Guards at an ICE detention facility in Texas raided the dorms of immigrant families Tuesday, in order to destroy children’s letters that threatened to shed light on the horrific living conditions. trib.al/tDaTXGT

A rushed transfer of authority in northeastern Syria has upended the fragile order inside al-Hawl, the sprawling camp that for years has held tens of thousands of people linked to the Islamic State group.

NEW: Amid a countrywide mental health crisis and facing a lack of formal care, some in Ukraine are turning to the amanita mushroom, reports Diana Kruzman for @newlinesmag. newlinesmag.com/reportage/th...

Editor's Pick: Kaouther Ben Hania’s “The Voice of Hind Rajab” retells the story of the 5-year-old’s final hours, amplifying her pleas to indict the world’s silence over Gaza’s children. @idreesahmad.bsky.social reviews the film. newlinesmag.com/review/hind-...

Each year, Ramadan and Eid witness controversy over how to determine the start and end of the lunar month. A simplistic binary of religion vs. science belies the long and complex history of these “Crescent Wars,” writes Ibrahim Elhoudaiby. newlinesmag.com/argument/ram...

“Al-Hawl’s detainees were not formally released. The camp was allowed to empty.” | Paloma Dinechin reports from Syria on the fate of the al-Hawl detention camp and those who inhabited it. newlinesmag.com/spotlight/th...

In a new, feature-length documentary tracing the first 25 years of the 21st century — from 9/11 to Oct. 7, from social media to AI — @newlinesmag.bsky.social explores the forces that have shaped our world. Watch now📽️https://youtu.be/d201QogxEaA newlinesmag.com/video/the-qu...

NEW: An elite Afghan commando trained by the CIA ended up opening fire near the White House. His breakdown is a story about the parallel state America built in Afghanistan, then abandoned, writes Tam Hussein for @newlinesmag.bsky.social newlinesmag.com/spotlight/ho...

📽️ Watch now: Drawing on Isabel Ravenna's recent New Lines essay about Operation Serengeti 2.0, @erinclarebrown.bsky.social explores how rapid digital growth in Africa fueled sophisticated criminal networks — and how new cybercrime laws are reshaping the fight. youtube.com/shorts/5ZdO0...

As the war in Ukraine nears its fifth year, the country is in the midst of a mental health crisis. Lacking other options, some are finding relief in the amanita mushroom newlinesmag.com/reportage/th...

Up to 300,000 Syrians remain missing a year after Assad’s fall. The White Helmets and a new national commission are exhuming bodies, mapping grave sites and building records in a search that will take years, reports @amelied.bsky.social . https://shorturl.at/PJwLy

"George Washington warned against foreign entanglements and argued that 'inveterate antipathies against particular nations, and passionate attachments for others, should be excluded.'” | @dannypostel.bsky.social  examines the deep roots of America First nationalism.

On the passing of the singular András Riedlmayer.

NEW: Kaouther Ben Hania’s “The Voice of Hind Rajab” retells the story of the 5-year-old’s final hours and amplifies her voice to indict the world’s silence over Gaza’s children. @idreesahmad.bsky.social reviews the film for @newlinesmag.bsky.social newlinesmag.com/review/hind-...

"If Hind [Rajab]’s voice is a reproach, then the humanity of her would-be rescuers is redemption, however inadequate. For the hours they spent with her ... they expiate our collective guilt." | @idreesahmad.bsky.social 

📽️Looking for smarter, deeper video content that goes beyond the surface? Subscribe to the @newlinesmag.bsky.social  YouTube channel for powerful storytelling, from global affairs to culture, that you won’t find anywhere else.   

"I turn back to the war on terror and the unlawful detentions at Guantanamo Bay because they set the stage for ICE’s detentions and deportations today." | Jana K. Lipman

Mikey Andreasson breaks down @michaeldweiss.bsky.social  recent essay “The Accidental Revelations of a Russian Spy’s Memoir,” showing how a draft memoir by Gen. Alexander Zorin and a state biopic expose Kremlin propaganda.

Today's pod with Loubna Mrie and her new book Defiance is powerful, moving, and at times hard to listen to. #Syria watchers will remember her story from the early days of the uprising; here she speaks at length about what happened. Full ep @newlinesmag.bsky.social 👉 newlinesmag.com/podcast/how-...

How did the war on terror and Guantanamo Bay shape today’s ICE detentions and deportations? Jana K. Lipman on the legal and political precedents that paved the way for current U.S. practices: 

Since Oct. 7, 2023, hip-hop artists in Israel-Palestine have fronted fundraiser concerts, soundtracked protests and penned explicitly political bars. While some call for peace and unity, others face censorship for their combative lyrics.

"Here, in taxonomical miniature, was a brilliant summary of what culture has in store for us: slop, speculation, a retreat from the commons, and indemnification – if we’re lucky – against the disasters that await." Great line from an otherwise terrible piece www.theguardian.com/sport/2026/f...

The US is turning the whole world into Guantanamo Bay.

NEW: What looked like an ordinary call center in Lusaka was the heart of a scam that had defrauded victims of $300 million. When police stormed in, it marked a turning point for cybercrime in Africa, writes @theravennareport.com for @newlinesmag.bsky.social newlinesmag.com/spotlight/af...

After 9/11, the U.S. detention center in Guantanamo Bay became synonymous with the excesses of the “war on terror” and unchecked executive power. More than 20 years later, the U.S. is weaponizing the same legal and political apparatus as part of its campaign against migrants. ⤵️

The use of unlawful imprisonment during the "war on terror" set the stage for the Trump administrations detentions and deportations today, the historian Jana K. Lipman writes for @newlinesmag.bsky.social newlinesmag.com/argument/fro...

On my latest, for @newlinesmag.bsky.social

🧵Support independent, international journalism. @newlinesmag.bsky.social publishes reporting and essays you won’t find elsewhere. Support the best writing from around the world by donating today: newlinesmag.com/become-a-mem...

Tulsi Gabbard has been investigating baseless allegations that Venezuelan hackers rigged the 2020 election That's alarming, as it could indicate that Trump is trying to establish a national security rationale for seizing voting machines in November www.vox.com/politics/478...

Over the past three weeks, the "nightmare scenario" for November's midterms has grown more plausible www.vox.com/politics/478...

NEW: The war on terror and the unlawful imprisonment at Guantanamo Bay set the stage for ICE’s detentions and deportations today, writes Jana K. Lipman for @newlinesmag.bsky.social newlinesmag.com/argument/fro...

“Is Tulsi Gabbard the Most Shameless, Desperate Member of the Trump Cabinet?” The ex-Dem congresswoman turned DNI is willing to U-turn on the 2020 election and war with Venezuela and Iran just to appease her boss and keep her job. My latest for Zeteo:

“How can Washington credibly pressure the UAE on its role fueling a civil war in Sudan, when the Emirates’ national security adviser is a business partner of the US president?” — my latest for @theguardian.com on a Trump corruption scandal that should be getting a lot more attention

Personal connections and a common culture war playbook are tying together the far right in East Asia and the MAGA movement in the U.S. As @eleonorazocca.bsky.social reports, the consequences could reshape the region and beyond.

AI-generated content and songs about African leaders are going viral, showing a real hunger for strong, authentic African government, write @kayliwewe.bsky.social  and Alec D'Angelo.

📽️How does civic solidarity in Minneapolis echo the French Resistance? A new video from North Africa Editor @erinclarebrown.bsky.social looks at the recent essay by @diane2v.bsky.social, showing history doesn’t need to repeat itself to remain instructive:  

“If the UAE-Israel axis continues its interventionist campaign, it will likely be extremely difficult for Saudi Arabia to maintain its new “zero-conflict” approach.” | @alamer.bsky.social 

NEW: After decades of shifting alliances that failed to deliver stability, Saudi Arabia now has a “zero-conflict” regional policy. It is this that is paradoxically creating tension with the UAE and Israel, writes @alamer.bsky.social for @newlinesmag.bsky.social newlinesmag.com/essays/saudi...

🚨 Dear @newlinesmag.bsky.social readers, A letter from our Middle East and Newsletters Editor, @kshaheen.bsky.social : newlinesmag.com/become-a-mem...

Private prison money is flooding Congress. 💰 @elizabethweill.bsky.social & @ethanscorey.bsky.social uncover companies fueling ICE detention, like CoreCivic & GEO Group, donating millions while Congress expanded detention. Have your reps taken $$$ from ICE jailers? inthesetimes.com/article/ice-...

We are publishing a running list of deaths and woundings as a result of the interior enforcement blitzkrieg across the country. That includes deaths during apprehension and deaths in custody. This will be consistently updated. Currently, there are 8 dead, 9 wounded, & 35 deaths in custody.

ICE doesn’t share its violent incidents with the public. So here’s our list. prospect.org/2026/01/29/i...

“Whenever there’s work on Iran, I feel very isolated and so I have to think about how I can do this work without that deep sense of dread and isolation with me." @ntabrizy tells @FaisalAlYafai about the sacrifices she's made in choosing to cover Iran. https://shorturl.at/JImwv

From the @newlinesmag.bsky.social  archives: The virtual reality “House of Memory” created by the artist Basil Al-Rawi allows viewers to explore Iraq’s past, and the diaspora to share personal stories and reclaim their cultural heritage, writes @chriselkholy.bsky.social 

📽️Sarah Mullally’s appointment as the first woman archbishop of Canterbury exposes deep Anglican divisions over women’s leadership and same-sex blessings. @kayliwewe.bsky.social explores how postcolonial politics & demographics are its authority:

NEW: Personal connections and a common culture war playbook are tying together the far right in East Asia and the MAGA movement in the U.S., with consequences that could reshape the region and beyond, reports Eleonora Zocca. newlinesmag.com/reportage/ho...

"Journalists are taught: Do the reporting, and the story will write itself. But how does one narrate the stories of 20,000 dead children? In their frequency over the last two years, Gaza’s individual tragedies have had a way of congealing into metaphor."

In Japan and South Korea, a culture war playbook inspired by MAGA is fueling a new political wave on the right eports @eleonorazocca.bsky.social 

Not even the dead are safe in Gaza. www.theguardian.com/world/2026/f...

This WP article should send chills down everyone's spine. It is utterly Orwellian -- or, perhaps more to the point, exactly the sort of thing the Stasi would have done in East Germany. www.washingtonpost.com/investigatio...