Upshot: Looking up at Grand Central and Lady Liberty

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July 9, 2026

Karthik Patanjali/The New York Times

10-Minute Challenge: The Ceiling at Grand Central

We’d like you to look at one piece of art for 10 minutes, uninterrupted.

By Larry Buchanan and Karthik Patanjali

The New York Public Library

Close Read

The Most Iconic American Artwork Is the Hardest to See

The Statue of Liberty is caught between the sublime and the souvenir, our critic Jason Farago explains. Look again: She’s much stranger than you think.

By Jason Farago

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WEEKLY HIGHLIGHTS FROM UPSHOT FRIENDS

The New York Times

Manhattan Building’s Columns Buckled Beneath New Addition, Images Show

Images and videos of the Manhattan building analyzed by The Times show that the structural columns buckled directly beneath where the recent addition was built.

By James Glanz, Simon Ducroquet, Helmuth Rosales and Charlie Smart

Vehicles parked at gas pumps at a Gulf station.

Brandon Bell/Getty Images

Gas Stations Gain When Oil Prices Start to Drop

President Trump is berating gasoline retailers for keeping prices high. Evidence suggests the business has grown more profitable.

By Lydia DePillis

The New York Times

In Strike After Strike, Ukraine Is Bringing the War to Crimea

Ukraine is engaged in a campaign in Crimea to take out Russian air defenses, sever vital supply lines, and cripple the peninsula's energy grid and fuel reserves.

By Marc Santora, Aric Toler and Josh Holder

The New York Times

U.S. Trade Deficit Widens in May on Record Goods Imports

Imports of foreign goods, including pharmaceuticals and equipment for data centers, hit a record high, pushing the monthly trade deficit to its highest level in over a year.

By Ana Swanson

POLLING AROUND THE NATION

Sophie Park for The New York Times

Why Democrats Would Probably Come Out Ahead if Platner Dropped Out

Already near the breaking point, he held no special advantage among some key Maine voting groups he was expected to win over.

By Nate Cohn

The New York Times

President Trump’s Approval Rating: Latest Polls

Track the latest approval rating and polls on Americans’ approval of President Trump.

By Annie Daniel, Jon Huang, Ruth Igielnik, Jasmine C. Lee, Alex Lemonides, Jonah Smith, Caroline Soler, Albert Sun and Rumsey Taylor

Midterm Test

This question comes from a recent Times article. Click an answer to see if you’re right. (The link will be free.)

Vivek Ramaswamy, a Republican and billionaire biotech entrepreneur, finds himself in a very tight governor’s race. Which state is he running in?

Indiana

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