APRIL 15. 2026

James Lasdun: Reality Instruction

The idea of a road trip organised around trials and hearings at court houses across the US had been in my head for years. ..

Elizabeth Goldring: At the National Gallery

More has probably been written about The Ambassadors than about any other work by Holbein. Is the painting a commentary. ..

Matthew Bevis: Wigging In

Schuyler once told an interviewer that he didn’t write the kind of poetry that attracted critics. ‘It’s too easy. ..

Ian Penman: I’m just a sound

To an extent rivalled only by the Beatles, the Beach Boys have become the tales told about them, the ever expanding. ..

UK-Israel trade deal 'must be scrapped'

Zack Polanski calls on UK government to end trade with Israel following genocide, an illegal war against Iran, and bombings in Lebanon.

Trump’s Memphis Crime Task Force Arrested Over 800 Immigrants, Records Show. Only 2% of the Arrests Were for Violent Crimes.

Businesses closed. Churches emptied. Parents afraid to take kids to school. Advocates say what was supposed to be a crime-fighting effort is keeping a community in fear.

Omaha Is Home to a Massive Superfund Site. Most Kids Living There Aren’t Tested for Lead.

For more than a century, a smelter and other factories spewed 400 million pounds of lead dust across the city’s east side. Faced with similar concerns, 13 states passed laws requiring all kids to get a blood test before kindergarten. But not Nebraska.

Hurricane Helene ravaged farmers’ topsoil. They’re still fighting to build it back.

"We're dirt farmers. Our primary job is to tend the dirt. That's the basis of everything. "

Deregulation Demands Threaten the EU’s Best Chance to Close the Gender Pay Gap

Employer lobbying to weaken the EU Pay Transparency Directive risks condemning European women to decades more of unequal pay.

Trump and the Illinois governor keep feuding over an invasive fish

After accusing Illinois of being an "unreliable partner, " the Trump administration is handing control of a billion-dollar carp barrier to Michigan.

Many companies want clean energy. Georgia Power will soon let them build it.

Supporters hope the move will serve as a model for other places balancing surging energy demand and climate goals.

Armed Off-Duty Cop Tried to Incite Violence at a High School Anti-ICE Protest

The armed and masked off-duty Phoenix, Arizona, cop said he wanted to get kids at a high school ICE protest arrested.

Prabowo’s Russian Roulette

The Indonesian president visits Moscow—and signs a U. S. defense agreement.

Why Did China Buy Up the World’s Ports?

Beijing is less focused on acquiring sovereign control, more so in assuring its own strategic security.

Cheap Drones Complicate the Gulf’s AI Boom

Protection is becoming inseparable from access.

APRIL 14. 2026

Israel, Lebanon Hold Rare U. S. -Mediated Peace Talks on Hezbollah

But without the Iranian proxy group’s involvement, implementing a cease-fire will be difficult.

Swift Swalwell Fallout Suggests the Democrats Have Finally Learned From Epstein

Eric Swalwell’s collapse over sexual assault allegations signals that Democrats got the message: Voters see abuse as a key electoral issue.

On Iran, China Softens Its Approach

Beijing’s relative quiet amid the Strait of Hormuz crisis underscores a domestic shift.

Dem Leaders Aren’t Even Bothering to Rally Caucus Against Trump Domestic Spying Powers

Grassroots opposition to renewing Section 702 of FISA is building, thanks in part to fears about AI used to sort Americans’ data.

How to Navigate a Rogue America

Stephen M. Walt’s prescription for anxious countries.