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Michael Cohen says he stole from Trump’s company as defense presses key hush money trial witness NEW YORK (AP) — Michael Cohen testified Monday that he stole tens of thousands of dollars from his ex-boss Donald Trump’s company, an admission defense lawyers hope to use to undermine Cohen’s credibility as a key prosecution witness in the former president’s hush money trial. https://apnews.com/article/trump-trial-hush-money-michael-cohen-363a86879b97d2367831b1392f42689d?

Taiwan’s new President Lai in his inauguration speech urges China to stop its military intimidation TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — Taiwan’s new president, Lai Ching-te, said in his inauguration speech Monday that he wants peace with China and urged it to stop its military threats and intimidation of the self-governed island that Beijing claims as its own territory. https://apnews.com/article/taiwan-president-lai-chingte-af4ff1f254e11c24f751cea000fb42d9?

Biden tells graduates that scenes in Gaza break his heart, too President Joe Biden on Sunday offered his most direct recognition of U.S. students’ anguish over the Israel-Hamas war, telling graduates of historically Black Morehouse College in Atlanta that he heard their voices of protest and that scenes from the conflict in Gaza break his heart, too. Read more. Why this matters: To date, Biden had limited his public comments around the protests on U.S. college campuses to upholding the right to peaceful protest. Anti-war protests have roiled America’s college campuses, and at Morehouse the announcement that Biden would be the commencement speaker drew backlash among those who oppose the president’s handling of the war. Some Morehouse alumni circulated an online letter claiming Biden’s approach amounted to support of genocide in Gaza and was out of step with the pacifism expressed by Martin Luther King Jr., Morehouse’s most famous graduate. The speech — and a separate one he gave later Sunday in Detroit — are part of a burst of outreach to Black constituents by the Democratic president, whose support among these voters has softened since their strong backing helped put him in the Oval Office. Biden narrowly won Georgia and Michigan in 2020 and he needs strong Black voter turnout in Atlanta and Detroit if he hopes to repeat in November. RELATED COVERAGE ➤ Senior Republican close to Trump criticizes Biden’s arms holdup in speech to Israeli parliament The Israel-Hamas war is testing whether campuses are sacrosanct places for speech and protest Airstrike kills 27 in central Gaza and fighting rages as Israel’s leaders are increasingly divided

Europe’s far-right groups launch an unofficial campaign for the EU elections Europe’s far-right political parties have unofficially launched their campaign for next month’s European Union elections at an event organized by Spain’s far-right Vox party in Madrid, with strong messages against illegal migration and the bloc’s climate policy while declaring their support for Israel in its war against Hamas. Read more. Why this matters: Analysts say the vote across the bloc’s 27 nations could see a strong rise of the far right. After decades in which the EU elections hardly caused a ripple, the June 6-9 voting is the most important in memory. It will indicate whether the continental political drift will match the rightward swing seen across much of the globe. The vote is the second-biggest exercise in democracy behind the elections in India, as the bloc of 450 million people will be picking 720 parliamentarians to serve them over the next five years, with decisive votes on everything from digital privacy rules to international trade policy and climate measures. Attendees of the campaign launch included French National Rally party leader Marine Le Pen and Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, whose Brothers of Italy party has foundations in Benito Mussolini’s fascism. Argentina’s libertarian president, Javier Milei, was also welcomed like a star and used the spotlight to bash Spain’s socialist prime minister, and his wife — something unthinkable for most heads of state visiting a historic ally. RELATED COVERAGE ➤ Argentine president begins unusual visit to Spain, snubbing officials and courting the far-right Social divisions and hostile rhetoric in Slovakia provide fertile ground for political violence EU agrees on a new migration pact. Mainstream parties hope it will deprive the far right of votes

Iran’s president, foreign minister and others found dead at helicopter crash site Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, the country’s foreign minister and others have been found dead at the site of a helicopter crash Monday after an hourslong search through a foggy, mountainous region of the country’s northwest, state media reported. Raisi was 63. Read more. What to know: The crash: After a long search in Iran’s East Azerbaijan province, the president and foreign minister were pronounced dead by state media. State TV gave no immediate cause for the crash. The helicopter was previously said to have made an emergency landing under unclear circumstances. Initially, Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi said the helicopter “was forced to make a hard landing due to the bad weather and fog.” The victims: Raisi has long been seen as a protégé to Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, while foreign minister Hossein Amirabdollahian represented the hard-line shift after the collapse of Tehran’s nuclear deal with world powers. The helicopter also carried the governor of Iran’s East Azerbaijan province and other officials and bodyguards, the state-run IRNA news agency reported. The international reaction: After news broke of the search operation, Russia, Iraq and Qatar made formal statements of concern and offered to assist in the search. Saudi Arabia, traditionally seen as a rival of Iran, said in a statement that it “stands by Iran in these difficult circumstances.” There was no immediate official reaction from Israel. The crash comes as the Middle East remains unsettled by the Israel-Hamas war, during which Raisi launched an unprecedented drone-and-missile attack on Israel just last month. RELATED COVERAGE ➤ Live updates: Iran’s first vice president appointed president by supreme leader Helicopter crash could reverberate across the Middle East, where Iran’s influence runs wide and deep WATCH: Iran state television reports that President Raisi, the foreign minister and others were killed in a helicopter crash

Biden at Morehouse By Sareen Habeshian President Biden speaks at the Morehouse College Commencement. Photo: Elijah Nouvelage/Getty Images President Biden's commencement address today at Morehouse College faced few disruptions from those assembled. Protests were ongoing outside the graduation site, with barricades manned by the Atlanta Police. Morehouse President David Thomas told CNN Thursday that "disruptive behavior that prevents the ceremony or services" would not be allowed. Zoom in: But some students among the graduating class turned their chairs away from Biden as he began his speech, while at least one student held up a Palestinian flag. A chant of "four more years" was heard from a section reserved for the families of graduating students as Biden arrived on stage, according to CNN. Go deeper.

House hearing fallout spills into 4th day Thursday's House Oversight Committee hearing is still making waves today after Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) launched a personal attack at the personal appearance of her fellow lawmaker Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas). Why it matters: People are becoming numb to congressional hearings, but this one touched a nerve. Greene remarked Thursday that Crockett was having trouble reading because of her "fake eyelashes," and Crockett replied with a critique of "bleach blonde, bad built, butch body." Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) told CNN's "State of the Union" today that it's "absurd" for Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) to criticize his reaction to the hearing. The Pennsylvania Democrat said Friday the hearing made him want to apologize to "Jerry Springer Show" for previously comparing it to Congress. In response, Ocasio-Cortez suggested Fetterman had become a bully who "likely would not have stood up for your colleague and seem to be confused about racism and misogyny being a 'both sides' issue." Rep. Crockett, on "State of the Union" today, explained why she labeled Greene's comments on Thursday as racist: "MAGA has historically been on social media doing the things where they're saying, 'Oh, she's Black with lashes and nails and hair, and so she's ghetto. ... It is buying into a racist trope."

Trump likely skipping witness stand The odds are growing for Donald Trump to decline to testify in his own criminal trial, ending months of speculation over whether he'd subject himself to a prosecutorial grilling. Why it matters: Criminal defendants have the right to stay silent, but Trump has repeatedly said he wants to testify. The former president's legal team is currently not planning for him to testify, four people close to Trump told the Washington Post. Trump lawyer Todd Blanche has kept the option open, telling the court last week that it's "another decision that we need to think through." The bottom line: If Trump doesn't take the stand, the jury could begin deliberations this week. P.S. Trump floated the idea of an unconstitutional third term in yesterday's speech to the NRA's annual meeting.

Biden's fellow poll doubters Democratic senators who represent presidential battlegrounds agree with President Biden — polls showing him trailing former President Trump in those key states are wrong. Why it matters: The skepticism is especially notable because a number of Democrats from those states have a polling lead over their Republican opponents in pivotal Senate races. Retiring Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) told Axios, "I do not think that they are accurate" when asked about the polls. Democratic Rep. Elissa Slotkin has been leading in early Michigan Senate polls, even as Biden trails Trump. Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.) told Axios: "The polls showed that I was down when I entered my race. And polls didn't look that great for Angela Alsobrooks a couple weeks ago." Sen. Bob Casey (D-Penn.) told Axios: "It's early ... every candidate, whether it's the president or me — we have to work every day to earn people's votes." The big picture: After Trump's 2016 expectation-defying win, pollsters and strategists made adjustments aimed at better capturing Trump supporters. Democrats say the polls are missing key voter dynamics on their side. "There are certain communities that are missed," added Warnock, who narrowly ousted Republican Kelly Loeffler in a 2021 runoff. Zoom in: Biden is campaigning in swing states where polls show he needs to make up ground. He delivered today's commencement address at the historically Black Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia, and is speaking at a large NAACP dinner in Detroit, Michigan tonight. He was in Wisconsin last week and has visited his birth state of Pennsylvania at least seven times this year, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer. Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) also told Axios elections in his state are always going to be close, but he predicted Biden would win. He added that he would like to see Biden and Vice President Harris visit Arizona more. Read more here

Deut 21:10-14: “When you go out to war against your enemies, and the LORD your God gives them into your hand and you take them captive, 11 and you see among the captives a beautiful woman and you desire to take her to be your wife, 12 and you bring her home to your house, […] The post Deuteronomy 21:10-14: How Israelites Should Treat Female Captives After Battle appeared first on Jon Paulien's Blog. View the full article

On May 8, 2024, Dorthy Jean Tillman graduated from Arizona State University with a doctoral degree. She was 17 years old. By the age of 14, she had been granted a Master's degree. For more, see: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/chicago-teen-earns-doctoral-degree-at-age-17/ar-BB1mFqLO?ocid=msedgdhp&pc=DCTS&cvid=9be892b974604766ae3294514331a1c4&ei=14

College costs are climbing for students at SDA schools. The following article can serve as a basis fo compare the costs of attending a SDA college with those of other well-known schools. https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/careersandeducation/the-top-10-most-affordable-colleges-on-the-new-ivies-list-from-forbes-2-are-private-schools/ar-BB1mrdxW?ocid=msedgdhp&pc=DCTS&cvid=db806c40126943df94f09a53c579e016&ei=11

Congolese army says it has foiled a coup attempt. Self-exiled opposition figure threatens president KINSHASA, Congo (AP) — Congo’s army said it foiled a coup attempt early Sunday and arrested the perpetrators, including several foreigners, following attacks on the presidential palace and the residence of a close ally of Congo’s president that left three people dead in the capital, Kinshasa. https://apnews.com/article/congo-kinshasa-gunfire-1a148e35f0cbbae14b2101413f788708?

Georgia’s president vetoes media legislation that has provoked weeks of protests TBILISI, Georgia (AP) — Georgia’s president on Saturday vetoed the so-called “Russian law” targeting media that has sparked weeks of mass protests. https://apnews.com/article/georgia-media-law-0b626b2cfe22761c03e6cce1b2a59d1a?

Giuliani becomes final defendant served indictment among 18 accused in Arizona fake electors case Arizona’s attorney general says former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani has been served an indictment in the state’s fake elector case alongside 17 other defendants for his role in an attempt to overturn former President Donald Trump’s loss to Joe Biden in the 2020 election. https://apnews.com/article/arizona-fake-electors-charges-2020-election-giuliani-86f4938ff4570a833dd4d1c44705460f?

Helicopter carrying Iran’s hard-line president apparently crashes in foggy, mountainous region DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — A helicopter carrying Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, the country’s foreign minister and other officials apparently crashed in the mountainous northwest reaches of Iran on Sunday, sparking a massive rescue operation in a fog-shrouded forest as the public was urged to pray. https://apnews.com/article/iran-helicopter-raisi-b483ba75e4339cfb0fe00c7349d023b8?

Member of Israel’s War Cabinet says he’ll quit the government June 8 unless there’s a new war plan Benny Gantz, a popular centrist member of Israel’s three-member War Cabinet, threatened Saturday to resign from the government if it doesn’t adopt a new plan in three weeks’ time for the war in Gaza, a decision that would leave Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu more reliant on far-right allies. Read more.

Jesus is their savior, Trump is their candidate. Ex-president’s backers say he shares faith, values As Donald Trump increasingly infuses his campaign with Christian imagery and rhetoric while coasting to a third Republican presidential nomination, his support is as strong as ever among evangelicals and other conservative Christians. Read more. ps:Seriously??????????

US prisoners are being assigned dangerous jobs. But what happens if they are hurt or killed? Nationwide, hundreds of thousands of prisoners are put to work every year, some of whom are seriously injured or killed after being given dangerous jobs with little or no training, The Associated Press found. They include prisoners fighting wildfires, operating heavy machinery or working on industrial-sized farms and meat-processing plants. They are part of a labor system that largely denies them rights and protections guaranteed to other American workers. Read more.

Is Eatonville or St. Augustine the right spot for a Florida Black History Museum? After months of lobbying and debate, the choice has come down between Eatonville and St. Augustine, the clear front-runners to be home to the first Florida Museum of Black History. The two appear to be neck-and-neck in the view of a splintered task force which must recommend a site by the end of next month. https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2024/05/19/is-eatonville-or-st-augustine-the-right-spot-for-a-florida-black-history-museum/?

🎒 Detroit's history of unequal schools Data: Stanford Education Data Archive. Map: Axios Visuals Friday marked the 70th anniversary of the landmark Brown v. Board of Education ruling, and schools are growing more segregated in many U.S. cities. Spotlight: In and around Detroit, a legacy of redlining, systemic racism, population loss are among factors that have perpetuated inequitable school districts. There's a long history of whiter, wealthier schools with more funding per pupil, Axios Detroit's Annalise Frank writes. By the numbers: The Detroit-Warren-Dearborn metro area's students in 2022 were 55% white, 27.4% Black and 7.3% Hispanic. 48% of students were eligible for free lunch, according to the Educational Opportunity Project at Stanford University. The same project zoomed in on Detroit public schools. They were 80% Black — similar to the city's 77% Black population — and 13% Hispanic, 4% white and 87% free-lunch eligible. Between the lines: "We can get lost in the conversation around schools not being diverse" instead of focusing on whether every school has equal access to funding, says Aja Denise Reynolds, a professor at Wayne State in Detroit. "I think that's a better place that we put our energy, versus 'schools aren't diverse.'" Keep reading ... Catch up on Axios' Brown v. Board anniversary coverage.

Bibi blocks meetings with U.S. officials Photo illustration: Shoshana Gordon/Axios. Photo: Noam Moskowitz/picture alliance via Getty Images Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has banned Israel's intelligence and security chiefs from meeting with U.S. officials and lawmakers multiple times since the war in Gaza began, U.S. and Israeli officials tell Axios' Barak Ravid. Why it matters: Netanyahu seems to be trying to control what American politicians and diplomats hear from Israel — at a time when his government is deeply divided over his war strategy, and relations with the U.S. are growing more tense, the officials said. 👂 What we're hearing: For decades, congressional delegations and senior White House and State Department officials who've visited Israel routinely have met with the heads of its military and security services. But over the past few months, Netanyahu — who is directly in charge of the Mossad intelligence agency and Shin Bet security agency, and must approve their meetings with U.S. politicians and officials — has tried to prevent several such meetings. Three weeks ago, Netanyahu banned the directors of Mossad and Shin Bet from meeting with Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), the U.S. officials said. Rubio, vice chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, requested the meetings during his visit to Israel last month. Netanyahu met with Rubio himself. 🔎 Between the lines: The leaders of those agencies think Israel needs to craft a clearer strategy for post-war Gaza. In the past few days, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and cabinet Minister Benny Gantz have publicly demanded that Netanyahu draft a post-war strategy. Netanyahu rejects the need for a strategy until Hamas is defeated. Keep reading.

Booming business of eternal youth Illustration: Annelise Capossela/Axios Consumers, especially the rich, are spending big on the colossal, growing longevity industry — spas, food subscriptions, gym memberships and pills, Axios' Erica Pandey writes. 📈 Why it matters: The wellness industry is worth nearly $500 billion in the U.S. and $2 trillion globally, McKinsey says. But there's a growing gap between what's available to wealthy consumers and everyone else. Many new offerings come at sky-high prices. State of play: The wellness market is doubling down on rich customers with exclusive, luxury, hyper-personalized offerings, according to the Global Wellness Institute, an industry research group. Think invite-only Pilates classes at $75 a session, $200,000 facelifts — and elite clubs charging thousands in monthly fees for saunas and ice baths. Equinox, the high-end gym chain, just rolled out a $40,000-per-year longevity add-on. Customers will get access to individually tailored training and nutrition plans, sleep coaching and more. There's a waitlist. Costs are even increasing on the cheaper end: Planet Fitness announced its first membership price hike in 26 years earlier this month. Zoom in: Then there's an even higher tier — Silicon Valley billionaires chasing the fountain of youth. Entrepreneur and venture capitalist Bryan Johnson famously spends $2 million a year on health and longevity treatments, including weekly acid peels and blood transfusions from his teenage son. He eats a strict vegan diet, does daily meticulously planned workouts and takes near-constant blood, stool and urine tests to monitor his health, Bloomberg's Ashlee Vance reports. Tech titans Sam Altman, Jeff Bezos and Mark Zuckerberg have all invested millions in anti-aging startups. 🔮 What's next: As more people have access to personalized fitness data through phones, watches and rings, look for tailored workouts and diets to gain popularity.

The SDA Church are likely one of (if not the only) Church that could enter into a nurturing relationship with Islam. Below is a fairly friendly statement made in the Sabbath Herald about Islam back in 1909. Adventist Review and Sabbath Herald, October 28, 1909 In the pervious article the chivalrous and romantic story of the birth of the Ottoman empire was traced. In this paper will be shown the rapid and remarkable rise of that people to opulence and power, and also the motive force back of this and all Mohammedan movements. Perhaps it will be best to take the last feature first. The Turks hold that they are descended from Japheth, the son of Noah. He was the father of three sons. The Turks teach that to his firstborn Aboul-Turk, he gave the sovereignty of Turkestan. Again: the Turks profess the religion of Mohammed: "The creed of that faith is generally compressed into the well known forumla: "There is no god but God, and Mohammed is his prophet." But there is another and longer form which reads as follow: -- "I believe in God and his angels, and his books, and his prophets, and the last day, and the predestination of good and evil by God, and the resurrection after death. I bear witness to that there is no God but God, and I bear witness that Mohammed is his slave and his prophet." From the above IT MUST BE PERFECTLY CLEAR that Mohammedanism is very far from being a heathen religion, as some are wont to believe. It teaches belief in God, angels, the prophets, the last day, and the resurrection of the dead. MORE THAN THIS ABOUT ONE HALF OF THE KORAN IS A POLEMIC AGAINST POLYTHESIM AND TRINITARIANISM. In fact the word Allah is an abbreviation of Al-iah, which means the ONE, TRUE, ONLY God. I'm guessing a devout Muslim would really appreciate this Sabbath Herald article. To be honest if any Church could get great with Islam it would likely be the SDA Church. I for one wish them well in this endeavor.

May 19, 2024 Good morning. Today, my colleague Callie Holtermann explains an interesting internet trend among teenage boys. We’re also covering Israel, Indian Muslims and forever renters. — David Leonhardt Evan Jenkins for The New York Times Trending scents By Callie Holtermann Reporter on the Styles desk There’s something going on with the way teenage boys smell. It’s become a cliché for adolescents to douse themselves in Axe body spray at the first sign of puberty. But lately, teen and even tween boys with money to spare are growing obsessed with designer fragrances that cost hundreds of dollars. Ask a teenager why he wants a $200 bottle of cologne, and he might tell you he’s “smellmaxxing,” a term for enhancing one’s musk that is spreading on social media. “I started seeing a lot of videos on TikTok and thought, I don’t want to miss out,” said Logan, a 14-year-old in Chicago who has been putting his bar mitzvah money toward a collection of high-end colognes. He displays bottles from Valentino and Emporio Armani proudly, in front of his lava lamp, and considers his nearly $300 bottle of Tom Ford’s Tobacco Vanille to be his signature scent. “I don’t think I’ve ever smelled Axe,” he said. Some teens are buying fragrances with their allowance money, while others request them as birthday or holiday gifts from their parents (with varying levels of success). But they’re moving the needle: Teenage boys’ annual spending on fragrance rose 26 percent since last spring, according to a recent survey by an investment bank. For a story in The Times’s Style section, which was published this morning, I talked to adolescents and their parents about the rise of young scent hounds, and why the cosmetic products of adulthood seem to be catching on earlier than ever. Notes of honey I spent a few months speaking to teenagers at fragrance counters around New York and in online cologne forums. What struck me most was the language they used, which sounded more like the stuff of sommeliers than middle schoolers. The scent Le Male by Jean Paul Gaultier has “a really good honey note,” said Luke Benson, a 14-year-old who lives in Orlando, Fla., and says he talks about fragrances with his friends at sleepovers. Tom Ford Noir Extreme, on the other hand, is “a lot spicier and a little bit darker.” “I’d never heard him say a designer name of anything,” Luke’s mother, Brooke, told me. Evan Jenkins for The New York Times Other teenagers name-checked obscure legumes used in perfumery or informed me of their distaste for the scent of oud. One paused our conversation to make sure I was familiar with “sillage,” a French term for how heavily a fragrance lingers in the air. (Now I am.) For many boys, the appeal of designer fragrances is in the air of maturity they confer upon their wearer. Young people say the scents make them feel more adult and talk about them in a manner that emulates the older fragrance influencers they follow online. The influencer effect Over the decades, trendy scents like Drakkar Noir and CK One have gone in and out of vogue among late teens and twenty-somethings. But TikTok influencers appear to be motivating even younger boys to seek out more expensive scents. “Social media and TikTok make people want to be more grown up,” Luke said. TikTok’s fragrance influencers recommend scents for different occasions; date night, going to the gym, attending middle school. Most prominent among them is Jeremy Fragrance, an often-shirtless German with nearly nine million followers. In his videos, he sniffs his fans, trying to guess which scents they are wearing. And a younger generation inspired by Jeremy Fragrance is coming up behind him. Jatin Arora, 18, shares daily fragrance reviews with more than a million followers. His collection of nearly 400 bottles includes many free products from brands, which seem to be catching on to the fact that these influencers can get their products in front of younger buyers. Hannah Glover, a middle-school physical fitness teacher in South Carolina, has been a little bewildered to see her 11-year-old students coming to school with $160 bottles of cologne. “These middle school kids are so impressionable,” she said. “I mean, you can sell them anything.” Glover banned spritzing in her classroom, but it wasn’t enough: Glass bottles keep shattering in students’ backpacks and unleashing their scents upon the entire school. “Sometimes I’d rather take the B.O.,” she said. ADVERTISEMENT THE LATEST NEWS Israel-Hamas War Benny Gantz, a centrist member of Israel’s cabinet, threatened to leave the government unless Benjamin Netanyahu answered questions about the future of the war, including a postwar plan for Gaza. Thousands of demonstrators in Tel Aviv called on the Israeli government to negotiate a hostage deal with Hamas. Ambassadors to Israel from the U.S. and other countries gave speeches. A marketplace for survival supplies — including entire aid parcels — has emerged in Gaza. War in Ukraine In Kharkiv, Ukraine. Finbarr O'Reilly for The New York Times Russian forces have moved closer to the outskirts of Kharkiv, raising fears that the northeastern city — Ukraine’s second-largest — could soon be within artillery range. The new Russian defense minister is a technocrat with no military experience. He is also a true believer in Vladimir Putin’s geopolitical moves. More International News In Noida, India. Saumya Khandelwal for The New York Times “It is a lifeless life”: Indian Muslims grapple with vilification under Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Unchecked urban sprawl and poor infrastructure have strained Mexico City’s water supply. This summer, one critical system may stop working. In Pakistan, where people are particularly suspicious of the security services, a conspiracy theory took hold that gold-painted street performers in Islamabad were spies. France has issued scratch-and-sniff baguette postage stamps ahead of the Olympics. Politics Increased threats of violence are changing how public officials in the U.S. do their jobs: Some say they are reluctant to take on contentious issues. President Biden will deliver a commencement speech at the historically Black, all-male Morehouse College. The audience represent a slice of the electorate that is drifting toward Donald Trump. The Pentagon is expanding its capacity to wage war in space, a response to advances by China and Russia. Other Big Stories In Ithaca, N.Y. Todd Heisler/The New York Times Last year, Tommy Rath was beaten and taken away from a homeless encampment in New York. His vanishing has haunted his family and the city of Ithaca. A record number of migrants to the U.S. has left many with legitimate asylum cases unable to find a lawyer. The Ukrainian boxer Oleksandr Usyk defeated the British fighter Tyson Fury in Saudi Arabia to become the undisputed heavyweight champion. THE SUNDAY DEBATE Who has the advantage in the presidential debates? Trump. That the debates are occurring at all shows that Biden, trailing Trump in the polls, is desperate. “Time is running out to turn around the public’s dismal view of his presidency,” Liz Peek writes for The Hill. Biden. The low number of debates the candidates agreed to leaves Biden with fewer opportunities to meaningfully gaffe, especially so far out from November. “The guy whose name is on the cover of ‘The Art of the Deal’ just got outmaneuvered,” Jim Geraghty writes for The Washington Post. FROM OPINION We dont always need to use an apostrophe, John McWhorter writes. A.I. chatbots designed to provide lonely people with companionship only discourage them from forming human connections, Jessica Grose writes. Bring back movies dedicated to making us cry, Heather Havrilesky writes. Here are columns by Nicholas Kristof on an invasion of Rafah, and Ross Douthat on Trump’s Manhattan trial. A subscription to match the variety of your interests. News. Games. Recipes. Product reviews. Sports reporting. A New York Times All Access subscription covers all of it and more. Subscribe today. ADVERTISEMENT MORNING READS In the Bronx. David Dee Delgado for The New York Times Bouncing: As New York’s Mexican population has grown, lowriders have put a vivid stamp on the city’s car scene. Renters: Many people have decided that renting forever is their best — or only — option. Food fight: Is a taco a sandwich? It depends on the law. Buzz, chirp, wee-oo: Cicadas sing at volumes similar to an airplane. Listen to some species. Vows: Captain Sandy of Bravo’s “Below Deck Mediterranean” finds love on land. Lives Lived: Brig. Gen. Bud Anderson single-handedly shot down 16 German planes over Europe during World War II. After the war, he became one of America’s top test pilots during the “Right Stuff” era. He died at 102. THE INTERVIEW Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson Karsten Moran for The New York Times By David Marchese This week’s subject for The Interview is the marine biologist and climate policy expert Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson, author of the coming book “What If We Get It Right? Visions of Climate Futures.” We talked about how individuals might change their thinking about the climate crisis. Is it your sense that there are people who want to be involved in climate but are paralyzed by fear or despair? First of all, I don’t think there’s any one way we should be communicating about climate. Some people are very motivated by the bad news. Some people are overwhelmed by that and don’t know where to start. I just saw a study that said if we follow the most plausible possible path to decarbonization by 2050, the amount of carbon emissions already in the air will result in something like $38 trillion worth of damages every year. A future like that is going to involve sacrifices. Whether we choose to embrace it as a sacrifice or reframe it like, No, we’re actually helping — What is it that you don’t want to give up? I don’t want to give up the range of possibilities for my kids. I assume you care about other people on the planet, besides your children. You know, I just don’t know how to think about the future. I’ve done a handful of interviews with people who are thinking about the climate crisis, and the fundamental thing I’m trying to understand is how to think about the future, and I don’t feel like I understand. Perhaps it’s worth saying it’s OK not to be hopeful. I feel like there’s so much emphasis in our society on being hopeful, as if that’s the answer to unlocking everything. I’m not a hopeful person. I’m not an optimist. I see the data. I see what’s coming. But I also see the full range of possible futures. I feel like there’s so much that we could create, and the question that motivates me right now is, ‘What if we get it right?’ Read more of the interview here. THE NEW YORK TIMES MAGAZINE Photograph by Peter van Agtmael/Magnum, for The New York Times. Click the cover image above to read this week’s magazine. BOOKS Zoë Schlanger Heather Sten Intelligence: In “The Light Eaters,” the climate reporter Zoë Schlanger looks at how plants sense the world. By the Book: The most interesting thing the artist Kara Walker recently learned from a book? How to skin a man alive. Our editors’ picks: “The Weight of Nature,” about climate change’s impact on our brains, and five other books. Times best sellers: The celebrity memoirs “You Never Know,” by Tom Selleck with Ellis Henican, and Whoopi Goldberg’s “Bits and Pieces” are new this week on the hardcover nonfiction list. THE MORNING RECOMMENDS … Embrace the dark side. Try a goth cake. Go bold with a yellow bag for summer. Treat your acne. Hang outdoor string lights. Read this before deciding to track your child. THE WEEK AHEAD What to Watch For Trump’s defense team presents its case tomorrow in his trial in Manhattan. Taiwan inaugurates Lai Ching-te as president tomorrow. The French Open begins tomorrow. A British court will hear the appeal of Julian Assange, the WikiLeaks founder, against extradition to the U.S. Primary elections in Idaho, Kentucky and Oregon are on Tuesday. Kenya’s president begins a state visit to the U.S. on Thursday. Idaho’s Democratic presidential caucus is on Thursday. The Cannes Film Festival announces the winner of its Palme d’Or award on Saturday. Meal Plan Jessica Emily Marx for The New York Times If, like the Cooking editor Margaux Laskey, the weather where you are is unpredictable, you may want to prepare dishes that work whatever the forecast. In this week’s Five Weeknight Dishes newsletter, Margaux offers such recipes, including a shrimp pasta and grilled soy-basted chicken with spicy cashews. NOW TIME TO PLAY Here is today’s Spelling Bee. Yesterday’s pangram was tributary. And here are today’s Mini Crossword, Wordle, Sudoku, Connections and Strands. Thanks for spending part of your weekend with The Times. Sign up here to get this newsletter in your inbox. Reach our team at themorning@nytimes.com. Editor: David Leonhardt Deputy Editor: Adam B. Kushner News Editor: Tom Wright-Piersanti Associate Editor: Lauren Jackson News Staff: Desiree Ibekwe, Sean Kawasaki-Culligan, Brent Lewis, German Lopez, Ian Prasad Philbrick, Ashley Wu News Assistant: Lyna Bentahar Saturday Writer: Melissa Kirsch