FEBRUARY 2. 2026

Trump, Modi Reach Long-Awaited U. S. -India Trade Deal

New Delhi has vowed to stop purchasing Russian oil in exchange for reduced U. S. tariffs.

What We Know About the India-U. S. Trade Deal

Trump announced the deal in a social media post on Monday.

Why Trade Deals With Russia Won’t Bring Peace

“Here we are once again, thinking that business can transform political relationships, ” said one formerly Moscow-based risk analyst.

The Transatlantic Energy Relationship Is Stronger Than Ever

And here’s how to make U. S. -European energy ties even more resilient.

Promo Time

“This is what it sounds like…” Readers of a certain generation will perhaps automatically complete this phrase by saying “when doves cry.

The Compromise Olympics

How Milan Cortina became the Winter Games nobody wanted to fight about.

Why South America’s Right Won’t Align With Trump on China

Even the most MAGA of the region’s leaders can’t abandon their motor of economic development.

Trump Calls His Enemies Terrorists. Does That Mean He Can Just Kill Them?

From boat strikes to killings in the streets of Minnesota to NSPM-7, the White House leans on the word “terror” to justify its violence.

Why Israel Courts the Far Right in Europe

The parties include some with a history of antisemitism.

Welcome to the Jade Helm Presidency

Conservatives once panicked about a supposed federal plot to invade their communities and quash dissent. Now they’re cheering it.

Europe’s Budget Gamble: Why Cutting Cohesion Funds Will Backfire

The EU's proposed long-term budget sacrifices the very regional investment and social resilience that underpin competitiveness.

Trump’s ‘get-out-of-jail-free card’ for polluters faces its latest test in court

The president exempted about 40 medical sterilization companies from Biden-era emissions standards. A new lawsuit challenges his authority.

Turmoil at FEMA adds to the revolt against Kristi Noem

Lawmakers, disaster response experts, and disaster survivors say her policies have slowed emergency response and delayed recovery funding.

Will Rio Tinto leave Madagascar a toxic legacy?

Rio Tinto might be considering selling off its share of operations at a massive ilmenite mine in Madagascar this week. But will it walk away from its history of contaminations?

What It Took for George H. W. Bush to Invoke the Insurrection Act

The president’s decision to send troops to Los Angeles received broad national, bipartisan support.

FEBRUARY 1. 2026

“Melania” Is as Vacuous as Its Subject

The Amazon movie about First Lady Melania Trump reveals next to nothing about its subject other than her complicity.

Visiting Oregon? You may soon have to pay a tax to protect its wildlife.

A bill in the Oregon Legislature would tax tourists for conservation.

My Elsewheres

I’m a Black American woman who was formed in the twentieth century, amid the cold war and racial segregation that was entrenched even in the Bay Area. But

An American Citizen Has Been Stuck in El Salvador’s Prison System Since the Biden Administration

Before Trump sent Kilmar Ábrego García to CECOT, Bukele arrested a U. S. citizen for his tattoos. The Biden administration didn't intervene.

JANUARY 31. 2026

Sparkle and Status

“Biography is a wonderful way into the past, because it’s life as experienced, day to day, subtly influenced by what is happening in politics or the movement of ideas. ”