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For many people, The New York Times is like a complicated member of the family. It informs you, irritates you, offers vital advice, starts arguments at dinner, and somehow remains in your life.
I know you have strong feelings about the Times. The intensity comes from the fact that the Times is deeply consequential. It has an enormous global audience, an ability to shape public conversation that few other news organizations still possess, and a main newsroom of more than 2,000 journalists.
I spoke with Managing Editor Marc Lacey about how the Times approaches that responsibility. We discussed its coverage of Israel and Gaza, including Nicholas Kristof’s column about alleged sexual abuse in Israeli prisons and the absence of Times staff reporters inside Gaza. We talked about complaints of bias, the rise of AI, and whether audiences will keep visiting news organizations when chatbots can simply summarize their work.
We also discussed the Trump administration’s subpoenas of four Times reporters, apparently intended to identify confidential sources. Lacey called the move “a pretty brazen, unconstitutional attempt” to chill the paper’s journalism and said the Times is fighting it.
This is a conversation about how one of the world’s most influential news organizations makes its calls, answers its critics, and prepares for a future in which journalism is more necessary, less trusted, and increasingly filtered by a chatbot that does no reporting.
I kept today’s newsletter shorter so you have time to listen. Find our conversation at the top of this newsletter.
Also in this newsletter: A judge puts Paramount’s $111 billion deal on ice. The Tate Brothers are under arrest, again. Why Trump’s free jet is getting more expensive. The Trump administration’s fight with big law escalates. The cyclopsora investigation is getting strange. The World Cup was a hit, maybe. And an unexpected Seattle celebrity is our News That Doesn’t Suck.
Here Are Your Headlines
Blocked: A federal judge granted a 14-day restraining order blocking Paramount’s $111 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery, warning the proposed deal “likely” violates antitrust law. Twelve states sued to stop the merger, arguing it will “extinguish competition.” Judge Araceli Martínez-Olguín set an August 3 hearing to decide whether to extend the pause while the case proceeds. That delay could get expensive. Starting in October, Paramount must pay $650 million to WBD shareholders for every quarter in which the deal doesn’t close. The longer the legal fight drags on, the more costly the acquisition becomes, potentially putting the deal itself at risk. If it fails, Paramount will owe WBD $7 billion.
Brothers in Crime: Federal marshals arrested infamous manosphere influencer and self-described misogynist Andrew Tate and his brother Tristan in Miami, after British authorities requested their extradition to face 38 new charges. These include rape and sex trafficking. Andrew Tate built a massive online following, particularly among young men, by promoting extreme misogyny and male supremacy. The brothers earned millions recruiting women into online pornography then selling men online courses explaining how to get rich quick by doing the same. In less euphemistic terms, they taught pimping or pulling women into what he once called “sexual slavery.” Authorities in at least three countries, including the US, have investigated the Tates for years. The brothers are vocal Trump supporters, and have cultivated close relationships with Trump’s allies and family members. It’s rare for extradition requests between the US and UK to be refused, though the process could drag on more than over a year. Read more about the Tates here.
Lawfare: The Trump administration is renewing its pressure on major law firms. The DOJ issued aggressive subpoenas to more than a dozen major law firms and demanded their leaders sit for depositions. The targets include firms Trump singled out in punitive executive orders; many of the orders have been struck down in court. The targets also include firms that cut deals to provide almost $1 billion in free legal services to the administration to avoid similar punishment. The DOJ’s latest move is reportedly an effort to get the firms to pressure the American Bar Association into dropping its recent lawsuit against the Trump administration. The ABA is trying to halt what it calls Trump’s “law firm intimidation policy.” The administration’s response? More pressure.
Hot Air: Trump seemed to admit that the U.S.’ Qatari-gifted luxury jet lacks the defensive capabilities of a traditional Air Force One. He said the jet, already extensively retrofitted at an estimated cost of up to $1 billion in taxpayer funds, will be taken offline and “maxed out.” The New York Times is fighting DOJ subpoenas targeting its journalists after they reported that the plane lacked certain defensive systems. This infuriated Trump and sparked a massive White House hunt for leakers. As part of that hunt, the DOJ reportedly subpoenaed some of the journalists’ family members, too. Watch the interview at the top of the newsletter to hear what The New York Times Managing Editor Marc Lacey has to say about this investigation.
Trust Your Gut: The investigation into the source of the ongoing cyclospora outbreak is still underway and is becoming… confusing. According to the FDA, a lab test that detected the parasite in a sample of Taylor Farms’ iceberg lettuce turned out to be a false positive. Taylor Farms claimed the agency issued a formal apology. But the FDA denied this and says nothing has changed its conclusion that the outbreak is linked to iceberg lettuce grown in central Mexico and supplied by Taylor Farms. Nor is it changing its recommendation that consumers avoid that lettuce. Taylor Farms has widened its recall of iceberg lettuce potentially contaminated with cyclospora to 27 states. This election cycle, Taylor Farms’ parent company, the largest salad producer in the US, donated $2.2 million to Republican PACs — including $1 million to Trump’s MAGA, Inc less than a week after the FDA delayed enforcement of additional food tracing rules.
New Life: Vice President JD Vance and second lady Usha Vance announced the birth of Alec Neel Vance, their fourth child. Alec is the first child born to a sitting second lady in more than 150 years.
Darline Wants In: The late Sen. Lindsey Graham’s sister Darline says she’ll run to replace her brother in the Senate. She is currently serving the remainder of his term, through January. The seat is up in November. She’ll run in a special Republican primary held August 11. Before being appointed, she’d never held public office.
Fresh Face: Andy Burnham is now Britain’s seventh prime minister in ten years. In his first speech, he vowed to break from the policies of the last four decades. He also pledged to end unsheltered homelessness and identified reining in the cost of living as one of his top priorities. He also began assembling his cabinet, the British equivalent of an administration, appointing a mix of longtime allies and senior figures who served under his predecessor, Keir Starmer. Catch up on Starmer’s fall, and why the handover happened without an election, here.
A Lot to Weather: Tens of millions of people across the country continue to face extreme, life-threatening weather. Flash flooding in the Southwest killed at least eight. Thunderstorms along the Atlantic Coast brought floods and led to the cancellation of over a thousand flights. There are 68 large wildfires burning across 15 states. Wildfire smoke, much of it from Canada, continues to degrade air quality across the Midwest and Great Lakes. A heat wave stretching from the Dakotas to the Gulf Coast is pushing “feels-like” temperatures as high as 116º. And a tropical storm is expected to develop and reach the Gulf Coast this week, bringing a potential storm surge. “These are compound events,” a public health professor explained, “and that can sometimes make the impacts of them far worse than what we would experience with any one of these events individually.” A new survey by progressive polling firm Data for Progress shows that 61% of Americans — 72% of Democrats and 46% of Republicans — believe extreme weather events have become more frequent over the last five years (they have). Large majorities of Americans also agree that climate change is making them worse (it is).
Fired Up: A veteran attacked a building housing ICE’s local field office in Lower Manhattan today. Law enforcement said he used gasoline to start a fire, set off fireworks, and fired an air rifle. They say he had “anti-ICE literature” with him and “yelled derogatory terms toward ICE” while being arrested. Three people sustained minor injuries. Border czar Tom Homan complained that Democrats’ “hateful rhetoric” toward immigration agents will lead to “bloodshed.” During Trump’s second term, no immigration agents have been killed on duty; agents have fatally shot at least 10 people and fired at more than a dozen others. Homan blamed those who died for not complying with law enforcement.
Trade War: Trump announced new 50% tariffs on most goods from Canada. His administration accused Canada of discriminating against US products and argued that this justifies the tariffs under a 1930 law — though that law has never before been used to impose tariffs.
Fired Up: Administration officials insisted the tariffs had nothing to do with Canada’s wildfires. Trump has repeatedly threatened to impose additional tariffs on Canada in retaliation for wildfire smoke drifting south across the border. He blamed the Canadian government for the fires and suggested it pay damages. Meantime, officials in British Columbia issued an air quality alert, warning residents of dangerous smoke drifting north from wildfires in Washington and Oregon. A Canadian firefighter recently died while responding to a wildfire in Colorado.
Full Time: Spain defeated Argentina to win the World Cup in a grueling final match in New Jersey, bringing the largest sporting event in history to a close. The game featured the World Cup’s first half-time show, an American innovation that disgusted die-hard soccer fans but, like the controversial hydration breaks, is likely here to stay. Trump, who attended his first match of the tournament, was loudly booed as he entered the field, then awkwardly lingered onstage while Spain celebrated its victory. But that didn’t dampen his enthusiasm for the event. He said the US will request to host another World Cup “immediately,” insisting it must happen “while I’m around.” With the next two editions already assigned hosts, the earliest available tournament would, theoretically, be 2038. FIFA would have reason to return. The organization took home a record-breaking $15 billion in revenue from this tournament. It was reportedly the biggest gambling event of all-time. But what about the taxpayers who actually funded it? For many, the expected economic windfall from hosting the World Cup didn’t materialize. There was no major rise in jobs, hotel prices, retail sales, or even overall tourism. Fans struggled with exorbitant prices, making the final the most expensive sporting event ever. New York and New Jersey spent half a billion dollars hosting several matches, including the final, and are now studying whether that was really worth it. But the potential benefits aren’t always financial. For one thing, the tournament helped America’s image on the global stage. The US hosted more games than any host nation in World Cup history, an impressive feat of coordination. Millions of fans attended in person and many found themselves charmed by their American hosts. “I like the Americans,” said Norwegian superstar Erling Haaland. “I think they are kind of hilarious.”
Iran Updates: The US launched strikes on Iran for the tenth consecutive night. This latest round of strikes killed at least 50 and wounded over 500, according to Iran. Iran has also widened its strikes, which killed two US troops and left another missing. Another US servicemember died in Iraq, bringing the US death toll to 17. The Pentagon said Iran’s strikes have injured almost 100 servicemembers in the last two weeks. According to a new report from The New York Times, the Pentagon did not disclose multiple attacks by Iran, or the fact that these attacks reportedly injured dozens of servicemembers. The Pentagon denied the report.
Forward or Back: Mediators have proposed a 10-day ceasefire in an attempt to revive the deal reached in June. Asked about the proposal, a US official said Trump is focusing on punishing Iran. Trump warned that Iran “will pay” for the three soldiers recently killed.
New Front: Yemen’s Houthis announced a maritime blockade of Saudi Arabia, potentially threatening the movement of millions of barrels of oil. The group says the blockade is a response to what it calls Saudi Arabia’s siege on its capital, Sana’a.
Price Creep: US gas prices have once again hit $4 a gallon. Oil prices rose more than 15% last week alone.
News That Doesn’t Suck
Round About Town: Last week, Kiana Hall spotted a strange-looking creature in Seattle’s Ballard neighborhood. It wasn’t a cat. Nor a dog. She filmed it, named it “Jimothy,” and posted the video on Instagram, where it promptly went viral. One fellow Seattle resident recognized little Jimothy, who turned out to be a remarkably round raccoon. His compressed appearance, perhaps due to a condition called short spine syndrome, doesn’t seem to have stopped him from living his best raccoon life. It’s certainly made him a celebrity. He’s now the subject of a mural, multiple tattoos, and a dedicated online community. The Seattle Public Library shared books it thought Jimothy would recommend. The University of Washington gave him an honorary doctorate. Seattle is honoring him with an official City Proclamation, holding a Jimothy the Raccoon celebration on Sunday in Ballard — including a friendly competition for Jimothy inspired art. It’s unclear if Jimothy is aware of his newfound fame.
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