William Shakespeare’s Plays in Art

By The National Gallery Some of the characters and plots in William Shakespeare’s works come directly from ancient and modern sources. Our Library exhibition Will’s World—European Literature in Shakespeare’s time explores the classic and modern writing that inspired the English playwright. And in the 400 years since his first folio was published, Shakespeare’s plays have […]

In California, There has Been a Substantial Increase in Gasoline Prices in Recent Years

By Lee Ohanian So Why Won’t Newsom Put His Foot on the Brakes? In 2012, the price of regular-grade gasoline in California was about 30 cents per gallon higher than the national average. This price differential has increased substantially in recent years. Last week, the price of regular gas was nearly $5 per gallon—about $1.50 […]

The U.S. Congress Exposed Critical Missteps of U.S. Secrete Service During the Hearing

The resignation comes today from the director, following requests from Republican and Democratic members after her appearance before the House Oversight and Accountability Committee   By House Committee on Oversight and Accountability WASHINGTON—The House Committee on Oversight and Accountability held a hearing today titled, “Oversight of the U.S. Secret Service and the Attempted Assassination of […]

INTERVIEW: How the West has Been Misreading China for Years

By Chen Zifei Frank Dikötter, author of the “People’s Trilogy” about China under of Mao Zedong, has been chair professor of humanities at the University of Hong Kong since 2006. He recently published “China After Mao,” in which he argues that claims that the Chinese Communist Party has significantly changed direction in the post-Mao era […]

California Loses Fast Food Jobs After Minimum Wage Increase

Estimated loss of 9,500 jobs this fall after a $20 increase in the minimum wage, representing a 1.3 percent change from September 2023. By Lee Ohanian Last September, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed California Assembly Bill 1287 into law, which includes a $20 per hour minimum wage for fast-food workers and a fast-food regulatory council which […]

The Last Caravaggio

By The National Gallery May 1610. Caravaggio is in Naples working on the last picture he would paint. Two months later, he dies under mysterious circumstances. But it was during his last, tumultuous years that Caravaggio produced some of his most striking works. His signature style included tightly cropped scenes and dramatic lighting. He used […]

The Lion and the Mouse

By Adapted From Aesop ONCE a great big Lion lay fast asleep in the woods. By-and-by a Mouse came along, a little teeny, tiny Mouse. Now the Lion was lying so still, the Mouse thought he was only a big heap of dried brown grass. So the Mouse began scampering around up and down on […]

Vice Presidential Nominee Vance Calls China ‘Biggest Threat to Our Country’

By Lin Yang WASHINGTON —In his short time in the U.S. Senate, J.D. Vance, the newly tapped Republican vice presidential nominee, has been a hawk on China. He has introduced legislation to restrict Chinese access to U.S. financial markets and to protect U.S. higher education from Chinese influence. In an interview with Fox News shortly […]

Melania Trump: ‘Let Us Reunite’

“I am thinking of you now, my fellow Americans. We have always been a unique union. America, the fabric of our gentle union is tattered, but our courage and common sense must ascend and bring us back together as one. When I watched that violent bullet strike my husband, Donald, I realized my life, and […]

Germany to Remove 2 Chinese Firms’ Components From 5G Networks

By VOA News A top security official in Germany said Thursday that starting in 2026, the European nation will begin removing key components made by Chinese telecom firms Huawei and ZTE from its 5G core networks. Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said Germany aims to have the components removed by the end of 2026. After that, […]