US blockade on Venezuelan oil and bets on Fed rate cuts drive up prices of precious metals

A Venezuela-bound vessel fled after rebuffing an attempt by the Coast Guard to seize it, the latest twist in the escalating U.S. pressure campaign against the Maduro government.

© Agence France-Presse, via U.S. Homeland Security Secretary

A historical review shows lawmakers without certain familial records went unchallenged as citizens when the 14th Amendment was adopted. The finding appeared to undercut the president’s claims on birthright citizenship.

© Eric Lee for The New York Times

Two weeks of “atmospheric river” deluges took a toll on business in Leavenworth, Wash., and beyond, reminding the region that a warming planet has brought new uncertainty.

© Yehyun Kim for The New York Times

Robert Redford, Roberta Flack, Diane Keaton and Brian Wilson are among the cultural luminaries who died this year.

© Clockwise from top left: Neal Boenzi/The New York Times; Fairchild Archive/Penske Media, via Getty Images; Jack Robinson/Hulton Archive, via Getty Images; Sara Hirakawa for The New York Times; Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

At least four of the 37 men whose sentences were commuted last year could face the death penalty at the state level after a push from the Trump administration.

© Andrew Miller for The New York Times

For prizewinning puzzle creators, the devilish ideas are in the details.

The world’s democracies cannot depend on the most powerful authoritarian state — and an increasingly aggressive one — for critical minerals.

© Illustration by Rebecca Chew/The New York Times

She began working as a park ranger at age 85, educating visitors about the women and people of color who served on the home front in World War II, herself among them.

© Ben Margot/Associated Press

With the MetroCard retiring at the end of 2025, the OMNY system will become the only way to pay for most transit riders.

© Brendan McDermid/Reuters

Thirty years ago, the newfangled method of paying for New York City’s buses and subways seemed like cutting-edge technology. Now, its days are numbered.

© Vincent Alban/The New York Times

A new study suggests that the people who reach the pinnacle of their fields typically dabbled in multiple disciplines when they were young.

© Getty Images

Legal expert breaks down Nick Reiner's challenging road ahead in the murder case, from competency evaluations to potential death penalty decisions.

Terror attack in Australia exposes growing jihadist networks as security experts warn ISIS remains far from defeated despite recent government claims.

Three major travel issues can turn Christmas flights into chaos and add more stress than necessary, from overpacking to rude behavior, say former flight attendants.

Study reveals "The View" hosted 341 guests in 2025 but only two were conservative while 128 were liberal, raising serious questions about political balance.

Leaked slides from University of Illinois education course show left-wing bias on immigration topics, sparking debate over classroom content.

President Donald Trump declared in a Truth Social post that he is tapping Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry to serve as U.S. special envoy to Greenland.

Colorado Gov. Jared Polis accused President Donald Trump of playing "political games" after FEMA denied disaster relief for wildfires and flooding.

Vox doubles its seats in Extremadura as Socialist Workers’ party, mired in corruption scandals, loses 10 of its 28 seats

Spain’s ruling Socialist Workers’ party (PSOE), already reeling from a series of corruption and sexual harassment scandals, has suffered another blow with a disastrous showing in Sunday’s regional election in the north-western region of Extremadura.

The PSOE lost 10 of its 28 seats as the far-right Vox party doubled its representation on two years ago from five to 11 seats.

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© Photograph: Óscar del Pozo/AFP/Getty Images

© Photograph: Óscar del Pozo/AFP/Getty Images

© Photograph: Óscar del Pozo/AFP/Getty Images

Michelle Williams put in a stunning performance in this tale of a dying woman’s quest to have an orgasm. It’s not just clever, tender and blackly comic – it’s a beautiful meditation on what it means to live (and die) well

• The 50 best TV shows of 2025
• More on the best culture of 2025

Dying for Sex is about a fortysomething woman leaving her husband and having lots of experimental sex after she is diagnosed with terminal cancer. Except, of course, it’s not. It’s about so much more than that. By the end, the sex scenes – many and varied though they may be – are just a bagatelle.

Partly this is because there is no false hope offered here. None of the sexy set pieces are a full escape from reality. The series is based on a true story and the podcast made about Molly Kochan’s decision to cram years of sexual experience into the little time she was told she had left before metastasised breast cancer killed her. Whatever Molly does, whatever we see her do – enjoy or not enjoy – we know it will not change the ultimate outcome. This is the frame in which all the scenes of sex parties, age-gapped hookups, discovery of “pup play” and mastering the tricky latches on cock cages in Molly’s pursuit of her first partnered orgasm are set.

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© Photograph: Sarah Shatz/FX

© Photograph: Sarah Shatz/FX

© Photograph: Sarah Shatz/FX

Continuing the series where writers pick their go-to mood-lifting films is a look back to the inspiring sports documentary

It feels apt following a 2026 World Cup draw featuring tiny island debutants Curacao and Cape Verde to revisit Next Goal Wins, an underdog story I adopted upon first watch as if it were a team I would loyally follow for the rest of my life.

The documentary chronicles the world’s (once) worst soccer team, American Samoa, and their valiant efforts to qualify for the 2014 World Cup, but to label it merely a soccer film is to overlook a perfect study of remarkable characters, circumstances and a lesser seen island life. You don’t need to be a sports fan to be uplifted here.

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© Photograph: Publicity image from film company

© Photograph: Publicity image from film company

© Photograph: Publicity image from film company

This year has brought us many brilliant video games – but as wealth continues to concentrate, and games are used to exert economic and political influence, we need to keep an eye on the top players

I love playing video games, but what interests me most as a journalist are the ways in which games intersect with real life. One of the joys of spending 20 years on this beat has been meeting hundreds of people whose lives have been meaningfully enhanced by games, and as their cultural influence has grown, these stories have become more and more plentiful.

There is another side to this, however. A couple of decades ago, video games were mostly either ignored or vilified by governments and mainstream culture, leading to an underdog mentality that has persisted even as games have become a nearly $200bn industry. As their popularity has grown, so have their political and cultural relevance. And the ways in which games intersect with real life are now coloured by the economic and political realities of our times.

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© Photograph: @WhiteHouse on X

© Photograph: @WhiteHouse on X

© Photograph: @WhiteHouse on X

Whoever wins season’s Scudetto is likely to crawl over the line and Juve have entered the picture

”When you say things like that, it makes me want to bite you,” Luciano Spalletti told a Sky Sport Italia reporter asking about title ambitions. Treating interviewers like a slice of Panettone aside, the most shocking thing about this assertion is that it’s not entirely implausible. Juventus have barely scraped a few good performances, but the overwhelming sense of inconsistency throughout Serie A means that’s no reason to rule them out for the top prize.

Spalletti can tuck into his Christmas dinner knowing Juventus beat Roma 2-1 to close within a point of fourth place, securing three competitive wins in a row, with Loïs Openda finally breaking his Serie A duck, and Gleison Bremer returning for his first start sincehis meniscus tear on 27 September. The quality in the squad was always present, so with a little confidence, momentum and players beginning to gel with their new coach, there’s plenty for fans to get their teeth into.

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© Photograph: Fabio Ferrari/AP

© Photograph: Fabio Ferrari/AP

© Photograph: Fabio Ferrari/AP