Midnight judges
An overnight battle for Poland’s top court, with each side saying the law’s on its side. How America’s third president got rid of 16 judges with life appointments. & The weekend despatch.
The Doha curriculum
The weekend despatch: One American businessman’s explanation to another that a foreign government is bribing him. How the Gulf's rival monarchies are paying to play in Western media. + What’s Elephant 6?
‘Thousands of envelopes with cash’
Arab-led parties’ best result in Knesset history, and a fight over how they got there. When Romanian judges called off a presidential race over intelligence files in 2024. & Why is life so hectic?
Ingenious clockwork
Feature: Why is life so hectic? William E. Scheuerman on how high-speed society makes strongmen appealing—and why they can’t really deliver.
‘The Student List has won’
A remarkable turn of events for democracy in Serbia. A memory for Aleksandar Vučić of crowds in Belgrade chanting “He’s finished!” in 2000. & Is Iran behind the Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia?
Early congratulations
Ambassadors in Brasília, hurrying to recognize Sunday’s winner. Lyndon Johnson’s warm wishes, April 1964. & The weekend despatch.
The kingdom and the machine
The weekend despatch: Saudi Arabia’s bid to spring the accused OpenAI eavesdropper—at any price. Foreign powers and the secrets of the AI race. + What’s a lawyer doing in the DJ booth at Berlin’s Berghain?
Target list
Armed U.S. immigration agents at the door, checking citizenship before the midterms. An old American fight over who gets to vote. & Why does American politics seem to have gotten so nasty?
‘A low but solid virtue’
Feature: Why does American politics seem to have gotten so nasty? Teresa Bejan on the difference between good and bad civility in a democracy.
‘Not so much on Ukraine’
Russia’s pitch for a summit with the U.S. and China. A 1994 trade: 1,900 warheads for a promise. & Was blowing up Nord Stream a war crime?
