What the Dickens? Will Ferrell Plays Ghost of Epstein on ‘S.N.L.’ Season Finale

Ferrell, the “Saturday Night Live” alum, appears with James Austin Johnson as President Trump in a send-up of “A Christmas Carol.” Paul McCartney provides the music.

By Dave Itzkoff

May 17, 2026, 9:28 a.m. ET

It’s not even close to the Yuletide, but when Will Ferrell hosts “Saturday Night Live” and Paul McCartney appears as the musical guest, that’s an occasion enough to pay homage to “A Christmas Carol.”

The deficit just grew by $955 billion in 7 months. It’s time for a constitutional fix to control the budget

By Steve H. Hanke and David M. Walker

May 14, 2026, 4:00 AM ET

The U.S. government is technically insolvent, with its liabilities far exceeding its assets, and its financial condition is deteriorating with each passing day.

Washington seems to be addicted to deficit financing and the accumulation of an ever-increasing mountain of debt. Indeed, since 1961, there have only been five years in which the federal government’s budget registered a surplus and the Congressional Budget Office’s latest Monthly Budget Review revealed a $955 billion deficit over just seven months of fiscal 2026. That pace puts the full-year deficit on track to exceed $1.9 trillion — precisely the CBO’s own annual projection.

We Need to Move Beyond Robot Doomerism

By David Moscrop
JACOBIN
“The robots are coming” need not be understood as heralding the apocalypse. An automated society in which states and worker-owned enterprises use technology to serve public ends while meeting individual needs is entirely consistent with the good life.

Harrison Ford to graduates of ASU: "I didn't want to be a poster boy for Nature, I wanted to be part of the work. Go change the World"

The Greek Courier

16/05/26

Harrison Ford made a memorable impact during his commencement address at Arizona State University, where he received an honorary Doctor of Arts and Humane Letters on May 11, 2026. In front of over 14,000 graduates, the 83-year-old actor reflected not just on his own journey but particularly on his deep love and commitment to nature.

Germany’s Merz says he wouldn’t advise his children to live in US

World
WORLD EUROPE

2 MIN READ
Story by Reuters
MAY 15, 2026
Berlin, Germany, Reuters — German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Friday said he would advise his children against living or studying in the United States at the moment, citing a rapidly changing social climate and limited opportunities even for the highly educated.

Man drives car into pedestrians in Italy, injuring eight

8 hours ago
Paulin Kola
A man has driven his car into pedestrians in the northern Italian city of Modena, injuring eight people, four seriously, officials say.

US, Iran Stall on Hormuz Reopening as Oil Supplies Tighten

Skylar Woodhouse, Jeff Mason, 

and Arsalan Shahla

Sat, May 16, 2026 at 12:10 PM PDT 

5 min read

(Bloomberg) -- Iran said transit through the critical Strait of Hormuz will flow once the conflict with the US and Israel is over, but the sides are no closer to resolving their differences or finding a path to achieve it.

Taking a Good, Long Look Into Elon Musk and “Muskism”

Interview with Ben Tarnoff and Quinn Slobodian

JACOBIN

A growing share of world infrastructure is dominated by the eccentric, reactionary, annoying billionaire Elon Musk. He is, regrettably, a key figure to understand — which Ben Tarnoff and Quinn Slobodian set out to do in Muskism. 

Elon Musk needs no introduction. He is one of the leading capitalists of our time. Unlike many in tech, he gets down and dirty with the physical world (or rather, his employees do), building cars and rockets, digging tunnels, even implanting chips in people’s brains.

Zohran Mamdani Is Right to Condemn West Bank Land Sales

JACOBIN
By Ben Burgis 

05.12.2026 

After a rowdy protest outside a real estate event at Park East Synagogue, Mayor Zohran Mamdani was widely criticized for egging on the unrest by condemning the sale of West Bank properties. But the criticisms don’t stand up to scrutiny.

Last week, the Wall Street Journal ran an editorial titled “Mamdani and the Antisemites.” The next day, an article published in the conservative National Review called the mayor’s behavior “shameful.” The day after that, Republican city council member Vickie Paladino accused Mayor Mamdani of creating a “very dangerous environment.”

Welcome to the Capitalist Wing of Antifa!

Three stories about corporate greed and the tale 

of a community with a mission

Jonathan V. Last

May 15, 2026

(Photo by Hannah Yoest)

I know we should talk about the amazing summit Our Favorite President just had with the wise and very good-looking—right out of central casting, many people are saying—Chairman Xi.

But sometimes I need to do one for myself. And that’s what today is.

Taiwan insists it is independent after Trump warning

4 hours ago
Robert Greenall
Reuters
President Lai says Taiwan does not need to declare formal independence

Taiwan has insisted it is a sovereign, independent nation, after US President Donald Trump cautioned it against formally declaring independence from China.

Opinion: Trump doesn't care about Americans. He just admitted it

Whenever a Republican is pressed on the economy, on food prices, on energy prices, they can only reflexively say, 'Well, Biden blah blah blah …' That excuse ain't working anymore.
Rex Huppke
USA TODAY
May 16, 2026, 4:02 a.m. ET

I’m proud of President Donald Trump and his loyal Republican lawmakers. After years of pretending, it seems they’ve finally grown confident enough to flatly admit they don’t give a rip about regular Americans. This is real progress!

Extraordinary discovery in Pompeii: A doctor identified thanks to his instruments

Copyright Parco Archeologico di Pompei
By Fortunato Pinto
Published on 15/05/2026 - 19:20 GMT+2

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Interdisciplinary work made it possible to identify the body of a doctor among the victims of the eruption of Vesuvius in 79 AD. The plaster cast held a case with the instruments used by doctors at the time

Archaeologists Enter a Hidden Luxor Chamber and Find 22 Painted Coffins of Amun’s Sacred Singers With 8 Sealed Papyri Untouched for Centuries

DAILY GALAXY

© Archaeologists Found Coffins Stacked Like A Sacred Archive. Credit: Canva

Science
Inside a hidden burial chamber, researchers found 22 painted coffins and sealed papyri linked to the mysterious Singers of Amun.
Published on May 15, 2026, at 08:45|
Written by Arezki Amiri | Reading time: 4 minutes

A tightly packed rock-cut chamber beneath the Luxor desert has yielded one of the more striking funerary finds from Egypt’s Third Intermediate Period: 22 painted wooden coffins belonging to women who served as Singers of Amun, stacked in ten horizontal rows alongside eight sealed papyri stored inside a ceramic vessel. The discovery was announced in March 2026 by Egypt’s Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities following excavations in the Asasif necropolis on Luxor’s West Bank.

Pentagon quietly shut legally required program to prevent civilian deaths by military, watchdog finds

The Trump administration is accused of cutting military’s civilian harm program in light of US strike on girls school in Iran

Joseph Gedeon and Cate Brown in Washington

Updated on Sat 16 May 2026 14.03 BST

Pete Hesgeth's Pentagon has quietly dismantled a program it is legally required to operate to prevent and respond to civilian deaths in US military operations, according to its internal watchdog.

David Letterman and Stephen Colbert toss CBS furniture off the roof: 'Good night and good luck, motherf---ers'

Letterman returned to "The Late Show" to bid farewell to the show he originated in 1993 before handing over the reins to Colbert in 2015

By Raechal Shewfelt and Mekishana Pierre

May 15, 2026 

Key points

• David Letterman joined Stephen Colbert on The Late Show as one of the show's final guests.
• Letterman originated the franchise in 1993 and hosted for 23 seasons before handing over the reins to Colbert in 2015.
• The pair threw 'Late Show' furniture off the Ed Sullivan Theater roof onto a CBS target.

David Letterman ended his last visit to The Late Show With Stephen Colbert with a parting message to CBS that invoked one of the network's revered former journalists: "In the words of the great Ed Murrow, good night and good luck, motherf---ers!"

Trump and Xi conclude 'very successful' talks but no deals confirmed

36 minutes ago
Suranjana Tewari

Asia business correspondent
US President Donald Trump left Beijing after a two-day summit, saying he had struck "fantastic trade deals, great for both countries", but few details have emerged on what the two superpowers agreed.

Xi Warned of the ‘Thucydides Trap.’ What Is It?

China’s leader drew on Greek history to warn the United States about what can happen when a rising power meets an incumbent one.

By Leo Sands

May 14, 2026

As the leaders of the United States and China met in Beijing on Thursday, Xi Jinping had a much older rivalry on his mind.