Meduza, a leading independent news site, fights back with jokes and a stunning donation campaign. But can it stand up to the Russian state?

Russian Journalists Meet a Crackdown With Dark Humor, and Subscribers

As the pandemic takes an unexpected direction, Americans again must reckon with twists in scientific understanding of the virus.

The U.S. Is Getting a Crash Course in Scientific Uncertainty

In 2001, when the Taliban were weak and ready to surrender, the U.S. passed on a deal. Nearly 20 years later, the Taliban hold all the cards.

Did the War in Afghanistan Have to Happen?

The Delta variant has upended events, office reopenings and travel, raising new challenges for service businesses and their workers.

New York’s Economy, Poised for Comeback, Finds Setback Instead

As a 4-year-old, our critic couldn’t get enough of this manic 1989 hit, a crash course in U.S. history. Now the song lives on in parodies and memes.

Even Billy Joel Mocked ‘We Didn’t Start the Fire.’ I Loved It.

So far, in a real-world test of a new approach to economic policy, prices have been rising faster than wages.

Biden and the Fed Wanted a Hot Economy. There’s Risk of Getting Burned.

The supply-chain problems rocking companies may get worse heading into the holidays, as delays continue to snarl global trade and shipping prices jump even higher.

What an Adult Tricycle Says About the World’s Bottleneck Problems

Last year, online classes helped many students with disabilities pursue their education. They want the option to continue.

For Some College Students, Remote Learning Is a Game Changer

At least 21 people were confirmed dead and about 10 remained unaccounted for after catastrophic flash flooding that scientists say climate change makes more common.

‘Our People Need Help’: Devastation in Tennessee, as Experts Warn of Flooding Risks

As coronavirus cases rise and companies keep workplaces closed, frustrated employees can’t wait to return to their cubicles.

It’s ‘Back to That Isolation Bubble’ for Workers Pining for the Office

Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who will be succeeded by Kathy Hochul on Tuesday, cast his resignation as the forced outcome of a “political and media stampede.”

Cuomo Blames ‘Political Pressure and Media Frenzy’ in Farewell Speech

Though his novels and short stories — published over six decades, beginning in 1934 — are set in an older, more decorous America, he grapples with themes that feel shockingly contemporary.

In William Maxwell’s Fiction, a Vivid, Varied Tableau of Midwestern Life

The filmmaker’s epic new documentary series, “NYC Epicenters 9/11-2021½,” is an alternately mournful and irreverent tribute to New York.

Spike Lee, Exultant at the ‘Epicenter’

Even before the last week’s harrowing scenes at the Kabul airport, thousands of Afghans were fleeing over land through Iran to Turkey. But they are being pushed back.

Afghan Refugees Find a Harsh and Unfriendly Border in Turkey

“The War for Gloria,” Lish’s follow-up to the acclaimed “Preparation for the Next Life,” is the powerful story of a mother and son facing her mortal illness.

Atticus Lish’s Second Novel Is a Brooding Heartbreaker

To address Black artists’ concerns, the pact calls for forgoing all-white creative teams, renaming theaters for Black artists and establishing diversity rules for the Tonys.

Broadway Power Brokers Pledge Diversity Changes as Theaters Reopen

There are only a handful of these farms in the United States, most run by fishing families in Maine. But their number is growing.

Sea Scallops Farmed in Maine Aren’t Just Sustainable. They’re Helping Their Habitat.

Matthew Raiford swore he’d never return to his family farm in coastal Georgia. But in breaking that vow, he found a sense of community worth celebrating with a lavish spread.

A High-Summer Feast to Forge Connections in the Deep South

A proposal in the South Korean legislature is an early test of how forcefully the Biden administration will defend the companies abroad while trying to trim their power at home.

Apple and Google’s Fight in Seoul Tests Biden in Washington

Tens of thousands are still hoping for rescue, with priority recently being given to Americans over Afghan allies, according to a U.S. official and those involved in the effort.

Taliban Reject Extended Deadline as U.S. Races to Finish Evacuation

The team signed the 2020 National League Cy Young Award winner in anticipation of another World Series run. It ignored his troubling background, at odds with the franchise’s legacy.

Gambling on Trevor Bauer Is Not the Dodger Way

Reporters and editors were told to interpret the theme of freedom, and find a subject.

The Sports Desk Finds Freedom Outside the News Cycle

The jaw of the Tyrannosaurus Rex had sensitive nerves that may have allowed it to differentiate between parts of its prey, a new study found.

T. Rex Was Fearsome but May Have Been a Picky Eater

Her shattering performance in “Mare of Easttown” brought her first Emmy nomination. “Everything just landed in the right way for this to be the role that caught people’s imagination,” she said.

Julianne Nicholson Didn’t Know Who the Killer Was, Either

Looking for something different to watch? Take a chance on one of these under-the-radar selections.

August 23, 2021

Headlines from August 23, 2021

Russian Journalists Meet a Crackdown With Dark Humor, and Subscribers

The U.S. Is Getting a Crash Course in Scientific Uncertainty

Did the War in Afghanistan Have to Happen?

New York’s Economy, Poised for Comeback, Finds Setback Instead

Even Billy Joel Mocked ‘We Didn’t Start the Fire.’ I Loved It.

Billboard 200

Happier Than Ever

Sour

King's Disease II

F*ck Love

Planet Her

Historical Context for August 23, 2021