reclaiming home in america’s new era

On a humid July afternoon in 2026, a modest crowd gathers outside a newly built row of modest homes in a once-neglected neighborhood. The air carries the faint scent of fresh paint and cut grass, a quiet testament to a federal effort years in the making. The 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, signed into law just days ago, is beginning to reshape the very idea of homeownership in America12. It’s a moment that might seem small to some—a ribbon-cutting here, a new tenant moving in there—but it marks a significant turning point in a decade-long struggle over who gets to claim a stake in the American dream. ...

July 11, 2026 · 5 min · Only Yesterday

tehran’s twilight and the reshaping of power

On a humid afternoon in Tehran, the streets throng with a mix of solemnity and uncertainty. The funeral of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei draws crowds not just mourning a man but witnessing the closing of a chapter that has shaped the region for decades. Yet, as the mourners chant and the clergy intone prayers, an unmistakable undercurrent ripples through the air: the future is uncharted, and the old certainties are dissolving faster than the incense smoke drifting above the crowd123. ...

July 6, 2026 · 5 min · Only Yesterday

tehran’s twilight and the new cold fire

On the sweltering streets of Tehran this week, a sea of mourners moves slowly beneath the summer sun, their faces a mixture of grief, defiance, and uncertainty. The death of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s Supreme Leader since 1989, has drawn tens of thousands into a funeral procession that is as much a political event as a moment of national mourning12. The killing of Khamenei in a U.S.-Israeli airstrike earlier this year marked a turning point not only for Iran but for the entire Middle East. As the days-long funeral unfolds, it reveals the deep fissures and the fragile balances that now define regional geopolitics. ...

July 5, 2026 · 5 min · Only Yesterday