America
Will the real Kamala Harris please stand up?
About five minutes ago, the one Democrat more certain to lose to Donald Trump than Joe Biden was his widely…
Absinthe and the casual fling: Ex-Wife, by Ursula Parrott, reviewed
A sensational bestseller, first published anonymously in 1929, centres around the adventures of a bright young American divorcée, seizing love wherever she can
The rootlessness that haunts the children of immigrants
Edward Wong tries to connect with his Chinese heritage by retracing his father’s military postings before the Great Famine – but finds the country too changed to make comparisons
The vanity of Gavin Newsom
Not long before Joe Biden finally accepted defeat, Gavin Newsom, the 56-year-old governor of California, was on the stump for…
Will we always have Paris?
There are times when you might be fooled into believing all is well. I had a moment of such weakness…
How supporting Trump became cool
For the past decade, the basic lines of conflict in American public life seemed clear. Donald Trump was pitted against…
The mystery of Melania Trump
While everybody at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee was preoccupied with Donald Trump’s triumphal story after the assassination attempt…
The curious rise of Kamala Harris
I’m struck just in your presence,’ a news anchor gushed to Kamala Harris in January. The Vice President beamed, nodding…
Does Donald fear Kamala?
On Monday, Donald J. Trump sent out an urgent campaign memo. ‘Joe Biden just dropped out of the race, and…
David Lammy’s Trump problem
There’s no shortage of people who have spent recent years comparing Donald Trump with Adolf Hitler. Among other places, the…
‘Nationalise Google!’: the techno-optimists hoping to save the world
Future House is a weird private members’ club. There’s a mattress on the floor for napping, a bathtub designed to…
Trump is stronger than ever
‘You’re gonna be so blessed,’ said Pastor James Roemke, doing a pretty good Donald Trump impersonation in the warm-up to…
Why Trump forgave J.D. Vance
It shows a remarkable level of confidence from Donald Trump that he’s chosen for his running-mate the man who once…
Meet the MAGA megafans
Milwaukee, Wisconsin If you want to see how Donald Trump has changed his party, look at what attendees wore to…
Portrait of an artistic provocateur: Blue Ruin, by Hari Kunzru, reviewed
A once fashionable YBA now scraping a living in America meets old friends by chance, prompting a deep dive into memory
A visit to ye olde Ireland
The £80 million super-yacht with a helicopter on the upper deck sat in the harbour, and we sat outside the…
Veep show: who will Trump pick for his running mate?
We are in the fifth week of Donald Trump’s ‘hush money’ trial and the real scandal is that it’s all…
No tips please, we’re British
I hate tipping, not because I am intrinsically mean but because of the anxiety it induces. You pitch up at…
A gripping podcast about America’s obsession with guns
The love affair between so many Americans and their guns – long a source of international fascination – appears to…
Trump’s trial has nothing to do with Stormy Daniels
Why did Stormy Daniels testify in court yesterday about her allegedly sexual encounter with Donald Trump? Anybody who has followed…
The skull beneath the skin: Ghost Pains, by Jessi Jezewska Stevens, reviewed
Pain lurks below the surface of these sardonic short stories. Happiness is fleeting, and ‘we carry death within us like a stone within a fruit’, one narrator observes
Emergency on Planet Biden
‘If aliens attacked Earth, do you think we would be safer under Joe Biden or Donald Trump?’ That’s a question…
At least Britain isn’t that corrupt
Long-time readers may recall that I take a special interest in the art of corruption. And this week America has…
Children need protection from adult madness
The Texas Supreme Court just upheld a state law banning so-called gender-affirming care for minors, to explosive consternation from predictable…
