The Observer Daily: A new American sycophancy

The best of The Observer, from across our newsroom View in browser A new American sycophancy The best of The Observer, from across our newsroom Evan Moffitt • Tuesday 24 June 2025 Dear friend, "American deterrence is back." At least according to the US defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, who praised his boss's decision to bomb Iranian nuclear sites at the weekend with bombast befitting a mid-level functionary in North Korea. What "deterrence" means for an administration with an isolationist foreign policy and a voter base strongly opposed to foreign wars remains a big, bunker-busting question. But Hegseth's address was also deeply revealing of how the Trump administration thinks about itself, Philip Collins, the former chief speech writer to Tony Blair, explains in a line-by-line annotation. Its praise of "warrior culture" is a dog-whistle for anti-DEI measures, while its obsequious tone may save face after a series of high-profile leaks at the defence department. Click here to read more → "The enemy of nonsense" – George Orwell Also in The Observer Water force The French government plans to intercept small boats carrying asylum seekers across the Channel to England, even if they are already at sea. Serena Cesareo reports that while interceptions can be effective in stemming demand, they are highly dangerous, and are likely to challenge international laws on intervening in shallow waters. She writes that there are lessons to be learned from the tactic's use in Europe, and indications of the cost.    Click here to read more → New York mayor race goes to the wire by Ed Helmore        Polls open in the Democratic primary for the New York mayoral election today, and it's a wild one, as races in the Big Apple often are. The candidates include 33-year-old democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani, endorsed by Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and the billionaire-backed ex-governor Andrew Cuomo, who resigned in 2021 after sexual harassment allegations were made against him by multiple women, which he denies. Ed Helmore argues that the election "lays bare the paralysis of US Democrats in the age of Donald Trump". Click here to read more → History's women have more to tell us than their fashion choices by Kate Maltby       As the Victoria & Albert Museum unveils plans for an exhibition on the fashion legacy of Marie Antoinette, Kate Maltby argues that to retell her story for a feminist generation, organisers will have to choose between two paths. One is to rewrite history, the other is to appreciate and understand why wealthy women fill their lives with seemingly trivial material goods when denied real power. Click here to read more → Listen The Slow Newscast How to disappear In the UK, a person is reported missing every 90 seconds. But how in a society of internet, phones and social media is it so easy to go missing? This is the story of two men and how sometimes people don't even realise they've gone missing   Click here to listen → Thanks for reading. We'll be back tomorrow.   Evan Moffitt Production editor, digital The Observer   My Account To manage your newsletters, track tickets and more, go to the 'My account' page on the Observer website: Manage my newsletters Follow Follow The Observer on social media on your preferred platform:   The Observer     The Observer Food Monthly The Observer Magazine The Observer New Review   Listen Listen for free in the Tortoise app or wherever you get your podcasts: Want to change how you receive these emails? Update email preferences Copyright © 2025 Tortoise Media. All rights reserved. Did this email get caught in your spam filter? Add editor@newsroom.tortoisemedia.com to your address book to never miss an email again. No longer want to receive this newsletter? Unsubscribe here.