Category Archives: Politics

2025.11.25

If you’re traveling for Thanksgiving early this week, be sure to check road conditions. WCCO TV reports the Twin Cities’ first “real snowstorm” of the season is anticipated soon. “An inch or two of snow is possible in the Twin Cities by Wednesday morning, possibly impacting travel. We’ll also have wind gusts between 30 and 40 mph.” A winter storm warning has been issued for parts of central and northern Minnesota, too. Via MinnPost
https://www.cbsnews.com/minnesota/news/minnesota-weather-snowstorm-nov-24-2025/

Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport food workers reached an agreement to avoid a strike just before the holiday. The Minnesota Star Tribune writes “the agreement, which is expected to be approved Monday night, includes the highest wage increase ever won for hospitality workers at the airport, according to union leaders.” Via MinnPost
https://www.startribune.com/msp-workers-union-strike-agreement-thanksgiving/601533108?utm_source=gift

Minnesota State Fair season might be well past us, but now is the time to get the most affordable ticket for next year. Bring Me The News says “tickets will be just $15 with a limit of 12 tickets per order, only available Tuesday and while supplies last.” Via MinnPost
https://bringmethenews.com/minnesota-lifestyle/minnesota-state-fairs-lowest-price-of-the-year-ticket-sale-happening-tuesday

Minnesota officials and organizers gear up to fight Trump ending Somalis’ TPS
Though president’s order is legally questionable, advocates worry community could be targeted for immigration raids
Rachel Leingang in Minneapolis
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/nov/25/minnesota-fight-trump-somalis-tps-order

Reith lecturer accuses BBC of censoring his remarks on Trump
Dutch writer Rutger Bregman says claim that Trump was ‘most openly corrupt president in US history’ was removed
Michael Savage Media editor
https://www.theguardian.com/media/2025/nov/25/rutger-bregman-accuses-bbc-of-censoring-his-reith-lecture-on-trump

Italian man ‘dressed as dead mother in order to claim her pension’
Man from Borgo Virgilio investigated for benefit fraud and hiding body since woman’s death in 2022
Angela Giuffrida in Rome
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/nov/25/italian-man-dressed-as-dead-mother-in-order-to-claim-her-pension

What happened at Fox News after the 2020 election? Documents reveal new details
Tens of thousands of documents were released as part of Smartmatic’s defamation lawsuit against the network
Jeremy Barr
https://www.theguardian.com/media/2025/nov/24/fox-news-coverage-2020-election-documents-key-takeaways

Frances McDormand on her adult-sized cradle art project: ‘It’s not performative, it’s experiential’
Three-time Oscar winner has joined forces with conceptual artist Suzanne Bocanegra for an exhibition inspired by the Shakers
David Smith in Washington
https://www.theguardian.com/film/2025/nov/25/frances-mcdormand-adult-cradle-art

‘A nucleus of a community’: the five-hour stage play about Dungeons & Dragons
In Initiative, a group of young people in the early 2000s finds themselves via the role-playing game, the latest example of its undying popularity
Jesse Hassenger
https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2025/nov/25/dungeons-and-dragons-play-initiative

EU court rules entire bloc must respect same-sex marriages in rebuke to Poland
Couple who married in Germany had their right to a ‘normal family life’ impeded, court of justice finds
Reuters
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/nov/25/eu-respect-same-sex-marriages-court-rules-rebuke-poland

2025.11.24

There’s a creek flowing beneath downtown Minneapolis
Starting in 1992, the creek known as Ȟaȟá Wakpádaŋ in Dakota and Bassett Creek in English began flowing under downtown Minneapolis, discharging into the Mississippi River.
By Crystal Boyd, MNopedia
https://www.minnpost.com/mnopedia/2025/11/theres-a-creek-flowing-beneath-downtown-minneapolis/

It’s been a mild first three weeks to November, but that’s about to change. The National Weather Service has issued a winter storm watch for the northern portion of Minnesota ahead of “heavy snow” on Tuesday and Wednesday, according to Bring Me The News. Current estimates forecast 3-7 inches of snow, “though some higher appoints may be possible in parts of northern Minnesota.”  Via MinnPost
https://bringmethenews.com/minnesota-weather/winter-storm-watch-issued-in-minnesota-ahead-of-heavy-snow-tuesday-wednesday

PUBLIC SAFETY
‘It feels like we’re living a prison’: Frustrations rise along fenced-in Franklin Avenue in Minneapolis
Fencing installed by state officials along the busy corridor to deter homeless encampments is still in place years later. It’s forcing pedestrians to make dangerous choices and hindering efforts to establish a cultural district, Native leaders say.
by Shubhanjana Das
https://sahanjournal.com/public-safety/minneapolis-franklin-avenue-fencing-homelessness/

Lava spews out from Hawaii’s Kilauea as volcano erupts again
One of the world’s most active volcanoes has erupted again in Hawaii.
Timelapse footage from Mount Kilauea shows lava flowing down the volcano, as ash and smoke spew into the air.
According to the United States Geological Survey, this is the 37th eruption episode since December 2024.
https://bbc.com/news/videos/c8e9lx2gx4eo

Ethiopian volcano erupts for first time in 12,000 years
Ash clouds from Hayli Gubbi volcano sent drifting across the Red Sea toward Yemen and Oman
Guardian staff and agencies in Addis Ababa
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/nov/24/ethiopian-volcano-hayli-gubbi-erupts-first-time-12000-years

How rolling sand dunes are creeping up on last remaining oases on edge of Sahara
In western Chad, villagers are desperately trying to hold back the sand as the climate crisis wreaks havoc on one of the hottest countries in the world
By Julie Bourdin. Photographs by Tommy Trenchard
https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2025/nov/24/chad-desert-oases-wadi-water-gold-climate-crisis

‘We used a beachball as an alien!’ John Carpenter on his gloriously shonky sci-fi comedy Dark Star
‘The control room buttons were upside-down ice-cube trays, one space suit had a dish-drying rack on it – and the special effects guy wrote the theme tune lyrics’
Interviews by Chris Broughton
https://www.theguardian.com/film/2025/nov/24/john-carpenter-brian-narelle-interview-dark-star-alien-sci-fi-comedy

An inner duty’: the 35-year quest to bring Bach’s lost organ works to light
Musicologist Peter Wollny chanced upon the manuscripts in 1992 and authenticating them took half of his lifetime
Philip Oltermann European culture editor
https://www.theguardian.com/music/2025/nov/24/an-inner-duty-the-35-year-quest-to-bring-bachs-lost-organ-works-to-light

The Indigenous tribes reclaiming travel
Brandon Withrow
https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20230828-the-indigenous-tribes-reclaiming-travel

2025.11.23

‘Eating Indigenously’: award-winning chef celebrates Native American cuisine in new cookbook
James Beard-winning chef Sean Sherman’s cookbook Turtle Island pushes readers to view food systems through an Indigenous lens
Melissa Hellmann
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/nov/23/sean-sherman-turtle-island-cookbook-indigenous-food

French winemakers ‘battle for survival’ as minister prepares for crisis talks
Vineyard owners say sales slump, Trump tariffs and worst harvest in 70 years have put producers in danger of closure
Kim Willsher
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/nov/23/french-winemakers-sales-slump-crisis-talks

Bird flu: first ever death from rare H5N5 strain is recorded in US
Washington state resident’s backyard flock of domestic poultry had been exposed to wild birds, health officials said
Associated Press
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/nov/22/bird-flu-first-death-h5n5-strain-us

Rocky Horror creator Richard O’Brien: ‘The Spice Girls couldn’t sing. But lovely girls’
The actor, writer and musician on growing up on a sheep farm in New Zealand, being in Spice World and a lovely afternoon with Aretha Franklin
Rich Pelley
https://www.theguardian.com/film/2025/nov/22/rocky-horror-show-creator-richard-obrien-interview-spice-girls-aretha-franklin-new-zealand

Analysis
China has brought millions out of poverty. The US has not – by choice
Eduardo Porter
Despite the US’s economic success, income inequality remains breathtaking. But this is no glitch – it’s the system
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/nov/23/china-us-poverty-income-inequality

Maga is in meltdown over a preppy pink sweater for men. So, what exactly is the problem?
Ellie Violet Bramley
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/nov/23/maga-meltdown-pink-sweater-men-masculinity-fragile

‘We’ve never seen this before’: The spectacular stereo images of giant galaxies
Stephen Dowling
https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20251121-sir-brian-mays-stereo-vision-of-galaxies

2025.11.21

Event commemorates folk-blues icon Lead Belly’s 1948 Minneapolis house concert
Twin Cities musicians will showcase the famous recording in a concert Friday at the Cedar Cultural Center.
by Britt Robson
https://www.minnpost.com/arts-culture/music/2025/11/event-commemorates-folk-blues-icon-lead-bellys-1948-minneapolis-house-concert/

‘We’ve got to release the dead hand of the past’: how Ireland created the world’s best alternative music scene
Irish indie acts used to be ignored, even on Irish radio. But songs confronting the Troubles, poverty and oppression are now going global – and changing how Ireland sees itself
Anna Cafolla
https://www.theguardian.com/music/2025/nov/21/ireland-worlds-best-alternative-music-scene

The FBI spied on a Signal group chat of immigration activists, records reveal
Exclusive: Agency accessed private conversations of New York ‘courtwatch’ group that was observing public hearings
Sam Levin
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/nov/21/fbi-signal-group-chat-immigration

‘Toxic’: California ex-police chief tells of colleagues’ racist harassment campaign
Shawny Williams, who tried to reform Vallejo police department, says threats to his safety led him to resign
Roque Planas
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/nov/21/california-vallejo-police-department

US men indicted for alleged coup plot to kill and rape people on Haitian island
Texans planned to utilize unhoused US people to take over Gonâve and fulfill ‘rape fantasies’, justice department says
Jeremy Barr
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/nov/21/texas-haiti-rape-indictment

Up, up and away: Superman comic found in attic sells for $9.12m to become most expensive ever sold
The pristine copy of Superman No 1, the character’s first solo title from 1939, was discovered in an attic in California last year
Sian Cain
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2025/nov/21/superman-no1-becomes-most-expensive-comic-ever-sold

Experience: I found an old Rembrandt in a drawer
I guessed it would be worth a couple of hundred pounds at most, but it was a preparatory print for his famous 1639 etching The Goldweigher
Edward Barlow
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2025/nov/21/experience-i-found-an-old-rembrandt-in-a-drawer

Portrait of Elisabeth Lederer: Why this mysterious Klimt painting sold for $236m
Kelly Grovier
https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20251118-why-klimts-portrait-of-elisabeth-lederer-painting-sold-for-150-million-dollars

Interview
‘I think my mum’s going to like it’: Alexander Skarsgård on his gay biker ‘dom-com’ Pillion
Ryan Gilbey
https://www.theguardian.com/film/2025/nov/21/i-think-my-mums-going-to-like-it-alexander-skarsgard-on-his-gay-biker-dom-com-pillion

Three-metre giant oarfish, ‘palace messenger’ of doom, washes up on Tasmanian beach
The enormous, serpentine fish, regarded in Japanese folklore as a herald of disaster, usually live deep below the surface and are only sighted when sick or dying
Petra Stock
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/nov/21/giant-oarfish-washes-up-on-tasmanian-beach

Colombian scientists recover first treasures from ‘holy grail of shipwrecks’
Cannon, three coins and a cup taken from San José, a 1708 wreckage that could hold items worth billions of dollars
Guardian staff and agencies in Bogotá
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/nov/21/san-jose-shipwreck-billions-treasure-artifacts-colombia

Eleven injured after grizzly bear attacks schoolchildren and teachers in Canada
Two critically hurt after attack on walking trail in British Columbia as police and conservation officers search for bear
Associated Press
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/nov/21/grizzly-bear-attacks-children-teachers-canada-british-columbia

We just passed the city inspection of the solar installation. Next is the power company inspection.

2025.11.20

There’s finally hope for new life at the former home of St. Paul’s Hamm’s Brewery
If all goes as planned, local developer JB Vang could break ground on a residential project at the Hamm’s site next year.
by Bill Lindeke
https://www.minnpost.com/cityscape/2025/11/theres-finally-hope-for-new-life-at-the-former-home-of-st-pauls-hamms-brewery/

From the mundane to the out-there, wonks on Minneapolis’ tax board have ideas for reining in your property taxes
Setting property tax rates is only one part of the job – and not the most fun part.
by Brian Martucci
https://www.minnpost.com/metro/2025/11/from-the-mundane-to-the-out-there-wonks-on-minneapolis-tax-board-have-ideas-for-reining-in-your-property-taxes/

Hospitals and clinics are shutting down due to Trump’s healthcare cuts. Here’s where
From Georgia to Oregon, clinics and wards are closing as Trump’s health law triggers steep Medicaid cuts and rising costs
Carter Sherman
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2025/nov/20/hospitals-shutdown-trump-healthcare-cuts

‘The English person with a Chinese stomach’: how Fuchsia Dunlop became a Sichuan food hero
The author has been explaining Sichuan cuisine to westerners for decades. But ‘Fu Xia’, as she’s known, has had a profound effect on food lovers in China, too
By Leslie T Chang
https://www.theguardian.com/food/2025/nov/20/how-fuchsia-dunlop-became-a-sichuan-food-hero

Telling a reporter ‘quiet, piggy’ was shocking – even for Trump
Margaret Sullivan
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/nov/20/trump-quiet-piggy-reporter

Digitised official records of Nuremberg trials made available online
Launch on 80th anniversary of groundbreaking legal effort comes after 25-year project by Harvard law school library
Kate Connolly in Berlin
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/nov/20/digitised-official-records-of-nuremberg-trials-made-available-online

Nasa releases close-up pictures of comet flying by from another star system
The interstellar visitor, known as 3I/Atlas, will be seen just in this instance, never to come back again
Associated Press
https://www.theguardian.com/science/2025/nov/19/nasa-interstellar-comet-pictures

Review
Turner: The Secret Sketchbooks review – the sheer number of pornographic drawings is a big shock
JMW Turner left behind some 37,000 sketches when he died, many of which have rarely been seen. Do they – including a huge collection of explicit sketches – reveal truths about the elusive man?
Jack Seale
https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2025/nov/19/turner-the-secret-sketchbooks-review-bbc-two-iplayer

‘I never wanted to sing into a vacuum’: Scottish folk pioneer Dick Gaughan’s fight for his lost music
A skilled interpreter and social justice champion, Gaughan is a hero to the likes of Richard Hawley and Billy Bragg. Yet much of his work has been stuck in limbo for decades – until a determined fan stepped in
Jude Rogers
https://www.theguardian.com/music/2025/nov/19/i-never-wanted-to-sing-into-a-vacuum-scottish-folk-pioneer-dick-gaughans-fight-for-his-lost-music

‘We love a plastic chopstick to stir’: 10 cocktail-making tips from Australian bartender Michael Madrusan
You don’t need fancy equipment to make a martini, the founder of Melbourne’s The Everleigh says – but you do need to measure precisely
Michael Madrusan
https://www.theguardian.com/food/2025/nov/19/cocktail-making-tips-australian-bartender-michael-madrusan-everleigh

Bronze Age to Elphaba: The centuries-old origins of the witch’s hat
Scarlett Harris
https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20251119-the-5000-year-old-origins-of-the-witchs-hat

The words you can’t say on the internet
Thomas Germain
https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20251118-the-words-you-cant-say-on-the-internet

Pluribus: Carol Sturka is the flawed lesbian hero America needs
Opinion: The creator of Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul is back with a lesbian-led new show that just might save (or destroy!) the world.
By Mey Rude
https://www.out.com/voices/pluribus-lesbian-hero-carol

2025.11.19

A large crowd of observers and protesters gathered at the scene of a federal law enforcement operation in St. Paul Tuesday. MPR News reports “federal agents wearing clothing marked ‘FBI,’ ‘DEA’ and ‘HSI’ — Homeland Security Investigations, part of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement — were seen at Bro-Tex Inc. … It was not immediately clear what prompted the operation.” Via MinnPost
https://www.mprnews.org/story/2025/11/18/st-paul-federal-law-enforcement-operation-draws-protests

A Dakota-led nonprofit has unveiled its vision for the restoration of St. Anthony Falls. Bring Me The News says “nonprofit Owámniyomni Okhódayapi shared design plans on Monday for the area around the Upper Lock of the Mississippi River. … Native plants will be reintroduced … with seeds and soils sourced from Dakota tribal lands in Minnesota.” Via MinnPost
https://bringmethenews.com/minnesota-lifestyle/dakota-led-nonprofit-unveils-design-plans-for-st-anthony-falls-restoration

Nearly all immigrants detained in Trump Chicago raid had no criminal conviction
Data sharply contradicts officials’ portrayal of immigration sweeps as effort to fight ‘worst of the worst’ criminals
Roque Planas
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/nov/19/trump-chicago-immigration-raid

Trump officials wrongly deport trans woman in violation of court order
Officials admit ‘inadvertent removal’ after court ruled Britania Uriostegui Rios should not be sent to Mexico
Lucy Campbell
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/nov/18/trump-mexico-deportation

Man pours liquid on woman and sets her on fire on Chicago subway
Victim was hospitalized in critical condition and suspect taken into custody following incident on city’s train system
Maya Yang
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/nov/18/man-sets-woman-on-fire-chicago-subway

Trump faces criticism for referring to female Bloomberg reporter as ‘piggy’
Critics accuse the US president of trying to ‘shut women journalists up’ with ‘demeaning language’
Jeremy Barr in Washington
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/nov/18/trump-calls-reporter-piggy-bloomberg

Neanderthals and early humans ‘likely to have kissed’, say scientists
Study from University of Oxford looks into evolutionary origins of kissing and its role in relations between species
Nicola Davis Science correspondent
https://www.theguardian.com/science/2025/nov/19/neanderthals-early-humans-kissed-research-evolution

British woman among four tourists killed in blizzard at nature reserve in Chile
Four people also rescued alive at popular Torres del Paine reserve in Patagonia amid heavy snowfall and strong winds
Matty Edwards
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/nov/18/british-woman-among-four-tourists-killed-in-blizzard-at-nature-reserve-in-chile

The Kessler Twins sisters Alice and Ellen die together aged 89
German pop duo who last year said their wish was ‘to leave together’ had joint assisted death at their home in Grünwald
Angela Giuffrida in Rome
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/nov/18/the-kessler-twins-sisters-alice-and-ellen-die-together-aged-89

Stranded whale euthanized after failed rescue attempt off Oregon coast
Young humpback whale was found washed ashore and individuals had rallied together to try to help
Shruti Rajkumar
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/nov/18/stranded-humpback-whale-euthanized-oregon

2025.11.18

The origins of Bemidji’s iconic Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox statues
The prototypical “roadside colossus” inspired dozens of other Midwest cities to create similar works in the decades that followed.
by Jennifer Kleinjung
https://www.minnpost.com/mnopedia/2025/11/the-origins-of-bemidjis-iconic-paul-bunyan-and-babe-the-blue-ox-statues/

It’s deer hunting season, and if you’re heading to the woods, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources wants your help in fighting a disease impacting deer. KTTC reports “chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a contagious fatal brain condition that affects deer. … Hunters in affected areas must provide CWD samples if it’s in a mandatory sample requirement area.” Via MinnPost
https://www.kttc.com/2025/11/17/minnesota-dnr-asks-hunters-help-fight-chronic-wasting-disease/

Jeffrey Epstein’s emails reveal a disdain for morality among the elite
Moira Donegan
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/nov/17/jeffrey-epstein-emails-elites

Doing your own research isn’t a bad thing, I tell my patients. But just how will they spot the fraudulent papers?
Ranjana Srivastava
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/nov/19/doing-your-own-research-isnt-a-bad-thing-i-tell-my-patients-but-just-how-will-they-spot-the-fraudulent-papers

The wild old wicked gang: great Irish writers – in pictures
Edna O’Brien on her sofa, Joseph O’Connor in his garden, Seamus Heaney surrounded by books … British photographer Steve Pyke on capturing the greats of Irish literature
https://www.theguardian.com/books/gallery/2025/nov/18/edna-o-brien-seamus-heaney-steve-pyke-irish-writers-in-pictures

‘Fights for our material survival’: documentary goes inside the battle for trans rights
In Heightened Scrutiny, the fight driving activist and lawyer Chase Strangio is backgrounded by a deep dive into how the media has helped to push an anti-trans agenda
Veronica Esposito
https://www.theguardian.com/film/2025/nov/17/heightened-scrutiny-trans-documentary-sam-feder

Legendary game designer, programmer, Space Invaders champion, and LGBTQ trailblazer Rebecca Heineman has died
News
By Ted Litchfield published 15 hours ago
Shamelessly stolen from Andrew Ducker
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/legendary-game-designer-programmer-space-invaders-champion-and-lgbtq-trailblazer-rebecca-heineman-has-died/

2025.11.17

Trump urges Republicans to vote for release of Epstein files in surprise U-turn
US president says he backs efforts to release documents related to late sex offender because ‘we have nothing to hide’ — I assume this means they’ve destroyed the real damning evidence?
Oliver Holmes and agencies
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/nov/17/trump-tells-republicans-to-vote-to-release-epstein-files-saying-we-have-nothing-to-hide

Charlotte reels as immigration raids bring North Carolina city to a ‘standstill’
Thriving business districts in North Carolina city now at a ‘standstill’ after at least 81 were arrested over the weekend
Victoria Bouloubasis in Durham, North Carolina
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/nov/17/charlotte-nc-immigration-raids-business

Paul McCartney joins music industry protest against AI with silent track
Former Beatle and artists including Sam Fender, Kate Bush and Hans Zimmer record silent LP Is This What We Want
Robert Booth UK technology editor
https://www.theguardian.com/music/2025/nov/17/the-sound-of-silence-why-theres-barely-anything-there-in-paul-mccartney-new-release

White nationalist talking points and racial pseudoscience: welcome to Elon Musk’s Grokipedia
World’s richest person wanted to ‘purge’ propaganda from Wikipedia, so he created a compendium of racist disinformation
Jason Wilson
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2025/nov/17/grokipedia-elon-musk-far-right-racist

These rare whales had never been seen alive. Then a team in Mexico sighted two
The search for a gingko-toothed beaked whale had taken five years, when a thieving albatross nearly ruined it all
Fanni Szakál
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/nov/17/rare-gingko-toothed-beaked-whale-science-cetacean-research

Undisciplined? Entitled? Lazy? Gen Z faces familiar flood of workplace criticism
Younger employees establishing themselves at work continue to face relentless criticism from the higher rungs of corporate America.
A new generation of younger workers are being derided as delusional and unreliable, just as millennials were
Jenna Zaza
https://www.theguardian.com/money/ng-interactive/2025/nov/17/gen-z-workplace-criticism

The one change that worked: I had Sad and felt desperate – until a scientist gave me some priceless advice
Since I was a teenager I had struggled in winter, experiencing excessive tiredness and low mood. A specific instruction lifted the gloom
Jessica Furseth
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2025/nov/17/the-one-change-that-worked-i-had-sad-and-felt-desperate-until-a-scientist-gave-me-some-priceless-advice

Here in Sweden, the Vikings are back. And this time they’re searching for stability in a chaotic age
Siri Christiansen
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/nov/17/sweden-vikings-chaos-sacrifice-ritual-norse-pagan

Interview
Russell Tovey on pride, sexual power and politics: ‘The Green party slogan – make hope normal again – is what we need’
Michael Cragg
https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2025/nov/17/russell-tovey-pride-sexual-power-politics-green-party-interview

Poem of the week: Now winter nights … by Thomas Campion
A song to the consolations of winter is delivered with the grace and precision typical of this intellectually ambitious poet
Carol Rumens
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2025/nov/17/poem-of-the-week-now-winter-nights-enlarge-by-thomas-campion

2025.11.16

Questions arise over strikingly similar signatures by Trump on recent pardons
Seemingly identical signatures appeared on clemency orders, which White House blamed on technical error
Edward Helmore
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/nov/15/trump-signatures-clemency-orders

How Google’s DeepMind tool is ‘more quickly’ forecasting hurricane behavior
‘Less expensive and time consuming’ model helps with fast and accurate predictions, possibly saving lives and property
Eric Holthaus
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2025/nov/16/google-deepmind-hurricane-forecast

Merchants’ ‘victory’ over credit card fees will just complicate things more for them
Gene Marks
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2025/nov/16/small-business-credit-card-fees

Ethiopia confirms outbreak of deadly Marburg virus
Africa CDC says at least nine cases have been detected of Ebola-like illness, which kills up to 80% of those infected
AFP in Nairobi
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/nov/15/ethiopia-confirms-outbreak-of-deadly-marburg-virus

Scrutiny grows over LA fire origins after bombshell report: ‘Our Pearl Harbor moment’
Reports that fire crews were ordered to leave original site of blaze prompt tough questions for city and LAFD leaders
Nick Visser
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/nov/16/la-fire-palisades-report

One more day? I’ve had a wee lift parked in the driveway for several days now to provide a safety anchor for installing solar panels. They worked on Saturday, and I think it’s going to be finished on Monday.

2025.11.15

Minnesota River restoration, long a labor of love for advocates, could be getting a boost from the state
Plans for a possible Minnesota River Commission buoy groups that have shepherded clean-up efforts for decades.
by Forrest Peterson
https://www.minnpost.com/environment/2025/11/minnesota-river-restoration-long-a-labor-of-love-for-advocates-could-be-getting-a-boost-from-the-state/

Viktor Orbán begins ‘anti-war roadshow’ as Hungary gears up for 2026 elections
PM makes opposition to support for Ukraine central to Fidesz campaign as it loses ground over cost of living crisis
Lili Rutai and Oliver Holmes
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/nov/15/viktor-orban-hungary-2026-election-campaign-fidesz

‘I’m not as fierce as I seem’: Glenn Close on growing up in a cult, marching against Trump – and being unlucky in love
She’s Hollywood’s biggest character actor who terrified a generation of men with her ‘bunny boiling’ turn in Fatal Attraction. Now, Close alternates the glamour of the red carpet with living in a red state. She talks about the joy of her ‘undefined’ life
By Emma Brockes
https://www.theguardian.com/film/2025/nov/15/glenn-close-interview-wake-up-dead-man-knives-out-mystery-cult-trump

‘He was quite a private person’: expansive auction shows Gene Hackman as actor and artist
Bonhams is selling over 400 items from the estate of the late Oscar-winning actor, from a draft script of The Silence of the Lambs to his own unique artwork
David Smith in Washington
https://www.theguardian.com/film/2025/nov/15/gene-hackman-auction-actor-artist