Deadline Poet / December 12, 2023

The Death of Henry Kissinger

Calvin Trillin
Secretary of State Henry Kissinger make a statement in the State Department briefing room after receiving the Nobel Peace prize.
Secretary of State Henry Kissinger make a statement in the State Department briefing room after receiving the Nobel Peace prize. (Wally McNamee / Corbis / Getty Images)

When somebody dies it is said
One shouldn’t speak ill of the dead.
To that I have tried to stay true.
It’s rarely been harder to do.

Calvin Trillin

Calvin Trillin is The Nation’s “deadline poet.”

More from The Nation

Lecture at Regis College, 1978.

Adjuncting Until the End of Time Adjuncting Until the End of Time

Universities now have more adjuncts than tenured and tenure-track professors combined. The conditions are unsustainable—for professors and students alike.

Maria Adelmann

Adou Thiero of the Los Angeles Lakers looks on in the first half of the 2026 NBA Summer League game against the Chicago Bulls on July 16, 2026, in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The Bogus Lakers Sale Is Exactly Why We Need Publicly Owned Sports Teams The Bogus Lakers Sale Is Exactly Why We Need Publicly Owned Sports Teams

These private-equity vampires will just keep strip-mining the things that give us joy if we let them.

Dave Zirin

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Linda McMahon.

Trump Is Writing Off Kids With Disabilities, but We Shouldn’t  Trump Is Writing Off Kids With Disabilities, but We Shouldn’t 

A broad coalition of organizations, lawmakers, and former Department of Education officials are calling to preserve the agency from Trump’s liquidation plans.

Feature / Regina Mahone

Shut Out of Special Education, This Texas Family Is Fighting Back

Shut Out of Special Education, This Texas Family Is Fighting Back Shut Out of Special Education, This Texas Family Is Fighting Back

Five-year-old Annie Morey was denied a public education even before Trump began dismantling the Department of Education. Her case now sits before the Fifth Circuit.

Feature / Pepper Stetler

Weight-loss injection pens on a scale.

What You Need to Know About the GLP-1 Economy What You Need to Know About the GLP-1 Economy

The making of a medical caste.

Richard Eskow

The Dignifying Solution to America’s Care Crisis

The Dignifying Solution to America’s Care Crisis The Dignifying Solution to America’s Care Crisis

Employee ownership turns care work jobs into good jobs—and leads to better patient outcomes.

Feature / Courtney E. Martin