Indholdsfortegnelse for July 25, 2025 i The Week Magazine

Another week, another very British scandal. As the U.S. lurches from crisis to crisis, with immigration agents swarming workplaces and FEMA plumbing new levels of ineptitude, across the Atlantic we can see the U.K.’s own brand of political dysfunction—with some lessons for us. This week, a U.K. government report detailed how thousands of postal workers were accused of stealing money, with some 1,000 convicted and at least 13 driven to suicide (see Best European Columns, p.15). Through both Labour and Conservative governments, bureaucrats misled the public and prosecutors pursued charges despite plentiful evidence that the only culprit in the supposed thefts was a glitch in the accounting software. The very same week, the British got another scandal, as a court revealed that a data breach exposed the names of Afghans…

■ Florida’s attorney general has ordered the state’s public airports to file monthly reports on “weather modification” activities. Attorney General James Uthmeier warned airport operators that a new Florida law bans the secret dispersal by airplanes of weather-controlling chemicals, or “chemtrails”—a conspiracy theory for which there is no evidence. Angela Starke, a spokeswoman for two Orlando airports, said neither is “aware of any activity on airport properties that must be reported at this time.” ■ An Ohio Republican congressman has introduced a resolution that would make July 13, the date of the 2024 assassination attempt against Donald Trump, an annual national holiday called Faith and Defiance Day. “You see one or two events in your life that inspire you to be more than you are,” explained Rep. Michael Rulli. “God…

Minneapolis Murky motives: A federal grand jury this week indicted Vance Boelter on charges of posing as a police officer and gunning down Democratic state Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, at their home in Brooklyn Park. Prosecutors said in the indictment that Boelter, 57, confessed to the killings in a letter, discovered in his getaway car, that they describe as fantasy. “I am the shooter at large in Minnesota involved in the two shootings,” the letter said. It also claimed that he was secretly trained by the U.S. military, and that Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz “approached” him and ordered him to assassinate Sens. Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith. “Tim wants to be senator,” the letter said. Boelter is also charged with shooting and seriously injuring Democratic state Sen.…

As a drummer, Zak Starkey has played with everyone from the Who to Oasis to Mick Fleetwood, said Mark Beaumont in The Independent (U.K.). But while he’s respected in the music business, he knows he’ll never be as famous as his dad, Ringo Starr—and he’s happy about that. “Do you want to be as big as the Beatles?” asks Starkey. “My dad can’t go to [the supermarket] and buy a paper or whatever.” Growing up, he loathed the Fab Four. It felt “like a wall. Can’t get over it. Can’t get through it. Can’t get under it.” But at 59, he looks back fondly on his childhood. “Music was everywhere in our house. Jukeboxes in every room.” T. Rex’s Marc Bolan babysat him; the Who’s Keith Moon bought him his…

Will Bunch The Philadelphia Inquirer The threat of political violence now looms so large that congressional lawmakers feel forced to “vote their fears, not their conscience,” said Will Bunch. Elected officials on both sides are reporting an alarming increase in harassment and death threats, mostly from President Trump’s fanatical MAGA base. “We are all afraid,” Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski confessed in April. “Retaliation is real.” How fitting that Murkowski denounced the massive cuts to Medicaid and food assistance in Trump’s “big, beautiful bill”—and then crumbled and cast the deciding vote in favor of it. National politics now resembles the “omertà-driven terror of the Gambino crime family.” Trump can summon “an online lynch mob” to harass any elected official who dares defy his demands, and the risk of retribution, both political…

Amir Hetsroni The Times of Israel Israel has just been tested on its “democratic tolerance,” and it “gets an F,” said Amir Hetsroni. Police arrested far-left, ultra-Orthodox journalist Israel Frey last week for a social media post they deemed inflammatory and a possible incitement to violence. Frey commented on the deaths of five Israeli soldiers killed in Gaza by Hamas roadside bombs by writing: “The world is a better place this morning without five young men who partook in one of the most brutal crimes against humanity.” He was more concerned, he said, for “the boy in Gaza now being operated on without anesthesia, the girl starving to death, and the family huddling in a tent under bombardment.” These are provocative words, to be sure, and offensive to many, but…

A fossil unearthed in Arizona has been identified as North America’s oldest pterosaur, reports The Washington Post. Dating back 209 million years, the winged reptile Eotephradactylus mcintireae, or “ash-winged dawn goddess,” was found in a fossil-rich site in Petrified Forest National Park. The species would have been small enough to perch on a person’s shoulder, and likely preyed on fish with armored scales. Pterosaurs, which are not technically dinosaurs, were the first vertebrates capable of powered flight. But their evolution has always been something of an enigma, because their bones—which are thin and hollow, to allow them to fly—don’t readily fossilize. This Arizona fossil is “one of the only early pterosaurs whose anatomy can be observed in a detailed way in three dimensions,” says study co-author Ben Kligman of the…

Again and again, Gary Shteyngart “arrives just when we need him to,” said Ron Charles in The Washington Post. Having previously released perfectly timed novels about social media and the Covid pandemic, the seasoned comic novelist has now dropped a new tale set in a near-future America that’s sliding into fascism. We view the erosion of democracy through the eyes of Vera, a brainy 10-year-old Korean-​American, while the Soviet-born Shteyngart “laces in benign and horrific elements of the future with the nonchalance of a kid who’s grown up with these features of daily life.” Shteyngart’s wit is on full display, said Cory Oldweiler in The Boston Globe. Though the America he presents “feels drawn from the sweaty fantasies of those who authored Project 2025,” Vera’s concerns remain those of a…

Big Chief by Jon Hickey (Simon & Schuster, $29) Jon Hickey brings “a pitiless eye” to identity politics in his sly first novel, said Sophia Nguyen in The Washington Post. It’s election season on a Native American reservation in Wisconsin, and our narrator is ready to play dirty to fight back a challenge to the current tribal president. While it’s hard to gauge how the characters feel about the story’s dramatic events, “perhaps that’s by design.” Hickey doesn’t put a lot of stock in ideals, and he’s “so sure-footed that I’ll follow wherever he goes next.” Not My Type by E. Jean Carroll (St. Martin’s, $30) E. Jean Carroll isn’t just the woman who proved in court that Donald Trump has committed sexual assault, said Alexandra Jacobs in The New…

“There’s a solid album somewhere in Swag that’s a slow-burn collection of hazy-day R&B,” said Chris Kelly in The Washington Post. Unfortunately, Justin Bieber, at 31, can’t help reminding us that his life has lately been a dramafest amplified by media attention. On one lighthearted interlude, he even samples his widely memed recent rebuke to photographers on his tail: “It’s not clocking to you that I’m standing on business.” Bieber “can still deliver ooh-babies as well as anybody,” as he does so here over “shuffling beatbox beats, gently weeping guitars, and warm-hug synthesizers.” But it’s “difficult to meet the music on its own terms” because of the star’s insistence on foregrounding his celebrity woes. Like two of Bieber’s previous albums, Swag “reveals the tender and quirky R&B singer he’s always…

Directed by Ari Aster (R) A New Mexico border town goes berserk. Ari Aster’s new film is “really going to divide and aggravate people,” said Brian Tallerico in RogerEbert.com. “It’s designed to be divisive,” and “if you hate it, it’s kind of done its job.” Set in a New Mexico town at the start of the Covid pandemic, Eddington pits a mask-hating sheriff played by Joaquin Phoenix against a nominally progressive mayor played by Pedro Pascal, and while the story touches on conspiracy theories, viral culture, the George Floyd protests, and “everything we raged about” in 2020, all of it adds up to a “deliberately hollow provocation” that tells us we’ll never understand how things got so ugly. You’ve heard of movies that offer escape from the stresses of the world,…

Materialists The summer’s most talked-about romantic drama is ready for an early streaming debut. Dakota Johnson, Pedro Pascal, and Chris Evans co-star in Celine Song’s Manhattan-set update of a classic love-triangle tale. $25 on demand Past Lives Song showed her singular way with triangles in her Oscar-nominated 2023 debut. Greta Lee stars a New York City writer whose contented life with husband Arthur is shaken by the arrival of her childhood sweetheart from Seoul. $4 on demand Challengers Luca Guadagnino’s sexually supercharged 2024 romp maps the tangled romantic history connecting a trio of tennis prodigies. Mike Faist and Josh O’Connor play the young men who vie for the heart of Zendaya, a former peer turned coach. $4 on demand Match Point Some considered this 2005 psychological thriller a bounce-back for…

“I always keep a couple of cans of fava beans in my pantry for those times when I crave a quick and satisfying late breakfast or lunch on the weekends,” says Sami Tamimi in Boustany: A Celebration of Vegetables From My Palestine (Ten Speed Press). “This is a truly satisfying meal that never fails to impress,” especially when it’s served with fresh crusty bread. “If fava beans aren’t available, you can easily substitute them with other canned beans, and you can substitute the eggs with feta cheese for an extra creamy and salty touch.” The sumac onions should be prepared in advance. Eggplant and fava beans with eggs 2 medium eggplants¼ cup olive oil, plus more to serveSalt and black pepper1 onion, finely chopped6 garlic cloves, crushed to a paste1…

Whenever you’re packing to travel, “bags within bags are key,” said the staff of Lonely Planet. Start with an empty reusable tote, which requires “next to zero space” when empty. You’ll be glad you have it, maybe as soon as you want to separate some flight necessities from a carry-on stored overhead. For laundry, consider a dry bag, “like the ones scuba divers use.” They’re waterproof and can be compressed. Also make “a little bag of things” an essential on your packing list. This should include lip balm, “emergency meds” such as Aleve, a sleep mask, and a change of underwear. If you’re packing for more than one child, use a packing cube for each of them and pack the cubes in a duffel. The cubes make kids feel like…

Michael Dunne The New York Times The world’s best electric car can be bought for less than $10,000, said Michael Dunne. Its battery can fully charge in five minutes. And its design features, technology, and quality are as good as those of any top car brand, including Tesla. So why can’t Americans buy one? Because the maker is China’s BYD, the company that’s making the country “the center of the global auto industry.” Yes, some of BYD’s success is owed to “state capitalism.” But that’s only part of the story. It also “makes almost all its key components in-house, including batteries, semiconductors, motors, and tablet screens, which saves costs and enhances quality control.” It invests in rare-earth mines, and even created its own “fleet of specially designed car-carrier ships.” Americans…

This week’s question: As of July 8, for the first time in nearly 20 years, U.S. air travelers no longer have to remove their shoes before going through security. If Americans were to commemorate the day they reclaimed their freedom to keep their footwear on, what should that holiday be called? Last week’s contest: The Velvet Sundown, an AI-generated band that plays generic ’70s rock, is now racking up more than 1 million listeners a month on Spotify. If the group were to release a rock song encouraging listeners to abandon human artists and embrace AI-produced music, what would it be titled? THE WINNER: “Hey, You, Get Onto My Cloud” Larry Rifkin, Glastonbury, Conn. SECOND PLACE: “The Algorithm’s Gonna Get You” Ken Kellam III, Dallas THIRD PLACE: “While My Computer…

What happened President Trump reignited his trade war this week, threatening the European Union and Mexico with 30% tariffs and Canada with 35% tariffs, even as a Labor Department report showed existing levies are boosting inflation. Trump began sending letters last week to dozens of trading partners setting tariffs ranging from 20% to 50% starting Aug. 1. After pausing his April 2 “Liberation Day” tariffs, Trump and his economic advisers promised to have deals with trading partners by July 9. Now, though, Trump has shifted gears: “We can’t meet with 200 countries,” he said. “A letter means a deal.” EU trade commissioner Maros Sefcovic, who traveled to Washington to meet with administration officials, has said that 30% tariffs would make it “almost impossible to continue” current trade. Trump sent mixed…

Mother tongues, after President Trump asked Liberian President Joseph Boakai during a White House meeting how the African leader learned to speak English “so beautifully.” Boakai simply smiled, rather than informing Trump that English is Liberia’s official language. Long strange trips, after a study found that psilocybin, the active ingredient in psychedelic mushrooms, increases the “cellular lifespan” of human cells and boosted the actual lifespan of laboratory mice by up to 30%. Vibing, after Britain’s Heathrow Airport announced plans to pipe “airport sounds” into its departure terminals. Musician Jordan Rakei said he hoped his aural collage of escalators, hurrying footsteps, and planes taking off will give travelers an even deeper experience of “that whole preflight vibe.” Bad week for: Luddites, after indie rock legend Jack White announced that thanks to…

Quebec Militia plot: Canadian police last week arrested three people—two active-duty members of the military and one veteran—on terrorism charges related to a plot to create an armed compound. Prosecutors said the suspects had amassed a large amount of weapons and were planning to forcibly take over a plot of land near Quebec City. Police seized explosives along with 83 guns and released images from a video showing seven people participating in military-style training. Amarnath Amarasingam, an expert on right-wing extremism, said the involvement of soldiers was particularly alarming. “We’ve never seen a plot or incident where active members have been involved,” he said. “The size of the weapons cache as well is quite unprecedented.” Paris Big defense buildup: French President Emmanuel Macron this week announced $7.6 billion in additional…

Being a supermodel does not save you from heartbreak, said Alix Strauss in The New York Times. Christie Brinkley has had four husbands—she was 21 when she wed her first, French illustrator Jean-François Allaux—and numerous relationships. “I’m a fool for love,” says Brinkley, 71. “I always believed in soulmates. I thought I had four of them.” She left Allaux after six years for “freedom,” and her next serious romance, with French race-car driver Olivier Chandon de Brailles, ended with his death in a 1983 crash. Her second marriage, to singer Billy Joel, lasted nearly a decade. But “with Billy, who captured my heart, my imagination, my everything, there was just too much pressure and drinking, and being overwhelmed with problems. When you become the bad cop, it’s over.” Their 1994…

Isaac Arnsdorf The Washington Post “Whispers of messianism” could be heard from some of President Trump’s staunchest supporters for years, said Isaac Arnsdorf. But when a would-be assassin shot and wounded Trump during a campaign rally in Butler, Pa., a year ago this week, his survival marked a “turning point for the religious dimension to Trump’s movement.” The shooter’s near miss strengthened evangelicals’ belief that Trump is a “divine instrument,” chosen by God to save the nation from the heathen Left. During the Republican National Convention shortly after the shooting, talk of divine intervention shifted “from private rumblings to the prime-time stage,” where influential conservative podcaster Tucker Carlson said Trump had been “transformed” into something larger than a mere man. Never known for his “personal piety,” Trump reportedly said that…

“America’s leaders are increasingly casting aside empathy and compassionate care as dangerous liabilities. Elon Musk has called empathy ‘the fundamental weakness of Western civilization,’ and the Trump administration governs as if that is a guiding principle. The belief that we have a responsibility to others isn’t shortsighted sentimentalism; it’s the moral foundation of a meaningful life. Caring for others is a moral obligation, not a partisan position. If we allow the Trump administration’s assault on empathy to define our global health agenda, or ourselves, we won’t just be turning away from the world—we’ll be turning away from who we are.” Craig Spencer in The New York Times…

Editorial Vanguard Emergency sirens blare constantly on Nigeria’s roads, said Vanguard in an editorial, disturbing the peace and causing drivers to veer to the shoulders. That might be acceptable if these sirens were being used for their “rightful purpose: saving lives.” But most of the time, the earsplitting vehicle isn’t an ambulance or fire engine rushing to an actual emergency but just some big shot who put a siren on his limo. Politicians, business executives, and wealthy foreigners routinely and illegally sound these sirens “to clear traffic” so they can speed off to their business meetings or even their country clubs. “Due to corruption and the ‘big man’ syndrome” so deeply ingrained in our society, traffic cops tend to look the other way. This is now causing mayhem as some…

Kristian Skvarek Trud “I hope I’m wrong about the euro,” said Kristian Skvarek. I’ve always believed that when Bulgaria adopts the European common currency, we’ll be giving the “insane, green-liberal political class in Brussels, Strasbourg, and Frankfurt” one more “lever of influence” over our affairs. Integration with the EU, which Bulgaria joined in 2007, has already meant significant compromise with Western Europeans who don’t understand the needs of a former Warsaw Pact country. But the European bigwigs in their wisdom have decreed that our economy is now stable enough to join the Eurozone, and the government is planning to ditch the lev and adopt the euro next year. So now I’m rooting for it to succeed. Some of my fellow euroskeptics “want things to go badly.” They want prices to…

Elon Musk is inserting himself into American politics again, said Jim Geraghty in The Washington Post. This time it’s with his newly formed political party, the “rather generically named America Party.” President Trump’s former first buddy announced his new venture on July 4, describing it as “a viable third [party] option to challenge both Democrats and Republicans.” His initial strategy is to recruit candidates to run in a handful of competitive House and Senate races, which could deny the two major parties an outright majority in Congress and force them to bargain with Musk-backed legislators for votes. Obviously, Musk launched this party in an effort to gain “revenge” against Trump and the GOP for ignoring his warnings about the trillions in deficit spending in the now-passed budget bill. His party…

Kate Marvel is a prominent climate scientist, but she’s through with acting as if that means she has to be an emotionless automaton, said Maggie Penman in The Washington Post. In her new book, Human Nature, she tackles the subject of human-generated climate change by describing nine ways that a reader may feel about it, and she admits that some sections spilled out more readily than others. “‘Anger’ was a very easy chapter for me to write,” she says. “I feel that very often.” She also gave voice to other of her emotions: guilt, fear, and grief among them. But the book opens with “Wonder” and ends with “Love” because her deep study of the planet has only made her value more the miracle of the place we all live.…

“Whatever party Wet Leg are heading to, it sounds like one worth crashing,” said Rob Sheffield in Rolling Stone. On the band’s second album, frontwomen Rhian Teasdale and Hester Chambers don’t just defy the sophomore jinx. Four years after “Chaise Longue,” the indie hit on which the pair “banged on their guitars and sneered hysterically cheeky one-liners about the moronic menfolk who cross their paths,” they “prove they’ve been partying harder, caring less, and meeting sexier idiots.” With the exception of a dud of a token ballad, this 12-song set “keeps everything fast and frisky.” The track “Mangetout” isn’t even a single yet, but it’s “a damn-near perfect dance-punk summer jam.” Impressively, Moisturizer is also more varied than the band’s debut, said Bill Pearis in Brooklyn Vegan. “Teasdale can do…

Directed by Embeth Davidtz (R) Civil war through a child’s eyes Even if you despise its adult protagonists, “Don’t Let’s Go to the Dogs Tonight is an enthralling watch,” said Amy Nicholson in the Los Angeles Times. Like the best-selling 2001 memoir it’s based on, the film offers a child’s-eye view of being brought up by prejudiced white settler parents during the war for independence that created Zimbabwe, and the movie’s wild-haired young star, Lexi Venter, “belongs in the pantheon of filmland’s savage moppets.” Venter plays the author, nicknamed Bobo, at 8, and Dogs presents Bobo and her teen sister “the way kids actually are: self-centered, often dishonest, inclined to brattiness,” said Kyle Smith in The Wall Street Journal. Bobo has been taught to fear that Black guerrillas could slaughter her…

Inflation rose in June to 2.7%, the highest level since February and a sign that tariffs are starting to bite, said Christopher Rugaber and Josh Boak in the Associated Press. The uptick in consumer prices is a significant jump from the 2.4% rate seen in May and “was driven by a range of higher prices,” from “groceries and clothes to furniture and appliances.” That has raised concerns “that President Trump’s tariffs could reignite inflation.” But the White House pushed back, pointing out that “the cost of new cars fell” despite tariffs on autos, steel, and aluminum. China trade: Nvidia regains right to sell AI chips President Trump agreed to loosen restrictions on chip exports to China after a meeting with Nvidia’s CEO, said Raffaele Huang in The Wall Street Journal.…

■ A start-of-life investment account The newly passed “big, beautiful bill” includes a $1,000 investment account for every baby born in the U.S. from 2025 to 2028, said Jason Ma in Fortune. The accounts, which are expected to be available next July, begin with “a one-time contribution of $1,000” from the federal government. From there, families can add up to $5,000 per year, “with employers allowed to chip in up to $2,500 of that amount.” While precise rules are still being written, the legislation envisions the money sitting in “low-cost stock mutual funds or ETFs tracking a U.S. stock index, such as the S&P 500.” In a hypothetical scenario involving a family that contributes just $20 per week and an employer adding another $2,500 per year, that account (assuming a…

Tal Fortgang The Wall Street Journal Republicans have found a way to impose a “wealth tax” on sports gamblers, said Tal Fortgang. Gamblers traditionally “pay taxes on their net winnings as if it were regular income,” and they are “allowed to offset their losses against their winnings each year.” It allows a bettor “who finishes the year with $5,000 in winnings and $4,000 in losses” to “pay income tax on the $1,000 net.” But a small provision in President Trump’s “big, beautiful bill” upends that model and states that only 90% of gambling losses can now be deducted out of taxes. It means that a gambler would now “be taxed as though he had netted $1,400 despite only being $1,000 in the black.” It’s a tax on $400 that he…

■ Denver’s Museum of Nature and Science, known for its dinosaur displays, struck pay dirt while drilling 750 feet underneath its own parking lot for geothermal heating potential. The core, only several inches wide, contained a hockey-puck-shaped dinosaur vertebrae—only the third time in the world that a core found a dinosaur fossil, according to the museum. It likely belonged to a small herbivore that lived some 68 million years ago. “It’s like hitting a hole in one from the moon,” said curator James Hagadorn. ■ Twenty years ago, Dr. Purva Merchant, a dentist in Seattle, made up an innocuous email for dental school applications that included her nickname, “the Tooth Fairy.” But in 2007, she received an odd email: A mother had forgotten to leave money under their child’s pillow…

Having “nurtured conspiracy theories for his entire political career,” Donald Trump is suddenly in danger of “being consumed by one,” said Michelle Goldberg in The New York Times. His MAGA movement is “in revolt” this week over the insistence by Trump, his Justice Department, and the FBI that there are no “incriminating client lists” or scandalous new documents to be revealed regarding Jeffrey Epstein, the disgraced financier found dead in his jail cell in 2019 while awaiting trial on charges of trafficking underage girls. The statement sparked immediate “fury and disappointment” on the Right, where MAGA influencers—including now FBI director Kash Patel and his deputy, Dan Bongino—have insisted for years that Epstein was murdered by the Deep State and that the release of a client list would expose a sprawling…

Senate moves to claw back funds for foreign aid and PBS In a win for the Trump administration, the Senate voted this week to take up legislation that would revoke nearly $9 billion in government funding. The initiative passed 51-50, with Vice President JD Vance casting the tie-breaking vote, and Republicans hope to pass the bill within days. The legislation would claw back about $8 billion meant for foreign assistance programs and about $1.1 billion earmarked for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which funds NPR and PBS. It would, however, maintain $400 million in funding for international AIDS relief. The Trump administration has faced a series of lawsuits contending that the White House’s cuts fell afoul of congressional control over federal spending; a court blocked the foreign aid cuts in…

Bono’s idealism is being tested like never before, said Madison Vain in Esquire. The U2 frontman has long prioritized big-picture activism, earning both admiration and eye rolls for his efforts to get Western leaders and societies to spend more on combating AIDS and poverty in Africa. But Bono is now contending with something far more painful than the sneers of detractors: the demolition of U.S. humanitarian aid by the Trump administration. “The most unbelievable carnage imaginable is happening to our work,” he said. “These are the brightest, best people, who’ve given their lives trying to serve the poorest, most vulnerable communities, and they’ve just been thrown in the dumpster.” It’s not that the idea of charity beginning at home is completely foreign to him. “I think that position is dumb,…

■ President Trump threatened to strip his longtime nemesis Rosie O’Donnell of her U.S. citizenship last week, despite lacking clear authority to do so. The comedian and former co-host of The View is a “Threat to Humanity” and “not in the best interest of our country,” Trump wrote on social media, saying he was “giving serious consideration to taking away her citizenship.” O’Donnell, 63, is already abroad. Ahead of Trump’s inauguration in January, she moved to Ireland, where she can get citizenship because her grandparents were Irish. She should stay there, Trump said, “if they’ll have her.” O’Donnell shot back: “The president of the USA has always hated the fact that I see him for who he is—a criminal con man sexual abusing liar out to harm our nation to…

Mark Joseph Stern Slate The Supreme Court has issued another “radical” ruling that gives President Trump “an unprecedented amount of power,” said Mark Joseph Stern. The six justices in the conservative majority allowed the Trump administration to move forward with its firing of 1,400 Department of Education employees, as part of his plan to abolish the department. The ruling was made through the “shadow docket,” without any legal justification, and accelerates “this administration’s lawless seizure of duties and prerogatives that the Constitution expressly assigned to Congress.” In earlier rulings, the court allow Trump to fire the heads of previously independent agencies, and said no lower federal court may issue nationwide injunctions on Trump’s actions. When Joe Biden was president, the court’s conservatives repeatedly limited his authority, barring him from forgiving…

Carolus Grütters NRC Dutch lawmakers are trying to “ban human kindness,” said Carolus Grütters. Right-wing populists have just pushed through the lower house of parliament a pair of bills cracking down on asylum seekers, including an amendment added at the last minute that would “criminalize illegal residence.” That means citizens and local officials who help undocumented people in any way would be guilty of complicity in a crime. If these bills pass the upper house, Dutch do-gooders could be punished for offering asylum seekers anything from a “kind word to a donation to a bed for the night.” Towns that provide homeless shelters would be in violation of the law every time someone undocumented stayed the night. Michelle van Tongerloo, the self-described Rotterdam street doctor who provides first aid to…

A federal judge in New Hampshire has opened “a new front in the battle” over President Trump’s efforts to end birthright citizenship, said Adam Liptak in The New York Times. Two weeks ago Trump scored a major win when the Supreme Court curbed lower courts’ power to block administration policies through nationwide injunctions. A Trump executive order ending the 157-year-old policy whereby any baby born in the U.S. becomes a citizen had been blocked by such an injunction. But in their ruling, the justices made clear that class action suits could still be used to seek nationwide injunctions. And now Judge Joseph Laplante has certified such a suit on behalf of all children born to parents who are unauthorized or here temporarily, and barred enforcement of Trump’s order. The administration…

“It is difficult to get a man to understand something when his salary depends upon his not understanding it.” Upton Sinclair, quoted in MSNBC.com “Every difference of opinion is not a difference of principle.” Thomas Jefferson, quoted in The Dispatch “Worrying does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow; it empties today of its strength.” Dutch writer Corrie ten Boom, quoted in The Wall Street Journal “If you meet an asshole in the morning, you met an asshole. If you meet assholes all day, you’re the asshole.” Elmore Leonard, quoted in Pajiba “Insincere flattery is more flattering than sincere flattery. The less someone means what they say, the greater the compliment.” Michael Kinsley, quoted in The New Republic “Always the assumption is that we can first set demons at large and…

■ YouTube cracks down on ‘AI slop’ YouTube is updating its policies to rein in creators’ ability to generate revenue from “AI slop,” said Sarah Perez in TechCrunch. The goal is to purge the site of the repetitive, low-quality AI videos that have flooded it in recent months, many of them featuring AI voices overlaid on repurposed photos and video clips. Often these videos appear in searches before the ones they are imitating, stealing views and ad revenue from the person who made the original. Some creators worried that the new rule would block them from monetizing reaction videos and similar content that comments on AI. But YouTube’s creator liaison, Rene Ritchie, said that wasn’t the case, calling the plan a “minor update.” ■ A tech VC partner gets political…

Many people complain that eating cheese before bed gives them nightmares, and a new study may explain why, reports NBC​News.com. Researchers surveyed more than 1,000 people about their sleep and eating habits. They found that those who had a lactose intolerance that produced severe gastrointestinal symptoms also reported much stronger nightmares, as measured by their frequency, the distress they caused, and how much they impacted daily activities. The worse the intolerance, the more intense the bad dreams. The researchers, from the University of Montreal, noted that the study group consisted of psychology undergraduates all about age 20, so the results may not apply to the general population. But sleep experts say the findings make sense: Gastrointestinal discomfort can trigger anxiety, sleep disturbances, or “micro-arousals” that interrupt sleep and heighten dream…

Geoff Dyer’s new book, Homework, is a memoir about his postwar U.K. childhood. The award-winning author of But Beautiful, Out of Sheer Rage, and The Missing of the Somme is celebrated for his wide-ranging work, and below names six favorite books about war. The Face of War by Martha Gellhorn (1959). A record of multiple conflicts—from the Spanish Civil War to Vietnam and beyond—with characteristic unflinching attention and sympathy. As Gellhorn put it: “I gave up trying to think or judge, and turned myself into a walking tape recorder with eyes.” Brave Men by Ernie Pyle (1944). It’s hard to appreciate now just how widely read and loved Pyle was as America’s voice from the front lines of Europe. He shared the dangers of the soldiers he was writing about.…

Museum of Modern Art, New York City, through Sept. 27 Over the past dozen years “Hilma af Klint has become a cultural force,” said Jay Cheshes in Smithsonian. “Touted as an early feminist, a queer icon, a prophet, a witch—whatever your worldview wishes,” the Swedish artist and spiritualist (1862–1944) is foremost known as the forgotten woman who invented modernist abstract painting before the men who were long credited with the innovation. An exhibition of her towering, brilliantly colored paintings toured Europe before their 2018 U.S. debut at New York City’s Guggenheim, drawing record crowds at every stop. Af Klint had a skilled hand, said Natalie Haddad in Hyperallergic, and her “gossamer touch” elevates each of the 46 botanical drawings that are appearing in a follow-up exhibition at MoMA. But the…

Clipse hasn’t put out an album in 16 years, yet “no rap duo since has captured their same dynamic energy,” said Jordan Darville in The Fader. This comeback effort finds brothers Malice and Pusha T again achieving “effortless synchronicity” while changing their focus: Malice, who embraced Christianity in 2009 and renounced the duo’s own glorification of their drug-dealing past, comes across here as “Jacob wrestling with the angel, reconciling his faith with his first earthly calling,” and that drama becomes the album’s emotional core. Fellow Virginia Beach native Pharrell Williams, “who has always felt like an honorary third member,” produces and contributes vocals on four songs. But this is the brothers’ show, and “it’s their candor that makes the music impressive.” No matter the subject, Clipse “delivers every bar with…

Flesh and Code (Wondery) Travis, the primary subject of this new podcast, “never thought he would meet anyone like Lily Rose,” said Frank Racioppi in Ear Worthy. Lily Rose is “kind, compassionate, and beautiful,” listens without judgment—and also happens to be an AI chatbot. Focusing on Travis’ story, co-hosts Hannah Maguire and Suruthi Bala “take listeners on an immersive journey,” letting the married Colorado man share how he turned to the Replika companion app during a rough patch, felt betrayed when Replika changed the settings on its algorithm, and fought back. As the hosts weave in other stories and eventually bring in Eugenia Kuyda, the Russian-born creator of Replika, the series “explores profound questions about human nature and the search for love.” It’s a podcast “full of jaw-dropping moments,” said…

You may be loyal to a particular sparkling water, but “which brand has the superior flavor and bubble?” asked Sam Stone in Bon Appétit. We put Pellegrino, Perrier, LaCroix, and eight other nationally distributed options to a blind taste test and selected a top three. Our tasters favored “small, focused” bubbles and a “clean” taste. Canada Dry Club Soda Our No. 1 finisher—a club soda!—won tasters over with “gentle, nearly imperceptible” mineral flavor and “perfect pinprick bubbles.” Saratoga The large, lingering bubbles in this heritage-brand mineral water made a favorable impression, but it was Saratoga’s “distinct brightness and minerality” that “made our tasters flip.” Topo Chico Sourced from a spring, Topo Chico contains relatively high levels of forever chemicals: nearly 4 parts per trillion. But that’s less than half what…

Outdoor-adventure weddings There’s a new breed of wedding photographers out there, and they “double as trip planners,” said Stuart Miller in the Los Angeles Times. Search online for “elopement adventure specialists” and you’re likely to find striking images of brides and grooms who forego traditional weddings for cinematic I dos, such as a couple sharing an upside-down Spider Man–style kiss on a Moab rock face and another kayaking on a pond atop an Alaskan glacier. Photographers Maddie Mae, Aimée Flynn, and their peers sometimes arrange the entire experience, helping couples choose spectacular locations, hire stylists, and arrange transportation. When I exchanged vows with my fiancée, Gia, near the ledge of a magnificent canyon in a Utah state park, Flynn was both our photographer and our officiant, darting from rock to…

■ The youth sports industry, according to the Aspen Institute, generates about $40 billion in annual revenue, dwarfing other forms of entertainment. Last year, for example, the domestic movie box office gross was about $8.7 billion. The New York Times ■ China’s economy grew by 5.3% in the first half of 2025, suggesting the world’s second-largest economy is weathering the trade war. China’s customs agency said that outbound shipments rose 5.8% in June compared with the same month last year. The Washington Post ■ The price of Bitcoin crossed $123,000 this week, bringing the total value of all Bitcoin to $2.42 trillion. That’s higher than the $2.39 billion market cap of Amazon. Sherwood News ■ Scarlett Johansson is now the highest-​grossing performer in Hollywood, surpassing Marvel co-​stars Robert Downey Jr.…

President Trump’s copper tariffs have produced perhaps “the most profitable trade” in the history of commodities, said Alfred Cang in Bloomberg. Since Trump first floated the idea of copper tariffs in February, “surging U.S. prices” have stoked “a massive movement of metal that has redrawn the global market.” In March, copper on the Comex exchange in New York traded at $1,300 a ton higher than global benchmark prices. Traders persuaded Chinese companies to take ships “stacked with heavy slabs of copper that had just traveled halfway around the world from smelters in Chile’s Andes mountains” and turn them right around to take them back across the Pacific to the U.S. The scramble grew even more intense when Trump last week officially announced 50% tariffs on copper imports starting Aug. 1.…

With more than 130 deaths and bodies still being recovered, survivors of the floods in Kerr County, Texas, are just starting their grief and recovery. The Kerr County Flood Relief Fund, set up by the Community Foundation of the Texas Hill Country (communityfoundation.net) is already providing aid directly to residents, businesses, and relief organizations. Established the day of the flood by the foundation, which has served central Texas’ Hill Country since 1982, the relief fund began distributing aid in a matter of days. Of its first $5 million in aid, $2.5 million went to local first responders and crisis relief agencies; $1.25 million went to residents for urgent rent, food, and cash assistance; and $1.25 million went to local businesses in the form of emergency cash grants and no-interest loans.…

David Gergen was the consummate Beltway insider. Over decades in D.C., he served as an aide to four presidents: Republicans Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, and Ronald Reagan, and Democrat Bill Clinton. Wearing hats including speechwriter, special counsel, and communications director, the centrist Gergen was known as a “spinmeister” who could craft a presidential message and work with reporters to get it out. Towering at 6 feet 5 inches, he was no arm-twister, but rather a genial schmoozer whose targeted leaks earned him the nickname “the Sieve.” He worked most closely with Reagan, writing one of the Great Communicator’s most effective lines. During a 1980 debate against Jimmy Carter, the Republican candidate asked voters, “Are you better off than you were four years ago?” The question resonated in an era of…

S. Daniel Abraham knew how to make his weight-loss shake stand out. In place of the willowy models and Hollywood stars that most diet products of the day hired as spokespeople, SlimFast enlisted Tommy Lasorda, the paunchy manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers. In 1989, when Lasorda’s players were begging him to lose 20 pounds, Abraham saw an opportunity. He publicly pledged a $20,000 donation to charity if Lasorda would try Abraham’s product: Ultra SlimFast, a 200-calorie meal-replacement drink. Three months later, Lasorda was 30 pounds lighter, and SlimFast’s annual sales quickly tripled to $300 million. The company’s tagline—“A shake for breakfast, a shake for lunch, and a sensible dinner”—became ubiquitous. Born in Long Beach, N.Y., Saul Daniel Abraham grew up hustling, said The New York Times. “His odd-job efforts…

Mark Snow found the sound that defined his career by accident. The film and television composer was struggling in 1993 to write a theme song for The X-Files, a new Fox show starring Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny as FBI agents investigating aliens and the supernatural. He tried a bold and brassy sound, typical of sci-fi epics, but nothing clicked until his elbow hit a keyboard programmed with an echo-delay effect. That eerie sound became the foundation for a simple melody, and his wife, Glynnis, provided the human whistle overlaid on top. “I was looking for something that Boy Scouts could hum at the campfire as a scary song,” he said. “Something akin to The Twilight Zone.” Born in Brooklyn as Mark Fulterman, the son of a Broadway drummer, Snow…