Israel’s Newest Army Recruits: the Ultra-Orthodox

They weren’t supposed to fight. At Israel’s founding in 1948, the new nation’s leaders agreed that ultra-Orthodox men — known as the Haredim, or God-fearing, in Hebrew — would be spared from mandatory military service. In exchange, Haredi leaders lent their support for the largely secular state. The arrangement held for Israel’s first 75 years, … Read more

It Fought to Save the Whales. Can Greenpeace Save Itself?

Greenpeace is among the most well-known environmental organizations in the world, the result of more than 50 years of headline-grabbing protest tactics. Its activists have confronted whaling ships on the high seas. They’ve hung banners from the Eiffel Tower. They’ve occupied oil rigs. A (fictional) activist even sailed with Greenpeace in an episode of “Seinfeld,” … Read more

Takeaways ​From ​The Times Interview ​With Chuck Schumer About the Federal Spending Bill

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer is facing the biggest revolt from Democrats in years, but in a conversation with The Interview after his crucial vote supporting a Republican federal spending bill this past week, he tried to brush off questions about whether he should step aside. Democratic officials appeared stunned when Schumer did an about-face … Read more

What Is Tren de Aragua?

President Trump’s executive order on Saturday invoking the Alien Enemies Act targeted Venezuelan citizens 14 years and older with ties to the transnational gang Tren de Aragua, saying they “are liable to be apprehended, restrained, secured, and removed as Alien Enemies.” Mr. Trump’s order was quickly challenged in court, but the gang has been a … Read more

Protest Against Serbian Leader Draws 100,000 in Biggest Crowd Yet

A student-led protest movement in Serbia rallied more than 100,000 people for a huge peaceful street demonstration on Saturday in Serbia’s capital, Belgrade, defying warnings from the country’s embattled strongman leader that months of unrest were careening out of control into violence. Saturday’s rally, the biggest outpouring of public discontent in Serbia in decades, was … Read more