With a month of unknowns left before the start of college classes, a clear class divide has opened between the college “haves”—those institutions with deep pockets and an elite brand—and all the rest.

In short, the “haves” can afford to minimize COVID-19 risk by keeping classes online or going to a hybrid model. They have big endowments. Their diplomas confer status that students don’t want to give up. For the rest, whether Christian or secular, not fully opening will pre­sent risks that apparently outweigh COVID-19 concerns.

When Susan Yim had roommates, she could barely cram her juice into an overcrowded freezer. Her new, roommate-free apartment is smaller, but the freezer has room to spare. Yim, a designer for J.P. Morgan, now pays fees and utilities alone, and groceries can be tricky: Her soy milk once turned chunky before she could drink it, and buying lettuce means eating salad for a week or watching it go bad. 

Today’s New York moment is courtesy of WORLD New York summer intern Esther Eaton.

Although it’s a case that’s been dominating New York conversations, the unfolding legal drama of wealthy businessman Jeffrey Epstein might be on hold for a few months or a year. On Wednesday morning of last week, press, clerks, and private citizens filled a lower Manhattan courtroom for his status hearing.

Today’s New York moment is courtesy of WORLD New York summer intern Esther Eaton.

A woman pushed a stroller down the sidewalk. A smiling couple paused at a corner produce stand to buy mangos. A young man inspected the prices at a barbershop.

“Cut! Reset.”

Pedestrians stopped, turned around, and returned to their starting marks as the film crew members reset their cameras.

“Background, action!”

In the months leading up to the frenzied conclusion of Maine’s 2019 legislative session, pro-life protesters in the state braved evening rain to call for revival, churches organized prayer chains, and dozens of citizens spoke at hearings or submitted statements to lawmakers. Despite their efforts, right-to-life advocates this spring found only disappointment from the many laws a newly Democratic Legislature passed in Maine.

This past spring, a new memorial finally opened at Ground Zero. Six rough-edged granite monoliths, weighing up to 18 tons and inlaid with World Trade Center steel, flank a path near the South Pool. They honor the unsung fallen of 9/11: those first responders who contracted cancer, heart conditions, or scarring of their lungs from dangerous debris at the site of the terror attacks.