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ACROSS
1 Eastern yogi, originally in Asian capital, had a meal before beginning to read our message for Nation cryptic solvers (3,3,5)
7 Taken is given a little more than three stars? (7)
8 Macho guys, lacking source of French, ultimately stand corrected (7)
10 and 4 Joy follows an Oscar-winning movie director (3,3)
11 Strangely, Eric showed up first with our message for Nation cryptic solvers (11)
13 Fade in where Sue garbled our message for Nation cryptic solvers (3,11)
16 Suffers from endless story introducing rental company with thanks—that’s our message for Nation cryptic solvers (5,2,5)
21 Song about union leader flipping over our message for Nation cryptic solvers (2,6)
22 Reason backward to capture green chess piece (6)
We now confront a second Trump presidency.
There’s not a moment to lose. We must harness our fears, our grief, and yes, our anger, to resist the dangerous policies Donald Trump will unleash on our country. We rededicate ourselves to our role as journalists and writers of principle and conscience.
Today, we also steel ourselves for the fight ahead. It will demand a fearless spirit, an informed mind, wise analysis, and humane resistance. We face the enactment of Project 2025, a far-right supreme court, political authoritarianism, increasing inequality and record homelessness, a looming climate crisis, and conflicts abroad. The Nation will expose and propose, nurture investigative reporting, and stand together as a community to keep hope and possibility alive. The Nation’s work will continue—as it has in good and not-so-good times—to develop alternative ideas and visions, to deepen our mission of truth-telling and deep reporting, and to further solidarity in a nation divided.
Armed with a remarkable 160 years of bold, independent journalism, our mandate today remains the same as when abolitionists first founded The Nation—to uphold the principles of democracy and freedom, serve as a beacon through the darkest days of resistance, and to envision and struggle for a brighter future.
The day is dark, the forces arrayed are tenacious, but as the late Nation editorial board member Toni Morrison wrote “No! This is precisely the time when artists go to work. There is no time for despair, no place for self-pity, no need for silence, no room for fear. We speak, we write, we do language. That is how civilizations heal.”
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Onwards,
Katrina vanden Heuvel
Editorial Director and Publisher, The Nation
25 Investigating naked bird (5)
26 Pagan hero dancing where some children dwell (9)
27 Retract cry of alarm and cry of pain when consuming two cups—that’s what we hope Nation cryptic solvers will do at www.leftfieldcryptics.com (4,2,5)
DOWN
1 Disregard short and very loud enclosure for rough treatment (5,3)
2 Uplifting illustrations (ten at the start of every addendum) (5)
3 Part of Concorde redesigned and laid out systematically (7)
4 See 10
5 Lever altered (redealt) (7)
6 Like a wild horse, or a concise legal contract? (9)
7 Climbing mountain, sped up to get flat (6)
9 Doctor said, “This is a good place to speak” (4)
12 Chopped liver on rye, essentially? Indeed (6)
14 Fey, timeless performance around five is early (2,7)
15 Old Yankee cloak (6)
17 Stumble over oil spill in African city (7)
18 Large vehicle and two Ford models connecting two universities in Pacific nation (7)
19 Heard fruit, heard fruit, for example (4)
20 Journey captured live for man with all the answers? (6)
23 Grind D. Crosby’s partner (5)
24 Notice small vessel (4)
Dear Readers: This is the last Nation puzzle. You can continue to get Kosman and Picciotto’s cryptic crosswords by going to leftfieldcryptics.com. See their goodbye message in last week’s issue.
SOLUTION TO PUZZLE NO. 3528
Joshua Kosman and Henri PicciottoJoshua Kosman and Henri Picciotto are The Nation’s puzzlers. To read more about Kosman, click here. To read more about Picciotto, click here. Kosman and Picciotto explain what they’re up to in “Solving The Nation’s Cryptic Crosswords” (also available as a PDF). Check out The Nation’s Current Issue page each week for the latest puzzle.