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The waters surrounding Britain are speckled with thousands of small islands, only a small fraction of which are inhabited, some by as few as one or two people. “Among those who call Britain’s small islands home are a collection of wardens — caretakers who spend their lives in quiet solitude, away from the crowded corners of our urban world,” writes Alex Ingram. “Often employed by nonprofit conservation groups, their role is to maintain and manage the preservation of their small speck of land — its natural beauty, its wildlife — for future generations, often while conducting research into delicate ecosystems.” For the past 3 years @alexingramphoto has been visiting some of these remote islands, spending at least a week on each and experiencing firsthand what life is like. Tap the link in our bio to read and see more of his photos and experiences from @nytimestravel.

As children, Johnny and Luther Htoo were leaders of Myanmar’s God’s Army. Now adults, they are contending with the trauma of exile, alcohol and loss. Just before the turn of the century, Luther and Johnny, then not even 10 years old, took command of a Karen militia hundreds strong that aimed to protect the ethnic group from incursions by the Myanmar Army. Their followers, descendants of Baptists converted by American missionaries, worshiped the twins, who were once thought to have magical powers. There was the tale of the time when Luther went to bathe in a stream and shape-shifted into an old man who might have been an apostle, and another when Johnny supposedly walked on water. And each, they said, could use prayer to conjure up a battalion of invisible soldiers sent by God. The Htoo twins generated worldwide attention when their crusade ended in a storm of bullets: At least 100 of God’s Army’s fighters, some children, were killed in years of battle. Many more lost limbs, livelihoods and their grip on reality. The boys, now 32-year-old men, are the last connection to a lost home for their followers, who have dispersed across the world, from refugee camps in Thailand to exile communities in places like New Zealand and North Carolina. The displaced soldiers are part of a global diaspora of refugees that is now the largest in history. In Myanmar alone, more than 1M ethnic minorities, mostly Rohingya Muslims, have been uprooted by conflict since 2016. As Myanmar’s borderlands remain at war, UN investigators have accused the nation’s army of acting with genocidal intent against its own people. Tap the link in our bio to read more about the Htoo twins. What’s in these photos: Luther inside a farmhouse shed the village of Nat Than Kwin, Myanmar. Photo by @minzayar_oo The Thai police escorting Johnny, left, and Luther at a border post after they surrendered in 2001. Photo by Sukree Sukplang/Reuters Johnny, center, being carried by a soldier in 1998. Photo by Thierry Falise/Lightrocket, via Getty Images Johnny at home near the Myanmar border in Ratchaburi, Thailand. Photo by @adamjdean

The Senate began its confirmation hearings today for Judge Amy Coney Barrett. She is President Trump’s choice to fill the vacant Supreme Court seat left by Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who died last month. Democrats will look to portray Judge Barrett as a conservative ideologue who would throw out the Affordable Care Act and overturn Roe v. Wade. Republicans will seek to keep the hearings moving speedily, with the Senate Judiciary Committee hoping to finish the hearings in 4 days. Though fights over Supreme Court nominees have become increasingly bitter in recent years, no modern confirmation battle has played out so close to a major presidential election. Democrats will go on the offensive, portraying Judge Barrett’s nomination as an election-season power grab by President Trump and Republicans, and saying she will side with the president in any legal disputes arising from the Nov. 3 election. Republicans will try to deflect those charges and redirect attention toward Judge Barrett’s résumé and compelling personal story. But their goal above all else is speed — pushing through the confirmation before Election Day — and it appears that they have the votes to install her and cement a 6-to-3 conservative majority on the court before the end of October. Tap the link in our bio for live coverage. Photo by @erinschaff.

Isabella Rossellini has been practicing social distancing — except with her dogs, sheep and chickens, of course.⁣ ⁣ @isabellarossellini has been busy rehearsing on her farm on Long Island, where she will give 4 online performances of “Sex and Consequences” starting Friday, each followed by an audience Q & A. She shares the 6-acre spread with 2 dogs, a half-dozen heritage sheep and even more chickens, several of whom will be part of the show.⁣ ⁣ The show is a biodiversity sequel of sorts to “Green Porno,” the theatrical lecture she adapted from her captivatingly odd Sundance Channel series of film shorts, in which a surreally costumed Rossellini would act out the mating habits of bees, say, or earthworms, relating scientific facts with dramatic hilarity.⁣ ⁣ “Sex and Consequences,” which alternates live performance with shorts both old and new, is about genetic inheritance and social evolution, filtered through absurdity and abetted by playful design.⁣ ⁣ Though she made her name as an actress and a model, Rossellini, now 68, also has a master’s degree in animal behavior and conservation from Hunter College.⁣ ⁣ “I always wanted to make films about animals, and I always looked at David Attenborough, National Geographic,” she said. “I wrote to them, you know, when I was 19, 20, 21. I wrote to all of them saying, ‘I would like a job. Can I work? Can I apprentice?’”⁣ ⁣ Tap the link in our bio to read more about Rossellini. Photo by @camilafalquez.⁣

“A lot of people as they get older get more protected and terrified, ” Nicole Kidman said. “My desire is to keep throwing myself into things. My parenting, my relationship, my work. I’ll take the pain. I’ll take the joy.” @nicolekidman is set to play Grace Fraser, a Manhattan therapist in HBO’s upcoming mini-series “The Undoing,” whose impeccably ordered life is suddenly shattered by violence and lust. Grace is a kind of woman we’ve seen Kidman play before, a kind of woman in which the actress keeps finding adventurous new depths. “I’ve fought that emotional intensity at times and tried to protect myself from it,” Kidman said. “Now I’m at the point where I’m like, no. Digest it. Maybe don’t even understand it. But always have it flow.” At 53, she said she was pushing herself into places she doesn’t find comfortable, interested in philosophy and the human psyche. Tap the link in our bio to read the full Q&A in @nytmag with Kidman, where she talks about working with Stanley Kubrick on the movie “Eyes Wide Shut,” living her life through her work and how movie producing led to a revival of her career. Photo illustration by @braulioamado.

For years, New York City has been the most popular big-city destination in the U.S. Now, it’s facing a tourism crisis. International arrivals to the city are down by as much as 93%, and the people and the businesses of the city’s tourism industry are on the brink. “I have no fares. There’s no flights coming in, no tourists visiting and there’s less people on the streets,” said Jean Metellus, a 71-year-old Queens resident who has owned his taxi since 1988. “So there’s no business, but we still have to pay the bills.” Jarring scenes from all around the city lay bare the devastating impact of the absence of tourism. In Times Square, the vibrant street signs still shine, but more than half of the hotels in the area have closed and foot traffic has cratered. Outside Kennedy International Airport, the long line of yellow cabs that in years past rotated like a conveyor belt to meet the demand of passenger arrivals has disappeared. At Columbus Circle, pedicab bikers hunch over their handlebars, looking at their phones. Red tour buses continue to make daily rounds, but they drive empty past abandoned landmarks as their agents scavenge the sidewalks for local tourists. Tap the link in our bio to read more about the roots of the city’s travel slump and the road to recovery ahead. Photos by @karstenmoran

Cooks around the country are just starting to calculate Thanksgiving menus and decide how many guests they can safely host. But for months, the people who grow and sell the centerpiece of the meal have been doing their own kind of turkey math. Without big gatherings, will Americans buy whole birds? Smaller ones? Just parts? Farmers and retailers are already placing their bets. “That’s the big question on the tip of everybody’s tongue,” said Stew Leonard Jr., who expects to sell 20% fewer big turkeys at the 7 stores his family owns in the Northeast. All indications are that the holiday gatherings that used to bring together dozens of people to share one or two turkeys will be scuttled in favor of smaller celebrations. That could lead to a run on small turkeys, a higher-than-usual demand for parts like whole breasts, and higher prices across the board. And although no turkey farmer likes to hear this, some cooks may simply decide to go all in on a big chicken. Tap the link in our bio to read more about how a disrupted Thanksgiving is leaving the turkey industry guessing. Photo by @ackermangruber.

At historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs), homecoming is more than a football game.⁣ ⁣ “It’s the brisk fall air that calls for fashionably layered outfits,” @loveck_ writes. “It’s the smell of barbecue and fried fish at tailgates. It’s the sound of sorority songs and fraternity chants, the vibration of the band as majorette dancers rush onto the field. It’s the feel of Black joy and unity, as crowds of students and alumni sweep across campuses in droves, their school colors emblazoned on their shirts.”⁣ ⁣ And for many alumni, it’s fall’s biggest event.⁣ ⁣ This year, festivities at most colleges have been canceled because of the pandemic. Some are hosting digital events and virtual performances. Others, like Morehouse College, have focused on other kinds of outreach, including voter registration.⁣ ⁣ A virtual civic event can’t be quite as lively as a normal homecoming, said Joe Carlos, the associate director of alumni engagement at Morehouse, but he hopes it will be just as uplifting.⁣ ⁣ “It’s going to be different,” he said. “Nothing replaces a hug and that spirit of camaraderie and family, which is what homecoming is about.”⁣ ⁣ Tap the link in our bio for a deeper look into what makes homecoming fall’s most anticipated event at HBCUs. Video by @shaneisland.⁣

President Trump addressed hundreds of supporters gathered at the White House on Saturday in his first public event since he was hospitalized with the coronavirus. He is trying to recover forward movement in his campaign for re-election with just 3 weeks to go.⁣ ⁣ Trump called the event a “peaceful protest” in honor of “law and order,” and White House aides described it as an official event. But it had some of the hallmarks of his campaign gatherings, including attendees wearing red caps with his campaign slogan, “Make America Great Again.” ⁣ ⁣ “I’m feeling great!” Trump told the crowd at the event, which was organized by his supporter Candace Owens, who has led a “Blexit” movement to prompt Black voters to leave the Democratic Party.⁣ ⁣ Trump’s voice sounded stronger than it had earlier in the week, and his complexion was better than in a video of himself he tweeted out on Wednesday. But in a departure from his typical speaking engagements, Trump appeared for a shorter time than the nearly 30 minutes that officials advertised: He spoke for just about 15 minutes.⁣ ⁣ The event continues Trump’s pattern of using the White House for political events, as he did with his speech to the Republican National Convention in August. He plans to hold a rally in Orlando, Florida, on Monday.⁣ ⁣ Tap the link in our bio for the latest. Photo by @nytmills.⁣

Part Four of our investigation into Trump’s taxes: President Trump didn’t just fail to drain the swamp, as promised. He reinvented it and relocated it — to his own hotels and resorts. We found over 200 companies, special-interest groups and foreign governments that patronized Trump properties while reaping benefits from him and his administration. Nearly a quarter of those patrons have never before been publicly disclosed.⁣ ⁣ Tap the link in our bio for the full investigation. ⁣

Just in time for autumn, @samanthaseneviratne's apple cider whoopie pies are 🍁 🍎 🍂 ! Despite the name, these aren’t really pies at all but rather soft, cakelike cookie sandwiches. They are inspired by a classic apple cider doughnut and, true to form, are dusted with cinnamon sugar (and filled with good old cream cheese frosting).⁣ ⁣ Tap the link in our bio for the recipe from @nytcooking. Photo by @linda.xiao, with food styling by @monicapierini.

From @tmagazine: Before the pandemic made it dangerous to travel, Joanna Williams, the founder of Kneeland Co. in Los Angeles, was constantly crisscrossing the globe — visiting countries like India, Mexico, Turkey, France, Italy and Britain as part of her job running a vintage textile library and consulting service for luxury brands and designers. ⁣ ⁣ Earlier this year, inspired by the artisans and makers she met along the way, @jleighwms decided to open a shop called Rarities, which adjoins her showroom in the historic West Adams neighborhood of South LA. There, you’ll find a myriad of pottery, textiles and other handicrafts, including vintage ceramic Staffordshire dogs, beautiful block-print textiles by Gregory Parkinson and colorful Oaxacan flower candles, each with a story behind it. ⁣ ⁣ “I wanted to share that sense of discovery,” Williams said. “It’s about finding something you can cherish,” she added. “I like things that leave a lasting impression.” ⁣ ⁣ Tap the link in our bio for more of the things @tmagazine and @kczarra recommend this week. Photo by @lilyking.la.⁣