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ACROSS
1 At first, acute pressure to back up claims (7)
5 Like one receiving a pension or new wheels? (7)
9 En route, I smuggled in bell (5)
10 Enterprising stratagem after disposing of initial debts (9)
11 Like a bit of sapphire amid mere counterfeit jewelry (10)
12 Computer person losing head with love, love, love… (4)
14 Commercial break without purpose (6)
16 Nerd goes around globe with no better than average means of access (8)
18 Perfume dispenser talking at a cheapskate (8)
Between the reemergence of right-wing red-baiting and Donald Trump’s use of the chilling National Security Presidential Memorandum–7 to criminalize left political organizing, we’re seeing McCarthyism reborn before our eyes.
This assault on democracy cannot be ignored or wished away. Resisting it requires bravery in the face of threats and repression, a steadfast commitment to the truth, and the unwavering belief that we can—and will—overcome this darkness.
We must have an independent media that sets the record straight, unearths corruption and abuses of power, and advances a politics of justice and dignity for all if we’re to win this fight.
That’s why I’m writing to you today. This September, The Nation needs to add 100 monthly donors to sustain our progressive journalism. Your contribution makes the next investigative report, the next truth-speaking column, and the next pathbreaking essay all possible.
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Onward,
Katrina vanden Heuvel
Editor and Publisher, The Nation
19 Flat stone housing Kentucky research facility (6)
21 What you need to think without limits: money (4)
22 Written right to left in Avignon, the calfskin describes that object with many stories (10)
25 Sound arrangement of skeleton is outstanding (9)
26 Man takes in Eastern playwright (5)
27 Spooner’s optimal skin tone is the subject of a treaty (4,3)
28 Certain back muscles captivating alien (7)
DOWN
1 Keep reusing garment materials as a way to stay cool (5,10)
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2 Legal actions of executives (5)
3 Urchin runs over to conceal error (10)
4 Second piece of furniture is not likely to fall (6)
5 Brooks and birds, running (8)
6 Bishop’s skirt (4)
7 Applaud Panama, say, for invasive operation (4,5)
8 Confused, having expanded outside small band at second-rate university (15)
13 Garden tool interfering with plant disease is a safety feature (5,5)
15 Hopper looks for oil and gas—they’re on top of the car (4,5)
17 Blue law inscribed in broken cane (8)
20 Feverish, except for the face (it is an ailment) (6)
23 Old-fashioned recording, like “Jungle Love” at the beginning (5)
24 Beat of young reporter including legislature’s opening (4)
SOLUTION TO PUZZLE NO. 3500
ACROSS 1 NOTIFICA[tio]N + HELPIT (anag.) 9 BE(DFE)LLOW (Fed anag.) 10 E + ULER (anag.) 11 rev. 12 SPIN + DO + CTOR (rev.) 14 “seen” 15 anag. 18 CHE(APE)ST 20 C + ADET (anag.) 23 REST + AURA + N[o]T 25 P + RIM 27 L(O)ADS 28 B(L)INDS + IDE[a] 29 letter bank
DOWN 1 NO + BE + LIST 2 anag. 3 “flu” 4 anag. 5 [k]NO-WIN[g] 6 “icon tacked” 7 2 defs. 8 TORE + RO (rev.) 13 ME(TATARS)AL 16 sound switch 17 anag. (&lit.) 19 H(USB)AND 21 DAR(L)ING 22 P + RELIM (rev., &lit.) 24 Barbi[e] anag. 26 “idol”
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).