Stream of Reading (Prepare to be Forwarded) – An Archive of What I'm Reading
BRUSSELS — European leaders grappled with the jolting reality of President-elect Donald Trump’s skepticism of the European Union on Monday, saying they might have to stand without the United States at their side during the Trump presidency. The possibility of an unprecedented breach in transatlantic relations came after Trump — who embraced anti-E.U. insurgents during his…
In January, 1961, Dwight Eisenhower delivered his farewell address after serving two terms as U.S. president; the five-star general chose to warn Americans of this specific threat to democracy: “In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex. The potential for the disastrous…
According to a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers assessment, “Mosul Dam is the most dangerous dam in the world.”CreditPhotograph by Victor J. Blue for The New Yorker Barrier Status: ‘none’ On the morning of August 7, 2014, a team of fighters from the Islamic State, riding in pickup trucks and purloined American Humvees, swept out…
For OPEC, there are few enemies more fearsome than the tiny Oklahoma town of Cushing. With oil inventories at Cushing creeping near an all-time high, U.S. benchmark futures prices are struggling to advance despite the promised production cuts agreed to by OPEC, Russia and other producers. And the storage tanks are likely to stay full…
WASHINGTON — The Pentagon on Friday demanded the return of an underwater drone that was seized by China as an American crew was moving in to retrieve it. The episode threatens to increase tensions in a region already fraught with great-power rivalries. A Chinese warship had been shadowing the Bowditch, a United States naval vessel,…
On March 15, 2002, 15 Saudi girls burned to death inside their school in Mecca. They were not trapped by fallen debris, or unaccounted for by firefighters. The mutaween, Saudi Arabia’s religious police, would not allow the girls to leave their burning school because they were not covering their hair or wearing their abayas. The…
SYDNEY, Australia — On the other side of the world from you, we are living in two time zones. One regulated by the rise and fall of the sun, the other regulated by the American news cycle. In our early afternoon you go to bed, in our late evening you wake again and news breaks…
Rex W. Tillerson has voiced skepticism about sanctions that halted some Exxon Mobil projects in Russia. Credit Ben Torres for The New York Times MOSCOW — Now that President-elect Donald J. Trump has chosen Rex W. Tillerson, the chief executive of Exxon Mobil, to be the next secretary of state, the giant oil company stands…
TOKYO — Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe had hoped to present Russian President Vladimir Putin with a “bridegroom” for Yume, the Akita dog Japanese officials gave the Kremlin leader in 2012. But a Japanese lawmaker said Putin turned down the offer of a companion for Yume, whose name means “Dream.” It may not be the last…
Photographed by Matthew Frost I first met Michelle Obama at the White House Easter Egg Roll in 2011, when I was 15. I was obviously nervous but was immediately put at ease when she gave me and my mom a big hug and we all instantly bonded over our height. “Oh, we like tall girls…