman on a permanent cease-fire in Gaza, Maureen Dowd on OpenAI and Ross Douthat on fertility in South Korea. The Sunday question: Was Henry Kissinger a war criminal? After Kissinger fostered the 1973 coup in Chile and supported the dictatorship that followed, Ariel Dorfman imagined that the former secretary of state “would stand in a court of law and answer for his crimes,” he writes in The Los Angeles Times, adding that it was “a dream that vanished with his death.” But the key to understanding Kissinger is his insistence “that foreign policy was nearly always about making choices between evils,” Niall Ferguson writes in Bloomberg. MORNING READS Anna DeGuzman Philip Cheung for The New York Times A lonely pursuit: Few stage magicians are women. A new generation of performers wants to change that. Faux fir: Are fake Christmas trees normal now? “You’re overreacting”: See the eight things you should never say to your partner, according to therapists. Glazed heist: A woman thought she was stealing a van. She got thousands of doughnuts as well. Vows: They looked like twins. Lives Lived: Larry Fink’s intimate black-and-white photographs were both social commentary on class and an exuberant document of the human condition. He died at 82. Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT TALK | FROM THE TIMES MAGAZINE Photo illustration by Bráulio Amado By David Marchese Earlier this year, I spoke with Colin Koopman, the author of the influential book “How We Became Our Data,” about how our personal data can dictate our lives. Can you explain more what it means to say that we have become our data? Because a natural reaction to that might be, well, no, I’m my mind, I’m my body, I’m not numbers in a database. My claim is that your data has become something that is increasingly inescapable in the sense of being obligatory for your average person living out their life. It now becomes possible to say, “These data points are essential to who I am.” A lot of people have that relationship to their credit score, for example. It’s both very important to them and very mysterious. But what does the use of our data in that way in the first place suggest, in the biggest possible sense, about our place in society? We’re in this position of, I’m taking my best guess how to optimize my credit score or, if I own a small business, how to optimize my search-engine ranking. We’re simultaneously loading more and more of our lives into these systems and feeling that we have little control or understanding of how these systems work. Isn’t it necessarily the case that there have to be collection and flows and formatting of personal information that we’re not going to be fully aware of or understand? How would the world operate otherwise? Industrialized liberal democracies have a decent track record at putting in place policies, regulations and laws that guide the development and use of highly specialized technologies. That basic regulatory approach is a valuable one, but we’ve run up against the wall of unbridled data acquisition by these huge corporations. They’ve set up this model of, You don’t understand what we do, but trust us that you need us, and we’re going to vacuum up all your data in the process. Read more of the interview here. More from the magazine A rare-books cataloger discovered that Langston Hughes had scrawled a poem in the pages of an anthology. Give kids books that reveal the darker side of life. BOOKS The royal family in 2018. Matt Dunham/Associated Press Endgame: Harry and Meghan’s sympathetic biographer, Omid Scobie, writes a critical view of palace machinations and calls the royals “tone-deaf, racist and financially reckless.” Puzzle: Can you find the hidden titles? Take our quiz. Our editors’ picks: “Skeletons in the Closet,” a novel about corruption, and eight other books. Times best sellers: Britney Spears’s memoir “The Woman in Me” reclaims the top spot on the latest hardcover nonfiction list. THE MORNING RECOMMENDS … Use these flannel sheets and blankets for winter. Watch the 50 best shows on Netflix right now. Infuse this cake with Thai tea. THE WEEK AHEAD What to Watch For This year’s winner of the Turner Prize, for British artists, will be announced on Tuesday. Fox News will host a town hall in Iowa on Tuesday with Donald Trump. The fourth Republican presidential primary debate is Wednesday. Ron DeSantis, Nikki Haley and Vivek Ramaswamy are expected to participate. Hanukkah begins on Thursday. Leaders of the E.U. and China will meet on Thursday for a two-day summit in Beijing. What to Cook This Week Christopher Simpson for The New York Times If your Thanksgiving leftovers are depleted, it’s time to get cooking again. Genevieve Ko has picks for dinner in this week’s Five Weeknight Dishes newsletter, including jerk chicken meatballs, soba noodles in ginger broth and warm roasted carrot and barley salad. NOW TIME TO PLAY Here is today’s Spelling Bee. Yesterday’s pangrams were chimichanga and machining. Can you put eight historical events — including the first hot air balloon, the creation of the N.F.L. and the reign of Queen Nefertiti — in chronological order? Take this week’s Flashback quiz. And here are today’s Mini Crossword, Wordle, Sudoku and Connections. Thanks for spending part of your weekend with The Times. Sign up here to get this newsletter in your inbox. Reach our team at themorning@nytimes.com. Continue reading the main story Editor: David Leonhardt News Editor: Tom Wright-Piersanti News Staff: Desiree Ibekwe, Lauren Jackson, Sean Kawasaki-Culligan, Brent Lewis, German Lopez, Ian Prasad Philbrick, Ashley Wu News Assistant: Lyna Bentahar Saturday Writer: Melissa Kirsch Quote phkrause By the decree enforcing the institution of the papacy in violation of the law of God, our nation will disconnect herself fully from righteousness. When Protestantism shall stretch her hand across the gulf to grasp the hand of the Roman power, when she shall reach over the abyss to clasp hands with spiritualism, when, under the influence of this threefold union, our country shall repudiate every principle of its Constitution as a Protestant and republican government, and shall make provision for the propagation of papal falsehoods and delusions, then we may know that the time has come for the marvelous working of Satan and that the end is near. {5T 451.1} Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members phkrause Posted December 4, 2023 Author Members Share Posted December 4, 2023 December 4, 2023 By David Leonhardt Good morning. We’re covering high profits in the long-term care industry — as well as Gaza, A.I. and Broadway. An assisted-living facility near Minneapolis. Jenn Ackerman and Tim Gruber for The New York Times Profits over incomes The United States spends an average of about $13,000 per person every year on health care. No other country comes close to spending so much: Source: KFF Health News | Data is from 2021 or nearest year. | By The New York Times What do Americans get for all this spending? Our health care system does tend to produce more innovation than many others. U.S. companies developed some of the first Covid vaccines, for example. But much of the spending does little to improve people’s lives. Despite all our spending, the U.S. has the lowest life expectancy of any high-income country: Source: World Bank | Data is from 2021. | By The New York Times Twenty years ago, a group of researchers — Gerard Anderson, Uwe Reinhardt, Peter Hussey and Varduhi Petrosyan — published an academic paper that tried to solve the mystery. The title told the story: “It’s the prices, stupid.” The main reason that U.S. health spending is so high is not that Americans are sicker than people elsewhere or are heavier users of medical care (although both those factors play a role). The main reason is that almost every form of care in the U.S. costs more: doctor’s visits, hospital stays, drug prescriptions, surgeries and more. The American health care system maximizes the profits of health care companies at the expense of families’ budgets. Dying broke You can find a poignant example in a series that The Times and KFF Health News (a nonprofit) have been publishing in recent weeks. It’s called Dying Broke, and it examines the long-term care industry. One major part of the industry is known as assisted living, a name for facilities that are home to about 850,000 older Americans who need help with daily activities — like getting dressed or taking medications — but who don’t need constant nursing care. These facilities can be highly profitable. “Half of operators in the business of assisted living earn returns of 20 percent or more than it costs to run the sites, an industry survey shows,” Jordan Rau, a reporter for KFF, writes. “That is far higher than the money made in most other health sectors.” Many facilities, Jordan explains, “charge $5,000 a month or more and then layer on extra fees at every step. Residents’ bills and price lists from a dozen facilities offer a glimpse of the charges: $12 for a blood pressure check; $50 per injection (more for insulin); $93 a month to order medications from a pharmacy not used by the facility; $315 a month for daily help with an inhaler.” Other countries tend to hold down health care costs through regulation. Their government officials set prices that are high enough for health care providers to operate yet significantly lower than in the U.S. Policymakers here, by contrast, allow the market to operate more freely. But competition often fails to bring down prices because the health care sector is so complex, with opaque pricing and bureaucratic insurance plans. It’s worth pointing out that the U.S. didn’t always have such high health care prices relative to other countries. The gap began to widen in the 1980s, as Austin Frakt, a health economist at Boston University, has pointed out. That decade also happens to be when the U.S. began moving more toward a laissez-faire economy. (Related: A 2018 investigation in The Washington Post found that care deteriorated at a chain of nursing homes after the Carlyle Group, a private equity firm, took it over.) Cheaper at home The problems with long-term care in the U.S. involve much more than high prices, as Jordan and The Times’s Reed Abelson explain in the Dying Broke series. They also stem from our country’s aging population; slow income growth in recent decades that has left families without much savings; a broken long-term insurance market; a lack of subsidies to help Americans care for aging relatives at home (which is much cheaper than institutional care); and a patchwork, inefficient health sector. Many other countries are also aging and struggling with long-term care. But the problems are worse in the U.S. For more: At an online event tomorrow at noon Eastern, Reed and Jordan will talk with people who are caring for their parents. Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT THE LATEST NEWS Israel-Hamas War Israel ordered more evacuations before an expected ground invasion of southern Gaza. The evacuation orders have confused Palestinians. Many who already fled northern Gaza are now being asked to move again. These maps show where Israel has attacked. The U.S. said that it was pushing Israel and Hamas to restart cease-fire talks. Many people in Ireland, which has its own history of conflict, are sympathetic to Palestinian civilians. They also condemn the Hamas attacks on Oct. 7. Politics A second Donald Trump presidency might be more radical than his first because the buffers to check him are weaker. Nikki Haley has gained support among educated and relatively moderate Republicans and independents. But that may also be a liability, Nate Cohn writes. Artificial Intelligence Tech moguls, including Elon Musk and Larry Page, disagree on whether A.I. will help humanity or destroy it. Read more about their debate. See who is who in the A.I. field. At the U.N. climate summit, researchers predicted that the technology could accelerate efforts to combat climate change. International Inmates who left a high-security Russian prison for the war. Convicts are sustaining Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine. Read more about Russia’s secretive effort to recruit in prisons. A volcanic eruption killed at least 11 hikers in Indonesia. More Chinese people are trying to cross the Darién Gap and find asylum in the U.S., Li Yuan reports. The suspect in an attack that left one tourist dead in Paris had pledged allegiance to ISIS, the authorities said. New York City El Budare Cafe. Todd Heisler/The New York Times Venezuelan migrants could soon create a “Little Caracas” in Queens. A man killed four family members and set their house on fire, the police said. Then he stabbed an officer and was shot to death. Other Big Stories Spotify said it would cut 1,500 jobs, its third round of layoffs this year. Alaska Airlines said it planned to buy Hawaiian Airlines for $1.9 billion. The Oxford English Dictionary’s word of the year is “rizz” — a Gen Z slang term derived from “charisma.” Opinions On Achill Island, Ireland. Matthias Joulaud and Lucien Roux “We don’t want to let it go”: Watch an Opinion documentary about the fight for a family farm — and a way of life — in Ireland. President Biden should support an African initiative to stop a Sudanese paramilitary’s ethnic cleansing in Darfur, or risk making the U.S. an accomplice, Alex de Waal and Abdul Mohammed write. Here are columns by Nicholas Kristof on Henry Kissinger and David French on the Insurrection Act. MORNING READS A Bon Jovi concert in Hershey, Pa. Richard Perry/The New York Times Throwback: Live music is a time machine. At Phish concerts and Alanis Morissette shows, fans are reliving their teenage years. Plaids and corduroy: Our style photographer spent almost two weeks documenting fall fashion on the streets of Tokyo. Hark: Like the holiday season itself, Christmas music can be emotionally charged. Insomniac: The writer of the Best of Late Night column for The Times reflects on years of watching and covering talk shows that air after dark. On the mend: Divided by politics, a Colorado town has recently found a semblance of peace. Metropolitan Diary: “He must look just like his father.” Lives Lived: Myles Goodwyn was a singer, songwriter and guitarist for the Canadian classic rock group April Wine. He died at 75. SPORTS Sunday Night Football: The Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love threw three touchdowns in a 27-19 win over the Kansas City Chiefs. Taylor Swift was in the house, too. Around the N.F.L.: The San Francisco 49ers trounced the Philadelphia Eagles in a matchup of Super Bowl contenders, and the Houston Texans intercepted a potential game-winning pass by the Denver Broncos’ Russell Wilson. Here are takeaways from Sunday. M.L.B.: The Seattle Mariners traded the former top prospect Jarred Kelenic to the Atlanta Braves in a five-player swap. Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT ARTS AND IDEAS The Lyceum Theater on Broadway. Jason Schmidt New York theater: By the 1940s, Jews had become an integral part of mainstream theater — creating, presenting, teaching and consuming it. But rarely was their product noticeably Jewish. That changed, in part, with the Broadway opening of Arthur Miller’s “All My Sons,” a morality play about an airplane parts manufacturer whose corner cutting leads to the death of 21 airmen. “It is virtually Talmudic in its exquisite weighing of individual and communal responsibility,” Jesse Green writes. “Everything about it is Jewish except the characters.” What followed is a long tradition of Jewish influence on American theater. Read more here. More on culture Long wait times frustrated Fortnite fans as they tried to watch a digital live event with a performance by Eminem. The Philadelphia Eagles released a Christmas album. The American Museum of Natural History hosted a gala. See some of the outfits. THE MORNING RECOMMENDS … Julia Gartland for The New York Times Make this vegetarian skillet chili. Use one of these bathroom scales. Run with this gear. Take our news quiz. GAMES Here is today’s Spelling Bee. Yesterday’s pangrams were inaptly and pliantly. And here are today’s Mini Crossword, Wordle, Sudoku and Connections. Thanks for spending part of your morning with The Times. See you tomorrow. — David Sign up here to get this newsletter in your inbox. Reach our team at themorning@nytimes.com. Continue reading the main story Editor: David Leonhardt News Editor: Tom Wright-Piersanti News Staff: Desiree Ibekwe, Lauren Jackson, Sean Kawasaki-Culligan, Brent Lewis, German Lopez, Ian Prasad Philbrick, Ashley Wu News Assistant: Lyna Bentahar Saturday Writer: Melissa Kirsch Quote phkrause By the decree enforcing the institution of the papacy in violation of the law of God, our nation will disconnect herself fully from righteousness. When Protestantism shall stretch her hand across the gulf to grasp the hand of the Roman power, when she shall reach over the abyss to clasp hands with spiritualism, when, under the influence of this threefold union, our country shall repudiate every principle of its Constitution as a Protestant and republican government, and shall make provision for the propagation of papal falsehoods and delusions, then we may know that the time has come for the marvelous working of Satan and that the end is near. {5T 451.1} Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members phkrause Posted December 5, 2023 Author Members Share Posted December 5, 2023 December 5, 2023 SUPPORTED BY UPWAY By David Leonhardt Good morning. We’re covering Trump’s descriptions of how he would govern — as well as Gaza, China and podcasts. Donald Trump Sophie Park for The New York Times In his own words “2024 is the final battle,” Donald Trump has said. “Either they win or we win. And if they win, we no longer have a country,” he has argued. “Our country,” he has said, “is going to hell.” As he campaigns to reclaim the presidency, Trump has intensified his rhetoric of cataclysm and apocalypse, beyond even the tenor of his previous two campaigns. He has claimed that “the blood-soaked streets of our once great cities are cesspools of violent crimes” and that Americans are living in “the most dangerous time in the history of our country.” More specifically, he has promised to use the powers of the federal government to punish people he perceives to be his critics and opponents, including the Biden family, district attorneys, journalists and “the deep state.” He has suggested that Mark Milley, a retired top general, deserves the death penalty. Trump has called President Biden “an enemy of the state” and Nancy Pelosi “the Wicked Witch.” He has accused former President Barack Obama — “Barack Hussein Obama,” in Trump’s telling — of directing Biden to admit “terrorists and terrorist sympathizers” into the U.S. Trump’s threats, often justified with lies, are deeply alarming, historians and legal experts say. He has repeatedly promised to undermine core parts of American democracy. He has also signaled that, unlike in his first term in the White House, he will avoid appointing aides and cabinet officials who would restrain him. Many Americans have heard only snippets of Trump’s promises. He tends to make them on Truth Social, his niche social media platform, or at campaign events, which have received less media coverage than they did when he first ran for president eight years ago. Yet there is reason to believe that Trump means what he says. “He’s told us what he will do,” Liz Cheney, a member of Congress until her criticism of Trump led to her defeat in a Republican primary, told John Dickerson of CBS News this past weekend. “People who say, ‘Well, if he’s elected, it’s not that dangerous because we have all of these checks and balances’ don’t fully understand the extent to which the Republicans in Congress today have been co-opted.” Not simply policy I understand why many Americans would like to tune out — or deny — the risks facing our democracy. I also understand why many voters are frustrated with the status quo and find Trump’s anti-establishment campaign appealing. Incomes, wealth and life expectancy have been stagnant for decades for millions of people. The Covid pandemic and its aftermath contributed to a rise in both inflation and societal disorder. School absenteeism has risen sharply. The murder rate and homelessness have both increased. Undocumented immigration has soared during Biden’s presidency. But it’s worth being clear about what Trump is promising to do. He isn’t merely calling for policy solutions that some Americans support and others oppose. He is promising to undo foundations of American democracy and to rule as authoritarians in other countries have. He is also leading the race for the Republican nomination by a wide margin, and running even with, or slightly ahead of, Biden in general election polls. Today’s newsletter is the first of several in coming months meant to help you understand what a second Trump presidency would look like. For starters, I recommend that you read what Trump is saying in his own words. My colleagues Ian Prasad Philbrick and Lyna Bentahar have been tracking his campaign appearances and social media posts, and have compiled a list of his most extreme statements. I also recommend an ongoing series of Times stories by Jonathan Swan, Charlie Savage and Maggie Haberman, which previews a potential second Trump presidency. Among the subjects: legal policy, immigration and the firing of career government employees. The most recent story looks at why he is more likely to achieve his aims in a second term than he was in his first. “So many of the guardrails that existed to stop him are gone or severely weakened,” Maggie told me. “That includes everything from internal appointees to a changed Congress, where he has outlasted his few Republican critics there.” What democracy needs The new issue of The Atlantic magazine is devoted to this subject as well, with 24 writers imagining a second Trump term. “Our concern with Trump is not that he is a Republican, or that he embraces — when convenient — certain conservative ideas,” Jeffrey Goldberg, The Atlantic’s editor in chief, writes. “We believe that a democracy needs, among other things, a strong liberal party and a strong conservative party in order to flourish.” The problem, Goldberg explains, is that Trump is “an antidemocratic demagogue.” Regular readers of this newsletter know that I agree with Goldberg about the value of both conservative and liberal ideas, and that I find it uncomfortable to write about the likely nominee of a major party in such harsh terms. In 2024, we will also cover Biden’s record and campaign with appropriate skepticism. But it would be wishful thinking to portray Trump as anything other than antidemocratic. He keeps telling the country what he intends to do if he returns to the White House in 2025. It’s worth listening. Related: “The United States is heading into its greatest political and constitutional crisis since the Civil War,” Robert Kagan, a conservative who has advised both Republicans and Democrats, warns in The Washington Post. Continue reading the main story A MESSAGE FROM UPWAY Upway’s e-Bikes: The Best Gift, The Best Way. Upway sells e-Bikes from top brands (think: Specialized, Giant, and Aventon), all priced up to 60 percent off retail. Their master mechanics rigorously inspect and certify every Upway e-Bike, backed by a 1-year warranty and 14-day returns. Your Upway e-Bike arrives 99 percent assembled. Upway's mission is to make electric mobility accessible to everyone. Gift an eBike to put it under! Free Express Shipping with the code UPWAYTREE. Shop now THE LATEST NEWS Israel-Hamas War Israel has started an invasion of southern Gaza, satellite images show. Troops appear to be closing in on its main city, Khan Younis. The Israeli military has bombarded Gaza with airstrikes since the cease-fire ended. The U.N. said civilians had few safe places left to go. Extensive evidence, including videos, indicates that Hamas used sexual violence during its Oct. 7 attacks. Jewish women’s groups say the world has not paid sufficient attention. A rocket launched from Gaza on Oct. 7 hit an Israeli military base believed to house nuclear-capable missiles, a Times investigation found. After Iranian-backed proxy forces appear to have launched attacks in the Red Sea, the U.S. and its allies are discussing how to guard ships traveling there. A White House spokesman said a protest outside an Israeli restaurant in Philadelphia was antisemitic. Chinese Economy Unfinished construction by China Evergrande. Gilles Sabrié for The New York Times When China’s housing bubble burst, the property giant Evergrande defaulted on its debt. Its collapse was accelerated by questionable accounting. China’s credit outlook was dropped to negative by Moody’s, the ratings agency, which cited concern over rising debt and the cost of possible bailouts. War in Ukraine Ukrainian soldiers. Tyler Hicks/The New York Times The U.S. will run out of money for Ukraine by the end of the year if Congress does not approve more aid, the White House said. Evan Gershkovich, a journalist for The Wall Street Journal, has been in Russian jail for more than 250 days and is still awaiting trial. 2024 Election Tomorrow’s Republican presidential primary debate will feature only four candidates: Nikki Haley, Ron DeSantis, Vivek Ramaswamy and Chris Christie. Some anti-Trump Republicans want Christie to drop out and back Haley as an alternative to Trump. Doug Burgum, the Republican governor of North Dakota, ended his presidential campaign. A super PAC backing Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s independent bid for president plans to spend millions to get him on the ballot in several battleground states. Talk more about abortion and less about Trump: Democratic governors — almost all of them more popular in their states than Biden — have advice for the president’s campaign. Business ChatGPT’s release in 2022 prompted a desperate scramble among tech firms, and alarm from some people who helped invent it. 23andMe, the genetic testing company, said hackers obtained the personal data of nearly seven million profiles. Other Big Stories The 2023 hurricane seasons in the Atlantic and Eastern Pacific ended. The season had an above average number of storms, fueled by extremely warm ocean temperatures. A former U.S. ambassador is accused of working for years as a secret agent for Cuba as he rose up the ranks at the State Department. The U.N. said that hundreds of people were believed to be stranded on boats in the Andaman Sea, and that most were believed to be Rohingya. Brain implants helped five people in their recovery after trauma. This may be the first effective therapy for chronic brain injuries. Opinions This conservative wonk is happy when J.D. Vance and Elizabeth Warren work together, Jane Coaston explains. Americans trust police officers who solve crime. To do that, departments need more investigators, Jeff Asher argues. The bigger airlines get, the worse they become, Tim Wu writes. Here is a column by Michelle Goldberg on antisemitism. MORNING READS The Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta. Andrew Jogi for The New York Times Taking flight: Behind the scenes at the world’s largest hot-air balloon festival. Food fraud: European officials seized nearly 70,000 gallons of “unfit” olive oil. That “meh” feeling: Persistent depressive disorder is underdiagnosed. Hormone difference: Women get more headaches than men. First cruise? Here’s how to prepare for smooth sailing. Lives Lived: For more than a decade, Robert H. Precht produced “The Ed Sullivan Show,” the Sunday night variety extravaganza that brought singers, comedians, bands, jugglers and more into millions of living rooms. He died at 93. SPORTS N.F.L.: Cincinnati backup quarterback Jake Browning led the 6-6 Bengals to an improbable overtime win against the 8-4 Jacksonville Jaguars. New York Jets: Zach Wilson is reluctant to return to a starting role as quarterback, and the Jets are considering a change. College football: This end of this four-team playoff can’t come soon enough, Stewart Mandel writes — not just because of snubs like Florida State, but because so many other great teams have nothing to play for. Transfer portal: More than 1,000 college football players entered the portal yesterday, the highest one-day total since its inception. Continue reading the main story A MESSAGE FROM UPWAY Upway’s e-Bikes: The Best Gift, The Best Way. Upway sells e-Bikes from top brands (think: Specialized, Giant, and Aventon), all priced up to 60 percent off retail. Their master mechanics rigorously inspect and certify every Upway e-Bike, backed by a 1-year warranty and 14-day returns. Your Upway e-Bike arrives 99 percent assembled. Upway's mission is to make electric mobility accessible to everyone. Gift an eBike to put it under! Free Express Shipping with the code UPWAYTREE. Shop now ARTS AND IDEAS Best of 2023: Reggie Ugwu advises that you read his list of the best podcasts of the year not as an objective ranking — tastes vary too much for that — but as a Michelin Guide to podcasts, leading you to some great new shows. Among of his favorites: Say More With Dr? Sheila, Amy Poehler’s hilarious, unscripted riff on couples therapy podcasts and the modern relationship guru. The Sound, a twisty investigation into the phenomenon known as Havana Syndrome, and the sound heard by diplomats who later reported cognitive injuries. The Turning: Room of Mirrors, a 10-part series on the elite, high-pressure world of the New York City Ballet. More on culture The assault case against Jonathan Majors, the actor, began with a debate: Was he an abuser or a victim? The Cut explains what you need to know about the trial. Tyler Goodson, a key figure in the popular “S-Town” podcast series, was shot and killed during a standoff with the police in Alabama, the authorities said. THE MORNING RECOMMENDS … Linda Xiao for The New York Times Simmer meatballs in a lemony, spinach-filled broth. Weatherize your home. Get a flu shot. (It’s not too late.) Start new holiday traditions. GAMES Here is today’s Spelling Bee. Yesterday’s pangrams were inaptly and pliantly. And here are today’s Mini Crossword, Wordle, Sudoku and Connections. Thanks for spending part of your morning with The Times. See you tomorrow. — David Sign up here to get this newsletter in your inbox. Reach our team at themorning@nytimes.com. Editor: David Leonhardt News Editor: Tom Wright-Piersanti News Staff: Desiree Ibekwe, Lauren Jackson, Sean Kawasaki-Culligan, Brent Lewis, German Lopez, Ian Prasad Philbrick, Ashley Wu News Assistant: Lyna Bentahar Saturday Writer: Melissa Kirsch Quote phkrause By the decree enforcing the institution of the papacy in violation of the law of God, our nation will disconnect herself fully from righteousness. When Protestantism shall stretch her hand across the gulf to grasp the hand of the Roman power, when she shall reach over the abyss to clasp hands with spiritualism, when, under the influence of this threefold union, our country shall repudiate every principle of its Constitution as a Protestant and republican government, and shall make provision for the propagation of papal falsehoods and delusions, then we may know that the time has come for the marvelous working of Satan and that the end is near. {5T 451.1} Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members phkrause Posted December 7, 2023 Author Members Share Posted December 7, 2023 December 6, 2023 SUPPORTED BY By David Leonhardt Good morning. We’re covering the potential comeback of labor unions — as well as a Trump town hall, southern Gaza and Off Broadway. U.A.W. in Chicago. Jamie Kelter Davis for The New York Times This year has been a good one for labor unions. They have won victories in Hollywood and the auto industry, and 67 percent of Americans approve of unions, according to Gallup. Still, I remain skeptical that union organizing is on the cusp of a major turnaround, unless federal law changes. For now, companies that aren’t unionized have many ways to prevent a union from forming even when most workers want to join one. But my colleague Noam Scheiber, who covers the workplace and labor, thinks I may be underestimating the chances of big change in the next few years. I asked Noam to use today’s newsletter to explain why he thinks 2023 was such an important year for organized labor. Momentum matters By Noam Scheiber Employers do have real advantages when seeking to suppress unions. If an employer fires a worker for trying to organize a union — which is illegal — it typically takes years to litigate the case. Even if the employer is found guilty, it will at most have to pay back wages and some other “make whole” compensation, not a financial penalty for the wrongdoing. So there’s little disincentive to violating the law. In 2021, the National Labor Relations Board found that Tesla had illegally fired a worker four years earlier for engaging in union activity, and the board ordered the company to reinstate him with back pay. Tesla appealed the decision in federal court and lost but is continuing to appeal. The worker has yet to be reinstated. Starbucks and Amazon have taken similar approaches. Even if workers succeed at unionizing, the law offers few tools for forcing employers to negotiate a contract. Employers can wait out newly unionized workers in the hopes that they’ll become demoralized and quit, allowing the company to hire new workers who will vote the union out. In 2021, House Democrats passed a bill, the PRO Act, to address these issues. The bill died in the Senate. That said, I’m not convinced that the organizing activity over the past few years is leading nowhere. Even as the rate of unionization fell to its lowest level on record in 2022, with only 10.1 percent of workers belonging to a union, there was still an absolute increase of nearly 300,000 unionized workers. (That is, the numerator rose substantially; it’s just that the denominator rose even more as workers re-entered the work force once the pandemic subsided.) I think we’ve passed some key milestones. For example, last year Microsoft hammered out an agreement with a major union, the Communications Workers of America, that allowed employees to unionize without pushback from management and without a contentious election. Microsoft appeared to do so, at least in part, so that the union would not oppose its purchase of the video game maker Activision Blizzard. A few hundred video game workers at Microsoft have already unionized under the agreement — a first at a major tech company — and they will likely finalize a labor contract next year. If more Microsoft workers follow suit, the attention could put pressure on other companies where workers have unionized but are struggling to negotiate a contract, like Starbucks, Microsoft’s Seattle-area neighbor. In the auto sector, the United Automobile Workers is making a considerable investment in organizing workers at nonunion manufacturers like Tesla and Toyota. While the odds may be long at any single plant, a breakthrough at one of them could create momentum elsewhere. And the union has a more compelling case to make after negotiating large wage increases and other gains during its recent strikes at the Big Three. More doctors and other health care workers are also beginning to unionize amid frustrations with understaffing and overwork. Consolidation in the U.S. health care system has left many feeling like cogs within large corporations. At Walgreens and CVS, union organizers are reaching out to restive pharmacists. Zero to 250 We learned from earlier periods — most notably the late 1930s, when the rate of union membership rose to nearly 27 percent from about 13 percent in just two years — that unionization is very much a social phenomenon: Workers see it succeed in one workplace, and then emulate it in their own, even if the law or employers aren’t accommodating. That tends to make it nonlinear. It can be puttering along and then suddenly accelerate. At Starbucks, the number of unionized corporate-owned stores went from zero in November of 2021 to two in December 2021 to more than 250 by the end of 2022. One key factor in all of this will be the winner of the 2024 presidential election. On balance, Donald Trump’s appointees to the National Labor Relations Board were relatively unsympathetic to unions, while President Biden’s have been pretty helpful to them. Biden has also used his bully pulpit to back workers who are striking and seeking to unionize. There’s reason to believe that Trump would slow down the recent organizing trend while Biden would continue to enable it. More on labor Unions have their flaws. They also have an unmatched record of lifting workers’ wages and reducing income inequality. Members of the actors’ union voted to approve a three-year contract with studios. Continue reading the main story A MESSAGE FROM AMAZON 14,400+ affordable homes Amazon Housing Equity Fund supports affordable housing developers around Seattle, Washington D.C., and Nashville. 2023 Impact Report THE LATEST NEWS 2024 Election During a Fox News town hall, Donald Trump twice deflected when asked if he would retaliate against his political opponents as president. He then said he wouldn’t be a dictator “except for Day 1.” “If Trump wasn’t running, I’m not sure I’d be running,” Biden told Democratic donors. “But we cannot let him win.” A Trump confidant likely to serve in a senior national security role in a second term threatened to target journalists for prosecution. Nikki Haley, who criticized Trump before becoming his U.N. ambassador, is renewing her attacks in the 2024 presidential campaign. Reid Hoffman, the billionaire LinkedIn co-founder and a top Democratic donor, gave $250,000 to a super PAC backing Haley. Congress Senator Tommy Tuberville Kenny Holston/The New York Times Under bipartisan pressure, Senator Tommy Tuberville, an Alabama Republican, ended his blockade on most military promotions. Representative Patrick McHenry of North Carolina, the former interim House speaker, won’t seek re-election. Kamala Harris has now cast more tiebreaking votes in the Senate than any previous vice president. Chuck Schumer, the majority leader, presented her with a golden gavel. Biden’s push to send more military aid to Ukraine is on the brink of collapse. George Santos, the newly expelled New York Republican, is earning about $350 a pop to record personalized videos for customers on Cameo. Israel-Hamas War In Khan Younis. Ahmed Zakot/Reuters Israeli and Hamas forces waged house-to-house battles in southern Gaza. An Israeli general called it “the most intense day since the beginning of the ground operation.” Gaza’s humanitarian crisis is escalating. The U.S. announced additional aid for Palestinians. Biden denounced Hamas attackers who raped women on Oct. 7, and he blamed the breakdown in cease-fire talks on the group’s refusal to release its remaining female hostages. “Are we allowed to look out the window?” Read about how released child hostages are adjusting to life back in Israel. The U.S. imposed visa bans on Israeli settlers who have committed violence in the West Bank. A Republican-written resolution to condemn anti-Zionism as antisemitism divided House Democrats. Republicans also hammered the presidents of Harvard, Penn and M.I.T. about campus antisemitism. Restaurants In the second lawsuit of its kind, a family says a man died after drinking Panera’s caffeinated lemonade. A woman who threw a burrito bowl at a Chipotle worker was sentenced to work in a fast-food job to avoid further jail time, The Washington Post reports. Other Big Stories Hokyoung Kim The U.S. and Europe are trying to regulate artificial intelligence — but the technology is evolving more rapidly than their policies. Peru’s top court ordered former President Alberto Fujimori’s release from prison, defying an international court decision. Based on the justices’ questions, the Supreme Court seemed open to upholding a Trump-era tax on foreign income. The N.C.A.A. proposed uncapping compensation for athletes. That could help players of lucrative sports like football and basketball to share in the profits. Opinions Drug manufacturers limit inventory to keep prices low. When there’s a mistake, the resulting shortage leaves patients vulnerable, Emily Tucker writes. The Times’s columnists share questions they’d ask if they were moderating tonight’s Republican debate. Progressive women are silent when it comes to Hamas’s sexual violence. They’d benefit from hearing Israeli testimonies, Bret Stephens writes. The illustrator Wendy MacNaughton asks strangers to draw one another for 60 seconds — a deceptively simple way to rebuild trust. The Holiday Sale. This Cooking offer won’t last. Less mess, less stress. A Cooking subscription brings you easy recipes plus step-by-step guides, videos, photos and more. Subscribe and save 50% on your first year of Cooking. MORNING READS Michelle Yeoh Sarah Meyssonnier/Reuters The most Styles-ish: The 71 people, robot dolls and spheres that exemplified fashion in 2023. Grade inflation: Nearly everyone gets A’s at Yale. Can’t Sleep? Listen to an A.I.-generated bedtime story from Jimmy Stewart. True crime: Podcasters examined her sister’s murder investigation. Then they turned on her. Just married: Some newlyweds are having their friends join the honeymoon. Lives Lived: Dr. William P. Murphy Jr. invented the vinyl blood bag, making transfusions safer and more reliable on battlefields and after accidents. He died at 100. SPORTS N.B.A.: LeBron James led the Los Angeles Lakers to the semifinals of the new In-Season Tournament with a win over Kevin Durant and the Phoenix Suns. Michael Oher: Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy, the couple made famous in the movie “The Blind Side,” alleged in court filings that Oher, who has accused them of malfeasance, tried to extort them. M.L.B.: Managers and front office personnel are reluctant to discuss Shohei Ohtani as the sport’s Winter Meetings end with the superstar’s free agency decision looming. Continue reading the main story A MESSAGE FROM AMAZON 14,400+ affordable homes Amazon Housing Equity Fund supports affordable housing developers around Seattle, Washington D.C., and Nashville. 2023 Impact Report ARTS AND IDEAS “Scene Partners” at Vineyard Theater. Sara Krulwich/The New York Times Scaling back: New York’s network of small theaters — collectively known as Off Broadway — is struggling. Attendance has not rebounded from the pandemic. Costs are up. And philanthropic giving is weak. In late October, 31 shows were running Off Broadway, down from 51 shows in 2019. “There is an incredible squeeze,” said Casey York, president of the Off-Broadway League. More on culture Jason Zinoman, our comedy critic, picked his funniest moments of the year, including the best stand-up special and his favorite impression. Spotify canceled two acclaimed podcasts: “Heavyweight” and “Stolen.” Late-night hosts joked about the Republican presidential debate. THE MORNING RECOMMENDS … Joel Goldberg for The New York Times Fry Melissa Clark’s classic potato latkes. Pick the best online flower delivery service. Buy these gifts for mom. GAMES Here is today’s Spelling Bee. Yesterday’s pangram was applejack. And here are today’s Mini Crossword, Wordle, Sudoku and Connections. Thanks for spending part of your morning with The Times. See you tomorrow. — David Correction: Yesterday’s newsletter repeated the previous day’s Spelling Bee pangram. The correct Monday pangram was “definitive.” P.S. New York Times Cooking is running a holiday sale. If you subscribe now, you’ll save 50 percent on your first year — and get access to thousands of delicious recipes from our expert cooks. Sign up here to get this newsletter in your inbox. Reach our team at themorning@nytimes.com. Editor: David Leonhardt News Editor: Tom Wright-Piersanti News Staff: Desiree Ibekwe, Lauren Jackson, Sean Kawasaki-Culligan, Brent Lewis, German Lopez, Ian Prasad Philbrick, Ashley Wu News Assistant: Lyna Bentahar Saturday Writer: Melissa Kirsch Quote phkrause By the decree enforcing the institution of the papacy in violation of the law of God, our nation will disconnect herself fully from righteousness. When Protestantism shall stretch her hand across the gulf to grasp the hand of the Roman power, when she shall reach over the abyss to clasp hands with spiritualism, when, under the influence of this threefold union, our country shall repudiate every principle of its Constitution as a Protestant and republican government, and shall make provision for the propagation of papal falsehoods and delusions, then we may know that the time has come for the marvelous working of Satan and that the end is near. {5T 451.1} Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members phkrause Posted December 9, 2023 Author Members Share Posted December 9, 2023 December 7, 2023 By David Leonhardt Good morning. We’re covering the civilian death toll in Gaza — as well as an aid bill for Ukraine, a Republican debate and Juan Soto. Khan Yunis on Monday. Yousef Masoud for The New York Times Entire families When Abdullah Abu Nada, a chemist who was at work in Gaza City, heard that the building where his family was staying had been hit by an airstrike, he texted his wife, Samah. She didn’t reply, and Abu Nada then called his 15-year-old son, Ahmed. When his son didn’t answer, Abu Nada called his 16-year-old daughter, Nawal. She didn’t answer, either. All three of them — as well as the two other Abu Nada children: Anas, 12, and Mohammed, 8 — had been killed in the airstrike. A different airstrike killed 68 members of the extended Joudeh family. Khaled Joudeh, 9, and his brother Tamer, 7, lost their mother, father, older brother and baby sister. Mohammad Abu Hasira, a Palestinian journalist, was killed in a separate attack, as were 42 members of his family. Justin Amash, a former Republican congressman, said that several of his family members were killed while sheltering in a church in Gaza. And Ahmed al-Naouq, a graduate student living in London, lost his father, five of his siblings, and 13 nieces and nephews. The civilian death toll from Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza has been a major news story for weeks. In today’s newsletter, I want to put the toll’s scale into context and explain the reasons for it. The scale The Gaza Health Ministry, which is controlled by Hamas, says it has confirmed that more than 15,000 people in Gaza have died during the war. Another 6,000 or so are missing, officials say. Although the ministry seems to have spread false information during this war (notably about a hospital bombing in October), many international observers believe that the overall death toll is accurate. U.S. officials largely accept it, as do some top Israeli officials. There is more debate about the breakdown between civilian and combatant deaths. A senior Israeli military official told my colleague Isabel Kershner this week that about a third of the dead were likely Hamas-allied fighters, rather than civilians. Gazan officials have suggested that the combatant toll is lower, and the civilian toll higher, based on their breakdown of deaths among men, women and children. Either way, the pace of civilian deaths — at least 10,000 in two months — is extremely high for a war. My colleague Lauren Leatherby has written that Gazan civilians are dying at a faster rate than civilians did during the most intense U.S. attacks in Afghanistan or Iraq. In Ukraine, the number of civilian deaths appears to be much higher — in the tens of thousands — than in Gaza, but Ukraine’s toll has occurred over almost two years in a country with a population more than 20 times larger than Gaza’s. (This multimedia project examines life in Gaza today.) Three entities are most responsible for the high civilian toll, and different people obviously put different amounts of blame on each. Gaza City in October. Samar Abu Elouf for The New York Times Israel’s role The first entity is Israel. After the Oct. 7 attacks — in which Hamas fighters killed more than 1,200 people, while committing sexual assault and torture, sometimes on video — Israeli leaders promised to eliminate Hamas. Israel is seeking to kill Hamas fighters, destroy their weapons stockpiles and collapse their network of tunnels. To do so, Israel has dropped 2,000-pound bombs on Gaza’s densely populated neighborhoods. These Israeli bombs have turned much of Gaza to rubble. Marc Garlasco, a former Pentagon official, has told The Times that he thinks the closest comparisons to so many large bombs falling in such a small area are the Vietnam War or World War II. U.N. officials and many human rights advocates have criticized Israel for not pursuing tactics that would have killed fewer people. Some U.S. officials are frustrated, too, as my colleague Helene Cooper has reported. Before invading the Iraqi city of Mosul to defeat the Islamic State in 2016, for instance, the U.S. military spent months developing a plan, partly to minimize casualties. Israel, by contrast, started bombing Gaza almost immediately after Oct. 7. Nonetheless, military experts say that there is probably no way for Israel to topple Hamas without a substantial civilian toll. The question is whether the toll could be lower than it has been. Hamas’s role The second responsible party is Hamas. It hides weapons in schools, mosques and hospitals, and its fighters disguise themselves as civilians, all of which are violations of international law. This approach both helps Hamas to survive against a more powerful enemy — the Israeli military — and contributes to Hamas’s efforts to delegitimize Israel. The group has vowed to repeat the Oct. 7 attacks and ultimately destroy Israel. Hamas’s strategy involves forcing Israel to choose between allowing Hamas to exist and killing Palestinian civilians. Hamas is simply not prioritizing Palestinian lives. Egypt’s role The third responsible party, and the one that has received the least attention, is Egypt. Egypt’s leaders have maintained a militarized border with Gaza, refusing to admit refugees. “We are prepared to sacrifice millions of lives to ensure that no one encroaches upon our territory,” Egypt’s prime minister, Mostafa Madbouly, said recently. Egypt has justified the decision by saying that it does not want to reward Israel’s aggression by encouraging Gazans to flee. And Palestinians themselves have historical reasons to fear that fleeing their land will lead Israel to annex it. Still, Egypt’s refusal to accept many refugees is inconsistent with the behavior of many other countries during wars. Germany, Poland and other European countries have accepted millions of Ukrainians even though doing so arguably rewards Vladimir Putin’s invasion. Turkey has admitted millions of Syrian refugees in recent years. Chad has accepted many Sudanese refugees. In these other cases, countries took steps to save lives. In Gaza, the civilian toll continues to mount. More on the war Israel said it was pursuing Hamas leaders in southern Gaza. It said it had killed five commanders and released a photo of them. The military said its troops had surrounded the home of Yahya Sinwar, who Israel believes masterminded the Oct. 7 attacks. It’s not clear if he is inside. After Israeli orders, thousands of people fled Khan Younis, but the places they were told to go to had little shelter, water or food. The hostage families have a message for Benjamin Netanyahu: Time is running out. Critics are calling for the resignation of the University of Pennsylvania’s president after she evaded questions about whether calls for the genocide of Jews violated Penn’s code of conduct. Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT THE LATEST NEWS Politics Representative Kevin McCarthy Kenny Holston/The New York Times Kevin McCarthy, whose fellow Republicans ousted him as speaker in October, will leave the House at the end of the year. Democrats in Congress introduced a bill to bar hedge funds from buying up single-family homes. A Nevada grand jury indicted six Republicans, including the state party chairman, for falsely claiming to be presidential electors in 2020. Separately, fake Republican electors in Wisconsin settled a lawsuit, admitting that Donald Trump lost the state. Eric Adams’s approval rating fell to 28 percent in a Quinnipiac University poll, the lowest the poll has ever recorded for a New York City mayor. A candidate lost a City Council election in Rainier, Wash., by one vote after he decided not to vote for himself. War in Ukraine Senate Republicans blocked an aid bill for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, demanding changes to immigration policy. Before the vote, President Biden said he was willing to compromise, calling the southern border “broken.” The Justice Department used a decades-old war crimes statute to charge four Russian soldiers with torturing an American living in Ukraine. Fourth Republican Debate Nikki Haley and Ron DeSantis. Nicole Craine for The New York Times Nikki Haley and Ron DeSantis, vying for second place in the Republican field, clashed over China, transgender medical care and immigration. Chris Christie called Trump “an angry, bitter man” and rebuked the other candidates onstage for ignoring Trump’s behavior. (Trump once again skipped the debate.) Megyn Kelly, the moderator, spared no one in her tough questions — unlike conservative hosts in previous debates. Read five debate takeaways. Vivek Ramaswamy rattled off conspiracy theories, and other candidates made questionable claims. Here’s our fact-check. Business Tech companies that once had high valuations have either gone bankrupt or shut down in recent weeks. Investors say a start-up collapse has begun. The U.S. government’s spending on clean energy and technology has incentivized allies to do the same. Other Big Stories A gunman at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, killed three people. The attacker died in a shootout with the police. Norman Lear, who infused sitcoms like “All in the Family” and “The Jeffersons” with social commentary, died at 101. A private police training company used sexist language and glorified violence at a seminar in New Jersey, videos show. A canine respiratory illness is spreading, causing cough, fever and lethargy in American dogs. Opinions Young voters are right to be pessimistic about the economy, Steven Rattner argues. Now more than ever, Jews need Hanukkah, Mireille Silcoff writes. Colleges that frame education around decolonization threaten to radicalize their students at their Jewish classmates’ expense, Pamela Paul writes. Israel’s killing of children in Gaza is a moral as well as strategic error, Nicholas Kristof writes. A subscription to match the variety of your interests. News. Games. Recipes. Product reviews. Sports reporting. A New York Times All Access subscription covers all of it and more. Subscribe today. MORNING READS The Lucia festival. Ian Forsyth/Getty Images Finding the light: See how people in Sweden get through the darkest days of the year. Creating holiday magic: Try these tips from professional decorators in your home. A good review: Our food critic loved Sailor, in Brooklyn. Lives Lived: Denny Laine was an original member of the Moody Blues. Five years after leaving the band, he became a charter member of a new band, Wings, after getting a call from Paul McCartney. Laine died at 79. SPORTS M.L.B.: The New York Yankees acquired the superstar outfielder Juan Soto in a trade with the San Diego Padres. N.F.L. theft: A former Jacksonville Jaguars employee is accused of stealing about $22 million from the team over a four-year span. New York Jets: Zach Wilson, the former starting quarterback who was benched last month, is back. Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT ARTS AND IDEAS The Killers Rob Verhorst/Redferns, via Getty Images Comin’ out of my cage …: When The Killers released “Mr. Brightside,” it didn’t make much of a dent at first. But over two decades, the song has grown into a staple of karaoke, football stadiums and wedding playlists. “If boomers gave the masses ‘Don’t Stop Believin’,’” Jessica Goldstein writes, “millennials can claim ‘Mr. Brightside’ as the generation’s official entry into that canon: a song that gets everybody at the bar shout-singing along.” More on culture Time magazine named Taylor Swift as its person of the year. Read the profile of her, in which she speaks about being creatively fulfilled and happy in her new relationship. A book club in California started on “Finnegans Wake,” the notoriously challenging James Joyce novel, in 1995. They finished it this October. Jimmy Kimmel skewered Trump for saying he would act like a dictator on his first day in office. THE MORNING RECOMMENDS … Julia Gartland for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne. Use your slow cooker to make this simple, but delicious, beef stew. Find the right vacuum for hardwood floors. Wear these black tights. GAMES Here is today’s Spelling Bee. Yesterday’s pangram was honeybun. And here are today’s Mini Crossword, Wordle, Sudoku and Connections. Thanks for spending part of your morning with The Times. See you tomorrow. — David P.S. Hamed Aleaziz is joining The Times to cover immigration and the Department of Homeland Security. Sign up here to get this newsletter in your inbox. Reach our team at themorning@nytimes.com. Continue reading the main story Editor: David Leonhardt News Editor: Tom Wright-Piersanti News Staff: Desiree Ibekwe, Lauren Jackson, Sean Kawasaki-Culligan, Brent Lewis, German Lopez, Ian Prasad Philbrick, Ashley Wu News Assistant: Lyna Bentahar Saturday Writer: Melissa Kirsch Quote phkrause By the decree enforcing the institution of the papacy in violation of the law of God, our nation will disconnect herself fully from righteousness. When Protestantism shall stretch her hand across the gulf to grasp the hand of the Roman power, when she shall reach over the abyss to clasp hands with spiritualism, when, under the influence of this threefold union, our country shall repudiate every principle of its Constitution as a Protestant and republican government, and shall make provision for the propagation of papal falsehoods and delusions, then we may know that the time has come for the marvelous working of Satan and that the end is near. {5T 451.1} Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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