Extra, Extra
Strait Talk: Away from the speeches, Iran and US have held talks on sidelines of UN summit. And away from the summit, Iranian advisers helped Houthis seize Yemen’s Red Sea coast in less than 48 hours.
+ Wedding Crashers: “If you were a Russian intelligence operative trying to penetrate the American president’s inner circle, you could hardly have done much better than Umar Kremlev did last May. Kremlev, a boxing promoter from outside Moscow, rented a private island in the Bahamas for Donald Trump Jr. to host his uber-luxe wedding celebration. Four of President Trump’s children, along with their spouses, were sequestered with Kremlev and a gaggle of other Russians during a party that went on for three days.” The Atlantic (Gift Article): Don Jr.’s Wedding Trap. (It’s not a trap if you consider Russia to be a close ally, like the happy couple probably does.)
+ Aging Like (and With) Fine Wine: From the business news to the cultural section, we’ve seen many stories explaining that people are drinking a lot less than they used to. But “not all Americans are following the trend. Drinking among those ages 50-64 is still higher than before the pandemic; the group’s overall alcohol consumption is up by almost 4 percent and heavy drinking increased by 36 percent between 2018 and 2024.” (With age comes wisdom.)
+ Hot as Cell: “In his order, U.S. District Judge Robert Pitman found that conditions in Texas prisons without air conditioning violate the Eighth Amendment — which protects against cruel and unusual punishment.” Federal judge orders Texas to air condition all prisons by the end of 2029. (Of course, Texas is appealing.)
+ Guna Be Sorry: “My father dedicated his life to studying the Guna people of Panama, and they may soon allow unprecedented development through their land. I went on a trek through the jungle to find out why.” NYT Magazine (Gift Article): They Kept Outsiders Away for 500 Years. (I tried the same thing with my social life, and it was pretty nice while it lasted.)
+ When the Cows Come Home: “Bars of artisanal butter have become an unlikely status souvenir, supplanting Ladurée macarons and drugstore skin care as the thing to bring home from one of the most visited cities in the world—despite the logistical challenges. The obsession mostly centers on one address: La Grande Épicerie de Paris, the LVMH-owned luxury food hall attached to Le Bon Marché. Tourists treat a trip to the dairy aisle with the same reverence they might reserve for the Louvre.” WSJ (Gift Article): The High-Stakes Pursuit of Smuggling Butter Home From Paris.
