Global Central Bankers Rally Around Fed Chair Powell Amid Criminal Investigation

© Caroline Gutman for The New York Times

© Caroline Gutman for The New York Times

© Ivor Prickett for The New York Times

© Haiyun Jiang/The New York Times

As the US supreme court weighs bans on trans athletes, five students speak about the joy of sports and toll of exclusion
The US supreme court on Tuesday is considering state laws banning transgender athletes from school sports.
The cases were brought by trans students who challenged bans in West Virginia and Idaho barring trans girls from girls teams. The outcome could have wide-ranging implications for LGBTQ+ rights. A total of 27 states have passed sports bans targeting trans youth while more than 20 states have maintained pro-LGBTQ+ policies.
Continue reading...
© Composite: AP, Courtesy Haaga family

© Composite: AP, Courtesy Haaga family

© Composite: AP, Courtesy Haaga family
Less than two weeks into the year, the US is stoking mayhem at home and abroad – with midterms coming in the autumn
Have we ever seen a year in recent memory begin with as much deliberate turmoil as 2026 has? Less than two weeks into 2026, we have witnessed Donald Trump deploy US forces to depose and abduct the Venezuelan president, Nicolás Maduro, along with Cilia Flores, his wife and close political adviser. The US president then informed the world that the United States would “run” Venezuela for the time being, which he later explained could potentially last for several years.
Trump has also threatened – and then seemingly made peace with – the president of Colombia; seized at least five oil tankers in the Caribbean (actions that UN experts label illegal armed aggression); promised US military strikes targeting cartels in Mexico against the wishes of Mexico’s president, Claudia Sheinbaum; and frightened the people of Cuba with the prospect that Marco Rubio could be their next president.
Continue reading...
© Photograph: Kyle Stevens/Shutterstock

© Photograph: Kyle Stevens/Shutterstock

© Photograph: Kyle Stevens/Shutterstock
UN rights chief says ‘killing of peaceful demonstrators must stop’ as Iranian official tells Reuters around 2,000 have died
Non-essential French embassy staff have left Iran, two sources with knowledge of the matter told Agence France-Presse. The personnel left on Sunday and Monday, the sources added, without saying how many people had departed. “The protection of our personnel and our citizens is a priority,” a French foreign ministry official told AFP.
Commenting on the protests, the UN high commissioner for human rights Volker Türk said:
This cycle of horrific violence cannot continue. The Iranian people and their demands for fairness, equality and justice must be heard.
Continue reading...
© Photograph: MEK/The Media Express/SIP/Shutterstock

© Photograph: MEK/The Media Express/SIP/Shutterstock

© Photograph: MEK/The Media Express/SIP/Shutterstock



The inquiry into the Federal Reserve chair sends a message to anyone standing in Trump’s way – including the supreme court
News that Donald Trump’s justice department has launched an investigation of Jerome Powell, chair of the Federal Reserve, is the latest example of the president’s governing philosophy: do what I want, or I will crush you. The desire to make Powell’s life miserable is also a warning sign to anyone who thinks that they have an independent source of authority.
What is happening to Powell is a test, not just for him and the Fed, but for any other person or institution that dares to stand up to the president.
Austin Sarat, William Nelson Cromwell professor of jurisprudence and political science at Amherst College, is the author or editor of more than 100 books, including Gruesome Spectacles: Botched Executions and America’s Death Penalty
Continue reading...
© Photograph: Alex Brandon/AP

© Photograph: Alex Brandon/AP

© Photograph: Alex Brandon/AP



Delhi is world’s second largest purchaser of Russian crude, which is now cheaper than oil from Middle East
Russia is already working to circumvent the latest US sanctions to ensure India can continue to import high levels of cheap Russian crude oil, according to industry analysts.
Since the outbreak of the Ukraine war, India has become the world’s second largest purchaser of Russian crude oil, which has been heavily discounted due to the impact of western sanctions.
Continue reading...
© Photograph: Adnan Abidi/Reuters

© Photograph: Adnan Abidi/Reuters

© Photograph: Adnan Abidi/Reuters

© Jamie Kelter Davis for The New York Times

© Isabel Infantes/Reuters

© Adriana Loureiro Fernandez for The New York Times

© Mike Belleme for The New York Times

© Charlie Riedel/Associated Press

© The New York Times

© Emily Elconin for The New York Times

© Mason Trinca for The New York Times

© Brendan Smialowski/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images
