So-called ‘reactionary centrist’ pundits proclaimed that there was a global ‘vibe shift’ in favor of the right. They were wrong

Recent exercises in taking stock after one year of Trump 2.0 – for many an eternity of terrifying news and political traumas – tended to leave something out: the fact that, a mere 12 months ago, plenty of pundits (and politicians, for that matter) were instructing us to accept that a global “vibe shift” in favor of the right had taken place. And that, in the face of what supposedly “felt” like a landslide, resistance was pointless and “cringe”.

Well, it doesn’t feel like that today. But understanding why observers not generally in the pro-Trump propaganda business rushed to portray the spirit of the age as effectively far-right is important. A way of thinking occasionally dubbed “reactionary centrism” plays an important role; it could yet again become influential in hindering or at least holding up post-Trump radical reforms which US democracy desperately requires.

Jan-Werner Müller is a Guardian US columnist and a professor of politics at Princeton University

A burgeoning set of Muslim creatives and intellectuals are thriving amid the backdrop of Zohran Mamdani’s rise. We ask 18 of them about this historic moment in New York City life

Against the backdrop of Zohran Mamdani’s mayoral rise is a dynamic scene of Muslim creatives and intellectuals who are helping usher in a new era for New York City. Their prominence represents a rebuke of the ugly Islamophobia that defined the period following 9/11, and is in many ways an outcrop of the mass movement for Palestinian rights forged over the last two years. We ask 18 Muslim New Yorkers to discuss their work and what this moment means.
How Muslim New Yorkers are changing the city’s cultural landscape

US president to meet with Gustavo Petro weeks after threatening military action in the country

A federal judge said he would hear a request to block access to investigative files linked to Epstein on Wednesday, after lawyers flagged unredacted names of victims.

The Justice Department released more than three million files last week related to the investigation into the disgraced financier, including his links to high-profile figures.

Prosecutors summon tech billionaire and company’s ex-CEO for questioning as part of expanded investigation

• Europe live – latest updates

Prosecutors have raided the French headquarters of Elon Musk’s social media platform X and summoned the tech billionaire and the company’s former chief executive for questioning as part of an investigation into alleged cybercrime.

“A search is under way by the cybercrime unit of the Paris prosecutor’s office, the national police cyber unit and Europol,” the Paris prosecutors’ office said in a post on X on Tuesday, adding that it would no longer be publishing on the network.

A Conservative party shadow minister demanded a probe into his appointment as US ambassador when it was known that he had a friendship with Epstein

The Department for Work and Pensions has named 12 disability experts with “lived experience of disability or long-term health conditions” who will sit on the steering group of the review looking at the future of the personal independence payment (Pip), a disability benefit. Stephen Timms, the minister leading the review, says:

Disabled people deserve a system that truly supports them to live with independence and dignity, and that fairly reflects the reality of their lives today.

That’s why we’re putting disabled people at the heart of this review – ensuring their voices shape the changes that will help them achieve better health, greater independence, and access to the right support when they need it.

* Could we see a crunch point as soon as tomorrow over Mandelson?

* Tories have an opposition day debate - could they force a vote on Mandelson vetting disclosure. Shadow cabinet sources tell me they’re thinking about it

Zelenskyy says Putin ‘taking advantage of the coldest days of winter to terrorise people’, as Kyiv hits lows of -20C

More than 1,000 residential buildings in Kyiv were without heating on Tuesday after a massive Russian air attack during one of the coldest nights of the winter, with temperatures in the capital falling to -20C.

Overnight, the Kremlin fired 450 attack drones and more than 70 missiles across the country. The strikes caused damage in five Kyiv districts and injured at least nine people. Flames consumed an apartment on the upper floors of a Kyiv building.

Marius Borg Høiby, 29, pleads not guilty to most serious charges in trial that has embarrassed the royal family

The son of Norway’s crown princess has pleaded not guilty to four counts of rape on the first day of his trial for multiple offences, a legal saga that has embarrassed the royal family and raised questions over domestic abuse in Norway.

Appearing in front of a packed courtroom at Oslo district court on Tuesday morning, Marius Borg Høiby also denied charges including abuse in close relationships and filming women’s genitals without their knowledge.

kiri-fuda has added a photo to the pool:

Een historisch moment in de Nederlandse achtertuin. Voor het eerst sinds het begin van de Nationale Tuinvogeltelling staat de huismus niet meer op nummer één. Die eer gaat dit jaar naar de koolmees. Na 23 jaar onafgebroken heerschappij is de machtsovername een feit en dat zegt veel over hoe onze tuinen zijn veranderd.

Afgelopen weekend deden bijna 140.000 Nederlanders mee aan de jaarlijkse telling van Vogelbescherming Nederland. Gewapend met koffie, verrekijker en stopwatch zijn een halfuur lang alle vogels genoteerd die zichtbaar waren in tuin of op balkon. Die methode maakt de resultaten goed vergelijkbaar. In totaal leverde dat 1.898.147 getelde vogels op.

Wisseling van de wacht

De koolmees werd 273.142 keer gezien en stoot daarmee de huismus van zijn vaste eerste plek. De huismus blijft steken op 257.870 waarnemingen. Waarom deze wissel nu precies plaatsvindt, is nog niet helemaal duidelijk, maar volgens Vogelbescherming Nederland is er wel een duidelijke trend zichtbaar. De manier waarop we onze tuinen inrichten speelt daarbij een grote rol.

Nederlandse tuinen worden steeds vaker betegeld. Groen verdwijnt, struiken worden weggehaald en rommelige hoekjes maken plaats voor grind en kunstgras. En dat is slecht nieuws voor de huismus. Die soort heeft juist dichte begroeiing nodig om te schuilen en voedsel te vinden.

De koolmees is flexibeler. Nestkasten, voedersilo’s en een breder dieet helpen deze vogel om zich beter aan te passen aan een versteende omgeving. Dat verschil lijkt nu zichtbaar te worden in de telling.

Oude bekenden keren terug

Niet alles is kommer en kwel. De spreeuw maakt bijvoorbeeld een opvallende comeback. Ooit goed voor een plek in de top drie, verdween hij jarenlang uit de top tien. Dit jaar staat de spreeuw weer op plek acht, met 85.457 waarnemingen.

Ook de merel, halsbandparkiet en grote bonte specht zijn vaker geteld dan vorig jaar. Stuk voor stuk soorten die het stadsleven en de veranderende tuin redelijk goed aankunnen.

Bron: National Geographic