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It’s been a while since I’ve done a “what’s-I’m-reading” roundup. (After the newsletter started arriving once a week, it got harder to fit them in.) But today I wonder if you feel the same as I do, worried about the state of the world and anxious to find answers—or at least a way to avoid looking for them—in books.Part of that means reading works that are new to me, including “Small Wars, Big Data: The Information Revolution in Modern Conflict” by Eli Berman, Joseph H. Felter, and Jacob N. Shapiro.Covering the war in Gaza inevitably brought to mind other conflicts, including U.S. military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. If, as they say, history doesn’t repeat itself but rhymes, the battles for control of Mosul and Helmand feel like the preceding couplets of a long, dark poem that now a...

Listen and follow 'Hard Fork'Apple | Spotify | Amazon | YoutubeRecord labels — including Sony, Universal, and Warner — are suing two major AI-powered music companies, accusing them of copyright infringement. Mitch Glazier, CEO of the Recording Industry Association of America, the industry group that represents music labels, talks about their case. Next, we look at defense technology and discuss why Silicon Valley appears to be changing its tune on working with the military. Chris Kirchhoff, who used to run a special Pentagon office in Silicon Valley, explains what he thinks is behind the shift. And finally, we play another round of HatGPT.Guest:Mitch Glazier, president and CEO of the Recording Industry Association of AmericaChris Kirchhoff, founding partner of the Defense Innova...

After a tense election campaign featuring harsh attacks on the government by nearly all candidates over the economy, internet restrictions and harsh enforcement of the hijab law for women, Iran called elections on Friday to elect a president.The vote comes at a dangerous time for the country, with the incoming president facing a host of challenges, including internal discontent and divisions, a struggling economy and a volatile region that has brought Iran to the brink of war twice this year.With the race being decided by a three-way battle between two conservative candidates and a reformist, many analysts predict that neither will reach the necessary 50 percent of the vote, necessitating a runoff on July 5 between the reformist candidate and the leading conservative.That outcome could be ...

All Americans 6 months and older should receive one of the new Covid-19 vaccines when they become available this fall, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Thursday.The recommendation comes as the nation faces a summer Covid surge, with infection numbers rising in at least 39 states and territories.Most Americans have gained immunity against the coronavirus through repeated infections or vaccine doses, or both. Vaccines now offer an incremental boost, remaining effective for only a few months as immunity wanes and the virus continues to evolve.Yet across every age group, the vast majority of Americans hospitalized with Covid did not receive one of the vaccines offered last fall, according to data presented Thursday at a meeting of the CDC's Advisory Committee on Immuniz...

European Union leaders on Thursday chose three senior politicians to lead the bloc’s institutions for the next five years, signaling commitment to Ukraine and the need for stability amid electoral upheaval in Europe and, potentially, the United States.At a summit in Brussels, the heads of government of the 27 EU members agreed to nominate Ursula von der Leyen, a German conservative, for a second term as head of the powerful European Commission, the Union's executive body.António Costa, a socialist and until recently prime minister of Portugal, was chosen as president of the European Council, which includes those 27 heads of government, balancing Ms. von der Leyen's political and geographical background.And Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas, a hawk on Russia, was the official chos...

Many travelers from the United States lost a crucial tool for checking maps, making reservations, using ride-hailing apps and more because of a cellular data outage that began affecting AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon users on Wednesday.Affected travellers, mostly in Europe, posted on social media, seeking answers about what caused the disruption and how long it would last. Some reported being unable to make phone calls, send messages or use online services without Wi-Fi for as long as 24 hours. It was unclear what caused the outage, which appeared to stretch from Britain to Türkiye.An AT&T spokesperson said the carrier's network is operating normally, but that some customers traveling internationally may experience service interruptions due to an issue outside the AT&T network. The comp...

Israel and Egypt agreed to allow at least 19 sick children, most of them cancer patients, to leave Gaza for medical treatment on Thursday, Israeli and Palestinian officials said, in the first major evacuation of critically ill Gazans since the Rafah border crossing was closed in early May.The Israeli military said the operation was conducted in coordination with the United States, Egypt and the international community. In total, 68 people, including sick and injured patients and their companions, were allowed to leave, the army said.More than 10,000 sick and injured people in Gaza require urgent care that is available only outside the enclave, the World Health Organization said this week. These include those injured in airstrikes, as well as cancer patients, children with life-threatenin...

The Supreme Court ruled Thursday that members of the wealthy Sackler family cannot be protected from lawsuits over their role in the opioid crisis as part of a bankruptcy settlement that would net billions of dollars to victims and their families.In a 5-4 decision, written by Justice Neil M. Gorsuch, the majority of justices found that the federal bankruptcy code does not authorize a third-party liability shield in bankruptcy settlements. Justice Gorsuch was joined by Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel A. Alito Jr., Amy Coney Barrett, and Ketanji Brown Jackson.In a strongly worded dissent, Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh wrote that “the decision is wrong as a matter of law and is devastating for more than 100,000 opioid victims and their families.” He was joined by Chief Justice John G. Roberts...

Margot Friedländer, a 102-year-old Holocaust survivor whose family was murdered at Auschwitz, would seem an unlikely, if not radical, choice to take on a fashion gloss that routinely features attractive models and celebrities. But the weathered, white-haired Ms. Friedländer is Vogue Germany's latest cover star, a distinction she seems to wear as casually as the tailored coat she dons in the magazine's July/August issue.One of the world's oldest and perhaps best-known Holocaust survivors, Ms. Friedländer is no stranger to fame. She has met world leaders such as Angela Merkel, the former Chancellor of Germany, and had contact with prominent figures such as Helen Mirren.Ms. Friedländer (née Bendheim), who lives in Berlin, is a staunch advocate of Holocaust remembrance. She has ...

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