Trump Threatens Defamation Suit Over National Guard Report, Aiming to Intimidate a Critic
8/21/2026 7:51 AM Open Story
It was the latest example of President Trump’s bid to use the legal system against those who voice unflattering facts and opinions generally protected by the First Amendment.
Chief Justice Allows Trump to Continue White House Ballroom Construction, for Now
8/21/2026 1:42 PM Open Story
The 90,000-square-foot ballroom project has grown in size and scope, with the president’s lawyers saying it is intertwined with the renovation of an underground military bunker.
The Case of the Disappearing, Reappearing White House Ballroom Stairs
8/21/2026 1:11 PM Open Story
Derided by architects as serving no purpose, a grand staircase was never approved by a planning commission but appears back in President Trump’s plans.
Canada-U.S. Tariff Talks Continue as Trump’s Midnight Deadline Looms
8/21/2026 9:22 AM Open Story
Canadian negotiators were in Washington to finalize a deal that would stave off new tariffs and improve the terms of existing ones, but Mark Carney faces a tough sell back home.
Trump Announces Move to Lift Ground Beef Tariffs in Bid to Lower Prices
8/21/2026 1:49 PM Open Story
The move prompted blowback from cattle ranchers and Republicans who represent them.
Meghan of Sussex Eyes Role in Netflix Show ‘The Gentlemen’
8/21/2026 3:14 PM Open Story
The duchess’s representatives have had exploratory talks about her joining a third season of “The Gentlemen,” two people said. Netflix has not yet ordered a third season of the show.
‘They’re Always Going to Be Polarizing’: Britons Split on Harry and Meghan’s Return
8/21/2026 8:23 AM Open Story
Recent surveys suggest the broader public views both of them negatively, especially in comparison to Harry’s brother, William, and his wife, Kate.
Prince Harry, Elton John and Others Told to Pay Daily Mail Publisher $13 Million
8/21/2026 11:22 AM Open Story
Harry and six other high-profile figures lost a privacy lawsuit against Associated Newspapers. They may eventually have to pay more than twice the initial sum, a judge said.
U.S. Agreed to Pay Liberia $5 Million in Connection with Deportees, Documents Say
8/21/2026 2:46 PM Open Story
The Trump administration approved the payment after Liberia said it would consider taking migrants from other countries.
5 Deportees Are Flown by US to Equatorial Guinea After they Resist Deplaning in Liberia
8/21/2026 12:49 PM Open Story
Five of the people flown to Liberia under the Trump administration’s third-country deportation program resisted leaving the plane. They were then flown to Equatorial Guinea.
Desperation Mounts as Thousands in Indiana Endure 10 Days Without Power
8/21/2026 4:11 PM Open Story
Floods from powerful thunderstorms devastated Gary, where a third of residents live below the poverty line and full restoration isn’t expected until next week.
How New York’s Second-Home Tax Turned Into a Headache for Mamdani
8/21/2026 9:16 AM Open Story
The bumpy rollout of the tax created an opportunity for Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s opponents to fight him in court and in the City Council.
Staten Island Becomes the Place to Challenge Mamdani’s Policies in Court
8/21/2026 3:00 PM Open Story
The ruling is a win for Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who argued that the case be heard in Manhattan. The lawsuit challenging the rent freeze had been filed in Staten Island.
He Said He Was the World’s Healthiest Man. Then Came a Stunning Diagnosis.
8/21/2026 12:37 PM Open Story
Bryan Johnson, the longevity guru, wants to live forever. But the big question is why.
Palestinian Teenager Killed After Israeli Settlers Enter West Bank Village
8/21/2026 11:32 AM Open Story
Palestinian and Israeli authorities offered divergent accounts of the incident, which came as settler violence has surged across the Israeli-occupied territory.
Turkey Requests Netanyahu’s Arrest, Saying Israel Abused Flotilla Activists
8/21/2026 1:35 PM Open Story
Turkey’s request for an Interpol ‘red notice’ came at a time of escalating tensions between the two countries.
Shein, a Fast-Fashion Giant, Struggles to Grow Ahead of a Much-Delayed IPO
8/21/2026 7:58 AM Open Story
Facing pressure in the United States and Europe, Shein is struggling to find new ways to grow ahead of its much-delayed initial public offering.
Rare South American Diseases Offer Clues on the Next Pandemic
8/21/2026 9:06 AM Open Story
Ebola virus, hantavirus and the pathogen that causes Covid-19 likely jumped from animals to humans. So do these viruses — and scientists say climate change is speeding their spread.
Richard Gadd Had Never Heard of the Manosphere
8/21/2026 2:02 AM Open Story
The creator and star of “Half Man” didn’t have a particular agenda for this dark tale of male repression. But “people think that it’s a political piece of work,” he said.
Court Slashes Award Alex Jones Was Ordered to Pay Sandy Hook Parents
8/21/2026 3:05 PM Open Story
An appeals court reduced the award to the parents of one victim to $6 million from $49 million, citing a Texas damages cap. The conspiracy theorist owes over $1 billion in other cases.
I’m a Former Dean of Admissions. Colleges Shouldn’t Be Paying Rich Kids to Enroll.
8/21/2026 2:05 PM Open Story
We can do better than this. We have to.
Status Defines Friendship for Too Many Americans
8/21/2026 9:48 AM Open Story
The four-year degree isn’t just an economic signal; it’s become a lifestyle determinant.
A City Under Siege
8/21/2026 3:31 AM Open Story
We look at how dire the situation has become inside Kyiv.
Rosie O’Donnell Ends Late Night Stint With a Ditty to ‘Donny Boy’
8/20/2026 10:44 PM Open Story
“It’s kind of weird to think he spent more nights with me this week than Melania,” O’Donnell said of President Trump on her last night guest-hosting “Jimmy Kimmel Live.”
Defense Rests Case in Lindsay Clancy Murder Trial
8/21/2026 3:48 PM Open Story
The two sides focused Friday on whether Ms. Clancy was experiencing psychosis when she strangled her three young children in 2023. Closing arguments could begin on Monday.