Afghanistan, Florida, U.S. Open: Your Weekend Briefing
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The Pentagon said that two “high-profile” Islamic State militants had been killed and one had been wounded in a drone strike Friday that targeted those involved in planning attacks against Americans. Mr. Biden, in his statement, said that the U.S. retaliatory strike would not be the last.
Among the troops who died were two women on the front lines and servicemen who were still babies when the U.S. invaded Afghanistan. Here’s what we know about them.
On Saturday, few people were getting through the Kabul airport gates. Britain and France ended their evacuations of Afghan allies. In total, over a dozen countries have evacuated 240,000 people, most of them Afghans, since the Taliban took control of the country.
As American troops work to complete their withdrawal by their Tuesday deadline, the fear among Afghans is palpable. Much of the nation is cringing in anticipation of coming reprisals. Two nonprofit groups are making a last-minute attempt to help Afghan women escape.
The Latest From Afghanistan
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Spiritual: Harvard’s new chief chaplain is an atheist.
Modern Love: Why a writer’s daughter got (temporarily) married at 13.
Lives Lived: Inge Ginsberg fled the Holocaust, helped U.S. spies during World War II, wrote volumes of poetry and late in life became the frontwoman for a heavy metal rock band. She died at 99.
ARTS AND IDEAS
A new generation of dance
The world of competitive dance is more than the drama and sequins seen on reality shows like “Dance Moms.” Competitions and conventions have molded performers who went on to join elite dance programs and companies, as well as pop stars like Britney Spears and Beyoncé.
Still, the influential events have long been criticized for exclusionary costs, high-pressure environments and the sexualization of children. “I see how much my kids benefit from these events,” Siara Fuller, an artistic director, said. “But some competitions haven’t evolved at all in 15, 20 years.”
A new generation is attempting to reform the dance community, especially regarding issues of gender, predatory behavior and race, Margaret Fuhrer writes in The Times. Some are developing their own conventions to create a safer, more inclusive environment: The Embody Dance Conference, for example, features seminars for dancers on antiracism and mental health, and does not divide its students by gender in classes. Olivia Zimmerman, its founder, hopes other events can adapt such a model. “This isn’t proprietary,” she said. “We’re not trying to make money off ‘being the change.’ I want everyone to follow suit, so that in five years, we’re just another convention.” — Sanam Yar, a Morning writer
PLAY, WATCH, EAT
What to Cook
The Polarized Publishing World
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For a snapshot of how politically polarized the country has become, consider the best-seller list in this Sunday’s New York Times. Political books hold the top five spots on the hardcover nonfiction list, but they offer wildly divergent views.
No. 1 on the list is “American Marxism” by the Fox News host Mark Levin, which argues that liberals, including President Biden, are advancing a socialist agenda. Two titles that follow present sharply critical views of the Trump administration: “Here, Right Matters,” a memoir by Alexander Vindman, the retired U.S. Army lieutenant colonel who had a role in Trump’s first impeachment; and “I Alone Can Fix It,” an explosive account of Trump’s last year in office by the Washington Post reporters Carol Leonnig and Philip Rucker. Next come books by the conservative media stars Ben Shapiro and Jesse Watters.
“The same kind of polarization that we’re seeing in the mainstream culture is happening in the book market,” Kristen McLean, an analyst at NPD BookScan, a market research firm, said. “The appetite is there on both sides of the political divide.”
When Biden took office, publishers braced for a slump. The Trump years had been an enormous boon to their industry, with a torrent of best sellers that included bombshell exposés by Bob Woodward and Michael Wolff, and tell-all memoirs from John Bolton and Mary Trump. Political book sales hit a 20-year high, according to NPD BookScan.