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Mexican government says the arm of a 19th century mummy came off after mishandling by museum staff MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico’s federal archaeology agency on Monday accused the conservative-governed city of Guanajuato of mistreating one of the country’s famous mummified 19th century bodies. https://apnews.com/article/mexico-mummies-mistreatment-lost-arm-1f268720e46264b533b8eb62bdcbd377?

(N) Malachi 3:17 And they shall be mine, saith the Lord of hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels; and I will spare them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him.

Toyota shows ‘an engine reborn’ with green fuel despite global push for battery electric cars That’s how Japanese automaker Toyota introduced plans to cast a futuristic spin on the traditional internal combustion engine. https://apnews.com/article/toyota-engine-electric-emissions-subaru-mazda-japan-997d6311ead7f9e41c11a2e47be6ad0e?

Judge denies request to restrict Trump statements about law enforcement in classified records case WASHINGTON (AP) — The judge overseeing Donald Trump’s classified documents case in Florida on Tuesday denied prosecutors’ request to bar the former president from making public statements that could endanger law enforcement agents participating in the prosecution. https://apnews.com/article/trump-classified-documents-law-enforcement-maralago-4900bebe9fa20533f50622e155bb70d8? ps:What a piece of work this Judge is!!!!!!

A woman could be Mexico’s next leader. Millions of others continue in shadows as domestic workers MEXICO CITY (AP) — Concepción Alejo is used to being invisible. https://apnews.com/article/mexico-election-women-domestic-workers-c617636b5d3ef6125a3b036ff557265f?

Kentucky families struggling after being hit for a second time by a tornado in the same locations BARNSLEY, Ky. (AP) — Devin Johnson’s life was uprooted for a second time when a tornado flattened his home over the Memorial Day weekend — on the same lot in Kentucky where another storm left him homeless in 2021. https://apnews.com/article/kentucky-tornado-severe-weather-b8fd3a678e00fc09ea303c72d7b9d9ad?

Israeli strikes kill at least 37 Palestinians, most in tents, near Gaza’s Rafah as offensive expands DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israeli shelling and airstrikes killed at least 37 people, most of them sheltering in tents, outside the southern Gaza city of Rafah overnight and on Tuesday — pummeling the same area where strikes triggered a deadly fire days earlier in a camp for displaced Palestinians — according to witnesses, emergency workers and hospital officials. https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-hamas-war-news-05-28-2024-21ea44e3b514d3f3f2bd26a33f157e48?

Trump prosecutor focuses on ‘cover-up’ in closing arguments while defense attacks key witness NEW YORK (AP) — Donald Trump engaged in “a conspiracy and a cover-up,” a prosecutor told jurors during closing arguments Tuesday in the former president’s hush money trial, while a defense lawyer branded the star witness as the “greatest liar of all time” and pressed the panel for an across-the-board acquittal. https://apnews.com/article/trump-trial-jury-hush-money-stormy-daniels-e262d1fe4a9ca624f2f983ca1000eb55?

Pope's rare apology Pope Francis leads a mass on World Children's Day at St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican on May 26. Photo: Filippo Monteforte/AFP via Getty Images Pope Francis apologized after reports surfaced that he used a homophobic slur during a private meeting with Italian bishops last week, Axios' Jacob Knutson writes. Why it matters: The pope has sought to make the Catholic Church more welcoming to LGBTQ+ people, while at the same time upholding its historical views on the sacrament of marriage. Francis was quoted in Italian media using offensive slang while stating his opposition to allowing gay men to enter seminaries. Matteo Bruni, the press office director for the Holy See, said in a statement that the pope was "aware" of the reports and "never intended to offend or express himself in homophobic terms." Go deeper. Pope apologizes after being quoted using vulgar term about gay men in talk about ban on gay priests VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis apologized Tuesday after he was quoted using a vulgar and derogatory term about gay men to reaffirm the Catholic Church’s ban on gay priests. https://apnews.com/article/pope-gay-priests-francis-vatican-92ee291bbeef00a898a10a8a45afd32c?

"MVP of liars" Former President Trump's defense team hammered Michael Cohen in closing arguments today, calling Trump's former fixer an "MVP of liars," Axios' Erin Doherty reports. Why it matters: In his final presentation before jury deliberations, Trump lawyer Todd Blanche made one last attempt to destroy the star witness' credibility — calling him "the human embodiment of reasonable doubt." "You cannot convict President Trump on any crime, beyond a reasonable doubt, on the words of Michael Cohen," Blanche argued. "He lied to Congress. He lied to prosecutors. He lied to his family and business associates." 🗣️ The other side: "We didn't pick [Cohen] up at the witness store," New York prosecutor Joshua Steinglass said at the start of his closing arguments, which were expected to last more than four hours. "The defendant chose Michael Cohen to be his fixer. He picked him for the same qualities that the defense now urges you to reject his testimony over." More highlights. Robert De Niro delivers remarks outside the Manhattan criminal courthouse today. Photo: Charly Triballeau/AFP via Getty Images Outside the courthouse, the Biden campaign staged a news conference after months of deliberately avoiding commenting on Trump's criminal cases. The unusual event featured actor Robert De Niro and two former police officers who protected the Capitol on Jan. 6. The speakers did not explicitly focus on Trump's trial. Asked why the Biden campaign decided to come to the courthouse today, spokesperson Michael Tyler told reporters: "Because you all are here, incessantly covering this day in and day out." ⚡ The other side: Immediately after the event, Trump campaign officials held their own press conference accusing the Biden team of politicizing the trial. "After months of saying that politics had nothing to do with this trial, they showed up and made a campaign event out of a lower Manhattan trial day for President Trump," said senior adviser Jason Miller. Go deeper.

SpaceX launch marks 40th for the Space Coast SpaceX sent up the 40th rocket launch of 2024 from the Space Coast on Tuesday morning. https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2024/05/28/spacex-launch-this-morning-marks-40th-for-the-space-coast/?

🚨 ICYMI HEADLINES 💔 RIP, Bill Walton: The hoops legend passed away at 71 after a prolonged battle with cancer. He was a Hall of Fame player, a one-of-a-kind broadcaster, and a wonderful soul. ‌ ⚾️ Acuña tears ACL: Reigning NL MVP Ronald Acuña Jr. will miss the rest of the season after tearing his ACL for the second time in three years. Brutal blow for the Braves. ‌ 🥍 Lax champs: Notre Dame beat Maryland, 15-5, behind Chris (five goals) and Pat (six assists) Kavanaugh to repeat as national champions; Boston College rallied from 6-0 down to beat Northwestern, 14-13, and win its second women's title. ‌ ⚾️ Selection Monday: The NCAA baseball championship's 64-team field was announced on Monday. The top eight national seeds: Tennessee, Kentucky, Texas A&M, UNC, Arkansas, Clemson, Georgia and FSU. ‌ 🏒 Winner-take-all: Boston outlasted Minnesota, 1-0, in double OT to force a decisive Game 5 in the PWHL's inaugural Walter Cup Finals. ‌ ⚽️ Soccer roundup: Man United beat Man City, 2-1, to win the FA Cup; Barcelona beat Lyon, 2-0, to win the Women's Champions League; Southampton beat Leeds, 1-0, to earn Premier League promotion.

Doctors urge U.S. Supreme Court to include abortion as stabilizing care under federal law WASHINGTON — Doctors from throughout the country posted a public letter this week, urging the U.S. Supreme Court to ensure health care professionals can perform abortions in every state when that procedure is essential “stabilizing treatment” under the Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act. https://floridaphoenix.com/2024/05/24/doctors-urge-u-s-supreme-court-to-include-abortion-as-stabilizing-care-under-federal-law/? U.S. Supreme Court throws out SC racial gerrymandering ruling A federal court “clearly erred” in determining that South Carolina legislators racially gerrymandered congressional voting lines to keep the coastal First District red, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled Thursday in sending the case back to the three-judge panel for further analysis on a separate question. https://floridaphoenix.com/2024/05/24/u-s-supreme-court-throws-out-sc-racial-gerrymandering-ruling/?

Forced sterilizations for people with disabilities decried by members of Congress WASHINGTON — Three members of Congress have introduced a resolution intended to bring attention to the experiences and challenges people with disabilities face when it comes to reproductive rights. https://floridaphoenix.com/2024/05/25/forced-sterilizations-for-people-with-disabilities-decried-by-members-of-congress/?

As Memorial Day arrives, bill unveiled in Congress to assist Purple Heart recipients WASHINGTON — When a Purple Heart recipient named Pat reached out to U.S. Sen. Patty Murray in November to inform her that he couldn’t transfer his GI bill benefits to his children, he wasn’t expecting congressional action to solve the problem. https://floridaphoenix.com/2024/05/27/as-memorial-day-arrives-bill-unveiled-in-congress-to-assist-purple-heart-recipients/?

Despite announcement, RFK Jr. is not yet on the presidential ballot in Florida Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said Friday that he’ll be on the presidential ballot in Florida in November as the nominee of the Reform Party, but the party itself is not recognized by the state’s Division of Elections. https://floridaphoenix.com/2024/05/24/despite-announcement-rfk-jr-is-not-yet-on-the-presidential-ballot-in-florida/?

🏀 🏒 Mavs, Stars lead their Western Conference finals Kyrie Irving hugs Luka Dončić during Game 3. Photo: Glenn James/NBAE via Getty Images The Mavericks are one win away from the NBA finals after taking a 3-0 lead over the Minnesota Timberwolves in the Western Conference Finals. The Stars are now 2-1 in the NHL Western Conference Finals. Why it matters: The Mavericks haven't been to the NBA finals in 13 years — and they won the championship that year. The odds are in Dallas' favor to win this series. "No team in NBA playoff history has rallied from 3-0 down," AP says. The latest: The Stars took down the Oilers in dramatic fashion last night in Edmonton. Dallas looked sluggish at first, ending the first period down 2-0. But Jason Robertson scored three goals to help the Stars win 5-3. Jason Robertson had gone 10 games without a goal until last night when he got his first with an assist from Roope Hintz, who was back after missing four games due to an injury. Photo: Curtis Comeau/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images Catch up quick: The Mavericks faced tight matchups in Friday's Game 2 and Sunday's Game 3. The Mavs were leading the Timberwolves most of Sunday, but the Wolves managed to get ahead during the third quarter. Between PJ Washington's three-pointer, Daniel Gafford's alley-oop dunk and his block of a Wolves layup, Dallas took and widened its lead. Fun fact: Luka Dončić and Kyrie Irving scored a combined 66 points in the 116-107 win Sunday night. 🐐 Dirk Nowitzki, Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce were at Sunday's Mavs game. Kelce was also at Saturday's Stars game. Yes, but: Rookie Dereck Lively II, who has been solid on offense and defense in the playoffs, hurt his neck in the second quarter Sunday and couldn't play the rest of the game. He collided with Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns, whose knee hit Lively's head. Lively is out for tonight's game. What's next: The Mavs look to sweep the Wolves tonight at the American Airlines Center. Game 4 starts at 7:30pm. Whoever wins the series will face the Boston Celtics in the finals. The Stars play Game 4 tomorrow in Canada.

Texas storm among deadly outbreak over holiday By Tasha Tsiaperas and Andrew Freedman Illustration: Maura Losch/Axios There were no working weather sirens in Valley View — a tiny town north of Denton — on Saturday night when an EF-2 tornado touched down. Why it matters: Seven people, including two children, are confirmed dead from the storm. Cooke County was put under a tornado warning less than 25 minutes before the twister crossed into the area, per the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Though people got alerts on their phones, no sirens sounded in the town. Zoom in: At least 100 people were injured in Cooke and Denton counties in the weekend's storms. More than 200 homes and buildings were destroyed. Threat level: This year is now the second-busiest tornado season to date, behind only 2011, with 989 tornado reports through May 26. The data is preliminary, as multiple reports of the same tornado may have been recorded. In Texas, 106 counties are under a disaster proclamation first issued after severe storms and flooding that started April 26. Collin, Cooke, Denton and Montague counties were added over the weekend. What they're saying: "The hopes and dreams of Texas families and small businesses have literally been crushed by storm after storm," Gov. Greg Abbott said during a briefing about the tornado damage. The big picture: At least 23 people across the country were killed over Memorial Day weekend in the tornado outbreak. Eight people died in storms in Arkansas, and five storm-related deaths were confirmed in Kentucky. Oklahoma officials confirmed two fatalities from the severe weather. Context: Sunday was the busiest severe weather day of this active season so far, according to reporting by the Storm Prediction Center. Widespread damage was reported across Kentucky, Ohio and the Tennessee Valley from Sunday's storms, which were caused by the same weather system that sparked Saturday's deadly tornadoes. The bottom line: Climate change affects the conditions in which thunderstorms form and may be leading to larger outbreaks.

May 28, 2024 By German Lopez Good morning. We’re covering China’s support for Russia — plus Rafah, abortion and theater in Ukraine. In Kharkiv, northern Ukraine. Finbarr O'Reilly for The New York Times A proxy war Over the last few weeks, a Russian blitz has claimed more than a dozen villages in northeast Ukraine, near the country’s second-largest city. This summer, Russia will likely continue its offensive push in the country’s east. Russia’s ability to carry out these attacks is in some ways surprising. War is expensive. And Russia’s economy is limited by steep sanctions from some of the richest countries in the world. Yet Moscow has managed to keep paying for its war machine. How? U.S. officials point to China. China has vowed not to send weapons to Russia. But it has supported Russia’s economy by buying oil and expanding other kinds of trade. Russia uses the revenue from that trade to manufacture weapons. It has also bought parts for these weapons from China, according to U.S. officials: Last year, Russia got 90 percent of its microelectronic imports from China, using them for missiles, tanks and planes. Without Beijing’s help, Moscow might still continue its war, but it would do so in a weakened state. Of course, Washington and its allies have also provided support, including actual weapons, to Ukraine. From that angle, the war looks more like part of the broader contest between the U.S. and China — what some analysts call a new cold war — than a one-off conflict. “We are headed into 30 or 40 years of superpower competition and confrontation,” said my colleague David Sanger, who covers national security and recently published the book “New Cold Wars.” Ukraine is just the current front. Today’s newsletter will explain what China stands to gain — and lose — by backing Russia. China’s wager Support for Russia is risky. The U.S. and Europe have warned that they could place sanctions on China if it supports the war. But to China, the benefits of a Russian victory in Ukraine may outweigh the costs. Among those benefits: The war has entangled the U.S. and its allies in a faraway conflict, straining the U.S. military’s ammunition stockpiles. It has made Russia, a big military power, more dependent on China. It has also been instructive: China has ambitions to invade Taiwan, and it has watched Russia’s gamble to see the world’s response — one that has exposed the limits of America’s reach. While Washington got its closest allies to punish Russia for the invasion, big democracies such as Brazil and India continue to buy Russian oil. “Countries around the world won’t follow the U.S. where it wants to go, even with what U.S. officials consider a black-and-white issue like Ukraine,” my colleague Edward Wong, who covers foreign policy, told me. “That is much clearer since the war.” Sergio Lima/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images Still, China’s support for Russia could backfire — and in some ways already has. It angered European leaders, who criticized Beijing’s involvement when China’s president, Xi Jinping, visited France this month. Arguably, China’s interference has made it easier for the U.S. to adopt tougher trade restrictions and other policies designed to hurt Beijing. The war united the U.S. and its allies to an extent not seen in decades. If Russia loses, China could be stuck with a diminished partner and frayed relations with some of the world’s biggest economies. To balance the risks and benefits, China has tried to walk a fine line. It has boasted about a “no limits” partnership with Russia. But it also claims it’s neutral in the war and has tried to maintain plausible deniability in its support for its partner. The bottom line Will China’s bet pay off? It depends on the conflict’s outcome. If the U.S. and its allies were to stop supporting Ukraine and it lost the war, China’s biggest partner would come out on top. The West would not look as strong or united as it once was. Knowing this, China might become more aggressive in its territorial claims in Taiwan, the South China Sea and elsewhere. But if the West remained united and Ukraine won, the opposite would be true. Russia would be weakened and embarrassed. The U.S. and its allies would have proved that they remained formidable. And China might reconsider if it could afford to take aggressive action to expand its borders. For more The world’s advanced economies are moving toward an agreement that would use profits from Russia’s frozen assets to help Ukraine. These maps show Russia’s recent advances in the war. Read more about how Russia’s economy has endured Western sanctions. ADVERTISEMENT THE LATEST NEWS Israel-Hamas War In Rafah, southern Gaza. Eyad Baba/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images Israel faced international condemnation over a strike that was followed by a fire at a camp for displaced Palestinians, killing at least 45 people. Witnesses described charred bodies and flames. A doctor said the majority of the victims he saw were women and children. The strike killed two Hamas officials, the Israeli military said. Benjamin Netanyahu accused Hamas of hiding among civilians and called the killings “a tragic accident.” An Egyptian soldier was killed in a shooting near the Rafah crossing, the Gaza border checkpoint where Israel seized control three weeks ago. More International News In Lucknow, India. Saumya Khandelwal for The New York Times “Don’t let anyone divide you”: Aging activists in India are preaching harmony as the ruling party vilifies religious minorities. Many young South Africans, disillusioned with politics, do not plan to vote in tomorrow’s election. The Times spoke with some of them. Sierra Leone has declared a drug called kush a national threat, The A.P. reports. It’s a cheap, synthetic mix containing opioids and a cannabis derivative. British officials are trying to overhaul the financial sector and revitalize London’s reputation as a global financial hub. Politics Politically disengaged Americans are fueling Donald Trump’s poll lead. President Biden has a shot a winning them back — if he can reach them. Closing arguments in Trump’s Manhattan criminal trial begin today. Read what to know. Trump has recently appeared in public with people convicted or accused of crimes. He is leaning into an outlaw image, Maggie Haberman and Jonah Bromwich write. The Biden administration published guidelines on the use of carbon offsets, an attempt to increase confidence in the much-criticized practice. Abortion In Wyoming. Jimena Peck for The New York Times Women who terminated pregnancies for medical reasons have emerged as a post-Roe political force in support of abortion rights. Days after Trump’s 2016 election, conservative Christians began planning to overturn Roe v. Wade. Read the untold story from a new book by Elizabeth Dias and Lisa Lerer. Tech Space entrepreneurs say that SpaceX is using anticompetitive tactics to squash rivals. Elon Musk’s A.I. company, xAI, said it had raised $6 billion as it seeks to compete with its well-funded competitors like OpenAI and Anthropic. OpenAI announced that it had started training a new A.I. model and created a new safety committee. Weather In Arkansas. Melyssa St. Michael for The New York Times “I’ve never seen anything like it”: Tornadoes in parts of Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas and Kentucky have affected millions of families. Powerful storms are expected to bring strong winds and large hail to much of Texas. But the next few days could be a reprieve for Kentucky. A cyclone in India and Bangladesh killed at least 23 people. Over the last year, the average person experienced 26 extra days of abnormally high temperatures because of climate change, an analysis found. Other Big Stories Bill Walton Earl Wilson for The New York Times The basketball star and commentator Bill Walton died at 71. A dominant center with extraordinary passing and rebounding skills, he won two national college championships and two N.B.A. titles. Manhattanhenge — the few days when the sunset aligns with New York City’s streetscape, and social media fills with gold-fringed skylines — starts tonight. Read what to know. Opinions Senator Ted Cruz argues that paying student athletes is a federal issue. Up to a trillion cicadas will emerge this summer. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience that can make us happier and kinder, Dina Fine Maron writes. Here’s a column by Paul Krugman on climate denialism. Our new offer starts now. Enjoy 7 free days to discover the complete Times experience, from news to games to cooking, sports and more, followed by your first six months for just $1 a week. Try The Times today. MORNING READS At Ballet Tech. Bess Adler for The New York Times Ballet Tech: See inside this tuition-free New York City public school. Millennial midlife crisis: It has arrived. Some people aren’t taking it well, The Cut reports. Italy: A little island near Sicily wants to send its wild goats to new homes. Catching them won’t be easy. Conservation: See how the “tree lobster,” a rambunctious stick insect, escaped extinction. Safety: Gen Z are soaking up misinformation about sunscreen and skin cancer. Lives Lived: Stanley Goldstein helped start CVS in the 1960s and turned it into a pharmacy giant. He died at 89. SPORTS N.B.A.: The Boston Celtics defeated the Indiana Pacers to advance to the league finals. Tennis: Rafael Nadal lost his first-round match at the French Open to the fourth seed Alexander Zverev. It’s probably Nadal’s final time at the competition. N.H.L.: The Dallas Stars defeated the Edmonton Oilers in Game 3 of the Western Conference final. ADVERTISEMENT ARTS AND IDEAS In Kyiv. Nicole Tung for The New York Times In downtown Kyiv, people line up for hours to buy tickets for “The Witch of Konotop,” a play based on a classic 19th-century Ukrainian novel that begins with the line: “It is sad and gloomy.” It follows a Cossack leader as he tries to root out witches believed to be responsible for a drought. All the while, a military threat from czarist Russia looms. “It is very hard to overplay the harsh reality Ukrainians are living in now, but theater should feel the mood of the time and the people,” the director said. More on culture Wayne Brady as the Wiz in the show’s Broadway revival. Richard Termine for The New York Times Wayne Brady and Nichelle Lewis, the stars of a revival of “The Wiz,” spoke with The Times about the beauty of an all-Black Broadway show. David Nicholls’s new novel is a love story set during a dayslong hike. That’s “an ideal structure for an affectingly hard-won romance,” our reviewer writes. The choreographer Shay Latukolan, who has worked with Jungle and Childish Gambino, blends old-school showmanship with TikTok dance vocabulary. THE MORNING RECOMMENDS … Ryan Liebe for The New York Times Make a cold salad with Italian antipasti ingredients. Save money at REI’s big sale. Try a low-impact HIIT workout. Transform your kitchen with an induction cooktop. Buy a very good gift for a very good dog. GAMES Here is today’s Spelling Bee. Yesterday’s pangram was handily. And here are today’s Mini Crossword, Wordle, Sudoku, Connections and Strands. Thanks for spending part of your morning with The Times. See you tomorrow. — German 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

14-time champion Rafael Nadal loses in the French Open’s first round to Alexander Zverev PARIS (AP) — The noise was loud and relentless, a chorus of thousands of belting out “ Ra-fa! Ra-fa! ” whenever their guy found the occasional moment of brilliance of the sort he has conjured up so often at the French Open and elsewhere through the years. https://apnews.com/article/french-open-5-27-2024-results-nadal-dff0c7946d746eb4b050a9cb0383c7cd?

Fears rise of a second landslide and disease outbreak at site of Papua New Guinea disaster MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Authorities fear a second landslide and a disease outbreak are looming at the scene of Papua New Guinea’s mass-casualty disaster because of water streams and bodies trapped beneath the tons of debris that swept over a village. Thousands are being told to prepare to evacuate, officials said Tuesday. https://apnews.com/article/papua-new-guinea-landslide-79e867795f8293aab3f35da58b0d1d47?

Roughly halfway through primary season, runoffs in Texas are testing 2 prominent Republicans AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — The 2024 primary season is roughly halfway over and there have been few shakeups so far, with just one U.S. House member defeated and incumbents widely prevailing in state Capitols. https://apnews.com/article/texas-gonzales-primary-runoff-republicans-8722cad015b7bfcccc277604203a7ed6?

As Israel intensifies attacks on Rafah, desperate Palestinians are living in tents and searching for food Israel’s attacks on Rafah have sent nearly a million Palestinians fleeing the southern Gaza city. Most have already been displaced multiple times during Israel’s nearly 8-month-old war in Gaza. Read more. Key developments: Palestinians have largely been on their own to resettle their families and find the basics for survival. In tent camps, they dig trenches to use as toilets. Fathers search for food and water while children look through garbage and wrecked buildings for scraps of wood or cardboard for their mothers to burn for cooking. The situation has been worsened by a dramatic plunge in the amount of food, fuel and other supplies reaching the U.N. and other aid groups to distribute to the population. Previously, the U.N. was receiving several hundred trucks a day. That rate has dropped to an average of 53 trucks a day since May 6, according to the latest figures from the U.N. humanitarian office. Some 600 trucks a day are needed to stave off starvation, according to USAID. Most of those fleeing Rafah have poured into a humanitarian zone declared by Israel that is centered on Muwasi, a largely barren strip of coastal land. Much of the zone has no charity kitchens or food market, no hospitals operating, only a few field hospitals and even smaller medical tents that can’t handle emergencies, according to testimony from humanitarian group Mercy Corps. Related coverage ➤ Spain and Norway formally recognize a Palestinian state as EU's rift with Israel widens Israeli strikes kill 16 in Rafah, medics say, as residents report heavy fighting Netanyahu says deadly Israeli Rafah strike was result of a 'tragic mishap'

Both sides of Trump’s hush money trial look to score final points with the jury Closing arguments will tee up a historically unprecedented task for the jury as it decides whether to convict Donald Trump in connection with a $130,000 payment his former lawyer made to prevent porn actor Stormy Daniels from going public with claims of a sexual encounter with him. Read more. Why this matters: Prosecutors are expected to remind jurors of the bank statements, emails and other documentary evidence they have viewed, as well as an audio recording in which Trump and his former lawyer, Michael Cohen, can be heard discussing a deal involving a Playboy model, Karen McDougal. Trump has denied Daniels’ account, and his attorney accused her of making it up. His lawyers contend they were legitimate payments for actual legal services, and they say that his celebrity status, particularly during the 2016 campaign, made him a target for extortion — points they are expected to revisit during their closing arguments. Though jurors witnessed numerous memorable moments, they won’t be told during closing arguments about exchanges and rulings that occurred outside their presence — and there were many. Judge Juan M. Merchan, for instance, fined Trump $10,000 for violating a gag order barring incendiary out-of-court comments and threatened to jail him if it continued. Related coverage ➤ A major week looms in Trump’s hush money trial. Here’s what you can expect Here's what every key witness has said so far Internet broadcaster beams Trump's message directly to his MAGA faithful

⚖️ Trump trial's denouement Trump trial witnesses, clockwise from top left: Michael Cohen, Stormy Daniels, Hope Hicks, Madeleine Westerhout, David Pecker and Jeffrey McConney. Montage: AP After 22 witnesses (20 for the prosecution and two for the defense), testimony is over at former President Trump's hush-money trial. Closing arguments begin when court resumes at 9:30 a.m. ET today — with the prosecution going last, since it has the burden of proof. Why it matters: A verdict could come this week. CNN notes it's one of the defining weeks of Trump's life. 👀 What to watch: Expect the defense to distance Trump from the mechanics of reimbursements to Michael Cohen, who was responsible for the $130,000 hush money payment to Stormy Daniels, AP reports. Look for prosecutors to remind jurors they can trust the documents they've seen and the witnesses they've heard. Cohen testified Trump was directly involved, authorizing payments. Go deeper: What each witness said ... N.Y. Times (gift link): "The Star Witness Who Never Testified at Trump's Trial ... Allen Weisselberg."