Twenty minus one
Briefing: While the world’s big economies convene in Johannesburg, the Americans stay home. A U.S. judge throws out the prosecutions of two of Trump’s perceived political enemies. + What is international law, anyway?
The end of World War II is over
The weekend despatch: Ukraine’s six-day ultimatum. Sudan’s missing thousands. + What’s plunderphonics?
Everything but the plan
Briefing: Pentagon war gaming says regime change in Venezuela would mean total chaos. Burma shuts down massive scam operations on the Thai border. + Why would a country sacrifice thousands of soldiers to another’s war for almost nothing in return?
‘There is no indictment’
Briefing: The U.S. government’s case against a presidential target collapses. Washington and Moscow draft a Ukraine peace plan—without Ukraine. + Why are investors down on AI?
The vanishing of al-Fasher
Briefing: Mass disappearances after Sudan’s al-Fasher falls. The U.S. Congress forces the release of the Epstein files. + Is the world entering a new era of catastrophic risk?
Burdens of proof
Briefing: A U.S. court excoriates the government’s prosecution of a former director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. A massive weekend attack on Ukraine. + How much does North Korea depend on China and Russia for its future?
The three-body problem
How much does North Korea depend on China and Russia for its future? Rachel Minyoung Lee on nuclear weapons, technology transfers, and a newly emboldened Kim Jong Un.
Grand theft democracy
The weekend despatch: Why is there so much corruption everywhere? A detour to Mars. + What’s the Numero Group?
With friends like these
Briefing: Investigators in Kyiv expose a massive corruption scheme. Israeli settlers in the West Bank attack a mosque—and the IDF. + What does Ukrainian corruption have to do with Russia’s war?
What do we have here
Briefing: Correspondence from Jeffrey Epstein’s estate mentions Donald Trump. The U.K. suspends intelligence sharing with the U.S. + Can new U.S. sanctions on oil from Russia end the war in Ukraine?
