What happened to the MSC Francesca -- the container ship Iran seized over 3 months ago? The vessel and most of its crew are still in Iran's hands. A close look at the Francesca and the other sailors ensnared in the Iran war. w/ @jggross.bsky.social www.nytimes.com/2026/08/04/b...

Sailors Working in Strait of Hormuz Are Caught in Crossfire of Iran War

Thousands of civilian workers remain stranded on ships at risk of attack by Iran. On one vessel, sailors have been held by the Iranian navy for more than three months.

nytimes.com

President Trump wants to impose a 20 percent fee on cargo going through the Strait of Hormuz. I talked to shippers and others: The fee could more than double the cost of moving goods in and out of the Persian Gulf. www.nytimes.com/2026/07/13/b...

Trump’s Strait of Hormuz Fee Could Double the Cost of Shipping (Gift Article)

The potential expense of a 20 percent charge to move oil and other goods through the strait has stirred concern among shippers.

nytimes.com

Can we really reduce the global economy's dependence on the Strait of Hormuz? My latest: www.nytimes.com/2026/06/25/b...

Lesson Learned From Iran War: Reduce Reliance on Strait of Hormuz

nytimes.com

It's hard in this war to exactly calculate how much oil is going through the Strait of Hormuz but we had a go and it doesn't seem to be that much. www.nytimes.com/2026/06/13/b...

Even With U.S. Help, Little Oil Has Gone Through Strait of Hormuz

nytimes.com

NEW: The US says it has guided around 70 ships through the Strait of Hormuz in the last three weeks. www.nytimes.com/2026/05/31/b...

U.S. Military Is Quietly Guiding Ships Through the Strait of Hormuz

nytimes.com

When you set tariffs at 50%, you may get more domestic production — or you may just push up the price of a crucial import and feed inflation. My story on the steel used to make cans: www.nytimes.com/2026/05/12/b...

Steel Tariffs Are Harming Tin Can Makers and Lifting Food Prices

nytimes.com

The US is saying that the French containership that was attacked in Hormuz yesterday did not coordinate with Project Freedom. The company that owns the ship says that it did. (Not an academic matter: Eight mariners injured.) My story: www.nytimes.com/2026/05/06/b...

Attack on French Cargo Ship Highlights Continued Risks in Strait of Hormuz

nytimes.com

New: A comedian set up a fake ICE tip line as a joke. Then 100 calls flooded in: neighbors ratting on neighbors, a teacher reporting a kindergartener. Fans say the viral TikToks revealed deportation's "banality of evil." Conservatives say he should be in prison wapo.st/4kM4qbF

A fake ICE tip line reveals neighbors reporting neighbors

A Nashville comedian’s deportation hotline, set up as a joke, has gone viral among viewers who say it shows the “banality of evil personified” in the U.S. immigration crackdown.

wapo.st

I wrote a big explainer on the economics of space data centers for you. It's the story I've been wanting to read about this big space infrastructure project, and I hope it will help people understand what's really going on here: techcrunch.com/2026/02/11/w...

Why the economics of orbital AI are so brutal | TechCrunch

A 1 Gw orbital data center would cost roughly $42.4B—almost three times its ground-bound equivalent.

techcrunch.com

The promises to invest in the US have rolled in, often to please President Trump. In March, CMA CGM, a French shipping giant, pledged $20 billion – an improbably large sum for America’s maritime industries.

SCOOP The admin is making it harder for male vets w/ breast cancer to get their care covered The admin cites Trump order: “Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government” I got the memo laying it all out www.propublica.org/article/vete...

Citing Trump Order on “Biological Truth,” VA Makes It Harder for Male Veterans With Breast Cancer to Get Coverage

A Department of Veterans Affairs memo obtained by ProPublica erects new roadblocks to care for veterans with the rare but deadly cancer. The agency cites no new science but relies on an executive orde...

propublica.org

If you haven't been following the NYC mayoral race and want to understand the three candidates' positions better, this quiz might help.

Quiz: What Do You and the N.Y.C. Mayoral Candidates Agree On? (Gift Article)

Answer 14 questions and we’ll show you where you align with the three leading candidates for mayor of New York City.

nytimes.com

As she reflects on her career in a second memoir, Sally Mann warns of a "new era of culture wars" after police pulled several photographs she took of her children decades ago off the walls of a museum.

Photographer Sally Mann warns of 'new era of culture wars' after art seizure

As she reflects on her career in a second memoir, Sally Mann warns of a "new era of culture wars" after police pulled several photographs she took of her children decades ago off the walls of a museum.

n.pr

In 1885, royal Hawaiian brothers were studying at a military school in California. There, they introduced a sport known as "surfboard swimming." The Princes of Surf exhibit tells what happened next.

How 3 Hawaiian teen princes brought surfing to the mainland

In 1885, royal Hawaiian brothers were studying at a military school in California. There, they introduced a sport known as "surfboard swimming." The Princes of Surf exhibit tells what happened next.

n.pr

De minimis is no more but Americans have not abandoned Shein, perhaps the biggest beneficiary of the loophole. Trump ended de minimis for shipments from China in May. Shein's dollar sales plunged initially, as tariffs began to apply, but then they recovered. They rose 9% in July. How?

Two years ago, big truck makers like Daimler and Volvo signed a landmark deal with California, saying they’d obey the state’s clean air rules. Why was the deal even needed? Aren’t companies just obliged to follow regulations?

Health care and social assistance accounted for essentially all job growth in July, adding more than 73,000 jobs. If it hadn't been for that sector, employment would have fallen slightly.

I interviewed top execs at Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern about their proposed merger. They lay out their hopes for the deal and respond to its critics...here: www.nytimes.com/2025/07/29/b...

Union Pacific to Buy Norfolk Southern in $85 Billion Railroad Deal

nytimes.com

Robber baron George Jay Gould tried to create a coast-to-coat railroad but he was undone by the 1907 financial panic. Now, Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern want to have another try: www.nytimes.com/2025/07/24/b...

Union Pacific in Talks to Merge With Norfolk Southern

nytimes.com

Hunter Biden objects here to my scrutiny of his deals with foreign interests seeking help from the U.S. government. He will not like my forthcoming book, DEVILS' ADVOCATES, which exposes the foreign influence industry, including new reporting on him & others. www.harpercollins.com/products/dev...

On a visit to a school bus factory, I was told that American steel producers are taking advantage of the tariffs to raise their prices. FULL STORY FREE LINK: www.nytimes.com/2025/07/22/b...

American Steel Just Got More Expensive. Buyers Blame Tariffs.

nytimes.com

Interesting how one of rail's best prospects is struggling financially. www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

Florida’s High-Speed Rail Rattles Investors, Defying Its Promise

The Brightline train running from Miami to Orlando, lauded as an alternative vision for the future of American rail travel, is making some investors anxious.

bloomberg.com

But drilling down a bit, it sure likes there's evidence of tariffs showing through, especially in "household furnishings," a broad category that includes things like appliances and furniture. #NumbersDay

OK, charts thread! Starting with the headlines: Job growth was solid and unemployment fell. Lots more to dig into, but don't lose sight of the big picture. #NumbersDay

Ben Casselman@bencasselman.bsky.social · last yr.

If you squint, you can find things in this report to worry about. Private-sector hiring slowed, esp. outside of health care. The labor force shrank. The number of people who have been out of work for more than six months rose. But the big picture here is continued resilience. #NumbersDay

Crazy amount of crazy revelations in this 👇

Tariq Panja@tariqpanja.bsky.social · last yr.

⚽️🧨💰Fit and proper person? Profile of Manchester City owner, coddler of warlords and named co-conspirator in US’s ‘largest kleptocracy’ case Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al-Nahyan Months long investigation with @declanwalsh.bsky.social Free to read on link below: www.nytimes.com/2025/06/29/w...

fascinating.

Guy Berger@econberger.bsky.social · last yr.

It's easier to apply for jobs than it's ever been. But in a weak hiring environment, jobseekers don't seem happy about it. I wrote about how the latest wave of tech innovations in the labor market haven't necessarily been welfare-improving. macromostly.substack.com/p/tech-innov...

NYPD is not involved in GIVE, but NYPD reported a record low number of shootings through May 2025. The GIVE dashboard is here if anyone is interested: www.criminaljustice.ny.gov/crimnet/ojsa...

Criminal Justice Reports & Statistics

Crime and criminal justice processing data from law enforcement, prosecution, courts, and corrections agencies throughout New York State can be found here.

criminaljustice.ny.gov

There's a bipartisan push in DC to build more ships in the US. I went to a shipyard in Philly to get a sense of what it will take to realize Washington's maritime dreams: www.nytimes.com/2025/05/27/b...

U.S. Ships Championed by Trump Cost 5 Times as Much as Asian Ones

nytimes.com

The tariffs are crushing many small businesses. I spent the last month talking to one in Richmond, Vermont about its struggles. www.nytimes.com/2025/05/27/b...

Trump’s China Tariffs Are Having a ‘Massive Impact’ on Small Business

nytimes.com