THE NEW YORK TIMES — OPINION: Every year I choose a university student to accompany me on my win-a-trip journey, which is meant to highlight issues that deserve more attention. My 2026 winner is Brunella Tipismana, a recent Yale University graduate and budding journalist — and with that, I’m handing the rest of the column over to her.
By Brunella Tipismana, reporting from Arkansas, Kentucky and Oklahoma
I thought I knew what poverty looked like. I grew up in a working-class neighborhood in Lima, Peru, in a family of former agricultural workers who remembered what it was like to live in thatched-roof houses. So when I drove through Arkansas, Kentucky and Oklahoma, meeting Americans in some of the poorest ZIP codes in the nation, my first reaction was one I’m not particularly proud of.
The people we met drove cars, lived in houses with air-conditioning, owned washing machines and bought groceries with electronic benefits cards. I found it hard to empathize with their circumstances: They reminded me less of my neighbors in Lima than of my country’s comfortable middle class.
As our 1,000-mile road trip went on, though, the people I met and the stories they told convinced me their poverty was more complicated than it appeared: the young people in deindustrialized towns who told us they felt left behind and terrified about their futures, the woman in Arkansas trying to raise six children on $13.40 an hour, the grandmother in eastern Kentucky who told me that I wouldn’t find a single family in her town whose lives hadn’t been touched by addiction — a sentiment I heard again and again as we drove through similar towns in Arkansas and Oklahoma.
The Americans I met were financially better off than many of their counterparts in the developing world. But as anyone who has been poor knows, poverty is about much more than money. Many working-class Americans I met are troubled by addiction, loneliness and contempt to a degree that poor people where I’m from are often spared. » | Nicholas Kristof | Opinion Columnist | Saturday, August 8, 2026
August 09, 2026
How Millionaires Want to Help Fight Poverty in the UK | DW Reporter
August 9, 2026 | Many Brits are struggling to get by, while the wealthy get richer and richer.
A group of millionaires want to change this – by paying more taxes. The United Kingdom is one of the richest countries of the word. But for millions of Brits, life feels more expensive by the day. Around a fifth of people in the country live in poverty, while the cost of living continues to increase.
Many families are cutting back on food, heating. or electricity usage. At the same time, the country as a whole has grown wealthier.
The total number of millionaires in Britain has grown drastically since the mid-1990s. In London, especially in neighborhoods like Mayfair, this wealth is on full display. But only a few kilometers away, there are people who live in social housing that struggle with broken pipes, water damage, and ever-climbing rents.
An unusual solution to the inequality problem has come from the wealthy themselves: the Patriotic Millionaires are calling for a wealth tax on the super-rich. The idea is to tax all wealth over 10 Million pounds at a rate of 2 percent. According to the group, this could save the country around 24 billion pounds annually, around 28 billion euros. More money that could be spent on public services, social housing, and infrastructure.
Thatcher and Reagan started all this sh**! They made the poor even poorer and started destroying the middle class. I was taken in by her. I am sure many of you were too. That woman encouraged GREED and destroyed COMMUNITY SPIRIT. — © Mark Alexander
A group of millionaires want to change this – by paying more taxes. The United Kingdom is one of the richest countries of the word. But for millions of Brits, life feels more expensive by the day. Around a fifth of people in the country live in poverty, while the cost of living continues to increase.
Many families are cutting back on food, heating. or electricity usage. At the same time, the country as a whole has grown wealthier.
The total number of millionaires in Britain has grown drastically since the mid-1990s. In London, especially in neighborhoods like Mayfair, this wealth is on full display. But only a few kilometers away, there are people who live in social housing that struggle with broken pipes, water damage, and ever-climbing rents.
An unusual solution to the inequality problem has come from the wealthy themselves: the Patriotic Millionaires are calling for a wealth tax on the super-rich. The idea is to tax all wealth over 10 Million pounds at a rate of 2 percent. According to the group, this could save the country around 24 billion pounds annually, around 28 billion euros. More money that could be spent on public services, social housing, and infrastructure.
Thatcher and Reagan started all this sh**! They made the poor even poorer and started destroying the middle class. I was taken in by her. I am sure many of you were too. That woman encouraged GREED and destroyed COMMUNITY SPIRIT. — © Mark Alexander
Iran Issues Tough Demands to Reopen Strait of Hormuz as Deal Still Out of Reach
THE GUARDIAN: Tehran urges US to ‘correct its behaviour’ as UAE says one of its ships targeted by Iranian missile
Screenshot taken from this Guardian article. | Tehran, Iran. An Iranian statement said the US must never threaten the country again. Photograph: Anadolu/Getty Images
Iran has issued tough new demands for reopening the strait of Hormuz, while the United Arab Emirates said one of its ships was targeted by an Iranian missile, as a deal to open the strategic waterway remained out of reach on Saturday.
Iran’s politburo-like body known as the supreme national security council said the strait of Hormuz will not open until the United States “corrects its behaviour”, and its state broadcaster published a statement from the council’s secretary, Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr, who is also a commander in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
The US must never threaten Iran again, the statement said, and must permanently end the war with Iran and its armed allies in the region. The US must lift the naval blockade of Iranian ports and withdraw its military from the area. It also must “completely compensate” Iran for war damage, lift sanctions and “unconditionally” release frozen assets. » | Guardian staff and agencies | Saturday, August 8, 2026
This is clearly a humiliation for Trump. So much for MAGA and so much for Trump’s Art of the Deal. In common parlance, Iran is clipping Trump’s wings! And it is putting America in the place where Iran thinks it belongs.
The moral of the story is simple: Be very careful when picking a fight! — © Mark Alexander
ALSO READ THIS NYT ARTICLE:
Iran Issues List of Demands, Complicating Efforts to Reopen Strait: The head of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council said that the Strait of Hormuz would remain closed until the United States met certain conditions. »
À LIRE AUSSI :
Téhéran pose ses conditions à toute réouverture du détroit d'Ormuz : L’Iran exige notamment de Washington qu’il « mette fin définitivement à la guerre et à l’agression » contre lui et ses alliés, et lève le blocus imposé à ses ports. »
LESEN SIE AUCH:
„Der Feind ist gezwungen“: Iran stellt neue Bedingungen für Straße von Hormus: Der Iran hält die Straße von Hormus blockiert. Teheran nennt sieben Bedingungen für die USA. Wie realistisch ist eine baldige Öffnung der Meerenge? »
Iran has issued tough new demands for reopening the strait of Hormuz, while the United Arab Emirates said one of its ships was targeted by an Iranian missile, as a deal to open the strategic waterway remained out of reach on Saturday.
Iran’s politburo-like body known as the supreme national security council said the strait of Hormuz will not open until the United States “corrects its behaviour”, and its state broadcaster published a statement from the council’s secretary, Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr, who is also a commander in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
The US must never threaten Iran again, the statement said, and must permanently end the war with Iran and its armed allies in the region. The US must lift the naval blockade of Iranian ports and withdraw its military from the area. It also must “completely compensate” Iran for war damage, lift sanctions and “unconditionally” release frozen assets. » | Guardian staff and agencies | Saturday, August 8, 2026
This is clearly a humiliation for Trump. So much for MAGA and so much for Trump’s Art of the Deal. In common parlance, Iran is clipping Trump’s wings! And it is putting America in the place where Iran thinks it belongs.
The moral of the story is simple: Be very careful when picking a fight! — © Mark Alexander
ALSO READ THIS NYT ARTICLE:
Iran Issues List of Demands, Complicating Efforts to Reopen Strait: The head of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council said that the Strait of Hormuz would remain closed until the United States met certain conditions. »
À LIRE AUSSI :
Téhéran pose ses conditions à toute réouverture du détroit d'Ormuz : L’Iran exige notamment de Washington qu’il « mette fin définitivement à la guerre et à l’agression » contre lui et ses alliés, et lève le blocus imposé à ses ports. »
LESEN SIE AUCH:
„Der Feind ist gezwungen“: Iran stellt neue Bedingungen für Straße von Hormus: Der Iran hält die Straße von Hormus blockiert. Teheran nennt sieben Bedingungen für die USA. Wie realistisch ist eine baldige Öffnung der Meerenge? »
Why the Iran War Won’t End Soon (w/ Alastair Crooke)
August 08, 2026
What's Behind Iceland's Security Headache | Mapped Out
August 8, 2026 | Iceland is known for its volcanoes, geysers and waterfalls among tourists from all around the world. But did you know Iceland is a founding member of NATO but doesn't have its own army and no defense budget even?
During the Cold War, it was crucial in the alliance's efforts to detect Soviet submarines using P-3 Orion patrol aircraft because the island lies at a chokepoint known as the Greenland-Iceland-UK (GIUK) gap between the Arctic Ocean and the Atlantic.
That strategic location was and still is especially important to the US which is why among security experts, Iceland is often dubbed an "unsinkable US aircraft carrier" in the middle of the North Atlantic.
But US President Donald Trump threatening Greenland and the NATO alliance as a whole, as well as growing tensions in the Arctic, have Iceland on edge.
Following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine and its increased military presence in the Arctic, Iceland started rethinking its security set-up. Could depending on NATO – and more specifically the US – now be vulnerability?
Iceland's Prime Minister Kristrún Frostadóttir has announced an increase in Iceland's defense-related spending. And the country is looking towards the European Union. It is even holding a referendum to decide whether the country should restart negotiations for EU membership that it once put on ice in 2013.
So, how is Iceland adapting to a new geopolitical environment despite having no army?
During the Cold War, it was crucial in the alliance's efforts to detect Soviet submarines using P-3 Orion patrol aircraft because the island lies at a chokepoint known as the Greenland-Iceland-UK (GIUK) gap between the Arctic Ocean and the Atlantic.
That strategic location was and still is especially important to the US which is why among security experts, Iceland is often dubbed an "unsinkable US aircraft carrier" in the middle of the North Atlantic.
But US President Donald Trump threatening Greenland and the NATO alliance as a whole, as well as growing tensions in the Arctic, have Iceland on edge.
Following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine and its increased military presence in the Arctic, Iceland started rethinking its security set-up. Could depending on NATO – and more specifically the US – now be vulnerability?
Iceland's Prime Minister Kristrún Frostadóttir has announced an increase in Iceland's defense-related spending. And the country is looking towards the European Union. It is even holding a referendum to decide whether the country should restart negotiations for EU membership that it once put on ice in 2013.
So, how is Iceland adapting to a new geopolitical environment despite having no army?
US Accused of Meddling in British Politics with $500,000 Grant for ‘Public Education’ Courses
THE GUARDIAN: Documents published on US embassy’s website prompt claims of attempt to export Maga propaganda to UK
The US embassy in London is offering grants of up to half a million dollars for new “public education” programmes in what has been criticised as interference in British domestic politics.
Using language that the pro-Trump Maga movement has sought to appropriate, a funding notice identifies a goal of fostering a “national conversation” about “shared civilizational values” underpinning US-UK ties. Priority will go to applicants aiming to celebrate “freedom of speech” and “limited government”.
It comes after senior Trump officials voiced sharp criticism of British authorities and repeated misinformation on a range of fronts including abortion and digital regulation, and allied with European far-right movements in attacks on hate speech and immigration policies.
The grants appear to be separate from other grants of $12m which the US state department is planning to allocate to organisations in the UK founded by the prominent Conservatives Jacob Rees-Mogg and Toby Young.
Those intended grants, revealed in US government documents leaked to the Guardian, are part of a package of support for European groups viewed favourably by the Trump administration.
However, the US government has now been accused of “meddling in British democracy” after documents published on the US embassy’s website invited charities, non-profit organisations and others to apply for grants under a scheme labelled “Liberty Under Law: The Shared Anglo-American Tradition”. » | Ben Quinn and Aisha Down | Saturday, August 8, 2026
The US embassy in London is offering grants of up to half a million dollars for new “public education” programmes in what has been criticised as interference in British domestic politics.
Using language that the pro-Trump Maga movement has sought to appropriate, a funding notice identifies a goal of fostering a “national conversation” about “shared civilizational values” underpinning US-UK ties. Priority will go to applicants aiming to celebrate “freedom of speech” and “limited government”.
It comes after senior Trump officials voiced sharp criticism of British authorities and repeated misinformation on a range of fronts including abortion and digital regulation, and allied with European far-right movements in attacks on hate speech and immigration policies.
The grants appear to be separate from other grants of $12m which the US state department is planning to allocate to organisations in the UK founded by the prominent Conservatives Jacob Rees-Mogg and Toby Young.
Those intended grants, revealed in US government documents leaked to the Guardian, are part of a package of support for European groups viewed favourably by the Trump administration.
However, the US government has now been accused of “meddling in British democracy” after documents published on the US embassy’s website invited charities, non-profit organisations and others to apply for grants under a scheme labelled “Liberty Under Law: The Shared Anglo-American Tradition”. » | Ben Quinn and Aisha Down | Saturday, August 8, 2026
Greenland Issues ‘Strong Warning’ as Trump-linked Oil Firm Prepares to Drill
THE GUARDIAN: Island’s government says no approval given after Greenland Energy brings kit ashore for exploratory drilling
Screenshot taken from this Guardian article. | Jameson Land, a remote part of Greenland where the US company Greenland Energy has landed drilling equipment. Photograph: Terry Allen/Alamy
An American oil company connected to Donald Trump is preparing to sink wells in remote Greenland despite not having received permission from the local authorities.
As the US president renews his threats to claim the vast Arctic territory, materials to prepare for drilling were brought ashore in recent days on Greenland’s eastern coast.
That has prompted Greenland’s government to issue a “strong warning” that no approval had been granted to land the kit. “All future logistical matters must be advised and approved by the mineral resources authority – before they are carried out,” the government said in a statement.
Two days later, Trump made his latest menacing post on Truth Social, showing himself looming over a Greenlandic village.
Executives of Greenland Energy, a Texas company set up last year, have claimed that $1tn of crude may lie beneath the Jameson Land region. They announced plans to spend $60m drilling two wells to find out. » | Tom Burgis | Saturday, August 8, 2026
An American oil company connected to Donald Trump is preparing to sink wells in remote Greenland despite not having received permission from the local authorities.
As the US president renews his threats to claim the vast Arctic territory, materials to prepare for drilling were brought ashore in recent days on Greenland’s eastern coast.
That has prompted Greenland’s government to issue a “strong warning” that no approval had been granted to land the kit. “All future logistical matters must be advised and approved by the mineral resources authority – before they are carried out,” the government said in a statement.
Two days later, Trump made his latest menacing post on Truth Social, showing himself looming over a Greenlandic village.
Executives of Greenland Energy, a Texas company set up last year, have claimed that $1tn of crude may lie beneath the Jameson Land region. They announced plans to spend $60m drilling two wells to find out. » | Tom Burgis | Saturday, August 8, 2026
August 07, 2026
Steve Rosenberg: Russia Selling "Anti-crisis Petrol" to Counter Fuel Shortages
Aug 7, 2026 | Today’s Russian papers report on Russia’s “Anti-crisis petrol” – lower grade fuel now being sold “to prevent a petrol shortage.” One paper warns: “regular use of lower grade petrol” causes problems for modern cars. Ukrainian drone strikes on Russian oil facilities have sparked summer supply problems.
August 06, 2026
Democracy Now! Top US & World Headlines
Democracy Now! can be supported here.
America is falling into a New Dark Age! — © Mark Alexander
Why Do Zippers Have YKK on Them?
August 1, 2026 | YKK is a ubiquitous brand of zipper that plays a critical role in global fashion and garment manufacturing.
In this video, we explain why YKK is on almost every zipper and how one company dominates the industry using real history and verified business facts.
In this video, we explain why YKK is on almost every zipper and how one company dominates the industry using real history and verified business facts.
Steve Rosenberg: The Language of War: How Moscow Describes Its War on Ukraine
August 05, 2026
Steve Jobs and the Apple Story - From Rebel to Tech Titan | DW Documentary
August 5, 2026 | As Apple turns 50, this film tells the story of the tech company that revolutionized our world, along with its opportunities and downsides. Has this tool of liberation become an instrument of control?
Founded 50 years ago, Apple grew from a counterculture movement into a global corporation. The film looks back at the breathtaking rise of headstrong visionary Steve Jobs, who never gave up on his dream despite fierce competition, his destructive perfectionism and even his ousting from his own company.
Colleagues and companions shine light on the expertise behind Apple: designer Hartmut Esslinger created Apple's legendary 'Snow White' design language, and typographer Erik Spiekermann developed ground-breaking typefaces. People like Daniel Kottke, a former flat mate of Steve Jobs and one of the first Apple employees, share insights into the inner workings of the legendary team. Andy Cunningham, who was sacked by Jobs a total of five times, also weighs in.
Founded 50 years ago, Apple grew from a counterculture movement into a global corporation. The film looks back at the breathtaking rise of headstrong visionary Steve Jobs, who never gave up on his dream despite fierce competition, his destructive perfectionism and even his ousting from his own company.
Colleagues and companions shine light on the expertise behind Apple: designer Hartmut Esslinger created Apple's legendary 'Snow White' design language, and typographer Erik Spiekermann developed ground-breaking typefaces. People like Daniel Kottke, a former flat mate of Steve Jobs and one of the first Apple employees, share insights into the inner workings of the legendary team. Andy Cunningham, who was sacked by Jobs a total of five times, also weighs in.
Un député veut taxer les cigarettes pour financer la lutte contre les incendies
LE FIGARO : EXCLUSIF - Face à la pollution et aux départs de feu causés par les mégots jetés dans la nature, Yannick Neuder propose une contribution des industriels. Elle servirait aussi à financer la réparation des milieux contaminés par ces déchets.
Faut-il ajouter une taxe de plus sur les cigarettes pour financer la lutte contre les incendies ? Le député LR Yannick Neuder, ancien ministre de la Santé sous François Bayrou, va déposer une proposition de loi (PPL) pour créer un fonds alimenté par les industriels du tabac. Il servirait à aider les services d’incendie et de secours à investir pour mieux s’équiper, mais aussi à financer la régénération des milieux naturels après un incendie, tout comme la dépollution des sols et des eaux contaminés par les jets de mégots.
« Il ne s’agit pas d’un dispositif moralisateur qui vise les consommateurs ou les buralistes », défend Yannick Neuder auprès du Figaro. Concrètement, le député propose une contribution de 15 euros pour 1000 cigarettes vendues, facturée directement aux industriels. Cela représente environ 30 centimes pour un paquet de 20 cigarettes, « mais l’industriel n’est pas obligé de la reporter directement sur le prix de vente ». En se basant sur les ventes de 2025, cela représenterait 350 millions d’euros de recettes supplémentaires. » | Par Thibaut Déléaz | mercredi 5 août 2026
Réservé aux abonnés
Paul Krugman: An Explosion of Misery
Trump and his acolytes are disgusting, cruel, people who are devoid of all compassion, mercy, decency and honesty. They should never have been entrusted with the levers of power in the first place. — © Mark Alexander
Steve Rosenberg: "The Spirit of Anchorage Is Over" - Russian Paper on the Failure of the Alaska Summit
August 04, 2026
Billionaire Challenges Tax Myths and Backs a Wealth Tax
Aug 4, 2026 | “I’m not afraid of losing a few millionaires.”
The wealthy are “moving to places with higher taxes” because they want to live in countries where cities are well looked after and their “wealth is safe”, says Morris Pearl, chair of Patriotic Millionaires.
The wealthy are “moving to places with higher taxes” because they want to live in countries where cities are well looked after and their “wealth is safe”, says Morris Pearl, chair of Patriotic Millionaires.
How Putin Seized the Oligarchs' Billions | Martin Sixsmith
Aug 4, 2026 | “By the end of the 1990s, the oligarchs were essentially running the government.”
Former Russia correspondent at the BBC and author of 'Suing the Kremlin: The Battle for Putin’s Billions' Martin Sixsmith reveals the process undertaken by Vladimir Putin to retrieve money and power from Russia’s oligarchs.
Former Russia correspondent at the BBC and author of 'Suing the Kremlin: The Battle for Putin’s Billions' Martin Sixsmith reveals the process undertaken by Vladimir Putin to retrieve money and power from Russia’s oligarchs.
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