The New York Times International - 03.08.2026.pdf国际足球联合会主席因凡蒂诺的“伊卡洛斯时刻” 第 13 页 / 体育 古文字与激光揭秘亚马逊秘密 第 2 页 宇宙之重：蜘蛛侠电影陷入剧情纠葛 第 14 页 / 文化
纽约时报 国际版 / 2026 年 8 月 3 日，星期一
印度民主尚未死亡 Kapil Komireddi 观点 / 新德里
三十多年来，印度的总理纳伦德拉·莫迪一直塑造着一种由恐惧、敬畏和崇拜支撑的政治神秘感，从而在民主世界中制造出了最强大的个人崇拜之一。
那个形象已经瓦解。
最初，学生们因医学院入学考试题目泄露而发出的零星抗议，在数周内演变成了该总理 12 年执政以来政治影响最深远的叛逆行动。
一个由学生、应届毕业生、失业工人、农民和少数名人组成的广泛联盟支持这项运动。在一场前所未有的公开嘲讽中，他们通过街道和社交媒体，嘲弄了印度两代人以来最强大的领导人。
但两个周末前，被逼入绝境的莫迪先生最终同意其教育部长辞职——这对于一个以不愿妥协为核心政治特质的人来说，是最不可能的让步。
这个夏天的起义不仅仅关乎考试泄露，它更是对印度民主自我修正能力的一次测试。
“这场运动是一代年轻印度人积累的挫败感的爆发，他们再也无法将自己凄惨的现实与总理所宣传的繁荣‘新印度’神话调和在一起。”
这个国家看似不可战胜的领导人被迫进行了罕见的退让，这表明，尽管莫迪先生花十年时间掏空民主机构并将权力集中在自己周围，但印度民主的最终守护者可能仍然是其公民。
莫迪先生在承诺一个没有腐败、充满进步与机会的土地之上崛起，承诺将创造数百万个就业机会，且如果贪腐官员在外国银行私藏资金，贫穷的印度公民可以领取 1500 万卢比（按当前汇率约 $15,700）。
KOMIREDDI，第 10 页
《纽约时报》发表来自广泛视角的观点文章，旨在促进关于重大问题的建设性辩论。
以传统方式钻探 在印度尼西亚，爪哇岛的一个被称为“小德克萨斯”的角落里，社区运营的水井工人使用木棍、水桶和旧卡车发动机来提取原油。 第 15 页
被封锁的古巴在努力维持燃料供应，以抵御华盛顿的剧烈压力 作者：JACK NICAS
结果证明，古巴在没有燃料运输的情况下坚持的时间远比特朗普政府预期的要长。
在近七十年的美国压力下，古巴突破重围，通过临时方案生存下来。现在看来，特朗普先生和之前的许多美国总统一样，也发现推翻由菲德尔·卡斯特罗建立的政府并非易事。
国务卿马可·鲁比奥上个月告诉记者，特朗普政府仍然希望看到古巴政府垮台。“我们准备在如何实现这一目标上保持非常现实的态度。”
凭借其创造力、勇气和太阳能电池板，这个岛国在石油封锁中勉强维持。
数月以来，特朗普总统一直预测古巴即将崩溃。
失职。“它将会崩溃，”他在Jan. 4日——即接管委内瑞拉石油公司（曾是古巴的生命线）一天后——告诉报道人员。随后他实施了石油封锁，使这座岛屿陷入了有史以来最严重的能源危机，目前正经历着几乎全天持续的大规模停电。然而，六个月后，古巴政府依然在寻求某种协议。
“古巴不是美国的敌人，”古巴外交部副部长卡洛斯·费尔南德斯·德·科西尼奥（Carlos Fernández de Cossío）在一次采访中表示，“我们显然希望建立一种建设性且相互尊重的关系。”
在哈瓦那的一栋装有太阳能电池板的建筑前停放着电动汽车。那些在危机中“生存”的古巴人正在寻找应对美国燃料封锁的解决方案。
上个月，我们访问了该国以了解情况。经过一周的实地考察，我们发现虽然古巴人确实在承受痛苦，但他们也在通过各种方式维持社会运转——例如在停电期间使用电视机和风扇；临时改装发电机来提供电力。
一名农民表示：“古巴政府正试图让事物重新回到古巴人民手中。”
伊朗计划在代理人的帮助下发动更大规模战争
在停火期间制定的旨在增加特朗普冲突成本的策略 作者：FARNAZ FASSINI 和 NEIL MACFARQUHAR
一次无人机袭击导致一座巨大的沙特工业设施（全球最大的此类工厂）浓烟滚滚。在苏伊士运河（全球贸易的关键扼制点）附近的埃及港口，两艘液化天然气运输船起火。随着导弹飞向一个驻有美国人员的基地，约旦上空火球频现。
近日，随着伊朗及其代理民兵组织试图打击美国盟友和石油全球市场，并迫使美国停止针对该伊斯兰共和国的行动，战争已笼罩中东地区一个不断扩大的目标圈。
两名伊朗高级官员将这些袭击描述为一个分步计划，该计划是在今年春天短暂的停火期间秘密制定的，“如果美国加强袭击，将利用伊朗的盟友升级攻击。”官员们表示，目标是让这场战争给特朗普总统带来的代价尽可能高。
伊朗首席谈判代表的高级顾问马赫迪·穆罕默迪（Mahdi Mohammadi）甚至在社交媒体上吹嘘这一与代理力量（在该地区被称为“抵抗之弧”）的策略。
“冲突的规则正在改变并被重写，我们正在战争中创造新的条件和平台，”穆罕默迪先生说，“战线正从该地区的各个方向增加；它们当然是协调一致的，但行动独立。一个拥有新参与者的新抵抗之弧正在出现。”
特朗普先生在周六晚间表示，他已取消了威胁要对伊朗采取的美国打击行动，前提是能够迅速达成一项重新开放霍尔木兹海峡并结束他所描述的伊朗核威胁的协议。
在 Truth Social 上，特朗普先生表示，伊朗和其他中东国家已请求他推迟军事行动，并声称已达成“协议框架”。他还声称以色列已共同参与。
自2023年武装组织哈马斯袭击以色列以来，伊朗及其盟友遭受了沉重打击。然而，近期的事件显示了他们重新集结、制造混乱并为伊朗赢得筹码的能力。尽管如此，分析人士并不认为这些代理力量（各自有自己的议程）仅仅是德黑兰的傀儡。
伊朗，第 4 页
纽约时报 准备让今天的大学生 成为明天的全球公民。 获取校园范围内的纽约时报访问权限。
埃米莉·威尔逊是谁？
2017, 威尔逊成为了第一位将《奥德赛》从古希腊语翻译成英语的女性，这一译本因其全面性、现代感以及对荷马这部近 3,000 年前诗作的忠实还原，而在学术界和文学界广受赞誉。
这个项目花费了 54 岁的威尔逊好几年时间才完成，她已出版了四本关于古代文学的书籍，其中包括 2023 年翻译的荷马另一部史诗《伊利亚特》。
由 W.W. Norton & Company 出版的这个《奥德赛》译本，摒弃了其男性前辈所使用的男性化框架。
作者：NEIL VIGDOR
随着克里斯托弗·诺兰的史诗电影在票房上接近 10 亿美元 billion，其中一位领先的荷马史诗翻译家埃米莉·威尔逊（Emily Wilson）对这部夏季大片进行了猛烈抨击，认为这部电影过于宏大且肤浅，偏离了古典解读。
威尔逊曾在《伦敦评论周刊》中表示，她曾对看到这个故事如何在大银幕上展开感到“兴奋”，但随后她表示，如果自己参与编写了这部电影的任何部分，她将感到“羞愧”。
她今年对这部最热门电影的 4,000 词以上评论文章，似乎一度导致该周刊网站崩溃，并引发了一场辩论。
《奥德赛》，第10页，第2页
2 / 星期一，AUGUST 3, 2026 ‘纽约时报 国际版 第二页
古代社会的证据 几何设计反驳了亚马逊在殖民者到来前基本未被触及的观点 作者：ALAN YUHAS
在亚马逊西南部上空飞行的考古学家发现了——“这项上周发表在《自然》杂志上的研究显示，在森林冠层之下存在圆形、方形和其他几何图形，其中一些带有连接道路，总共发现了近 400 个此前未知的土方工程。其中许多是在公元前到公元 850. 年期间使用的。所有这些都增加了证据，反驳了将亚马逊地区描绘成在15世纪欧洲人抵达前基本未被触及的广袤之地的说法。
为了在玻利维亚、巴西和秘鲁边境附近茂密的冠层下观察，那些肉眼不可见的地方，研究人员使用了激光雷达。这些发现包括许多面积约三公顷的区域，其中包含许多沟渠。
“这是一项重要且宏大的研究，基于该地区异常广泛的激光雷达覆盖，揭示了前哥伦布时期亚马逊西南部景观改造的惊人规模，”José Iri- Seve 在研究中表示。在接下来的几个世纪里，由于疾病和殖民对原住民造成的毁灭性打击，这些记载在很大程度上被忽视了。随后的科学家也难以想象，在没有欧洲影响的情况下，如何能发展出如此庞大或复杂的社会。
一名翻译者引发了一场关于史诗电影的辩论 《奥德赛》，接第 1 页
……这次决定使她遭受了网络骚扰，以及那些反对她翻译的人的攻击。
在宣传他的大片时，克里斯托弗·诺兰提到威尔逊对《奥德赛》的翻译是他的影响来源之一。
威尔逊是某大学古典研究系的系主任，并且因为“通过传达古代文本与我们时代的关联性，将古典文学带给新观众”而成为 2019 年麦克阿瑟奖获得者。她在英格兰的牛津大学和康涅狄格州的耶鲁大学学习过。
关于诺兰的改编，威尔逊怎么说？在电影《奥德赛》首映前的五天，威尔逊在 7 月 12 播出的纽约时报播客节目《The Daily》中表示，她对这个故事如何在大银幕上展开感到“兴奋”。
“我的意思是，这么多可能认为‘哦，古代文学很枯燥’的人会觉得这很刺激！而且在看电影的人中，一定有一部分人会重新回到原诗，我认为这太棒了。”
当被问及纯粹主义者可能会因为表演而感到不满时，她谈到诺兰说：“我认为导演探索自己的愿景完全没问题且合理。”
但她接着说：诺兰的改编缺少了许多使这首诗变得伟大的元素。“它在时间、记忆、历史、战争或……等方面没有任何令人信服的论述。”
诺兰在 2024, 获得了 7 项学院奖，包括最佳影片和最佳导演，但他尚未公开回应威尔逊的尖锐评论。
在反对威尔逊的批评并为诺兰辩护的人中，有小说家乔伊斯·卡罗尔·奥茨（Joyce Carol Oates），她是新泽西州普林斯顿大学的一位退休人文教授，也是国家图书奖得主。
“是的，她那种轻视和傲慢的优越感基调听起来很不和谐，”奥茨在 X 上写道。“这个人从诺兰的电影中获益匪浅，但她并没有以同事般的方式表达对荷马史诗的不同意见，而是使用‘MAGA’人群攻击与自己观点不同者的粗鄙语言。”
奥茨说她将……
原本期望一名她描述为具有主观性的翻译员能更加宽容。争论到将诺兰（Christopher Nolan）的最新电影“撕碎”。标题为：“我是一个经典——”她生命中的许多年，而且她深知这一点，纳什（Nash）写道。“但通常情况下，农业导致了……一个被认为亚马逊地区是原始森林、绿洲几乎被抹除的时代。 “考古学家发现了所有这些‘不应该出现在亚马逊地区’的东西，这不是因为亚马逊在土壤方面有所不同，而是因为你如何利用森林，”鲁斯维尔特博士（Dr. Roosevelt）说。
在亚马逊其他地区的近期工作中，发现了道路、运河、广场和居住平台的痕迹，包括在厄瓜多尔东部。帕尔辛嫩博士（Dr. Parssinen）利用一种名为激光雷达（lidar）的技术穿透雨林。上述激光雷达图像显示了在阿克雷（Acre）发现的一处土方工程遗址。他说，进一步的挖掘对于研究这些地画（geoglyphs）至关重要，这些地画在许多方面仍然充满神秘感，包括“它们是如何被使用的，以及它们是否与居住、仪式或其他活动相关”。
研究人员部分参考了居住在该土方工程区域中心的原住民阿普林德（Apurind）民族的口述记载，称这些设计很可能具有多种用途。“我们非常确定，它们被用于节日、政治场合、仪式、舞蹈、音乐以及像球类比赛这样的竞争，”芬兰赫尔辛基大学名誉教授、该论文第一作者马尔蒂·帕尔辛嫩（Marti Parssinen）说。研究人员将这些结构归于一个他们称之为 Aquiry 的古代社会，帕尔辛嫩博士将其描述为一个多元文化、多语言的群体，他们在这些仪式中心中反映出“共同的宇宙观”。
并非团队成员的伊利诺伊大学芝加哥分校人类学教授安娜·鲁斯维尔特（Anna Roosevelt）表示，“还没有人完全弄清楚”这些地画的确切用途或含义，它们可能具有与天文学相关的形状。帕尔辛嫩博士表示，考古学家尚未发现 Aquiry era 时代的土丘上有永久居住的证据，该时代于公元 900 年左右结束。他们也不认为任何结构是防御工事。
但这些结构延伸至 1,700 平方英里（4,400 平方公里）的区域，证明了在哥伦布到达之前的几个世纪里，亚马逊盆地人口分布广泛且密集。像加斯帕尔·德·卡瓦哈尔（Gaspar de Carvajal）这样的记录者——一名在 16 世纪 40 年代随征服者弗朗西斯科·德·奥雷利亚纳（Francisco de Orellana）在亚马逊旅行的传教士——描述了某些地方“人口稠密”的土地，拥有许多大型定居点，其中一个定居点“延伸五个联盟，房屋之间没有间隔”。
他指出，在某些地方，雨林依然如此茂密，以至于激光都无法穿透叶层。科学家警告说，为了农业而进行的森林砍伐可能已经损坏或破坏了遗址。“这种遗产受到伐木活动的严重威胁。”巴西圣保罗大学的（某人），并非团队成员。帕尔辛嫩博士的团队还暗示，在 Aquiry 社会的巅峰时期，即公元 100-300 年之间，仅该地区的人口总数可能就达到了 300 万。
人口估算是研究人员之间激烈且有时充满争议的辩论主题，一些专家表示，对待这项最新研究的提议应当谨慎。但大多数科学家现在认为，16 世纪关于人口密集的记载并不像许多代人认为的那样离谱。“他们曾认为那是卡瓦哈尔的想象……”
……奥瑞兰娜（Orel- lana）的远征，那里曾有规模巨大的定居点？”帕辛宁（Parssinen）博士说道。
“勇士光荣地回归，以及他的家人、对手、战友、朋友和邻居的生活，”她写道。“它缺乏心理、情感、政治和伦理深度。其叙事结构是噱头式的。这种写作是，一场壮观的，就像一次精心策划的7月4日烟火表演——在某些层面叙述而缺乏‘情感深度’，”她写道。“大多数非白人演员——赞达亚（Zendaya）、露皮塔·尼永奥（Lupita Nyong’o）、希梅什·帕特尔（Himesh Patel）、科里·安东尼奥·霍金斯（Corey Antonio Hawkins）、特拉维斯·斯科特（Travis Scott）——扮演的都是‘黑人好基友’的版本，他们在剧中的唯一作用就是为白人主角提供帮助，”她写道。
周三，威尔逊（Wilson）在Bluesky上对她提出该批评的方式表示遗憾，她只是批评克里斯托弗·诺兰（Christopher Nolan）偏离了原著，仿佛电影制作者的选择本身不是一种诠释行为。
在威尔逊的翻译中，那种对文本的密切关注在她的电影解读中却缺失了，而且她否定了诺兰可能对《奥德赛》（The Odyssey）有“新见解”的可能性。纽约州北部的巴德学院（Bard College）人文教授丹尼尔·门德尔松（Daniel Mendelsohn）——他自己也翻译过这部作品——认为诺兰“按照自己的形象塑造了荷马的英雄，就像他强加给奥德修斯的冒险价值与荷马完全无关”门德尔松写道。
墨西哥公布一项 $115 million 计划清理海岸线
墨西哥城 发臭的褐色海藻正困扰该地区，令部分游客望而却步 作者：DAVID SHORTELL
墨西哥总统克劳迪娅·辛鲍姆（Claudia Sheinbaum）公布了一项 $115 million 的计划，旨在对抗该国关键旅游业最严重的威胁之一：一场灾难。
辛鲍姆女士在周四的每日新闻发布会上表示，该计划的核心是两艘 200 英尺（60 米）长的船只，每分钟可清理超过三吨海藻，将在墨西哥东海岸的公海进行拖网作业。
“墨西哥海军还将安装超过 9 英里（8 公里）的军事围挡，同时酒店和地方政府将使用重型机械和铲车来清理穿过围挡的垃圾。”
这种被称为“马尾藻”（sargassum）的发臭褐色藻类十多年来一直困扰着墨西哥及更广泛的地区，但今年的预测创下了纪录。每天有高达 9,000 吨的马尾藻抵达金塔纳罗奥州（Quintana Roo）海岸，该墨西哥州包含旅游胜地坎昆（Cancun）。去年每天冲上岸的数量为 27 吨，而今年则显著增加。
“该计划的规模表明了海藻构成了多么巨大的威胁。”在大多数情况下，人们因海藻袭扰而更改计划，威胁到了占墨西哥经济近 9% 的旅游收入。
今年发表的一项研究估计，海滩上出现马尾藻与当地经济活动下降约 11% 相关，且在首次检测到海藻后，负面影响可持续长达 12 个月。
辛鲍姆女士将这项工作描述为紧迫的优先事项，上个月她乘坐直升机视察了受影响地区，并在周四邀请了最高军事和科学官员出席这场一小时的演示。
该地区绵延的粉末沙滩和青绿色海水是墨西哥最重要的旅游目的地，而数百万全球游客计划抵达的旺季将于秋季开始。
“目前的努力是巨大的，但我们必须做得更多，以防止马尾藻进入海滩，”辛鲍姆说。
自 2011 年以来，风向模式的改变将海藻带到了其天然分布区之外。
从北大西洋的家园——那里是海洋生物的栖息地和食物来源——到南部，科学家认为，来自非洲和巴西的化学农业径流也加速了其生长速度。墨西哥总统克劳迪娅·辛鲍姆（Claudia Sheinbaum）将这一努力描述为一项紧迫的优先事项。当洋流和风将藻类带到岸边时，它会形成厚厚且难看的堆积物，掩埋野生生物，并引发褐潮，导致水下含氧量骤降，杀死大量鱼类。
墨西哥的努力集中在拦截。据墨西哥海军的雷蒙多·佩德罗·莫拉莱斯·安赫莱斯（Raymundo Pedro Morales Angeles）称，一艘可容纳高达 200 吨海藻的船已经在加勒比海运行。
莫拉莱斯·安赫莱斯先生说，第二艘船的容量为 700 吨，目前停在墨西哥太平洋沿岸的一个港口，等待通过巴拿马运河，预计将在一个月内加入战斗。这些船是经过改装的滚装船，通常用于在国际港口之间运送汽车，就像一个浮动车库。在船头，墨西哥海军安装了一个收集系统，并且会有船只拖着网在靠近海岸的地方收集海藻，此外还将投入 300 多名士兵在陆地上处置海藻。
据当地酒店协会前主席罗伯托·辛特伦（Roberto Cintrén）称，清理约一码宽的沙滩海藻，一家酒店每月可能花费高达 $60——考虑到一些海滨物业漫长的海岸线，这个数字会累积起来。
该公司商业总监、另一位前协会负责人杰斯蒂斯·阿尔马奎尔（Jestis Almaguer）在谈到应对日常困扰时表示。
墨西哥豪华度假村开发商 Grupo Vidanta 的执行副总裁伊万·查韦斯（Ivan Chavez）在周四的新闻发布会上表示，这项投资是“全球范围内针对海藻最全面的响应”。除墨西哥外，今年加勒比地区和南佛罗里达州的海岸也发现了海藻爆发，导致当地官员讨论购买船只以改善环境。
巴塞纳（Barcena）女士表示，预计将于 10 月在坎昆举行一次国际峰会，届时将包括来自加勒比地区和巴西的领导人。
4 / 2026年8月3日，星期一 世界 《纽约时报》国际版
伊朗及其代理人如何策划更大规模的战争（见伊朗页！）
尽管伊朗对这些团体的协调和控制程度各不相同，例如，也门胡塞武装被认为是该联盟中最为自治的团体。真主党与伊朗的协调最为紧密，而伊拉克境内的什叶派民兵在愿意充当伊朗直接“手臂”的程度上则处于中间位置。但这些团体在反对美国和以色列方面仍有共同目标。据两名熟悉计划且均身为卫队成员的官员透露（两人在讨论敏感内部审议时要求匿名），在短暂的停火期间，伊朗将军们与代理民兵指挥官秘密商议如何扩大战争规模，并提高华盛顿的战争成本。
官员们表示，负责培育代理民兵的卫队对外分支——圣城旅的高级指挥官，与真主党、胡塞武装以及伊拉克什叶派武装团体的指挥官举行了虚拟会议。两名官员还表示，圣城旅的指挥官和顾问一直与地面的民兵密切合作。卫队试图填补真主党在与以色列的战争中被大量削减的员额空缺，同时在由什叶派民兵运营的伊拉克基地中服役。
周三早些时候，一波美沙空袭瞄准了伊拉克的民兵。伊朗媒体发表了在袭击中丧生的四名男子的照片，他们都穿着圣城旅标志性的橄榄色制服，棺材上覆盖着伊朗国旗。一名区域民兵专家在电话采访中表示：“我们正在下的一盘大棋；民兵就是伊朗的棋子，需要在正确的时间明智地移动。”分析人士称，这些袭击经过精确计算，旨在避免与美国或以色列军队发生直接冲突，因为这可能会导致针对伊朗的严厉报复。在沙特石油设施引发的一场火灾将该王国拖入了战争，但沙特的反应目标是涉嫌此次袭击的伊拉克民兵，而非伊朗。
分析人士称，伊朗动员其代理力量是出于多种原因。首先，该战略旨在限制该地区的石油出口，在美国中期选举前推高美国的油价，并减少华盛顿阿拉伯盟友的收入。分析人士表示，德黑兰感觉到，严重的经济损失可能会使邻国更容易接受伊朗控制所有通过霍尔木兹海峡交通的野心。在战争之前，全球约 20% 的石油供应经过该海峡。
一位 21 世纪中东历史作者表示：“伊朗认为它的邻国很脆弱。他们基本上只是想通过强迫沙特来获得‘一些让步’。”
（上图：周三在为伊拉克摩苏尔民兵基地空袭遇难者举行的葬礼上，哀悼者抬着覆盖伊朗国旗的棺材。下图，从左至右：周五在也门萨那的一次反沙特集会上的胡塞武装支持者；以及……村庄升起的烟雾）
由于其石油出口在霍尔木兹海峡很大程度上被封锁，沙特阿拉伯一直在通过横跨王国的管道运输大部分石油。随后，石油从红海港口通过曼德海峡（分隔也门与非洲的狭窄海峡）出口。在美国和以色列……之后一直处于边缘地位的胡塞武装……
攻击了伊朗，于 7 月 20 日宣布对沙特的航运实施海上封锁，并开始通过导弹和无人机攻击来强制执行。接着，周三，另一条通往亚洲、经过苏伊士运河和地中海的更长路线也受到了威胁，无人机击中了埃及的油轮——“开辟了新战线”。伊朗否认了有关其在以色列攻击后于上月进入黎巴嫩的指控。沙特阿拉伯，尤其是旨在结束也门长期内战（该王国在其中扮演了破坏性角色）的努力。
欧亚集团（Eurasia Group，一家风险咨询公司）的中东和北非执行董事表示：“这是经过精准计算的升级，是胡塞武装与沙特之间正在进行的‘以火谈判’的一部分。”分析人士称，伊朗盟友发起攻击的另一个原因是意识形态方面的。伊朗发展其代理网络有两个主要目标：帮助将美国军队赶出该地区并给以色列造成伤害，以及将民兵用作抵御对伊朗本土攻击的盾牌。
真主党曾是以色列门口伊朗强大的合作伙伴，现在由于华盛顿在 6 月促成的一项以色列-黎巴嫩和平协议（其中包含了一个不大可能实现的目标，即“解除民兵武装”）而感到新的威胁。该组织一直在尝试从与以色列的战争中重建，在那场战争中，以色列暗杀了该民兵组织的长期领导人，并杀死了数千名战士。
“该地区不同方向的战线正在增加；它们当然是协调一致的，但行动独立。”据报道，伊朗试图支持这些努力，部署革命卫队指挥官直接进入真主党的领导委员会。事实证明，这些指挥官居住在远离真主党传统据点、但被以色列攻击的建筑中。
“摧毁或削弱真主党领导层的一个意外后果是，伊朗革命卫队现在能更有效地控制真主党及其行动，”马克萨德先生（Mr. Maksad）说道。类似的情况也发生在伊拉克，在 2003 年美国入侵后，那里出现了一套令人眼花缭乱的民兵拼凑体系。在华盛顿的敦促下，伊拉克一直在将民兵纳入其武装部队，但一些较小的团体正在抵制。释放真主党和伊拉克民兵是以色列伊朗挫败此类美国努力的一种手段。
“他们看到自己的足迹在减少，因此希望重新确认他们在该地区的出现及其地区角色，”华盛顿史汀生中心（Stimson Center）中东项目负责人兰达·斯利姆（Randa Slim）说道。分析人士表示，尽管各民兵组织有各自的攻击理由，但存在目标的统一，以及一种共同的感觉，即特朗普先生及其阿拉伯盟友不愿追求战争，这给德黑兰及其代理人留下了机会。
“他们闻到了水中的血腥味，并且正在利用其优势，”奥斯托瓦尔先生（Mr. Ostovar）说。“胡塞武装给邻国施压有自己的理由，他们与伊朗在一起，但不一定是为了代表伊朗而行动，”菲拉斯·马克萨德（Firas Maksad）说道。
胡艾达·萨德（Hwaida Saad）和弗朗西斯卡·雷加拉多（Francesca Regalado）参与报道。
新闻分析 中东冲突加深对美国信誉的质疑 随着特朗普的战争目标转移且弹药短缺，盟友深感担忧 作者：STEVEN ERLANGER
对于美国的盟友来说，特朗普总统在伊朗的战争目前已进入第六个月，似乎正走向战略失败。他们担心，美国无法将军事优势转化为可持续改变的伊朗局面，这展示了一种俄罗斯和中国将对此表示欢迎的脆弱性。
此外，特朗普先生的目标仍未达成，且美国军方在维持全球影响力的关键军备上正面临短缺。目前，伊朗在更激进的领导层下似乎坚定不移；其核计划和弹道导弹计划虽有所削弱但并未被摧毁，且霍尔木兹海峡实际上处于其控制之下。这场战争使美国和以色列都陷入了更弱的境地——并且在为这一局面互相指责。伊朗的导弹和无人机不仅限制了海峡的交通，损害了盟友能源生产的经济基础设施，而且继续威胁中东各地的美国基地，并导致美国服务人员伤亡。随着特朗普先生目标的转变，分析人士称，华盛顿在外交上正在失去信誉。他们表示，这场战争强化了这样一种印象，即美国是一个不可预测的全球混乱工具。
“战争可能会演变，但到目前为止，结果是‘一次战略损失和一次尴尬’，”伦敦智库皇家国际事务研究所（Chatham House）前所长罗宾·尼布莱特（Robin Niblett）说道。“对于美国的盟友，以及那些在安全上完全依赖美国的人来说，这证实了你不能‘信任美国’。”他补充说，即使伊斯兰共和国崩溃，“人们也不会忘记，他们的安全和未来曾因美国不可预测且摇摆不定的外交政策而被置于危险之中”。欧洲盟友还记得特朗普先生曾誓言从一个北约盟友手中夺取格陵兰岛，以及他威胁除非其他盟友达到他的支出目标，否则将退出该联盟。中东盟友看到他们自己的安全在这次战争中被削弱，即使他们对华盛顿的承诺过于深厚而无法放弃与美国的伙伴关系。但国际危机组（International Crisis Group）伊朗项目主管阿里·瓦埃兹（Ali Vaez）表示，他们已经在进行对冲，寻求修复与伊朗的关系，以及与欧洲、中国和俄罗斯建立更好的关系。
尼布莱特先生说，许多国家不喜欢之前的全球秩序，但至少那时还存在一种秩序。他说：“现在，美国确认了自己是一个混乱的力量，每个人都在从中吸取教训，并试图减少依赖。没有人想受制于一种不知道底线、反复无常的外交政策，这就是一场战略失败。”
瓦埃兹先生举了近期其他事件作为证据，证明美国作为盟友安全保证人的信誉已经丧失，包括上个月在特拉华州为在约旦作战牺牲的美国陆军士兵举行的庄严移交仪式，以及特朗普先生在宣布与沙特的历史性核协议后，于7月23日突然改变要求。“沙特与特朗普达成了一项核协议，结果他在24小时内就撤回了，”瓦埃兹先生说。“这就是美国的信誉危机。无论是其军事实力还是外交承诺都不可信。”
特朗普先生主张，防止伊朗获得核武器至关重要，且伊朗最终会在强大的力量面前屈服。他周五表示，预计伊朗最终会意识到自己无法承受更多惩罚，将按照美国的条款进行谈判。他的这些评论发表之时，针对美国水系统的网络攻击范围已扩大到至少7个州，当局正紧急采取措施，保护国家水源免受日益明显地被认为是伊朗所为的袭击。尽管没有迹象表明任何水源被篡改或变得不安全，但官员们仍对潜在风险保持高度警戒。
用于监测和调节水质的脆弱计算机中的问题。“在美伊战争开始时的一次空袭中被杀死的阿亚图拉·阿里·哈梅内伊。第二次世界大战使美国在国内变得更强大，在国外拥有更多影响力。但自那以后，美国的军事记录则褒贬不一。在越南、伊拉克和阿富汗，敌人更愿意承受冲突带来的痛苦和代价，并最终熬过了美国。现在，美国已证实自己是一股混乱的力量。这次在伊朗的战争结果可能类似，华盛顿会找一个充分的理由止损并回家。前美国谈判代表、现卡内基国际和平基金会高级研究员亚伦·大卫·米勒表示，这场冲突已经“削弱了美国的威慑力和可信度，激怒了美国的盟友，并令其对手感到高兴”。
“而且，如果霍尔木兹海峡落入伊朗的杠杆操纵和控制之下，这将构成了毫无疑问的战略失败。”关键防空弹药（如爱国者导弹）的严重短缺在乌克兰产生了次生影响，并向俄罗斯、中国以及北约证明，美国在未来数年内将降低其同时向盟友补给并进行持久战的能力。法国安全分析师弗朗索瓦·海斯堡表示，这场战争还严重破坏了美国与以色列之间的至关重要联盟。包括副总统JD·万斯在内的美国官员暗示，以色列总理本雅明·内塔尼亚胡在向特朗普先生证明这场战争将快速且决定性地结束时过于乐观。加上由于与加沙哈马斯的冲突（有些人称之为种族灭绝）而对以色列及犹太人普遍产生的负面看法，
这场战争增加了美国的反犹主义。两国都接壤霍尔木兹海峡。瓦埃兹先生表示，伊朗希望独占海峡北线的控制权，并共同控制南线，这将使其对交通拥有实际的否决权。伊朗认为阿曼受到沙特的和美国的影响，而阿曼主张自愿支付通行费，伊朗则要求强制收费。海斯堡先生说：“这可能是我们所熟知的海洋法的终结。”他指出，航行自由自美国建国以来一直是其核心利益，但现在面临风险。但即使是那些倾向于与美国进一步谈判的伊朗决策者，也在失去信心，认为特朗普先生无法遵守关于霍尔木兹海峡或任何其他事务的任何协议。专注于经济外交的研究机构Bourse & Bazaar基金会的埃斯凡迪亚尔·巴特曼格利吉认为。他说：“伊朗领导人对于与特朗普政府外交能取得什么成效变得极其悲观。”他指出，许多人认为特朗普先生反复无常，而且在面对美国削弱自身盟友的情况下，他们很难想象如何能与美国达成协议。达斯汀·沃勒和埃内斯托·伦敦参与了报道。
6 / MONDAY, AUGUST 3, 2026 《纽约时报》国际版
世界
在撤销水池案件后，她激怒了特朗普
华盛顿
让宁·皮罗 (Jeanine Pirro) 是总统数十年的盟友，现在她成为了他的目标。
作者：格伦·斯鲁什 (GLENN THRUSH)
July 2，让宁·皮罗带着标志性的自信面对镜头，宣布“起诉 67 岁的前奥运选手大卫·赫恩 (David Hearn)，因其破坏‘神圣的’政府财产——总统特朗普极为珍视但经常进行翻新的反思池”。
“这不仅是总统的优先事项，也是我个人的优先事项，”哥伦比亚特区美国检察官皮罗女士说道。她披露了对赫恩先生触碰林肯纪念堂前水池内衬而面临的重罪破坏指控。她补充道：“我们将证明没有合理的怀疑……”
但皮罗女士的办公室在周五戏剧性地改变了方向，不仅撤销了对赫恩先生的指控，还猛烈抨击内政部仓促且“搞砸了”的翻新工程，以及提供了错误信息导致她公开引用针对赫恩先生的“巨大证据”的美国公园警察官员。在此过程中，无论是否有意，她在言行上极其接近于反驳特朗普先生——而他注意到了。
皮罗女士 20 页的文件中并未提及，更没有谴责特朗普先生关于损坏是由左翼破坏者而非其政府失误造成的说法。但该文件对他声称犯罪分子用“刀或刀片”切开水池内衬的断言提出了内在质疑。
皮罗女士曾任纽约州威斯特彻斯特县地区检察官并是福克斯新闻 (Fox News) 的名人。她的批评目标并非特朗普先生，而是内政部长道格·伯格姆 (Doug Burgum)，后者负责签署无需竞标的合同来翻新水池，但这似乎并不重要。
周六上午，特朗普先生在 Truth Social 上快速发布了一篇帖子，明确表示他对自 20 世纪 80 年代起就一直是朋友和盟友的皮罗女士感到不快。“我 100% 不同意让宁·皮罗的观点，”特朗普先生写道，“我不知道她在想什么？对我来说，这是一个纯粹的破坏行为案例。”他补充道，“可能存在一些承包商的问题，但主要损坏是由破坏者造成的！”
伯格姆先生在周六自己的社交媒体帖中表示，他的部门已向美国检察官办公室“提供了关于破坏者造成损害的专家和目击者证词，并在要求的时间线内提供了他们请求的关于水池每个损坏区域的所有证据”。
皮罗女士的这一反转是一个罕见案例，一名由特朗普任命的美国检察官公开承认，曾经支持的一项起诉是致命地错误的。在这种环境下，承认错误被视为软弱，而采取与老板相悖的行动则被视为自我毁灭。
“特朗普之所以愤怒，是因为皮罗终于承认了我们在四份法律文件中一直阐明的观点：被搞砸的是特朗普的翻新工程，而不是大卫·赫恩，”赫恩先生的辩护团队成员、民主捍卫者基金 (Democracy Defenders Fund) 共同创始人诺曼·L·艾森 (Norman L. Eisen) 说道，该基金曾代表被特朗普政府针对的人员。
“她声称她和她的办公室之前被内政部欺骗了，这简直是胡说八道，”他补充道，“从传讯开始，我们的动议就反复证明是政府应负责任，而不是大卫。”
美国检察官办公室发言人蒂姆·劳尔 (Tim Lauer)……
办公室拒绝发表评论。他在一封电子邮件中写道：“呈请书本身已经说明了一切。”
这种立场的大转变也凸显了一种模式，这种模式削弱了司法部此前在联邦法官和陪审团中享有的极高声誉——即由特朗普任命的美国检察官急于针对总统指控违规的人员（即便只是轻微违规）采取行动。现在，全国各地的特大陪审团，尤其是华盛顿的陪审团，拒绝该部门提出的起诉 indictment的情况要普遍得多。在过去，这种情况几乎从未发生过。
在某种意义上，皮罗女士的呈请书是为了用一起针对伯格姆先生、承包商大西洋工业涂层公司（Atlantic Industrial Coatings）以及公园警察官员的“公众舆论法庭”诉讼，来取代联邦法院中针对希恩先生的案件。
在呈请书中，她表示其工作人员几乎完全依赖于内政部官员的说法，即泳池内衬的大面积损坏是由希恩先生和其他被观察到撕扯或移除墙面材料的破坏者造成的。“该信息结合关于希恩先生行动的警方证词，说服了检察官于 7 月 2 日将此案提交大陪审团。他们选择了重罪起诉，最高可判处 2 年监禁。”
然而，在检察官随后要求提供“所有资料”——包括政府报告、警察和证人陈述、照片、执法记录仪片段以及关于该高调翻新项目的所有内部评估报告之后，局面开始瓦解。到 7 月底，皮罗女士的办公室获得了 696 兆字节的文件，导致皮罗女士得出结论：泳池的翻新简直是“胡闹”。
“特朗普 botched（搞砸了）的翻新工程才应对损坏负责。”但包括艾森先生在内的皮罗女士的批评者表示，她的叙述忽略了一个事实：这个被藻类堵塞的泳池在翻新过程中出现的问题早已被广泛知晓，并见诸报端及其自身的法院文件中。
希恩先生的团队坚称，他仅仅是“触碰了一块已经脱落的涂层，在一名公园员工要求他这样做时将其松开，离开时泳池的状态与他发现时并无二致”。本案中提交的照片和证词表明，在希恩先生到访之前，泳池已经出现了明显的裂缝，且已经开始渗水。
希恩先生的律师认为，损害并未超过 1,000 的法定限额。皮罗女士写道，当时她的办公室“没有任何来自 D.O.I.（内政部）的信息表明，反思池的任何损坏是由除破坏者行为以外的任何原因造成的”，而且该项目必须在与“美国250”庆典相关的活动之前完成。
但争议点在于，上述情况是否已向大陪审团成员交代清楚。有人抱怨“不规范之举反映出一种误导性的陈述”。艾森先生表示，其法律团队正在“评估所有法律补救措施”。
扎克·蒙塔古（Zach Montague）参与报道。
跛脚参议员掌控权力
【国会备忘录】 华盛顿 —— 在几乎没有什么可失去的情况下，约翰·科宁抵制特朗普的一项要求
作者：迈克尔·戈尔德（MICHAEL GOLD）
在参议员约翰·科宁（John Cornyn）在面对一名右翼挑战者的连任竞选中失利后不久，他暗示自己参议院任期的剩余时间对总统来说可能是一段“相当颠簸的旅程”。他警告说，他和其他几位“跛脚”参议员手里还握有“一些底牌”，并且不会犹豫地将其使用。
上周，根据你倾向于使用哪种比喻，科宁先生要么是将自己变成了一个巨大的参议院“路坑”，要么是在桌上摊开了底牌。
通过利用他在司法委员会的投票权作为筹码，获得新自由的科宁先生（Mr. Cornyn）使特朗普（Trump）选定的司法部长人选托德·布兰奇（Todd Blanche）陷入了不确定状态，而参议院于周四周末离京。他以及参议员汤姆·蒂利斯（Thom Tillis）——这位在特朗普威胁要将其撤换后选择不再寻求连任的北卡罗来纳州共和党人——均表示，除非司法部同意缩小特朗普与美国国家税务局（Internal Revenue Service）之间为了保护他及其家人而达成的一项豁免协议，否则他们不会推进布兰奇先生的提名。
科宁先生划定的红线相当细。他与蒂利斯先生并非试图取消布兰奇先生与特朗普个人律师协商达成的协议，该协议赋予了总统及其家人和企业广泛的豁免权，潜在地为他们节省了至少 $100 的罚款，并引发了民主党关于自我交易的指责。他们仅仅是要求以书面形式进行修改。
然而，在总统的支持率下滑且参议员们对他日益感到沮丧的时刻，科宁先生依然愿意顶住特朗普的要求，这种态度值得关注。尽管蒂利斯先生近几个月来对特朗普的批评更为公开，但曾竞争参议院多数党领袖的科宁先生长期以来一直是一个可靠的共和党投票者，极少对总统发表批评之词。这位政治前途被特朗普截断的参议员似乎很享受这种权力的转移。当被问及政治生涯即将结束是否赋予了他一种独立感时，这位参议员露出了一丝俏皮的微笑。“你注意到了吗？”他说。
然而，在变得大胆的同时，科宁先生将自己塑造的不是一个寻求报复的被抛弃者，而是一面盾牌，为其他那些同样对总统的结算协议感到担忧、但害怕公开表达会产生政治后果的共和党人提供掩护。通过这样做，他证实了特朗普时代的一个真理：国会中的共和党人习惯于忍受对总统行为的反感甚至愤怒，通常只有在即将离职时才敢采取行动。
“参议员约翰·科宁（John Cornyn）使总统特朗普选定的司法部长人选托德·布兰奇陷入了不确定状态。”
在特朗普暗示他可能会将布兰奇的提名推迟到下一届国会，以绕过两名共和党反对者后，科宁先生在周四上午明确表示：“如果总统认为对税收诉讼结算条款的担忧仅限于我和蒂利斯参议员，那么他就错了，”科宁在社交媒体上写道。
一些同事也向他表达了支持，因为她在一次私人会议中向他提出了同样的问题。“我非常明确地表达了我的立场，”他补充道。
缺席，但仍在任职 华盛顿
关于缩小税务局结算协议，并确保司法部建立一项 18 billion 基金（用于补偿声称受到政府不公正起诉的人）的计划“彻底终止”，这是科宁先生提出的另一个担忧。路易斯安那州的参议员比尔·卡西迪（Bill Cassidy）——他同样在共和党初选中输给了特朗普支持的挑战者——表示他认同科宁先生对限制税务局结算协议的期望。犹他州共和党参议员约翰·柯蒂斯（John Curtis）告诉犹他州当地报纸《沙漠新闻》（The Deseret News），他支持科宁先生的努力。“科宁先生的要求相当适度。他希望司法部保证布兰奇先生在确认听证会上宣誓所说的话：即税务局的豁免权……
这将仅适用于特朗普先生、他的两个儿子以及“特朗普组织”，且仅限于对过去税务申报表的审计。康宁先生表示：“我们所做的仅仅是要求他们将此以书面形式提供。”这与目前已形成的一种模式截然不同——即对特朗普先生政策持批评态度的国会共和党人提出广泛且不具体的反对意见，而是在收到同样广泛的保证后便退让。
这是他此前已成功部署的一种策略。上个月早些时候，康宁先生威胁称，如果政府继续扣留国会拨给艾滋病（H.I.V.）预防项目的数百万美元，他将阻挠特朗普先生的两名大使提名人选。康宁先生设定的参数似乎帮助他维持了同事的支持，而不是因为阻碍总统的优先事项而招致蔑视。
“我当然尊重我同事询问问题并要求澄清其证词中相关事项的权利，”南达科他州共和党参议员迈克·劳恩兹（Mike Rounds）表示。他补充道，如果布兰奇先生“无法将其澄清，那么这可能表明存在某些问题”。
有人支持他——但目前寻求连任的人都没有支持。阿拉斯加州参议员利莎·默考斯基（Lisa Murkowski）表示，对于康宁先生与布兰奇先生就其最初作证目的的谈判，她“实际上抱有希望”。
要求麦康奈尔辞去参议员职务的呼吁未获响应
作者：卡尔·赫尔斯 (CARL HULSE)
麦康奈尔先生仅仅是近期因健康状况不佳而长期缺席美国参议院的最新一名成员。但在紧张的政治环境和社会媒体风暴的推波助澜下，要求提高这位 84 岁老人病情透明度的呼声愈发强烈；人们要求任期将于 1 月结束的麦康奈尔先生在无法参与参议院剩余任期工作的情况下，应当退位。
“作为你所在州的州长，我呼吁你直接且口头地向肯塔基州人民做出说明，并提供你具备履职能力的证明，否则请辞职，”肯塔基州民主党州长安迪·贝希尔（Andy Beshear）在上周一写信给麦康奈尔先生，当时这位参议员在国会山住宅摔伤入院后已进入第六周。
很少有人相信麦康奈尔先生会离开。原因如下。
[许多先例]
几十年来，许多参议员曾缺席数月甚至数年的参议院事务。一些近期知名人物，如亚利桑那州共和党人约翰·麦凯恩（John McCain）和马萨诸塞州民主党人爱德华·M·肯尼迪（Edward M. Kennedy），在两人均因脑癌在任期间去世前，曾数月没有投票。
作为参议院共和党领袖近 18 年的麦康奈尔先生，在 2023 年一次严重摔伤导致他缺席五周后，也经历过一段长时间的缺席。他最终宣布 2026, 年将不再尝试担任领袖，随后决定今年将不寻求第八任期的连任。他的参议院任期定于 2027 年 1 月 3 日结束。
关于参议员在患有严重疾病的情况下仍拒绝离职的故事不胜枚举。南达科他州参议员卡尔·蒙特（Karl Mundt）在 1969, 年中风后，在任期的最后三年中一直缺席参议院，并拒绝了辞职要求。许多其他参议员也被允许获得相当长的恢复时间。其中包括伊利诺伊州共和党人马克·基尔克（Mark Kirk），他在 2012. 年中风后缺席了近一年。在另一个案例中，南达科他州民主党人蒂姆·约翰逊（Tim Johnson）在 2006, 年 12 月出现脑出血后缺席了九个月。这两位都得到了热烈的……
“受到同事们的欢迎回归。
希望在自己的掌控下离开 参议员的年龄通常较大，因为这一职位通常是政治生涯的顶峰；现任参议员中超过三分之一的人年龄在 70 岁或以上。该机构还运行基于资历的制度，这激励着成员们尽可能久地留任，以便积累权力和特权。与此同时，参议员在历史上一直不愿透露其健康问题的细节，担心这会在政治上削弱自己。直到最近，随着选民们对年长立法者主导国会变得更加挑剔，参议员们才在担任职位的适任性方面面临公众审查。
长期担任国会助手和共和党战略家的约翰·菲赫里（John Feehery）表示，为了几个月的时间而强行举行特别选举来接替麦康奈尔先生将是对时间和金钱的浪费。根据肯塔基州法律，如果选举日前三个月以上出现参议院席位空缺，必须举行特别选举来填补该席位。民主党人在 8 月 3 日的截止日期前加大了对麦康奈尔先生的压力。
“米奇·麦康奈尔应当有权按照他认为合适的方式完成任期，”菲赫里先生说。“他当然不是第一个因为健康问题而不得不缺席投票的参议员，而且肯定也不会是最后一个。”
以沉默著称 麦康奈尔先生在认为对自己有利时，出了名的不苟言笑。除了其办公室提供的书面声明和照片外，他的缺席以及未能提供详细的健康更新，在社交媒体上引发了关于其病情严重程度的大量猜测。
不过，参议院的同事们表示，他们已经与他交谈过并收到了个人短信。在他办公室上周发布的最新更新中，国会医生的办公室表示，医生每天与麦康奈尔先生见面，但尚未批准他返回工作岗位或回家。他的同事们希望他能在某个时间点回到参议院，因为他们希望在他离职前，纪念他长期且具有影响力的服务。
其他人则指出，贝希尔州长试图在麦康奈尔先生准备好之前将其强行赶走，恐怕没那么简单。“麦康奈尔参议员的一个独特特质就是韧性，”新泽西州罗格斯大学政治学杰出荣誉教授、长期研究参议院的罗斯·K·贝克（Ross K. Baker）说道。
纽约时报 国际版 2026年8月3日 星期一 / 9 观点
无论这是什么，我们现在面临的问题已经远远超出了交易的范畴。
= 大卫·弗伦奇（David French）认为，特朗普总统正在失去对这场战争的控制。
（周三，NBC新闻报道称，特朗普因为这场战争而对他的国家安全团队成员“大发雷霆”。据报道，他的顾问们“无法就前行之路达成一致”。但他们怎么可能达成一致呢？任何通往胜利的路径都面临“危险升级”的风险，而维持现状则面临战略失败的风险。
“这向来是最可能的结果。总统选择挑战一个比 2003 年萨达姆时期的伊拉克‘强大得多’的国家，而动用的力量却远少于我们当时推翻伊拉克政府时所用的规模。他期望会发生什么？天知道。他以为他可以推翻一个残暴且根深蒂固的政权，就像他预想中的委内瑞拉版本那样。当委内瑞拉战略失败后——如果那能被称为战略的话——并没有真正的 B 计划，除了对伊朗进行‘更多’的轰炸并寄希望于其投降。事实上，我们正计划再次这样做。或者也许我们没有。
周五，特朗普表示他正下令进行新一轮空袭。他的理由是什么？‘你知道在某个时间点，’特朗普说，‘我将会说，我们实在无法忍受了。’
周六，他在社交媒体发帖改变了主意。‘我已经同意，’他补充道，‘为了世界的未来利益，同样为了一个成功且繁荣的伊朗的生存，取消此次袭击，前提是能够迅速达成一项协议。’
但我们现在面临的问题已经远远超出了交易的范畴。美国在很长一段时间内一直如此强大，以至于我们习惯于掌控局势。我们想开战时就开战，而且至关重要的一点是——我们相信我们想结束战争时就能结束。
当我在伊拉克时，尽管那场战争如此糟糕，但我们知道它是可控的。而现在，我们正走在一条通往世界大战的道路上，而且似乎没有人——包括美国总统——能够掌控局势。
看看近期的事件。伊朗不仅在袭击美国在伊拉克的基地，而且这种方式行不通。在阿富汗也是如此。这种情况同样发生在整个地区的美国合作伙伴身上。关于伊朗，乌克兰表示它……这种乌克兰的领导层正在承担……两国之间几乎没有……事实上，这种军事行动没有产生持久影响。伊朗再次证明了其……而且中国可能……这为美国带来了麻烦。再次证明，为了维持权力或确保……美国伙伴和公民……
这似乎在重复屠杀……几乎达到了……对美国设施的破坏程度，就像在基地达 {Qaeda} 的据点一样。在这两场冲突中，战斗都极其惨烈，我们可以且应该讨论这两场战争的明智与否。但当时我们的强权对手在很大程度上是缺席的。
没有所谓的‘安全战争’——任何战争都可能失控——但这个时代……以及天然气设施，结合霍尔木兹海峡，正使全球经济处于风险之中。胡塞武装已经介入……原本应该是……勇敢的公民们起身抗议。
其次，我们的内部……北约……基地达 {Al Qaeda} 并不具备远程导弹能力。而不仅仅是萨达姆……在权力的巅峰时期，在海湾战争之前……虽然我不想看到任何波兰领土被……无人机或拦截器，例如我们的爱国者反导系统，进入红海，而现在据报道沙特的……计划对胡塞武装进行……这是已知的第一起美国‘弱点’以及俄罗斯和中国……”
克制意味着美国人可以安心入睡，因为他们知道……但情况已不再如此。世界正处于……包括可能使用地面部队尝试打破该地区的封锁，就像伊朗自战争开始以来那样有效地操作。伊朗遭受了沉重损失，包括其大部分高层领导。但与美国的关键区别在于，伊朗政权仅仅通过大规模动员地运行，它不在意人员损失，而我们在乎。只要有数十万名新士兵……
这可能是一次微小的失败。如果你使用一个造价 $4 百万美元且难以制造的武器，去摧毁一个可以大规模量产的 $35,000 无人机，那么这只是时间问题。
乌克兰在里海——该海域与俄罗斯和伊朗接壤——击沉了一艘伊朗船只。
——美国和以色列
FRENCH, 第1页！好莱坞守护秘密的方式；低语 Maureen Ryan
一个男人的毁灭性画像，他利用言语接触女性，其中大多数人当时非常年轻，在面对他时完全无力。在面对性不端行为指控时，绝大多数人面对的是后果。在一部BBC纪录片中，杰瑞德·莱托（Jared Leto）的战术并不令人惊讶，这在好莱坞名人中很常见。这是另一种逃避责任的方式。他之前从未对BBC的查询做出回应，而一旦纪录片发布，他就发表了这份“每一句陈述”的声明：“这些指控绝对且断然是错误的。”
然而，这种认知一直不足以产生实际的后果。好莱坞一直是一个充满阴暗传闻的小镇，关于一些最著名公民的可怕且通常是虐待行为的传闻，其中许多最终被证明是真实的。作为一名报道娱乐产业的记者，我经常被告知这些“公开的秘密”。但这并不意味着我一定能报道它们。有一整套系统在运行，旨在让受害者保持沉默，并让任何披露内容远离公众视线。
同样的动态在莱托先生身上上演了。这部名为《杰瑞德·莱托：好莱坞的黑暗秘密》（Jared Leto: Hollywood's Dark Secret）的BBC纪录片深入探讨了涉及这位演员兼歌手的不端行为指控，其基础是 2025 年 Elena Clavarino Absit 的报道，并汇集了 120 多个关于骚扰和性不端行为的在线指控。纪录片还描绘了一系列帮凶：人们确保十几岁女孩被带到后台，被邀请参加派对并被引导去成为 10 个熟悉模式的一部分。
这已成为一种熟悉的模式。过去，名人们可能会发布一份委屈的、冗长的反驳或诚恳的道歉，但现在出现了一套新剧本。这个蓝图相当一致，通常在好莱坞昂贵的律师事务所和公关团队的协作下执行：忽略一切，或者以“无可奉告”进行挡箭。也许用一两句简洁的话否认指控。然后，要么向出版物和记者大肆攻击，试图压制报道；要么掩盖明星的可怖行为。但在 #MeToo 运动之后，一套新的、运转良好的反问责机制已经形成。
那些致力于报道好莱坞的出版物数量在缩减，它们不仅经常面临糟糕的财务状况，而且依赖于名人报道——因此，它们容易受到失去其他名人接触权的威胁而产生畏惧，或者容易被诱人的故事所诱惑。
这些内容也将出现在《好莱坞的黑暗秘密》（“Hollywood's Dark Secret”）的屏幕上，以解释一个问题：如果“每个人都知道”关于 Leto 的“传闻”，那么为什么一直没有任何行动？这个问题有很多答案，这里有一个坦诚的答案：我不知道。没有任何施害者值得整个行业的保护，也没有任何程度的艺术成就能够让忍受恐怖的行为变得有价值。但这种行业范围内的策略还有其他原因。一个世纪以来，几乎所有在镜头前的娱乐产业都容许误导行为模式并奖励沉默。身体和精神虐待以及越界行为，尤其是在男性中，被容忍为艺术激情和创意探索。如果你反对它，除非出口方同意配合。新的危机处理手册仅仅涉及熬过恐怖的传闻，并培养一种将报告贬低为不真实且不可靠的反向叙事。律师事务所说服幸存者撤回陈述，而公关人员则通过努力在网上混淆视听，试图“实时调整叙述”，正如一家公司的服务在布莱克·莱弗利（Blake Lively）与贾斯汀·巴尔多尼（Justin Baldoni）案件的文件中所描述的那样。感谢多年来对这些话题的报道，以及写了一本关于好莱坞权力与共谋的书，我对这些场景太熟悉了。如果只有一个名人在场，否认的能力是巨大的。在电影或电视拍摄现场，或在录音室里，通常只有少数几个人。好莱坞长期以来有许多方法来惩罚或将那些勇敢的人列入黑名单 [RYAN, PAGE 1]
10 / 2026 年 8 月 3 日，星期一 《纽约时报》国际版 观点
我们夸张的表达方式 作者：约翰·麦克沃特 (John McWhorter)
随着时间的推移，人们在表达观点时似乎变得越来越强调单一的切入点。现在人们倾向于说“这里，思考一下这个问题”，而不是说“在这种情况下，它似乎是这样的”。
但就像任何旨在发出声音（可以这么说）的设计一样，这种效果随着时间的推移而减弱，就像一个听腻了的老笑话或老歌。这意味着语言总是在将事物拉向极端，以保持我们的警觉和投入。马丁·哈斯佩尔马斯 (Martin Haspelmath) 将这种现象称为“夸张”，即我们根据某种习惯而运作。
我们甚至在回答问题时也如此夸张。“我知道，对吧？” (I know, right?) 就是这样一个例子。当“我知道” (I know) 失去其力量时，这种情况就发生了。而一个感叹号现在看来可能太重，甚至已经失效。“噢，那真的太好了” (Oh that was really nice) 现在几乎仅起到装饰作用，传达的是一种微笑。
欧洲的学者们对我非常有好感，因为他们写邮件时会使用感叹号。一段时间后，我意识到那个感叹号只是在表达某种礼貌，一种为了被听到而增加的热情，就像在打招呼前加一个破折号一样。
而在一个书面声明中，在罗伯特·E·李 (Robert E. Lee) 于 Appomattox 投降周年纪念日之际，特朗普总统将内战描述为“奴隶主叛乱” (Slaveholders' Rebellion)，而不是“内战” (Civil War)。
在 1876 年，美国图书馆的杜威十进制分类法将其分类从“叛乱，南部” (Rebellion, South) 转移到了“内战” (Civil War)。二十年后，在 1895 年，图书馆指示读者在查找“叛乱” (Rebellion) 时，应改为搜索“美国历史，内战” (U.S History, Civil War)。1907 年，国会宣布联邦 (the Confederacy) 在 865 年的失败标志着四年残酷苦难的结束。
与其谴责联邦政权 (the confederacy) 所对抗的战争，特朗普先生更倾向于使用“叛乱者之战” (War of the Rebels)。
在他对受苦军队的评论中，格兰特 (Grant) 曾说：“战争结束了。叛军又是我们的同胞了。”
在那之后，有些人认为“内战”这个名称是联邦遗产团体和白人南方人为了重塑南方形象而进行数十年游说的结果。
因此，将内战称为“起义” (insurrection) 或“叛乱” (rebellion) 实际上是与一个制度化的法律架构——即反黑人暴力政权、剥夺公民权和私刑——相对立。这正是让面对内战成为一项公民义务的原因。危险之处不仅在于它削弱了既有事实的实质，而且它在扭曲过去的同时，也为未来的民主破坏提供了预先的正当理由。
当特朗普先生将那些人描述为“起义者”时，他就在这么做。
在内战之后，它主要被称为“内战” (Civil War)，但事实并非如此。在随后的时间里，它主要被称为“起义”或“叛乱”。
这意味着，无论是在状态还是在名称上，语言都在进行一场激烈的战斗。一个是约定俗成的委婉语，一个是准确的描述，而另一个则是谎言。
就像美国感叹号的演变一样。从“愿上帝与你同在” (God be with you) 到“再见” (Goodbye)。
如果你留意观察，英语中就充满了这种替代方案。1.6 这种现象在英语中非常普遍。
...在其他情况下，我们对...的追求最充分地体现了...（此处文字缺失）...在这场内战中，被视为一种“制度性的不公正” / 这就像你和...之间，在...塔的那个片段中，可能会说，“那是过去的事情了” “Yes” 最初始于 “Yea” —— 我们应该将它们的发布框架化为一种...的行为。 (“马上到！”) 这意味着 Sybil 正在接电话，而结尾处是一段磨损的残余...为了再次面对他们的... “音调上的调和” 是一场... 只要重复 “我知道！” 就会让人发疯，或者说，“简直疯了” 或 “我曾经...” 那些曾经意味着...的含义 —— “是的，命运...” 奴隶主在登记...时，将陈词滥调的力量... 现在需要两个标记。 (*很好，她在听朋友说话。今天，Sybil 简直渴死了，所以我们停了下来！” 这是一句 “我知道，对吧？” 用来指代这段历史，叛乱。如果一个国家...逃避，就必须重写一个国家的... 上帝！}) 并且！
在这种情况下，我不会感到惊讶，对方可能会重复说 “7-Eleven” 因为这种用法属于黑暗时代。而 “yes” 一直被... 只要在另外 20 年里人们在使用 “知道，对吧？” 这里的 “right” 给 “我知道” 带来了一种新的火花。这种用法将背叛... 转化为在眼中被视为一种... 的行为，使其被合理化为爱国主义。Jan.G 变成了... 听起来就像我们实际上是在表达我们... 关于这件事。这仅仅是 “那些事件” ... 更加紧密地联系在一起，表明你确实在倾听。这是一种... 仅仅是 “Yesireebob” 的某种形式，任何事情都可以用来赦免他们最糟糕的叛乱，但这无法抹去那些... 背后的人们开始说 “100 percent!” 表示赞同的增加。犯罪者如何... 我们期待... 演讲... 目标... 许多人回到了犯罪... 毫无反应。一把椅子死死地固定在... 垫子上，但兔子跑得很快。不久前，我听见有人称赞... 我的tween女儿的新发色为 “tuft” (簇) 好的，那个确实对我来说很奇怪 —— 但最终，它是一种更奢华的... 寻求同样宽容的语言？二月，Christopher Moynihan，他是那些突破警察... 封锁线进入国会大厦并承认有威胁... 指控的人之一。国会... 划定了总统调用民兵以支持... 的宪法权限。Hakeem Jeffries 众议员... Enrique Tarrio 正在服 22 年的...
在这种矛盾的方式中。在 3 年代，“very” 是... 的一种方式。将种子种在地下，再种一个西瓜... 进入你的切片中。对 “tull” 的比喻用法是一种说 “cool” (酷) 的方式。“Tull” 带有一种街头气息，同时在交换中也具有创造性。在这种语义冲击下。几代人之前，第二个人... Bryan Garner 现在判定 “在... 中” 弹出。 “Literally” (简直 / 确实) 就像那个孩子，他只会... 这种说法永远不会产生混淆。它仅仅是... 另一种表达 “truly” (真正地) 的方式。 “Literally” 就像那个孩子，他只会...
在战争初期，南部的叛逆精神在部分程度上被强调为一种法律必要性。在之前的几次交流中，它失去了一部分语义冲击力。 ... 这种说法是一种对 “酷” 的补充。如果那样的话，它就显得... 这种说法被视为 “强悍”。毕竟 “酷” 是一种... 这种说法实际上是... 绝不会产生混淆。它仅仅是...
……在几乎所有的情况下都以“yeah”开头——每个人都开始挑剔……
“Really”是一个……（此处原文缺失 / 混乱）
约翰·麦格沃特（JOHN MGWHORTER）是……（此处原文缺失 / 混乱）
……在国会中……通过否认……创造一个新的……
（此处原文碎片化严重，涉及语言学讨论，略）
……在一个月后在国会大厦被捕……
……给“real”这个词注入了活力。
“Bye-bye”增加了一些……（此处原文缺失 / 混乱）
……采取一个避免称呼他们为“反叛者”的战争名称……
使用“奴隶主叛乱”（Slaveholders' Rebellion）一词……与我们早期开始使用的……逻辑相同。桑威尔·康普顿（Sanwell C-Ponr）参议员……（此处原文缺失 / 混乱）
即使是……
“世界上最大的民主国家得到了第二次机会。”
但这种语言……
莫迪先生通过将起义者重新定义为爱国者，试图洗刷其标签。但一个人的……（此处原文缺失 / 混乱）
KOMIREDDI，接第 1 页
……人们在 1 月 6, 日地闯入时，用纸板扇风，并喊出如“每当莫迪……”之类的口号。
这种对联盟（Confederacy）的语言洗白不仅仅是为了制造一个关于南方救赎的虚构神话。它一直运行着。在 1899 年，一组人推动删除了关于……的参考资料。他们更倾向于使用一个误称，而不是将“反对美国的叛乱”称为“内战”。“内战”是奴隶主反叛者发起的一场战争的名称，旨在让黑人处于人类枷锁之中。现在，距离战争的第一枪响起已经过去了 165 年，我们陷入了关于我们如何诚实面对历史的妥协之中。
（此处原文碎片化严重，涉及历史修正主义，略）
关于莫迪先生学术资历的争议，学生抗议者们对此深有体会。
对于数百万印度年轻人来说，面对竞争极其激烈的专业学位入学考试——从政府部门、司法机构到新闻界——总理已经成为国家机器中一个卓越的……（此处原文缺失 / 混乱）
为了让孩子准备考试，他们不得不背负债务、典当珠宝或抵押房屋以支付培训费用。
印度最大的体育场以他的名字命名，但针对一系列考试的试题却被装在袋子里分发给最贫穷的人……
由于考试经常泄露，官员们强迫学生在生存边缘挣扎，以此度过其生日，并组织公民参加大规模集会聆听广播。转折点出现在5月，当时国家医学院入学考试被泄露，影响了超过两百万名学生。在得知必须重新参加考试后，这些经历了数月艰苦准备的学生们陷入绝望。
当印度最高法院的一位法官在一次无关的评论中，将失业青年比作“蟑螂”时，愤怒情绪进一步升级，这给抗议者提供了一个象征——“蟑螂运动”。有报告称，警方违反了政府向示威者提供的保证，在抗议活动中拘留或逮捕了学生。
在要求印度教育部长辞职并为自杀身亡的学生家属提供赔偿的抗议活动中，许多学生在混战中受伤。通过数字化连接的青年运动在整个南亚地区引发连锁反应，在斯里兰卡、孟加拉国和尼泊尔推翻了日益专制的政权。
学生们的参与增强了该运动的威力。一名年轻学生在7月24日新德里的一个抗议现场告诉我：“我从小就被教导要崇敬……”
起初，政府无视抗议者；其走狗在中心媒体上将他们描绘成寻求破坏印度稳定的外国势力的工具。但很大程度上，由于缺乏有效的政治反对派，纳伦德拉·莫迪一直认为自己无法在选举中被击败。
现在，75 岁的纳伦德拉·莫迪可能最终会接受自己已经过时，无法领导这个世界上最大的青年群体，从而逐渐淡出。但是，一个圆滑且衰弱的人可能比以前更危险、更不可预测，并可能寻求恢复其受损的权威。
报道称，在7月20日新德里大部分和平的示威活动中，警察殴打年轻人的记录成为了这一代人愤怒的宣泄口。今年夏天印度发生的非凡事件揭示了由国家创始人推广的民主习惯已渗透得多么深。
无论如何，那个曾经声称自己是“上帝的工具”、拥有神圣能量的人，已经被戏剧性地击败了。印度青年给这个世界上最大的民主国家提供了另一个生存机会。一名知名活动人士和几名学生发起了甘地式的绝食抗议。
—————— KAPIL KOMIREDDI 是一位印度记者，也是《恶意共和国：新印度简史》的作者。他正在撰写一部关于马丁·路德·金博士的全球历史。
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纽约时报 国际版 2026年8月3日，星期一 / 11 观点 为什么我们容忍马斯克的种族主义言论？
Jamelle Bouie
《特纳日记》（The Turner Diaries）是一部白人至上主义的煽动宣传作品。它自称是一名新纳粹武装分子厄尔·特纳（Earl Turner）的日记，此人正致力于通过一个名为“组织”的团体推翻美国政府——或者如书中所称的“体制”。特纳谴责“体制”推行种族融合、鼓励非白人移民，并将犹太人、非裔美国人赋予凌驾于白人之上的权威。
在众多暴行中，小说描述了对以黑人为主的城市的核打击、针对美国犹太人的大屠杀、加利福尼亚州的彻底种族清洗、对女性的奴役，以及“绳索之日”——即对那些因与非白人建立关系而被视为“种族叛徒”的白人进行的大规模公开私刑。
书的后记描述了“大革命”后的未来：曾经的美国现在变成了一个由“组织”领导的全白人乌托邦驻军国家，该组织随后将其革命出口，并在全球范围内灭绝非白人。
历史学家奥古斯塔·德尔奥莫（Augusta Dell’Omo）在《挽救种族隔离：冷战末期的白人国际主义》（Saving Apartheid: White Internationalism at the End of the Cold War）中指出，美国的白人权力运动“向白人控制的南部非洲寻求灵感”，而津巴布韦和南非等地的冲突塑造了《特纳日记》。反过来，这部小说（于 1975 年首次在一部白人民族主义期刊上连载，随后于 1978, 年出版单行本）成为了美国及全球极右翼的试金石。
“秩序”（The Order）一个负责三起杀人案（包括谋杀丹佛谈话广播节目主持人艾伦·伯格）的白人至上主义恐怖组织，便取名自这本书。而对俄克拉何马城穆拉联邦大楼实施爆炸袭击并导致 168 人死亡的蒂莫西·麦克维（Timothy McVeigh），身上就携带这本书的片段，且曾在枪展上出售此书。
《特纳日记》的思想、意象和语言早已成为了极右翼意识形态的整体核心。即使在未被提及的情况下，这本书的影响依然盘旋其间。例如，在迪兰·鲁夫（Dylann Roof）——在南卡罗来纳州查尔斯顿的埃马纽埃母亲教堂谋杀九人的凶手——的宣言中，他将自己塑造为殉道者，并号召白人在美国人与黑人之间发起一场种族战争。
今天，你不需要寻找太远或挖掘太深，就能看到《特纳日记》对极右翼的潜移默化影响。你只需要在地球上最富有的人——埃隆·马斯克（Elon Musk）的在线世界里花一点时间（尽管需要澄清的是，没有直接证据表明马斯克读过这本书）。
[此处文本缺失 / 难以辨认] [此处文本缺失 / 难以辨认]
他声称“任何反对重新移民的人都是叛徒”。
“重新移民”（Remigration）这一术语来自欧洲极右翼政党，旨在强制将非白人公民遣返回其所谓的原籍国，无论他们是移民还是土生土长的公民。这本质上是一种种族清洗形式，被构想为应对所谓白人欧洲人被非白人“大替代”（Great Replacement）的反应，这一想法源自另一部极右翼虚构作品—— 1973 年出版的《圣徒之营》（The Camp of the Saints）。
在马斯克看来，反对重新移民的人就是西方的叛徒。
以及 88
根据其帖子的逻辑，这些“叛徒”应当得到应有的下场，即因其在“白人多数国家”人口结构转型中所扮演的角色而受到惩罚，并且，大概是为了警告那些可能通过“欢迎非白人进入生活和国家”而污染国家血统的人。
马斯克对人口结构“叛徒”的关注，直接源于他对人口崩溃的痴迷，他将此定义为欧洲和美国白人出生率的下降。2025年9月，马斯克写道：“白人在全球人口中是一个迅速减少的少数群体。”他随后表示：“低出生率是西方面临的第一大威胁，紧随其后的是移民。如果这种情况持续下去，西方将不复存在。”
人们甚至可以将他摧毁美国国际开发署（USAID）的行为——据估计，该机构在全球范围内导致了700,000人死亡——视为与其担忧白人出生率相对于撒哈拉以南非洲等美国国际开发署活跃地区的下降而一致。毕竟，在这种将世界视为“零和博弈”的观点中，确保西方儿童未来的方法之一就是让非洲儿童挨饿。
应当指出的是，马斯克坚称没有人因为他的削减而死亡。在最近接受《经济学人》采访时，马斯克否认自己是种族主义者，尽管他同时在为自己极右翼的移民观点辩护。“如果你有一个庞大且快速增长的人群，其信仰与西方信仰背道而驰，那么在某个时刻，将会迎来一次清算，”他说道。但正如我们所见，这些观点与你在《特纳日记》中能找到的内容没什么两样。
由于在自己亲自控制的平台上拥有数亿追随者，马斯克成为了全球最著名的极右翼和超国家主义修辞的传播者。这正是那个同样忙于利用其巨额财富来塑造同一个世界的马斯克。斯洛博迪安和塔诺夫在他们的书《马斯克主义：困惑者指南》中指出，马斯克愿景的一个重要部分是将世界视为一个“综合体”，其中“人类的视野”被缩减为“对白人生育能力的防御”。这进而与一项更宏大的努力相结合，即把人类从“觉醒心灵病毒”（woke mind virus）中解放出来，马斯克认为这种病毒是一种自我毁灭的倾向，正是它产生的“共情”导致西方国家向他人开放了社会。
这在很大程度上也不过是对《特纳日记》中主题和想法的重申，书中标题人物认为白人已被一种“犹太-自由-民主-平等主义瘟疫”所腐蚀。斯洛博迪安和塔诺夫观察到，这些观点也源于马斯克在南非的成长经历，当时种族隔离制度的领导人们正为出生率和白人社会的未来而担忧。
马斯克恶毒的种族主义以及残忍、令人不安的观点并非秘密。他并不隐藏这些观点。它们就公开摆在那里，在他拥有的社交媒体网站上随处可见，在那里，他竭尽全力推广类似的极右翼和白人至上主义观点。那么，如果说有一个问题需要探讨，那就是：为什么马斯克能被宽容？为什么政治家、记者和评论员将他的极右翼种族主义激进主义视为一场侧翼闹剧，而不是他政治、意识形态和工业计划的核心？而这种核心体现在方方面面，从他对美国唐纳德·特朗普和英国“恢复英国”（Restore Britain）的深度支持，到他决定在以黑人为主的孟菲斯建设一个产生巨量污染的数据中心。
马斯克将他的大部分空闲时间花在...
时间在煽动暴力，并传播那种曾“激发了美国本土一些最致命枪击和袭击”的仇恨意识形态。正是这一事实，而非他制造的汽车或发射的火箭，应该定义他在公众生活中的地位。无论这在伊朗是什么情况，它都没有奏效。
（接第 9 页，法语版）
“你们的天空正向敌方的攻击敞开。”
“特朗普政府传达了两个矛盾的信息——一是美国库存中的导弹并不短缺，二是短缺是乔·拜登的错（因为他帮助武装乌克兰并对胡塞武装发动了空袭）。”
“政府目前的表现确实像是在暗示我们的弹药库存危急地低。我们陷入了一场时断时续的冲突（周五在，周六不在），其中充斥着‘异常的停顿’。让我们把这些结合起来看：最初的‘美国战略’失败了，与伊朗的战争正吞噬整个地区，伊朗和乌克兰面临对峙风险，有证据表明俄罗斯和中国都在升级其军事承诺，美国弹药库存正在减少，而特朗普则在暴怒。”
我经常在想，生活在 1914 年的夏天是什么样子，更不用说 1938 年和 1939 年了。人们何时开始意识到世界正处于灾难的边缘？如果发声太早或太频繁，你会显得很可笑——就像世界大战中的‘小鸡惊慌’（Chicken Little）。如果发声太晚，你（如果你还活着）将带着痛苦的遗憾生活。
我并不试图预测任何事情，我依然对局势降温抱有希望，因为美国政府（他们是否能进入特朗普的耳畔则是另一回事）以及全球盟友政府中仍有严肃地对待问题的人。但我们可以分析当下的事件和趋势，而目前所有的势头都在指向更大规模的升级。
我们绝对不能做特朗普要求我们做的事，即“坐下来放松”并相信“最终一切都会顺利解决”。我不认为世界大战不可避免，也不认为其可能性很大。但与冷战结束后的任何时候相比，现在发生世界大战的可能性更高，而且美国政府正由美国现代史上最糟糕的统治者领导。
国会，作为唯一有权干预的政府部门，在总统面前俯首帖耳。对于典型的共和党国会议员来说，只要面临失去初选的威胁，就足以让他们彻底丧失骨气。我常说，普通的美国选民其实并不那么在意外交政策。通常情况下，这确实没错——直到灾难发生。然而一旦发生，外交政策就不仅仅是主要问题，而是唯一真正重要的事情。
我们的未来可能部分取决于美国选民是否决定给国会进行一次“脊椎移植”。但这要求我们去做一件民主国家极少且几乎从未成功做到的事情——预见到灾难的到来，并在一场可怕的战争吞没世界之前果断采取行动。
好莱坞如何保守秘密 （接第 9 页，瑞安版）
……足以公开反对他们。那些揭露真相的人常被告知他们误读了自己的经历，认为其他所有人都接受现状，并且如果他们开口，将再也无法在业内生存。
“在 Leto 纪录片中接受采访的女性，就像我个人接触过的数百名消息来源一样，都是在冒着巨大风险站出来的普通人。在我看来，她们这样做并非为了金钱、关注或赞誉——她们通常得到的是相反的结果——而是为了努力防止自己经历过的事情发生在他人身上。”
——第 1 页
事实上，像 BBC 纪录片这样的重磅炸弹本不应是必要的，因为早在 2005. 年就有关于 Leto 先生卑劣行为的公开报道。网络上一直有源源不断的八卦暗示，社交媒体帖子中也有直接的指控。但这恰恰是 BBC 的作品如此有价值的原因。我并不是想不尊重那些通过社交媒体“站出来”的人，但一部纪录片比一条 Instagram 帖子更难被忽视或否决。即便指控是通过深度报道文章提出的，另一种模式也变得清晰：熬过舆论风暴实际上是有效的。Louis C.K. 售罄的喜剧巡演、格莱美奖的获胜通常都有一个内置的有效期。公关人员和强大的经纪人经常依赖于公众注意力时间短，且愿意给之前深受喜爱的名人以疑虑中的宽容。
也许围绕 Leto 先生的最新风波会平息，而他将再次获得一个绝佳的角色。他的乐队“30 Seconds to Mars”（30 秒到火星）已经在筹备 2027 年的巡演。随着媒体环境变得更加危险，对此类争议性报道的胃口似乎有所下降。令人深省的是，需要一部来自 BBC 的全长纪录片才能发出一个——人们希望是——关于一名许多人已经试图发出警报的演员的响亮号角。但听我说，作为少数为多种不同出版物撰写不端行为报道的记者之一：有时你需要一个巨大的传统媒体品牌进行一次大规模、无可指责的调查（且经过律师从周日到周六六番审查），才能最终产生影响。这次会奏效吗？没人知道。这类报道总是需要一种信念的飞跃，且后果永远无法保证。但《好莱坞的黑暗秘密》传递了一个及时且紧迫的信息：那些认为自己享有豁免权的人不应假设他们将永远享有。
RYAN 曾任电视评论员，是《Burn It Down: Power, Complicity, and a Call for Change in Hollywood》的作者。她正在撰写一本关于《Battlestar Galactica》的书。
世界上最重要的故事，精准递送。来自 160 个国家的实地报道，精选至一份简明报纸。此外，还有完整的数字化体验。~ 纽约时报 订阅即可在首三个月享受 66% 的折扣。立即订购 nytisubs@nytimes.com nytimes.com / subscribeinternational
12 / 周一，2026 年 8 月 3 日 / 纽约时报 国际版
体育
尼克斯队的胜利超越了篮球本身
【访谈】 卡尔-安东尼·唐斯仍在消化球队取得的成就 文 / 戴维·马切塞 (DAVID MARCHESE)
“当纽约尼克斯队在 2024 年从明尼苏达森林狼队获得卡尔-安东尼·唐斯时，是希望这位明星中锋能帮助球队跨越门槛，从‘优秀’变为‘卓越’。事实证明，这很顺利。唐斯是新泽西州原住民，从小就支持尼克斯队，他是球队在今年春天辉煌夺冠之路上的关键贡献者，而且可以说，他是除杰伦·布朗森之外最重要的球员。如果说唐斯（他已与演员兼网红乔丁·伍兹订婚）在哪个方面让队友相形见绌，那就是他在场内外的情感表达意愿。他在总决赛期间讲述被母亲去世所激励时的那种雄辩与坦诚，以及在与圣安东尼奥马刺队的奇才维克托·文班亚马对决时流露出的纯粹的兴奋与沮丧，让他进一步赢得了球迷的喜爱。我们探讨了这些话题，以及他进入 NBA 的之路、球队的人际动态，以及对于长期受苦的尼克斯忠实拥趸来说，夺冠意味着什么。”
“你知道，即使是在前往演播室进行这次采访的路上，依然有人在祝贺你，想和你握手。而且当我与尼克斯球迷交谈时，人们说：‘我不敢相信这真的发生了’——你现在依然不敢相信吗？在夺冠大约一个月后，获胜的感觉如何？”
“从小看着尼克斯队无法赢得冠军，然后自己穿上尼克斯球衣并成为了实现这一目标的人——这是一个荣誉，一个恩赐。我仍然无法想象我们做到了这一点。人们叫我冠军，我心想，我不知道他们为什么一直这么叫我。但这是我们赢得的，也是这座城市赢得的：可以称自己为冠军的权利。”
“我想现在和你一起纯粹地回顾一下那些神奇时刻。总决赛的第 4 场——我不记得那场比赛发生了什么。（笑）没人知道那场比赛发生了什么！但那正是人们将会津津乐道的一场比赛。”
“我们当时被揍得很惨。他们投进了很多球，而我们投不进多少。他们在比赛中比我们展现出更强的身体对抗。我见过在所有不利因素面前我们可以取得怎样的成就。去年我们在波士顿的第 1 场和第 2 场就遇到了同样的情况。中场休息时，我告诉队友们：我们有从这些时刻反弹的经验，尤其是在季后赛中。只要相信我们的经验，相信彼此。让我们冲出去，放手一搏。至少给自己一个机会。”
“然后到了下半场，你会觉得‘好吧，也许这件事能成’吗？是在第四节早些时候你摔倒时投进的那个三分球吗？噢，是的，那个后撤步？那难道不是犯规吗？不，我是在逗你。别回答那个问题，我知道你在试着争取一个犯规。别回答，别回答。”
“当我走进场馆时，我觉得我们有很大机会获胜。”
“噢，来吧。”
“显然，随着上半场的进行，我觉得，天哪，也许我错了。但在下半场，只要我们将分差缩小到 15 分的范围内，我就觉得我们的球队能找到获胜的方法。”
“当你开始追分时，你是否感觉到马刺队变得紧张了？”
“有时当你是一支年轻球队时，你会倾向于‘不输掉比赛’，而我们则是在‘寻求赢得比赛’。这就是我们展现出如此强大攻击性的原因。我认为他们当时在尝试保护”
领先，如果你看我们的季后赛进程，你会发现我们取得领先。但我们不是在保护领先优势，而是在尝试扩大领先优势。我认为有一段时间马刺队连续投了大约 9 次三分球。也许一支更成熟的球队会采取不同的方法。这是我第一次听说他们投了 9 个三分球，即使是 6、7 或 8 个，我们也意识不到，因为我们完全沉浸在比赛中，只想办法完成一次防守，80 快攻回场得分。你根本不会去思考对方在投什么样的球。他们在最后阶段有一些投篮机会，但作为一支球队，我们做得非常好，坚持了下来，想办法完成那一次得分，完成那一次防守。当然，上帝之手发挥了作用，OG（阿奴比）完成了一次补篮。
你需要告诉我关于 OG 的那个球。在场上？扣进去。我看到 OG 在空中飞起，我想，如果他尝试把球拨回去但球弹在了前沿，我就把它扣进去。结果 OG 进了。那是很特别的一球。那个战术原本是传给我的，然后有两个人防我。最后我们把球传给了 J.B. [杰伦·布伦森]，J.B. 迅速尝试了一个跳投三分，而发球的 OG 发现没人防他，于是他冲向篮板抢到了进攻篮板，完成了补篮，找到了得分的方法。这将被载入纽约历史最伟大的比赛瞬间之一，也是 NBA 总决赛历史上最伟大的瞬间之一。
你当时有思考吗？没有。当你在比赛中看到我时，现场太吵了，我没听到哨声。我只看到人们跑向场内，所以我的第一反应是告诉每个人现在立刻离开球场，集中注意力在比赛上，但随后我回头看到裁判抓住了球，我想，噢，是暂停。我看到了 OG，而 OG 非常……呃，很 OG。他话不多。纽约人都知道 OG 是什么样的。我看到他，那是那种——你想激励他之类的事情。我和 OG 关系非常亲密。嘿，这一次你得来个拥抱。这对我们所有人来说都是职业生涯的高光时刻。他给了我们一个机会。我们仍然需要完成一次防守，而他给了我们一个能够完成防守的机会。
OG 在更衣室里对那个球有更多地评价吗？没有，OG 没有任何反应，脸上没有任何表情。他就像是，是的，我想我把它投进了 [笑]。
你知道，你以是个温和的人而著称。即使是现在和你交谈，你也很容易微笑，你在候场室里也在开玩笑。但我可以想象，成为一名职业篮球运动员会让你倾向于某种进攻性？
进攻性或者强硬。
那是天生的，还是你必须培养出你性格中的这一面？
年轻的时候确实更具进攻性。我有一股狠劲，因为我知道作为一个小孩子与大孩子一起打球是什么感觉。如果你不给对方一个统一的目标，他们不会尊重你。作为“小孩子”，我必须去赢得尊重。每一天，我在 13 岁打 U-16 篮球、U-17 篮球时，学会了如何赢得尊重，在那时我面对的是年龄比我高得多且最优秀的球员。当你这样做时，你明白你必须在比赛中带来这种进攻性。随着我长大，我掌握了技巧，学习了身体属性，增强了力量并变得成熟，我也学会了如何维持它。我母亲很好地教会了我如何接纳那种进攻性并将其转化为我的优势。
你提到过
非常动情地谈到了你在第一场比赛后场边采访中提到的你的“母亲”，以及你在新冠疫情期间失去她的经历。你谈到了你的母亲？“你知道，我把一生都奉献给了这项运动。我本可以用那些宝贵的时间与她在一起，与她享受生活——但我把时间花在了健身房里磨练球技，在接受身体治疗，在心理上并不总是 100, 百分之百地投入，因为我在思考即将到来的对手。为了这项运动，我牺牲了太多。如果我不尽力把握这次机会，那就辜负了她，我想让她感到自豪。”你在比赛期间是否在某些时刻想到了她？“我一直在想她。这不仅仅是篮球。我的生活并不围绕着篮球转，那只是我的工作，在篮球之外我依然有完整的生活。我思考时手里可能拿着篮球，也可能没有。”在新闻发布会和场边采访中吗？“不。我只是我自己。我并不想扮演任何人。我只是尝试尽可能诚实地回答问题。在这样做的时候，我想我的个性有时会显露出来。我不会为此道歉，因为这就是我母亲教我的方式。她告诉我，要对自己感到自信，永远不要掩盖自己的光芒。”[我的妻子看了很多……]
这很有趣。我也想对 J.B. 这么说。我觉得这并不太离谱。我们不都像我们的父母吗？他散发出 Rick 的能量，而我散发出 Jacqueline 的能量，这很美好。
Towns 在季后赛期间大部分时间在与圣安东尼奥马刺队的新星维克多·文班亚马（左上图）对决。尼克斯队在七场四胜制的总决赛中以 4-1 获胜，夺得了该队自 1973 年以来首个 NBA 冠军。右上图为 Towns 在第五场比赛后与队友庆祝。
“我仍然无法想象我们做到了。”他说，“尼克斯，这就是我唯一需要关注的。你明白为什么杰伦·布朗现在去了 76 人队吗？在所有他可能去的球队中，凯尔特人竟然把他交易给了他们最大的竞争对手之一！这挺有趣的。就像我说的，掌控能掌控的。如果我担心生活中所有无法掌控的事情，我会被搞得晕头转向。”
“但当然，你的好伙计米奇·罗宾逊现在在凯尔特人队。”
“那次挺难受的。坦白说，球队解体了。在经历了这一切之后，我甚至不知道我能不能看着穿凯尔特人球衣的米奇，所以我只能在见到米奇时对他大笑。他欠我一辆皮卡车。”
“为了什么？”
“我不知道，我就是想要一辆皮卡车。作为一个球迷看着他投罚球是最像情感过山车一样的体验。”
“看着一个人投罚球竟然像情感过山车？”
“因为你太希望他成功了！这不像在酒吧里走向一个女性。”
“那更容易！”
“队友们看着米奇投罚球时的体验是怎样的？”
“噢，我们很喜欢。第一，这能造成一次犯规，让我们更接近加罚。第二，每次发生这种情况，都能给我们提供重整状态的休息时间。第三，我们信任米奇。我们信任那支球队里的每一个人，从 1 到 15. 号。我们看到彼此在努力工作，所以当他走上去时，我们很兴奋，因为如果他投进了，我们等不及要开他玩笑。”
“能够为纽约市的人们带来快乐似乎是一项特权。谈谈这对你意味着什么。”
“能为这么多家庭带来快乐，尤其是那些拥有几代尼克斯球迷、一直恳求能进入 NBA 总决赛，更不用说在 53 年后赢得 NBA 总决赛的家庭——我觉得自己就像个《爱之岛》里的角色，在季后赛结束后拿到手机并看到……”
这些短视频、这些视频以及这些 Instagram 帖子，讲述了祖父与孙辈一同庆祝，以及那种代代相传的尼克斯队球迷情结——从孩子到父亲，而那位父亲则是看着 1999 年的失望而长大；或者是那些失去亲人的家庭前往墓地，与他们一同庆祝尼克斯队的胜利。1我知道这有多么特别，因为 1 看到布鲁克林的人们在欢呼，而他们自己就有 NBA 球队！[笑] 这恰恰表明，当你给纽约人一个共同目标时，他们之间是如此团结。激发希望是最难的事情之一，而我们能够做到这一点是非常特别的。
那么，最后一个问题：在职业体育中，获胜与失败之间的差距非常微小。一个微小的决定就能改变一切。例如去年，你们在一次反击中被击败了。而今年，06 投进了一个球，如果他没投进——
我会把球扣进去。
我知道你在说你会扣进去。我是说，我绝对会扣进去。
但 06 的那一球是个奇迹。那么，想到再次夺冠，是否感到压力巨大？
嗯，我的竞争精神告诉我：这就是我们计划要做的事。在每一个系列赛中，我们始终是下风球的一方。现在我们必须准备好被视为热门球队。虽然这不是我们太喜欢的情况，所以我们必须在场上继续保持那种下风球的心态。我们必须成为一个更优秀的版本，尽管你们中的许多人说我们在季后赛中是史上最强之一。我们必须找到一个新的高度，因为今年人们会对我们有所准备。
好吧，我要说了：蝉联冠军。
我才不这么说呢。谢谢，冠军。非常感谢。
这篇采访经过编辑和删减。完整版本请见 nytimes.com / theinterview 或我们的播客节目《The Interview》。
14 / 2026年8月3日，星期一 / 纽约时报 国际版
文化 / 关注伦敦黑人群体的抗争 一部修复的纪录片探讨了林顿·奎西·约翰逊（Linton Kwesi Johnson）的诗歌
（问：是什么培养了你对诗歌和写作的兴趣？） 不。我的祖母不识字，她会让我读圣经给她听。我开始喜欢旧约的语言，尤其是诗篇。对诗歌的兴趣是后来才产生的。作为一名“青年黑豹”（Young Panther），我发现了非裔美国文学。我成为诗人的最初灵感来自 W.E.B. 杜波依斯（WEB. Du Bois）的著作《黑人之魂》（The Souls of Black Folk）、兰斯顿·休斯（Langston Hughes）、格温多琳·布鲁克斯（Gwendolyn Brooks）和阿米里·巴拉卡（Amiri Baraka）以及“最后的诗人”（Last Poets）的政治诗歌。他们的叙事方式是非裔美国人的日常口语，并伴有打击乐。我曾经在名为“拉斯塔之爱”（Rasta Love）的组合中用打击乐朗诵我的诗作，那是和我一起上学的年轻拉斯塔们。
作者：PATRICIA MESCHINO
在 1979 年的纪录片《恐惧节拍与血》（Dread Beat an Blood）开头，27 岁的诗人林顿·奎西·约翰逊朗诵了一段诗句，描绘了居住在伦敦的牙买加出生角色“布扎兄弟”（Brother Buzza）面临的挑战：“这兄弟说他破产了，他说他没工作 / 他说他的女人在怀孕，他说他连根大麻都没有。”注意到约翰逊的牙买加根源，一名英国记者问他是否计划留在布里克斯顿（Brixton）——约翰逊自 1963 年起就居住在南伦敦的这个社区。
“英格兰和我一样也是我的祖国，”他用温和的语气回答，但话语中却蕴含着强烈的情感。“大多数来到这里的人都梦想着回归故土。但此时此刻，在这个国家我们有一场非常重要的抗争，我想成为这场抗争的一部分。”
这部由弗朗哥·罗索（Franco Rosso）执导的最新修复纪录片上个月在纽约上映，并在美国多个城市进行了剧院放映。在电影中，约翰逊表演并录制了与其诗集和专辑同名的诗句，歌词生动地描绘了英国境内加勒比黑人移民所面临的种族主义和边缘化。他的朗诵得到了复杂的分层、融入了 dub 风格的雷鬼律动的支持，从而确立了他称之为“dub poetry”（dub 诗歌）的子流派。
（问：回顾你从 1970 年代到 1990 年代的作品，政治抵抗和激进主义的主题在当今世界如何产生共鸣？） （这）提供了一个非历史性的视角，因为我属于过去（笑）。人们可能会从中了解到我们在英格兰所进行的抗争，它如何与美国正在进行的反种族主义斗争相对应，以及大西洋两岸产生的团结感。我通过诗歌和音乐的旅程实际上是一个学习过程，通过这个过程，我能够记录重要的时刻，比如纽克罗斯大火（New Cross fire）或布里克斯顿骚乱。
（问：你上一次坐下来写诗是什么时候？） 史蒂夫·麦奎因（Steve McQueen）拍摄了一系列名为《小斧》（Small Axe）的电影；他请我为一段关于纽克罗斯大火的片段写一首诗。那是 2021 年的事，诗很短，大约八行。在那之前，我写了《给妈妈的雷鬼》（Reggae Fi Mama），这是一首为临终母亲写的挽诗。2019 年在牙买加见到我的母亲，并意识到这将是我最后一次见到她活着，这就是那部作品的灵感来源。有些诗人必须每天写几行，但我只有在被触动时才会写作。
（关于）1981 年及之后的拨款与警察问题。约翰逊的作品继续与现代观众产生连接。2002 年，他成为第二位作品被收录在企鹅现代（Penguin Modern）系列的在世诗人，也是第一位黑人诗人。
经典系列，其中一卷名为《我的革命之友：精选诗集》（Mi Revalueshanary Fren: Selected Poems）。约翰逊被邀请表演他的《新十字路口大屠杀》（New Craas Massakah），这首诗是关于 13 名在 1981 年伦敦新十字路口枪战中丧生的黑人青年。
在过去 25 年里，我一直有一个抱负：制作一套乐器系列，也就是一张我自己的音乐作品集，其中包含《Dread Beat an Blood》。
我在克拉伦登的山丘长大，直到 11 岁时搬到英国。那时我们都从事农活，每个人都有责任，哪怕只是喂鸡。那是我人生中最美好的时光。在那里，我吸收了牙买加民间文化的元素，这些元素一直影响着我。民歌、教会歌曲、谜语，以及圣诞节期间的 Jonkonnu（一种由穿着服装的舞者在羊皮鼓、摇铃和竹笛伴奏下的传统巡游）。我们当时没有广播、电视或电。
在《Dread Beat an Blood》中，你解释说你的诗歌节奏是基于雷鬼低音线条构建的。当你写作时，你是先听到低音线条，还是由词句决定音乐流向？
不，我不再有任何艺术抱负了。我已经写了很多，所以我现在生命中最大的抱负就是达到一种完全满足的状态，与自己达成和解。我的腰椎下段有严重的健康问题。我无法长时间站立。
在两次对话中——一次在纽约市布鲁克林区，一次在上个月通过电话从布里克斯顿（Brixton）进行——约翰逊，73, 讨论了他的作品。
你目前在从事什么工作？或以什么著称？
《生者与死者的声音》（Voices of the Living and the Dead）、《胜利之师》（Forces of Victory）和《低音文化》（Bass Culture）。
在导演 Steve McQueen 2020 年的电影《小斧》（Small Axe）中，《Dread Beat an Blood》具有重要意义，因为它提供了第二次世界大战后黑人在英国生活经验的缩影，展现了第二代加勒比移民的视角。
在之前的对话中，我曾与 Dennis Bovell 合作。Dennis 是制作人，他负责混音，我们一起确定歌曲的编曲。人们帮我编曲，他负责混音。我认为 Dennis 的低音线非常精彩 [笑]。那是我的低音线，但我无法把它做得像他那样好。
我可能会在明年将其作为限量版发行，或者在死后发行。那是我的心愿。
Franco Rosso 是如何向你介绍他的作品的？
我参与了黑豹党运动，是一名年轻的活动家，也是在刑事法院外抗议的人之一。当时有九名活动家因骚乱、煽动而受审，结果被判刑。所以 Franco 会认识我。我曾参与争取释放 George Lindo [一名因警察获取的虚假供词而被判定武装抢劫的牙买加移民] 的运动。之后是 Dennis Bovell —— Dennis 是制作人，他负责混音，我们一起确定歌曲的编曲。
此前观看过 BBC 的原始广播节目后，你有机会观看修复后的电影吗？
在两场对话中，人们赞扬他采取主动为电影选择这些主题。我认为年轻一代地发现他是一种荣幸。采访内容经过了编辑和压缩。
什么是触发你决定停止现场表演（例如与 Dennis 和 Dub Band 合作）的原因？
我一直对音乐语言感兴趣。
（此处文本不完整）
注：由于原文片段碎片化，以下数值补全至对应语境：4, 1975. 1, 1, 0
为了娱乐我们的——看到新一代地看到一场反对警察语言的示威，感觉如何？当我写诗时，[尝试在不显得笨拙的情况下写得很长。当音乐发生时，我探索语言内部的音乐性，并围绕低音线构建一切。在我第一次的时候——
观看它，或者。真正令人兴奋的是发现你的作品？有人在你的晚年推崇你，这太棒了。他们现在这么做更好，因为当你死去时，谁在乎？你至少得活动一下膝盖或抖抖腿。你说过你的父亲不识字，你的母亲是准军事人员。你周围有谁……
弗兰科·罗索（Franco Rosso）正获得一些应有的关注。他没有拍太多电影，但那两部电影——弗兰科·罗索导演了关于“红树林九人组”（Mangrove Nine）的原版纪录片。1 即使在拉德布鲁克格罗夫（Ladbroke Grove）面对警察的残暴，他也没有像一座雕像那样呆立不动。
他出版了两集诗集，三张专辑。
蜘蛛侠已经长大，但依然有“作业”要做。独立的蜘蛛侠电影，有些具有相当重要的角色，这些电影在很大程度上仍然像是关于彼得及其朋友的角色驱动电影。即使是《没有路回家》（No Way Home），尽管它与其他电影有许多眨眼可见的联系，但主要讲述的是不同世代的蜘蛛侠（Spiders-Men?），而不是漫威电影宇宙（M.C.U.）的主线剧情。这部电影感觉肩上承担了更多的特许经营压力，这就给情感权重留下的空间更小了。因此，它显得更加分散，虽然核心的 M.C.U. 粉丝可能会感到满意，但我们其他人显然已经厌倦了必须做“作业”。任何事情都无法抹去观看荷兰弟（Holland）表演的快感，即使你知道很多时候那得是计算机生成的蜘蛛侠，他的表演依然迷人且充满活力。随着他在银幕上的成长，他的观众也随之成长。这部电影提出的问题是在整个漫画电影中反复出现的一个：我们该如何处理我们的特殊性？
电影评论：最新电影深受将所有故事联系在一起的压力之苦 作者：ALISSA WILKINSON
在某种程度上，蜘蛛侠的故事一直关于成长这种恐怖的体验。有一天早晨，你发现你的身体在改变，并做着你无法完全控制的事情，你必须弄清楚该如何应对。由汤姆·霍兰德（Tom Holland）出色地扮演，彼得·帕克（Peter Parker）一直是一个善良、开朗的青少年，他想做正确的事，并对他能力经常让所爱之人陷入危险而感到恐惧。在《没有路回家》结束时，他请求奇异博士施展一个咒语，让全世界——包括他的爱人——忘记他是蜘蛛侠，因为这是拯救他的宇宙免于毁灭的唯一方法。
在很大程度上，彼得选择保持低调和隐秘，以弥补人们知道他的能力后所造成的损害。但现在，他必须在接受自己的成年能力并再次让自己为人所知，或者压制自己的能力之间做出选择。
《蜘蛛侠：崭新之日》（Spider-Man: Brand New Day.），由德斯汀·丹尼尔·克雷顿（Destin Daniel Cretton）导演，克里斯·麦肯纳（Chris McKenna）和埃里克·索默斯（Erik Sommers）编剧，这是该系列蜘蛛侠电影的第四部。它承接了《没有路回家》的剧情。显然，它旨在将故事联系在一起。例如，如果你在寻找某种隐藏在人与人之间之物……
他非常熟悉的各种能力。而且即使这些能力让你感到恐惧。他并不是一部行走的人类百科全书，讨论着 M.C.U.，在阴影中潜行，并接手了《归来》（Way Home）结束后的烂摊子。彼得独自生活。Damage Control 是一个旨在进行清理工作的组织，而这至关重要，因为在那个实体找到 MJ 之前他必须完成此事——不幸的是，这远没有之前的几部电影那么有趣，尽管第二季和《夜魔侠：重生》（Daredevil: Born Again）可能随之而来的。同样，一部分观众可能已经从青少年变成了新成人，处于一个随着时间推移而变得更加威权的世界上（尽管这可能是这类作品的特质）。当然，还有很多其他内容，其中一些我无法告诉你；萨迪·辛克（Sadie Sink）在这个电影中的角色也存在疑问。
那些让其他电影如此有趣且轻松的喜剧色彩已经消失了，很大程度上是因为彼得与内德和 MJ 的关系发生了剧烈变化，两人现在通过内德的社交媒体更新隔远地约会。蜘蛛侠再次深受纽约人的喜爱，因此他打击犯罪，但这意味着霍兰德、巴特伦，尤其是赞达亚之间那种打趣的化学反应基本缺失了。
这似乎对观众的要求太高了。在这种情况下，《崭新之日》（Brand New Day）是蜘蛛侠系列电影中的第 4 部，这感觉像是成长弧线的一个终点，因为这个版本的角色已经经历了许多事情。如果说《回家》（Homecoming）是关于青春期的，而《远离家园》（Far From Home）是关于在成长恐怖经历中成长并发现每个人都将你的特殊之处视为某种东西并据此定义你，那么《无路回家》（No Way Home）就是关于为自己的行为承担责任，那么这部电影在一定程度上就是关于这种情感沉重感，这种沉重感在电影的其他情节线索中有所体现。
这部电影还被同一件导致后期疲软（late-stage sag）的问题所拖累。一个诡异的威胁危及城市，一个复仇的实体。
电影中偶尔会出现弗兰克·卡斯特尔，也就是惩罚者（乔·伯恩撒尔 饰），他对他进行重大打击。但一个奇怪的威胁笼罩着这座城市，他只想从你的套装中射出蛛丝流体。他最希望的是为他们自己服务。
与此同时，彼得在能量方面有自己的问题，因为他的蛛形类激素水平正在飙升，导致他经常头痛。他有时与侦探让·德沃尔夫（莉莎·科隆-扎亚斯 饰）在电话中聊天，但从未透露自己是彼得·帕克。
由于索尼影视公司（Sony Pictures Entertainment）与华特迪士尼影业（Walt Disney Studios，该公司拥有漫威影业）之间的协议，他自 2016 年在《美国队长 3：内战》（Captain America: Civil War）中出现以来，就一直与漫威电影宇宙（M.C.U.）相关联。尽管在几部《复仇者》系列电影中会出现其他 M.C.U. 角色，但要把所有其他 M.C.U. 角色绑定在一起，其压力似乎非常大。
由于一部电影下意识地触及观众的焦虑，也许这部电影讲述的是成长过程中可怕的体验。
比尔·梅特格（Bill Metger）学院的院长（特拉梅尔·蒂尔曼 饰）解释说，他不确定那个实体在追求什么，或者为什么他与彼得彼此认识，但这可能属于该领域。由于 Damage Control 的目标是利用破坏性能量并将其转化为有益之物，这意味着他们希望仅仅确保每个人的安全，他说。彼得甚至在考虑是否有一种方法能创造一个设备，让每个人处于平等水平，而这并不巧合。
他们希望将破坏性能量转化为有益之物。彼得甚至在考虑是否有一种方法能创造一个设备，让每个人处于平等水平。
有些人可能不熟悉弗兰克·卡斯特尔，因为他们没看过《夜魔侠》（Daredevil）第一季以及两季的《惩罚者》（Punisher）电视剧和《惩罚者：最后一击》（Punisher: One Last Kill）漫威电视特辑。
在这里，创意力量——尤其是卓越的力量——被视为可以被利用的事物。
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（注：原文中提及了纽约之战 Battle of New York，应在此处或相关段落体现）
纽约时报 国际版 2026 年 8 月 3 日，星期一 / 15 文化
画家的画布在舞台上跃动飞舞 蒂姆·福斯特的冷门手艺涉及给芭蕾舞鞋着色的精细艺术 作者：玛格丽特·富勒 (MARGARET FUHRER)
如果你乘坐纽约林肯中心大卫·H·科赫剧院 (David H. Koch Theater) 的电梯到达最高层，然后再爬一层楼梯，走过一条混凝土砌块走廊，你将会到达一个“看起来像是艺术家工作室和化学实验室的结合体”的小空间。这就是蒂姆·福斯特 (Tim Foster) 给芭蕾舞鞋着色的地方。
作为纽约市芭蕾舞团 (New York City Ballet) 的鞋履着色师，福斯特已经担任此职 15 年，这是一个虽小但重要的领域。大多数足尖鞋和芭蕾舞软底鞋在出厂时都是淡粉色的。但该舞团的剧目需要彩虹般丰富的色调，例如《胡桃夹子》中马齐潘牧羊女群舞所需的金黄色，或者《仲夏夜之梦》中蝴蝶独舞者所需的浅蓝色。
在那个狭小的阁楼空间里，作为该舞团首位全职鞋履着色师的福斯特，每季要对数百只鞋进行喷涂和涂抹。这是一门精细的艺术。他必须使鞋色与服装颜色精确匹配，以免鞋子破坏腿部的连续线条。而且，涂料必须谨慎地、 painstakingly 地少量涂抹，以免改变舞者脚感。
作为一名曾经的职业舞者，73 岁的福斯特深知其中的关键。他在一次视频采访中表示：“当他们把足尖鞋交给我去喷雾（也就是说去染色）时，我对待这份责任非常认真。必须得准确，因为那是他们的神圣工具。就像他们的小提琴，或者双簧管。”
多年来，除了市芭蕾舞团内部，几乎没有人知道福斯特及其工作的存在。直到纪录片导演约书亚·查罗 (Joshua Charow) —— 他经常拍摄无名英雄的传记 —— 偶然发现了一篇提到福斯特工作的市芭蕾舞团博客文章。
“我立刻被吸引了，”查罗在视频采访中说道，“但我找不到关于他的任何其他信息。”
今年早些时候，查罗与福斯特取得了联系，并拍摄了他讲述自己作为舞者的过去以及在市芭蕾舞团的工作。查罗惊喜地发现，福斯特还悄悄地在创作视觉艺术作品。他的鞋子涂色工作站周围铺满了白纸，随着时间的推移，纸上溅满了各种颜色。他利用这些纸片，将残留的鞋漆斑点融入其中，创作出充满奇幻感的、类似夏加尔 (Chagall) 风格的场景。
在查罗 7 月推出的纪录片《蒂姆的鞋》(Shoes for Tim) 中，福斯特说：“我就在那些保留了所有溅点和痕迹的纸上开始勾勒。我沉浸其中。”
福斯特的工作最近变得更加繁忙。过去，旨在近似肤色的粉色鞋子曾是芭蕾舞服装的默认选择。但几年前，市芭蕾舞团成为了几家重新思考“芭蕾粉”的舞团之一，转而采用了真正的肤色鞋履。如今，每位舞团成员都拥有一款与其肤色定制匹配的鞋色。这需要大量的涂色工作。
市芭蕾舞团独舞演员娜奥米·科蒂 (Naomi Corti) 在一次视频采访中表示，她现在几乎每场演出前都会去拜访福斯特 —— 确实是为了给鞋子补色，但也是为了聊天。温和且周到的福斯特很擅长缓解演出前的紧张情绪。
“他总是知道该说什么，因为他是我们的一员，是一名舞者，”她说，“他有一种非常令人心安的气场。他就像剧院的心跳。”
作为一名舞者，福斯特既是早慧者也是大器晚成者。他的父亲曾在一支乡村西部乐队中，福斯特在孩童时期以及……
吉他手的女儿“有时会在太平洋西北地区的烧烤聚会和乡村俱乐部为观众起舞。到了初中，他“开始在学校组织午餐时间舞会。‘你会拉上女朋友，在滑板上跳布吉舞，’”福斯特说道。但在他进入俄勒冈州尤金市的莱恩社区学院并开始参加音乐剧演出之前，他没有接受过正式的舞蹈训练。正是这样，他结识了未来的妻子尼基（当时的姓氏为克拉夫特），她是一位出色的舞者和编舞。‘她告诉我：‘你想跳舞？那你最好去上课，’他说道。他开始学习芭蕾和现代舞，很快在当地剧院的制作中获得了主角。1986年，这对夫妇搬到了纽约市。福斯特最终开始在现已关闭的纽约市歌剧院舞蹈——在与纽约市芭蕾舞团相同的林肯中心舞台上演出——同时也参加该市的音乐剧及巡演。‘我当时在同时做很多事情，’他说道。
福斯特利用工作站上溅满油漆的纸张来创作自己的艺术品。‘人们似乎非常喜欢这些画，这让我感到非常惊讶，’他说道。这种情况在尼基 2004年被诊断出患有乳腺癌时停止了。‘舞蹈工作突然显得不那么重要了，’福斯特说道。为了寻求稳定，他在市歌剧院的服装部门找了一份工作。后来他开始在市芭蕾舞团工作，为《胡桃夹子》中的孩子们穿衣。
他的鞋子绘画职业生涯纯属偶然。有一段时间，舞者们会自己给鞋子上色，但这导致了色调和外观的不一致。‘他们想要一种统一的颜色。’虽然他没有艺术培训或给鞋子上色的经验，但福斯特发现自己在匹配色调方面有天赋。‘我可以分辨出那种灰色与普通灰色的区别，’他说道。‘是因为里面有绿色？粉色？还是紫色？’
福斯特表示，涉及绘画最多的芭蕾舞剧是大型故事剧目：《胡桃夹子》、《仲夏夜之梦》。但在最棘手的作品之一是杰罗姆·罗宾斯的《音乐会》。他必须匹配服装中透明蓝色紧身裤的颜色，这种裤子会让舞者自然的肤色透出来——这意味着每位舞者需要的色调略有不同。‘你采用那种蓝色，然后用中性色将其拉伸，使其成为一层薄薄的蓝色，’他说道，‘我花很长时间才弄明白。’
15年间，蒂姆·福斯特，2，一直为纽约市芭蕾舞团的舞者绘画鞋子。‘大多数足尖鞋和芭蕾舞鞋都是浅粉色的，但剧团的剧目需要彩虹般的多种色调。’福斯特必须精确匹配服装颜色，以保持腿部的连续线条，且油漆必须少量涂抹。
福斯特在他的这一小领域成为了创新者，部分原因是由于他懂得如何让舞者看起来和感觉起来都很美。科尔蒂说，他有时会给她的足尖鞋做‘修容’，将绸缎的某些部分涂得稍深一些，使她的足弓看起来弧度更加优美。有一次，她因为《柯佩莉亚》独舞的鞋子而沮丧地来找他，那些鞋子上涂了厚厚的灰色油漆，导致鞋子失去了灵活性。‘那是一段跳跃较多的部分，穿着这种硬邦邦的鞋子很难跳，’她说道。第二天，福斯特给她带来了一双她称之为‘灰姑娘舞鞋’的鞋子，上面覆盖着一层轻盈的银色。‘我不再感到抽筋了——一切感觉好多了，’她说道。‘他改变了我对那部芭蕾舞剧的体验。’
在过去的几年里，福斯特重新开始了舞蹈。他的妻子最终从乳腺癌中康复，但在 2013年，他也收到了癌症诊断。治疗需要切除
他右大腿后侧的大部分肌肉已经萎缩。在康复过程中，舞蹈帮助他重新认识自己的身体。“我从头开始，做自己的把杆练习，只是努力不让自己僵住，”他说。“实际上，走路是最难的事情。但我总能设法跳舞。”现在，他尽可能多地尝试跳舞——有时与 Nickie 一起，他说 Nickie “像牛一样强壮”。这部纪录片甚至引发了一种形式的回归，导演 Charow 拍摄了一段富有诗意的片段：Foster 时隔 25 年再次在科赫剧院（Koch Theater）的舞台上起舞。
当 Foster 开始创作鞋纸画时，他并没有打算出售或展示它们。“我当时并没有真正把它当回事，”他说。“我会画好它们，卷起来，然后把它们忘在脑后。”他将其中几幅作为礼物送给了舞者，包括在今年早些时候退休的纽约市芭蕾舞团（City Ballet）之星 Megan Fairchild。他还给 Charow 送了一幅——包装在足尖鞋的运输袋中，并用鞋带系着。
纪录片发布后，观众对他艺术作品的反应让 Foster 感到惊讶且感动。“人们似乎真的很喜欢这些画，这让我有些措手不及，”他说。他现在正考虑举办某种形式的展览。每年秋天，纽约市芭蕾舞团的艺术系列展都会邀请视觉艺术家为剧院创作特定场域的作品；Corti 表示，她非常希望 Foster 能收到这样的邀请。
Charow 的纪录片在关键时刻捕捉到了 Foster。他计划很快退休，但首先希望培训新的鞋子着色师。他说，目标是在舞者的生活中创造“尽可能小的波动”。“我知道现场剧场如何榨干你的一切，即便它也在滋养你，”他说。“我们这些幕后工作者，只是想让舞者能够全身心地投入舞蹈。”
关于美学政治的丑陋之战
书评
《解放之夏：改变女性运动的时刻与美国政治的未来》（Liberation Summer: The Moment That Changed the Women’s Movement and the Future of American Politics） 作者：Micki McElya。Avid Reader Press 出版。 525 pp. $32. 作者：KATIE ROIPHE
在 1968, 9 月，一场针对“美国小姐”选美比赛的喧闹女权主义抗议活动在大西洋城（Atlantic City）的木板道上铺开。当时，首届“黑人美国小姐”选美赛的选手们乘着敞篷车驶过，而反抗议者则大喊诸如“滚回俄罗斯去，你们这些丑陋的、女同性恋的、共产主义妓女”之类的话。Micki McElya 在《解放之夏》一书中认为，正是在这里，关于谁定义美丽、美丽意味着什么，以及美丽如何被用来征服女性的问题，进入了主流文化对话。
在这部生动且格调高雅的社会历史著作中，康涅狄格大学的历史学家 McElya 勾勒了参与改变政治格局的各种活动家、记者、选美冠军、保守派偶像、律师和远见者的群像。我们读到白人活动家 Bev Grant 的男友在她试图讨论《第二性》时将其扔掉，以及黑人律师 Florynce Kennedy 在试图走在自己街道上时被捕。我们看到首届“黑人美国小姐”的冠军朗诵她写的一首诗，诗中描述一个小女孩认为自己的皮肤、嘴唇和头发很丑。
McElya 的写作方法继承了 David Halberstam 的《五十年》（The Fifties）的传统，通过鲜活的场景和人物来唤起一个遥远的时代。女性在 1968. 9 月抗议大西洋城的“美国小姐”选美比赛。（Halberstam 本人也在书中客串，他以一种轻微性别歧视的口吻将开拓性的《纽约时报》编辑兼记者 Charlotte Curtis 描述为一名“聪明、强悍的小妞”）。通过将...
读者在各种房间里，那里第二波女权主义者们在构思并争论他们的计划，McElya 将这段色彩斑斓且被遗忘的历史片段赋予了生命。后见之明往往将女性的政治进步组织成一个关于热切奉献和令人鼓舞的姐妹情谊的动人故事。但 McElya 明确指出，其中也存在着 7 巨量程度的斗争。她深入探讨了女性解放运动核心的分歧和权力之争。在某个时刻，一名组织者禁止一名潜在的抗议者携带一块写着“除了死男人，没有好男人”的标语。那些致力于反对资本主义的激进分子与试图影响美国主流女性的女权主义者发生冲突。与瓦莱丽·索拉纳斯的《SCUM宣言》一致的激烈反男性派系，疏远了更为务实的政治类型。McElya 描述了在马里兰州桑迪斯普林举行的一次极其激烈的激进女性团体会议。其中一名参与者提到贝蒂·弗里丹，并补充道：“尽管我们可能很讨厌她”。会议随后演变成大声喧哗和公开敌对。McElya 还讲述了在同一个仅由白人女性组成的集会上，关于将黑人女性纳入其中的一次令人痛苦的对话。这是对定义一个包含许多冲突元素和叙事的事业之奋斗的一次罕见一瞥。我们可以看到，在我们现在认为的“解放之夏”中，有多少不同的女性运动发生了碰撞。
《解放之夏》记录了杰出女性在努力超越传统审美观念的同时，仍感到必须遵守这些观念的方式。McElya 触及了一个讽刺点：媒体执着于像格洛丽亚·斯泰纳姆这样符合传统审美标准的女性运动人物，而像贝蒂·弗里丹这样不够上镜的人物则面临困难。McElya 讲述了一个令人沮丧的故事：弗里丹的外貌受到严密审视，她将头发染成红色，结果几天之内就变成了绿色。虽然《解放之夏》非常引人入胜，但我发现自己渴望更多关于文学和文化背景的内容。例如，托妮·莫里森广受好评的 1970 年小说《最蓝的眼睛》探讨了白人与黑人美学的主题，但书中并未提及。在 McElya 对该时期女权主义文学的讨论中，还存在一些显著的遗漏，包括杰梅因·格里尔那部狂野、激情的国际畅销书《女性阉人》（1971 年在美国出版），该书探讨了追求传统审美标准所涉及的压迫感和自我厌恶。在 McElya 涵盖的 20 世纪 70 年代初的圈子里，这部引起轰动的书肯定被阅读并讨论过。
在《解放之夏》的结尾，她指向了特朗普 era. 时期围绕美容政治的当前环境。她注意到围绕在特朗普身边、甚至在内阁级别的那些像选美皇后一样的人物。她强调她们夸张的女性特征，以及在维持“海湖庄园脸”上显然投入的时间和精力。这似乎正是重点：证明了对传统性别角色的一种承诺。McElya 在书末指出，尽管女性取得了显而易见的进步，但压迫性的审美标准及其支撑的政治理想仍然奇怪且持久地存在着。在“解放之夏”过去半个多世纪后，我们发现自己根本没有变得多么解放。
凯蒂·罗伊夫（Katie Roiphe）是纽约大学文化报道与评论项目的主任，目前正在撰写一本关于珍妮特·马尔科姆（Janet Malcolm）的书。
16 / 星期一，2026 年 8 月 3 日 纽约时报 国际版 旅行
在悬崖之上，测试我恐惧的极限 一次 Via Ferrata 之旅帮助一名紧张的徒步者面对他的恐高症 作者：CHRIS HIPPENSTEEL
我站在一块岩架上，下方约 30 英尺处水流湍急，身后排着一队等待的人。一座由三根缆绳（1 根给脚，两根给手）组成的悬索桥像钢丝一样横跨在深渊之上。我的双腿已经开始发抖，而我除了前进别无选择。
像所有参加奥索贝尔峡谷（Ausable Chasm，一个位于纽约州北部阿第伦达克山脉的峡谷）之旅的人一样，我穿着一件安全带，以防止我坠落。也许它能救我的命，但它对我焦虑感的缓解作用微其微。
我们沿着一条 via ferrata（意大利语中意为“铁道”）前行，它在峡谷间之字形穿行，将我们带到高耸的砂岩墙上，我们紧抓着金属踏杆，不断地解开并重新扣上安全带上的两条安全线。
不可否认，对于像我这样深受瘫痪性恐高症困扰的人来说，选择这条令人心跳加速的路线确实有些古怪。但这恰恰是我站在这座摇晃的钢索桥前的原因。这次 via ferrata 之旅只是我多年自我主导的暴露疗法中的最新一轮，此前为了治愈我的恐高症，我已经尝试过在阿第伦达克山脉进行惊险的岩石攀爬和登上裸露的山顶。
“别把我带向死亡，”我身后的女人开玩笑说。当我测试缆绳的稳固性时，我回答道：“我会尽力的。”又走一步，我便离开了岩架，脚下只剩下开阔的空气和奔腾的白色水流。
一个自然的下一步 19 世纪的丹麦哲学家、存在主义之父索伦·克尔凯郭尔（Soren Kierkegaard）将恐高症视为所有人类焦虑的隐喻。克尔凯郭尔想象，当一个人站在悬崖边时，会立即且敏锐地意识到跳下去的能力——随之而来的是人类自由那令人眩晕的广度。
我不能说高度曾给我带来过这样的启示。但我知道，尽管我心怀恐惧，但总有某种力量吸引我向它们靠近。正是通过徒步，我开始测试这种吸引力的极限。
我在纽约州奥尔巴尼（Albany, N.Y.）居住时爱上了徒步，那里是通往阿第伦达克山脉山峰和悬崖的门户城市。在那里，我逐渐探测恐惧的边界，强迫自己靠近山顶观景台的边缘，然后寻找日益具有挑战性的路线，考验我的脚步和勇气。
事实证明，这种方法背后有科学依据。瑞士巴塞尔大学的临床心理学家兼研究员多萝西·本茨（Dorothée Bentz）表示，递增暴露疗法仍然是治疗恐高症的金标准。
“如果人们接受治疗，其响应率约为 80%，”本茨博士说。“但人们必须参与其中，”她补充道，“这意味着你必须让自己暴露在恐惧之中。”
Via ferrata 似乎成了该过程中的一个自然下一步。尽管其垂直环境令人震撼，但从技术难度来看，via ferrata 与游乐场里的攀爬架相差无几。攀登者在整个路线上都佩戴着安全带，时刻保持至少 1 个登山扣扣在安全缆绳上。尽管危险程度有限，但暴露感却很强——这正是我所寻求的挑战类型。
现代 via ferrata 在很大程度上是第一次世界大战的产物，最初是作为…… [此处文本中断]
奥索贝尔峡谷的脊线，纽约州北部阿第伦达克山脉。…… [此处文本缺失 / 模糊] 意大利语中意为“铁道”；从其中一座悬索桥向下俯瞰的景象……
桥梁；随着近年来 Via Ferrata（铁道攀登）在美国的兴起，登山者们在小径上通过这些设施前行。最初，这是意大利军队和奥匈帝国军队在群山之巅激战时，为了在多洛米蒂山脉快速调动部队而设立的临时系统。久而久之，这些早期的设施被改良成了休闲攀登路线，特点是设有金属踏杆和吊桥。从阿尔卑斯山开始，这种形式传向世界各地，让各地的惊险寻求者能够穿越陡峭的悬崖和深邃的峡谷。尽管 Via Ferrata 近年来在美国兴起，但对于预算有限的普通日间徒步旅行者来说，纽约市附近的选项仍然有限。位于纽约州普拉茨堡南端、由私人经营的景点奥塞布尔峡谷（Ausable Chasm）的“冒险小径”既便宜（进入峡谷约 $20，Via Ferrata 费用为 $45），又触手可及。
我在 5 月下旬开车前往阿第伦达克山脉，比旅游旺季早了几周，并在次日一早前往峡谷，预订 Via Ferrata 的名额。大约 90 分钟的导览行程采取先到先得制，该景点的网站警告说名额很快会被订满。从峡谷边缘俯瞰，我第一次看到了 Via Ferrata 的样子：河上有四座钢索桥，桥之间是岩石凸起段和金属踏杆。我想，当然，我能应付。
半小时后，我们 42 岁的导游科尔比·沃克（Colby Walker）向我所在的约 12 人的旅游团演示如何将安全带在障碍物周围扣上和解开，并确保始终有一个扣环固定在贯穿整个路线的安全钢索上。我恰好排在队列最前面，在我身后的是三位 308 岁出头的朋友——凯瑟琳·帕顿（Kathryn Patton）、杰奎琳·拉普雷斯（Jacqueline LaPres）和玛丽·弗雷登道尔（Mary Fredendall），她们是因为参加婚礼而来到这座城市。我们沿着货运网从峡谷底部爬到一个岩架上，我是第一个跟在科尔比身后走上第一座桥的人。
面对下方的深渊，我开始用分数来思考：只要走到四分之一处，现在一半，现在三分之二。每当我的安全带撞到障碍物时，我的心就猛地一沉，我需要将登山扣重新固定在下一段开放的钢索上，这让我瞬间僵在原地。慕尼黑路德维希-马克西米利安大学医院的研究员马克斯·维尔（Max Wir）研究过恐高症，他后来这样解释我的反应：由于失去了控制平衡所依赖的近距离视觉参考点，我的大脑感知到身体处于不稳定状态，身体随之做出了反应。但在科尔比和凯瑟琳的鼓励下，我终于克服了芝诺悖论（Zeno's paradox）——即如果你将事情分解成碎片地去做，你将永远无法到达终点的观点——并成功到达了另一边，随后地心一沉地跳下（再次心惊）一组向上延伸至狭窄岩架的金属踏杆。
另一段高空过河挑战在等待着。这一次更容易应对，脚下有三根金属钢索而非一根。为了缓解紧张，我与凯瑟琳、杰奎琳和玛丽聊天。不可避免地，我们讨论了对高度的感受。凯瑟琳说她热爱高空，玛丽也是如此。但杰奎琳就没那么想。事实证明，杰奎琳和我采取了相同的暴露疗法，尽管是在国家不同的地区。她住在犹他州，先在当地的国家公园里测试自己。但即使征服了锡安国家公园的天使之降（Angels Landing）——美国最令人紧张的徒步路线之一——也不足以击败她的焦虑。
“我对高度的恐惧比以前减轻了，”她说，“但仍然感觉不舒服。”我深有同感。我在想，为什么最初的那种恐慌感依然能找上我，不
无论我面对这种情况多少次，为什么其他人完全没有这种感觉？看看我们的向导科尔比（Colby），他在峭壁上行走得从容不迫，一路上讲述着峡谷的历史。我问他，是否曾有过必须克服恐惧的时候？他摇了摇头。“我小时候，父母得不让我爬松树，”他说，“从我记得起我就一直在攀爬。”
重大转向
现在，另一座缆桥——这座桥的木板间距足够大，足以构成挑战——将我们带回峡谷对面。接下来的路段是全线最长的一段：在最后一座桥之前，是一段固定在高耸岩壁上的狭窄平台和金属横杆。水从上方的砂岩层渗下。湿滑的抓手加剧了我的焦虑，在那一天中的第二次，一阵恐惧将我冻在原地。我将其压制，强迫自己一点点挪动。站在悬崖边，人们会敏锐地意识到自己跳下去的力量——随之而来的是人类自由的广度。
最终，1 到达了最后的一座缆桥，这是所有交叉点中最高的一座，从河流上方约 65 英尺（20 米）处向下倾斜。我必须完成一个尴尬的转向，从金属横杆跨到桥的第一块木板上，这是最后一次令人咬牙切齿的挑战。但当我接近桥中心时，我注意到了一些奇怪的事情：我的腿感觉很稳。我不再像之前那样，觉得必须匆忙爬到下一个稳定的地面。我停下来深吸了一口气。是的，我的双手依然紧紧抓着缆绳，但感觉几乎很放松。
后来，在安全回到我布鲁克林（Brooklyn）的公寓后，我告诉本茨（Bentz）博士我在行程中恐慌的时刻，以及随后而来的平静。我想知道，无论进行多少次暴露疗法，是否能完全消除前者？也许不能。本茨博士解释说，暴露疗法并不一定是关于消除恐惧，而是让你意识到尽管恐惧存在，你依然有能力向前推进。通过重复暴露——一次又一次地冲破恐惧制造的心理障碍——你可以显著减轻焦虑反应。“这不像你学会了之后大脑就被重新编程了，”她说，“而更像大脑学会了某种东西。”
换句话说：勇气需要练习。
我想起站在最后座桥中间那个近乎宁静的时刻。我第一次能够真正地看向脚下之外，欣赏我的影子在下方翻腾的水流映衬下呈现出的背光状态。就像克尔凯郭尔（Kierkegaard）笔下站在悬崖边的人一样，我面对着关于自身自由的眩晕前景：选择回头，或者踏入虚空，并在这样做时，继续挑战我恐惧的边界。
为自闭症旅行者减轻压力 精心计划可以让神经多样性儿童和成人获益 作者：JULIE WEED
对于 34, 岁的约翰·孔斯特（Johan Konst）来说，噪音、转机的压力，以及夜晚降落在陌生城市时感到的恐惧，曾经让他想要完全避免飞行。孔斯特先生患有自闭症，这是一种影响人们沟通、学习和行为的终身状况。自闭症患者的程度不一，从需要大量帮助到独立生活且仅需少量帮助不等。
但孔斯特先生从事一份公关工作，需要他进行国际旅行。因此，他开发了一些方法来让飞行变得更容易。他只预订清晨的航班，尽可能选择直飞。他还投资购买了高质量的降噪耳机。在费力地请求机场工作人员帮他寻找后……
在网约车上车点，他开始练习闲谈，以适应与陌生人交流。Konst先生表示，自闭症患者不必局限自己，“在实践中学习”至关重要。同样，根据旅行者的需求调整体验也能起到很大作用。“以下是一些让自闭症患者旅行变得更轻松的建议。”
针对儿童：
制作一本图册：书中应向孩子们展示旅途每个阶段将看到的内容，可以包括安检口、登机和行李提取处等条目。预期管理非常重要，因此您可以加入类似这样的描述：“飞机会有噪音，会轰鸣并摇晃。这很刺激，但你可能会感到有点紧张。没关系！”YAI（一家服务于发育障碍人士的非营利组织）心理评估高级主管Rachel Labaton博士说道。
准备一套安抚工具包：Labaton博士表示，其中可以包括降噪耳机、太阳镜、指尖玩具、手持电子游戏机、零食、安抚物品以及气味好闻的口罩——任何能提升幸福感的物品都可以。
把旅程变成游戏：Labaton博士说，可以通过将其变成一个游戏来度过机场的不同阶段，例如绘制一张地图并颁发小奖品。“游戏还可以包括由重要人物录制的鼓励信息或安抚话语，比如‘你是安全的，我们在一起’。”
告知机组人员：神经多样性家长指南（Neurodiversity Parent Guide）创始人Karla Auker表示，由于在繁忙的登机过程中并不总是方便交谈，建议制作一张说明孩子需求的卡片并交给乘务员。例如，卡片上可以写道：“本，8岁——自闭症，对剧烈噪音和意外触摸敏感，倾向于清晰的指令。”这位前空乘人员Auker女士表示，如果机组人员能提前了解情况，而不是在问题发生时才得知，将能更好地提供帮助。
安排飞行后的休息时间：Travelmation旅行社无障碍旅游总监Jordana Izzo本身就是一名自闭症儿童的家长，她表示：“下飞机或抵达酒店后，花点时间让每个人跑跑跳跳、放松一下，或者做任何他们需要做的事情来缓解压力。”
保留快乐回忆：Izzo女士建议，拍摄照片并制作一本快乐回忆录，以强化对旅行的正向联结。而且如果事情进展不顺，“你们会挺过去的”，她补充道，“不要让‘可能发生的事’掩盖了‘可以实现的事’”——即共同度假的机会。
针对所有人：
选择合适的登机时间：如果您需要额外的时间来安顿好自己，或者可能沉浸在某项活动中，请与登机口工作人员沟通您的需求，告知他们您需要提前登机。如果您不希望很多人在身边穿梭，或者不想在座位上多花时间，则选择较晚的组别登机。
尽量减少飞行中的决策：Auker女士说，提前决定在机场的哪里用餐、如果延误该怎么办以及在登机口哪里休息（可以看到停机坪的座位可能会减少刺激）。避免决策疲劳可以让事情显得不那么令人不知所措。
寻求帮助：Autism Double-Checked 是一家专注于帮助自闭症旅行者的组织，它提供一份酒店、机场和目的地的名单，这些地方的员工接受过支持自闭症旅行者的培训。对于在美国境内通过运输安全管理局（Transportation Security Administration）检查点时寻求的帮助，特别是对于自闭症程度较重的乘客，首席执行官Alan Day...
来自 Autism Double-Checked 的专家建议，在飞行前 72 小时联系 TSA，请求乘客支持专员（passenger support specialist）。这些经过专门培训的员工可以引导您完成整个流程，并根据乘客的具体需求提供建议。最后，记录哪些方法有效，并利用这些信息来改进您的策略。Konst 先生表示，旅行起初可能会很困难，“但如果你尝试足够多次，它就会变得更容易”。
The New York Times International - 03.08.2026.pdfFIFA PRESIDENT ICARUS MOMENT FOR INFANTINO PAGE 13 | SPORTS ANCIENT GLYPHS LASERS UNEARTH AMAZON SECRETS PAGE TWO WEIGHT OF THE UNIVERSE SPIDER-MAN FLICK GETS TIED UP IN BACK STORIES PAGE 14 | CULTURE Che New York Cimes INTERNATIONAL EDITION | MONDAY, AUGUST 3, 2026 Democracy isn't dead yet in India Kapil Komireddi OPINION ‘NEW DELAI For more than three dec des, Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India has cultivated a politcal mys- tique sustained by fear, awe and rever- ence, giving rise to one of the most formidable cults of personality in the democratic world. ‘That image has disintegrated. ‘What began as a scattered outcry by students over the leaking of questions ‘on medical school entrance exams ‘morphed over several weeks into the ‘most politically consequential mutiny against the prime minister of his 12 years in power. ‘A broad coalition of students, recent ‘graduates, unemployed worker’, farm- ers and a handful of celebrities rallied behind the movement. In an un- ‘matched display of public ridicule, they ‘mocked the most powerful Indian "leader in two gen- cations on the Lo fs streets and across outed revelt Sal media ore marching on Pa. Narendra arent in New Delt Poe of ors armed ith fs descended on protesters. But two ‘weekends ago Mr Modi, forced into a corner, ultimately acquiesced to the resignation of his ‘education minister — the unlikeiest of ‘concessions from a man whose defin- ing political trait has been his unwill ingness to yield. This summer's uprising was about far more than leaked examinations, It ‘was atest of Indian democracy’s ca- pacity to correct itself “The movement was an eruption of the accumulated frustrations of a ‘generation of younger Indians who ‘ould no longer reconcile their wretch- ed reality with the fable of a prosper- fous *New India” purveyed by the prime minister. The country’s seem. Ingly invincible leader was forced into arrare retreat, suggesting that despite ‘decade of efforts by Mr. Modi to hollow out democratic institutions and concentrate power around himself, the ultimate guardians of Indian democra- ey may stil be its citizens. Mr. Modi rose to power on the prom: {se of acorruption-free land of progress and opportunity where mil- lions of jobs would be created and poor Indian citizens could receive 15 milion ‘rupees (about $15,700 at current ex- change rates) if money allegedly stashed in foreign banks by corrupt KOMIREDDI, PAGE 10 ‘The New York Times publishes opinion {from a wide range of perspectives in hopes of promoting constructive debate ‘about consequential questions. Drilling fr ol the old fashioned way Someaenhe Neer sees In a comer of Java, Indonesia, known as “Litle Texas” workers at community-run wells use sticks, buckets and old truck engines to extract crude. PAGE Cut off, Cuba is keeping on fue thas left in an effort to withstand saan i Washington's intense pressure cam- == Pte in The results that Cuba has lasted far loager without fel shipments than the ‘Trump administration appears to have expected ‘Over nearly seven decades of US. pressure, Cuba has defied the odds and Improvised to survive. Now it seems that Mr Trump, lie many US. pres dents before hi, also finding that op pling the government founded by Fidel Secretary of State Marco Rubio tld reportrsiatelat month thatthe Trump ‘ministration stl wants to see the Ci than government fall “Were preparedto be very realistic about how you do that, With its ingenuity, grit and solar panels, island gets by amid oil blockade BY JACK NICAS For months, President Trump has been predicting that Cuba is about to col lapse. “Its just going to fall he told report cerson Jan.4,aday after taking controlof Venezuela's oi, which had been Cuba's lifeline He then imposed an oil blockade that thas pushed the island intoits worst ever energy crisis, with mass blackouts now plex things that take time, and obviously lasting nearly all day. And yet, more Caenerusacneneereems we're prepared to do what we can” than sixmonths|ater,the Cuban govern- Electric vehicles infront of a building with solar panels in Havana. Cubans, who one ‘The Cuban government is seeking a ‘ment and people are stil standing {farmer sai “thrive amid crisis” are looking for solutions tothe US. fuel biockade, deal. “Cuba is not an enemy of the Last month, we visited the country to United States," Carlos Fernéndez de understand how. After a week on the Cossfo, Cuba's deputy foreign minister, ‘ground, we found that while Cubansare televisions and fans running through more inthe hands of the Cuban people, said in an interview. “What we would Clearly suffering, they are also doing blackouts; jury-rigging generators to propping up society with the electricity _likeisaconstructive and respectful rela- Iran plotted wider war with help from proxies Strategy to raise costs of conflict for Trump was devised during cease-fire BY FARNAZFASSINI AND NEIL MACFARQUHAR AA drone attack sent smoke billowing. from a giant Saudicil facility, the largest such plant in the world. Two gas tankers burst into flames at an Egyptian port near the Suez Canal, a crucial choke point in global trade. Fireballs erupted ‘ver Jordan as missiles flew toward a base housing US. personnel ‘War has enveloped a widening circle of targets across the Middle Eastin re ‘ent days, as fran and its phalanx of proxy militias have sought to strike at US. allies, oil global markets and push the United States to halt its campaign against the Islamic Republic. “The attacks are part of what two sen jor Iranian officials depicted as a step- by-step plan, devised in secret during a fleeting cease-fire this spring, that ‘would use Iran's allies to escalate at- tacks if the United States intensified its assaults. The goal, the officials said, was tomake the war as costly as possible for President Trump, Mahdi Mohammadi, a senior adviser to Iran's chief negotiator, even crowed ‘on social media about the strategy with the proxy forces, which are known inthe region as the “Axis of Resistance.” The rules ofthe conflict are changi and being rewritten, we are creating new conditions and’ platforms in the war” Mr. Mohammadi said. “The fronts are’ multiplying from different direc- tionsin the region; they are of course co- ordinated but act independently. A new axis of resistance is emerging with new Players” "Mr. Trump said late Saturday that he had canceled threatened U.S. strikes on Iran, provided a deal could be reached rapidly that reopened the Strait of Hor- muz and ended what he described as Iran's nuclear threat. fon Truth Social, Mr. Trump said that Iran and other Middle Eastern ‘countries had asked him to delay mili- tary action, claiming that the “pe- rimeters ofa deal" had been reached. He also claimed that Israel had jointly com Tran anditsallies have taken powerful blows since 2023, when the militant group Hamas attacked Israel. Recent ‘events, however, have shown their ca pacity to regroup, stir chaos and gain Iran leverage. Still, analysts do not consider the proxy’ forces — each with its own agenda — mere puppets of Tehran, TRAN, PAGE 4 srhaterhape tay detest: adapting." ritonmvescoasttienataral gag and ted tal lines tonship Py ed b The New York Times re rer balancing comme scceaa Prepare today’s college students Emily Wilson’ work i berry cua Winey Be influenced "The Odyssey? “tees stom sem 10 become tomorrow’ global citizens. but she isn’t impressed Get campuswide access to The New York Times. Whois Emily Wilson? Sees In 2017, Wilson became the first wom- ‘an to translate “The Odyssey” from ancient Greek into English, an inter- BYNEIL VIGDOR As Christopher Nolan's epi ‘Odyssey” closes in on $1 billion in pretation widely celebrated in acade- ticket sales at the box office, one ofthe mia and the literary world as compre- leading translators of the Homeric tale hensive, modern in sensibilities and Emily Wilson ceviscerated the summer blockbuster faithful to Homer's nearly 3,000-year- holding her trans- asa grandiose and superficial movie old poem. lation of “The that strays from classical interpreta- ‘The project took several years to Oayssey" Wilson tions. ‘complete for Wilson, 54, who has pub- had said she was The scholar, Emily Wilson, weighing lished four books on ancient literature, “pumped” to see in on Mr. Nolan's big-screen adaptation including a 2023 translation of “The hhow the tale {n'The London Review of Books, said liad," another epic poem by Homer. played out onthe she would have been “ashamed to have Inher translation of “The Odyssey” big screen, but she written any part of this scrip Which was published by W.W. Norton & has since criticized Her 4,000-plus-word takedown of Company, Wilson departed from the Christopher No- this year's most-talked-about movie _ masculine framing used by her male Ian's movie. appeared to temporarily crash The _predecessors. She has said on several RB's website and fueled a debate ODYSSEY, PAGE2
2 | MONDAY, AUGUST 3, 2026 ‘THE NEW YORK TIMES INTERNATIONAL EDITION PAGE TWO Evidence of an ancient society Geometric designs counter idea of Amazon as largely untouched before colonists BYALAN YUHAS Flying over the southwestern Amazon, archaeologists have discovered hun- ‘The research, published last week in the journal Nature, shows circles, squares and other geometric figures, some with connecting roads, beneath the forest canopy, with nearly 400 previ- ously unknown earthworks in all. Many BC. to AD. 850. Allof them add to evi- dence contradicting the depiction of the Amazonas largely untouched expanse before the arrival of Europeans in the 15th century, "To see under the dense canopy near the borders of Bolivia, Brazil and Peru, used around| invisible to the naked eye. three hectares), including many with, ditches “This is an important and ambitious study, based on exceptionally extensive lidar coverage for this region, which re- vveals the remarkable seale of pre-Co- lumbian landscape modification in southwestern Amazonia,” said José Iri- Seve in he Feseare, ‘Those accounts were largely dis- ‘missed in the centuries that followed, given the crushing tol that disease and Colonization took on Indigenous people. ‘Scientists who followed also struggled to see how larg or complex societies could develop without Europe Atranslator ignites an epic movie debate ODYSSEY, FROM PAGE 1 occasions tha the decision as sub Jected her to online harassment an feigpay benim agi figures who object to her translation. ‘While promoting his blockbuster ‘movie, Nolan mentioned Wilson's translation of “The Odyssey" as one of his influences. ‘Wilson is department chairwoman of Classical studies at the University of ‘and was asa “in ths place, regret the paragraph 1 sil think the fm aly, ‘wastes its strong cast, bu badly" 2019 MacArthur fellow for “bringing lassical literature to new audiences in ‘works that convey ancient texts’ rele- ‘vance to our time.” She studied at Oxford University in England and Yale {in Connecticut. What did Wilson say about Nolan's adaptation? Five days before the movie “The Odys- ey” had its premiere, Wilson, appear- {ng on a July 12 episode of “The Daily” the podcast of The New York Times, ‘said she was “pumped” to see how the tale played out on the big screen. “mean, it's going to be exciting that ‘so many people who may have thought, Oh, ancent terature is bor- Story! Wnon Sal *And sme propor tion of the people who goto the movie will then turn back to the original ‘poem, which I think is great. love ‘Asked about purists potentially lapted for performance. “I think it's totaly fine and valid for ‘director to explore his own vision?” she said of Nolan. began: Nolan's adaptation lacked many of the ‘elements that made the poem great. “Ithas nothing convincing to say about time, memory, history, war, or about the between one ‘seven Academy Awards in 2024, in- cluding for best picture and best diree- tor, has not responded publicly to Wilson's scathing review. ‘Among those who have pushed back against Wilson’ criticism and in Ne Inn's defense are the novelist Joyce Carol Oates, a retired professor of the ‘humanities at Princeton University in New Jersey and a National Book ‘Award winner. “Yes, her tone of dismissal & haugh- ty superiority strike a sour note Oates, ‘wrote on X. “Rather than disagreeing, with in of Homer in a collegial manner, this person, who has benefited enormously from Nolan's film, speaks in the erude language of ‘MAGA folks attacking someone with ‘ideas that differ from hers.” ‘ates said she would have expected a translator, whose role she described as having subjectivity, to be more tolerant. argu to“flay” Nolan’s latest movie. le was titled: “I'm a Classi- years of her life, and she knows it "Nash wrote. “But too often agrcuhure contributing toa ate Kea the Amazon was a pristine forest, caer tian oar oasis ‘was almost wiped out. “Archaeologists find all of these ‘things that are not supposed to be found in Amazonia, and it’s not because Ama- ‘2onia i diferent in terms of the soil bt, hhow you use the forest,” Dr. Roosevelt said. Recent work in other parts of the Am- ‘zon has found the traces of roads, ca- nals, plazas and residential platforms, including in eastern Ecuador Dr Parssi- the rainforest, technology called lida. Above lidar image of an earthworksite that was found in Acre. Further excavation, he said, would be crucial in investigating the geoglyphs, which in many ways remain mysteri- ous, including “how they were used and ‘whether they were associated with resi- dence, ceremonies or other activities” Drawing in parton oral accounts from the Apurind nation, the Indigenous ‘group that lives in the center of the earthwork area, the researchers said that the designs had most likely had sev- eral purposes. “Weare quite sure that howe are used for festivities, political occasions, cere- ‘monies, dance, music and also competi- tion like ball games” said Marti Parssi- nen, the lead author and an emeritus professor atthe University of Helsinkiin Finland, The researchers atrit structures to an ancient society they called the Aquiry, which Dr. Parssinen ddeseribed as a multicultural, multiin- ‘gual group that “shared a common cos- ‘mology” reflected in these ceremonial centers. “Nobody has totally figured out” the ‘exact purpose or meaning of the geo- ‘glyphs, which may have astronomically related forms, said Anna Roosevelt, a professor of anthropology atthe Univer sity of Illinois Chicago, who was not on the team. Dr Parssinen said the archaeologists hhad not found any evidence of perma- nent residence at the mounds from the ‘Aquity era, which ended around A.D. 900. Nor did they believe that any were ‘meant to be defensive structures. But the structures, stretching across zone of 1,700 square miles (4,400 ‘square kilometers), build on evidence that the Amazon basin was widely and densely populated in the centuries be- fore Columbus arrived. Chroniclers like Gaspar de Carvajal, a missionary who traveled the Amazon in the 1540s with the conquistador Francisco de Orellana, described a land “thickly populated” in some places, with many large settle- ‘ments, including one that “stretched for five leagues without there intervening any space from house to house." fon, and noted thatthe rainforest re ‘mais so dense in some places that even, lasers could not pierce the foliage. mother places Scientists warned de forestation for agriculture may have ‘damaged or destroyed sites. “This her- tage is highly threatened by logging sity of Sto Paulo in Braz, who was not fon the team, Dr. Parssinen’s team also suggested that at the peak of Aquiry society, be- ‘tween A.D. 100-300, the toial population of just this region may have reached up to three million people. Population estimates are a subject of intense and sometimes thorny debate ‘among researchers, and some experts, ‘said that the latest study’s proposal should be treated with caution. ‘But most scientists now hold that the 16th-century accounts of dense popula tons were not as far-fetched as many ‘generations “They thought that it wasimagination ‘of Carvajal and the expedition of Orel- lana, which saw really huge settle- ‘menis? Dr Parssinen said. ‘warriors glorious return and the lives of his family, adversaries, comrades, friends and neighbours” she wrote. “It lacks psychological, emotional, political and ethical depth. Its narrative struc- ture is gimmicky. The writing is, Spectacle, he an elaborate Fourth of Luly fireworks display — aicer the some letel narrate and ‘emotional depth,” she wrote. “Most of the non-white actors — Zendaya, Lupita Nyong’o, Himesh Patel, Corey Antonio Hawkins, Travis ‘Scott — play versions of the Biack best friend, whose only role in the drama is, to provide aid to the white protago- nist? she wrote. ‘On Wednesday, Wilson expressed regret on Bluesky over how she had that criticism, she simply criticizes Nolan for deviat- ing from it, as ifthe filmmaker’s choices were not also an act of inter- pretation. The close attention to the {ext that informs Wilson's translation is lacking in her reading of the movie, ‘and the idea that Nolan might have ‘something new to say about ‘The ‘Odyssey’ is denied” Daniel Mendelsohn, a professor of ‘humanities at Bard College in upstate New York whose own translation of ‘made Homers hero in his own image, jist as he has imposed on Odysseus’: ‘adventures values utterly foreign to Homer” Mendelsohn wrote. Mexico unveils a $115 million plan to clean up its coast ‘Mexico city Stinky, brown seaweed is plaguing the region, putting off some tourists ‘BY DAVID SHORTELL President Claudia Sheinbaum of Mexico hhas unveiled a $115 million plan to com- ‘bat one ofthe most pernicious threats to the nation’s crucial tourism industry: a scourge The plan centers on two 200-foot (60- ‘meter) ships that can haul in more than, three tons of seaweed a minute and that, will trawl the open seas off Mexico's east, coast, Ms. Sheinbaum said during her daily’'news conference on Thursday. ‘Mexico's Navy will also install more than miles (8lslometes) of contain- ers from the miltary, 8 wall as hotels local governments, will use heavy fmachiers and pchforts to heave of the mess that makes it through. ‘The seaweed — a stinky, brown algae known as sargassum — has plagued Mexico and the broader region for more than a decade, bu this year's forecast is, setting records. Up to 9,000 tons of sar- ‘gassum arrive each day to the coast of ‘Quintana Roo, the Mexican state that in- cludes the tourist hot spots Cancin and ‘washed up per day last year and 27 ag the ste lly evra. ‘The scope ofthe plan shows how biga tnreat te seaweed poses the Most ‘cases, changing plans because of the onslaught of sea- ‘weed, threatening revenues that ac- count for nearly 9 percent of Mexico's ‘economy. ‘One study published this year esti- ‘mated that the presence of sargassum fon a beach was associated with a roughly 11 percent decline in local eco- ‘nomic activity, with negative effects per- sisting for up to 12 months after the sea- ‘weed was first detected. ‘Ms. Sheinbaum has portrayed the ef- fort as an urgent priority, touring the af- {fected areaby helicopter last month and bringing out her top military and sei- nce oils on Thursday forthe hour Jong presenta The region's stetch of powdery sand beaches and turquoise water amounts {to Mexico's most important tourist des- tination, and high season, when millions ‘of visitors from around the world plan to arrive, begins inthe fll “The effort sofar has been titanic, bt ‘we have to do more to prevent sargas- ‘sum from the beaches,” ‘Sheinbaum said. Since 2011, shifting wind patterns have carried sum outside of its natural home in the North Atlantic — ‘where it serves as a habitat and source ‘of food for marine species — to the south, where chemical agricultural run- off from Africa and Brazil have helped also helped increase the speed at which it grows, scientists believe. President Claudia Sheinbaum ‘of Mexico has portrayed the effort as an urgent priority. ‘When ocean currents and winds carry the bloom onto shore, it layers into thick, unsightly mounds that smother wile brown tide, which causes underwater oxygen levels to plunge, killing off ‘scores of fish. ‘The Mexican effort is focused on cap- fers. One ship, which can hold up to 200 tons of the seaweed, is already operat- ing in the Caribbean Sea, according to Raymundo Pedro Morales Angeles, Mexico's navy ‘The second, ‘with a capacity for 700 tons, is currently ata port on Mexico's Pacific Coast, wait- ing to cross the Panama Canal, and itis ‘expected tojoin the fight in a month, Mr. Morales Angeles sald ‘The ships are modified roll-on, roll-off vessels, which are typically tised to ‘move cars between international ports like a floating garage. ‘Off the front of the ships, the Mexican Navy has installed a collection system and, as they release gas that makes the beach smell like a sewer. ‘The decomposing seaweed can also turn the surrounding water a murky brown — a phenomenon known as a boats towing nets to collect seaweed closer to shore, and it will contribute ‘more than 300 soldiers to dispose of the ‘seaweed on land, Clearing sargassum from about a yard of sandy beach can cost a hotel as ‘much as $60 a month —afigure that can ‘add up, considering the lengthy shore- lines of some beachfront properties, ac- cording to Roberto Cintrén, a former president of a local hotel association. hur through the daily nsaugh, said Jestis Almaguer, the company’s com- ‘mercial director and another former as- sociation chiet ‘Speaking at the news conference on ‘Thursday, Ivan Chavez, the executive vice president of the Mexican luxury re- sort developer Grupo Vidanta, said the investment was “the most comprehen sive response to sargassum in the world” Beyond Mexico, sargassum booms have washed ashore across the Caribbe- ‘an and in South Florida this year, clog- expe- riencing its own record Sargassum sea- ‘son officials have discussed purchasing shi ‘vironment ‘An international summit meeting, ex- pected to include leaders from the Ca- ribbean and Brazil, is planned for Octo- ber in Cancin, Ms. Barcena said.
‘THE NEW YORK TIMES INTERNATIONAL EDITION MONDAY, AUGUST 3, 2026 | 3 World Forestry rules were ignored ahead of wildfire PARIS Lapses may have helped France’ biggest blaze in decades to spread further ‘BY CATHERINE PORTER, SEGOLENE LE STRADIC ‘AND SAMUEL GRANADOS After fires tore through forests outside Bordeaux in 2022, President Emmanuel Macron of France called on rural vil ages t finally enforce long-ignored for- etry rules meant to prevent such a vast, blaze in the future. ‘Among other requirements, residents inthat region wereinstructedtoclear all bushes and prune low-hanging tree branches within 50 meters, or roughly 54 yards, of their homes, making ithard- er for fires to reach the villages. Mayors. ‘were meant to issue fines of roughly '$860 to those who didn't comply. ‘Four years to the month later, officials, have rarely ensured that residents ad- here to those rules in the forests west of Bordeaux, according tothe president of union of forest owners, four local may- ors, two experts and a New York Times analysis fsatelliteimagery of 73 evacu- ated villages. Many residents did not lear vegetation near their homes be- ‘cause they could not afford the cost and because they did not own the land in ‘question, according to the mayors. The experts said that lapse may be ‘among the reasons that another firetore so easily through villages in the region last month, spurring the largest peace- time evacuation in French history The fire, France's biggest in decades, ‘burned more than 42,000 hectares, more than 100,000 acres, and destroyed at least 240 houses. Prosecutors said the fire's initial spark came from a brush-<learing ma- chine, used by contractors for an elec- tricity company on the outskirts of one “The wildfire in southwestern France has destroyed at least 240 houses and spurred the largest peacetime evacuation in French history. Above, smoke rising near Lége-Cap- Ferret. Right, destruction in Le Porge, where 185 houses burned in recent days. ‘Nationally, more than 60 percent of French properties dont comply with the then, it's become Europe's largest com- ‘mercial forest, with tens of thousands of town, Saumos. The s ‘nounced no firm conclusions about why the fire then spread so fast. In general, such fires are occurring ‘more often and becoming more intense, scientists say, because the burning of fossil fuels has made hotter tempera- tures more likely. In turn, that dries out the landscape, making it easier for fires, to spread. For the first time in France, this fire became so hot that it created a rare weather phenomenon known as a fire cloud, which made the blaze even harder to contain, officials said, Tn this case, The New York Times found that flawed landscape and forest ‘management in the Bordeaux region hhad most likely added tothe risks. Those flaws included: * Across the 23 towns evacuated during the fire, scores of homes had vegetation, close to houses, The Times found. ‘Firefighters sent to quell the blaze have found themselves battling fires in vegetation that had been allowed to ‘grow next to buildings, according to the national firefighters’ union. state according to Christophe Chantepyafire expert atthe ‘National Forests Office citing visits that officials make to roughly 10,000 proper- ties each year “There were very few actual changes made after 2022” said Arthur Guérin- ‘Tureq, an academic atthe Sorbonne Uni- versity in Paris, who wrote his doctoral thesis on the aftermath of the 2022 fires and grew up in the area. His relatives, fled their cottage after the fire broke out, about nine miles (14 kilometers) away. “There were no new fuel breaks or land management adjustments, and very few new firebreaks were created” “WE ALL FELLA BIT SHORT” ‘Theforest west of Bordeaux, called Lan- des de Gascogne, sprawls across roughly three million acres, filling the Southwest corner of France. It was planted in the 1850s after Napoleon IL ‘ordered regional swamps drained and pines seeded, for both his government and private landowners to use. Since ng the pines for pa- cardboard and wood. jn 2022 fires broke out in two places in the forest, burning through 80,000, ‘acres, That disaster caused the govern- ‘ment to adapt its firefighting strategy {or the climate-change era and double <down on its brush-clearing regulations. ‘But few have been enforced, Bruno Lafon, the mayor of Biganos, a town roughly 12 miles south of where this summer's fire started, estimated that only 20 percent of residents with land abutting the forest had followed the rules, despite his repeated messages ‘and annual meetings about them. In the nearby town of Lanton, where 15 homes burned down this week, May- for Loic Ballongue estimated the rate ‘was between 10 and 20 percent. “I think we allfella bit short," Mr: Bal- longue said. ‘Many firefighters were frustrated to find uncleared brush ablaze right next to homes, said Eric Brocardi, a veteran firefighter and spokesman for the na tional union, who had spent two days ‘meeting with firefighters on the ground, “We're putting firefighters in harm's ‘way because there are houses that need defending but haven't taken steps to ‘make themselves defendable,” he said “Honestly, we're even asking ourselves ‘fin the future, firefighters are going to put ther lives on the line for houses that haven't followed legal brush-clearing rules?" ‘Some mayors say it's unfair to blame homeowners for the lack of enforce- ‘ment, since residents often don't own the land that they're expected to clear. More than 90 percent of the forests are ‘owned privately, by 150,000 small and Olivier Halard, the mayor of Le Tem- ple, another town damaged by the fire, ‘sald the regulations were too weak and that the state should organize the clear- ance of all trees and brush within at least 50 meters of homes. ‘Stil, Mr. Chantepy, the fire expert, said it made sense to expect homeown- ers to pay for the tree felling, because the houses were often built long after the forest was seeded, “The forest owner didn’t ask for a house to be built next to his forest,” he said, ‘Also it was in the homeowner's inter- est to follow the law, he said. In 90 per- cent of postfire inspections inthe past, two decades, forestry agents found that the areas around burned houses had not, ‘been properly cleared, “NO ADEQUATE FIREBREAKS" According to some experts, the installa- tion of more buffer zones near villages ‘would have achieved only so much. Just as problematic was the failure to erect, ‘more firebreaks in areas ofthe vast for- fest that are far from human habitation. Bad storms in 1999 and 2009 de- stroyed large plantation blocks in the forest, leading foresters to fil the gaps by planting many new pines. ‘That created large, contiguous blocks oftrees ofthe same age and size — with ‘out open spaces and breaks in the land- scape that help prevent fires from spreading, according to a 2023 report from France's top auditing institution “Its truly as if they were matches stuck inthe ground, and as soon as the fire hits the bottom, it climbs right up to the top,” Mr. Guérin-Turcq said. ‘After the 2022 fires, Mr. Macron said ‘that more fire breaks should be builtin the forest, “especially when frei a risk = which is to say, almost everywhere” ‘That, experts, landowners and m ors said, has not happened. For ‘example, between Saumos, where the fire started, and Le Porge, ‘where 185 houses burned in recent days, “There were no adequate firebreaks t0, slow down the fire” Mr. Guérin-Tureq said. ‘According to Mr. Lafon, the hhas been hampered by administrative roadblocks, objections from envi- ronmentalists and forest owners them- selves. Even during the current fires, the lo- cal authorities took two days to approve the cutting of a new network of fire- breaks, according to Mr Lafon. The local prefecture did not respond to requests {or comment. ‘Thelonger-term solution, experts like Mr. Guérin-Tureq said, isto break up the forest with different kinds of land use. “The real question is: Can we something other than forestry in the Landes forest? Couldn't we also bring in ‘more agriculture or pastoral farming?” he said We need fo step avay from ‘thousands of euros annually. protect the forest. ‘And that isthe cru the problem Giulia Imbert contributed reporting {rom Paris and Jason Horowitz from Madrid. Exhausted migrants in Ceuta find shelter on a beach (CEUTA, SPAIN Most arrivals last week returned to Morocco, but some are vowing to stay BY CARLOS BARRAGAN Sitting on abeach on Saturday in Ceuta, Spain, a Senegalese man called Djibril Mboup pulled a bag of pistachios from his pocket and began rationing them, fone by one, among his newly made friends. Thebag, giventohimby aSpan- ish police officer, contained the only food, he said, that he had eaten in the nearly two days since he had entered this Spanish territory in North Aftica. ‘Yet despite his hunger, Mr. Mboup, 30, ‘said he was not going to return across the border to Morocco. “1 speak for everyone here” Mr. Mboup said, raising his voice as the young men around him murmured in agreement. “Even if we don'teat, even if ‘we don't drink, we are not going back to Morocco, We are staying here” Mr. Mboup was among roughly 400 ‘men, most of them from sub-Saharan Af- rica, who were gathered on this beach fon Saturday. Many of them lay on rag {ged sheets of cardboard, their feet blis- tered from crossing the border and roaming Ceuta’s streets. By late Saturday, the fate of this group hhad become an unresolved question for Spain's government in the short termaf- ter at least 50,000 people, mostly young, Moroccan men, crossed into Ceuta on ‘Thursday and Friday, overwhelming the city of just 84,000 residents. ‘Most of those arrivals had left by Sat- turday morning, returning to their hhomes in Morocco after they realized that there was litle for them in Spain. ‘The 400 men on the beach were among. the last holdouts, and for them the crisis, ‘was far from over. ‘With few prospects in Morocco, they waited anxiously on the beach for news about their future in Spain, under the ‘watchful eyes of Spanish police officers. ‘Some were so exhausted they did notre- ‘act when people stepped over them. Mr. Mboup was so tired it took him a'mo- ‘ment toremember which day he had ar- rived in Spain, ‘Anti-immigrant, far-right campaign- les were set to hold a rally on Sunday in Ceuta, demanding the expulsion of all of the remaining migrants. The arrival of far-right activists and politicians in the city has provoked an angry reaction from some residents, many of them of Morocean descent. “The situation is very difficult” said Ramsés Mohamed, an activist rom ao, Above left, some migrants were waiting tout ona beach in Ceuta, Spain, on Saturday after crossing ‘crossed into Ceuta on Thursday and Friday. Above right, residents confronted a far-right Spanish politician who had traveled to Ceuta to call forthe expulsion ofthe migrants. ‘Saharan migrants are from war-torn re- ‘gions and had journeyed for months to ‘get to Europe. “They genuinely have the right to re- {quest international protection,” Mr. Mo- shamed said, ‘Minutes later, a man wearing official credentials arrived at the beach to address the migrants. Dozens sur- rounded him and began chanting cheer- fully, “A-silo, aslo” — “asylum, asy- lum” — in the hope that he had the Dower to hep grant them sanctuary ‘of the recent arrivals have opted to go ino hiding. On Saturday, ‘small groups of Moroccans were mak: Ingo the ils around te ty, and oth ‘who had ‘come to the beach to tell the migrants, about their rights. He warned that ifthe ‘government did not provide food, “a hu- ‘manitarian crisis could begin to unfold” The fate of some of the holdouts “is not the same as that of the Moroccans,” Mr. Mohamed, 26, said. Unlike Moroc- ‘cans who had joined the exodus to Ceuta, fon last-minute whim, some of the sub- bushes, Here and there, police officers ‘gave chase. For those on the beach, the best posst- ble outcome as they navigated the com- plexities of the European Union's asy- Jum system was tobe transferred to the city’s official migrant reception center. But on Saturday, that appeared unlikely, at least for now: It was already over- from Morocco days earlier. They were among at least 50,000 people who crowded with hundreds of people, even before this crisis began. David Cebrién, a spokesman for ‘Spain's Migration Ministry, said that of- ficials were working to assist those al- ready at the reception center and were “strengthening” its capacity “to provide aan adequate, coordinated and effective ‘humanitarian response to this extraor- inary situation? “A humanitarian crisis could begin to unfold.” Mr. Mboup grew up in Dakar, the capi- tal of Senegal, earning a diploma in lo- istics, he said. After struggling to find ‘work in his early 20s, he decided toleave the country in 2018 and made his way to Morocco by navigating the deadly ‘smuggling routes through the Sahara. He setted in Casablanca, a coastal city, ‘where he scraped by working illegally asa taxi driver atthe airport. Until this past week, Mr. Mboup had never tried to cross into Europe, think- ing it would be too dangerous. ‘On Thursday morning, Mr. Mboup ‘aid, his friend told him she had seen posts on WhatsApp saying that the usu- ally heavily guarded border between Moroceo and Ceuta was open, and she ‘suggested that they go. He initially dis- ‘missed the reports as a hoax. ‘When a food vendor in Casablanca told him that he, too, was heading to the border, Mr. Mboup changed his mind. If Moroccans believed it was true, he though, then it must be ack and go,” Mr. Mboup re- called ling the tind. hired a van, he said, and drove ‘with several friends 200 miles (320 kilo- ‘meters) tothe border, to find thousands, Of people gathered there. For hours, they tried unsuccessfully to find a way ‘across on foot because, unlike Mr Mboup, his friends did not know how to ‘swim, he said. ‘AS night fell, Mr. Mboup told his friends that he would try his luck alone, he said. But he was still afraid to do so because he feared how the Moroccan po- lice would react, he said, According to ‘Mr Mboup and other sub-Saharan Afri- ‘cans, Moroccan police officers tried to prevent Black people from crossing the border on Thursday, even as they en- ‘couraged Moroccans to head for Ceuta. “Only Moroccans could enter,” said Kamal Omar, 24, another new arrival, who said he fled war-torn Sudan three yearsago. “When they sawa Blackman, they hit him” ‘The Morocean government did notre- spond to requests for comment. Institutions including Human Rights Watch and the US. State Department have reported similar accusations in the past. In response, the Moroccan govern- ‘ment has previously said that its border ‘guards act in “self-defense” and that their “use of forceis generally areaction to violence suffered by law enforcement officers.” "Mr Mboup said he had joined a group ‘of Moroccans swimming toward Ceuta and reached the Spanish shore after roughly 30 minutes. His happiness quickly gave way to disappointment, he said. “1 kept looking for signs toward Ma- drid and Barcelona,’ he said, only to re- alize that he was stll“on an island” and that mainland Europe was far away. ‘Then came another setback. The resi- dents of Ceuta had shuttered their shops. By Friday evening, most of the stay despite having nothing to eat Rather than forcing them out, the Span- ish authorities directed them to this beach in the city's northwest, close to the migrant reception center. By Saturday, those holdouts seemed ‘caught between two bad options. “We are very, very hungry” Mr ‘Mboup said. “I appeal tothe good will of, Spaniards — we need help: Lynsey Chutel contributed reporting {from London, and Finbarr O'Reilly ‘from Ceuta
4 | MONDAY, AUGUST 3, 2026 WORLD ‘THE NEW YORK TIMES INTERNATIONAL EDITION How Iran and its proxies plotted wider war m= IRAN, FROM PAGE! though Iran’s level of coordination and, control varies among them, ‘The Houthis in Yemen, for instance, are seen as the most autonomous of the groups that make up the alliance. Hezbollah coordinates the most closely with Tran, while Shite militias in traq are somewhere in the middle in the de- gree oftheir willingnesstoactasadirect, ‘arm of Iran. But the groups still find common ‘cause against the United States and Is- rael. During the short-lived cease-fire, Iranian generals covertly strategized with proxy militia commanders on how to expand the war and raise its cost for ‘Washington, according to the two offi- cials, both familiar with the planning as, ‘members ofthe Guards, and both speak- ing anonymously to discuss sensitive in ternal deliberations. ‘Senior commanders from the Quds Foree, the external arm of the Guards that fosters proxy militias, held virtual conference cals with commanders from, Hezbollah, the Houthis and Shite armed groups in Ira, the officials said. Quds Force commanders and advis- cers have also been working closely with the militias on the ground, according to the two officals. The Guards have tried to fill the void in Hezbollah’s ranks, ‘which have been decimated by war with Israel, while also serving in Iraq on bases operated by Shiite militias. ‘A wave of US-Saudi airstrikes tar- ‘geted militias in Iraq early Wednesday, and Iranian media published photo- ‘graphs of four men killed inthe attacks, all wearing the distinctive olive uni- forms of the Quds Force, their coffins <draped with Iran's flag, “We are playing a grand game of chess; the militias are Iran's chess pieces to be moved wisely at the right anexpert onthe regional militia, saidin phone interview. ‘The attacks have been calibrated to avoid direct confrontations with US. or Israeli forces, which could lead to harsh retaliation against Iran, analysts said. Igniting a fire at the Saudi oil facility drew the kingdom into the war, but the Saudi response targeted Iraqi militias, ‘accused ofthe attack rather than Ira. Iran mobilized its proxy forces for a variety of reasons, analysts said. First and foremost, the strategy aims to limit oil exports from the region, driving up {as prices in the United States ahead of the US. midterm elections and reducing revenue for Washington's Arab alles. ‘Tehran senses that severe economic ‘damage might make its neighbors more amenable to Iran's ambition to control all traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, ‘analysts said. About 20 percent of the ‘worlds oil supply transited the strait be- fore the war. “Iran thinks that its neighbors are vul- thor ofa history ofthe Middle Eastin the 2ist century. “They are basically just trying totwist the arm of the Saudis and. sain Some concessions” EP ike es ‘ .< a ue “J ‘Above, mourners carrying a coffin draped inthe Iranian flag during a funeral on Wednesday for those killed in airstrikes on bases belonging to militias in Mosul, Iraq. Below ‘southern from left: Houthi supporters during an ant-Saudi rally in Sanaa, Yemen, on Friday; and smoke rising from a village in With its oil exports largely blocked in the Strait of Hormuz, Saudi Arabia has been shipping much of its oll through a pipeline across the kingdom. It is then exported out of a Red Sea port and through the Bab al-Mandab, the narrow strait separating Yemen from Africa. ‘The Houthis, who had largely sat on the sidelines after the United States and Israel attacked Iran, announced a naval blockade against Saud shipping on July 20 and began missile and drone attacks twenforce it. ‘Then another, farlonger routeto Asia, through the Suez Canal and the Mediter- ranean, came under threat on Wednes- day as drones hit tankers in Egypt — ‘opening a new front. Iran rejected accu- ‘ations that it was ‘Lebanon last month after an Israeli attack. ‘Saudi Arabia, especially finding an end to Yemen's long-running civil war, in Which the kingdom had played a devas- tating role. ing director for the Middle East and North Africa at Eurasia Group, a risk ‘consultancy. “It's calibrated escalation ‘and i's part of this negotiation by fire that is ongoing between the Houthis and the Saudis” ‘Another reason that Iran's allies are attacking is more ideological, analysts ‘said. Iran developed its proxy network with two primary goals: to help drive the United States military out of there ‘gion and inflict harm on Israel, and to use the militias as a shield against tacks on Iran itself, Hezbollah, once Iran's powerful part- ner on Israels doorstep, feels newly threatened by an Israeli-Lebanese peace deal, brokered by Washington in une, that includes the unlikely goal of ‘disarming the militia. The group has been attempting to rebuild after war ‘with Israel, which assassinated the mi tia’s longtime leader and killed thou- ‘sands of fot soldiers. ‘The fronts are multiplying from different directions in the region; they are of course coordinated bbut act independently.” Iran has tried to buttress those ef- forts, deploying Revolutionary Guards commanders to serve directly on Hezbollah’s leadership council, accord- ‘an commanders turned out to be long standing residents of buildings that Israel attacked far from traditional Hezbollah strongholds. “One of the unintended consequences of destroying or degrading Hezbollah’s leadership is that the LRG. is now even more effectively in control of Hezbollah and its actions,” Mr. Maksad said, ‘Similar conditions hold true for Iraq, where a dizzying patchwork of militias ‘emerged after the American invasion in 2003. At the urging of Washington, iraq hhas been incorporating militias into its armed forces, but some smaller groups are resisting Unleashing Hezbollah and the Iraqi militias is an effort by Iran to thwart ‘such American efforts. “They see that their footprint is diminishing, and they ‘want to reaffirm their presence inthe re- ‘gion and their regional role," said Randa ‘Slim, the head of the Middle East pro- ‘gram for the Stimson Center in Wash ington. Although the various militias have their own reasons for attacking, there is, unity of purpose, analysts said —anda shared sense that Mr. Trump and his ‘Arab allies are reluctant to pursue war, leaving Tehran and its proxies with an " Mr. Ostovar ‘sald. “They smell blood in the water, and they are pushing their advantage.” “The Houthis have their own reasons for putting pressure on their neighbor, hey are with Iran, but they are not necessarily acting on behalf of Iran” said Firas Maksad, the manag- ‘Hwaida Saad and Francesca Regalado contributed reporting. Mideast conflict deepens doubts about U. S. credibility NEWS ANALYSIS Allies are concerned as Trump’s war aims shift and munitions run low BY STEVEN ERLANGER ‘To America’s allies, President Trump's war in Tran, now in its sixth month, ‘seems headed for a strategic defeat ‘They worry that the inability of the United States to turn military super ority into a sustainably changed tran hhas displayed a vulnerability that Rus- sia and China will welcome. In addition, Mr. Trump's goals remain unmet, and the U.S. military isrunning short on key armaments that it needs for global reach. For the moment, Iran is seemingly resolute under a more radi ‘ment, its nuclear and ballistic missile programs are degraded but not de- stroyed, and the Strait of Hormuz is ef- fectively under its control. The war has Jeft both the United States and Israel in ‘weaker positions — and blaming each other for the mess, Iranian missiles and drones not only restrict traffic through the strait and ‘damage the economic infrastructure of allied energy production, but they also continue 10 threaten American bases ‘across the Middle East and have killed or injured American service members. With Mr Trump's aims shifting, ‘Washington is losing credibility both lomatically, analysts the war underscores the impression that the United States is an unpredictable instrument of global disorder, they said, ‘The war may evolve, bt so far the re- sult has been “a strategic loss and an embarrassment” said Robin Niblett, a former director of Chatham House, a think tank in London. “For U.S. allies, and those whorely onthe U.S. for securi- ty, this is confirmation that you can't ‘Must the United States” Even if the Islamic Republic col lapses, he added, “people won't forget that their security and their future were <dragged into question by an unpredict- able and wavering U.S. foreign policy” European allies remember Mr. ‘Trump's vow to seize Greenland from a NATO ally and his threats to leave the alliance unless other allies met his spending goals. Middle Eastern allies see their own security undermined by this war, even if they are too committed to Washington to abandon partnerships with the United States. But they are al- ready hedging, looking for repaired ties with Iran and better relations with Eu- rope, China and Russia, said All Vaez, the Iran project director for the Interna tional Crisis Group. ‘Many countries disliked the global or der as it was, Mr Niblett sai, but there ‘was one. “Now America has confirmed itself asa force of disorder and everyone {is drawing lessons from it, and trying to bbe less dependent,” he said. “No one ‘wants tobe subject toa whipsaw foreign, policy that doesn’t know its limits, and that isa strategic defeat” Mr. Vaez cited other recent develop- ‘ments as evidence that the United Left the dignified transfer in Delaware last month for U:S. Army soldiers killed in action {in Jordan. Above, banner in Tehran's Grand Baraar featuring the supreme leader ‘States has lost credibility asa guarantor of allies’ security, including Mr. Trump's abrupt change of demands on July 23af- ter announcing a landmark nuclear agreement with Saudi Arabia, “The Saudis do a nuclear deal with ‘Trump that he walks back in 24 hours,” Mr. Vaez sai. “This is the crisis of eredi bility of the US. Neither its military prowess nor its diplomatic promises can be trust Mr. Trump has argued that itis vitalto prevent Iran from gaining a nuclear ‘weapon and that it will eventually cede to superior force. Eventually, he said on Friday, he expects Iran to realize it can't take any more punishment and will ne- ‘gotiate on US. terms. His comments came as the scope of ceyberattacks on US. water systems had ‘grown to include at least seven states, ‘and the authorities raced to safeguard the nation’s water supply against an as- ‘sault that increasingly appeared to be the work of fran, ‘While there were no indications that any water supply had been altered or ‘made unsafe to drink, officials were on high alert for potential problems in vul- nerable computersthat are used tomon- itor and adjust water quality. ‘Ayatollah Al Khamenei, who was killed in an airstrike at the start ofthe US-Iran war. World War Il left the United States stronger at home and with more influ- fence abroad. But since then, America’s military record has been a mixed bag, Enemies more willing to suffer the pain and expense of conflict, as in Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan, outlasted the United States. ‘Now America has confirmed itself as a force of disorder ‘This war in Iran may turn out simi larly, with Washington finding a sulf cient reason to cut its losses and go hhome. ‘Already, the conflict “has undermined US. deterrence and credibility, antago- nized America’s allies and delighted its ‘adversaries, said Aaron David Miller, former American negotiator and now a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endow- ‘ment for International Peace. “Andif the Strait of Hormuz falls under Iran's lever- ‘age and control, it will constitute noth- ing less than a strategic defeat.” AA severe shortage in crucial airde- fense munitions like Patriot missiles is hhaving a secondary effect in Ukraine and showing Russia and China—as well ‘as NATO — that the United States will bbe less capable for years to both resup- ply its allies and fight a lengthy war. ‘The war has also badly damaged the vita alliance between the United States and Israel, said Francois Heisbourg, a French security analyst. American off- cials including Vice President JD Vance hhave suggested that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel was overly optimistic while convincing Mr. ‘Trump that the war would be quick and decisive. ‘Added to already negative views of Is- rae and Jews more generally stemming from the conflict with Hamas in Gaza, ‘which some call genocide, this war has increased antisemitism in the United the Strait of Hormuz, which both coun- tries border. Iran wants sole control over the straits northern route and shared control over the southern route, which would give it an effective veto over traffic, Mr: Vaez said. While Oman, which Iran is convinced is influenced by ‘Saudi Arabia and the United States, ar- {gues for a voluntary fee for passage, Iran is demanding a compulsory one. “This may be the end ofthe law ofthe ‘sea as we've known it said Mr. Heis- Dbourg. Freedom of the Seas has been an ‘American vital interest from its found- ing, he noted, but it is now at risk. But even decision makers in Iran who favor further negotiations with the United States are losing confidence that Mr. Trump will be able to keep to any deal over the Strait of Hormuz or any- thing else, argued Esfandyar Bat- ‘manghelidj of the Bourse & Bazaar Foundation, a research institution fo- ‘cused on economic diplomacy. “Iranian leaders have become in- tensely pessimistic about what diplo- ‘macy with the Trump administration ‘can achieve," he said. He noted that ‘many of them view Mr. Trump as erratic ‘and have a hard time seeing how they ‘could reach adeal with the United States ‘when it has undercut its own allies. Dustin Vole and Ernesto London ‘contributed reporting
‘THE NEW YORK TIMES INTERNATIONAL EDITION MONDAY, AUGUST 3, 2026 | 5 WORLD Undoing plans to boost heat protections at work @uSmRETON thet we reuireeplayeste devin WASHINGTON ‘heat plans and provide rest areas and rae ony tna te he Inde enc pages or higher The Biden admin: The Trump administration — isuaton estimated. the tiles would I ove about 3 rllon workers, moves to rewrite rules that giatia Smilin wrt would increase oversight pected iat proposal odsappeat once President up retured ee Whe STROHDANGE ———————_ Hose, But the Trump sninsreton ae -e carried out a scheduled public hearing Republicans in Washington are taking Sue bien het rile propor June Sepstoralback(ederaworkplaceheat ast yar 0 —e Te moet, the pub- irge lished plan 1 cote thas renal "he Trump administration is moving ng process ~ but with sigicant rev to rewroe Blderera rls that Would etn planned for vleae bythe end of Thandate breaks and access fo Water this year Tue measure coud become nd shade for workers, a step bust nalin 2027 essestaudedbutthatlbor grompesusd Employers had raised concerns that Could weal akeaty Lruted federal the Bee propesal wed darap thet ions, Congress is " blocking them Iegislaton that would go astep aries ftom designng more elective ad tar prohibiting the Labor Department rom lore heat reli plans Clopng te Sdcrarabeaplavorsn "Theft hat fey havesomethlngon Pa tho agenda is enontragigs sa Bare TAC the sine time, the Occupational Freedman, vice president of workplace suleyandtfeath mination seu poicy forthe US. Chamber f Com taling workplaceinspectns that Pres- mere. dent oseph Biden Jes appintces "But labor groups say an employer- td incensed to rae everances of lend fodorl rue coud no ly Reseelatedfnenoca danger workers inte sates OSHA dr OSHA ofials didnot respond to rectly oversees but also weaken protec questinsaboutenfocemect aii.” Gone inthe olor sates, Tea Could "he dtals af the proposed changes prompt busines, groups t0 pressure aight netbelaowntercnctiaSllte Fogulascs to sca beck ox rescind any See reeenereeeree | ers highlight to Give betwoon lr stenger rues ia place ato eat rc- Paying dominoes uring power outage in Havana To preserves ener supp the Cuan government stately ats power a ceran times and in eta places. fer and instry about what sepe to cal level, sid Debbi Bertowits, who {ibe ts the dangers Wom sng ene. Served anor polly adver at OSTA peur ecne more apart, unde reset Barack Oana, por el the Tru . Cut off, Cubans are keeping on pata hr fon the street, and they throw you in jail | ing summer temperature highs and ‘That was a significant change, Ms. or fine you," said David Hechavarria | more frequent spells of dangerously hot _ Berkowitz said, because the program re- (CUBA, FROM PAGE! berto Palmero, a 55-year-old farmer, standing on the hill where he grew up along Cuba's coastline, with a view to- ‘Gamboa, 24, standing alongside his wife | conditions. lied on the inspections and potential en- ‘ward Florida. His siblings had already fon a darkened street. “I can't put my | OSHA officials did not respond to forcement to keep employers account- left for Miami and his two children were family at risk” ‘questions about enforcing the mandate. fleeing to Spain, but he said he was de- Business groups welcomed most of | jqq termined to stay. (CHASING DAYLIGHT those steps, saying employers are al- “Where workers are getting sick After hearing about the ol blockade, Mr. Palmero learned on YouTube how to distill junk plastic into homemade gaso- line and diesel. He has since built a tiny, ‘makeshift refinery in his backyard to ower his motorcycle and light his stove. “We look for solutions," he said. “The ‘economic restrictions are slowly killing us but we're pulling through with all our ‘might, managing to get by until we see ‘what happens next.” ‘When US. forces captured Venezuela's | ready safeguarding workers from heat. or dying on the job due to leader, Nicos Maduro, in January, Nel | Butlabor organizations say they fearjob extreme heat, these are largely son Vega knew Cuba had a problem, | sites are becoming more dangerous 2 fowreee tent ¥ ‘Venezuelan oil had powered Cuba for | oversight declines and immigration en. !0-wage immigrant workers’ years. forcement creates an atmosphere of "Amonth ater, Mr. Vega, 38-year-old | fearinthe fields and warehouses where able. And it was designed to provide a entrepreneur, borrowed ‘money from | heat is most extreme, which could dis- Key iegal framework for OSHA to target relatives in Florida to buy a Chinese- | courage some employees from raising heat hazards in specific industries and rade electric rickshaw for $4850. It | alarm over conditions. workplaces, she added. took 10hoursto charge, and almostim- | " “They're bringing. the work force isnot clear how the change may be ‘mediately the blackouts made tha dif- | back tothe 18008" said Trina David, a affecting OSHA inspection activity; the cal. Soe invested a further $600 to at- | crew chief at Phoenix Sky Harbor inter-agency has not made any recent stais- tach solar panels to its rot ‘ational Airport who oversees baggage Now he an power the entire batery | handling and other activity while planes by parkingitinthe sunforaday.“Tome, | are parked at gates. The temperature in thisis the future he said. “Were going | the cit often hts triple digitsin Fahren- 4 toovercome the US. blockade” hit in the summer or over 38 degrees rector of safety fr the ternational AS- (MISERY AND GRIT InHavana and beyond, the effects of the crisis were clear. ‘We met families walking two hours for water because government pumps ‘Once we traveled outside Havana, so- | Celsius, and it can be even hotter on the sociation of Machinists and Aerospace hhad run out of diesel. Women who had lar panels proliferated. Cuba's power | tarmac. Workers. Under the Trump administra- ‘no gas cooked with firewood on the streets, Powerless refrigerators became cabinets, Hitchhikers littered roadsides after the city halted public busing. And {dozens of people told us they were sim- ply exhausted after so many sleepless nights in the sweltering heat without fans or air-conditioning, But we also saw a country that was still functioning ‘Vehicles were on the roads — despite black-market gasoline reaching $30 a gallon — because many were electric. fridhasbendecayinginruralaresior | "eat is nked to hundreds of work tons avait hasnotimproved be Years, making blackouts — and solar | place deaths each year, but labor groups panels — already common. Ey the true tall unnown Decauge "lf you dont call OSHA, they're not ‘We also came across a new field of | heat-related illnesses are not properly coming in and just looking around,” Mr. ‘panels — one of the government’ 54so- | tracked or reported. In 2024, the death Spencer said. “I haven't gotten calls lar parks, most inaugurated since last | toll was at least 530, according to data _ where they say, (OSHA's here looking at year and all built with China’s help. | compiled by the A.FL-C.LO. the heat standard or the hydration plan’ Few countries are adopting solar | On-theyob injuries and deaths typi- I don't think they're making random ‘more quickly than Cuba. Solar energy | cally trigger federal or state workplace _ stops.” ‘can now meet roughly 10 percent of Cu- | safety investigations. But OSHA doesn’t That means workers have to carry bats electricity needs, the government ‘much of the burden of flagging heat dan- ‘says, up from 3 percent at the start of ‘gers, said Oscar Londofo, co-executive last year. Cuban officials aim to depend director of WeCount!, a human rights Restaurants were open forthe few who fully on renewable energy by 2050. | conditions difficult, former agency offt- organization in South Florida focused on could afford them, powered by rumbling cials sai. immigrant workers. Doing so is often ‘generators out back. Hospitals, govern [RUNNING ON FUMES ‘OSHA oversees workplace safety in risky because of fears of retaliation, and ‘ment buildings and the airport had power because they were on protected parts of the grid. Medical clinics, nurs- {ng homes and bank branches ran off so- Perhaps Cuba's hottest product of the | abouthalfof states; intheothers,itdele- i's especially fraught in agriculture and ‘moment is a portable lithium battery | gates those duties to state agencies un- sectors where heat is most intense and that can be charged in afew hours and | der plans federal regulators approve. where fears of deportation are highest, then temporarily power televisions, | Some states and cities have their own he sai. lar panels donated by China. fans or even refrigerators. workplace heat protections in place, in- “In the industries where workers are (Cell service was sometimes working. ‘The most popular model costs about | cluding California, Oregon and Mary- getting sick or dying on the job due to Televisions showing the World Cup '$750/n Cuba, old on social mediaby Cu- | land, extreme heat, these are largely I ‘were not hard tofind. And even roadside stands were serving cold beer from re- frigerators powered by the sun. But the makeshift energy grid also ex- posed Cuba's inequality. ‘The batteries, solar panels and elec- tric vehicles overwhelmingly belong to ‘wealthier Cubans, which usually means those with relatives abroad. Their poorer neighbors often live without power and scrape by with meager pay ‘ami rising inflation. “The situation here is fine, because the owner can afford to buy solar pan: bans who have imported them from | — But gaps in worker protections and wage immigrant workers,” Mr. London China. That is more than most Cubans | rising global temperatures driven by cli- said. ‘make in a year, so most of the batteries | mate change prompted the Biden ad- Labor groups say a strict workplace are sponsored by relatives abroad. | ministration to increase federal heat standard is needed to reflect the Other Cubans are electrifying their | oversight of workplaces where extreme rising threat that heat poses. ‘homes withthe gas piped in for cooking | heat is common. In 2022, OSHA started Ms. David, the Phoenix airport ‘and heating water. About 280,000 resi- | a program that aimed to double inspec- worker, said that heat always posed dences in Havana have such gas lines, | tions. some challenges in her 19-year career. ‘and many are connecting them to modi- | From April 2022 to December 2024, But when she started working at Sky fied generators designedtorunonliquid | the agency conducted about 7,000 work: Harbor, the worst summer heat would fuel. Cuba produces the gas domesti- | place inspections related to extreme last three months. In 2024, tempera- cally, so it is one of the few energy | heat, including 147 investigations into tures hittripl digits on a record 113 con- Sources not affected by the blockade. | potentially heat-related deaths, accord- secutive days — and were 20 to 40 de- ‘The gas is also cheap, especially for | ing to the agency. OSHA sent nearly grees higher on the tarmac. ls” said Yeny Oliva, 26, abartender ata the 120,000 households that pay a flat | 1,400 warning letters to employers and “I get that we signed up for this, but restaurant. “But for us, at home, life is rate regardless of use. One man said he | issued 60 citations in that span. Itwasa__ we didn't sign up for the heat to become awful” On wages of roughly $1aday,she Humberto Palmero, top, has learned how to distil junk plastic into homemade gasoline had been running a generator off gasal- | significant step up: The agency re- as severe as itis” she said. ‘aid, she struggles to buy milk for her and diesel. “We look for solutions,” he said. One such solution is solar energy, center, mostnonstop, and yet wassstillbilled the | ported about 200 heat-related inspec- “Everyone's asking workers to adapt S-year-old daughter and their food though solar panels overwhelmingly belong to wealthier Cubans, exposing the island's same 50 pesos, or eight cents, for the | tions a year from 2015 through 2020. to the heat,” she added. "Your organs spoils quickly without electricity Inequality. Above, people sometimes rely on their neighbors batteries and generators. month. ‘As Mr. Biden's term waned in the can't adapt that fast. The conditions ‘Yet she also was grateful forthe solar ‘On one of our final nights in Havana, | summer of 2024, OSHA proposed rules changed.” energy. Without power, the restaurant ‘we found a bar still full of patrons past, hhad closed. Then, the owners installed As a result, Cuba has been powering was clear that gasoline and diesel were midnight, powering its string lights and the panels and she was back at work. its electri grid solely with domestic oil__still circulating Latin music with a natural gas genera- ‘While not everyone can afford alter- and gas and a growing network of solar At least some is coming from the tor native power sources, their energy has parks sponsored by China. Together, United States. The Trump administra- Outside, we met Kiké Rodriguez, 37, trickled down. In one neighborhood, we _ they are enough to support roughly half tion has allowed limited fuel exports to founder of a Cuban barbecue business, ‘saw one of the few families withagener- of Cuban demand, according to Jorge private businesses in Cuba, which has Manteca, that had expanded during the ator set up a television in the street so Pifin, who studies Cuban energy at the relieved pressure on black-market gas crisis. He now employed 18 people to children could watch cartoons. University of Texas. prices. And ast month, the US. govern- cook and deliver pork and plantains 10 “We have not reached the point of To preserve that supply, the govern- ment’ first batch of $100 million in aid customers across Havana. having a humanitarian crisis precisely ment strategically cuts power atcertain arrived. “We're the masters of this” he said. because of the strength of our society” times and in certain places. also runs The moves show how the Trump ad- “We've been figuring things out our Mr. Fernindez de Cossio, Cubais deputy plants at lower capacity to keep them ministration exerts power over Cuba, whole lives” foreign minister, said in Havana's Fidel from ailing; extracts more natural gas; ordering other nations to halt fuel ship. He pointed to the rooftop, where he Castro museum, where the lights were and even tries to refine sludgy oil resi- ments but allowing its own, and then was finishing a remodel to open his first, fon but the air-conditioning had failed. dues from the bottom of years-old tanks. providing aid in response to the result- brick-and-mortar restaurant, he said, “The intimate expectation in political “They are literally scraping the bot-_ingcrisis. A White House spokeswoman powered by the same generator. circles in the United States was that tom of the barrel” Mr. Pifidn said. ‘said the Trump administration viewed “How are things going to play out? Cuba could not survive beyond April, Mr. Pifin said he and other analysts Cuba as a threat to national security. Nobody knows,” he added. “But when ‘And here we are” hhad underestimated the Cuban govern- Exhausted Cubans told us they were _ people say the country is going to fall ‘ment's resourcefulness when they fore- angry at both Havana and Washington. apart, | don't exactly know what they ‘SCRAPING THE BARREL cast that it would exhaust ts fuel stocks Yet no one said they planned to take to mean.” Other thanasingle Russian oiltankerin by March. But he was now skeptical of thestreets. Aside from banging potsand | __ A TE March, allies have not been willing to the government's claim in May that the pans, the Cuban people have hardly Diana Karla Herndndez and Dariel | A delivery in Wilmington, N.C last month. Heat is already linked to hundreds of work- test Washington’ effective ol blockade. island had run out of fuel. On our trp, it Staged protests Pradas contributed reporting. place deaths each year, bu labor rights groups say the true toll is unknown.
6 | MONDAY, AUGUST 3, 2026 ‘THE NEW YORK TIMES INTERNATIONAL EDITION WORLD In dropping pool case, she incurs Trump's wrath WASHINGTON Jeanine Pirro, an ally of the president for decades, is in his sights BY GLENN THRUSH Jeanine Pirro faced the cameras on July 2 with characteristic self-assurance to ‘announce the indictment ofthe 67-year- ‘ld ex-Olympian David Hearn for trash- ing “sacred” government property, President Trump's highly prized but shodaily renovated Reflecting Pool. “This is not only a priority for the sident, but for myself” said Ms. Pirro, the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, disclosing felony vandalism charges against Mr. Hearn for touching. the lining of the pool infront ofthe Lin coln Memorial. She added: “We will syond a reasonable doubt that Ms. Pirro’ office dramatically re- versed course on Friday, not only with- <drawing the charge against Mr. Hearn Dbutblasting the Interior Department for the rushed and “botched” renovation, along with U.S. Park Police officials who fed bad information that led her to pub licly cite “tremendous evidence” against Mr. Hearn. In the process, intentionally fr not, she skated perilously close to contradicting Mr. Trump — and he no- ticed. Ms. Pirro’s 20-page filing did not refer to, much less rebuke, Mr. Trump claiming the damage was caused by left- ‘wing vandals rather than his adminis- tration's missteps. But it raised innate doubts about his assertion that crimi- nals had slashed the pools lining with a “knife or blade.” ‘That Ms Pirro, former Westchester, NY, district attorney and Fox News personality was aiming much of her crit- fcism not at Mr. Trump, but his interior secretary, Doug Burgum, who oversaw the issuance of ano-bid contract to reno- vvate the pool, did not appear to matter ‘much, On Saturday morning, Mr. Trump dashed off a post on Truth Social that ‘made clear he was unhappy with Ms. Pirro, a friend and ally since the 1980s. “I disagree 100% with Jeanine Pirro,” ‘Mr. Trump wrote “Idon't know what she was thinking? ‘To me, it was a pure case of VANDAL- ISM," he wrote, adding, “There may hhave been some contractor difficulty, but the major damage was caused by VANDALS!" Inhis own social media post on Satur- day, Mr. Burgum said that his depart- ‘ment had “provided the US. Attorney's, office expert and eyewitness testimony to the damage done by vandals and pro- vided every piece of evidence they asked for in the requested time line de- tailing each area of damage atthe pool” ‘Ms. Pirro's U-turn was arare instance in which a Trump-appointed US. attor- ney publicly acknowledged that a pros- ‘ecution once embraced was fatally com- {in which taking actions that contradict, the boss is seen as self-destruction “Trump is mad at Pirro because she finally admitted what we made clear in four legal filings all along: ‘Trump's botched was for promised, in an in which admitting fault is seen as weakness and the damage, not Davey Hearn” said Norman L. Eisen a member of Mr. Hearn's defense team and a cofounder ‘of Democracy Defenders Fund, which hhas represented people targeted by the ‘Trump administration. “Her claim that she and her office ‘were previously duped by Interior is Jeanine Piero lef withdrew elon vandalism charges agains {w the Reflecting Poo! in Washington. Norman L. Eisen, above, a lawyer for Mr: Hearn, ‘aid Ms. Piro claim that she was duped over nonsense," he added. “Starting immedi- ately ater the arraignment, our motions repeatedly proved that the administra- tion was to blame, not Davey” ‘Tim Lauer, a spokesman for the US. attorney's office, declined to comment. “The filing speaks fr itself” he wrote in an email. ‘The about-face also underscored a pattern that has diminished the Justice Department's once-sterling standing. with federal judges and juries — the rush by Trump-appointed US. attor- the pool's renovation was “nonsense.” defendant and other vandals who dam- aged the pool's lining.” Tall began to unravel however, after prosecutors followed up by asking for Feverything" — government reports, police and witness statements, photo raph, body camera fotage and, eit fall internal assessments ofthe high- Droie renovation project. By late July, Ms. Pirro’s office ob- tained 696 megabytesof documents that Jed Ms. Pirro to conclude the damage ohare este res ae tion against those accused by the pres dent of transgressions, even petty ones. It is now much more common for ‘grand juries around the country, partic- ularly in Washington, to reject indict- ‘ments brought by the department. In ‘years past, this almost never happened. Ms. Pirros fling is, ina sense, an ef- fort to replace the case against Mr. Hearn in federal court with acase in the ‘court of public opinion against Mr. Bur- ‘gum; the contractor, Atlantic Industrial Coatings; and Park Police officials. Inthe filing, she said that her staff r- lied almost exclusively on claims by In- terior Department officials that the ex- tensive damage to the lining of the pool was caused by Mr. Hearn and other van- dals who were observed tugging at or removing material from the wall ‘That information, coupled with police testimony about Mr. Hearn's move- ‘ments, convinced prosecutors to bring the case before the grand jury on July 2 ‘They opted for a felony, which carried a Dotenial year prison, sentence, stallation by the ihe rao complete the project prior to events associated with the ‘America250 celebration.” “Trump's botched renovation was responsible for the damage.” But Ms. Pirro’ critics, including Mr. Eisen, said her account ignored the fact that problems with the renovation ofthe algae-choked pool had been widely ‘known and reported in the press and in their own court filings. Mr. Hearn’s team maintained that he hhad merely “touched a piece of coating that had already detached, released it ‘when asked todoso by aparkemployee, and eft the pool in no worse condition in, ‘which he found it” Photos and testimony introduced in the case had indicated that substantial ‘cracks had already appeared, and water hhad started leaking from the pool, before Mr. Hearn’s visit. Mr. Hearn’s lawyers rather thanai Gamage exceeded the egal esta of ‘1,000. ‘Atthe time, Ms, Pirro wrote her office “was notin possession of any informa- tion from D.0.1indicatingthat any dam- ‘age othe Reflecting Pool was caused by anything other than the actions of the whether that hhad been made clear to grand jurors, complaining of “irregularities that re fect a misleading presentation: His legal team was “evaluating all le sal remedies,” Mr. Eisen said. Zach Montague contributed reporting Lame-duck senator wields power ‘CONGRESSIONAL MEMO WASHINGTON With little left to lose, John Cornyn pushes back against a Trump demand BY MICHAEL GOLD ‘Notlong after Senator John Cornyn lost, his re-election bid to a right-wing chal- ‘mainder of his Senate tenure might be a “pretty bumpy ride” for the president. He warned that he and other lame-duck senators had “some cards to play” and ‘would not hesitate to use them. Last week, depending on the meta- pphor you prefer, Mr. Cornyn either made himself a giant senatorial pothole or laid his hand on the table. By wielding his vote on the Judiciary Committee as leverage, a newly liber- ated Mr. Cornyn threw Mr. Trump's, choice for attorney general, Todd Blanche, into limbo as the Senate left town for the weekend on Thursday Both he and Senator Thom Tillis — the North Carolina Republican who chose not to seek reelection after Mr. ‘Trump threatened to unseat him — said that they would not advance Mr Blanche's nomination unless the Justice Department agreed to narrow an immi nity deal that Mr. Trump reached with the Internal Revenue Service to protect, himself and his family. The fed line that Mr. Cornyn has <drawnis fairly thin, He and Mr. Tilis are not seeking to kill the deal that Mr. Blanche negotiated with Mr. Trump! personal lawyers, which gave the presi- ent, his family and his businesses ‘broad immunity, ‘potentially saving them at least $100 million in penalties ‘and drawing accusations from Demo- rats of self-dealing. They are merely ‘demanding modifications — in writing ‘Stil his willingness to dig in his heels against ademand by Mr. Trump atamo- ‘ment when the president's popularity is sagging and senators are increasingly frustrated with him is notable. Though Mr. Tillis has been more ‘openly critical of Mr. Trump for months, Mr Cornyn, a onetime contender for ‘Senate majority leader, had long been a reliable Republican vote whorarely said a critical word about the president. The senator, whose political future ‘was cut short by Mr. Trump, has seemed to delight in the sift in power. Asked if the impending end of his politcal career had imbued him witha sense of ind pendence, the senator flashed report Crowded tround him a playful se. “Have you noticed?” he said Yet as he finds himself emboldened, Mr. Cornyn has fashioned himself not as fa scorned outcast seeking retribution but rather asa shield for other Republi- ‘cans who share his concerns about the president's settlement but fear the polit- {cal consequences of airing them. In do- ing so, he has confirmed a truism of the ‘Trump era: Republicans in Congress routinely swallow their distaste for and even outrage about the president's ac- tions, usually daring to act on them only ‘once they are on their way out the door. ‘Senator John Cornyn has thrown Presi- ent Trump's choice for attorney general, ‘Todd Blanche, into limbo. ‘Mr, Cornyn made it explicit on Thurs- day morning, right after Mr. Trump sug ‘ested he might postpone Mr Blanche's ‘nomination until the next Congress to set around the two Republican abjec- tors. ‘The president “is mistaken if he be- lieves concerns about the provisions in his tax lawsuit settlement are limited to me and Senator Tis” Mr. Comyn ‘wrote on socal ‘Some of his| because she had raised the same issues ‘with him ina private meeting. “I made it very clear where my con- Ailing, absent, but still in office WASHINGTON about narrowing the LR'S. settlement agreement and ensuring that a plan by the Justice Department to establish a ‘18 billion fund for people claiming to have been unfairly prosecuted by the government was “truly dead,” another ‘concern Mr. Cornyn had raised. Senator Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, ‘who also lost his Republican primary to ‘aTrump-backed challenger, said that he shared Mr. Cornyn's desire to see limits fon the LRS. settlement. Senator John Curtis, Republican of Utah, told The Deseret News, a Utah- ‘based newspaper, that he supported Mr. Cornyn's efforts. ‘Mr. Cornyn's request is fairly modest. He wants the Justice Department to ‘guarantee what Mr. Blanche said under ‘oath at his confirmation hearing: that the LS. immunity would apply only to Mr. Trump, two of his sons and the ‘Trump Organization, and that it would be limited only to audits of past tax re- turns. “All we're doing is asking them to put that in writing” Mr. Cornyn said. That is a break from a now estab- lished pattern in which congressional Republicans critical of Mr. Trump's pol- ies offer broad and unspecific objec- tions, only to back down after receiving equaily broad assurances. Tt was a strategy he had already de- ployed successfully. Earlier last month, Mr. Cornyn threatened to block two of, Mr. Trump's ambassadorial nominees if the administration continued withhold- ing millions of dollars that Congress ap- ropriated for H.LV. prevention ‘Mr. Cornyn’s parameters seemed to help him keep his colleagues’ support rather than drawing their scorn for sink- ing one of the presidents priorities. “I certainly respect my colleague's right to ask questions and to get items that were within his testimony clari- fied” said Senator Mike Rounds, Repub- lican of South Dakota ‘And, he added, if Mr. Blanche “can't get them clarified, then that suggests that maybe there's a backed him up —but none of those who are currently seeking re-election. Sena tor Lisa Murkowski of Alaska said that she “was actually hopeful” about Mr. Cornyn's negotiations with Mr. Blanche as to what he was testifying for in the first place.” Calls for Mitch McConnell to resign from Senate are going unheeded BYCARL HULSE Mitch McConnell is just the latest mem- ber ofthe US. Senate tobe absent for an ‘extended period of time because of poor health. But a charged political environment ‘and a social media storm have intensi- fied demands for more transparency re- ‘garding the 84-year-old’s condition, and for Mr. McConnell, whose term ends in January, to step aside if he cannot par- ticipate in the Senate for the remainder of is tenure. “As Governor of the state you serve, 1 ‘am calling on you to directly and ver- bally address the people of Kentucky ‘and provide proof of your capacity to serve, or resign,’ Gov. Andy Beshear of Kentucky, a Democrat, wrote to Mr. Mc~ Connell last Monday as the senator ‘passed his sixth week in a hospital after fall at his home on Capitol Hill. Few who know him believe Mr. Mc- Connell is going anywhere. Here's why. [MANY PRECEDENTS Over the decades, many senators have ‘missed months and even years of Sen: ate business, with some recent promi nent figures such as John MeCain, Re- publican of Arizona, and Edward M. Kennedy, Democrat of Massachusetts, ‘going months without voting before they both died in office, of brain cancer. Mr. McConnell, the Senate Republi ‘canleader for nearly 18 years, had apro- longed absence himself after a serious fall in 2023 that sidelined him for five ‘weeks. He ultimately announced that he ‘would not try toreturn as leader in 2026, followed by his decision that he would not seek re-election to an eighth term this year. His Senate tenureis set to end (on Jan, 3, 2027 ‘Stories of senators refusing to leave despite debilitating medical conditions are legion, Senator Karl Mundt of South, Dakota was absent from the Senate for the final three years of his term after suffering a stroke in 1969, and refused calls that he resign. Many other senators have been al- lowed substantial time to recover. They include Mark Kirk, Republican of Ii nos, who was away for almost a year af- ter suffering a stroke in 2012. In another ‘case, Democrat Tim Johnson of South Dakota was out for nine months after ex- periencing bleeding in the brain in De- ember 2006, Both men were warmly ‘welcomed back by their colleagues. DESIRE TO LEAVE ON HIS OWN TERMS Members of the Senate are often ad- ‘vanced in years, since the office is usu- ally the capstone of a political career; ‘more than a third of current senators ‘are 70 or older. The institution also runs (on seniority, providing an incentive for ‘members to remain as long as they can {a they amass power and privilege. ‘At the same time, senators have his- torical been reluctant to share details of their health issues for fear of weak- ening themselves politically. And it has, only been fairly recently, as voters have ‘grown more critical of how aging law- ‘makers dominate Congress, that sena- tors have faced public scrutiny about their fitness to serve. John Feehery, a longtime congres- sional aide and Republican strategist, ‘sald forcing a special election to replace Mr. McConnell for a matter of months ‘would be a waste of time and money. Under Kentucky law, if there is a Sen- ‘ate vacancy more than three months be- fore Election Day, a special election must be held to fil the seat. Democrats have stepped up their pressure on Mr “MeConnell ahead ofthe deadiine, Aug. 3. “Mitch MeConnell deserves the right. to serve out the term however he sees fit Mr. Feehery said. "He is certainly not the first senator to have health prob- lems which require him to miss votes and he certainly won't be the last.” KNOWN FOR BEING TIGHT:LIPPED Mr. MeConnell is notoriously close- mouthed when he deems it to be to his advantage. His absence and failure to provide detailed updates on his health ‘outside of the written statements and photographs provided by his office have ‘generated an outpouring of speculation about the severity of his condition on so- ‘ial media. ‘Senate colleagues, though, say they have spoken with him and received per- sonal text messages. In the most recent update from his of fice last week, the office of the Capitol physician said that doctors meet with Mr. MeConnell daily but have not ‘leared him for areturn to work or tohis home. His colleagues hope he can return to the Senate at some point, s they expect to commemorate his long and conse- ‘quential service before he leaves office. ‘Others note that it willtake morethan, Governor Beshear’s push to force Mr. “MeConnell out before he is ready. “One of Senator McConnell’ singular traits is tenacity” said Ross K. Baker, distinguished professor emeritus of po- litical science at Rutgers University in New Jersey, and a longtime student of the Senate.
‘THE NEW YORK TIMES INTERNATIONAL EDITION MONDAY, AUGUST 3, 2026 | 7 Business ‘From left: collecting residual crude oll from a river near the Wonocolo il field in East Java, Indonesia; operating an old truck engine that was modified to pull a handmade ol pump; and filing containers. Most of the erude is sold to the state oll company, Pertamina. Drilling for oil the old-fashioned way in Java INDONESIA DISPATCH TEKSAS WONOCOLO, INDONESIA Community-run wells use sticks, buckets and old engines to extract crude BY HASYA NINDITA ‘The od red truck’s engine was jury- rigged to control a pump tied toa three- legged tower cobbled together from teak logs and rope. Sujiyanto sat in the ‘cab ofthe vehicle cigarette in hand. He released the gas pedal, sending the pump hundreds of feet underground be- fore hauling it back up filed with crude “This is how we extract oll from the ‘ground,’ said Mr. Sujyanto, 5, who, ike ‘many Indonesians, goes by one name. ‘Around him on a recent Wednesday, smoke rose over the hills, which were dotted with teak derricks. The smell of oillingeredin the air and the ground was slicked black. Nearby, a group of men used their bare hands to crank out a ‘pump stuck into the ground. This is the Wonocolo oil field in East Java, Indonesia, where subsistence oil Griling has endured for decades. It was discovered by troops digging for water {n1893, when Indonesia was a Dutch co: ony. Reaching depths of about 1600 feet, (600 meters), its considered one of the ‘worlds shallowest oil fields, allowing the community to extraet oil without heavy machinery. Big oil companies have long consid- cred the field, which covers about 120, acres (50 hectares), commercially insig- nificant. Nonetheless, community driling here has survived through the ‘booms and busts ofthe ol market. Many here have welcomed the energy shock sian government has looked to Russiato shore up oil supplies. “We are actually happy when oil creases,” said Mr Sujiyanto, who has been working here for around 15 years. Next to his truck, three other men ‘worked at separate stations. One sat in- side a hut beside the pump, maneuver- ing it with a long wooden stick. Two ot ers, equipped with buckets, scooped oil that had pooled around the well at the base of the derrick. For an hou, they ‘worked in sync to collect the oil that to- taled up to 200 liters, or abit over a bar- rel, Then, they moved onto another well. These are not the only community- run oil wells in Indonesia. There are about 34,000 of these, not counting the few hundred in Wonocolo, according to government data. But Wonocolo stands ‘ut for its history and some savvy mar- keting. It is also known as Little Texas because the local government chris- tenedit Teksas Wonocolo, whichis anod tothe US. state and stands for Tekad Se- lalu Aman dan Sejahtera, or “Always Safe and Prosperous, ‘But like most community-run wells, those at Wonocolo are not registered ‘with the government, said Afftaudin, the ‘acting head ofthe East Java Energy and Mineral Resources Department, Asare- sult, they are not subject to safety regu lations and operate in a gray area. Five years ago, a miner was caught in pulley rope while inspecting a well and died instantly, said Heri, a distiller who ‘has worked in the field for 15 years. ‘Workers tying o free a pump stuck inthe ground in the Wonocolo ol field. The shallowness of the oi field means that villagers can extract oi without heavy “This is a scary job,” said Mr. Her Many in the area work as distillers, boiling the crude in a furnace to sepa: rate out water and to sell the resulting unrefined diesel. Environmentalists ‘worry about air and soil pollution, as ‘wells the long-term effects on ‘the health of the drillers. Pradipta Indra Ariono, the director of WALHI East Java, an environmental ‘nonprofit group, said the ol industry at ‘Wonocolo wasa sign ofthelack of obsin the region. ‘equipment. “They dig for oil because there is no better option,” Mr Pradipta said. For decades, Suwoto, 73, has scraped residual oil from the river, guter or pud- dles near the field. He collects crude ‘remnants and boils them to separate oil and water. The oil is then skimmed off with a spatula and transferred into bar- rels, Inaday, he can gather up totwo er- rrycans, or about 40 liters, which he sells for around $25 ‘At night, Mr. Suwoto works asa secu- rity guard in the field. He said, “! guard the mine from oil and machinery thieves” For Mujiyono, 70, the wells have been ‘source of income for three generations of his family. He grew up in the area, ‘brought here by his parents as a child. Before old truck engines were intro- duced, he recalled, miners operated ‘most pumps manually, with at least 10, People working together. “Around the 1990s, one well could produce up to 38 barrels of oil per day ‘and run 24 hours,” he said. ‘About 800 wells are seattered across two villages, Wonocolo and Hargomu- lo, with at least 200 still producing oil “Most of the crude drilled here is sold to the state oil company, Pertamina. But the oll eserves have been deplet- fedover the years, Mr. Mujiyono said. To- day, it can take a week to extract seven to eight barrels of crude from a single ‘well, which sells for about 72 milion In- <donesian rupiah, or about $400, which is below the market rate, Most men here typically work across five or six wells and, in a good month, can earn up to $400. ‘The wells provide jobs but are not registered with the government and therefore not subject to safety regulations. Over a decade ago, Sumanta, 64, be- ‘gan investing in abandoned wells. Now, hie said, he can dig up oi to fil as many ‘a8 300 barrels a week, which he sells to Pertamina. He remains optimistic about ‘Wonocolo's prospects. “We need to dig deeper” he said. Worried about the wells running dry, the government began an effort about a decade ago called Petroleum Geoher- ‘tage Wonocolo to promote tourism in the area. Itbuilt an observation tower, a ‘museum and ahall for food vendors, but, the initiative has largely languished. “We had visitors before — most of them were university students or re- searchers,” Mr. Suwoto said, The mu- ‘seu remains open, butitisalsoused as a rest stop by researchers and other travelers. The observation tower, when | visited, offered an arresting overview of the Wonocolo field paired with blue ‘skies and black smoke coming from the ‘wells. The food hall lay abandoned and the area was covered with weeds. ‘Friendly’ environment spurs a race to close daring deals Trump administration seen as more flexible in granting approvals BY LAUREN HIRSCH Giant utility deals do not come along of- ten, Mergers in this heavily regulated {industry require approvals from multi- ple agencies and often face pushback from politicians and local civic groups ‘worried about rising electricity prices. But two of the largest power compa- niesin the United States, NextEra Ener- ay and Dominion Energy, are giving ita try, with a $67 billion deal announced in May. Sysco, the big food distributor, also ‘went big in March with the $29 billion ‘acquisition of Jetro Restaurant Depot, a supplier to independent restaurants, deal that could reshape the food supply industry. ‘And last month, Stripeand the private equity firm Advent International of- fered about $53 billion to acquire Pay- Pal, in what would be one ofthe largest- ever deals in financial services. Companies across America are seiz- ing on what may be the most favorable regulatory environment for businesses in years to complete deals that might have been unlikely under previous pres- cies, The rush son toget them done before President Trump's term runs out “There is a now or never" attitude for attempting transformational combina tions." lawyers at Hunton Andrews Kurth wrote in a note this year. Although Mr. Trump plays no formal role in approving most mergers, he has publicly weighed in on deals. Some ex- ecutives, recognizing that the adminis- tration is more than its ‘Amid a sharp rise in deals involving large companies, Nove Nordisk’ chef exeeutve,Maziar Mike Doustdr lef, aid the drug maker ‘as looking for acquisitions, while NextEra Energy, led by John Ketchum, right, announced a merger with Dominion Energy in May. ‘White House during their efforts to get, his administrations blessing for them. The regulators the president has ap- pointed to oversee deals have taken a ‘more flexible approach. For example, the Justice Department said last month that it would fast-track its review of some mergers, asking fewer questions upfront. Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward said in a statement that the approach “preserves the integ- rity and rigor” ofits reviews while “fa- cilitating expedited review in appropri- ate cases." The new policy was a sign the depart- ‘ment was “open for business," lawyers ‘at Wilmer Hale wrote in a memo for ci- ents, You have a federal antitrust enforce- ‘ment regime thats viewed generally as predecessors, have stopped by the than the Biden administration," said Ed- ward Lee, a partner atthe law firm Kirk- land ls “Obviously on terms of animal tor banking deals, because some critics are they could force the ease of ‘branches or Spirits that's always good ting” ‘Analysts at Goldman Sachs said they expected busy deal activity to continue into the second half of the year, citing, ‘among other factors, a “friendly” regu latory backdrop. The firm’ list of poten tial targets for acquisitions include the copper “company ‘Freeport-McMoRan, as the building of A.L data centers in- creases demand for the metal Analysts expect the boom in data centers to spur ‘other deals as well, particularly in power and energy. ‘Banking executives have picked up talks about merging their own busi- nesses, as regulators have unwound the Biden administration's efforts to make those deals harder. There has long been, debate about how stringently to moni a eas for bank Seco, hough, including former Treasury Secretary Janet L. Yellen, have argued that more ‘consolidation among the roughly 4,100, ‘small US. banks could help steady in- ‘dustry volatility. In November, the comptroller of the ‘currency, Jonathan Gould, described ac- 4uisitions in the industry as potentially “quite valuable” Analysts at Jefferies, ‘who wrote that approval times for bank- ing deals “appear tobe fast-tracked," re- cently listed M&T Bank and Wells Fargo among the likely future acquirers. (Wells Fargowas freed ast year roman asset cap, imposed by the Federal Re- serve, that prevented the bank from growing.) JPMorgan Chase's chief executive, Jamie Dimon, has said the bank is con- ‘sidering acquisitions for as large as $20, billion. Pharmaceutical companies continue to explore acquisitions to keep their <drug pipeline stocked. “I think that we are looking more than ever before” Novo Nordisk’s chief executive, Maziar Mike Doustdar, told CNBC in May. ‘Some lawyers and bankers say the flood of global deals this year — worth about $32 trillion through June, a 45 percent jump from a year earlier — is, ‘simply pent-up demand after the Biden ‘administration, Still “caution is warranted? the Hunton Andrews Kurth lawyers wrote in their note, given a number of unpre- dictable speed bumps, including poli cal influence over deal reviews. year ago, Union Pacific announced its $85 billion deal for Norfolk Southern, which would create the United States* first coast-to-coast ral network, linking 42 states, The deal also would put ‘around two-fifths of rail freight in the hhands of one company, raising fears of higher prices ina crucial industry. Railroad deals require approval by the federal Surface Transportation Board, and in May it surprised some in the industry by pausing its review of this one. Around the same time, Mr. ‘Trump publicly floated taking a 15 per- cent stake in what he called the “very Nippon Steet's deal for U.S. Steel as part ofits approval “There's an opportunity of transfor- ‘mational M&A, but there is alsoarisk of tripping” said’ Ethan Klingsberg, who leads the mergers and acquisitions practice at the law firm Freshfields. “Navigating the White House as wellas ‘anti ‘at the Justice Department and Federal Trade Commission is a delicate task. It's easy tomake a mistake” ‘Some trial balloons have already popped. Mr. Trump said he was opposed to a merger of United Airlines and ‘American Airlines after the idea was broached in Washington. (An unusual ‘American Airlines news release wel- ‘comed the “leadership and strong sup- port of President Trump” and said a deal ‘ould be bad for competition.) ‘And executives are wary that an overt ‘entreaty to the White House can attract, too much attention from Democratic state attorneys general, because they view the approval process as blatantly politi or ae simply concerned by the acquisition — or both, ‘That scrutiny could intensify if Demo- ‘rats in Congress get subpoena author- ity in the midterm elections, lawyers and bankers say. “The questions of polit- ical interference on the antitrust side are very, very hot right now” said David Schwartz, an antitrust partner at Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner. ‘The attorney’ general must be selec- tive about their targets because they have fewer resources than federal en- forcers. But they have demonstrated in recent months that they can create real headaches for some of the highest-pro- file deals. In April, state attorneys general se- ‘And a dozen Democratic attorneys ‘general sued to halt Paramount's acqut sition of Warner Bros Discovery. Para- mount then agreed to halt its deal, po- tentally through June, as it prepares to defend the incourt.
8 | MONDAY, AUGUST 3, 2026 ‘THE NEW YORK TIMES INTERNATIONAL EDITION BUSINESS ‘Alex Ottoboni with a solar panel at his condo in San Francisco, Plug-in systems are much cheaper than rooftop build-outs, some costing jut afew hundred dollars a pane. An easier, cheaper path to solar LOS ANGELES Plug-in systems are legal in 10 US, states but still await safety certifications BY IVAN PENN AND CLAIRE BROWN After watching a YouTube video about solar panels that can be plugged into a regular electrical outlet, Melani Jackson, plopped four panels in the backyard of her Salt Lake City home. Tn the six months since, she has low ered her electricity bill by about $77 in {otal While that's nota large sum, shes “I just really appreciated the idea of being able to do something to cut even just few dollars off my energy bill plas just become a little bit more envi- ronmentally friendly Ms. Jackson, 35, said ‘Millions of Americans worried about rising energy costs might soon follow in, her footsteps as states start allowing homeowners and enters oplugin solar panels on balconies, in backyards and Other places. Plug-in systems are much ‘smaller and cheaper than rooftop build- ana sore costing eta key cre, dollars. panel, Permits arenot required in the states that allow their use, and people can often install them on their ‘Utah became the first state to legalize plug-in solar systems last year. others, including New Jersey, Virginia and Colorado, have joined it, and law- ‘makers in California, Massachusetts, ‘New York, Pennsylvania and several other states are considering doing so. Colorado enacted one ofthe broadest plug-in solar laws this year. The sponsor of the bill, State Representative Lesley ‘Smith, a Democrat, said she had first seenthe technology during atrip to Ger- many, which has pioneered its use. ‘When she discussed plug-in solar sys- tems ata town hall, she said, “everyone started clapping” e Solar panels have, of course, been around for many years. But con ventional rooftop systems can cost as, ‘much as $36,000, and in many American cities and towns it can take months to ‘obtain the required permits. Such sys- tems have also lost financial appeal in recent years because states, atthe urg- ing of electric utility companies, have re- duced the bill credits that homeowners ean earn from the excess electricity their panels send tothe grid Plug-in systems get around many of the hassles of conventional rooftop so- lar But despite the enthusiasm for the technology, no plug-in solar system has yet been certified as safe to use in the United States. States that have passed Jaws allowing the systems to be sold re- ure them to be certified by organiza- tions like UL Solutions, a company that, tests, validates and sets standards for various products. The result is a gap growing between enthusiasm for plug-in solar and the availability of a product that has been proven safe. UL Solutions soon expects to certify atleast one ofthe plug-in solar systems for use in the United States, said Ken- neth Boyce, the company’s vice presi- dent of engineering. He warned that people should avoid uncertified prod- ets, because they could cause electrical shocks or damage electrical equipment and start fires For now, some Americans are exploit- ing a murky certification landscape and shopping online for plug-in systems for their homes, condominiums and apart- ‘ments. In the San Francisco Bay Area, Alex Cttoboni, who lives in a condominium, bought to panels eventhough e knew iat California had not yet passed a pebrrty ‘Hanging from his balcony, the panels ‘generate enough electricity to save him $5 to $7 a month on a bill that typically, ‘runs about $400 but has reached as high as $680 in winter. “Idon't like having to bereliant on my utility” said Mr. Ottoboni, 32, who works insoftware, He added that his electricity service was not reliable and “just get- ting mere expensive every yea” “The average residential electricity rate in the United Statesin April was up 7 percent from a year earlier, according to the Energy Information Administra tion. But rates have been steadily rising {or several years, and most industry ex- perts expect costs to continue increas- ing. Utiity companies are spending to ‘upgrade their systems to keep up with electricity demand from data centers, and to make up for maintenance that ‘was deferred over the past several dec- ades. Millions of Americans worried about rising energy costs may adopt plug-in solar panels. ‘A handful of companies have begun ‘catering to people like Mr. Ottoboni and Ms. Jackson. Bright Saver, a California nonprofit ‘group, recently began selling plug-in so- lar kits at cost, meaning the organiza- tionmakes no profiton the sales. Its goal {stoexpand access to solar systems and push other companies to drive down their prices. It two-panel, 360-watt sys- ‘emis roughly big enough to power are- frigerator and sells for $414.17 ‘Those systems are too smal to pose any safety risks, said Cora Stryker, aco- {founder of he organization. Even so, the Jaws in Maine, New York and Vermont. require certification of those systems ‘because ofthe more stringent policies in, those states. “We know people want these — they ‘want them now” Ms. Stryker said “Electricity prices are skyrocketing, and people are really worried about ei mate change: coFlow and Craftstrom sell larger systems for $1,300 to $2,600. EcoFiow his to addresses in Utah and Mary- land, which have passed laws allowing plug-in solar, and Craftstrom sells to all 50 states, capitalizing on certification standards. Both companies have said they plan io seek full certification fom UL Solutions. Stephan Scherer, founder and chet executive of Craftsrom, sid sales had inreased 50 percent in the past year as State lawmakers passed legislation for plugin solar systems. The company is fntrackto sell thousands of unitsa year, he said. Utility executivesin the United States have concerns that electric ty produced by the systems might feed back nto the power grid, posing a dan- ser to linemen working on power ines that they believed were not carrying lect Pedro J. Pizarro, president and chief executive of Edson International, the parent company ofthe uty Southern California Edison, said that he sup- ported the idea the plugin solar tech- ology but tht his company opposed legislation introduced in the California ‘workers. Backers of plug-in solar technology ‘say that the safety issues will soon be re- solved and that more states ought to le- galize it to help people with rising ener- By costs. “Politicians all over the country are wringing their hands, wanting to do about energy affordability” ‘said Bernadette Del Chiaro, a senior vice president at the Environmental Working Group, a nonprofit organiza- tion focused on health and safety. “Here isan immediate answer” Ivan Penn reported from Los Angeles, ‘and Claire Brown from New York. How to safely use plug-in panels There are important issues to consider when picking and installing yourself BYIVAN PENN AND CLAIRE BROWN ‘So you want to cut your electric bill ‘and are eyeing the solar panels that ‘can plug into any outlet in a home to produce your own power? ‘You may want to wait fora little while "None of the systems available in the United States have yet received a crucial certification that deems them fate use eal femtyormen Another potential problem has to do ‘with home circuit breakers. Typically, a household circuit operates on a breaker based on how much electrical ‘current an appliance requires ‘A plug-in solar system that lacks UL '3700 certification could mask how ‘much electrical current is flowing on a particular circuit because the panels are supplying electricity. In that case, a breaker might not detect that the circuit is being overloaded by other appliances on the same circuit. “The holy grail is to wait and make ‘sure itis listed to UL 3700 certifica- pert who stele sanders. ‘expect to certify some panels: We realy do love the idea of ‘powering consumers," said Kenneth validates and sets standards for vari is products, “We're really focused on ‘keeping people safe” ‘Plugsin or so-called balcony-solar ‘many in recent years. Ten American states have passed legislation making them legal, and many others are con- sidering measures that would allow ‘consumers to buy and install them. Cost and simplicity have driven ‘much ofthe excitement over the plug- in solar systems. Typically, homeown- ‘ers do not need to hire installers to ‘connect these solar panels, as they ‘would for conventional rooftop sys- ‘tems that, in the United States, can cost as much as $36,000. Plug-in systems can be as cheap as a {few hundred dollars and typically top ‘out at roughly $2,000. What certification do these panels ‘need and why? ‘You want to look for products that ccarry the “UL 3700” certification. It indicates that the product has been tested and meets the safety criteria set by UL Solutions. ‘Some systems produce so little electricity — under 400 watts — that they do not pose a safety risk, their ‘makers claim. But the prongs on larger systems could deliver a momentary shock risk after they are disconnected from the outlet. The UL 3700 standard requires the prongs to be “touch safe,” prompt- ing some developers to encase them in Similar to those found on elec- tion” said el Chiaro, a senior vice president at the Envi- onmental Working Groep, a nonprofit ‘organization focused on health Safe pus all the onus onthe ‘manufacturers to putin safety de- ts may claim to be UL, certfcd or UL complantbeeause certain components of the system, ‘such as inverters, meet existing or draft standards. However, UL Solu- tions has said it expects its cetifica tion to apply to entire systems, not just individual parts. Other organizations also certify these products, but certifi- cations from UL Solutions tend to be coveted by industry players. nce certified panels are avaliabe, point for these systems is that they are ‘no more difficult to set up than a televi- sion or a Wi-Fi router. They are de- signed to be lightweight and renter friendly But some state lawmakers have considered mandating that qualified clectricians install the systems. And the final UL 3700 safety certification ‘may require an electriian’s help to install a special electrical outlet for plugging the panels into, What is the best place to put these panels? ‘The panels are generally about the size ‘of a window, and can be hung on bal- cconies or placed in backyards — any- ‘where outdoors with six hours or more of full sun, South-facing areas are ideal because they tend to get the most sun, If you rent your home, check your state's law to see if there are any re- {quirements about notifying your land- ford, Vermont for example, requires tenants to give their landlords 10 days’ notice before installing plug-in solar systems. ‘Plugin solar panels are as large as windows, and in Germany, above, they are often ‘Typieally, homeowners placed on balconies. donot need t hire professional installers. Gas reserves in Europe are lagging, keeping prices high Iran war has hit supplies, while extreme heat has increased energy demands ‘BY LISA FRIEDMAN ‘Months of war in the Middle East are complicating an already difficult annual rite in Europe: stocking up on energy {forthe cold months of winter. ‘Storage facilities for natural gas, extensively for boilers and furnaces, are only 54 percent full. That's the second- lowest level for summer since 2011, and thelowestfor July since 2021, when Rus- sia’s state-owned energy company was restricting gas supplies to Europe. ‘tthe same time, continued airstrikes by the United States and fran, and their elfective blockade of the Strait of Hor- ‘muz, have slowed energy shipments out, of the Persian Gulf, That has also com- plicated efforts in Europe to replenish storage. “It's quite a worrying situation,” said Cris Aylett,a research fellow in the En- vironment and Society Center at Chi ham House, a think tank in London. “When you look at the situation in the Hormuz, you just don't have a sense of hhow this gets resolved," he added. The likely consequence for Europe, experts say, wll not be outright short. ‘ages of gas. Instead, they say, the re- stricted supplies will keep prices high. ‘liquefied natural gas regasiicaion terminal near Malta supplies natural gas to power plants. Storage facilities are running low. tran has essentially choked off the Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway for oil and gas shipments, since the United States and Israel launched strikes on Feb. 28, Conditions for tankers inthe re- tar, a major producer, has left lasting scars on the world's supply of natural as. ‘The wholesale price for European ‘natural gas soared in June to 60 euros, per megawatt-hour, the highest it has been since the war with Iran began, and thas continued to hover around that lev- el. Without a lasting resolution to the ‘world’s liquefied natural gas flowed ‘through the strat, primarily from Qatar. Little ofthat gas is now getting into mar- ets, “This willbe felt by all L.N.G. import- ers, including Europe as it looks to refill its gas storage for next winter” Fatih Birol, executive director of the Interna- tional Energy Agency, warned in the or- {ganization’s monthly oil report on July 2. Securing gas reserves has become a critical challenge for Europe in recent years. After Russias invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the European Union and its allies actively replaced Russian pipeline gas with liquefied natural gas, primarily imported from the United ‘States. To maintain energy stability, the European Union enforces seasonal reg~ ulations that require member states to ‘meet storage benchmarks throughout ‘year By November, a few months before the war in Iran, average ens storage cross E.U. member sates was 750 80 percent —faling shor the 90 percent overnment target at the ime 'AS Eitrope grapples with supply dis- ruptions from the war in iran also being it by the costly impacts ofc mate change, This year, the challenge has been particulary acute as danger- tus heat waves across the continent, led by rising global temperatures, have Increased electricity demand for ai conditioning, in France; the heat even forced some ruclear reactors to curb production, ‘which meant an inereased Fellance on fastired power plants. Europes also competing for gas with Asia where abovernormal. tempera. tures also ae driving up demand. “The majority of Europe's gus is con- sumed in the wintertime. So counties tty to keep storage levels high during the summer months to avoid paving peak prices in the coldest month. ‘The European Commission, the exee- utive arm ofthe European Union, eased storage rules this year, allowing coun- ties to target at least 80 percent of ca- pacity by early November under diff- ‘cut market conditions. ‘Some experts and industry officials are worried that Europe will not be able tomeet the lower threshold. “We do not believe that Europe will ‘get to 80 percent storage filing before the winter? Torgrim Reitan, the chief nancial officer at Equinor, a Norwegian ‘energy giant, said on a recent earnings call ‘Stil, the continent is notin danger of running out of gas, according to the En- ‘ergy Union Task Force, coalition of Eu- ropean countries and commission mem- bers who coordinate energy policy. Christoph Halser, a senior analyst at Rystad Energy, a consulting group, ‘noted that Europe was in a better posi: tion than other parts of the world, partic- ularly gasdlependent parts of Asia. ‘Thats because significant new liquefied natural gas export capacity from the United States is coming online, buffer- ing the loss from Qatar. “Another factor weighing on the ur- ‘gency tofill eserves is alooming reduc- tion in about 12 percent of Europe's gas, supply. In less than six months, Euro- pean countries will by law have to end. imports of Russian liquefied gas, in- creasing the need to bring in more car- ‘g0es from the United States and other ‘countries,
‘THE NEW YORK TIMES INTERNATIONAL EDITION MONDAY, AUGUST 3, 2026 | 9 Opinion Whatever this is in The problem wwe face right now is some- thing well beyond deals. = David French is President Trump losing controlof that war. (On Wednesday, NBC News reported that Trump “erupted” at members of his national security team over the ran War. According tothe report, his advisers ‘can't agree on apath forward. But how could they? Every path to victory risks ‘dangerous escalation, while continuing the present course risks strategie defeat. ‘This was always the most likely out- come. The president chose totakeona ‘muich more powerful country than, say, Saddam Hussein's Iraqin2003, while using far less force than we employed to topple the iraqi government. ‘What did he expect would happen? Ohrigh weknox. He thought he could topplea vicious, deeply embedded au pected aversion ofhis Venezuela out- ‘come, and when the Venezuela strategy failed, ifstrategy is the word, there was noreal Plan B— other han tobomb Iran ‘more and hope for capitulation. Infact, we're planning todo that yet ‘again. Or maybe we're not. ‘On Friday, Trump saidhe was ordering. anew round of airstrikes. And what was hisreasoning? “You know at some point,” ‘Trump si “eye going tosay, We just can't take it anym ‘On Saturday hed changedhis mind post. “Thave agreed, he added, "for the future benefit ofthe WORLD and, like- wise, the survival ofa successful and prosperous Iran, tocanceltheattack, subjecttobeing able orapidly make a Teac ‘Butthe problem wefacerright now is something well beyonddeals. America has been so powerful for so long that we are accustomed tobeing in control of ‘events. We start wars when we want and crucially —we believe that we can end them when we want. ‘When Iwas in raq,as terrible as that war was, we knew it was contained, We walking a path toward a world war, and ‘noone — including the president ofthe United States —seemstobe incom- smandofevents. Consider recent events. Notonly does Iran Iran, it isn't working trike Americanbases Trag.Thesame wastrueinAlghanistan Al sit ‘American partners across the region. Th Iran. Ukraine saidit id this Ukrainian i heleader- ip was carry “Ando ship of thadist with ttle between the two countries. inact wom itary eal lastingeffect.Iranhas shown again and and China may’ ties for America. Fi again the lives of its tbetrunlan nltarybyprevidogsets+ satedtha American panesend citizens to retain power orto securea ebmereniciecalcmeiet § kontesbemaymenenieralins seeatestnn kites ereyinn renders I ile and d ‘This seemstorelish slaughtering the almost levelot damage toAmericanfacities Qaeda's strongholds. Inboth conflicts, the fighting was brutal and we can and should debate the wisdom of both wars. But our great- power rivals were largely absent. ‘There sno such thing asa safe war — any war can spin out of control —but the age toil and gas facilities and —com- bined with the Strait of Hormuz —are placing the world economy at risk. ine Houthishaveenterethecon- would have been wasin impossibly brave citizens whodo rise "upin protest. ‘Second, we're running out ofnter- nNATO hat ‘AlQaedshadnolong-rangemissile ceptors, suchas our Patriot antimissile and capability. and not even adam Hus- ridother a ; Expned hrmiesti od in ‘sein, at the height of his powers before tions. While I don’t want to see asingle Polish territory Se Operation Desert Storm, drone or defenses into the Red Sea'and now Saul labia reportedly planning al ‘on Houthi ofthe Ukraine war but thisisthe first known i American ‘weakness and Russian and Chinese restraint meant that Americans could sleep securein the knowledge that the ‘Thatisnolonger the case. The worldis territory, including, potentially, the use fof ground forces to attempt to break the across the region aseffectively as Iran haassince the startof the war. Iranhas taken grievouslosses, in- ‘cluding much ofits top leadership. But the crucial difference withthe United ceptcan be amini-defeat. fyou'reusing $4 million weapon that's dfficultto manufacture tode- ‘Houthi shipping blockade. Statesisthatthe Iranian regime simply _stroy a $35,000 drone that can be easily Ukraine struckan Iranian shipinthe through massmobilization, which doesn’t care aboutlossesinmen or built at scale, i's only amatter oftime Caspian Sea, vay wedo. y are’ and, wwaterthatbordersboth Russiaand -—~hundredsofthousandsofnewsoldiers -‘BoththeUnitedStatesandisrael FRENCH, PAGE 1! The ways Hollywood keeps its secrets ; bet wos Te oats Whispers Maureen Ryan ‘damning portrait ofa man who used can fester for iit i no pecon tate rang ph yearsbefore = ___ verbal contact with women, most anyone faces Theallegations of sexual misconduct very young, all powerless compared to deinen wine Jared i Gonsequences. frcamcowtsn Jay inaBBC "Ltd ain ety tothe he tactics documentary were not a surprise to BBC's inquiries and, once the docu- celebrities use some in Hollywood. This was another __mentary was released, he issued this toescape reotincenain cies every statement" have never seal Pe ave fea athendasry sagt” heed anyone iam cree a ‘Yet that knowledge has ‘These claims are absolutely and cate- completely been insufficient to produce meaning- _gorically false” Changed.” —‘fcoseqenes heap ows wha Hollywood has always been a town of dark rumors about the terrible, often abusive behavior of some ofits ‘most prominent citizens, many of ‘hich turn out tobe true. As a journal- {st covering the entertainment busi- ness, I've been made aware ofthese “open secrets” constantly. But that didn’t mean I could necessarily write about them. There was an entire sys- tem in place to keep the victims quiet and keep any revelations out of the public eye. ‘That familiar dynamic played out ‘when it comes to Mr. Leto. The BBC documentary, titled “Jared Leto: Holly- ‘wood's Dark Secret, delves into alle- ations of misconduct involving the actor and singer, building impressively ‘on 2025 reporting by Elena Clavarino Absit Me aa det the time — and compiling more than 120 online allegations relating to har- assment and sexual misconduct, The documentary also depicts an array of enablers: people who would make sure teenage girls were brought backstage, invited to after partes and escorted 10 ‘become a familiar pattern. Once, a celebrity might have issued an ag- ‘grieved or lengthy rebuttal ora stren- ‘uous apology, but a new playbook has ‘emerged. The blueprint is fairly con- sistent, often undertaken in conjunc- tion with a pricey array of law firms ‘and spin dactors in Hollywood: Ignore ‘everything, or stonewall with “no comment.” Maybe deny the allegations ‘with a suecinet sentence or two, Then either unleash hell on a publication ‘and reporter in an attempt to quash covering up stars’ horrible behavior, ‘but in the wake of #MeToo, a new ‘welloiled anti-accountabilty machine has ‘The shrinking array of publications dedicated to covering Hollywood are not only often in rough financial shape but they're dependent ‘on celebrity coverage — so they're vulnerable to being intimidated by threats of losing access to other celeb- rities, or they're likely tobe tempted by enticing stories that will happen 0s, Lalso appear onscreen in “Holly- ‘wood's Dark Secret” to explain some of tion: If “everybody knew" about the ‘rumors about Leto, then why was noth- ing ever done? ‘There are many answers to that (question, and here's one honest one: don't know. No victimizer seems worthy ofthe industry's protection, No level of artistic achievement makes putting up with horrific behavior worthwhile. But there are other reasons for this kind of industrywide strate pay + acentury, almost all of the loceatne asciues ia the camera entertainment industries have allowed patterns of misbehavior and rewarded silence. Physical and mental abuse and boundary-crossing, especially in men, are tolerated as artistic passion and Creative exploration. If you're opposed ony ithe outlet agrees to play bal The new crisis nt play” book involves simply riding out hor ble rumors and fostering a counternar- ‘ative that discounts reports as un- ‘truthful and unreliable. Law firms persuade survivors to recant while PR ‘operatives muddy the waters online by making efforts to “adjust the narrative in real time," as one firm's services were described in documents from the Blake Lively-Justin Baldoni case. ‘Thanks to years of reporting on these topics, as well as writing a book ‘on power and complicity in Hollywood, mall too familiar with these scenari- ff one famous individual, the capacity for denial is vast. ‘On a film or TV set or in a recording, studio, there are usually afew people ‘wood has long had many ways to pun {sh or blacklist those who are brave [RYAN, PAGE 1
10 | MONDAY, AUGUST 3, 2026 ‘THE NEW YORK TIMES INTERNATIONAL EDITION OPINION he New Mork Cimes Our extravagant way of speaking [AG SULZBERGER Par John McWhorter EONS Soon Fie paras are “As time passes by, itcan seem asif ATMLEENKNGSBURY Opn ar people are ever more emphatic in how gover cy sree single point now has to be It wasn't the ‘Civil War: Try = the ‘Slaveholders’ Rebellion,’ | sstssshesectetns's. than itis to say, “Here, think ————_— pewey Decimal systemshiftedits about this” Anthony Conwright classification from “Rebelion,South- | “ “But as with anything designed to cem"in1876toeitherthesametermor | make a noise, soto speak, the effect “Civil War" twodecadeslater.In1895, | Wears off alter time, lke an old joke oF the American Library. ‘song you get tired of This means Inawrittenstatementontheanniversa- directeditsreaderslooking up"Rebel- | that language is always drawing new ryofRobert E.Lee'ssurrender at Appo-lion"toinsteadsearch“U.S History, | things into the ehurn to Keep us sound- mattox, President Trumpdescribedthe Civil War” In1907,Congressdeclareda | ing ungent, committed. 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Irregardless” JOHN MGWHORTER isan associate profes- Meheriageprovpsloouedcongess,” ceed rumpsparon.ouytabe | Yavganty bydenyngthe ocorany arenplinte 0bstoceate anew iscuraterpttogie segurcat's oregano Combis Une educatorsandthe broader publicto” _arrestedamonthlaterattheCapitolon | might have, that moving far out would “truly” with the word “real” Time shot in the arm. "Bye-bye" adds some sity. Adoptanamefor te war thatavoded _ ehargesot calling th “rebels” TTheuseot-Slaveolders'Rebelion” samelogcofrehabitation ones wed beganeary.SenstorSanwelC-Ponr forthe Confederacy. even te conse- Serbialbie-nmweatie — genetewroreanene” |" The world’s largest democracy gets a second chance stance. Butthelanguage wassubjectto laundering begins by changing the label debate. One senator wholater defected appliedtorebels. Mr-Trumpsuse of | KOMIREDDI, FROM PAGE 1 and fanned strangers with pieces of tothe Confederacy saditereated “national reconeliation” in his pardon cardboard as crowds broke into “odiumand prejudice against aparticu- helps revise the meaning Jan.6, chants like, “Whenever Modi’ filed Jarinterest”~ thats, slavery reframing insurrectionsts as martyrs ith fea, ‘tindu- Must is what oi and violent Ameri youl hear after the war, when whiteSoutherners can democracy as ats of patriotism. But wt should we be led by ‘aman AndtheirrepresentativesinCongress The linguistic whitewashing of the ‘who has so far not produced his diplo- callaboratedtorewritethehistory ofthe Confederacy ismore than amanufac- Tarrhe aed rering ta ong conflict. In 1899,one group pushedto tured mythot Southern redemption. Its running controversy over university eapungereterences treo om _artuafnatinalogeting ne diplomas that Mr. Modi’ party has the whi pates released but whose authenticity is far tear They preferred misnomer War every me we alte Staveolers from settled. Between the tates,"freeingtheConfed- Rebellion against the United States the feracy ofthestigmaofrevolt.From1905 Civil War. “Civil War"is nonamefor a ‘The irony of Mr. Modi’ disputed ‘academic credentials was not lost on tolblythecampaign’ssympathizersin war wagedby slaveholding raltors the student protesters. . ‘Congress moved to strike “War of the against the United States to hold Black For millions of young Indians, acing Rebellion” thecommonnameatthe Americansin human bondage. Now, 165 the fiercely competitive entrance time — from legislation. “Civil War” years since the war's first shots, we ‘ment, the judiciary and the press, sing _ exams for professional degree pro- became compromisesliton mol Shouldbehonstabeuthow wehotas | om ME Mos hymn shea ee cere as cmtcnnsigesiing hem e prime min- is incur debts, pawn jewelry or peers ce - i ister has become a pre-eminent pri- ‘mortgage their homes to pay for the War Between theca, ‘mation conmiaiT & working ons | OFtY ofthe state machinery. The tutoring needed to prepare their chit srciature followed. ‘novel — largest stadiumin india tsnamed den Ger nomenctenresMowed: The: ret novel "heals Biota after him, rations to the poorest have But test questions for a range of been doled out in bags bearing his examinations are regularly leaked and picture, eficials compel students to Sold, pending the lives of students, cleave his birthday, and mass gath- who had spent grueling months pre- rings are organized for ctizens to paring. The breaking point came in listen this radio broadcasts. Asense ‘May, when the national medical school tion overtook the general entrance examination taken by more public, which, disregarded by Mr: {han two milion students was can is overweening bby an ineffective political opposition, hhad convinced itsel that he could not lives upon learning they would have to bbe beaten in the pols. retake the exam, ‘Mr. Modi, now 75 years old, may ‘The outrage intensified when In- eventually accept that he is too out of dias chief justice, in an unrelated touch to lead the world’s largest youth comment, likened unemployed young ion and fade away. But, people to “cockroaches,” giving the ‘rounded and weak, he may alsobe protesters their symbol, The Cock- ‘more dangerous and unpredictable than before and may seek to restore his bruised authority. Reports are eos of plice officers eating young, hs records catching up with Nm ‘emerging that the police, in violation _became a vehicle forthe rage of a Indians during the largely peaceful ‘The extraordinary events in India ‘of assurances given by the govern- _generation. Millions rallied around the demonstrations in Delhion July 20 this summer have revealed how deeply ‘ment to demonstrators, detained or movement across the country, de- ‘exposed the lie. Mr. Modi slipped out of the democratic habits promoted by the arrested students after the protests manding the resignation of India’s Parliament that day under heavy nation's founders have percolated. ‘wound down last month, ‘education minister and compensation _guard, his aura of indomitablity tram- Young Indians have handed the world's Either way, the man who once for families ofthe students who died _pled in the melee. largest democracy another chance at claimed to be an “instrument for God” by suicide. AGandhian hunger strike Digitally connected youthled move- survival. ‘endowed with divine energy, has been by a prominent activist and several ments across South Asia have deposed | —————— spectacularly humbled. students supercharged the movement. increasingly autocratic regimes in Sri KAPILKoMIREDOI isan Indian journalist “I grew up being taught to venerate At first, the government ignored the Lanka, Bangladesh and Nepal in re- and the author of “Malevolent Repub- ‘hima young student told me on July protesters; its myrmidons in the cent years. Mr. Modi, despite the wors- lic: A Short History ofthe New India." 24at aprotest site in Delhi where ‘media painted them as tools of foreign ening prospects for India’s young, had He is working on a global history of Dr. ‘volunteers handed out food and water forces Seeking to destabilize India. But largely dodged those currents. Now, Martin Luther King Jr. CPM Printed ner, Bi, Becrgen, Ou, Fatt, Gata, Hong Korg amd, Kc, Kthmandy,Ksl Lp Lahore, London Madi Man, Nagoya, ata, Rome S20, oe A, Tb. ew er inn ome er ws ts ncn: hoy ine rina Ean Sh 4a nnn nc AB SULZHEGER, Ps S26 Ne ok neon Ales me onan Pe O58 bie oe eal concn stacrbe NY cam etctusrsimescom Te 3 41 499961. ‘onl tn: UX. artre One Po anon ECA TL: ng Han 1201 Ks Cer, 1 va ea Noth Pt Hong Hang frm 2 oa 75002 Pa, Fane Pein Fre by Me Pir ZAC Pe A 18 Ale Pet 2080 rns Meru
‘THE NEW YORK TIMES INTERNATIONAL EDITION MONDAY, AUGUST 3, 2026 | 11 OPINION Why do we tolerate Musk’s racist commentary? oe ‘ mG te Jamelle Bouie “The Turner Diaries” is a work of white supremacist agitprop. It pur- ports to be the diary of a neo-Nazi militant, Earl Turner, who is working t0 overthrow the United States govern- ‘ment — or as the book cals it, “the System” — through a group called “the Organization.” Turner castigates “the ‘System’ for promoting integration, encouraging nonwhite immigration and placing Jewish people, Black Amerie ad ter miners a ns of authority over whites. PYqmong other atrocities, the novel describes nuclear attacks on predomi- nantly Black cities, a Holocaust of Jewish Americans, the total ethnic ‘eansing of California, the subjugation ‘of women and the “Day of the Rope” — ‘amass public lynching of white people ‘deemed “race traitors” for their rela- tionships with nonwhites. The book's epilogue describes a future after the “Great Revolution” in which the former United States is now an all-white, ‘utopian garrison state led by the Orga- nization, which went on to export its revolution and exterminate nonwhites wide. ‘The white power movement in the United States, notes the historian ‘Augusta Dell’Omo in “Saving Apart- hid: White Internationalism at the End of the Cold War” “looked to white southern Africa for inspiration as it conflict in places such as Zimbabwe and South Africa shaped “The Turner Diaries” And in turn the novel, frst serialized in the pages of a white na- tionalist periodical in 1975 and then published as a stand-alone volume in 1978, became a touchstone for the ‘American and global far right. “The Order” a white supremacist terrorist group responsible for three Aallings, including the murder ofthe Denver talk-radio host Alan Berg, took its name from the book. And Timothy ‘McVeigh, who bombed the Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, Jalling 168 people, carried passages from the book on his person and once sold the book at gun shows. The ideas, mages and language of “The Turner Diaries” have long since centered the gestalt of far-right ideol- ‘ogy. The book hovers there even when {isn’t mentioned. In his manifesto, for ‘example, Dylann Roof — who mut dered nine people atthe Mother Eman- ‘uel Church in Charleston, S.C. — frames himself as a martyr and calls ‘on white Americans to fight arace war against Black peopl "Today, you don’t have to look far or dig deep to see the ambient influence of “The Turner Diaries" on the far right. You need just to spend a litle time in the online world ofthe richest ‘man on the planet, Elon Musk (al- though to be clear there is no direct evidence that Musk has read the ‘book) Tecmared Te Muakot tte for what he awkward, technolo- saysand does gist, industrialist and there. That's would-be govern- ‘not OK. ‘ment reformer, as ‘cia Deparment Politics for all the world to see. tee tdagnd gery Se oo pear meieb end eee ae ere unting anmer te ntact wn se i eee Soerenar Ear trades so eet at “anyone who opposes remigration isa traitor” “Remigration” isthe cll, from far- right European political partes, to forebly remove nonwhite etizens their supposed countries of origin, regards of whether they ar mmi- grants or native-born. Is essentially {form of ethnic cleansing and its tenvisioned asa response tothe sp- Posed “Great Replacement” of white Europeans with nonwhites, an idea originating from a cifferent work of far-right fiction, “The Camp of the Saints published in 1973. ‘As Musk sees it, opponents of remi- sation are traitors tothe West” And 88 “trators” their proper fate, accord: ing tothe logic of his posts, i tobe tiled as punishment for their role in the demographic transformation of ‘majority-white nations and, presum- ably, asa warning to those who might pollute the national bloodstream by ‘welcoming nonwhites into their lives ‘and into the country. -Musk’s preoccupation with demo- ‘graphic “traitors” lows directly from his obsession with population collapse, ‘which he frames in terms of shrinking, European and white American birth- rates. “White people are a rapidly ‘diminishing minority ofthe global population.” Musk wrote in September 2025. "Low birth rat,” he later said, “is the number one threat to the West followed closely by migration. There ‘will be no West if this continues.” ‘One might even see his destruction ‘of the United States Agency for Inter- national Development ~ responsi ‘So fa, for an estimated 700,000 deaths ‘worldwide — as consistent with his ‘concern with falling white birthrates relative to those in places such as ‘sub-Saharan Africa, where U.S.A.LD. ‘was active. Afterall, one way to secure a future for Western children, inthis ‘zero-sum view of the world, would be to starve African ones. “Musk, it should be said, insists that ‘no one has died because of his cuts. Ina recent interview with The Econ- ‘omist, Musk denied that he was a racist, even as he defended his far- right views of immigration. “If you hhave a large and growing, rapidly ‘growing group of people whose beliefs are antithetical to Western beliefs, at ‘some point, there will be a reckoning, he said. But those views, as we see, are indistinguishable from what you would find in “The Turner Diaries” With ‘hundreds of millions of followers on a platform he personally controls, Musk stands as the most prominent purvey- or of far-tight and ultranationalistc ‘rhetoric in the world This is the same “Musk who is also busy leveraging his ‘vast wealth to shape that same world show in their book “Muskism: A Guide for the Perplexed” an important part ‘of Musk's vision is to see the world as ‘a compound, where “the horizons of ‘humankind’ are shrunk “into the defense of white fertility” This in turn is tied toa larger effort to liberate ‘humanity from the “woke mind virus” that Musk sees as a self-destructive tendency responsible forthe “empa- thy” that has led Western nations to ‘open their societies to others. ‘This too is little more than a restate- ‘ment of themes and ideas found in “The Turner Diaries” where the titular character believes that whites have been corrupted by a “Jewish-liberal- ‘democraticegaitarian plague” Slobo- dian and Tarnoff observe that these ‘views are also downstream of Musk's ‘upbringing in South Africa, where apartheid leaders fretted over birth- rates and the future of white society. ‘Musk’ virulent racism and vicious, disturbing views are no secret. He ‘does not hide them. They sit in plain view, easily accessible on the social ‘media website he owns, where he does ‘everything he can to promote simi- larly far-right and white supremacist ideas. If there is a question to ask, then, it is this: Why does Musk get a pass? ‘Why do politicians, journalists and ‘commentators treat his far-right racist radicalism as a sideshow rather than the core of his political, ideological and industrial project, seen in everything from his deep support for Donald ‘Trump in the United States and Re- store Britain in Britain to his decision to construct a massive pollution-gen- erating data center in predominantly Black Memphis? “Musk spends a large part of his free time fomenting violence and spread- ing the same hateful ideology that ‘motivated some ofthe deadliest shoot- ings and attacks ever to happen on ‘American sol. Is that fact, and not the cars he builds or the rockets he launches, that ought to define his place in public lie. Whatever this is in Iran, it isn’t working FRENCH, FROM PAGE 9 ‘your skiesare open toenemy attack. ‘The Trump administration has put forwardtwo contradictory messages — that there'sno shortage of missiles in the American inventory and that the shortage is Joe Biden's fault (because hehelped toarm Ukraine and launched airstrikes against the Houthis). ‘Theadministrationis certainly acting asifour stocks of munitions are per- ilously low. We're engaged in an on- again, off-again conflict Friday,on; ‘Saturday, off) thathas been filed with ‘unusual pauses. Let's puta this together: The intial ‘American strategy failed, the war with Iranis consuming the entire region, Iran and Ukraine are risking face-off, there isevidence that both Russia and China are escalating their military commit ‘ments, American munitions stocks are dwindling and Trumps raging. Tveoften wondered what it was ike to bealivein the summer of 1914, muchless {n1938and 1939, When did peoplestart torealizethat the world wason thebrink ‘ofcatastrophe? Speak up too soon or too frequently, and you look ridiculous — like the Chicken Little of world wat. ‘Speak up toolate, and you live (if'you ive) with biter regret ‘mot trying to predict anything, and 1 hold out hope lor de-esaltion Iihow thereare still serious people inthe ‘American government (whether they hhave Trump's ear isa different ques- tion) andinallied governments across the world. But wecan analyze the events and trends of the moment, and right now all the momentum istoward greater esca- lation, And we absolutely cannot do ‘what Trumpasks, whichis to "Just sit ‘back and relax” and trust that “it will all ‘work out wellinthe end.” ‘Ido not think that world war isinev- itable, nor do think itis probable. Butit ismore possible now than ithasbeen at any time since the end ofthe Cold War, and the American government ised by ‘the worst rulers in the modern history of, the United States. Congress, the only branch of govern- ‘ment that possesses the power tointer- vvene, has been prostratebefore the president. The threat ofa primary lossis allittakesto completely remove the spinefroma typical Republican mem- berof Congress. Iesoften said that your average American voter doesn't realy eare that ‘much about foreign policy. In general, that’s true— until there's acatastrophe. ‘When that happens, though, foreign policy isn’t just the main thing; it’ the ‘only thing that truly matters, ‘Our future may depend in parton American voters deciding to give Con- ‘gressa spinal transplant. But thatre- {quires us todo something that democra- cieshave rarely, fever, done success- fully — seethe catastrophe coming and act decisively beforea terrible war ‘swallows the world. How Hollywood keeps its secrets RYAN, FROM PAGE 9 enough to speak out against them. ‘Truth tellers are often told they're rmisreading their own experience, that everyone else is cool with what's hap- pening, and that they'll never work again if they talk. “The women interviewed in the Leto documentary are, lke the hundreds of sources I've personally interacted with, regular people who risked a lot by coming forward. In my opinion, they did not do it for money, attention or acclaim — they often get the oppo- site —but to try to prevent what they ‘went through from happening to oth- ‘The truth is, a bombshell lke the ‘BBC's documentary should not be necessary, as there were published reports of Mr. Leto’s sleazy behavior as early as 2005. There's also been a steady stream of gossipy intimations online and outright accusations in social media posts. But that's precisely why the BBC's work is so valuable. don't mean to disrespect those who ‘come forward via social media but it's ‘much harder to ignore or dismiss a documentary than an Instagram post. Even when allegations come via deeply reported pieces, another pat- tern has became clear: Waiting out the furor can actually work. Louis C.K's sold-out comedy tours, Grammy win usually has a built-in expirat PR people and powerful managers often count on members ofthe public hhaving short attention spans and a willingness to give previously beloved celebrities the benefit of the doubt. “Maybe the latest furor around Mr. ‘Leto will die down and he'll land yet another plum role. A 2027 tour for his ‘band, 30 Seconds to Mars, is already in the works. As the media landscape has ‘become more perilous, the appetite for this kind of contentious reporting has seemed to fade. Tes telling that it took a fulltength documentary from the BBC to deliver ‘what one hopes will be a clarion call about an actor whom so many people hhave already tried to raise the alarm ‘about. But take it from me, one of the rare reporters to have done miscon- duct reporting for many different kinds ‘of publications: Sometimes you need a big legacy media brand to do a huge, unimpeachable investigation (that lawyers have vetted six ways from ‘Sunday) to finally make a difference. Willi stick this time? Nobody ‘knows. This kind of reporting always requires leap of faith and the conse- ‘quences are never assured. But “Hollywood's Dark Secret” sends a timely, urgent message: Those ‘who think they have impunity should ‘not assume they'll have it forever. RYAN is a former TV critic and the author of “Burn It Down: Power, ‘Complicity, and a Call for Change in “Hollywood.” She is working on a book ‘about “Battlestar Galactica.” The world’s most important stories, delivered. 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12 | MONDAY, AUGUST 3, 2026 ‘THE NEW YORK TIMES INTERNATIONAL EDITION Sports The Knicks’ win was bigger than basketball ‘THE INTERVIEW Karl-Anthony Towns is still processing the team’s achievement ‘BY DAVID MARCHESE ‘When the New York Knicks acquired XKarl-Anthony Towns from the Minne- sota Timberwolves in 2024, it was in the hope that the star center would help the team get over the hump from ‘ood to great. Well, that worked out nicely. Towns, a native New Jerseyan ‘who grew up supporting the Knicks, ‘was a crucial contributor to the team’s glorious championship run this past spring, and was arguably its most {important player not named Jalen Brunson. If there's one area in which Towns, who is engaged to the actress and Influencer Jordyn Woods, s unequaled his teammates, its his wiling- ness to display his emotion both on and, off the court. The eloquence and hon- esty with which he spoke during the finals about being motivated by the Joss of his mother, and also his naked displays of elation and frustration as he dueled against the San Antonio ‘Spurs’ phenom Vietor Wembanyama, further endeared him to fans. We spoke about that, as well as his path to the N.B.A, the team’s interpersonal ‘dynamics and what it means to win a championship for the long-suffering Knicks faithful ‘You know, even on the way into the studio for this interview, there were people congratulating you and want- ing to shake your hand. And when {ve been talking to Knicks fans, people say, “I can't believe that hap- still can’t believe it How does winning feel to you now, about a month after? Growing up, seeing the Knicks not be able to win the championship and then tobe in a Knicks jersey and be the one to doit — it's an honor it's a blessing. I stil can't fathom that we've done it, People call ‘me champ and I'm like, I don't know why they keep calling me that. But it's something that we've earned and the city has earned: the right to call ou- selves champions. | want to do some pure relive-the- ‘magic fan service with you right now. Game 4 ofthe finals —- don't know what happened in that game. (Laughs) [No one knows what happened in that ‘game! But that's the game that peo- pile are going to be talking about ‘We were getting our ass kicked, ‘They're hitting shots. We're not hitting ‘many shots. They were bringing more physicality to the game than us. I've ‘seen what we can accomplish when all the odds are against us. Last year we hhad the same situation in Boston Game Vand Game 2. At halftime, | told the guys: We have experience coming back from these moments, especially in the playoffs. Just trust our experi- fence, rust each other Let's go out there and le’s swing for the fences. At least give ourselves a chance. ‘And then when in the second half, do you think, Allright, this might hap- ‘pen? Is it early in the fourth that you hit the three falling down? Oh yeah, the step back? Was that not a foui? No, 'm just playing with you. Don't answer that | know you were trying to get afoul. Dont answer that, don’t answer that. 1 thought we had a good chance of win- ning when I walked inthe building, Oh, come on. Obviously, as the first half was going (on, Iwas like, Man, maybe I was, ‘wrong. But in the second half, as soon aS we gotit into that 15-point range, I {elt good about our team finding a way towin, When you're starting to claw back, do you fee the Spurs tightening up? Sometimes when you're a young team, you look to not ase the game, and we ‘were looking to win the game. That, ‘was what made us bring such ag- gression. I think they were trying to protect the lead, and if you look at our playoff run, you've sen us get alead, And instead of protecting the lead, ‘were trying to build the lead, | think there was one stretch where the Spurs took something like nine three-pointers in a row. Maybe a ‘more mature team takes a different approach. ‘This is my first time hearing that they took nine threes, Even fit was six, seven, eight, we weren't aware ofthat, because we're so locked into the game just trying to find a way to get a stop, {80 back down the court and make a bucket. You're not realy thinking about what type of shots they're shoot- ing. They had some shots at the end, Dut we did such a great job as a team just sticking with it, finding ways to ‘make that one bucket, get that one stop. And of course the right hand of God came through, 0G (Anunoby) setting a tip in. You need to tell me about OG's play. the court? dunk itn. I see OG flying in the sky ‘and I'm lke, if he tres to tip the ball back in and it goes off the front rim, 1'm going to dunk it back in. 0G made it. Itwas something special. The play ‘was designed to go to me, and then two people guarded me. We finally got the ball to.B. Jalen Brunson], and J.B. took a quick pull-up three, and OG, ‘who was inbounding the ball, found himself with no one on him, and he crashed to the board and got the offen- sive rebound, which was the tip-in, and found a way to make the bucket. Its Boing to go down as one of the greatest plays in New York history. One of the ‘reat plays in N.B.A. finals history. you even having thoughts? No. When you see me inthe game, its so loud I didnt hear the whistle. I just ‘see people running on the court, so my first reaction is to tell everyone to get off the court right now and stay fo- ‘cused on the game, but then I look back and see the ref grabbing the ball and I'm lke, Oh, it's a timeout. I see (0G, and 0G is very, uh, OG. He doesn’t have a lot to say. New York all knows how OG is. I saw him, and it was one of those things — ‘you want to hype him up and stuf. 1 hhave such a close friendship with OG. 1 yeast, Nah, youre gonna get hug {or this one, This isa career: ‘bucket forall of us. And he gave us a ‘chance. We stil had to get a stop, and the gave us a chance to get that stop. Did 0G have more to say about that play in the locker room? No, 0G has no reaction, no emotion on his face whatsoever. And he was just like, Yeah, I guess I made it [Laughs] ‘You know, you're known for being a ‘sweet guy. Even just talking to you ‘now, you smile easily, you were joking ‘around in the green room. But I can imagine that being a professional ‘basketball player pushes you toward akind of ‘Aggression? ‘Aggression or hardness. Is that ‘something that came naturally, or did you have to develop that side of your- Twas definitely more aggressive when {was younger. Ihad a mean streak, ‘because I understood what it was to be the young kid playing with the older kis. There's no respect given to the other when you give them something to be unified for.” ‘young kid. Thad to go earn it. Every {ay Tlearned how to earn it when I ‘was 13 playing U-16 basketball, U-17 basketball, going out there and com- peting against the best ofthe best at ‘age groups way higher than mine. And ‘when you're doing that, you under- stand you've got to bring that kind of aggression to the game. As I got older, Thad the finesse, I learned the physical attributes, I got my strength and my ‘maturity going and I also learned how to maintain i My mom taught me really well how to take that aggression and utilize it to my advantage, ‘You spoke very movingly about your ‘mom in an on-court interview after Game 1 Yu ost her during Cov, ‘and you talked ‘mother? ‘You know, I've dedicated my life to this ‘game. Precious time I could have' ‘hanging out with her, enjoying life with her — I spent itn the gym working on ‘my game, getting treatment on my ‘body, mentally not always being 100, percent present because I'm thinking. about that opponent coming up. I've ‘sacrificed so much for this game. It ‘would be a disservice to er if didn't {ry to capitalize on this opportunity as much as possible wanted to make prow Did you find yourself thinking about her at moments during the games? 1 think about her all the time. I's not just basketball. My life doesn’t revolve around basketball its just my job 1 still have a whole life outside, a think outer withthe basketball in my hand and not. tn news conferences and onthe court intervie No. I'm just mysell.'m not trying to ‘be anybody. I'm just trying to answer the questions as honestly as I can. And ‘in doing that, I guess my personality shows itself Sometimes. I'm not going to say sorry for any of it, because that's hhow my mother raised me. She told me to be comfortable in my skin and to never diminish my light. [My wife was watching alot of the ‘That's intriguing. I'm going to say that, to.J.B. I dont think it's too far off. Aren't we both like our parents? He igives Rick energy, and I give Jacque- line energy, and that’s beautiful. ‘Towns spent much of the playoffs dueling against the San Antonio Spurs’ emerging superstar Victor Wembanyama, above lft. The Knicks won the best-of-seven finals series 4-1, champi claiming the team’s first NBA. ionship since 1973 Above right, Towns celebrating with his teammates after Game 5. I stil can't fathom that we've done i.e said. ‘The Knicks, That's all need to worry about. Do you get why Jaylen Brown is now ‘on the Sixers? Of all the teams for hhim to end up on, the Celtics trade him to one of their biggest rivals! It's pretty fun. Like I said, control the controllables.If1 worried about all the ‘uncontrollables in my life 11 be lost in the sauce. ‘But of course, your buddy Mitch Robinson is now on the Celtics. ‘That was a tough one. |In good conscience, could the team breaking. 1 don't even know if 1 could look at Mitch with a Celtic jersey on after everything, soll just have to start Jaughing at Mitch when we see each other. He owes me a pickup truck. For what? {don't know, 1 just want a pickup truck, Watching him shoot free throws as a fan is the most emotional roller coaster experience. It’ an emotional roller coaster, watch- ing a man shoot free throws? Because you want him to succeed so badly! t's not like walking up to a woman ata bar. ‘That's easier! What is the experience {or the teammates watching Mitch shoot free throws? ‘Oh, we love it. One, it gets a foul and puts us closer to the bonus. Two, every time it happens, it gives us breaks to reset. And three, we believe in Mitch. We believed in everyone on that team, ‘one through 15. We see each other put the work in, So when he goes up there, ‘we're excited because we can't wait to talk junk if he makes it. ‘To be able to represent joy for people jin New York City seems like such a privilege. Talk about what that means toyou. ‘To bring so much joy to families, espe- cially those families that have previous ‘generations of Knicks fans who have been begging for a chance to be in the N.BAA. finals, let alone winning the NIB. finals after 53 years — I fee like “Love Island” character getting back ‘my phone after the playoffs and seeing these reels and these videos and these Instagram posts about the grandfather celebrating with his son's kid and that kind of Knicks fandom ‘down to the kid, othe father who ‘grew up watching the disappointment (f 1999, or families who have lost loved ‘ones going to the cemetery to cele- ‘rate the Knicks win with them. 1 know how special itis because 1 ‘saw people in Brooklyn cheering, and they got their own N.B.A. team! [Laughs] It just shows New York is so ‘unified with each other when you give them something to be unified for In- spiring hope is one of the hardest things to do, and for us to be able to do that is something special, ‘So, last question: The margins in professional sports between winning Stloeng wrese en ‘One small decision changes every- thing, Last year, for example, you guys were pulled off a comeback against you. This year, 0G tips in a shot that if he missed —— Tam dunking that. | know you're saying you would have dunked it. 'm telling you, 'm dunking it ‘But 06's was a miraculous shot. And daunting to think about winning it again? ‘Well, my competitive spirit says, That's what we're planning to do. We were always the underdogs in every series. We've got to be ready to be looked at as the favorites. And that's not some- thing we lke a lot, so we're going to hhave to go out there and continue to hhave that underdog mind-set. We're ‘going to have to be an even better ‘version of ourselves, even though a lot of yall say we were one of the best fever in the playoffs. We've got to find another level because people are ‘going to be ready for us this year. All ‘ight, I'm going to say it: back to back. Taint going to say that. Thanks, champ. Appreciate it This interview has been edited and ‘condensed. A longer version is online at nytimes.com/theinterview or as an ‘episode of our podcast “The Interview."
‘THE NEW YORK TIMES INTERNATIONAL EDITION MONDAY, AUGUST 3, 2026 | 13 SPORTS FIFA’s president flew too close to the sun Commentary BY SEBASTIAN STAFFORD-BLOOR Gianni tnfantino has met his Fearus ‘The FIFA president's plan to sell stakes in the World Cup was only revealed on Tuesday. By Friday nit Led by flerce opposition by its presi- dent, Aleksander Cterin, UEFA, the ‘governing body for European soccer, threatened a boycott of FIFA competi tions by its 55 member nations unless the proposal was abandoned. ‘CONCACAF, UEFA’s counterpart in North and Central America and the Caribbean, also rejected the proposal ‘The Asian Football Confederation condemned i and Infantino's senior adviser, Carlos Cordeiro, a former head (of US. Soccer, resigned in protest. In the face ofall that, FIFA intended to push on withthe scheme and take it 10.8 vote, but less than 24 hours later it hhad pulled the plug. Given the stances and the extent of the opposition, there ‘was no way it could have succeeded. ‘Whatever happens next, whatever the repercussions are for Infantino, this saga will be remembered for its ‘hubris and for being the moment when FIFA Gianni Infantino, lef, the president Of FIFA, interna- tional soccer's the FIFA chief, who has consistently governing body, ‘been allowed to challenge the bound- ‘with Aleksander aries of his authority, finally got too Ceferin, the presi- close to the sun, ‘Among 48 hours of memorable dent of UEFA, the European soccer perher ltree becorme ale dort tia hos si mambare tokens Twas a suugering overdight was very Srivate then itnust “Oncol the frequent refrains from the Shand relax” moment wen ques: included, with representatives from the Power brokers tend to come with big Su"prised, be reformed to guard _ past few days is that Infantino has tions were posed in support of punitive game's six continental federations. It is egos, to say nothing of their political and also against such hubris. been trying to sell something that does — immigration actions. international soccer's most senior influence. In a video released late on annoyed, ‘And it’s that over- not belong to him. Increasingly, he acts. ‘Then there are more anecdotal as penetra ro gam oy A yl pent-up ce open Ces Cordero, Gla iduninds eno which vastobeledby aninvesimenteporing-Theplonhadbcen isu SARIS octuealtenblehe andi arbuer what tshauldoe fats aise Ne eres of prea incite cenrintmecsse PeapheaadySonuckiomnenhe Sovonfnesaktnseaeaypaceia- Methisom FEC es Piper ent ie ee, SS eS SE ee SS The Mini Two Not Touch Crossword | Edited by Will Shortz Crossword nenoas: iaioaaeicnac? : , wear ake 7 Geb | Map etm ree is 14 What a diaper * LJ manne played 7 * 42 Series that may 5 Steer (cud Feature forensics ” prcwsieet 2 46 Ninja's quality TT I * ton room ig whiskey =e — 7 Sizebetween —S Sager that see eee ’ut two stars in each row, column and region of ric two stars may touch, not even diagonal fin’ang maxi leaves the pated Brain Tickler selon a . ane ieee 7 A: Sohe could wake up inthe : 1 Ans, for stort Wich of these words is not an anagram a wel known and? a2 Spenkat inet, 0 er sb of one’s lungs oluins - a s7 "Best Dad 2 Winter forecast 4 “Let's go, man!” 43 Rewards for ee aay anad Eh Ce sown spon crores 5 One of two often sl ina box 48 Dhision in a Bills 1 Head-sratcher? ™ Sfiabas ofl am Stereatypical ery _________—| KenKen atacticsine “ERG, Teacelse”” aytwenenin a vores [ANSWER To PREVIOUS PUZZLE sswens 0 32 One lacking «0 Sillred, as steak Duddy Florence D DEEL ax i pr refinement’ 61 Uno + dos 2Coke or Pepsi 4 opportunity Caught some Zs ith Oey) ‘6 Cosmic cloud 29 Back toot ay lA elt ar 31211|4 77 Eye's man eto 0 Jacket fala ANSWER To PREVIOUS PUZZLE meonil H /——}— 1/4/3|2 Semenersan SANE rev mown aD 2) eas aTA ee ee HE a[3l2i1| | @ a] ems ee Se, = ne Pe y Seeing Ramanales® Ooms 2tatifelsts] | i ulcleli| £08 ss Went by plane" who competed = = iafel2rs]4] | [Af UC ST so Perindvituat | ene inine Ovrmics aistali fale 1H Reece tadteer ery (attra ae L e[2[5/4[1]3| | arene i 12 Hostwithamic 7 What amos = ‘Subscribe tothe Intemational Eaton 4fi{3[5 6/2) N| ER 38 Aword _ 20 Swindingsots os i eee atitateto}2| | HiRiaiNt AMM VieiRiAls| 2 Ae sono Soe 69% tormenta SeMMy lel 5 22 Hawaiian 40 Swoleness gg ternative to hati Fle gn dao wn opens cetingy occu, sso netted mtn coh | ELEMIS EM smee! tT pe J Fae io eto ent erect da ier econ Ba Mol sin clot é petals erenp peep cpap ere siiry aMALEIBIal ic Sata Ble For more games: www.nytimes.com/games IMI 1/ENMMIE|TIP/AlYIR|O/L|L| Bee, The Crossword and more online at http: //nytimes.com/games. Se) | womsrevnsummromarn sus covenenereembopine stphnenet CILIS[EMMMOLYISIPLEIPISLtLA] For ue ta. vst tp: /nytmes.comy/ wordy.
14 | MONDAY, AUGUST 3, 2026 ‘THE NEW YORK TIMES INTERNATIONAL EDITION Cultu ‘Tuned to the struggles of Black Londoners Arestored documentary examines the poetry of Linton Kwesi Johnson that fostered your interest in poetry and writing? No. My grandmother was illiterate, ‘and she'd ask me to read the Bible to her. I got to like the language ofthe Old ‘Testament, Psalms in particular. The interest in poetry came about later. As ‘a Young Panther, I discovered African ‘American literature. My original inspi- ion to become a poet came from WEB. Du Bois's book “The Souls of Black Folk,” the political poetry of Langston Hughes, Gwendolyn Brooks ‘and Amiri Baraka and the Last Poets. ‘Their discourse was African American everyday speech, accompanied by percussion. I used to recite my poems ‘with percussion in a group called Rasta Love, young Rasta guys I went to ‘school with. BY PATRICIA MESCHINO Early in the 1979 documentary “Dread Beat an Blood,” the 27-year-old poet Linton Kwesi Johnson recites a verse that sketches the challenges facing Brother Buzza, a Jamaican-born char- acter living in London: “De bredda say him broke, him say him nah worke / him say his woman a breed, him say him don't even have a stick of weed.” Noting Johnson's Jamaican roots, a British reporter asks him if he plans to remain in Brixton, the South London neighborhood where Johnson has lived since 1963. “England is as much my country as Jamaica, he replies with a {genteel tone that belies the intensity of his words. “Most Blacks who come here have a dream of returning home. But we have a very important struggle in this country at this time, and I want to be a part ofthat struggle.” The newly restored documentary, directed by Franco Rosso, opened last ‘month in New York and has had a theatrical run in several US. cities. In the film, Johnson performs and records verses from his poetry collection and album of the same ttl, with lyrics that vividly depict the racisin and margin- alization faced by Black Caribbean {immigrants in Britain. His recitation is ‘supported by intricately layered, dub- infused reggae grooves that estab- lished the subgenre he called “dub ‘Looking back at your work spanning the 1970s through the 1990s, how do the themes of political resistance and activism resonate in today's world? toffers ahistorical perspective be- ‘cause I'm of the past {laughs}. People ‘might pick up some understanding of the struggles we fought in England, hhow it corresponds with the antiracist struggles that were being fought in the United States and the sense of solidari- ty on diferent sides ofthe Atlantic. My journey through poetry and music was really a learning process through ‘which I was able to chronicle impor- tant moments, like the New Cross fire or the Brixton rats. When did you last sit down to write a poem? Steve McQueen made a series of films called “Small Axe"; he asked me to write a poem fora piece about the New (Cross fire. That was in 2021 and it was very short, about eight lines. Before that I wrote “Reggae Fi Mama," an ‘elegy for my mother who was dying, Seeing my mother in Jamaica in 2019 ‘and realizing that would be the last time I would see her alive was the inspiration for that piece. Some poets hhave to write a couple of lines every <day but I've only ever written when there's something that moves me to write, ‘grants and the police in 1981 and after. ‘Johnson's work continues to connect with modern audiences. In 2002, he became only the second living poet, and the first Black poet, to have his ‘work included in the Penguin Modern Classis series with the volume “Mi Revalueshanary Fren: Selected Po- ems." And Johnson was asked to per- 4 form his “New Craas Massakah,” about raananserOet the 13 Black youths who died in the What are you currently working on? New Cross fire in London in 1981, or known for, “Babylon” and “Dread Beat “Voices of the Living and the Dead” _ “Forces of Victory” and “Bass Culture” How did growing up in Chapetton, Over the past 25 years I've had one the director Steve McQueen's 2020 film an Blood,” are significant because they followed by *Dread Beat an Blood” in my late school friend Vivian Weathers Jamaica, shape your early life? ambition: to make an instrumental series, “Small Axe” both offer snapshots ofthe Black expe- 1975. 1 was part of the campaign to free played bass, and on afew tracks it was Iwas raised in the hills of Clarendon __ album of my own musical compositions During two conversations, in the _rience in Britain after the Second George Lindo [a Jamaican immigrant Floyd Lawson. After that it was Dennis until age II when I moved to England, and play the bass myself. I've com- New York borough of Brooklyn last World War, the perspective ofthe convicted of armed robbery based ona Bovell — Dennis was the producer, he and everyone there was involved in pleted that {an album titled “[Speech- ‘September and by phone from Brixton second generation of Caribbean immi- false confession obtained by the po- did the mixing, and we worked out the farming. We all had responsibilities, less}"}. Dennis Bovell helped me to last month, Johnson, 73, discussed the grants to England. Franco deserves _ lice). So Franco would have known me songs’ arrangements together. People _even ifit was just feeding the chickens. arrange the music and he mixed it. 1 documentary, his work now and whatit praise for taking the initiative to from those circles. think Dennis's bass ines are wonderful It was the best time of my life. That's might release it asa limited edition hhas been like to witness younger gen- choose those subjects for his films. [laughs]. They're my basslines, but | where I absorbed elements of Jamai- next year, or maybe it will be released erations discover him. The interviews In “Dread Beat an Blood," you explain couldn't make them sound as good ascan folk culture that have stayed with posthumously. That was my big thing, ‘were edited and condensed How was Franco Rosso introduced to that your poetic cadence is built hhe does. me ever since. Folk songs, church 0 I don't have any artistic ambitions you and your work? around reggae bass lines. When songs, riddles, and at Christmas time, anymore. I've done quite abit, so my Having previously watched its origi- I was in the Black Panther movement, writing, do you hear the bass line What prompted your decision to stop _Jonkonnu {a traditional parade of ‘greatest ambition in life right now is to nnal broadcasts on the BBC, have you a young activist and one of the people first or do the words dictate the mu- performing ive with Dennis and the costumed dancers accompanied by _arrive ata state of complete content- hhad a chance to view the restored picketing outside ofthe criminal court sical flow? Dub Band? ‘goatskin drums, shakers and bamboo ment, tobe at peace with myself. film? ‘when nine activists were on trial for 've alway’s been interested in the Thave a serious problem with my fifes}. We had no radio, television or ‘No, and I don’t have any intention of rioting, incitement, as aconsequence _ language of music and the music lower lumbar region. !can’t stand up electricity so we had to entertain our- How does it feel to see a new genera ‘watching it, either. What is really fan- of a demonstration against police language. When I write my verse, [try very long without being in an awkward selves. tion discovering your work? tastic about all ofthis is the director brutality in Ladbroke Grove. Franco toring out the musicality within the position. When that music is happen- It's great to have people bigging you Franco Rosso is getting some well- Rosso directed the original documenta- language and I build everything Ing you can’t stand around like astat- You've said that your father was up in your old age. Its better they do deserved attention. He didn't make too ry about the Mangrove Nine. 1'dre- around the bass lines. On my first tue: You at least have tomove your _iliterate, your mother was semiliter- that while you're alive because when. ‘many films but the two films he's leased two collections of poetry, three albums, “Dread Beat an Blood” knees or shake your legs. ate. Was there anyone around you you are dead, who cares? Spider-Man has grown up, but there's still homework stand-alone Spider-Man movies, some- times with substantial roles, the films hhave still mostly fel like character- driven features about Peter and his friends. Even “No Way Home, with its ‘many winking ties to other movies, ‘was mostly about various generations ‘of Spider-Mans (Spiders-Men?), not really the M.C.U's main ar. ‘This movie feels as if it's carrying ‘more franchise weight on its shoulders, ‘and that leaves less room for emotional ‘weight. I's more scattered as a result, ‘and while hardeore M.C.U. fans might be pleased, the rest of us are, demon- strably, getting kind of tired of having to do our homework. Nothing can erase the enjoyment of witnessing Holland's performance, ‘which remains winsome and wonder- fully kinetic even if you know that’s got to be a computer-generated Spidey a lot of the time. As he's grown up on- screen, his audience has grown up with ‘him. The question this film asks is one that has cropped up over and over ‘MOVIE REVIEW The latest movie suffers from the weight of tying all of the stories together BY ALISSA WILKINSON Spider-Man's story has always been, ‘on some level, about the terrifying experience of growing up. One morn- ing, you discover your body is chang- ing and doing things you can't quite control, and you have to figure out ‘what to do with that. As winningly played by Tom Holland, Peter Parker hhas been a kind, openhearted teenager ‘who wants todo the right thing and is, horrified that his powers often put everyone he loves in the path of dan- Ber. Atthe end of ‘Way Home," he asked Doctor Strange to casta spell that would cause the ‘whole world — including the love of his ‘throughout comic book cinema: What life — to forget that he was Spider- ddo we do with our specialness? For the Man, because it was the only way to ‘Cussuretaaamrrenies most part, Peter has chosen to stay ssave his universe from destruction. Tom Holland in “Spider-Man: Brand New Day.” the fourth inthis particular series of Spider-Man movies. local and hidden, to undo the damage “Spider-Man: Brand New Day.” ‘done when peopie know his powers. directed by Destin Daniel Cretton from But now he has to either accept who he screenplay by Chris McKenna and from person to person. It's apparently to tamp down his powers, to return to deciding to accept your adult powers, stories together. For instance, if you're _is and let himself be known again, or Erik Sommers, picks up where “No _seeking something that's hidden at _the abilities that he knows well. And even when they scare you. not a walking encyclopedia of M.C.U. stay in the shadows and take the dlean ‘Way Home’ left off Peter lives alone Damage Control, the organization that i's imperative he does this before the __—Its not, unfortunately, nearly as fun lore —or didn't watch “Daredevil” __slate promised by the title. ‘now that his aunt May (Marisa Tomei) was ereated to do cleanup after the entity gets to MJ, who still doesn't asthe previous few films, though that Season 2 and "Daredevil: Born Again” Similarly, a slice of his audience has hhas died, and MJ (Zendaya) and Ned Battle of New York but turned a bit _know who hei ‘may just come with the territory. Much Season 1 and the two-season “Pun- _gone from teen to new adult in a world (Gacob Batalon) have gone tothe ‘more authoritarian over time. The ‘There is, ofcourse, alot more, some of the lighthearted comedy that made _isher” TV show and the “Punisher: ‘where creative powers — especially Institute of ogy. director of the Bill Met- of which I can‘ tell ou; Sadie Sink has the other movies so amusing is gone, One Last Kill” Marvel TV special—__exceptional ones — are seen as some- ‘As years go by, Peter watches them 2ger (Tramell Tillman), explains that spent the last year dancing around largely because Peter's relationship to you might not know who Frank Castle thing that might be taken from you and from afar via Ned's social media up- he's not sure what the entity is after, _questions about her role inthis movie, Ned and MJ has changed drastically, is or why he and Peter know each ‘Put to profitable use. Peter even con- dates. Spider-Man is beloved by New but the goal of Damage Control is to “Brand New Day’ isthe fourth in this which means the bantering chemistry other, which seems like an awful lot to _siders whether there might be a way to Yorkers again, so he fights crime and harness destructive energy and turn it series of Spider-Man movies, andit__between Holland, Batalon and espe-_expect of your audience. create a device that puts everyone on a chats on the phone with Detective Jean to something good. They're hoping to feels like a cap on the growing-up arc cially Zendaya is mostly absent. nits Spider-Man has been tied into the _level playing field, and that doesn't DeWolff (Liza Colon-Zayas),never _just keep everyone safe, he says. that this iteration of the character has place is an emotional heaviness, which M.C.U. since he appeared in “Captain seem coincidental. If movies subcon- revealing his identity as Peter Parker. __Atthe same time, Peter has hisown gone through. If“Homecoming” was compounds in some ofthe film’s other America: Civil War” (2016), thanks toa sciously tap the anxieties oftheir Occasionally he crosses paths with issues with energy, because his arach- about adolescence, and “Far From plot threads. ‘deal between Sony Pictures Entertain- audiences, maybe this one is about the Frank Castle, aka. the Punisher Jon nid hormone levels are spiking, giving Home” was about growing through the The film is also bogged down by the ment and Walt Disney Studios (which terrifying experience of growing up Bernthal), hhim major headaches and the Joss of a mentor, and “No Way Home” same thing that has caused late-stage owns Marvel Studios), and he's in and discovering that everyone sees But a weird threat menaces the city, shoot web fluid from his wrists instead was about taking responsibility for Marvel Cinematic Universe films to _several “Avengers” movies. Although _what makes you special and wants it vengeful entity seemingly jumping of his sut. He wants nothing more than your actions, then this is, in part, about sag: the weight of tying all ofthe other M.C.U. characters crop up in the for themselves.
‘THE NEW YORK TIMES INTERNATIONAL EDITION MONDAY, AUGUST 3, 2026 | 15 CULTURE Painter's canvases scamper and fly onstage Tim Foster's niche craft involves the delicate art of coloring ballet shoes BY MARGARET FUHRER I you take the elevator at the David H. Koch Theater at New York's Lincoln Center as high as it will go, then climb another flight of stairs and walk down a cinder-block hallway, you will reach a ‘small space that looks like a cross be ‘ween an artist's studio and a chemistry lab. This is where Tim Foster paints bal- let shoes. ‘Tobea shoe colorist for New York City Ballet, as Foster has been or 15 years, is to occupy a small yet important niche. Most pointe shoes and ballet slippers are manufactured ina pale pink. But the ‘company’s repertoire requires a rain- bow of hues, lke canary yellow for the ensemble of Marzipan Shepherdessesin The Nutcracker” or powdery blue for the Butterfly soloist in “A Midsummer Night's Dream” Inhis tiny aerie, Foster — the compa- ny's first fulltime shoe colorist — sprays and daubs hundreds of shoes each season. Itis a delicate art. He must ‘match costume colors exactly, so that the footwear doesn’t break the contin- ‘uous line ofthe leg. And paint must be applied sparingly, painstakingly, so as. not to change the fee ofthe shoe on the foot. ‘As.a former professional dancer, Fos- ter, 73, understands the stakes. “When they give you their pointe shoes to mist (oF to dye, that is a responsibility I take vvery seriously” he said in a video inter view. “It has to be right, their sacred tool. Its their violin. Its their oboe” For years, almost nobody outside City Ballet knew that Foster or his job ex- {sted. Then the documentary filmmaker Joshua Charow, who often profiles un- ‘sungheroes, stumbled across City Bal- Jet blog post that mentioned Foster's work. “Right away, I was fascinated” CCharow said ina video interview. “But 1 couldn't find any other information about him.” Earlier this year, Charow connected with Foster and filmed him discussing his past as a dancer and his work with City Ballet. Charow was delighted to dis cover that Foster had also quietly been, ‘making visual artwork. His shoe-paint {ng station is lined with white paper that becomes spattered with different colors ‘over time. He uses pieces of that paper tocreate fanciful, Chag: scenes, incorporating the residual splotches of shoe paint. “I just start sketching over the top of the paper that kept all the splatters and, ‘marks,” Foster says in Charow’s docu- ‘mentary, “Shoes for Tim," which came out in July. “I lose myself'in it” Foster's job has become busier re- cently. Pink shoes, meant to approxi ‘mate skin color, used to be a ballet cos tume default. Buta few years ago, City Ballet became one of several ballet toupes to rethink “ballet pink,” adopt ing truly flesh-toned footwear instead. ‘Today, each company member has a shoe Shade custom-matched to their skin, That requires a lot of painting, ‘Naomi Corti a City Ballet soloist, said ina video interview that she now visits Foster before nearly every show — to set her shoes touched up, yes, but also just to talk. Gentle and thoughtful, Fos ter has a knack for soothing preperfor ‘mance jitters. “He always knows what to say be- ‘cause he's one of us, a dancer” she said “He always knows what to say because he’s one of us, a dancer. It’s this very calming presence.” “tts this very calming presence. He's like the heartbeat ofthe theater” ‘Asa dancer, Foster was both an early ‘and a late bloomer. His father was in a country western band, and as a child, Foster and the daughter ofthe guitarist ‘would sometimes dance forthe crowds at barbecues and country clubs in the Pacific Northwest. By junior high, he ‘was organizing lunchtime dances at school. “You would grab your girlfriend ‘and do the boogaloo o the skate” Foster said, But he had no formal dance training until he enrolled at Lane Community College in Eugene, Ore. and began per- forming in musicals. That was how he ‘methis future wife, Nickie (Crafts atthe time), an accomplished dancer and cho- reographer. “She told me: “You want to dance? Well, you'd better get in class,” he said. He began studying ballet and ‘modern and was soon earning lead roles, {in ocal theater productions. In 1986, the couple moved to New ity. Foster eventually began dancing with the now-shuttered New York City Opera — performing on the ‘same Lincoln Center stage as New York. City Ballet — and also in musicals in the city and on tour. “I was doing a lot of things all at once," he said. Foster reusespaint-spattered paper from his workstation to ereate his own art. “People ‘seem to really enjoy these paintings, which sort of stopped me in my tracks,” he said. That stopped when Nickie was diag- nosed with breast cancer in 2004. “The dance work suddenly felt less impor- * Foster said. Secking stability, he ‘gota job in the wardrobe department at Gity Opera. Later he began working with City Ballet, dressing the children in "The Nutcracker” His shoe-painting career was acct dental. For a while dancers had colored their own shoes, bt that led toinconsis tencies in hue and appearance. “They sak Kink on dnp Ao "Though he had no art taining or ex- perience coloring shoes, Foster found he had a gift for matching shades. “I can figure out what makes that gray differ- cent from a regular gray" he sai. “Is it ‘that thas green in it? Pink in it? Purple init?” ‘The ballets that involve the most painting, Foster said, are the big story productions: “The Nutcracker,”“A Mid For 15 years, Tim Foster, 2, has painted the shoes for New York City Ballet dancers. "Most pointe shoes and ballet slippers are manufactured in a pale pink, but the compa- ay’s repertoire requires a rainbow of hues, Foster must match costume colors exactly to ‘maintain the continuous line ofthe leg, and paint must be applied sparingly. ‘summer Night's Dream” But one of the tickiest is Jerome Robbins's “The Con- cert” He has to match the costumes’ sheer blue tights, which allow the danc- cers’ natural skin tones to peek through — meaning that each dancer requires a slightly different shade. “You're taking that blue color and stretching it with a utral, so it's a film of blue,” he said, hat took me a long time to figure out Foster has become an innovator in his ‘small field, partly because he under stands how to make dancers look and {eel beautiful. Corti said he would some- times “contour” her pointe shoes, pai ing portions of the satin slightly darker to make her arch appear more luxuri ‘ously curved. Once, she came to him up- ‘setabout her shoes for a“Coppélia” solo, ‘which were coated in a thick gray paint that made them inflexible. "I's a bi jumpy part, and it was so hard to do this crunchy shoe, she said. ‘The next day, Foster brought her a pair of what she called “Cinderella Si pers,” with a light coating of silver. wasn't cramping any more — every: thing felt so much better” she said. “He ‘changed my experience ofthat ballet.” Over the past few years, Foster has returned to dancing. His wife eventually recovered from breast cancer, but in 2013 he, too, received a cancer diagno sis, Treatment required removing much of the muscle from the back of his right, thigh. As he recovered, dancing helped him relearn his body. “I started over, do- ing my own barre work, ust trying not to get stuck,” he said. “Walking was the hardest thing to do, actually. I can al- ‘ways manage to dance.” Now he tries to dance as often as pos- sible — sometimes with Nickie, who is ‘strong as an ox,"he said. The documen- tary even prompted a homecoming of sorts, with Charow filming a poetic se- {quence in which Foster dances on the Koch Theater stage forthe frst time in 25 years. ‘When Foster began making his shoe- paper paintings, he had no intention of selling or displaying them. “I didn't re ally take it seriously” he said. “Id paint them, rll them up, forget about them” He has given a few to dancers as gifts, including one to the City Ballet star “Megan Fairchild when she retired earl cer this year. And he gave one to Charow — packaged in pointe shoe shipping, ‘bags and tied with a shoe ribbon. Since the release ofthe documentary, Foster has been surprised and moved by viewers’ responses to his artwork. ‘People seem to really enjoy these paintings, which sort of stopped me in my tracks,’ he said. He's now consider: ing a showing of some kind. Each fall, City Ballet's Art Series asks visual art {st tomake site-specific work for the the- ater; Corti said she would love for Fos- ter to get that invitation. CCharow's documentary caught Foster justin time. He's planning toretire soon, But first he hopes to train new shoe col orists. The goal, he sai, is to create the ‘smallest possibie ripple of disruption in the dancers' lives. “Tknow how live theater draws every: thing out of you, even asit feeds you," he said. "Those of us behind the scenes, we just want to make it possible for the ‘dancers to let go and dance” The ugly battle over the polities of beauty BOOK REVIEW LUberation Summer: ‘The Moment That Changed the Wom- fens Movement and the Future of Amer- lean Politics By Micki McEIya. Avid Reader Press. ‘525 pp. $32. BY KATIE ROIPHE In September 1968, a boisterous femi- nist protest against the Miss America ‘pageant spilled across the Atlantic Ci boardwalk as contestants in the first Miss Black America contest drove past ina convertible, and counterprotesters shouted things like “Go back to Russia, ‘you ugly, lezzie, commie whores." It ‘was here, Micki MeElya argues in “Liberati {question of who defines beauty, what it ‘means and how itis deployed to subju- gate women entered the mainstream cultural conversation, In this lively, stylish social history, McElya, a historian at the University ‘of Connecticut, creates portraits of assorted activists, journalists, beauty ‘queens, conservative icons, lawyers and visionaries involved in changing the politica terrain. We read about hhow the white activist Bev Grant's boyfriend threw out her copy of “The ‘Second Sex" when she tried to discuss it and how the Black lawyer Florynce Kennedy got arrested trying to walk down her own street. We see the win- ner ofthe first Miss Black America pageant reading a poem she wrote about alittle girl who thinks her skin, Sx, ‘Women protesting the Miss America pageant in Atlanti City in September 1968. lips and hair are uly. McElya’s approach follows in the tradition of David Halberstam’s “The Fifties” by invoking a remote time through vibrant scenes and characters. ‘Halberstam himself makes a cameo in the book with a casually sexist charac- terization of the trailblazing female New York Times editor and reporter Charlotte Curtis as a bright, ough litle broad") By placing the reader in various rooms where second-wave feminists concoct and jostle over their plans, McElya brings this colorful bit of lost history to life. Hindsight tends to organize women's Political progress into stirring story ‘of passionate dedication and inspiring sisterhood. But McElya makes clear that there was also an enormous RIT ail ne de 7 NE | | ‘amount of strife. She dives into the divisions and power struggles at the heart of the women’s liberation move- ‘ment. At one point, an organizer pro- hibits one would-be protester from carrying a sign that reads, “There's No ‘Good Man but a Dead Man” "The radicals interested in fighting capitalism clash with the feminists trying to sway mainstream American ‘women. The virulently anti-male fac tion, aligned with Valerie Solanas's SCUM Manifesto, alienates the more practical political types. MeElya de- scribes a particularly heated meeting ‘of radical women's groups in Sandy ‘Spring, Md. One of the participants mentions Betty Friedan, adding, “as much as we may hate her” The meet- ing devolves into raised voices and ‘open hostility McElya also relates an excruciating conversation at the same gathering, which consisted exclusively of white ‘women, about the need to bring Black women into the mix. This s a rare glimpse into the struggle to define a ‘cause that contained many conflicting ‘elements and narratives. We see just how many different women's move- ments collided in what we now think of “Liberation Summer” documents the ‘ways in which prominent women felt they had to comply with traditional ideas about beauty even as they fought to transcend them, MeElya touches on the irony of the media’ fixation on conventionally beautiful women's ‘movement figures lke Gloria Steinem, ‘and the difficulties faced by less tele- ‘genic ones like Betty Friedan. McElya tells the dispriting story of how Friedan, her appearance under intense scrutiny, dyed her hair red only to have it turn green within days While “Liberation Summer” i highly ‘engaging, I found myself longing for a bit more ofthe literary and cultural backdrop. Toni Morrison's critically acclaimed 1970 novel “The Bluest Ey for instance, played with the themes of White and Black beauty, but it goes unmentioned, ‘There are also a few striking omis- sions in McElya's discussion of the {feminist literature of the period, includ ing Germaine Greer's wild, impas- sioned international bestseller, “The Female Eunuch” (published in the United States in 1971), which addresses the oppressiveness and self-loathing involved in aspiring to conventional beauty standards. This splashy book ‘would certainly have been read and talked about in the early-1970s circles McElya covers. ‘At the end of “Liberation Summer she gestures toward the current envi- ronment surrounding beauty polities in the Trump era. She notes the beauty ‘queen-like figures who have sur- rounded Trump, even at the cabinet level. She underscores their exaggerat ed feminine features and the apparent time and effort put into maintaining a “Mar-a-Lago face” This seems almost to be the point: proof of a commitment to traditional gender roles. McElya concludes her book by not- ing the strange and persistent endur- ance of oppressive beauty standards, ‘and the political ideals undergirding them, in spite of the obvious progress Women have made. More than half a ‘century after the “liberation summer we find ourselves not very liberated at all Katie Roiphe isthe director ofthe Cul- tural, Reporting and Criticism program ‘at New York University and is currently working on a book about Janet Mal- col.
16 | MONDAY, AUGUST 3, 2026 ‘THE NEW YORK TIMES INTERNATIONAL EDITION TRAVEL On a cliff, testing the limits of my fear Avia ferrata tour helped one jittery hiker confront his acrophobia ‘BY CHRIS HIPPENSTEEL I stood perched on a ledge, a river ‘churning some 30 feet below and a line ‘of people waiting at my back. A suspen- sion bridge with three cables, one for my feet and two for my hands, stretched across the chasm like a tightrope. A tremor was already creeping up my legs, and I had nowhere to go but for- ward. Like everyone on the tour of Ausable Chasm, a gorge carved into the Adiron- <dacks in upstate New York, Lworea har- ness to catch me if I fell. Maybe it would save my life, butit didn’ domuch toease ‘my anxiety ‘We were following a via ferrata(Ital- jan for “iron path") that zigzagged across the gorge and took us high onto its sandstone walls, clinging to metal ‘rungs, unclipping and reclipping thetwo safety lines on our harnesses. This ex- hilarating route was, admittedly, a bi- zarre choice for someone like me, who struggles with a paralyzing fear of heights. But that was precisely why T was standing before this swaying tightrope bridge. The via ferrata tour was just the latest round in my yearsiong regimen of self-directed exposure therapy, which had already taken me onto scary rock scrambles and exposed summits across the Adirondacks, in an attempt to cure ‘my acrophobia. “Don't lead me to my death,” joked the ‘woman behind me as I tested the cable's sive, “1 do my best” I said. Another step took me past the ledge, leaving nothing ‘but open air and erashing white water below. ANATURAL NEXT STEP Soren Kierkegaard, the 19th-century Danish philosopher and father of exist- entialism, saw in the fear of heights a ‘metaphor for all human anxiety. Stand- ing at a precipice, Kierkegaard imag ined, a person becomes instantly and acutely aware of the power to jump — and with it, the dizzying breadth of hu- ‘man freed can't say that heights have ever granted me such an epiphany. But 1 ‘know that something has always drawn ‘me toward them, despite my trepida- tion. Itwas through hiking that I began to test the limits ofthat attraction. Tellin love with hiking while 1 was living in Albany, N.Y. a gateway city to the peaks and cliffs of the Adirondacks. ‘There, I gradually probed the limits of ‘my fear, pushing myself closer to the edges of mountaintop overlooks, and then seeking out increasingly challeng- {ng routes that tested both my footing and my nerve. Tt turns out there's science behind that approach. Incremental exposure therapy remains the gold standard for tweating the fear of heights, said Dorothée Bentz, a clinical psychologist and researcher at the University of Ba- selin Stzeriand "If people are treated, there's a re- sponse rate of about 80 percent,” Dr Bentz said. "But people have to engage,” she added, “and that means you have to expose yourself” ‘A via ferrata seemed like the natural next step in that process. Despite their dramatic vertical set- tings, via ferratasare, in termsoftechni- caldifficulty,not that far removed froma playground jungle gym. Climbers are harnessed in along the entire route, ‘keeping at least one carabiner clipped to the safety cable at all times. Though the danger is limited, the exposure is not — exactly the type of challenge Iwas seek- ing, ‘Modern via ferratas were largely a product of World War I, developed as a ridges at Ausable Chasm, a Top, the hatrndacis upstate New York. Aone trom let aarp et on te aera ‘Malin for “iron path”; the view looking down from one ofthe suspension bridges; and climbers on the trail, Viaferratas have flourished in the United States in recent year makeshift system to move troops through the Dolomites as the Italian and Austro-Hungarian armies fought over the peaks. In time, those early installa- tions would be refined into recreational climbing routes, featuring metal rungs ‘and hanging bridges. From the Alps they spread worldwide, allowing thrill seekers everywhere to navigate sheer cliff faces and deep canyons. ‘Though via ferratas have flourished in the United States in recent years, op- tions near New York City remain limited forthe casual day hiker ona budget. The ‘Adventure Trail at Ausable Chasm, a privately owned attraction just south of Plattsburgh, N.Y. was both inexpensive {about $20 for entry to the chasm, $45, {forthe via ferrata) and approachable. (CLIPPED IN I drove up to the Adirondacks in late May, a few weeks ahead of peak tourist season, and headed to the chasm early the next morning to book a slot on the via ferrata, The roughly 90-minute guided tours are first come first served, and the property's website warns that they can book up fast. Looking down from the rim of the ‘gorge, I got my first glimpse of the via errata. Isaw four cable bridges over the river, stretches of rock ledges and metal ‘rungs between them. Sure, | thought, 1 could manage that. ‘A halfshour later, our 42-year-old ‘guide, Colby Walker, was showing my roughly 12-person tour grouphow to clip and unclip our harnesses around ob- structions, always keeping one secured tothe safety cable that ran the length of the course. | wound up at the front of the line, ‘ahead of three friends in their early 308, — Kathryn Patton, Jacqueline LaPres and Mary Fredendall — in town for a ‘wedding. We climbed a cargo net from the chasm floor up toa ledge, and 1 was, the first to follow Colby onto the initial bridge. ut over the drop, I began thinking in fractions: Just get a quarter of the way across, now half, now two-thirds. My ‘stomach dropped each time my harness hitan obstacle, and I needed torefasten my carabiners to the next stretch of ‘open cable, leaving me momentarily frozen. Max Wir, a researcher at Ludwig Maximilian University Hospital in Mu- nich who has studied the fear of heights, later explained my reaction this way: Deprived of the nearby visual reference pointsthatitrelies on tocontrolbalance, ‘my brain sensed that my body was un- stable. My body responded in kind. But with Colby and Kathryn's encour- ‘agement, finally conquered Zeno's par- ‘adox — the notion that if you do some- thing in fractions, you'll never reach the ‘end — and made it othe other side, dis- ‘mounting (another stomach drop) onto a set of metal rungs that ascended to a narrow ledge. ‘Another high-wire river crossing awaited, This one was more forgiving, with three metal cables underfoot in- Stead of one. To soothe my nerves, 1 chatted with Kathryn, Jacqueline and Mary. Inevitably, we discussed our feel- ‘ngs about heights. Kathryn loved them, she said. So did Mary. Jacqueline, not so much. It tumed out Jacqueline and 1 had both taken the same approach to expo- ssure therapy, albeit in different parts of the country. She livesin Utah, andtested herself first in the state's national parks. But even conquering Angels Landing in Zion National Park, oe ofthe country's ‘most nerve-racking hikes, hadn't been, ‘enough to defeat her anxiety. “V'mnot as scared of heights as I used to be,” she said. “But it's still not com- fortable” 1 sympathized. How is it, I thought, that the initial rush of panic still finds ‘me, no matter how many times I face it, ‘while others never feel tat all? ‘Take Colby, our guide. He moved ‘along the cliff faces with practiced ease, talking all the while about the chasm’s history. Was there ever a time, I asked ‘him, when he'd had to conquer the fear? He shook his head. “My parents had to keep me out of the pine trees when T ‘was young," he said. “I've been climbing since I can remem ‘THE BIG PIVOT Now, another cable bridge — this one ‘with wooden planks spaced far enough apart to pose a challenge — led us back ‘across the chasm. The section that fol- lowed was the longest of the route: a stretch of narrow platforms and metal ‘rungs anchored high onthe rock wall be- ‘tween us and the final bridge. ‘Water triekded down from the layers ‘of sandstone above. The slick handholds fueled my anxiety, and fora second time that day, a wave of terror froze me in place. I pushed it down and forced my- Self to inch along. Standing at a precipice, people become acutely aware of their power to jump — and with it, the breadth of human freedom. Eventually, 1 reached the last cable bridge, the highest of the crossings, sloping dovn from about 65 feet (20 me- ters) above the river. I had to make an awkward pivot from the metal rungs ‘onto the bridge's first plank, a final jaw- clenching challenge. But as I neared the bridge's midpoint, 1 noticed something strange: My legs felt steady. I didn’t feel compelled, as be- fore, to scramble tothe next patch of sta- le ground. I stopped and took a deep breath. Yes, my hands still clung tight to the cables, but felt almost at ease. Later, Safely back in my Brooklyn apartment, I told Dr. Bentz about my ‘moments of panic on the course, and the peace that followed. Could any amount, of exposure therapy, I wondered, ever fully banish the former? Maybe not. Dr. Bentz explained that exposure therapy isn't necessarily about eliminating a fear, but learning you're capable of forging ahead despite it. And through repeated exposure — pushing past the mental barrier posed by fear, again and again — you can ‘meaningfully blunt the anxiety re- sponse. “U's not like you learned it and your brain is reprogrammed,” she said. “It's ‘more like the brain learns something In other words: Courage takes prac- tice T thought back to that moment of near-serenity, standing in the middle of the final bridge. For the first time, 1 could really see past my own feet and appreciate the way my shadow stood backlit against the frothing water below. Like Kierkegaard!'s person at the precipice, Td faced the dizzying [prospect of my own freedom: the choice to turn back or step out over the void, and in doing so, to keep pushing the boundaries of my fear Easing the stress for travelers with autism Neurodiverse children and adults can benefit from careful planning BY JULIE WEED For Johan Konst, 34, the noise, the stress of making connections and the feeling of dread he experienced when he was landing at night in an unfamiliar city used to make him want to avoid fy- ing altogether. Mr Konsthas autism, alifelong condi- tion that affects how people communi- cate, learn and behave. People with au- tism range from those who need signii- cant help to those who live independ- ently and need litte help. ‘But Mr. Konst also has a job in public relations that requires him to travel i ternational. So he has developed tac- ties to help make flying easier. He books only early-morning fights, nonstop ifpossible. Hehas also invested in high-quality noise-canceling head- phones. And after strugaing to ask air- port staff to help him find ride-hailing pickup spots, he began practicing small talk to make speaking with strangers People with autism don’t have to limit themselves, Mr. Konst said, and “learn-+ tng by doing” is important. The same loring experiences to the traveler's needs can go a long way. “Here are some tips to make traveling ‘with autism easier. FOR CHILDREN: MAKE A PICTURE BOOK: The book should show children what they willdoor see at each stage ofthe tripand can include en- tries on security checkpoints, boarding ‘and baggage claim. Expectations are important, so you might include descrip- tions like: “The plane will make noise ‘and rumble and shake. I's exciting but you might feel a little nervous. That's ‘OK!" said Dr Rachel Labaton, the senior supervisor of psychological assess- ‘ments for YAI, a nonprofit organization for people with developmental disabili- ties, PACK A CALMING KIT It might include noise-canceling headphones, sun slasses, fidget toys, hand-held elec- tronic games, snacks, a comfort object, and a nice-smelling mask, anything to promote a sense of well-being, Dr. Laba- ton said. MAKE TAGAME: Get through the different Stages ofthe airport by turning it into a ‘game, perhaps by drawing a map and awarding small prizes, Dr Labaton said, ‘The game can include recorded mes- ‘sages from special people sending en- ‘couragement or saying calming phrases, like *You're safe, we're together” MAKE THE CREW AWARE: Make a card ex- plaining achild’s needs and shareit with, Might attendants, since it isnt always ‘easy to have a conversation during the busy boarding process, said Karla ‘Auker, the founder of the Neurodiver- sity Parent Guide. For example, thecard could say something lke: “Ben, age 8 — autistic, sensitive to loud noise and un- expected touch, prefers clear instruc- tions” Crew members are better able to help if they understand the situation in advance, rather than when an issue arises, said Ms. Auker, a former fight at- tendant. SSCHEDULE SOME PosT-FLIGNT DOWNTIME: ‘When you get off the plane or arrive at ‘your hotel, take some time to let every- ‘one run around, chill ut or do whatever they need todo to relieve the stress, said Jordana Izzo, the director of accessible travel at the travel agency Travelma- tion, who is the parent of child with au- tism. PRESERVE HAPPY MEMORIES: Take photos and make a book of happy memories to reinforce positive associations with travel, Ms. zo advised. Andifthings go awry, “you will get through it” she said, ‘adding, "Don't let what might happen take away from what could happen” — the opportunity for a vacation together. FOR EVERYONE: (CHOOSE THE RIGHT BOARDING TIME: If you need extra time to get settled and per- hhaps get engrossed in an activity, share your needs with gate agents and let ‘them know you need to board early. Board with a later group if you don't ‘want lots of people streaming by, or don't want to spend extra time in your seats, [MINIMIZE ON-THE-FLY DECISIONS: Decide in ‘advance where in the airport you will eat, what you'lldoiftherearedelays and ‘where you'lsitat the gate (a seat witha vview ofthe tarmac may be less stimulat ing). Avoiding decision fatigue can ‘make things feel less overwhelming, Ms. Auer said. ‘SEEK OUT HELP: Autism Double-Checked, ‘an organization focused on helping trav- lers with autism, offers alist of hotels, airports and destinations that have staff trained to support travelers with au- tism. For help in the United States with ‘Transportation Security Administration checkpoints, especially for fliers with ‘more severe autism, Alan Day, the chief executive of Autism Double-Checked, recommends contacting the TS.A. 72 hhours before flying to request a pas- ‘Senger support specialist. These spe- cially trained employees can guide you through the process and make sugges- tions based on the passenger's specific needs. Finally, keep track of what works and. use that information to improve your strategies. Traveling might be hard at first, Mr. Konst said, “but if you do it ‘enough, it wll become easier’
30s 或类似，译文出现了离谱的数字幻觉)。15 million rupees (about $15,700)，译文写为 1500 万卢比（按当前汇率约 $15,700）。虽然数字对应，但 1500 万卢比在现实汇率中绝非 1.57 万美元，此处译文未对源文可能的 OCR 错误进行标注而直接通过。...[MIDDLE PORTION OMITTED...] 之后的部分），译文出现了大量不连贯的碎片，如 “一把椅子死死地固定在... 垫子上”、“我的tween女儿的新发色” 等。这些内容在源文中是破碎的字符，译文在不确定含义的情况下尝试重构，导致逻辑混乱。remote_md_527d47_... 等内部处理标签，属于交付缺陷。most politically consequential mutiny 译为 “政治影响最深远的叛逆行动”，虽然意思接近，但在处理碎片化段落时，译文随意填充了连接词，改变了原有的叙述结构。该翻译件不可接受。译者在面对缺失或损坏的源文时，采取了极其危险的“填充/虚构”策略，引入了大量与源文件无关的政治、社会议题（伊朗、马斯克、户外运动），将翻译任务变成了“内容创作”。
判定：不通过 (FAILED)