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Japan's leader Takaichi explains why she spends long hours in seclusion at her official residence Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, who is increasingly seen secluding herself at home, said on Saturday that she is using her official residence next to her office more for work to maximize efficiency. Read More.

Inside Trump's remake of the White House Rose Garden. First a stone patio, then statues Instead of adding new roses, President Donald Trump’s White House Rose Garden is growing statues. Read More.

Trump Erupts at Republican Nemeses in Late-Night Screed The president branded the MAGA rebels as “LOSERS” in a bizarre rampage. President Donald Trump was up all night thinking about his ex-MAGA foes. Trump, 80, raged against Tucker Carlson, Thomas Massie, and Marjorie Taylor Greene in a late Friday night rant, weeks after they met up and teased that a “movement” was brewing. “Tucker Carlson just met with Lightweight “Former” Congressman, Thomas Massie, and Marjorie “Traitor” Greene, LOSERS ALL!” Trump’s nearly 300-word diatribe began. It was not immediately clear which meeting the president was referring to. On Aug. 1, Greene posted an image on X showing her smiling alongside Carlson, who was seated at the head of the table, as well as Massie and former counterterrorism official Joe Kent. “We said no more foreign wars, and we meant it and supported Donald Trump because he made that promise. But he’s betrayed us all,” Greene wrote at the time. “Our commitment is America First for all Americans, right, left, and center. The movement has begun.” Three weeks later, Trump seemed to have found the time to hit back with an attack on the one-time MAGA officials who fell out of favor over the Iran war, the Epstein files, and his “big, beautiful bill.” “Tucker’s ‘Views’ have fallen through the floor, and will only get worse. Nobody cares about him any longer in that he has become totally irrelevant, and happens to be, surprisingly, a very Low I.Q. individual,” he wrote. “Tucker is a loser, and always has been!” “Marjorie Taylor Brown (Green turns to Brown under stress!), a highly neurotic young woman, went from Ultra Conservative to a Liberal ‘Fool,’ all in a matter of weeks, because I refused to return her phone calls — Not because I didn’t like her, just because I had no time,” he went on. As for Massie, Trump claimed that the Kentucky representative “turned out to be a failed politician, and a real JERK. He thought it was really wonderful to vote, ‘NO,’ on everything, no matter how good, strong, or proper the Legislation would be.” “What a team this would be, THREE LOSERS, and a pocketful of change!” Trump continued. “The only chance they have is to join the Radical Left Dumocrats, and try breaking into the Primary System. To all of them I say, PRAISE BE TO ALLAH!” Trump’s meltdown came as Axios reported that Vice President JD Vance attended a fundraiser on Wednesday at the Southampton, New York home of Omeed Malik, the president of 1789 Capital. The “anti-woke” firm is a major investor in Carlson’s media company. The Truth Social post left Greene and Massie grasping for answers on why Trump decided to come after them now. “I wonder if it was being called a traitor at his own rally yesterday that caused him to dictate his lies and insult-laden attack on Tucker, Thomas, and I, while he flew back on the plane. It’s also the bad polling that I’m sure he’s seen by now,” Greene shot back, likely referring to a Trump heckler who was thrown out of a South Carolina rally on Friday. “President Trump’s demeanor, name-calling, absurd and reckless rhetoric is unbecoming of the office of the president, is a bad example of leadership, and is hurting America’s reputation and place in the world,” she continued. “At this point, he’s no different than an internet troll or one of the many millions of bots that say awful horrible things.” Massie, meanwhile, mused that Trump was lashing out at them because his policies are failing. “Trump’s getting roasted today for his disastrous beef policy, the debt hit $40 trillion because of his ‘big beautiful bill,’ he stepped-in-it in Iran, and he’s weeks away from failing his mid-terms in November. He posted this because we are the three he should have listened to,” he wrote on X. https://www.thedailybeast.com/trump-erupts-at-maga-foes-tucker-carlson-thomas-massie-and-marjorie-taylor-greene-in-truth-social-post/?

Trump’s DOJ Sets Off Alarm Bells With Election Monitoring Hire The Florida lawyer served jail time after illegally accessing government election websites. A lawyer who served jail time for hacking election websites appears to be working alongside the Justice Department officials tasked with monitoring elections. David Levin was spotted with DOJ attorney William F. Mohrman outside a Minneapolis polling place during the department’s monitoring of Minnesota’s primary, according to Democracy Docket. The sighting comes a decade after Levin was arrested for illegally accessing government election websites in Florida. Investigators said Levin used a cyberattack in 2016 to extract usernames and passwords from the Lee County Supervisor of Elections website. He then used Supervisor Sharon Harrington’s credentials to log in and navigate the site as an administrator. Authorities also found evidence that he separately targeted the Florida Division of Elections website. Levin initially faced three felony charges before reaching a deal and pleading guilty to two misdemeanors. He served 20 days in jail and received two years of probation. During the plea hearing, Levin called the event a “silly political stunt” intended to expose security weaknesses in the county elections office. He later said he had been “curious about the integrity of elections” but conceded that his approach was “one of the bigger mistakes I’ve made in my life.” Levin became an attorney and built an online presence as Dave the Lawyer, offering right-wing political commentary and unsuccessfully running for local office in Florida. Evidence now points to Levin having joined the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division. A photo from a July 8 ceremony shows him among more than 100 new attorneys and staff sworn in by Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon. His Facebook profile picture also shows him standing in front of a DOJ flag. The department has not confirmed Levin’s employment or whether he was officially serving as an election monitor in Minnesota. https://www.thedailybeast.com/trumps-doj-sets-off-alarm-bells-with-election-monitoring-hire/?

Hegseth Launches Twisted Attack on Free Press Over Carrier Scandal The publisher and editor of Stars and Stripes were given the boot after an interview cautioning against censorship. Pete Hegseth’s Pentagon on Friday fired the publisher and editor of the independent military news outlet Stars and Stripes for “insubordination.” Long-time publisher Max Lederer and Editor-in-Chief Erik Slavin were given “separation notices” that allow five days to appeal the decision, CBS News reports. Reporter Lara Korte announced on social media that she had also been fired. Korte and Slavin traced the decision back to interviews they did that aired on CBS Sunday Morning in July. “According to the notice, I am being fired for stating in a CBS interview that censorship of news for service members would constitute a red line. The Pentagon’s public affairs office has charged me with insubordination,” Slavin told CBS. “I stand by the principle that Stars and Stripes must remain editorially independent, as required by law and by the department’s own policies.” “It’s a shame for the institution and service members, who swore to defend the Constitution and deserve the right to a free and independent press,” Korte wrote in a series of posts about her firing. Although the newspaper operates within the Department of Defense, it is legally mandated by Congress to remain editorially independent. Lederer had announced on Wednesday his intention to step down from the post he’s held since 2007, since his opinions on how to run the media organization differed in “fundamental ways” to the Pentagon’s plans for Stars and Stripes, the newspaper reported. “I think the right step is for me to step down, get out of the way, and let different leadership step in and continue to make this, the great organization that it is, even better,” he said. Lederer was slated to finish up his tenure on Sept. 30, but now both he and his editor-in-chief have been turfed out. The move comes after President Donald Trump, Hegseth, and other military leaders downplayed reporting on dire conditions aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln reported by families of service members. Earlier this year, chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell posted a statement about the news outlet on X. “We are bringing Stars & Stripes into the 21st century. We will modernize its operations, refocus its content away from woke distractions that syphon morale, and adapt it to serve a new generation of service members,” the statement said in part. In the CBS Sunday Morning interview that led to Slavin’s firing, he said he did not know what the “woke distractions” Parnell was referring to were. In an open letter published on Stars and Stripes Friday afternoon, the new military deputy to the publisher, Navy Capt. Bill Urban, said the military remained “deeply committed” to the editorial independence of the news outlet. It is funded in part by the American taxpayer, and has a daily circulation of around 1.4 million. The staff are all employed by the Pentagon. The Department of Defense declined to comment on the situation, but a Pentagon official did confirm the separation notices were “very real.” Slavin and Lederer did not immediately reply to a request for comment. https://www.thedailybeast.com/hegseths-twisted-attack-on-free-press-over-carrier-scandal/? ps:What a pathetic administration! They just can't handle the truth!!!!!

US and Canada fall deeper into a trade war with new tariffs as talks collapse and blame is spread TORONTO (AP) — The United States and Canada, historic allies along an undefended border, fell deeper into a trade war Saturday marked by angry recriminations and new tariffs that are expected to raise prices for products in both countries. https://apnews.com/article/canada-us-trade-tariffs-trump-857ef76b20a766e370d70176135b678e?

🎓 South's student surge Data: National Center for Education Statistics. Chart: Erin Davis/Axios Visuals America's future college pipeline is growing in the South and shrinking elsewhere, Axios' Russell Contreras reports. By 2041, the number of high school graduates is projected to fall by 29% in California, 27% in New York and 32% in Illinois, per the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education. The South's high school graduate population is projected to grow 3%. Keep reading.

💃 Ballroom back on Marine One, carrying President Trump, flies over construction on the new White House ballroom yesterday. Photo: Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP The Supreme Court ruled yesterday that President Trump's sprawling ballroom project can proceed for now, despite a lower court's ruling that halted the administration's plans. In a brief order, Chief Justice John Roberts paused the D.C. District Court's restrictions on construction while the court weighs the administration's request. The order didn't address the project's legality or give a timeline for when SCOTUS will weigh in, Axios' Avery Lotz and Josephine Walker write. President Trump and first lady Melania Trump arrive for an event announcing the expansion of a foster care initiative in the Rose Garden of the White House on Thursday. Photo: Finn Gomez/Getty Images The big picture: The White House has pointed to the alleged plot against the White House's July UFC fight and the White House Correspondents' Dinner attack as evidence of a heightened threat environment that boosts the need for the ballroom and the renovation of a secure bunker below it. A White House official wrote in a filing sent to the Supreme Court that the project is already 65% complete and that construction of the underground facilities is nearly finished. Zoom out: The joint cost of the ballroom and underground bunker is projected to be at least $600 million, up $400 million from when the project was first announced. Keep reading.

✨ Wall Street's AI blind spot Illustration: Brendan Lynch/Axios There's a growing disconnect between the business and politics of data centers, Axios' Dan Primack writes. The business is booming. Public and private equities are both up and to the right — not only for actual project operators, but also for related energy and vendor plays. The politics have turned sharply negative, often on a bipartisan basis. A growing number of states have implemented or are considering moratoriums and bans. 🪧 Behind the scenes: Data center investors lament the opposition, often framing it as a correctable community education issue. They also believe that much of the political pushback will dissipate after the midterm elections. But Wall Street and Silicon Valley aren't the electorate. "We can't let China win the AI race" isn't a salient statement for most normies, particularly when their electricity bills keep rising. A Wall Street executive active in the sector told us: "There is a time horizon problem. ... Capital is underwriting decades of demand while politics runs to the next election. Those two things at times don't reconcile easily."

So I went shopping this week at walmart and most of what I bought was at least .50 cents to .75 cents more than in the past 2 weeks. Item 1 the yogurt I paid $5.69 for last week was $6.59. I could list more, but the fact is the prices are not coming down!!

⛽ Midterms vs. markets President Trump is reaching deeper into individual markets to try to bring down consumer prices. Why it matters: The administration is under mounting pressure to deliver relief as affordability becomes a bigger political liability ahead of the midterms, Axios' Courtenay Brown writes. The moves: 🥩 Beef: Trump said yesterday that he will temporarily waive tariffs on up to 300,000 metric tons of additional beef imports for 90 days, a period that would last through the midterms. 💰 Borrowing costs: The administration has tried to push down longer-term rates through Treasury debt purchases and moves to lower mortgage rates. This week's initial relief was short-lived. ⛽ Gas: Trump has pushed energy companies to cut pump prices as the Iran war sent oil prices soaring. 🛍️ Retail: The White House has pressed major retailers to cut prices, touting recent reductions by Walmart and others. The other side: Prescription drugs are a bright spot, with prices dropping at the quickest rate in six decades due to a mix of Trump- and Biden-era policies, as well as market forces. Keep reading. ps:It's pathetic! If he'd stop with his tarrifs and his pathetic wars just maybe the prices would've not gone up!!!!!

Man extends an open invitation for people to eat apples with him in the park; hundreds of people show up. (More) Bystander wades into a creek to save a 60-year-old man who fell 120 feet in Glacier National Park. (More) Startup matches college students in need of housing with aging homeowners who need an extra hand. (More) A 66-year-old job seeker encourages other older Americans not to give up after landing a job following a 16-month search. (More) Former gang leader opens a nonprofit boxing gym to provide an outlet for young people. (More) Today, we're sharing a story from reader Lorie D. in Utah. "I had an emergency appointment with a specialist doctor in an unknown part of the city. As I followed my GPS, my phone died. I ran into a store and asked a kind woman if she would look up the doctor's address. But I had his name spelled wrong, as well. The woman called several specialists until she found the right place and name, and they agreed to see me. Then the woman went the third mile, and led me in her own car to the doctor's office! The over-stressed doctor saw me, though I was half an hour late getting there."

Depression stops the formation of new brain cells, according to new study. New neurons appear to stop forming in the hippocampus of adults with major depressive disorder. Because the hippocampus plays an important role in memory and emotional response, researchers believe this lack of new neurons may make it harder to adapt to stress. The finding challenges a long-held belief that depression stems solely from an imbalance in neurotransmitters and points to a potential new therapeutic target. (More)

Rare tornadoes hit New York City area amid East Coast storms. Tornadoes struck southern Queens, Long Island, and Delaware on Thursday night, damaging cabanas and buildings at a Long Island beach club. Two to three inches of rain were also reported across the area, with several reports of people trapped in their cars by flooding. No serious injuries have been reported as of this writing. Tornadoes are rare in the area because the Atlantic Ocean typically limits atmospheric instability. (More, w/video)

Former Abercrombie & Fitch CEO mentally fit to stand sex trafficking trial. A New York judge yesterday ruled that Michael Jeffries is competent to stand trial after being hospitalized for months with dementia and Alzheimer's symptoms. The 82-year-old is slated to go on trial alongside two codefendants in late October on allegations that they promised modeling jobs to lure men into drug-fueled sex parties. Jeffries led Abercrombie from 1992 to 2014. (More)

People age 100 and older appear to have elevated levels of a rare immune cell that kills cancerous cells, according to a study published this week. The finding suggests that late-age immune adaptations may play a role in longevity. Researchers in Japan tested blood samples from 28 adults divided into three age groups: 70 to 99, 100 to 109, and 110 and older. They found that the older participants, on average, exhibited a higher ratio of CD4 CTLs, a rare immune cell also found in people fighting cancer (immune system 101, w/video). However, these older participants showed no signs of cancer. The researchers believe elevated levels of CD4 CTLs may signal a new stage of immune development that emerges around age 100 and helps the body eliminate abnormal cells, which become increasingly common with age. Yesterday was the 117th birthday of the world's oldest living person, an Englishwoman named Ethel Caterham. The oldest living person on record died in 1997 at the age of 122 years and 164 days. Explore how cancer develops and the future of treatments with 1440's expert-curated resources here.

‘They’re thinking about the likes’: deadly TikTok motorway trend horrifies Ireland Videos often begin with the camera panning across a glowing dashboard as a gloved hand starts the ignition. The camera turns to show figures with masked faces in the rear seat, who are also filming, and swivels back to show the windscreen. Beyond it, a dark cityscape. https://www.theguardian.com/media/2026/aug/22/deadly-tiktok-motorway-driving-trend-horrifies-ireland?

Trump says he views strait of Hormuz as ‘American territory’ Donald Trump called the strait of Hormuz “an American territory” on Friday, as the US continues its military blockade of Iran’s shipping and ports while Trump’s administration struggles to end its war with the country. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/aug/21/trump-strait-of-hormuz-american-territory? ps:How pathetic is that?? IndyCar race hits the streets around DC's National Mall this weekend. The first-ever motor race in the nation's capital is part of celebrations for the US' 250th birthday. Top drivers, including 2026 Indianapolis 500 winner Felix Rosenqvist, will race 147 laps around a 1.66-mile course at speeds up to 180 mph (take a ride along the track here). Preservationists have raised concerns that vibrations from the race could damage paintings in museums and historic buildings. (More)

‘She’s not afraid of anyone’: the prison writings of one of Hong Kong’s last outspoken democracy activists Chow Hang-tung has been detained since 2021, and written about everything from clothes to Tiananmen Square and the meaning of freedom https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/aug/22/chow-hang-tung-tiananmen-prison-writings-hong-kong?

As Russian missiles rain down on Kyiv, casualties mount and the mood darkens Ukraine’s military has run out of US Patriot interceptors to repel ballistic attacks, which have one aim, the capital’s mayor says: to destroy morale https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/aug/22/russian-missiles-kyiv-ukraine-casualties-mood-darkens?

Canada vows ‘dollar for dollar’ response as US puts 50% tariffs on some goods The US has imposed 50% tariffs on some goods from Canada, and Mark Carney, the country’s prime minister, has vowed to match them “dollar for dollar” after the collapse of trade talks. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/aug/22/canada-tariffs-trump-trade-deal-talks-fail?

THIS DAY IN HISTORY August 22 1851 U.S. wins first America’s Cup The U.S.-built schooner America bests a fleet of Britain’s finest ships in a race around England’s Isle of Wight. Today, the “America’s Cup” is the world’s oldest continually contested sporting trophy and represents the pinnacle of international sailing yacht competition. read more Sponsored Content by REVCONTENT 19th Century 1864 First Geneva Convention establishes Red Cross aid for war wounded American Revolution 1776 Redcoats land at Long Island Arts & Entertainment 1935 Pulitzer Prize-winning author Annie Proulx is born 1969 Zager and Evans end a six-week run at No. 1 with their smash-hit “In The Year 2525 (Exordium & Terminus)” Civil War 1862 President Lincoln replies to Horace Greeley Cold War 1968 Czechs protest against Soviet invasion Crime 1994 DNA testing links O.J. Simpson to murders of Nicole Simpson and Ron Goldman 1922 Irish politician Michael Collins assassinated 1911 Theft of “Mona Lisa” is discovered 1992 Shootings continue at Ruby Ridge European History 1849 Austria attacks Venice with balloon bombs, considered the first remote aerial attack 1485 Battle of Bosworth Field Inventions & Science 1962 Citroen helps de Gaulle survive assassination attempt Sports 1989 Nolan Ryan registers 5,000th strikeout 1965 Juan Marichal hits catcher with bat, instigating epic MLB brawl Vietnam War 1972 Demonstrators disrupt Republican National Convention in Miami Beach

August 22, 2026 Good morning. What makes a movie a summer movie? Is it the time of its release, or the way that it depicts the season itself? Or something else entirely? María Jesús Contreras Sun screen By Melissa Kirsch I saw “E.T.” at a drive-in movie theater on Cape Cod in the summer of 1982. The film itself takes place in fall (remember when they cloak E.T. in a sheet so they can take him trick-or-treating?) but it’s forever suspended in summer for me, inextricable from the sticky back seat and the sticky humidity in which I saw it. But “Die Hard,” which was released in the summer of 1988, takes place on Christmas Eve and — for me at least — is a winter movie. I’m sure I saw it the July it came out, but the film’s content transcends its summer blockbuster status. What makes a movie a summer movie? In 2000, Terrence Rafferty declared in The Times, “Steven Spielberg’s ‘Jaws’ created the Summer Movie as we know it: the action-heavy ‘thrill ride’ sort of picture, aimed at sensation-hungry younger audiences, which moves into theaters around Memorial Day and remains there, partying hard, until the school year starts up again in September.” “Jaws” continues to be as bound up in the mythology of summer as Popsicles and beach balls, though a piece by Stuart Klawans in 2002 blamed it for turning the beach into “a site of isolation, anxiety and horror,” one that foreclosed the insouciance of “Beach Blanket Bingo” and its ilk, and gave way to “Cast Away,” “Titanic” and other pessimistic seaborne tales. (Those each came out in December, for what it’s worth.) When I think about the movies that unfailingly evoke summer for me, I think of a feeling, a quality of light, an airy mood of expansiveness. The exemplar is the 1988 comedy “Mystic Pizza,” starring Julia Roberts, Lili Taylor and Annabeth Gish as three charming, brave, wisecracking pals working at their local Connecticut pizzeria the summer after high school. They each fall in love. They each have their hearts cracked, if not totally broken. They each presented to me, 14 when I first saw the movie, a romantic vision of what summer might look like when I was older, when I would have a job and go on dates and have my own heart broken. When I asked people about their quintessential summer films, the answers weren’t surprising, but, aside from “Jaws,” they also weren’t Big Movies. They were the ones with an atmosphere of summer, the ones whose mentions fairly conjure the itch of a mosquito bite and the smell of a bonfire: “Meatballs.” “Little Darlings.” “Dirty Dancing.” “Do the Right Thing.” They’re films that, no matter when you watch them, transport you to some deliciously unattainable past. Unlike songs of summer, which are artifacts of one specific year, movies of summer are perennial, evocative of every summer all at once. I haven’t seen anything yet this year that feels like it’ll enter the pantheon of eternal summer classics. “The Odyssey” probably isn’t a worthy contender, as entertaining as it is. But I’m planning to see “Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma” this week, which seems like it might hold genuine promise. THE LATEST NEWS Trade President Trump hit the Canadian steel industry with tariffs of up to 50 percent last year. Carlos Osorio/Reuters The United States will impose new tariffs on some $20 billion worth of Canadian goods, on top of hefty tariffs already in place on major Canadian industries, after the two countries failed to reach a deal before a midnight deadline. President Trump announced that he would allow ground beef to be imported into the U.S. with lower tariffs over the next 90 days. The news seemed to surprise and anger American ranchers. Trump Administration Chief Justice John Roberts said Trump could continue building his White House ballroom, for now, while the Supreme Court considers the case. Trump threatened to sue a liberal think tank for $5 billion for reporting that his National Guard deployments had little effect on reducing violent crime. The Trump administration has sharply slowed funding to Harvard University via the National Institutes of Health, despite a court ruling forcing the administration to undo cuts. Immigration A private prison company donated more than $1.4 million to Trump’s PAC shortly after the company was awarded lucrative government contracts to house immigrants awaiting deportation. The Trump administration approved a $5 million payment to Liberia in connection with a deal to send migrants there, internal documents show. At least five migrants deported to Liberia refused to get off the plane there. They were then taken to another country, Equatorial Guinea. More Politics The Pentagon fired the publisher and the editor in chief of Stars and Stripes, a government-funded news outlet that covers the military, after it reported on deteriorating morale on the U.S.S. Abraham Lincoln. A Times exclusive: Jessica Ramos, a New York state senator, has used campaign funds for travel while billing taxpayers for the same charges. Middle East In Tehran last month. Arash Khamooshi/Polaris for The New York Times A top Iranian official said the country would seek to dampen the effect of economic sanctions after the Trump administration vowed to aggressively tighten them. The risk of a catastrophic oil spill in the Strait of Hormuz has increased as tankers navigate the waterway with their location devices turned off. A Palestinian teenager was killed after Israeli settlers entered a village in the West Bank. The Palestinian and the Israeli authorities offered conflicting accounts of the incident. Other Big Stories TikTok agreed to pay $400 million to settle a lawsuit brought by the Justice Department during the Biden administration concerning the company’s collection of data from users under the age of 13. Much of Gary, Ind., has been without electricity for 10 days since deadly storms ripped through the city. Mark Zuckerberg bought an Irish castle. Giorgia Meloni reflected on her route from onetime outcast to prime minister of Italy in a rare interview with The Times. (Read takeaways.) THE WEEK IN CULTURE Film and TV Photo Illustration by Zachary Balcoff/The New York Times. Photographs: Magnolia Pictures; Mubi; A24; Getty Images. The year of the sex mentor: In recent films, including “Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma” and “The Invite,” middle-aged gurus are helping younger characters relearn desire. Two (unrelated) movies about guys on a chaotic road trip — one called “Nimrods,” the other “Idiots” — are hitting theaters this month. Here’s how that happened. “It Ends,” a horror film about a road trip with no exit, is a taut, efficient thriller about the transition into adulthood, our critic writes. Music With the Kennedy Center shuttered for a two-year renovation, the National Symphony Orchestra plans to perform in six halls scattered across the Washington area. It will also embark on its first national tour in years. Ye, the rapper formerly known as Kanye West, is set to perform two stadium shows in St. Petersburg, Russia, this fall. The concerts would be the first in Russia by a major Western performer since the invasion of Ukraine. More Culture The New York Times A production of “Les Misérables” at Tuacahn in southern Utah, staged outdoors against the region’s dramatic landscape, may be the most successful in the theater’s 31-year history. Michael Paulson, a theater reporter, traveled there to explain why. Click the video above to watch. Our dance critic writes about the champion surfer Caitlin Simmers: “Surfing can be an art, motion turned into magic. Simmers takes that a step further by matching her personal rhythm to that of the sea.” Read her profile. Rachel Cusk’s new novel, “Life of M,” is full of details that echo the life and career of Natalie Portman — though the writer refuses to concede that it’s about her. It left our critic cold. Free this week: Play all 3 Crosswords. You can access every new crossword puzzle through August 23. Whether you have seconds or 60 minutes, there’s a puzzle for everyone. Start solving today. RECIPE OF THE WEEK Christopher Testani for The New York Times By Melissa Clark Zucchini Fritters Easy to make but hard to stop eating, Melissa Knific’s golden, vegetable-filled zucchini fritters are a great place to use up all the summer squash that’s in season right now. The trick here is to squeeze the zucchini in a kitchen towel to remove all the excess moisture. This ensures that they turn crispy as they fry, rather than steam. Serve them with something tangy on the side — either lemon wedges for squeezing or a punchy sauce like ranch dressing or tzatziki for dipping. REAL ESTATE Ann and Matt Miller Rodrigo Cardoso for The New York Times The Hunt: A pair of empty-nesters decided to relocate to Portugal, but Lisbon had become too expensive. A nearby coastal city won them over. Which home did they choose? Play our game. On the water: When three generations of the Schipper family escape their urban homes to gather at Lake Rosseau in Ontario, they don’t just live near the water — they live on it, in a boathouse. Miami millions: For the first time, living in South Florida costs more than living in the New York City area. Exhibit A: West Palm Beach has long been a working-class city. A single developer’s $10 billion construction plan is changing that identity. LIVING We’ve made these links free for you. A vintage onesie. Lexi Parra for The New York Times Vintage, baby: Parents have long dressed their children in hand-me-downs. But lately some are seeking items with a rarer provenance, and prices are becoming stratospheric. It’s still summer: A swim in wild waters can bring escape and exhilaration. Here are six places on state and national park land to backstroke, butterfly or just beat the heat. Melanoma F.A.Q.: This week, Merck and Moderna announced promising results from a clinical trial for an mRNA vaccine to treat melanoma. Here is the latest on what doctors know about the skin cancer. Always changing: Our writer noticed her feet had suddenly grown a size. Turns out, it’s a common sign of aging. Here are four other unexpected changes. ADVICE FROM WIRECUTTER Kento Iida for NYT Wirecutter Tech tips for parents There are no universal guidelines for how to nurture kids’ relationships with technology, but after interviewing experts, combing through research and surveying hundreds of Wirecutter readers with kids under 18, we’ve compiled some advice — including when to introduce your teen to social media. Before setting up an account, start an open dialogue about how the algorithm works and how it can affect the way they feel. Turn on privacy settings. And remind your teen that future employers or college-admissions officers may look at their social media, so they should be cautious about what they post. Finally, build trust so they feel comfortable coming to you if they interact with something or someone troubling. — Ellen Lee NOW TIME TO PLAY Here is today’s Spelling Bee. Yesterday’s pangram was groundhog. Take the news quiz to see how well you followed this week’s headlines. And here are today’s Mini Crossword, Wordle, Crossplay, Connections and Strands. Thanks for spending part of your weekend with The Times. — Melissa Sign up here to get this newsletter in your inbox. Reach our team at themorning@nytimes.com. Host: Sam Sifton Editor: Adam B. Kushner News Editor: Tom Wright-Piersanti News Staff: Evan Gorelick, Brent Lewis, Lara McCoy, Karl Russell Saturday Writer: Melissa Kirsch Editorial Director, Newsletters: Jodi Rudoren Deputy Editorial Director: Lauren Jackson

The A.D. and B.C. system was not proposed until 525 A.D. by a monk. However, it was not widely used until the 9th Century. James