Members phkrause Posted July 3, 2025 Author Members Posted July 3, 2025 July 3, 2025 Good morning. The House, which was up all night, is getting closer to a final vote on President Trump’s major policy bill. (Follow updates here.) We have more on that below. But first, today’s news: A jury acquitted Sean Combs, the rapper known as Diddy, on the most serious charges in his sex trafficking case. Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia, the Maryland man who was wrongfully deported to El Salvador, was beaten and tortured in prison there, his lawyers say. Scientists are using chatbots to write all or part of their papers. Plus, see what happened to some famous French shirts after tariffs hit. The $35 trillion national debt is primarily made up of $29 trillion in public debt and $6 trillion owed to private investors. Brendan McDermid/Reuters Borrowed future By Evan Gorelick I’m a writer for The Morning. President Trump’s domestic policy bill, which the House is debating now on the floor and is expected to vote on soon, would add $3.4 trillion to the federal debt over the next decade. That’s on top of $29 trillion the U.S. already owes. Numbers that big can lose their meaning. But the debt is not all abstract; it’s money Americans enjoy today but future generations must pay off with interest. The interest America has to pay its lenders will exceed $1 trillion for the first time ever next year — more than we spend on Medicare. But not all debt is created equal. A trillion dollars means something different in the U.S. than it does in, say, Ireland or Panama. So how should Americans make sense of the debt? Economists have a few different ways of assessing that, beyond how big or small the total is. Today, I’ll break down three and explain how the U.S. fares on each. 1. Compare it to G.D.P. Everything is relative. $29 trillion sounds like a lot — and it is. It’s among the biggest fiscal shortfalls ever recorded for a developed nation not at war. But the U.S. also has the largest economy in the world. Economists often measure debt by how it compares to a country’s economic output, also known as G.D.P. America’s debt is now about the same size as its G.D.P. (Japan and Italy have also crossed that threshold, but few other countries have.) The U.S. government is already slated to borrow an additional $21 trillion over the next decade. That, plus $3.4 trillion from the Republican bill, may soon push the debt well past the G.D.P. Source: Congressional Budget Office | Chart excludes debt the federal government owes itself. | By The New York Times 2. Look at who owns it Countries can issue bonds — tiny pieces of their debt — to investors at home and abroad. Japan has the most debt of any wealthy nation relative to its G.D.P., but domestic investors own nearly 90 percent of it. That gives Japan’s economy a cushion. When the government pays interest on its debt, those outlays end up back in the hands of bondholders who reinvest the money locally. Not so for foreign investment. Foreigners hold nearly a third of America’s debt. That translates to $8.5 trillion, all of which the U.S. must eventually ship back to bondholders abroad. It’s a missed opportunity for domestic investment, and thus for economic growth. 3. Consider what’s coming As the world changes, our financial needs change, so our debt may stretch or shrink. We can’t predict the future, but there are certain things we can be reasonably sure about. Tax revenue. The version of Trump’s policy bill that passed through a divided Senate on Tuesday locks in low tax rates for decades, my colleagues Andrew Duehren and Colby Smith explained on “The Daily.” Lower rates mean less tax revenue. Entitlement spending. Two-thirds of the federal budget is already set aside for mandatory programs like Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, whose spending levels are set by laws rather than annual appropriations. Interest payments. Installments are due at regular intervals, with rates set far in advance, so we know approximately how much the government will need to pay out. There are also things we can’t know, like whether Trump’s tax cuts will juice the economy, or whether his tariffs will raise enough money to offset costs. But economists have enough information to forecast the direction of U.S. debt, and the arithmetic is unforgiving. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that America’s debt will grow 56 percent larger than its G.D.P. within 30 years. That’s uncharted territory for the U.S. — and the world. More on the bill After a day and a night of wrangling, the House approved a vote to debate the bill on the floor. They are doing so now. Republicans put down a revolt by conservative holdouts that had threatened to sink the bill. Trump was frustrated: “What are the Republicans waiting for???” he wrote on social media. “MAGA IS NOT HAPPY, AND IT’S COSTING YOU VOTES!!!” Democrats are unified in their opposition to the bill. “Shame on the people who decided to launch that kind of all-out assault on the health and the well-being of everyday Americans,” Hakeem Jeffries, the Democratic leader, just said on the floor. He has no time limit, and has been speaking for more than an hour so far. Trump sought to woo reluctant House Republicans with signed merchandise and photos. He wants them to pass the bill by Friday. Will this be the time Republican fiscal hawks defy Trump and vote “no”? Party leaders are betting against that, writes Catie Edmondson. THE SEAN COMBS VERDICT Sean Combs, the hip-hop mogul also known as Diddy, was acquitted of sex trafficking and racketeering charges, which carried a possible life sentence. He was convicted of a less serious charge, transportation to engage in prostitution, and the judge ordered that he remain in jail until his sentencing. Jon Caramanica, a Times music critic, said the verdict means “Combs largely escaped the fate of some other high-profile entertainment figures who have been held accountable in the #MeToo era.” Two former girlfriends had accused Combs of forcing them to participate in sex parties that involved drugs and male escorts. The defense argued that those parties were, in essence, part of a consensual swinger lifestyle. Julia Jacobs, who covered the trial for us, explains the mixed verdict in the video above. And Jon reflected on the verdict: Had he been convicted across the board, he likely would have faced a full reputational shattering like Harvey Weinstein, once the most powerful man in film, who has been imprisoned on federal sex crimes since 2020. Or R. Kelly, once R&B’s most formidable and popular star, who has been in prison since 2022 on sex-trafficking and racketeering charges. Combs would have been a villain who once was famous, not the other way around. Instead, it’s possible that these charges and this trial might end up being viewed as a blemish on his résumé, another tragedy that registered only as a speed bump. THE LATEST NEWS Middle East In central Gaza City. Saher Alghorra for The New York Times Israel said it wanted to resume talks with Hamas to end the war in Gaza and free hostages held there. Iran wants to keep the world guessing about how fast it can recover — and whether it’s capable of racing for a nuclear bomb, writes David Sanger. More International News In Saint James, France. Violette Franchi for The New York Times. Striped shirts and sweaters from France, intended for stores like J. Crew and Nordstrom, are sitting in storage because of Trump’s tariffs. See inside the factory. The regional leader of Chechnya, in southern Russia, is reported to be very sick and to be preparing his 17-year-old son as a potential successor. A ferry sank in Bali, killing at least four people. Rescuers saved 31 people from rough seas and were searching for another 32. Indonesia's president, Prabowo Subianto, promised free school lunches nationwide and is going ahead with the program. In a slow economy, many say it’s not time for free lunches. Other Big Stories Wisconsin’s Supreme Court struck down a state abortion ban that passed into law in 1849 but lay dormant for decades until the Supreme Court ended Roe v. Wade. Tesla’s worldwide car sales fell sharply in the second quarter, continuing a decline that began last year. Trending: For only the third time, astronomers have found something passing through our solar system that came from outside it. It looks like a comet. (People were searching online for this yesterday.) OPINIONS Trump has taunted the media for years. What’s happening now, though, is different: The president is using government to intimidate news outlets, The Wall Street Journal’s editorial board argues. As the world changes, what it means to become American must change, too. Reducing legal immigration, with amnesty for those already here, will help, Ezekiel Kweku writes. Here’s a column by Lydia Polgreen on Zohran Mamdani. Morning readers: Save on the complete Times experience. Experience all of The Times, all in one subscription — all with this introductory offer. You’ll gain unlimited access to news and analysis, plus games, recipes, product reviews and more. MORNING READS Some snaps from northern Australia. Matthew Abbott for The New York Times Pet crocodiles: North Australians love them. See pictures. Freeze your wedding dress: The former head of conservation at the Met Costume Institute has advice for storing your clothes for posterity. Your pick: The most-clicked link in The Morning yesterday was a fact-check on Republicans’ claim that their policy bill will help seniors and the middle class. Lives Lived: Dave Scott left a college basketball career to become, without formal training, a prominent hip-hop choreographer. He mapped the moves for adrenaline-charged street dancing films. Scott died at 52. SPORTS Diogo Jota Franck Fife/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images Accident: The Liverpool soccer star Diogo Jota, 28, died along with his brother in a car crash in Spain, the police said. Jota married his longtime girlfriend two weeks ago. N.B.A.: The New York Knicks have offered Mike Brown their head coaching job, and the two sides are expected to finalize a deal soon. M.L.B.: A fan known as the Home Run Thief says he has caught 24 home run balls during his time as an Arizona Diamondbacks season ticket holder. He’s now banned for the rest of the season. ADVICE FROM WIRECUTTER Marki Williams/NYT Wirecutter Before you fire up your gas grill for the Fourth, inspect it for gas leaks. This soapy-water test can make spotting potentially dangerous faults in your grill — something that’s virtually impossible with the naked eye — much easier. 1. Mix equal parts dish soap and water in an empty, clean spray bottle. 2. With the propane valve shut, the grill off and the lid open, generously spritz the soap-and-water mixture onto the propane regulator, the entire hose and the grill’s brass connectors. 3. Slowly open the valve of the propane tank and watch for soapy bubbles to form. If there’s a leak, the bubbles will expand, and you should immediately shut the valve. You can find Wirecutter’s full guide here. ARTS AND IDEAS Ringo Thea Traff for The New York Times Ringo Starr, the oldest Beatle, is turning 85. He has never retired: He is still musically curious and dispensing wisdom — his dry lines became famous in the band’s songs. The Times interviewed him ahead of his birthday: “Starr has the amiable manner of a goofy, wisecracking uncle who happens to have been in the most successful band in the history of the known universe,” Lindsay Zoladz writes. Read more here. More on culture Times readers picked their favorite movies of the 21st century, and their selection diverges from the Hollywood list quite a bit — especially “La La Land,” which failed to rank with insiders but finished No. 16 among readers. See the full list here. Substack is where writers go to be weird, The Cut writes. The composer Erik Satie’s music is beloved. Our critic explains why it’s also far stranger, and more interesting, than many realize. THE MORNING RECOMMENDS … Angie Mosier for The New York Times Make salted caramel ice cream. Pack our favorite umbrellas for a beach day. Upgrade a small bedroom with smarter storage. GAMES Here is today’s Spelling Bee. Yesterday’s pangrams were unclogging and uncoiling. And here are today’s Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections, Sports Connections and Strands. Thanks for spending part of your morning with The Times. See you tomorrow. Sign up here to get this newsletter in your inbox. Reach our team at themorning@nytimes.com. Editor: Adam B. Kushner News Editor: Tom Wright-Piersanti Associate Editor: Lauren Jackson News Staff: Evan Gorelick, Desiree Ibekwe, Brent Lewis, German Lopez, Ashley Wu News Assistant: Lyna Bentahar Saturday Writer: Melissa Kirsch Quote phkrause When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan. Proverbs 29;2
Members phkrause Posted July 4, 2025 Author Members Posted July 4, 2025 July 4, 2025 Good morning, and Happy Fourth. Politics are colliding with the holiday this year: President Trump scored a major victory yesterday when the House passed his big policy bill, and he’s expected to sign it in a ceremony today. We start with that. Then we explain how tariffs have affected firework sales. Plus, we have sticky, sunny archival images from Fourths over the decades. Mike Johnson signing the bill. Kenny Holston/The New York Times The House passed Republicans’ major policy bill in a tight vote, 218 to 214, that was mostly along party lines. Representatives rushed and wrangled to meet the Fourth of July deadline Trump had set. The bill divided Congress for months. It frustrated Democrats who said it would hurt the working class, and who disputed it bitterly until the very end. Hakeem Jeffries, the Democratic leader in the House, held up the final vote for nearly nine hours yesterday as he spoke against it. Representatives had been up all night debating the bill when Jeffries’s speech began, and some slumped in their seats or nodded off as he told stories of Americans whose health care and incomes would be affected. The bill also divided Republicans, angering deficit hawks who worried about how it would increase the national debt. Ultimately, after weeks of protesting the bill, they relented to pressure from Trump and party leaders. “It is, by now, a well-worn routine,” Catie Edmondson, who covers Congress, wrote. Trump celebrated the bill’s passage at a rally in Iowa. His job now is to sell it to a skeptical public as Democrats focus on all the ways it helps the wealthy. — Lauren Jackson, an editor for The Morning So what’s in the bill? As a refresher, here are some of the major things the legislation does: Extends tax cuts that had been scheduled to expire at the end of the year Eliminates some taxes on tips and overtime pay Funds more defense and border security Cuts Medicaid funding by nearly $1 trillion Increases the debt limit by $5 trillion For more Democrats are hoping the legislation is so unpopular with voters that they can leverage it to win back one, if not both, of the chambers of Congress in next year’s midterm elections. The bill provides its most generous tax breaks early on and saves its most painful benefit cuts for later — a careful calculation by Republicans. Elon Musk, the country’s largest known Republican donor in the last presidential election, suggested that he would form a new political party and support primary challengers against all Republicans who voted for the bill. He called the legislation and the increase in deficit “insane.” How will Trump’s big bill affect your wallet? Take this quiz. Jonah Markowitz for The New York Times Boom and bust By Alan Rappeport I cover economic policy in Washington. Fans of booming fireworks shows better get their fill this weekend. That’s because President Trump’s trade war could put a damper on future pyrotechnics. Virtually all of America’s fireworks supplies are imported from China, and the steep tariffs that Trump has slapped on all Chinese products are raising alarm across the industry. In theory, American retailers could start making their own sparklers and fireworks. But that is not so easy. Fireworks are highly regulated and dangerous to make, and China, where they were invented, has long been the only country with the skill and infrastructure to produce them at scale. Trump’s tariff bonanza threatens the U.S. industry, forcing importers to scour the world for cheaper fireworks because the levies are making those from China so expensive. Right now, the U.S. imposes a 30 percent tariff on Chinese imports, down from 145 percent a couple of months ago. One importer told me he looked to Cambodia and Brazil, but those countries didn’t produce enough to satisfy the $2 billion U.S. market, which craves even more explosive shows every year. In 2022 alone, Americans fired off more than 400 million pounds of fireworks, according to the American Pyrotechnics Association. This year’s Independence Day should be relatively unimpeded by the tariffs because retailers stock up in advance. But 2026’s Fourth of July is the bigger problem. That’s when the U.S. will celebrate its 250th birthday, and cities and towns across the country are planning to go all out to set the skies ablaze. Trump has a well-known affinity for fireworks and grand displays of patriotic pageantry. Last month, he soaked in a performance of “America the Beautiful” as fireworks were launched over the night sky to conclude his military parade in Washington. And during the first Trump administration, officials carved out an exception in the tariff rules for fireworks. But that hasn’t happened this time, and without that relief, fireworks lobbyists are warning that future shows might be shorter, less impressive and more expensive. Despite the president’s affection for pyrotechnics, it appears that, for now, he loves tariffs even more. “Real prosperity and patriotism isn’t celebrating the independence of our country with cheap foreign-made firecrackers and trinkets,” said Kush Desai, a White House spokesman. “It’s having a country with booming Main Streets, a thriving working class and robust manufacturing.” In case you were wondering: Hundreds of thousands of people asked Google “Is Walmart open on the Fourth of July?” Most stores will be open between 6 a.m. and 11 p.m. To mark the holiday, The Morning’s photo editor, Brent Lewis, collected some of his favorite Fourth of July photographs from the Times archives. Enjoy! Larry C. Morris/The New York Times The Macy’s Fireworks display over New York City in 1977. Barton Silverman/The New York Times Sunbathers on a Long Island beach in 1984. Neal Boenzi/The New York Times Left: People in front of Freedom Hall in New York City for a parade in 1986. Right: Ronnie James of Bronx huddled with her children under a blanket as rain fell in 1979. Chester Higgins/The New York Times The Astroland amusement park at Coney Island in 1975. THE LATEST NEWS Supreme Court The justices said the U.S. could deport eight migrants to South Sudan, even though they have no connection to the war-torn nation. The court will rule on the constitutionality of state laws that bar transgender athletes from girls’ and women’s sports teams. Politics Illegal border crossings are at their lowest level in decades — a sign that Trump’s hard-line immigration policies are working to keep people out. Attorney General Pam Bondi claimed that Trump has the constitutional power to nullify laws, newly disclosed documents show. Some experts consider it a stark overreach of presidential authority. The E.P.A. placed 144 employees on leave after they signed a letter accusing the Trump administration of politicizing the agency. International In Yiwu, China. Kevin Frayer/Getty Images Trump is using tariffs on pass-through shipments in Vietnam to punish a different country: China. Hamas is deciding whether to accept Israel’s latest offer for a 60-day cease-fire in Gaza and the release of hostages. Read where the negotiations stand. A top Russian general overseeing troops in the contested Kursk region was killed in an apparent strike by Ukraine. ICE Raids Our video investigation shows how Los Angeles police officers broke protocols and injured immigration-raid protesters. Some Latino communities in Los Angeles have canceled Fourth of July celebrations over fears of ICE raids. Other Big Stories Hiring in the U.S. last month was better than expected, suggesting that tariffs and interest rates are not yet causing employers to pull back. (The stock market rose on the news.) At gourmet grocery stores in the Hamptons, a pricing arms race means $400 melons and $100 lobster salad. A teenager flew a plane to Antarctica. Chilean authorities detained him. IN ONE CHART Source: National Interagency Fire Center | 2025 data is as of June 30. | By John Keefe Wildfires have a favorite holiday in the U.S. As the chart above shows, July 4 and July 5 have significantly more human-caused wildfires than any other dates of the year. That’s because dry conditions make it easier to light a fuse (good for fireworks), but also easier to set off a fire that can grow out of control (bad for us). Read more about how weather could affect the holiday. OPINIONS We’re nostalgic for the 1990s because we now lack real-life connection and the potential for wealth and beauty, Glynnis MacNicol writes. Joseph Lee is a member of the Wampanoag tribe on Martha’s Vineyard. His Native identity stems not from his fancy surroundings or appearance, but from his community, he writes. Morning readers: Save on the complete Times experience. Experience all of The Times, all in one subscription — all with this introductory offer. You’ll gain unlimited access to news and analysis, plus games, recipes, product reviews and more. MORNING READS At Waikiki Beach. Gabriela Bhaskar/The New York Times Paddle-out: In Hawaii, a floating memorial service honored a legendary surfer. Seoul: The city’s sidewalks and street signs are blanketed in a layer of crawling, black lovebugs. Many people want them dead. Ask the Therapist: “My brother and I haven’t spoken in four years. Can we reconcile?” Your pick: The most-clicked story in The Morning yesterday was about readers’ picks for their favorite movies of the century so far. Trending: Michael Madsen, the actor who died at 67, was America’s most-searched topic on Google in the past day. Madsen was a sledgehammer of an actor who became one of Hollywood’s reigning bare-knuckled heavies thanks to indelible performances in Quentin Tarantino’s “Reservoir Dogs” and “Kill Bill” series. Read more about him here. SPORTS Wimbledon: Jack Draper lost on the No. 1 Court for the second straight year, this time to world No. 83 and former finalist Marin Cilic. N.B.A.: Ben McLemore, a former guard, was found guilty of raping and sexually assaulting a 21-year-old woman after a lake house party in 2021 while he was playing for the Portland Trail Blazers. He will be sentenced July 9. ARTS AND IDEAS Tom Hanks Columbia Pictures Jason Zinoman, The Times’s comedy columnist, says there’s a trope he has come to expect in any movie or TV show about a comedian: A scene in which the comic, tired of hiding behind jokes, gets real onstage with a personal confession. That’s usually followed by a cough from the crowd, shots of stunned audience members, and a walkout. Sound familiar? Jason shows us a couple of notable examples. More on culture Ronald Galotti, the inspiration for Mr. Big in “Sex and the City.” Kelly Burgess for The New York Times The real-life inspiration for Mr. Big on “Sex and the City” is alive and well and married in Vermont. Subdued elegance was all over the runways, and the streets, at recent men’s fashion weeks. See photos. THE MORNING RECOMMENDS … Christopher Testani for The New York Times Make a classic, three-ingredient margarita. Banish weeds with a street-legal flamethrower. (Yes, really.) Take our news quiz. GAMES Here is today’s Spelling Bee. Yesterday’s pangram was multilevel. And here are today’s Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections, Sports Connections and Strands. Thanks for spending part of your morning with The Times. See you tomorrow. Correction: The caption with the top photo in yesterday’s newsletter misstated the makeup of the U.S. debt. Roughly $29 billion is held by investors. The rest is held by the U.S. government, not by private investors. Sign up here to get this newsletter in your inbox. Reach our team at themorning@nytimes.com. Editor: Adam B. Kushner News Editor: Tom Wright-Piersanti Associate Editor: Lauren Jackson News Staff: Evan Gorelick, Desiree Ibekwe, Brent Lewis, German Lopez, Ashley Wu News Assistant: Lyna Bentahar Saturday Writer: Melissa Kirsch Quote phkrause When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan. Proverbs 29;2
Members phkrause Posted July 6, 2025 Author Members Posted July 6, 2025 July 5, 2025 Good morning. We’ve been marinating in lists of the best movies of the 21st century. What purpose does a list serve, anyway? María Jesús Contreras Hit list By Melissa Kirsch What did you rank as your top movies of the 21st century? Did you include “La La Land,” which landed at No. 16 on our list of readers’ picks, despite not appearing at all on the list by actors and directors? I struggled to determine how I would rank a movie as one of “the best.” Was it one that left me astonished when I saw it? One that stayed with me long after watching? Or should I choose films that somehow felt important in the history of cinema? And what does “important” mean anyway? In 2000, I loved “High Fidelity” and “Best in Show” — but of course I hadn’t seen “Moonlight” or “The Royal Tenenbaums” or “Tár” yet. What did it mean if my list diverged wildly from The Times’s lists? From those of my friends? I found myself inanely worrying that my picks weren’t serious enough, that they didn’t adequately convey my tastes or aesthetic. What is the purpose of a list ranking “the best” of something, anyway? Is it to establish a canon, a definitive record, etched in stone? Is it to inspire questions and conversations and arguments about what makes something good? The very fact that we are stopping to consider the movies we love and debating their relative merits, interrogating what our picks say about us and the culture, is glorious. If we bemoan how the majesty of moviegoing has been diminished and replaced by slack-jawed streaming of algorithm-designed “content,” then a project that lifts us out of the endless scroll and helps us remember why we love movies in the first place is a welcome tonic. I love the way a big list forces me to question and define my tastes, to consider what I like and don’t and why, to sharpen my critical takes against those of others. But the best part of engaging with the films of the 21st century is how the list prompted a cascade of memories of the past 25 years. I remember the exact theater in which I saw “Y Tu Mamá También” in 2002, the friends I was with, where we ate afterward. That restaurant is definitely not there anymore. I remember seeing “Melancholia” in 2011, talking about it over drinks in a weird bar in Midtown. What was my drink order in those days? The objective quality of a film is fun to debate, but it’s a lovely sort of ecstasy to think back over one’s quarter-century of movie-watching experiences, to use those movies to populate a memory palace. The film is just the catalyst for a million other reminiscences. Making a list of the movies you loved over the past 25 years is a way of organizing those years, a kind of post-factum diary. If you were to riff on each of your top 10 movies, what long-forgotten details from your history might be dislodged? You might remember how “The Hurt Locker” floored you in 2009, but you might also remember the rainy day on which you saw it, your raincoat — what happened to that raincoat? — the car you drove to the theater, the job you had then or the person you were dating. We’re forever cramming our brains with more information. Take these 10 movies and use them to sift through some of the accumulated sediment, to make order out of the chaos. If I can rouse myself from reverie, I’ll commit myself this weekend to some of the 11 movies on the main list that I haven’t seen and want to. (How is it possible that I’ve never seen “Spirited Away”?) Or maybe not — “F1” and “Sorry, Baby” are in theaters, and it might be more satisfying to get a jump on 2050’s list. THE LATEST NEWS Flooding in Texas The flooded Guadalupe River in Kerrville, Texas. Carter Johnston for The New York Times In central Texas, sudden floods swept through a summer camp and homes, killing at least 24. Rescuers are frantically searching for as many as 25 missing girls. Read more here. Rain led to a rapid rise of the Guadalupe River, which accelerated to over 29 feet before sunrise on Friday. Camp Mystic, a Christian camp, said that it did not have power, water or Wi-Fi and was struggling to get more help because a nearby highway had washed away. Trump’s Policy Bill In Washington D.C. Tierney L. Cross/The New York Times President Trump signed his sweeping policy bill into law in a Fourth of July ceremony. The American tax code now blends traditional supply-side economics with President Trump’s populist 2024 campaign promises. See how the legislation could affect you. Other Big Stories In Sierra Madre, Calif. Mario Tama/Getty Images America celebrated the Fourth of July, and you can see photos here. The Times asked people to share what they love about the country. Hamas said it was ready to negotiate a truce proposal. Russia attacked Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities with the largest number of drones and missiles launched in a single barrage so far in the war, Ukraine said. The United Nations’ nuclear watchdog said that its inspectors have left Iran, which had stopped cooperating with the agency. THE WEEK IN CULTURE Film and TV Uma Thurman, left, with Charlize Theron. Thea Traff for The New York Times Uma Thurman returns to action movies with “The Old Guard 2,” which pits her against Charlize Theron. The two of them spoke with The Times about women in action. “Jurassic World Rebirth” is in theaters this weekend. Listen to its director, Gareth Edwards, narrate a T. rex escape scene from the film. (You can also read our review here.) The teaser for “The Odyssey,” Christopher Nolan’s next film, is playing in theaters before “Jurassic World Rebirth.” Here’s what it reveals. In “Heads of State,” Idris Elba plays the British prime minister and John Cena plays the U.S. president, both of whom fend off assassination attempts. Our reviewer calls it loud and harmless japery. Music Liam Gallagher, left, and Noel Gallagher from the band Oasis. Scott a Garfitt/Invision, via Associated Press Oasis is back. In the 16 years they were away, the Gallagher brothers kept their names in the news by mastering the art of the troll. Sean Combs was acquitted of the most serious charges against him. His successful defense hinged on the argument that he might be abusive, but he wasn’t a racketeer. Ozzy Osbourne appears in his last-ever concert today. Five musicians, including Tommy Lee of Mötley Crüe, reflected on Osbourne’s career. Fashion A skinny little mustache is the facial hair style of the moment, GQ reports. Some athletes’ wives and girlfriends are more famous than the players themselves. Fashion brands have noticed. Marc Jacobs showed off his latest collection at the New York Public Library. The looks were dreamy and wide open to interpretation, our Styles editor wrote. More Culture Some say there is no longer a place for the straight white male novelist. The Times’s Marc Tracy asks: Should we care? Some people are injecting themselves with Botox. The Cut is encouraging them to stop. Morning readers: Save on the complete Times experience. Experience all of The Times, all in one subscription — all with this introductory offer. You’ll gain unlimited access to news and analysis, plus games, recipes, product reviews and more. CULTURE CALENDAR By Alexis Soloski ? “Dexter: Resurrection” (Friday): The Showtime series “Dexter: New Blood” ended with Michael C. Hall’s Dexter Morgan supine in the snow, his blood unfurling beneath him. But Dexter, a serial killer who preys on other serial killers, isn’t the kind of guy to take death lying down. This new series, created by Clyde Phillips for Paramount+ with Showtime, finds Dexter miraculously recovered. After arriving in New York City, he finds work as a taxi driver, alongside his dark passenger (the part of his psyche that needs to kill). What will obsess him more, murder or congestion pricing? Uma Thurman and Peter Dinklage co-star. RECIPE OF THE WEEK Joe Lingeman for The New York Times By Melissa Clark Puttanesca Chickpea-Tomato Salad If your grill is working overtime this long Fourth of July weekend, consider breaking up the smoke and char with Ali Slagle’s puttanesca chickpea-tomato salad. It’s a brilliant 15-minunte recipe in which juicy tomatoes and canned beans are boldly seasoned with olives, capers and garlic and plenty of lemon juice. Versatile and tangy, you can serve it with pretty much anything grilled, or all by itself for a light and meatless main course. Leftovers last for days in the fridge and get better as they sit, which means lunch next week is sorted, too. A perfect lazy summer move. REAL ESTATE James Estrin/The New York Times The Hunt: After renting a one-bedroom on the Upper West Side for years, a couple with a baby decided to search for a house outside the city. Which did they choose? Play our game. What you get for $500,000: A farmhouse in Sedgwick, Maine; a 1922 Foursquare house in St. Paul, Minn.; or a Craftsman house in Norfolk, Va. LIVING Gabriela Herman for The New York Times New York: Nicolas Nuvan is a rarity among social media’s many street interviewers: The people he approaches don’t hate to see him coming. Onboard: Some airlines are banning portable chargers on flights because of fire risks. Read what to know before you fly. The hottest restaurants: An A.I.-powered website rates establishments on how attractive their customers are. Barbecue trail: On a road trip in rural North Carolina, a writer explored the food and culture of an old-school tradition. Protein and the “least bad” alcohol: See 10 nutrition lessons from 2025. Oysterland: Maine is known for its lobsters, but its oysters are worth the slurp. ADVICE FROM WIRECUTTER A do-it-all barbecue sauce Does a wrapped present need a bow? Does a porch need beautifully ringing wind chimes? Does an ice cream sundae need a cherry on top? No, no and no, but life is too short to deny ourselves what makes us happy. And if that means adding barbecue sauce to brisket, then I say slap it on there and let it rip. If you’re looking for an easy way to zhuzh up whatever you’ve got on the grill this weekend, our favorite barbecue sauce is a good bet. After taste-testing 18 options, it stood out as a pantry whiz, able to spruce up chicken, pulled pork and even the humble chicken nugget. — Abigail Bailey GAME OF THE WEEK Alexis Vega, the forward for Mexico, on the left, and Diego Luna, the U.S. midfielder. Godofredo A. Vásquez/Associated Press Photo; Scott Kane/Associated Press United States vs. Mexico, Concacaf Gold Cup final: Dozens of national teams from North America, Central America and the Caribbean vie to win this tournament, but these two are the only real contenders. Since the Gold Cup began in the 1990s, Mexico has won nine times and the U.S. has won seven. (Canada is the only other team to win; it has done so just once.) Midfielder Diego Luna has breathed life into an American squad that was missing many of it biggest stars, and in the semifinal he scored two goals in the first 15 minutes of the match. Now, as the U.S. faces its biggest rival, the team will need him to step one more time. Sunday at 7 p.m. Eastern on Fox NOW TIME TO PLAY Here is today’s Spelling Bee. Yesterday’s pangrams were coefficient, confection, confetti and infection. Take the news quiz to see how well you followed this week’s headlines. And here are today’s Mini Crossword, Wordle, Sudoku, 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. Editor: Adam B. Kushner News Editor: Tom Wright-Piersanti Associate Editor: Lauren Jackson News Staff: Evan Gorelick, Desiree Ibekwe, Brent Lewis, German Lopez, Ashley Wu News Assistant: Lyna Bentahar Saturday Writer: Melissa Kirsch Quote phkrause When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan. Proverbs 29;2
Members phkrause Posted July 6, 2025 Author Members Posted July 6, 2025 July 6, 2025 Good morning. After days of rain in Texas, rescuers are still searching for people after floods killed at least 52, including 15 children. About two dozen girls are missing from a camp. We explain what we know about the disaster below. Then, we look at how the true-crime craze online shaped the case of the Idaho college murders. In Ingram, Texas. Jordan Vonderhaar for The New York Times Floods in Texas The search for survivors continues in central Texas after a deluge of floodwater filled camp cabins to their roofs, trapped people in trailer homes and overwhelmed cars before dawn on the Fourth of July. At least 52 people were killed, including 15 children; many were sleeping when the floods hit. Among the victims were two sisters, ages 11 and 13, and a 27-year-old man who died trying to save his family. Read their stories. Some two dozen girls at Camp Mystic, a Christian camp on the Guadalupe River, remain missing. Rescuers are struggling to find them in the ongoing downpours. Thunderstorms are lingering over Texas, and some pockets of the state could see up to 10 inches of rain today. Millions of people are still under flood watches, but the heavy rainfall is expected to ease by the evening. (We will share the latest updates here.) Residents said they had little warning as the floods hit. The county most affected — Kerr County, northwest of San Antonio — did not have a flood warning system, officials said. Crucial positions at the local offices of the National Weather Service were empty, and some experts questioned whether staffing shortages had contributed to the disaster. In the tight-knit group of Camp Mystic families, distraught parents posted photos of their children online, offered prayers and shared hopeful stories. Rescuers found a young woman clutching a tree after she was swept away while camping with her family 20 miles upriver. (See the video.) Greg Abbott, Texas’s governor, said he had visited the camp and described it as “horrendously ravaged.” He vowed to find every person missing after the flood, even as he cautioned that it could take some time. “We will be relentless,” he said. “We’re not going to stop today or tomorrow. We’re going to stop when the job is completed.” The federal government said it would offer support. Still, officials acknowledged a painful reality yesterday: As time passes, the likelihood of finding survivors diminishes. — Lauren Jackson, an editor for The Morning At Camp Mystic. Ronaldo Schemidt/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images More on the camp See images of Camp Mystic after the floods, including ruined cabins with children’s belongings scattered in the mud. One camper described waking up in the middle of the night, being guided by counselors through rushing water and riding a helicopter to safety. Another girl, who is 10, began singing camp songs when she was reunited with her parents. “That’s a true testament to the joy that they kept in these kids’ hearts,” her mother said. Read more of their stories. The camp is considered a rite of passage for daughters of prominent families, The Wall Street Journal reported. Laura Bush once served as a counselor. More on the floods Some areas experienced a month of rain in just a few hours. The flooded area is in a part of Texas known as the Hill Country, where many people visit for the natural beauty. The region has also become known as “Flash Flood Alley.” Heavy downpours like the one that caused the Guadalupe River to flood have become more frequent and intense as the burning of fossil fuels has heated the planet. Floods in the same part of Texas swept away 10 teenagers in July 1987. The river rose 29 feet on that morning. Read more here. Investigators in Moscow, Idaho, in 2022. Rajah Bose for The New York Times Murder in Moscow By Mike Baker I reported from Idaho. In the darkness, six hours before the court hearing, the crowd was already forming. Fans of true-crime stories huddled alongside influencers and reporters from around the country. They had all descended on a courthouse in Boise, Idaho, for a chance to watch Bryan Kohberger admit that he killed four University of Idaho students in the fall of 2022. The scene was evidence of the booming popularity of true crime — a genre that often blurs the lines between journalism and entertainment. Some 19 million people now listen to true-crime podcasts each week, a number that has tripled in the past five years. True-crime aficionados gather online, with millions subscribing to YouTube channels, Reddit forums and Facebook groups. I attended the CrimeCon convention on a reporting trip and watched thousands pack into ballrooms to immerse themselves in the gory details of blood spatter and serial killers. The Idaho murders have particularly captivated that audience. Even before the trial was to begin, it inspired books, documentaries and a new crop of YouTube sleuths who built their brands by scrutinizing every development. That craze culminated in the plea hearing this week — a hearing that demonstrated how the public fervor around true crime is having remarkable consequences on real-world events. Searching for clues It was a case that began, as many true-crime stories do, with a gruesome scene and a mystery to solve: The four students were stabbed to death at an off-campus home in Moscow, Idaho, after a night of typical college fun. They were not discovered for hours. The police had no suspect. Online sleuths stepped in. They scoured for clues across the internet, analyzed photos and footage, examined friends of the victims and swapped rumors. In some ways, investigators welcomed the public’s help, asking for tips. More than 10,000 tips flooded in, but none led investigators to a suspect. Instead, detectives spent time refuting falsehoods, such as speculation that the victims were found bound and gagged or that the case was connected to a dog found skinned in town. Sleuths online also openly discussed people they suspected — a man in a hoodie, a neighbor giving interviews — who had nothing to do with the crime and in some cases were grieving the loss of their friends. One professor who was accused by a TikTok user of being involved in the killings has sued for defamation. Eventually, the case was cracked through the work of professional sleuths, not amateur ones. Investigators found a bit of DNA on a knife sheath at the scene. Although the DNA profile didn’t match anything in law enforcement databases, investigators used genetic genealogy to build a family tree that eventually brought them to Kohberger more than a month after the killings. Bryan Kohberger Pool photo by Kyle Green Real-world impacts After officials charged Kohberger, the sleuthing didn’t stop. True-crime fans began speculating about the motive and whether there was enough evidence to convict him. The court attempted to curtail the fervor surrounding the case by issuing a gag order. That seemed to have little effect: People online uncovered the identity of a key witness. Social media influencers hypothesized about a man who they erroneously believed was a Kohberger accomplice. NBC’s “Dateline” reported about evidence that had not previously been made public. The defense cited the extensive publicity as one reason to postpone the trial. But the judge saw it another way: The interest was ever-growing. The trial was needed to end the theorizing. “The longer the public is made to sit and wait for the facts to come out at trial, the more time there is for inflammatory, speculative stories, movies and books to circulate,” the judge wrote. Then, in a last minute surprise, Kohberger agreed to a plea deal that would send him to life in prison. But some family members of the victims fumed that the state had not pursued the death penalty. The case’s audience, tracking every detail of the proceedings, mobilized once again. The court received a flood of calls and emails, the judge reported. The onslaught was so great that it disrupted the court’s operations, redirecting staff who were working not only on Kohberger’s case but also on other cases. The judge called the public effort to influence the plea deal “highly inappropriate.” “This court will never take into account public sentiment in making an opinion regarding its judicial decisions in cases,” he said. “I ask that you not continue to mount such campaigns.” For more: Kohberger had studied serial killers and crime scenes in college. I interviewed one of his former professors, a world-leading expert on serial killers. THE LATEST NEWS Middle East Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, appeared in public for the first time since the war with Israel began. He attended a religious ceremony after weeks of sheltering in a bunker. Israel has all but overpowered its enemies in Gaza, Iran and Lebanon. That’s come at the price of its global standing, Michael Shear writes. The Israeli war with Iran exposed the limits of the idea of an “axis” of authoritarian nations — neither China nor Russia aided Tehran when it mattered, Edward Wong writes. Politics The U.S. sent eight migrants to South Sudan, ending a six-week legal battle that was resolved by an emergency intervention by the Supreme Court. Elon Musk said on social media that he would create a political party called “the America Party.” He is yet to file any paperwork. Other Big Stories The death of the blogger Albert Ojwang in police custody has fueled a wave of protests in Kenya. His funeral made clear that Kenyans were not about to let it go. The authorities recovered seven bodies at the site of a fireworks warehouse explosion in California. The blast forced several cities to cancel or postpone Fourth of July fireworks shows. THE SUNDAY DEBATE Senator Lisa Murkowski voted to pass President Trump’s budget bill in exchange for exceptions for Alaska. Did she do the right thing? Yes. Murkowski’s only job as senator is to protect Alaska, not the rest of the country. “Those outsiders criticizing her should have to explain why they didn’t achieve the same carve-outs or sweeteners for their own states,” Ann Brown writes for Anchorage Daily News. No. Carve-outs for one state aren’t uncommon, but Murkowski sacrificed the well-being of all Americans. “It is incumbent upon Murkowski to explain what aspect of the bill was so beautiful in her eyes that it justified potentially stripping millions of health care and food assistance,” Addison Graham writes for Deseret News. FROM OPINION Trump’s politicization of the F.B.I. will make the bureau less able to combat foreign espionage, organized crime and drug trafficking, the Editorial Board argues. Here’s a column by Ross Douthat on the Republican budget bill. Morning readers: Save on the complete Times experience. Experience all of The Times, all in one subscription — all with this introductory offer. You’ll gain unlimited access to news and analysis, plus games, recipes, product reviews and more. MORNING READS “You're my wonderwall!” The New York Times Still stomping: Jon Caramanica was in Wales for Oasis’s first concert in 16 years. Vows: Five seconds into their first conversation, he was hooked. Your pick: The most clicked article in The Morning yesterday listed 10 nutrition lessons from the year so far. Trending: People were looking up Ozzy Osbourne’s final concert with Black Sabbath. Lives Lived: Ronald Ribman’s plays mined the absurdity of existence. He set his frequently neurotic characters in bleak, morally ambiguous situations where laughter, as he put it, “is a measure of the sickness of society.” Ribman died at 92. SPORTS Track and Field: At the Prefontaine Classic, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone and Sha’Carri Richardson dazzled, while Faith Kipyegon and Beatrice Chebet smashed world records. Wimbledon: Jannik Sinner, Novak Djokovic and Ben Shelton all advanced on Day 6. BOOK OF THE WEEK By Elisabeth Egan “Don’t Let Him In,” by Lisa Jewell: Stockpiling vacation reads? Add this gem to your list — it’s the perfect thriller for a lazy afternoon, especially if you have a yen for silver-tongued villains. Nick appears in Nina’s life at her lowest moment: After her husband dies, he returns a Zippo lighter he has held onto since the two men worked together at a restaurant years before. Nina is charmed, but her daughter, Ash, is instantly suspicious of the lanky, white-haired stranger who insinuates himself into their lives. Then we meet Martha, a London florist, who’s increasingly alone with her infant daughter while her husband, Alistair, disappears for unexplained stretches of time, only to return with the sketchiest explanations of his whereabouts. And there are other women, all under the spell of a sneakily charming man. How their fates converge — and his charisma begins to curdle — is the mystery of this cautionary tale. THE INTERVIEW Mark Rutte David Vintiner for The New York Times By Lulu Garcia-Navarro This week’s subject for “The Interview” is the secretary general of NATO, Mark Rutte. I sat down with Rutte at the organization’s headquarters in Brussels after a pivotal summit at which alliance members pledged to increase military spending to 5 percent of their gross domestic product by 2035. That’s an amount that President Trump, long a NATO skeptic, had demanded, and Rutte delivered. But some of the biggest headlines out of the summit were actually about Rutte’s relationship with Trump. Your interactions with President Trump in the aftermath of that meeting have been called, and I’m quoting here, “fawning” and “an orchestrated grovel.” I saw someone refer to NATO now as the North Atlantic Trump Organization. How do you see it? I think when somebody deserves praise, that praise should be given. And President Trump deserves all the praise because without his leadership, without him being re-elected president of the United States — the 2 percent this year and the 5 percent in 2035 — we would never, ever, ever have been able to achieve agreement on this. I want to get to what exactly these numbers are and what they mean, but there are these two camps after the summit. One said that you did what you did to pacify President Trump’s ego and have a successful summit, which you did. And the other said that while our president likes flattery, he ultimately sees it as weakness, and it only appeases him for so long. I’m sure you’ve seen all this commentary. I was prime minister of the Netherlands for 14 years, so I know about criticism, but I don’t care. In the end, I need to do my job. I have to keep the whole of NATO together. And the biggest ally is the United States. That biggest ally has paid, since Eisenhower, more than the Europeans. And now, for the first time in 65 years, we will equalize between what the U.S. is paying and what the Europeans are paying. And without Trump, that would not have happened. Read more of the interview here. And you can watch a longer version of this interview at youtube.com/@theinterview. THE NEW YORK TIMES MAGAZINE Read this week’s magazine. THE MORNING RECOMMENDS … Organize your digital library. Whip up fluffy meringue with a hand mixer. Wear earplugs to a concert. MEAL PLAN David Malosh for The New York Times In this week’s Five Weeknight Dishes newsletter, Emily Weinstein highlights meals from NYT Cooking’s Summer 100 list of bright and easy recipes. Emily suggests making oven-seared salmon with corn and tomatoes, chicken gyro chopped salad, and chilled tofu with gochujang sauce. NOW TIME TO PLAY Here is today’s Spelling Bee. Yesterday’s pangrams were angrily, glaringly and rallying. Can you put eight historical events — including the Cuban Missile Crisis, the earliest tax cuts, and the first spam email — in chronological order? Take this week’s Flashback quiz. 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: Adam B. Kushner News Editor: Tom Wright-Piersanti Associate Editor: Lauren Jackson News Staff: Evan Gorelick, Desiree Ibekwe, Brent Lewis, German Lopez, Ashley Wu News Assistant: Lyna Bentahar Saturday Writer: Melissa Kirsch Quote phkrause When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan. Proverbs 29;2
Members phkrause Posted July 7, 2025 Author Members Posted July 7, 2025 July 7, 2025 Good morning. Here’s the news you need to start your day: Texas floods: The death toll is now at least 81. People are continuing to search for survivors on horseback, on foot and by helicopter. Read one rescuer’s account of evacuating 165 people from Camp Mystic, sometimes carrying two girls in one arm. Benjamin Netanyahu: He landed in Washington to meet with President Trump. Murder: An Australian woman was found guilty of adding poisonous mushrooms to a beef Wellington and serving it to her estranged husband’s relatives at lunch, killing three of them. (He declined to attend.) We have more on those stories below. But first, we answer your questions. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images; Louisa Gouliamaki, via Reuters; GDA, via Associated Press Images; Victor J. Blue for The New York Times Your questions, answered By the staff of The Morning As journalists, we ask questions for a living. And we strive to make sure our work addresses the pressing ones on readers’ minds, especially in this time of dizzying political news. That’s why we regularly invite the audience of The Morning to send us their questions, and have our expert beat reporters respond. Today, we’re addressing your queries about immigration, military spending, Social Security, Medicaid and whether now is a good time to build a house. (Got a question for us? Submit them here.) ICE raids With the raids on undocumented immigrants going on, targeting the people who work in the fields and the slaughterhouses, how have these actions affected the supply and prices in our grocery stores? — Anna Halbrook, Otis, Ore. We asked Julie Creswell, who covers the food industry, to field this one: We haven’t seen any obvious fallout from immigration raids on grocery prices yet. As of the end of May, prices were up about 2.2 percent compared with a year earlier. Eggs, coffee and meats — ground beef in particular — drove that increase. But beef prices were climbing even before the raids, because of droughts and high interest rates (ranchers take out loans to run their operations). The nation’s cattle inventory is at its lowest level since the 1950s. Prices of fruits and vegetables have stayed about flat over the past year; tomatoes and lettuce are actually much cheaper right now. Defense spending Trump has pushed NATO countries to spend 5 percent of their economic output on the military. How much of its economic output does the U.S. spend on the military? — Diann Ebersole, Copperopolis, Calif. From German Lopez, who has written several Morning newsletters on this very topic: The U.S. spends about 3.5 percent of its gross domestic product on the military. That used to put America at the top of NATO’s ranks, but Poland now spends a larger portion, 4.1 percent. Critics say this makes President Trump a hypocrite: If the U.S. isn’t spending 5 percent, why should other countries? But Trump says that the U.S. doesn’t need to spend as much now because it’s invested a lot more historically. Europe, the argument goes, has let its militaries and defense industries languish through disinvestment. (Some experts agree.) The president contends that those countries need to rebuild in a way that the U.S. doesn’t, and rebuilding has a big upfront cost. Trump also has a transactional view of the world and alliances. He sees Europe’s renewed spending as payback after the U.S. bore the brunt of NATO’s duties and expenditures for decades. Retirement benefits I’ve heard a lot of talk that Social Security will be running out of money. I plan on retiring in the next two to three years. Should I retire sooner to collect my full benefit? — Elizabeth Y. Here’s Tara Siegel Bernard, who recently interviewed retirees on this: Social Security has long faced financing challenges, but the issue becomes more pressing each year. The trust fund that pays retiree benefits is projected to be depleted in 2033, or when today’s 59-year-olds turn 67. At that point, the program will have enough incoming revenue to pay only 77 percent of benefits — in other words, a 23 percent cut. But that happens if Congress does nothing to address the problem, like raising payroll taxes or trimming benefits. The decision of when an individual should take Social Security is highly personal. There can be a huge payoff for healthy people who can afford to wait: Starting at 67 instead of 62, for example, can mean monthly checks that are 43 percent higher. And for each year you delay retirement past 67, your monthly payment rises 8 percent. Ask yourself: Would collecting a reduced benefit for a couple of extra years be preferable to locking in a higher benefit for the rest of your life? A conversation with a financial planner is often a solid investment; these are high-stakes decisions. Who loses Medicaid? Are there some specific examples of who will be affected by Medicaid cuts and requirements to work in the big policy bill passed last week? Will people with Parkinson’s who are in long-term care be cut off because they can’t work? — Amy, Glenview, Ill. From Margot Sanger-Katz, who covers health care for The Upshot: The bill’s work requirement is focused on a relatively specific group of Medicaid beneficiaries: childless adults without disabilities and parents of children older than 13. But it is certainly plausible that the bill’s policies could have spillover effects for other populations. A person in long-term care with Parkinson’s would almost certainly still be covered. But someone with Parkinson’s who has not yet qualified for Social Security disability status may have to prove they are too sick to work. States will also have to build new enrollment systems to check who is eligible and who is compliant, and several current and former state officials are worried the magnitude of that effort could lead to errors and delays for everyone. When to build Is this a good time to build a house? — Janie Spataro, Ringgold, Ga. Conor Dougherty, who covers the housing industry, offers this advice: Can you afford to build it, and do you plan on living there for seven to 10 years? If the answer to both of those questions is yes, then it’s as good a time as any to build. Housing is an unusual good in that it is both a consumable, like a car, and an investment, like a stock. Most of the worst home-buying decisions — overstretching on a mortgage, buying in an area you don’t really like — come from thinking of housing as an opportunity to make money instead of as a place to live. A house is only a good investment if you think of it as home. In Ingram, Texas. Carter Johnston for The New York Times Devastation in Texas Rescuers pushed through rain and flooding in their search for those still missing after one of America’s deadliest floods in the past century. At least 81 people have died, and at least 41 are missing. More rain is expected today. The window for finding people alive is rapidly closing. However, there have been stories of survival: A young girl was found after floating on a mattress for hours, Chip Roy, congressman from Texas, said. And a mother and son survived by clinging to each other and a tree. Families of the campers at Camp Mystic attended church services and prayed for their daughters and friends, at least 10 of whom are still missing. Some parts of Central Texas experienced heavy rain yesterday, but the hardest-hit areas, including Kerr Country, appeared to avoid more devastation. — Desiree Ibekwe, a writer for The Morning. Follow here for updates. For more A rescuer described finding girls in pajamas at Camp Mystic. When campers asked him if they could bring their stuffed animals on the helicopter, he said, “Of course.” Read his story. We have stories from some of the victims, including a longtime high school teacher and a camp director. Years ago, Kerr County officials debated whether to build a warning system along the banks of the Guadalupe River. As with many rural Texas counties, cost was an issue. Your pick: The most-clicked story in The Morning yesterday showed how close the cabins were to the river at Camp Mystic. See the images of the devastation. THE LATEST NEWS Middle East Many hope that Netanyahu’s meeting with Trump will pave the way for a new cease-fire in Gaza. Read about the stakes of the meeting. The Israeli military struck Evin prison, a hated symbol of oppression in Iran where dissidents were held. In doing so, it killed many prisoners and social workers, angering Iranians. War in Ukraine In Kostiantynivka, Ukraine. David Guttenfelder/The New York Times Ukrainian troops are struggling to hold the line against Russian attacks on the eastern front. Also in the east, the Ukrainians are stringing up fishing nets over roads, a low-tech but effective way to counter Russian drones that are too fast to shoot down. Trade The tariff deadline for America’s trading partners elapses this week. For 90 days, the U.S. has been trying to reach trade deals — but it has reached only two preliminary agreements. Scott Bessent, the treasury secretary, said that he was confident that the U.S. would be able to strike some deals before the deadline. Canada, looking diversify its exports after Trump’s trade war, has begun shipping natural gas to Asia. More on the Trump Administration Trump called Elon Musk “off the rails” and a “train wreck” after Musk said he was creating a political party, the “America Party.” (People online were searching for information about it.) Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is trying to persuade food makers to abandon synthetic dyes. He has hit a roadblock: the candy industry. After the Great Recession, Harvard turned to donors from China. Those ties are coming back to haunt the university under the Trump administration. Other Big Stories Mthokozisi Ngubane claims he was tortured by the South African police. Joao Silva/The New York Times The South African police are using an outlawed apartheid-era torture technique — a suffocation method known as tubing — during interrogations, The Times found. A police officer was shot outside an ICE detention center in Texas. The authorities said several armed people were taken into custody. CATCHING KILLERS Source: Jeff Asher, F.B.I. | By The New York Times German Lopez has a new article exploring why so many police departments in the U.S. struggle to solve crimes. He writes: Why do so many people in America get away with murder? That question drove me to Louisville, Ky., where the police department solves roughly half of the murders in the city. Whether someone escapes consequences for killing another person essentially comes down to a coin flip. Victims’ family members told me they felt abandoned by the police. The police department acknowledged the problem and noted that it is 300 officers short of full staffing. Louisville is not alone. The nationwide clearance rate for murders — that is, the share of cases that result in an arrest or are otherwise solved — was 58 percent in 2023, the latest year of data. And that number is likely inflated, because it includes murders from previous years that the police solved in 2023. The low rates, experts said, embolden criminals and could lead to more crime and violence across the country. Read my full story, which also includes potential solutions. OPINIONS Stephen Miller’s anti-immigration stance is consistent and rigid. Its weakness is that it has to operate under something more incoherent and powerful: Trumpism, Jason Zengerle writes. Here are columns by David French on age verification for watching porn and Nicholas Kristof’s win-a-trip winner on the shortcomings of American feminism. Morning readers: Save on the complete Times experience. Experience all of The Times, all in one subscription — all with this introductory offer. You’ll gain unlimited access to news and analysis, plus games, recipes, product reviews and more. MORNING READS On Ipanema Beach in Rio de Janeiro. Dado Galdieri for The New York Times Rio de Janeiro: The city’s mayor wants to regulate vendors and music on the coastline. Residents fear the end of the beaches’ beautiful chaos. I can’t sleep. Now what? Experts shared tips on what to do when rest just won’t come. Vatican’s villa: Pope Francis abandoned Castel Gandolfo, Italy, as his summer getaway. Pope Leo XIV is restoring the tradition. Metropolitan Diary: Who needs headphones? Lives Lived: Jim Parkinson was a renowned lettering artist whose hand-drawn logos branded the covers of Rolling Stone, Esquire and Newsweek during the heyday of print journalism. Parkinson died at 83. SPORTS Wimbledon: Novak Djokovic, Jannik Sinner and Iga Świątek all will take the court as the second week of the tournament begins. Today’s winners will join Sunday’s winners in the quarterfinals. Follow updates here. Soccer: Mexico captured its second consecutive Gold Cup after defeating the U.S. men’s national team, 2-1. N.B.A: The deal between the Houston Rockets and Phoenix Suns in June expanded into a record-setting seven-team trade. The deal, which still sends Kevin Durant to Houston, now includes the Atlanta Hawks, Brooklyn Nets, Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Lakers and Minnesota Timberwolves. ARTS AND IDEAS In Brooklyn, New York. Alex Kent for The New York Times Both Democratic and Republican political organizers and strategists seem to be converging on an unlikely political buzzword to appeal to young audiences: “Hot.” On the left, there’s Hot Girls for Zohran, a group that canvassed for Zohran Mamdani in his successful Democratic primary campaign for mayor of New York. And on the right, conservative women are posing in pink hats that read “Make America Hot Again.” Callie Holtermann explains what’s happening. More on culture Ready for the Prince of Darkness. Ellie Smith for The New York Times “Oz-zy! Oz-zy! Oz-zy!”: Heavy metal fans crossed continents to witness Ozzy Osbourne’s final gig in Birmingham, England. The Times was there, too. YouTube has long tried keep users from sharing pirated movies and shows. But some people are using new tactics to evade detection. THE MORNING RECOMMENDS … Bryan Gardner for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne. Top espresso with whipped cream to make an einspänner, or a tiramisù in beverage form. Pop your own popcorn. Take our news quiz. GAMES Here is today’s Spelling Bee. Yesterday’s pangram was matriarch. And here are today’s Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections, Sports Connections and Strands. Thanks for spending part of your morning with The Times. See you tomorrow. Sign up here to get this newsletter in your inbox. Reach our team at themorning@nytimes.com. Editor: Adam B. Kushner News Editor: Tom Wright-Piersanti Associate Editor: Lauren Jackson News Staff: Evan Gorelick, Desiree Ibekwe, Brent Lewis, German Lopez, Ashley Wu News Assistant: Lyna Bentahar Saturday Writer: Melissa Kirsch Quote phkrause When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan. Proverbs 29;2
Members phkrause Posted July 9, 2025 Author Members Posted July 9, 2025 July 8, 2025 Good morning. Here’s the latest news: Tariffs: President Trump threatened 14 countries with rates of at least 25 percent beginning Aug. 1. See the full list, which includes Japan, South Korea and other U.S. allies. Benjamin Netanyahu: He’s visiting Washington. At a White House dinner, Netanyahu told Trump he had nominated him for the Nobel Peace Prize. (See the video.) Wimbledon: Jannik Sinner, the men’s World No. 1, was nearly eliminated before the quarterfinals. He got a lucky break. We have more on those stories below. But first, we have an update on the floods: More rain is expected, and the death toll has passed 100. One of our colleagues in Texas writes about the particular horror of a disaster at a summer camp. At Camp Mystic. Ronaldo Schemidt/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images American summer By Ruth Graham I’m a reporter based in Dallas, covering religion. Camp is a sacred American rite. More than 20 million children attend each summer, according to the American Camp Association. It’s a ritual of personal growth, of community building, of communing with nature. And, for the parents and grandparents and siblings of campers, it is suddenly a harrowing prospect, turned upside down by the floods in Texas that took 27 children and counselors at Camp Mystic in Hunt, Texas. After this, what will it feel like to drop your children off for a spell in the woods, trusting that they will come home safe? My daughter had recently returned from her first sleepaway camp when an editor called me early on the Fourth of July and asked me to look into reports of flash flooding along the Guadalupe River in Central Texas. (See how fast floodwaters rose here.) Source: Flooding data via Floodbase | Map shows areas with any level of estimated flooding. Localized flooding may be underrepresented. | By The New York Times I remember how I felt when my daughter left. I was excited for her but also vibrating with tension, obsessively refreshing the private webpage where the camp posted photographs daily. (Here is another technological innovation that is both a blessing and a curse.) Was she happy? Would she ride a horse? Was that curly-haired seatmate a new friend? Those worries suddenly felt frivolous as I began to report. In Texas, like so many parts of the country, everyone seems to have a summer camp story. Friends of my family have attended Camp Mystic and many other spots like it in the Texas Hill Country and beyond. In conversations with me this week, people have sometimes struggled to articulate exactly what made Mystic, an all-girls program, so special. But much of it revolved around the water, including Mystic songs like “There’s a Camp on the Guadalupe River” and fishing lessons with Dick Eastland, the camp’s director. He ran the camp for decades with his wife and was reportedly swept away by floodwaters. Mystic has its own particular flavor. Texas political royalty, including the daughters of Lyndon Johnson, favored the Christian program. Many families in Texas’ big cities have sent generations of their daughters, breaking tradition only if they are unlucky enough to bear sons. A friend who was a counselor at another all-girls camp near Mystic in the 1990s put it this way: In Texas especially, camp is a place where “in a somewhat male-dominated Southern culture, girls can be wild and be leaders and be fun and independent and be with nature.” Summer camp molds young people into the adults they will become, giving many of them their first sustained taste of independence. But that’s not the only reason so many alumni still reminisce about summer fun well into middle age. The paradox of camp is that it’s not just a place to grow up, but also a place to be a kid: happy, free and safe. More on the floods By the Guadalupe River in Kerrville, Texas. Loren Elliott for The New York Times Rescuers continue to search for survivors and recover bodies. California sent specialized divers to help. Read about the victims. “The scope of this is still hard to comprehend”: Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs, an investigative reporter on the ground in Texas, describes what he’s seen in the flood zone in this video. Trump cautioned against casting blame as Democrats called for an investigation into whether cuts and staff shortages at the National Weather Service have contributed to the disaster. Your pick: The most-clicked story in The Morning yesterday was about one young man who is credited with saving 165 people from Camp Mystic. “The Daily” is a love letter to Camp Mystic today. A MUSK PARTY Elon Musk Eric Lee/The New York Times Elon Musk is done with Democrats and Republicans. “Today, the America Party is formed,” he wrote online over the weekend. He said it would disrupt the other parties’ hold on the federal government. Reid Epstein, a Times political correspondent, explains the effort. Americans are hungry for political alternatives. But despite Musk’s skill with start-ups, U.S. history is littered with failed attempts to craft a third way in Washington. Here are a few of the hurdles: Rules in each state are hard to follow. The laws governing ballot access and campaign finance are very technical. Congressional candidates face a labyrinthine system of signature requirements that vary from state to state. In Georgia, for instance, congressional candidates outside the two major parties must gather about 27,000 signatures from their district. That’s why no third-party candidate has been on a congressional ballot there since the law was enacted in 1943. Even the name America Party could be a problem. New York State forbids the word “American” — or any variant — in party names. Who would run it? President Trump has punished Republican consultants who have joined or even tenuously linked arms with his opponents. Musk might have to rely on the mercenary types who populate the world of minor parties and ballot-access campaigns, and who may be willing to suffer reputational damage with the G.O.P. if the paycheck is big enough. They usually don’t last, aside from minor parties like the Libertarians and Greens, which have qualified for ballots and occasionally affected general-election outcomes. The Reform Party, created by H. Ross Perot after he ran for president in 1992, petered out within a decade even though Perot had won 19 million votes in that race. Unite America, a 2010s project to put forward centrist candidates, stopped backing candidates after the 2018 election. Another much-discussed group, No Labels, never got around to putting forward a candidate in 2024. Related: Tesla shares plunged yesterday. THE LATEST NEWS Trade Trump revived his trade war threats. He demanded 14 countries agree to trade deals by Aug. 1 or face at least 25 percent tariffs. Markets fell. His targets included two of America’s closest foreign allies, Japan and South Korea, as well as Malaysia, Indonesia and South Africa. For months, nations in Asia have tried to avert tariffs by giving Trump something he might want. Those efforts made little difference. Immigration The Justice Department said the U.S. would immediately start trying to deport Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia again if he were released from custody next week. Armed federal agents marched through a Los Angeles park in what officials called an immigration enforcement operation. Mayor Karen Bass described it as “the way a city looks before a coup.” The Trump administration ended deportation protections for migrants from Honduras and Nicaragua. The U.S. has repeatedly insisted in court that it has no control over the Venezuelan migrants it deported to El Salvador. New documents seem to undermine those claims. More on the Trump Administration The government promised revelations about the disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein. But the Justice Department acknowledged it lacks evidence for conspiracy theories about him, including a “client list.” The I.R.S. said churches could endorse political candidates from the pulpit, an exemption to decades-old rules for nonprofits. Six medical groups sued Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and the Health and Human Services Department over decisions that limit access to vaccines. Trump said he would send more weapons to Ukraine. His administration paused some transfers just last week. Middle East At the White House. Haiyun Jiang/The New York Times At dinner in Washington, Trump and Netanyahu discussed the future of Gaza. Iran has deported hundreds of thousands of Afghans in recent weeks. Officials there have described Afghan refugees as potential spies for Israel. Other Big Stories Russia’s former transport minister was found dead hours after Vladimir Putin fired him. A storm flooded roads, downed trees and stranded residents across central North Carolina. Now, it’s headed toward Washington, D.C. Some New York Democrats are working to stop Zohran Mamdani, the winner of their party’s primary in the mayor’s race, in the general election. SYRIA’S MASS GRAVES Reuters (video); The New York Times (annotations) During the 13-year Syrian civil war, Bashar al-Assad’s regime killed tens of thousands of civilians to stamp out opposition. Charlie Smart, a graphics reporter, visited the place where many of them were buried. Al-Assad’s victims included protesters, activists, journalists, students, loyalists who fell out of favor and members of rebel factions. The government buried many of them at the Najha cemetery, about five miles south of Syria’s capital, Damascus. I went there in February, two months after rebels overthrew the Assad regime. Falah al-Za’al, 52, lived near the graves. Diego Ibarra Sanchez for The New York Times I interviewed former grave workers and people who lived nearby. My colleagues and I analyzed satellite imagery, too. A grave worker said he saw refrigerated trucks dumping hundreds of bodies into pits. See our full investigation, with 3-D recreations of the trenches and tombs in Najha. OPINIONS The spending cuts in the Republican budget bill are both cruel and stupid because they will lead to expensive hospital bills and the closing of rural hospitals, Lawrence Summers writes. Here’s a column by Michelle Goldberg on a Senate campaign in Nebraska. Everything The Times offers. All in one subscription. Morning readers: Save on unlimited access to The Times with this introductory offer. MORNING READS Ashmolean Museum Focus challenge: Once a month, we invite you to spend a few minutes with one piece of art. Today’s is a painting from the Himalayan foothills. Take a closer look. White-collar wager: A.I. is poised to displace workers. But which ones? Prime Day: Amazon has doubled the length of its fabricated shopping holiday. Most of the deals are overhyped, but Wirecutter’s experts found some good ones. See them here. Lives Lived: Six decades ago, Franklin Stahl helped create “the most beautiful experiment in biology” — an elegant way to confirm how DNA replicates. He died at 95. SPORTS Trending: When Jannik Sinner was on the verge of a fourth-round exit from Wimbledon, he was rescued by his opponent’s bad luck: Grigor Dimitrov injured a pectoral muscle and was unable to finish the match. College football: As fans count down the days until the start of the season, The Athletic ranked the 100 best rivalries. ARTS AND IDEAS Fashionable feet. Chan Luu In the fashion world, it’s a great time to be a toe. Luxury flip-flops, mesh flats and five-toed sneakers — lots of fashionable footwear is emphasizing our little piggies. The toe-centric shoe style coincides with other trends like naked dressing and short shorts. Read more here. More on culture Instead of hiring outsiders, some brands are minting their own social media influencers. On “The Daily Show,” Jon Stewart likened Congress to pro wrestling without the fun. THE MORNING RECOMMENDS … Armando Rafael for The New York Times Make the most of summer produce with this zucchini, ricotta and basil pasta. Try these outdoor workouts. Take a sturdy umbrella to the beach. GAMES Here is today’s Spelling Bee. Yesterday’s pangram was updraft. And here are today’s Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections, Sports Connections and Strands. Thanks for spending part of your morning with The Times. See you tomorrow. Sign up here to get this newsletter in your inbox. Reach our team at themorning@nytimes.com. Editor: Adam B. Kushner News Editor: Tom Wright-Piersanti Associate Editor: Lauren Jackson News Staff: Evan Gorelick, Desiree Ibekwe, Brent Lewis, German Lopez, Ashley Wu News Assistant: Lyna Bentahar Saturday Writer: Melissa Kirsch Quote phkrause When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan. Proverbs 29;2
Members phkrause Posted July 10, 2025 Author Members Posted July 10, 2025 July 9, 2025 Good morning. Here’s the latest news: Texas: Gov. Greg Abbott said that rescuers would continue to search for those affected by the floods: “We will not stop until we identify, recover every single body.” At least 173 people remain missing. Ukraine war: President Trump expressed frustration with Vladimir Putin. “We get a lot of bullshit thrown at us by Putin,” he said. “He’s very nice to us all the time, but it turns out to be meaningless.” Tariffs: The government continues to negotiate trade deals. Read how Trump has remade the U.S. economy. Today, we’re also explaining how schools are using artificial intelligence. At an A.I. seminar in Manhattan. Ahmed Gaber for The New York Times A.I. in the classroom By Evan Gorelick I’m a writer for The Morning. Chatbots have wormed their way into everything: phones, cars, TVs, offices. They’re also in kids’ classrooms. Microsoft and OpenAI announced yesterday that they would spend millions on a new program that will train teachers to use artificial intelligence. It’s part of a bigger push by tech companies to get their chatbots into schools. They’re selling A.I. subscriptions to administrators and promising them that the bots will help teachers grade assignments, prepare lessons and draft recommendation letters. The companies say A.I. proficiency will prepare kids for the work force. They also approach students directly with discounted subscription rates around exam periods. It’s an old playbook: Get kids hooked, and you’ve got future customers. But do chatbots actually help them learn? So far, there’s little evidence. Today, I explain how students have become guinea pigs in a national classroom-learning experiment. What’s happening? After years of hesitancy and hand-wringing about A.I., schools are starting to experiment with chatbots — some with enhanced privacy guardrails, some without. In a nationally representative survey, nearly half of districts reported having provided A.I. training for their teachers as of last fall. That’s twice the number from the previous year. At First Avenue Elementary School in Newark, N.J. Gabriela Bhaskar for The New York Times In Kelso, Wash., middle and high schoolers used Google’s Gemini this school year for tasks like research and writing. In Newark, an A.I. tool from Khan Academy helps teachers place elementary-school students into study groups based on their skill levels. It also answers students’ questions as teachers give lessons. Colleges are buying chatbots, too. The California State University System just signed a $17 million deal with OpenAI to give its 460,000 students access to ChatGPT, despite major state funding cuts. The school wants to equip students with A.I. to debug computer code, make digital art, edit essays and research assignments. Schools like Duke and the University of Maryland are among a growing group that have introduced homegrown chatbots for similar tasks. Same pitch, new era Tech companies are using an old marketing strategy: Promise that the latest tech will solve classroom problems. In the early 2000s, they told parents and educators that laptops would revolutionize classroom learning. Districts spent millions. Two decades later, tech companies are still peddling the same fear of missing out: They suggest students need cutting-edge tools for tomorrow’s economy, and schools that don’t provide them are setting their students up for failure. “‘I don’t want my kids to get left behind.’ That’s the first thing we hear from districts,” Vicki Zubovic, who heads outreach for Khan Academy’s new classroom A.I. service, told me. The government is on board, too. President Trump signed an executive order in April urging schools to integrate A.I. into classrooms at all grade levels. He said doing so would be necessary “to ensure the United States remains a global leader in this technological revolution.” Will it help students learn? While tech companies promise that A.I. can facilitate “personalized learning,” many students and educators are simply using chatbots as a sophisticated search engine. (Some also use it to cheat, including by drafting essays.) The Jetsonian features are familiar; interview-prep bots and virtual tutors have been around for years. Julia Kaufman, who tracks national education data for the RAND Corporation, told me that it was “really hard to know” whether A.I. would actually improve student learning. Since the tools are so new, there’s virtually no research on their efficacy yet. Laptop programs offer a sobering precedent. They modestly improved students’ long-term achievement: An analysis of 10 studies found “small” but statistically significant bumps in writing, math and science. But those gains often relied on teacher buy-in and revamped curriculums — and fell short of interventions like reducing class sizes and offering tutors. This time around, the stakes are arguably higher. A generation of students is learning what it means to coexist with — and depend on — powerful, often opaque technology. In many cases, they’re handing over their data to tech companies. And researchers won’t know for years whether the experiment has worked. For more Did you study computer science? The Times wants to hear about what it’s like to apply for jobs and internships right now. Someone is using A.I. to impersonate the secretary of state, Marco Rubio, in text and voice messages to foreign diplomats. THE LATEST NEWS Texas Floods Carter Johnston for The New York Times The flooding in Texas is a story best told, and felt, through photography and video. Carter Johnston, operating from the center of the disaster zone in Kerr County, made many of his strongest images using a drone. Stephen Reiss, a photo editor on our National desk, explains why that was essential to the coverage. Reporting on a disaster like a flash flood is difficult and dangerous. Roads are under water or blocked by debris; bridges are damaged. Just getting from Point A to Point B takes planning. Aerial photography with a drone lets you see places that are unreachable on foot and minimizes the risk to the photographer. It can be difficult to comprehend the magnitude of a disaster like this one, and having a wider view can help our readers understand what is at stake. People unfamiliar with Texas Hill Country can see the topography of the landscape. You can feel as if you are there and grasp what makes this region unique. But flying a drone can carry risks. Flight restrictions are often in place because drones can interfere with search-and-rescue operations. On Monday, for example, a helicopter involved in search efforts in Kerr County made an emergency landing after striking a private drone. Drone photography also has limitations. When viewing events from the sky, you have to be careful not to lose sight of the human side of a tragedy like this one, the lives that are affected below. More on the Floods Kerr County, where the worst flooding was, has at least 161 people still missing — almost all of those who remain unaccounted for. Senator Ted Cruz was vacationing in Greece as floods hit his state. It wasn’t the first time he’s been out of the country during a natural disaster. Rivers are the soul of the Texas Hill Country — and a source of heartache, Rick Rojas writes. Government Overhaul The Supreme Court said that the Trump administration can slash the federal work force and dismantle executive agencies. Though the justices allowed Trump to go ahead, they did not rule on whether specific plans were legal. Thousands of federal workers now wait for their agencies to decide who stays, who goes and when. Trade Instead of treating tariffs as part of a broader trade policy, Trump views them as a weapon to rebalance global influence, Maggie Haberman writes. Scott Bessent, the Treasury secretary, is leading a search to replace Jerome Powell as Fed chair. He’s also a candidate for the job. What constitutes a trade “deal” these days has become a tricky question. Trump has used the term liberally. More on the Trump Administration Trump used to be skeptical of cryptocurrencies. Read a deep dive on how the industry turned him into crypto’s most important supporter. California rejected the Trump administration’s demand to bar transgender athletes from girls’ and women’s sports. Ukraine and Russia Ukrainians welcomed Trump’s plan to send them more weapons. But some fear that he might change his mind again. Russia plotted to burn down a Michelin-starred London restaurant and kidnap its owner, a former cellphone tycoon who had criticized Putin, according to court documents. Wildfires In less than a week, wildfires in Syria have scorched an area roughly the size of Washington, D.C. See photos and video of the destruction. Wildfires are also burning on the outskirts of Marseille, France’s second-largest city. Those fires have injured over 100 people. Other Big Stories Flash flooding in southern New Mexico killed at least three people. The waters also swept away homes — see a video. Joe Biden’s inner circle took pains to prevent people from interacting with him, Tyler Pager writes in an article adapted from his book about the 2024 election. Police and demonstrators clashed during antigovernment protests in Kenya. At least 31 people have been killed, according to a Kenyan human rights group. A man died after being sucked into a jet engine at a Milan airport, an official there said. The T.S.A. will let travelers keep their shoes on in security lines at some major airports. THE MORNING QUIZ This question comes from a recent edition of the newsletter. Click an answer to see if you’re right. (The link will be free.) A new I.R.S. policy, announced on Monday in a court filing, will: allow fewer deductions for owners of exotic pets. let churches endorse political candidates from the pulpit. give a tax break for buying an American car. reduce the number of audits of the wealthiest households. OPINIONS Israel’s military success in Iran could turn into a liability if Iran concludes that only a nuclear bomb can protect it, Mairav Zonszein writes. Here’s a column by Ross Douthat on Elon Musk’s third party. Everything The Times offers. All in one subscription. Morning readers: Save on unlimited access to The Times with this introductory offer. MORNING READS Animation by Aimee Sy Kennedy’s campaign: How the health secretary transformed the F.D.A. and sowed chaos at the agency. Your pick: In the most clicked article in The Morning yesterday, Wirecutter shares the best Prime Day deals. You can also see editors’ picks for deals under $100. Trending: Mattel’s next Barbie doll will have type 1 diabetes, CNN reports. Lives Lived: Richard Greenberg was called the “Noël Coward of the ‘Brady Bunch’ generation” for his plays about the manners and mores of New York’s upper middle class. He was best known for “Take Me Out,” about a baseball player’s decision to publicly reveal his homosexuality. Greenberg died at 67. SPORTS Wimbledon: On the first day of the singles quarterfinals, No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka narrowly avoided an upset against her unseeded opponent. And Carlos Alcaraz swiftly defeated Cam Norrie, Britain’s last man standing, in straight sets. W.N.B.A.: The Indiana Fever’s Caitlin Clark and the Minnesota Lynx’s Napheesa Collier drafted their rosters for the All-Star Game, and they agreed to swap coaches. ARTS AND IDEAS Lena Dunham Caroline Tompkins for The New York Times When Lena Dunham moved to London in 2021, she had given up on love. But love had not given up on her. She soon met the British musician who would become her husband. Dunham turned their story into a 10-episode Netflix show, “Too Much,” which tries to reimagine the romantic comedy. Read an interview with Dunham and the show’s stars. More on culture People are coming together at bars to watch episodes of “Love Island USA,” the pop culture obsession of the summer. After Netanyahu said he’d nominated Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize, Ronny Chieng of “The Daily Show” had thoughts. THE MORNING RECOMMENDS … Nico Schinco for The New York Times, Food Stylist: Kaitlin Wayne. Ditch the stove and make a no-cook chili bean salad. Watch the new Superman movie. Our critic liked it! Consider upgrading your laptop during this week’s sales GAMES Here is today’s Spelling Bee. Yesterday’s pangrams were antioxidant, oxidant and oxidation. And here are today’s Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections, Sports Connections and Strands. Thanks for spending part of your morning with The Times. See you tomorrow. Sign up here to get this newsletter in your inbox. Reach our team at themorning@nytimes.com. Editor: Adam B. Kushner News Editor: Tom Wright-Piersanti Associate Editor: Lauren Jackson News Staff: Evan Gorelick, Desiree Ibekwe, Brent Lewis, German Lopez, Ashley Wu News Assistant: Lyna Bentahar Saturday Writer: Melissa Kirsch Quote phkrause When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan. Proverbs 29;2
Members phkrause Posted July 11, 2025 Author Members Posted July 11, 2025 July 10, 2025 Good morning. Here’s the latest news: Tariffs: President Trump launched a sudden trade war with Brazil by announcing 50 percent tariffs beginning next month. Nuclear deal: Keir Starmer, the British prime minister, and Emmanuel Macron, the president of France, are expected to promise today to have their nuclear arsenals work together if Europe is threatened. Vladimir Putin: He’s escalating the war, convinced Ukraine’s defenses may collapse in the coming months. We have more on Putin and Trump’s changing relationship below. (And one more thing: If you are a fan of Mel Robbins, the best-selling author of “The Let Them Theory,” we talked to her and got her five tips for healthy relationships.) Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump. Marcos Brindicci/Reuters Putin’s error By Julian E. Barnes I cover international security. Trump and Putin’s relationship has curdled. It’s a strange turn, given how good things looked for Russia after Trump’s election. The new president seemed to regard Putin respectfully, and Putin seemed poised to get much of what he wanted in his war against Ukraine. Instead, Putin badly misplayed his cards. In today’s newsletter, I explain how he turned a potential White House ally into a skeptic. A bright start Trump promised during the campaign to quickly end the war in Ukraine. When he took office, his administration was skeptical about Ukraine’s NATO aspirations, ready to let Russia control the Ukrainian territory it had taken, disinclined to spend a lot on Kyiv’s defense and even open to recognizing Moscow’s 2014 annexation of Crimea. It was a peace offering that achieved many of Russia’s war aims. Then came Volodymyr Zelensky’s disastrous Oval Office visit in February. Trump belittled Zelensky as an ingrate on live TV, insisting, “You don’t have the cards right now.” He also said Putin had been the victim of an American witch hunt. The U.S. began pressing Ukraine to sign an agreement handing over much of its mineral wealth. All of this came at the perfect time for Russia. It had lost about a quarter-million soldiers in the war. Its economy was weak. But with a sympathetic American president, Putin was in reach of claiming victory. A shot in the foot In Kyiv this week. Gleb Garanich/Reuters But Putin was not ready to settle. Just as he did when he invaded Ukraine in 2022, he believed he could get everything he wanted. In his hubris, he repeatedly rebuffed Trump’s push for a cease-fire. He continued to pound Ukraine with horrific drone attacks. Meanwhile, he pushed on the battlefield, trying to take more land and weaken the Ukrainian government. While his precise designs are not clear, some American officials think he wants to conquer Kherson, Odessa or even Kyiv — major Ukrainian cities. American officials think this ambition is delusional. Trump watched all this with increasing alarm. In April, after a Russian missile and drone barrage on Ukraine, Trump posted online: “I am not happy with the Russian strikes on KYIV. Not necessary, and very bad timing. Vladimir, STOP!” A turnabout Now Trump criticizes Putin, not Zelensky. After a half-dozen calls with Putin this year, Trump appears to have changed his view of the man. This week, he bluntly said he was not happy with Putin because he was killing Ukrainians. “We get a lot of bullshit thrown at us by Putin, if you want to know the truth,” Trump said. “He’s very nice to us all the time, but it turns out to be meaningless.” Coming from almost any other politician in Washington those words would not be surprising. But for Trump to say them shows how much Putin has alienated the White House — and potentially wasted his chance for a negotiated peace. Trump has resumed weapons shipments to Ukraine after a brief pause by the Pentagon. Senate Republicans are pushing a new set of sanctions against Russia. Trump is considering the proposal. Ukraine is war weary, but its will to fight remains, especially if Russia pushes onward. It is innovating on the battlefield, and its drones exact a heavy toll on the Russian Army. Pledges of support from Europe and more air defense from the U.S. will make it very tough for Putin to end the war by force. For more: Russia launched a record number of drones and missiles at central and western Ukraine. THE LATEST NEWS Trade In Santos, Brazil. Amanda Perobelli/Reuters Trump's threatened 50 percent tariffs on Brazil would be the highest rate yet on a major U.S. ally and trading partner. His announcement accused Brazilian authorities of wronging the country’s former president, Jair Bolsonaro. The European Union is waiting, and hoping, for a trade deal this week. Trump wants deals with African countries to expand U.S. access to critical minerals and to counter China’s rising influence. This entrepreneur was building a sourdough start-up. Tariffs waylaid his plans. Texas Floods Victims of the floods. Clockwise from top left: via The Kerrville Daily Times, via Juli Ragsdale, Kathleen Ortiz, John Lawrence via Associated Press Eight-year-old girls at sleep-away camp; families crammed into riverside R.V.s; residents asleep in their beds. These are the lives lost to the Texas floods. The Camp Mystic cabins were in an “extremely hazardous” area for floods. A recent expansion built new cabins in the flood zone. See maps. Along the Guadalupe River, the rising floodwaters quickly engulfed a 60-room inn. Watch a video. Government Investigations James Comey in 2019. Monica Jorge for The New York Times The Trump administration is investigating two officials — the former F.B.I. director James Comey and the former C.I.A. director John Brennan — who previously oversaw the government’s investigation into the 2016 Trump campaign’s connections to Russia. The Secret Service began tracking Comey after he posted an image of shells on a beach that Trump’s allies said amounted to a threat against the president. Elon Musk Linda Yaccarino, whom Elon Musk hired in 2023 to run his social media platform, now X, is leaving the company. Tesla is days from a legal deadline to hold a shareholders’ meeting. Further delay could open it to lawsuits and criticism that its board of directors has been absent as shares and car sales have plunged. Musk consulted the right-wing blogger and monarchy advocate Curtis Yarvin on ideas for his America Party. Politics Trending: People were searching online for the video of Trump praising the Liberian president for his “good English” at the White House. English is Liberia’s official language. See the video from CNN. The Supreme Court refused to revive an aggressive Florida immigration law that lower courts blocked. Foreign diplomats know that success is now all about stroking the president’s ego, writes Michael Shear, who has covered both Trump presidencies. The Trump administration subpoenaed Harvard seeking student data and challenged the university’s accreditation. Middle East A 3-year-old at Nasser Hospital in Gaza. Mariam Dagga/Associated Press We interviewed a British surgeon who has been working in a Gaza hospital. She said people there “are prepared to die for a bagful of rice.” Israel launched another ground incursion into southern Lebanon. It hopes to weaken Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed militant group there. Other Big Stories In Philadelphia. Matt Slocum/Associated Press A Philadelphia union reached a tentative deal with the city, ending an eight-day strike that had left trash piling on the streets. Chinese ships are researching oceans. The data could give China an advantage in a conflict with Taiwan or the U.S. Private equity firms have entered the $40 billion youth sports industry. Their investments could raise costs for families. More measles cases have appeared this year than in any other since the virus was declared eliminated in 2000, according to C.D.C. data. OPINIONS Americans have to update safety standards to match our changed climate, David Wallace-Wells writes. Immigrant children are expected to connect with Superman, an all-American refugee from another planet. But for Junot Díaz, the comparison is unwelcome. Everything The Times offers. All in one subscription. Morning readers: Save on unlimited access to The Times with this introductory offer. MORNING READS Calamoni beach, Favignana. Leonardo Colantoni for The New York Times Favignana: It’s a dreamy Italian island you may not have heard about. “The Retrievals”: The second season of the podcast investigates why many women experience severe pain during C-sections. Listen here. Antidepressants: Their withdrawal effects may be overblown, according to new research. “Always Sunny”: How a show about terrible people became the defining American sitcom. Trump’s blunt instrument: Laura Loomer is a provocateur and self-professed Islamophobe. She has few friends in the West Wing, but a big fan in the Oval Office. Your pick: The most-clicked story in The Morning yesterday was about churches being allowed to endorse political candidates from the pulpit. Lives Lived: To save his family castle in Ireland from bankruptcy, Henry Mount Charles staged concerts on its grounds, drawing the likes of U2, Bob Dylan, Madonna and the Rolling Stones. He died at 74. SPORTS Wimbledon: The quarterfinals are over. Novak Djokovic defeated Flavio Cobolli; Jannik Sinner defeated Ben Shelton, an American; Iga Świątek beat Liudmila Samsonova; and Belinda Bencic defeated Mirra Andreeva, a teenager. Read the latest updates. Wrestling: Ben Askren, the N.C.A.A. national champion and mixed martial arts fighter, said he “died four times” before receiving a lifesaving double lung transplant. ARTS AND IDEAS An in-demand tool at the Greenpoint Library. James Estrin/The New York Times Buying a power tool for a single home repair job? Don’t. Local libraries may have what you need. Branches across the country offer supplies and hands-on home improvement classes. Read more here. More on culture Spread the Jelly is a new kind of parenting blog. It’s focused on brutal honesty, and it’s resonating, The Cut reports. Is Gary Shteyngart the last person to make real money from literary novels? Late night hosts talked about Elon Musk’s A.I. chatbot, Grok, praising Hitler. THE MORNING RECOMMENDS … Christopher Testani for The New York Times Smack cucumbers with the back of your knife, then cover them in sesame oil and garlic. Survive flying long-haul with a baby with these tips. Consider these things before buying furniture. GAMES Here is today’s Spelling Bee. Yesterday’s pangrams were advantage and advantaged. And here are today’s Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections, Sports Connections and Strands. Thanks for spending part of your morning with The Times. See you tomorrow. Sign up here to get this newsletter in your inbox. Reach our team at themorning@nytimes.com. Editor: Adam B. Kushner News Editor: Tom Wright-Piersanti Associate Editor: Lauren Jackson News Staff: Evan Gorelick, Desiree Ibekwe, Brent Lewis, German Lopez, Ashley Wu News Assistant: Lyna Bentahar Saturday Writer: Melissa Kirsch Quote phkrause When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan. Proverbs 29;2
Members phkrause Posted July 12, 2025 Author Members Posted July 12, 2025 July 11, 2025 Good morning. Here’s the latest news: California: Federal agents clashed with protesters during an immigration raid at a cannabis farm. Agents fired crowd control munitions; demonstrators threw objects at their vehicles. (See a video.) Tariffs: President Trump threatened to impose a 35 percent tariff on Canadian imports from Aug. 1, upending trade talks. Federal employees: The State Department told workers that it was about to begin layoffs, two days after the Supreme Court allowed the administration to slash the federal work force. We have more on those stories below. But first, we talk to one of the journalists behind a major new story about Benjamin Netanyahu. Benjamin Netanyahu in Washington, D.C. Eric Lee for The New York Times Netanyahu’s war By Jodi Rudoren I covered two prior Gaza wars and was Jerusalem bureau chief from 2012 to 2015. Why has the Gaza war lasted so long? In a blockbuster investigative profile published this morning, the Times Magazine explains how Benjamin Netanyahu prolonged it partly for personal political reasons. Our Jerusalem bureau chief, Patrick Kingsley, and his colleagues Ronen Bergman and Natan Odenheimer spent six months interviewing more than 110 people and reviewing scores of military and government documents. I spoke to Patrick — who is leaving his role this summer after four and a half years in what many have called the hardest job in journalism — about Netanyahu, the war and how they got people to share so many secrets. Today is the 643rd day since the Oct. 7 attacks. Nobody imagined the war would go on this long. Why is it still going? The strategic argument was that it gave Israel a better chance of defeating not only Hamas but also Hamas’s regional allies, Hezbollah and Iran. Whether you buy that argument or not, our reporting shows that Netanyahu was clearly often motivated by his personal interest instead of only by these national priorities. There were key turning points when Netanyahu chose to continue the war to prevent the collapse of his coalition government. Fearing a domestic backlash, Netanyahu also refused to finalize a clear postwar plan for Gaza, leading to an aimless battlefield strategy that killed tens of thousands, stained Israel’s reputation — and still allowed Hamas to survive. North of Gaza City. Saher Alghorra for The New York Times The article opens on a remarkable scene at an April 2024 cabinet meeting. A truce was on the table — almost. What happened? After months of stalling, Netanyahu had softened his negotiating position, raising the chances of a cease-fire and hostage release deal. His aides were preparing to present this new position to government ministers. Then a hard-right minister threatened to bring down the government if the deal went ahead. Netanyahu chose to continue the war rather than see his government collapse. You, Ronen and Natan uncovered so many things that have never been reported before. People should read the whole story, but can you tease them here with a few of the most telling tidbits? There’s a moment in a hospital when Netanyahu was in pajamas after being fitted with a pacemaker, and a security chief called to warn him of a looming attack. There’s the phone call, minutes into the Oct. 7 attack, when he first learns about the scale of the raid. There’s the attempt by his team to alter the official record of that phone call. There’s a surprise appearance by the Saudi crown prince, fraught conversations between Netanyahu and President Joe Biden, and a decisive meeting where he tells the military leadership to bomb Gaza with even more intensity. When I covered Netanyahu a decade ago, he was universally assessed as risk-averse, letting conflicts simmer rather than embark on all-out wars like the ones we’ve seen the last two years. What changed? In some senses, he is still the same Netanyahu that you knew — he still keeps lots of options open, avoiding key decisions until the last moment. We see that in his monthslong deferral of all-out confrontation with Hezbollah and Iran last year. But he has gradually taken more risks. Ultimately, he did choose to invade Lebanon, assassinate Hezbollah’s leadership, invade Syria and brazenly bombard Iran. These choices are partly about a shift in the Israeli psyche. To Israel’s critics, the Hamas attack was an inevitable reaction to Israel’s blockade of Gaza and occupation of the West Bank. But to many Israelis, the attack was the result of Israel’s timidity, its failure to deal pre-emptively with the threat that Hamas posed. Our colleague wrote recently that Israel has managed over the last two years to vanquish its enemies but also alienate its friends. What does that portend for its future? In diplomatic terms, Israel has a foot in two parallel realities. In the first, Israel’s global standing has rarely been lower. In the second, Israel is edging closer to breakthroughs with longtime foes, defying the logic that the war in Gaza has left it irrevocably isolated. Even as Israel’s reputation worsens within American and Arab societies, Israeli envoys are simultaneously engaged in back-channel talks with officials in Syria that could firm up Israel’s standing in the Middle East. It’s a bizarre and confusing situation. Netanyahu is 75 and Israel’s longest-tenured prime minister, serving nearly 18 years in three stints. Yet there is no hint of him being ready to retire. A few longtime Netanyahu watchers think he might bow out if he establishes formal ties with Saudi Arabia and other Arab states. Coupled with the Iran campaign, he might then have secured enough military and diplomatic triumphs to restore his domestic legacy, even as his global reputation is in tatters. But for years, Netanyahu has refused to resign despite being prosecuted for corruption (a charge he denies). He has not given the impression of ever wanting to call it a day. Read the full story here. More on the Middle East Some of Iran’s near-bomb-grade uranium survived American and Israeli strikes last month, an Israeli official said. An Israeli airstrike near a health clinic in Gaza killed more than a dozen people, according to the hospital that received many of the dead. Israel agreed to let more humanitarian aid into Gaza after discussions with the European Union. THE LATEST NEWS Trade As justification for his threatened tariffs on Canada, Trump repeated discredited claims about the flow of fentanyl across the U.S.-Canada border. For months, the son of the former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro pressed the U.S. to sanction the judge prosecuting his father. By threatening harsh tariffs on Brazil, Trump opted for something bigger. Trump’s threat to impose tariffs on Brazil for political, rather than economic, reasons raises new legal questions about the president’s powers over trade. Government Agencies The F.B.I. has used polygraphs to test its employees’ loyalty. It asked some senior officials if they had said anything negative about the bureau’s director, Kash Patel. The Secret Service said it would suspend six agents involved in securing the site of a rally where a gunman tried to assassinate Trump last summer. Under the State Department’s plan to lay off workers, the agency’s U.S.-based work force will shrink by about 15 percent. The Justice Department issued subpoenas demanding confidential patient information from doctors and hospitals that provide gender-related treatments to minors. A whistle-blower accused the Justice Department of pressuring lawyers to ignore judges and the due process rights of migrants, he told The Times. Immigration In Fresno County, Calif. Zaydee Sanchez for The New York Times Trump has given California farmers mixed messages on immigration raids. Farmers worry they won’t have enough workers to pick plums, peaches and apricots before they rot. A federal court blocked the Trump administration from enforcing its executive order ending birthright citizenship. Texas Floods Officials in Kerr County, Texas, where recent floods killed dozens, tried for years to secure funding for a flood alarm, The Times found. The president and Melania Trump are expected today to tour areas of Central Texas devastated by flooding. Your pick: The most clicked article in The Morning yesterday was about what happened after floodwaters engulfed a 60-room inn along the Guadalupe River. In a video, Judson Jones, a Times meteorologist and reporter, explains why catastrophe struck Central Texas despite a series of warnings from the National Weather Service. Click below. International Unregulated rare earth mining in Myanmar, directed by Chinese enterprises, is poisoning rivers that flow through Thailand. Archaeologists unearthed the 1,700-year-old tomb of a Maya ruler in Belize. They found a rare mosaic death mask and elaborate jewelry buried with his body. Other Big Stories Twenty-seven workers escaped a collapsed tunnel in Los Angeles, emerging five miles away without major injury. A Mississippi sheriff said he had no idea his deputies were brutally assaulting people. He knew the entire time, a Times investigation found. IN ONE CHART Source: LSEG Data & Analytics | By The New York Times Yesterday, Nvidia became the first public company worth $4 trillion. It reached this milestone before many better-known tech giants, including Apple and Microsoft. Read more about Nvidia’s rise, its control over the A.I. chip market and what competition it faces in the future. OPINIONS Planning codes often discourage new high-rises, but as the world gets hotter we need the shadows they cast, Sam Bloch argues. Here are columns by David Brooks on the fall of literary fiction and Zeynep Tufekci on chatbots. Everything The Times offers. All in one subscription. Morning readers: Save on unlimited access to The Times with this introductory offer. MORNING READS On the Grand-Place in Brussels. Max Pinckers for The New York Times 36 Hours in Brussels: Take in a masterpiece of Belgian Baroque architecture and delve into the country’s beer history. Nantucket: A majority of the island’s housing units are occupied by seasonal residents. That leaves teachers and police officers to live in substandard housing. Rental cars: Hertz is increasingly relying on A.I. scanners to flag even tiny dings. Customers aren’t happy. Lives Lived: The keyboardist Dave “Baby” Cortez reached No. 1 on the Billboard singles chart in 1959. But his stardom was short-lived. Aside from a brief comeback in 2011, he largely abandoned music and dropped out of sight. In recent weeks it was discovered that he had died in 2022, at age 83, and was buried in an unmarked grave. SPORTS Wimbledon: Amanda Anisimova became the first American since Serena Williams in 2019 to reach a Wimbledon final after upsetting world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka. N.B.A.: Cooper Flagg had an uneven performance against Bronny James and the Lakers in his summer league debut, but he still showed flashes of why the Mavericks made him the No. 1 pick in the draft. ARTS AND IDEAS At the bar. Maurizio Fiorino for The New York Times Few operagoers wear tuxedos or elbow-length gloves to performances anymore. As venues court younger patrons, they’ve found themselves in a bind: Keep dress codes or risk losing some of that old-world charm. But for La Scala, Milan’s storied opera house, tank tops and shorts went too far. More on culture At Sotheby’s in Paris. Dmitry Kostyukov for The New York Times In Paris, the original Hermès Birkin bag, designed for the actress Jane Birkin, sold at auction for more than $10 million. Trending: Justin Bieber unexpectedly dropped “Swag,” his first album in four years, Rolling Stone reports. On his late night show, Fox News’s Greg Gutfeld joked about Biden’s doctor. THE MORNING RECOMMENDS … Kerri Brewer for The New York Times Make a famous cacio e pepe. Keep houseplants alive while you’re away. Take our news quiz. GAMES Here is today’s Spelling Bee. Yesterday’s pangram was implement. And here are today’s Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections, Sports Connections and Strands. Thanks for spending part of your morning with The Times. See you tomorrow. Sign up here to get this newsletter in your inbox. Reach our team at themorning@nytimes.com. Editor: Adam B. Kushner News Editor: Tom Wright-Piersanti Associate Editor: Lauren Jackson News Staff: Evan Gorelick, Desiree Ibekwe, Brent Lewis, German Lopez, Ashley Wu News Assistant: Lyna Bentahar Saturday Writer: Melissa Kirsch Quote phkrause When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan. Proverbs 29;2
Members phkrause Posted July 14, 2025 Author Members Posted July 14, 2025 July 12, 2025 Good morning. Rewatching old shows may seem like a waste of time when there’s so much culture to consume, but a repeat viewing proffers its own unique rewards. María Jesús Contreras Seen it all before By Melissa Kirsch Everyone seems to be rewatching the prestige shows of the early 21st century lately. (Yes, we are one-quarter of the way through this century. I don’t know how to process that either.) Every week, I hear that someone else is working their way through “The Sopranos.” (Consensus: It holds up.) I have no fewer than three friends who are rewatching “Mad Men.” (“I can’t believe we used to get shows like this,” one mused, perhaps referring obliquely to the heaps of Mid TV washing up on our streaming shores these days.) Don’t even get me started on the “Girls” aficionados — all rediscovering how droll and nostalgic and perfectly of its time it was. Why rewatch a show when we have so little time on earth? Why watch something you’ve already seen when there’s nowhere near enough time to make it through all the queues and wish lists and playlists and recommendations dashed down in the Notes app? There’s the quality factor: I’m not taking a risk on a flashy new show that could turn out to be a total snooze when I already know something older is good. Then there’s the element of comfort: It’s cozy to revisit characters that feel like old friends, plots that we can recall broadly, even if we can’t exactly conjure the details. Nostalgia figures in — I remember watching “The Sopranos” in my first post-college apartment, on VHS, on a 13-inch TV set that had a built-in VCR. Rewatching demands a different type of attention than a first watch does. You know what’s going to happen, so you don’t have to make sure you’re clocking each turn of the story. You can focus on the stuff that might have escaped you on first viewing — the sets, the actors’ tiniest gestures. You can wander around a scene without worrying you’re going to lose the plot. I had the blissful experience of rewatching “Fleabag” recently. It came out in the U.S. in 2016, hardly a relic of an earlier era but long enough ago that I was ready to reimmerse myself in its daffy, heartbreaking, ultimately redeeming world. On first watch, I was so enchanted by the show’s unconventional style (Phoebe Waller-Bridge, as Fleabag, regularly addresses the camera, breaking the fourth wall) that I paid less attention to the supporting characters — Olivia Colman as Fleabag’s deliciously passive-aggressive stepmother, Sian Clifford as her uptight sister. On this repeat viewing, I was able to appreciate these performances wholeheartedly. I was chatting with a friend about rewatching things, about how, despite the consolations of getting reacquainted with an old favorite, I can’t help but feel like I’m wasting time that I should be spending on things I haven’t seen yet. My friend pointed out that we go to museums and galleries to look at a painting we love again and again without worrying that our time would be better spent on paintings we haven’t seen. Why should TV be any different? Rewatching is its own cultural activity, not necessarily inferior or redundant. If it’s pleasurable, soothing, enlightening — there’s really no need to judge the practice any further. That said, my colleague Mike Hale wrote about 30 shows to watch this summer, and I’ll admit I’m pretty excited about a few of them. “Long Story Short,” an animated comedy from the minds behind “BoJack Horseman,” and “Too Much,” Lena Dunham’s new show about a Brooklyn woman (Megan Stalter of “Hacks”) who moves to London in hopes that her life will become a romantic comedy, look especially promising. A CORPORATION’S DEFENSE Max-o-matic UnitedHealth Group is one of the country’s largest, and most besieged, health care companies. Federal investigators are looking into its business practices. Its stock price has plunged over the past year. And in December, an assassin shot one of its executives in Manhattan. David Enrich, an investigative editor, explains in a new story how it is coping. From UnitedHealth’s perspective, bad publicity is at the root of its woes. So the company is battling its critics. But its aggressive tactics, some say, are designed to shut down free speech. The company and its lawyers threatened to sue a Texas surgeon, Dr. Elisabeth Potter, who complained on TikTok that she had to leave surgery to respond to a UnitedHealth phone call about a patient’s insurance coverage. She says the company then cut off negotiations to designate her surgery center as an in-network option for the insurer’s patients, though the insurer denies that. When the billionaire investor Bill Ackman shared Dr. Potter’s video on X and urged investors to bet against the company, UnitedHealth complained to the Securities and Exchange Commission. UnitedHealth sued The Guardian last month for defamation as editors were about to publish a second investigation into the company. The news outlet postponed the piece, and it still hasn’t run. UnitedHealth’s outside lawyers wrote to video-streaming services including Amazon and Vimeo to complain about a docuseries that was critical of a UnitedHealth subsidiary. Both platforms removed the film. A UnitedHealth spokesman defended the company’s efforts. “The truth matters, and there’s a big difference between ‘criticism’ and irresponsibly omitting facts and context,” he said in a statement. “When others get it wrong, we have an obligation to our customers, employees and other stakeholders to correct the record.” THE LATEST NEWS Trump’s initial tariff rates. Haiyun Jiang for The New York Times Trump Administration President Trump has moved deadlines, blown up negotiations and tied his tariffs to unrelated complaints. His trade agenda has lost any semblance of structure, writes Jeanna Smialek. The State Department began firing nearly 1,400 workers as part of Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s reorganization plan. As Trump reshapes the government, he has frequently put officials in charge of multiple agencies and offices at the same time — an approach that has little precedent. Trump administration officials are feuding with one another over how they handled the investigation into the disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein. Texas Floods After catastrophic floods ravaged Central Texas, FEMA did not answer nearly two-thirds of calls to its disaster hotline, according to documents reviewed by The Times. The agency had fired hundreds of contractors who operated its call centers. In flooding hot spots around the country, many federal weather-service positions also remain unstaffed. Experts say future forecasts and warnings could suffer. Campers watched the floodwater sweep away cabins while people inside screamed for help. They recount what they saw last weekend. “Hell of a situation, isn’t it?” Trump visited the Texas flood sites. Immigration A federal judge said the government can’t make immigration arrests based on race or deny detainees access to lawyers — tactics used during raids in Los Angeles. A frustrated federal judge signaled that she would prevent Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the man once wrongfully sent to El Salvador, from being deported quickly. Other Big Stories NATO countries plan to buy weapons from the United States and give them to Ukraine. Seconds before an Air India flight crashed last month, the fuel was cut off to both engines of the plane, investigators said. The finding appears to rule out mechanical failure but raises questions about the pilots’ actions. Hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers may lose food-stamp benefits under Trump’s new tax-and-spending law. THE WEEK IN CULTURE Film and TV David Corenswet plays Superman. Warner Bros. The new Superman movie is out and, as ever, Clark Kent’s journalism ethics are murky. (Our critic liked the film.) Like the lead of Lena Dunham’s new show “Too Much,” these Americans moved to Britain with visions of Jane Austen. The reality was less dreamy. Our reviewer found “Too Much” to be surprisingly mild — not as “thorough or tricky” as “Girls,” the show that turned Dunham into a star. “Sex and the City” is having a resurgence and there’s a secret ingredient: contempt for its characters. An English-language version of the Chinese animated movie “Ne Zha 2,” which is the highest-grossing animated feature of all time, will be released in the U.S. next month. Music On her fourth album, “Virgin,” Lorde ponders the value of fame — again. This week’s “Popcast” explores how the album figures into the Lorde lore. Listen here. This week’s Amplifier newsletter looks back on Janet Jackson’s most sensual songs. Have a listen. More Culture Daniel Terna for The New York Times See inside Library180, a nirvana of old magazines in Manhattan’s financial district. The designer Glenn Martens’s first show for Maison Margiela was “an exhilarating, multidimensional, occasionally misguided explosion of ideas,” Vanessa Friedman writes. Valery Gergiev, the Russian maestro shunned in the West for his support of Russia’s leader, Vladimir Putin, is set to appear at a festival in Italy this month. Everything The Times offers. All in one subscription. Morning readers: Save on unlimited access to The Times with this introductory offer. CULTURE CALENDAR By Desiree Ibekwe ? “Eddington” (Friday): The “Midsommar” director Ari Aster is back with a new movie. Great. It stars Pedro Pascal, Joaquin Phoenix and Emma Stone. Perfect. The story takes place in the early days of the pandemic. Ah. “Eddington” is set in May 2020 and follows the conflict between the liberal mayor (Pascal) and the conservative sheriff (Phoenix) of a New Mexico town. The movie divided critics at Cannes — some called it unfunny, others praised it as bold. Some may be put off by the film’s subject matter, but there appears to be enough here to entice many. RECIPE OF THE WEEK Johnny Miller for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Samantha Seneviratne. Butter Cake With Peaches By Melissa Clark Are you up to your ears in peaches (or other ripe stone fruit)? Does the thought of butter cake make you swoon just a little? Then Samantha Seneviratne has a recipe for you. Her butter cake with peaches can be made with any sliced stone fruit, no peeling required. Drape them over the dense, moist batter, then sprinkle it all with sugar, and you’ll get a fruity, juicy topping with a crystalline crunch that no icing could outshine. REAL ESTATE Kirsten Luce for The New York Times The Hunt: After years in the D.C. suburbs, a recent empty-nester wanted “total privacy” in the mountains of Virginia. Which home did she choose? Play our game. What you get for $900,000: An 1845 Italianate house in Kingston, N.Y.; a condo in Chicago; or an expanded 1925 house in Salem, Ore. LIVING Simbarashe Cha/The New York Times Look of the week: In Hong Kong, these actors dressed the part of tourists. Just how harmful is vaping? New evidence is emerging. Talking to the dead: Emotional needs and technology, including A.I. “griefbots,” have kept us searching for connections to the other side. ADVICE FROM WIRECUTTER Don’t skip the rinse aid Though it might seem superfluous, rinse aid — a liquid that can prevent those murky water spots on your glassware — can help you get the most out of your dishwasher: Your machine is designed to use it. It can also expedite drying, picking up some of the slack from the machine’s drying system, which can help save time and energy in a typical dishwasher cycle. As for vinegar as a rinse aid alternative: Our experts advise against it. Vinegar might prevent mineral deposits on glassware, but regular exposure to the highly acidic liquid could eventually cause damage to your dishwasher. And no, despite what certain corners of TikTok say, there’s nothing to support the claim that rinse aid harms your gut. — Andrea Barnes GAME OF THE WEEK Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz Kirsty Wigglesworth/Associated Press Photo, Clive Brunskill/Getty Images Clash of the new titans. For years, tennis fans lamented the twilight of “the big three”: Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic. Would future rivals with contrasting styles dominate the sport in the same way? The answer is a hearty yes. Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz, the world’s two top-ranked players, will face off tomorrow in the Wimbledon final. Their previous match, at the French Open last month, was one of most riveting ever played; Alcaraz won the title in a comeback. Sinner, in style, is a lanky heir to Djokovic. He makes few mistakes, stretches like bubble gum across the court and strikes the ball cleanly. Alcaraz is a magician. He mixes deep balls with short trick shots, produces stunners from every part of the court — and often loses his focus. He’s the two-time defending champion at Wimbledon, hoping to retain the title. — Adam B. Kushner NOW TIME TO PLAY Here is today’s Spelling Bee. Yesterday’s pangram was peafowl. Take the news quiz to see how well you followed this week’s headlines. And here are today’s Mini Crossword, Wordle, Sudoku, Connections and Strands. Thanks for spending part of your weekend with The Times. — Melissa Correction: A caption in yesterday’s newsletter incorrectly described a building as the Grand-Place in Brussels. It was the Mont des Arts Garden. Sign up here to get this newsletter in your inbox. Reach our team at themorning@nytimes.com. Editor: Adam B. Kushner News Editor: Tom Wright-Piersanti Associate Editor: Lauren Jackson News Staff: Evan Gorelick, Desiree Ibekwe, Brent Lewis, German Lopez, Ashley Wu News Assistant: Lyna Bentahar Saturday Writer: Melissa Kirsch Quote phkrause When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan. Proverbs 29;2
Members phkrause Posted July 14, 2025 Author Members Posted July 14, 2025 July 13, 2025 Good morning. President Trump announced 30 percent tariffs on Mexico and the E.U. beginning Aug. 1. We have more on that below. But first, we explain the rising number of D.O.s (doctors of osteopathic medicine) in America. James Lin, D.O., in Erie, Pa. Christopher Millette/Erie Times-News, via Imagn Who’s your doctor? By Teddy Rosenbluth I cover medical care. A few years ago, while searching for a new primary care doctor, a woman at the front desk of a local practice sent me the name of a well-regarded physician — with a caveat. He’s a D.O., she almost whispered, which she assured me was “basically the same” as an M.D. Was it? If so, why had she felt the need to bring it up? Even after several appointments, I felt no closer to understanding what my doctor’s credential meant or whether it mattered to my care. So, for the past few weeks, I’ve been digging into this question: What is a doctor of osteopathic medicine? This is, I’ve discovered, a timely question. The number of D.O.s is growing quickly: More than a quarter of all medical students in the U.S. today are attending osteopathic schools. Today, there are more than 150,000 practitioners, quadruple the number three decades ago. In today’s newsletter, I’ll explain who they are — and what the changing face of medicine might mean for you. Why is the group surging? It’s about supply and demand. The U.S. population is growing. Lots of people want to be doctors, and many more need medical care. But the number of spots at traditional medical schools has grown very slowly. The number at osteopathic schools, however, has ballooned in recent years. Fourteen campuses have opened in the last five years alone, creating thousands of training slots. The profession has gained traction in places, often rural, where M.D.s are in short supply. Osteopathic schools are often in “medically underserved” areas like Kirksville, Mo.; Harrogate, Tenn.; and Detroit. Nearly 60 percent of D.O.s are primary care doctors — which pays less and is less popular among M.D.s. The United States is the only developed country that trains two separate professions to act as physicians. How are D.O.s different? The use of manipulative treatments has distinguished osteopathic medicine for centuries. The practice involves using a hands-on approach to diagnose and treat ailments: These doctors apply pressure and resistance to muscles and joints. While some studies have found these methods are helpful for muscular and skeletal issues like lower back pain, very few high-quality studies have evaluated their efficacy more broadly. A little less than half of D.O.s still practice these techniques. Osteopathic medical schools are also, on average, less competitive (though certainly not easy to get into) and attract students who want to become general practitioners. Traditional schools are better suited to students who want to be physician-scientists or enter more sought-after medical specialties, like surgery or dermatology, where an M.D. degree might give an edge. As such, the admission process varies. One expert told me osteopathic schools tend to select students with strong interpersonal skills while traditional schools put a stronger emphasis on G.P.A.s and standardized test scores. On average, students accepted into traditional medical schools have higher test scores and are more likely to have attended prestigious undergraduate universities. Some D.O.s say that they have a more holistic approach to medicine — which might include asking about a patient’s life stressors or nutrition — but many M.D.s will bristle at that characterization: They, too, recognize that social factors can shape a person’s health. But how different are they? Today, the distinctions between the medical professions are blurring. Both types of practitioners require rigorous training. Both prescribe medications. Both perform surgery. The curriculum at osteopathic med school covers much of the same ground as traditional med school. Many students choose to take the same board exams. And after, they attend the same residency programs as their M.D. counterparts. (A vast majority of D.O.s are accepted into a residency program, but D.O.s tend to have worse luck with coveted specialties like plastic surgery.) Many patients go years without noticing their doctor is a D.O. In the last few years, D.O.s have risen to the highest medical posts in the country: overseeing NASA’s medical team, leading top medical systems and, during the last three administrations, overseeing the medical care of the president of the United States. Research comparing patient outcomes — which has largely focused on surgeons and emergency room doctors — finds no significant differences between the professions. A few studies have suggested that D.O.s might be more empathetic in certain situations. My choice At the end of all this reporting, I’ve become agnostic about the type of doctor I’m seeing. There are better ways to tell if a physician will be a good fit, in my opinion, like regular availability and relevant training. So earlier this month, while searching yet again for a new doctor (I move a lot, OK?), I barely noticed the initials after the names. Read more in my story here. THE LATEST NEWS Tariffs Leaving Kerrville, Texas. Haiyun Jiang/The New York Times Trump announced the 30 percent tariffs in letters posted on social media. The letters upended months of negotiations with both the E.U. and Mexico. European leaders were outraged. Some urged retaliatory tariffs, while others said they hoped a deal could still be reached. Mexico hasn’t retaliated against U.S. tariffs, but officials have repeatedly said they reserve the right to. The threatened tariffs apparently do not apply to imported cars. Marco Rubio made his first visit to Asia as secretary of state. He’s dealing with Trump’s tariffs abroad. Texas Floods At Camp Mystic. Callaghan O'Hare for The New York Times “Is it safe?” Parents are worried about sending their kids to camp after the floods. Some camps are adding more safety procedures. Volunteers are still searching for people on the banks of the Guadalupe River. See photos. In the years before the floods killed more than two dozen people at Camp Mystic, the camp appealed to regulators to remove many of its buildings from official federal flood zones, records show. Many of the funerals for those who died happened this weekend. Read about them here. Universities The Trump administration has frozen billions of dollars in federal funding for universities. But what ripple effects will that have? Our colleagues explain: African students: Young people on the continent are starting to consider China as an educational destination. — Abdi Latif Dahir, an East Africa correspondent Canada’s advantage: We have seen a movement of American academic and scientific talent to Canada. Some say Toronto could become a major intellectual hub. — Matina Stevis-Gridneff, our Canada bureau chief Lost advantage: Many scientists said they’re seeing the possibility of America tumbling from this position of scientific supremacy in the world. — James Glanz, an investigative correspondent Other Big Stories In his major policy bill, Trump secured $170 billion to support his immigration agenda. That could mean thousands of new deportation agents, more detention space and surveillance towers at the border equipped with artificial intelligence. Democrats lost voters on transgender rights. Winning them back wont be easy, Charles Homans writes. After the murder of a UnitedHealth executive last year, the company has tried to silence its critics — in news outlets, on streaming services and on social media. A man stashed 14 live toucans in his dashboard to try to evade customs at the border, U.S. officials said. Trending: Trump said he’s considering revoking the comedian Rosie O’Donnell’s citizenship. She replied, “Go ahead and try, King Joffrey with a tangerine spray tan,” referring to the child-king in “Game of Thrones.” THE SUNDAY DEBATE Should Elon Musk start his own political party, the “America Party”? Yes. As both major parties become more extreme, a new political party could help moderate Americans find a political home. “If nothing else, Musk’s intervention should wake up the major party leaders to the fact Americans are sick of the status quo,” USA Today’s Ingrid Jacques writes. No. Democrats and Republicans built a system that is hostile to third parties, and Musk needs more than money to succeed. “It requires a grass-roots movement, citizen by citizen, willing to do the hard work of rebuilding democracy outside of the Republican and Democratic parties,” MSNBC’s Michael Steele writes. FROM OPINION Dozens of judges have raised alarms about Trump’s anti-democratic behavior from the bench and in recent rulings, the Editorial Board writes. Here’s what they said. Novak Djokovic, never the favorite among tennis fans, deserves respect, Kelly Corrigan argues. Everything The Times offers. All in one subscription. Morning readers: Save on unlimited access to The Times with this introductory offer. MORNING READS Is that a corner piece? Greta Rybus for The New York Times Puzzling: These devoted hobbyists are willing to spend $9,000 to play a luxury puzzle. Big City: Does Brooklyn need a new waterfront neighborhood? Vows: After years of friendship, a first date wasn’t necessary. Your pick: The Morning’s most-clicked link yesterday was a list of 30 TV shows to watch this summer. Lives Lived: Daniel Kleppner was an experimental physicist who helped to develop an atomic clock that became an essential part of GPS technology. He also helped to discover a rare fundamental state of matter predicted by Albert Einstein. He died at 92. WIMBLEDON Iga Swiatek celebrates her winning Championship point. Clive Brunskill/Getty Images Wimbledon women’s final: Iga Swiatek beat Amanda Anisimova 6-0, 6-0. Read a recap. Wimbledon men’s final: Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner play today. Alcaraz has added juggling to his warm-up routine. BOOK OF THE WEEK By Elisabeth Egan “A Marriage at Sea,” by Sophie Elmhirst: In June 1972, Maurice and Maralyn Bailey set sail from England, bound for New Zealand, hellbent on exploring the world by sea. Nine months later, a whale collided with their boat, causing a breach in the hull that led the vessel to sink. The Baileys spent the next 117 days adrift on a raft, subsisting on meager rations and fish they caught with safety pins. In “A Marriage at Sea,” Elmhirst, a journalist, chronicles their harrowing journey to safety but not necessarily to peace. She captures the couple’s determination, their clever strategies for passing the time (think homemade playing cards and menu planning for future feasts) and, most of all, their abiding love and patience for each other. See our other favorite books this week. THE INTERVIEW Mandy Patinkin and Kathryn Grody with their son, Gideon. Devin Oktar Yalkin for The New York Times By David Marchese The subjects this week for “The Interview” are the actor Mandy Patinkin; his wife, the actress and writer Kathryn Grody; and their younger son, Gideon Grody-Patinkin. Mandy and Kathryn became a viral sensation during the pandemic when Gideon started posting zany TikTok videos of the duo. Now, they’re developing an advice podcast and shopping a TV pilot based on Mandy and Kathryn’s relationship. Here’s a taste of our rollicking conversation, which covered marriage troubles, Jewish identity and lawn sales. Do you have a hunch for why people respond so positively to you? Kathryn: All of this was an accident of the pandemic. People were terrified, they were stuck in their homes, and for people who couldn’t get to their parents or their grandparents, we seemed to offer comfort or warmth. It shows that people don’t have bias about people with white hair. I’ve been furious about this for years. Gideon: If somebody would offer her a seat on the subway, that was a big mistake. She would tear into them. Mandy: I used to pity these people that would try to help her. But I don’t understand the logic of why people would pay attention to us. There’s a lot in this world that I don’t understand, and that is one of the things, because we’re just ourselves. Kathryn: I think that authenticity — we’re not selling anything. I have no brand of makeup, obviously. Gideon: That’s not always true. The initial intention was to get more eyeballs on posts about the International Rescue Committee in support of refugees around the world. Mom’s got a play that she wrote coming up. I want to be truthful when you say we’re not selling anything. Mandy: The reason that we’re here today, in truth, is that we’re having a lawn sale and we’re hoping that people will come. We have wonderful items. Gently used, some broken, but you can get them fixed. Read more of the interview here. THE NEW YORK TIMES MAGAZINE Read this week’s magazine. MEAL PLAN Ryan Liebe for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Brett Regot. In this week’s Five Weeknight Dishes newsletter, Mia Leimkuhler shares recipes she can’t stop thinking about. Those recipes include a crunchy queso wrap, an ode to Taco Bell; dak bulgogi, or Korean BBQ chicken; and a corn and miso pasta salad. THE MORNING RECOMMENDS … Taking a dip in Paris. Dmitry Kostyukov for The New York Times Swim in the Seine. It’s clean now. Read one of the best books of 2025 (so far). Take our news quiz. NOW TIME TO PLAY Here is today’s Spelling Bee. Yesterday’s pangrams were lunatic and nautical. Can you put eight historical events — including the rule of Charlemagne, the first watch and the creation of nutrition facts — in chronological order? Take this week’s Flashback quiz. 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: Adam B. Kushner News Editor: Tom Wright-Piersanti Associate Editor: Lauren Jackson News Staff: Evan Gorelick, Desiree Ibekwe, Brent Lewis, German Lopez, Ashley Wu News Assistant: Lyna Bentahar Saturday Writer: Melissa Kirsch Quote phkrause When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan. Proverbs 29;2
Members phkrause Posted July 15, 2025 Author Members Posted July 15, 2025 July 14, 2025 Good morning. Here’s the latest news: Joe Biden: He said in an interview that he personally made high-profile clemency decisions before he left office. Republicans have claimed he was incapacitated. Wimbledon men’s final: Jannik Sinner beat Carlos Alcaraz on a hot day in London. European travel: Climate change is making some traditional vacation destinations less attractive in summer. We have more below. But first, our correspondent in Nairobi explains recent violence in Kenya. Protesters face the police in Nairobi. Michel Lunanga/Getty Images Protests in Kenya By Abdi Latif Dahir I cover East Africa. In Kenya, widespread antigovernment protests have escalated into deadly unrest and a deepening political crisis. Thousands of people nationwide have demonstrated against corruption and police brutality — and clashed with the police. Last week, officers fired live rounds at them and arrested more than 500. At least 38 people were killed, including two children, the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights said. Just a few weeks prior, police forces killed 16 people and injured over 400 others. For decades, Kenya has been a politically stable economic powerhouse, a democratic anchor in an increasingly tumultuous region. But now the government is cracking down: Authorities ordered broadcasters to stop covering the protests live and restricted internet access to the messaging app Telegram. President William Ruto said that protesters damaging businesses “should be shot in the leg.” Some rights groups and opposition leaders are now warning of an authoritarian turn in the East African nation. Below, we explain how the protests began — and what may happen next. Why are people protesting? Kenya’s protests are rooted in years of economic frustration, political disillusionment and growing anger at tough police tactics. People are angry that the economy has failed to deliver for most citizens. Youth unemployment is high, inflation erodes wages and many people can’t get basic services like health care. Kenyans don’t trust their institutions. President Ruto was elected in 2022, promising to fight corruption and represent the “hustler nation” — the ordinary Kenyans struggling to make a living. But many now see those promises as hollow. Instead of reforms, they see ballooning debt, bloated government spending and officials showing off their wealth. A minister has openly spoken about his expensive watches, shoes and suits. Ruto has worn red-soled Louboutin shoes. Tear gas in Nairobi. Agence France-Presse — Getty Images What has happened? Unrest has been brewing for a few years. Here’s how we got here: Economic anger: In 2023, dozens of people protesting skyrocketing food and fuel prices were shot by police officers. Finance bill: In 2024, the protests intensified when the government introduced a controversial bill to raise taxes on essentials like bread, cars and mobile money transfers. Some protesters stormed Parliament and set parts of the building on fire. Facing public and international pressure, Ruto withdrew the bill. Abductions: After that, dozens of activists said armed men in balaclavas and unmarked vehicles abducted and tortured them — and interrogated them about their protest activities. Ruto has said all of those who disappeared or were abducted have been returned to their families. A suspicious death: Last month, the police arrested Albert Ojwang, a blogger. They said he killed himself in their custody, but an autopsy showed head trauma, bruises and lacerations across his body. His death set off a new round of protests. The government responded with force. Photographers even captured the moment a police officer shot in the head a man selling masks to protesters, killing him. What’s different now? Police brutality isn’t new in Kenya. But many activists and protesters say the disappearances and extrajudicial killings under Ruto remind them of the authoritarian 24-year rule of the country’s second president, Daniel arap Moi. (Ruto was a protégé of Moi’s.) Kenya’s Gen Z is organizing the protests and bringing new urgency to them. Young people are politically savvy, digitally connected and unwilling to accept repression and silence. Their leaderless movement — powered by hashtags, songs and catchphrases like “Ruto Must Go” — reflects a hunger for systemic change. Activists say they are determined to continue the protests until Ruto resigns, even as several top officials avow that protesters should be shot. With elections coming in 2027, the protest movement could shift Kenya’s political landscape — either toward dialogue and reform or toward further repression and instability. Read more about the protests here. THE LATEST NEWS Joe Biden Joe Biden in 2024. Eric Lee/The New York Times Joe Biden rejected Republican claims that his aides used an autopen to replicate his signature and grant clemency without his authorization. “I made every decision,” he said in an interview with The Times. Biden also discussed his choice to grant pre-emptive pardons to his family, saying of President Trump: “I know how vindictive he is.” Read excerpts from the interview. War in Ukraine Trump has criticized Vladimir Putin as he has become more frustrated about the war in Ukraine. These videos show how his tone has changed. Trump is now willing to arm the Ukrainians — but his conversion has been late and very reluctant, David Sanger and Maggie Haberman write. More on the Trump Administration The Veterans Affairs Department reported dubious savings to DOGE that inflated how much spending it had cut. DOGE was supposed to fact-check the claims. Investors bet that Trump will always back down on tariffs, but at least some are likely here to stay, Ana Swanson writes. King Charles will host Trump at Windsor Castle in September. It will be Trump’s second state visit to Britain, a rarity. International A boy receiving treatment in Gaza. Eyad Baba/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images An Israeli strike in central Gaza killed at least 10 people, including children, near a water distribution point, health officials there said. Israel said a “technical error” caused a shell to land dozens of meters from its target. South Africa’s president suspended the country’s police minister and promised an investigation after a police chief accused the minister of protecting a crime syndicate. Muhammadu Buhari, a former president of Nigeria, died at 82. A feared military strongman in the 1980s, he twice won election democratically in the 2010s. In China, graduate school is now sometimes the only route to a good job, The Washington Post reports. Texas Floods As a warming planet creates more extreme weather, experts warn that Trump is dismantling the government’s disaster capabilities. “Lord, turn off the floodgates”: At Sunday services in Central Texas, ministers prayed for help as more rain beat down. Other Big Stories A group of conservative University of Virginia alumni long called for eliminating D.E.I. without much success. Trump changed that. The Times obtained footage of the death of Michael Nieves, a mentally ill inmate on Rikers Island. He used a shaving razor to cut himself near the jugular vein and bled out as jail staff members waited for medical assistance. The episode captures the dysfunction at the jail. Women in America are returning to the office more slowly than men, which carries career risks, The Wall Street Journal reports. OPINIONS Governors should be the face of the Democratic Party, Michelle Cottle writes. It’s a losing game to isolate family members you disagree with politically, David Litt writes. Here’s a column by David French on MAGA and the Epstein files. Everything The Times offers. All in one subscription. Morning readers: Save on unlimited access to The Times with this introductory offer. MORNING READS On the island. Peacock Trending: “Love Island USA,” the pop culture obsession of the summer, finished its latest season last night. We revisited its biggest moments. New York: The Waldorf Astoria is back. See the details that took eight years to renovate. Routine: How the entrepreneur behind mini croissant cereal spends her busiest days. Metropolitan Diary: Well-timed hose encounter. Your pick: The most clicked article in The Morning yesterday listed the best books of the year so far. Lives Lived: Charles Reinhart was a longtime director of the American Dance Festival who popularized modern and avant-garde dance in the U.S. and worldwide. He died at 94. SPORTS Jannik Sinner Henry Nicholls/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images Wimbledon: The men’s final, in which Sinner defeated Alcaraz, came down to two stunning set points. M.L.B.: The high school shortstop Eli Willits was the first of more than 100 players chosen on Day 1 of the draft. Read a recap. W.N.B.A.: Indiana’s Caitlin Clark and Dallas’ Paige Bueckers competed for the first time as pros. ARTS AND IDEAS At Night Owl Video in Brooklyn. Ye Fan for The New York Times For the past two decades, physical copies of movies have been on the decline. Blockbuster is essentially gone and many manufacturers have stopped making DVD players. But as streaming dominates, there are signs of a rebellion: Some movie fans are investing in hard copies of movies and shows. More on culture Over the weekend, “Superman” delivered Warner Bros. its fifth consecutive No. 1 movie. This year has seen a startling turnaround for the studio. It’s 40 years since Live Aid, and Bob Geldof doesn’t think the benefit concert could happen now. Read his interview with The Times. “Skibidi” and “rizz”: In a new book, a linguist argues that algorithms are reshaping the English language. THE MORNING RECOMMENDS … Rachel Vanni for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Spencer Richards. Make a nourishing, satisfying one-pot chicken arroz rojo. Sit in a beach chair that’s actually comfortable. Cook with more confidence using these tools. Take our news quiz. GAMES Here is today’s Spelling Bee. Yesterday’s pangrams were auditing, daunting and inundating. And here are today’s Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections, Sports Connections and Strands. Thanks for spending part of your morning with The Times. See you tomorrow. Sign up here to get this newsletter in your inbox. Reach our team at themorning@nytimes.com. Editor: Adam B. Kushner News Editor: Tom Wright-Piersanti Associate Editor: Lauren Jackson News Staff: Evan Gorelick, Desiree Ibekwe, Brent Lewis, German Lopez, Ashley Wu News Assistant: Lyna Bentahar Saturday Writer: Melissa Kirsch Quote phkrause When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan. Proverbs 29;2
Members phkrause Posted July 16, 2025 Author Members Posted July 16, 2025 July 15, 2025 Good morning. Here’s the latest news: Supreme Court: The justices allowed the Trump administration to proceed with firing more than a thousand Education Department workers. Storms: In New York, heavy rains flooded parts of the subway. (See a video.) New Jersey declared a state of emergency. Parts of Virginia and Pennsylvania have flash flood warnings. Follow updates here. New York mayor’s race: Andrew Cuomo will run as a third-party candidate against Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic nominee. We have more below. But first, we take a look at the MAGA base’s attachment to Jeffrey Epstein conspiracy theories. President Trump Haiyun Jiang/The New York Times A revolt By Shawn McCreesh I cover the White House. After years spent spreading spidery conspiracy theories for his own political gain, President Trump has found himself wrapped up in the stickiest one of them of all. For more than a week, the political movement he created has convulsed with righteous fury over Jeffrey Epstein and the things the administration has said and done — or rather not done — about his death. Trump’s supporters simply cannot swallow the anticlimactic conclusion that the Justice Department reached eight days ago when it said: There’s nothing to see here, folks. No secret client list, no ties to foreign governments, no clique of Washington protectors who shielded the financier and his friends from justice for preying on girls. Over the weekend, a rabble of conspiracists who’ve been hand-fed for years by Trump broke into open revolt. The fallout is testing the power that the president holds over his most loyal followers, the ones who’ve trusted him all along and who believed they would learn a whole lot more about the Epstein saga if they returned Trump to office. The unconvinced Pam Bondi, the attorney general. Evan Vucci/Associated Press Maybe the revolt will sputter out, but it has been stunning to behold. It is a Möbius strip of paranoia and distrust: A political movement that began with a conspiracy theory — lies about Barack Obama’s birthplace were central to Trump’s rise — is cannibalizing itself over another conspiracy theory. And in a novel twist, Trump’s usual playbook for getting himself out of trouble didn’t work. In a social media post on Saturday, he blamed Obama, Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden for unresolved Epstein mysteries. But the base wasn’t buying it. “People are really upset at the outright dismissal of it,” said Natalie Winters, a 24-year-old protégé of Stephen Bannon. As Mike Cernovich, the prolific pro-Trump social media commentator, wrote online, “Trump’s persuasive power over his base, especially during his first term, was almost magical. … The reaction on Epstein should thus be startling to him.” One person close to Trump conceded that the president didn’t grasp how deep and wide the discontent was because he doesn’t spend all that much time on the internet, where Epstein conspiracies breed. The 79-year-old president’s media diet consists primarily of cable news and print newspapers. But by Monday, news networks like CNN were devoting much more airtime to the uproar. A test of loyalty This is not the first time Trump’s base has bristled at him. The faithful grumbled when he encouraged Americans to take Covid vaccines or dropped bombs on Iranian nuclear facilities. But the conjecture around Epstein’s crimes and death is a many-layered mania that can’t really be compared to anything else. The shadowy concepts that undergird the whole thing go to the “very foundation of MAGA,” as Winters put it, because “it gets to the heart of who is in control of the country.” She lamented that Trump and the people who work for him now had campaigned against the deep state and failed to deliver. “Finally, you have the power to expose it, and either you’re not, because there’s nothing there, in which case it makes you a liar — and I don’t believe that — or you’re ineffective, or you’re compromised.” The fallout is fundamentally about whether Trump can corral the conspiracy-driven forces that he weaponized. He sprang to power at a time of deep mistrust in this country after two wars and a financial crisis, selling himself as the only one who would tell the truth about a corrupt uniparty cabal that sold out the United States. But now that he is the one in control of the government, he is telling his supporters to move on from all of that. It has left many of them mystified. AM I EMPLOYED? Martin Basch and Erin Czajkowski. Maddie McGarvey and Kaiti Sullivan for The New York Times When the Department of Government Efficiency started slashing government jobs, its goal was to streamline America’s bureaucracy. Until that happens, though, many federal workers are on an emotional roller coaster. They’ve been fired and rehired; their health insurance has stopped; their questions have gone unanswered. Eileen Sullivan spoke with workers left in the lurch. For instance: Erin Czajkowski was axed from her job at the Department of Housing and Urban Development in February, rehired in March, then fired again in May. She spent weeks trying to understand court orders and legal challenges to her firing. “Honestly, I need this to be over,” she told The Times. Martin Basch was terminated in February from the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders. He started applying for unemployment benefits but was confused when paychecks began arriving again in his bank account. He later learned that a court case had led to his reinstatement. Sarah Garman was fired from the Internal Revenue Service in February and then reinstated in March because of a court order. But when she got back on the government’s payroll, her health coverage was suspended — even as premiums were still being deducted from her paychecks. Read the full story here. THE LATEST NEWS Flash Floods In Cranford, N.J. Brian Fraser for The New York Times Slow-moving storms have dumped several inches of rain across the Mid-Atlantic, causing long flight delays in New York and inundating roads in New Jersey. The National Weather Service said two cities in Virginia risked “catastrophic” damage from flash floods and urged people there to move to higher ground. More heavy rainfall is expected throughout today. Education The Supreme Court decision allowing Trump to fire Education Department workers represents an expansion of presidential power: It lets Trump gut a government department created by Congress without legislators’ input. Trump had already started to diminish the Education Department before the court’s decision. It is now about half the size that it was when Trump took office in January. Twenty-four states sued the Trump administration over nearly $7 billion in education funding that it has withheld a few weeks before the start of the school year. War in Ukraine Trump said he would help Europe send more weapons to Ukraine and threatened “very severe tariffs” on Russia’s trading partners unless it reaches a peace deal within 50 days. The Pentagon said details of the arms sales weren’t finished, and some experts doubt the credibility of the tariff threat. Trump also criticized Vladimir Putin for Russia’s heavy air assaults on Ukraine, saying, “My conversations with him are very pleasant, and then the missiles go off at night.” In Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelensky announced a plan to replace the prime minister with a loyalist. Critics called it a consolidation of power. Middle East In Rafah, southern Gaza, last year. Hatem Ali/Associated Press Israel’s defense ministry suggested relocating much of Gaza’s population into a small zone along the Egyptian border. The proposal, which some legal experts likened to ethnic cleansing, could derail efforts to reach a truce with Hamas. Sectarian violence raged for a second day in Syria. More than 50 people have been killed. During their 12-day war, both Israel and Iran used social media and A.I. to spread disinformation. Trade The chipmaker Nvidia said the U.S. had lifted restrictions on selling an A.I. chip to China. China’s economy grew steadily in the spring, despite Trump’s tariffs. Exports to Europe and Africa jumped. E.U. officials have a plan to retaliate against U.S. tariffs. It’s not clear they’ll use it. Trump Administration A federal appeals court blocked the Trump administration’s move to end deportation protections for thousands of Afghans. The Senate approved the first federal judge of Trump’s second term. Senators confirmed judges faster in his first term. Other Big Stories Tech giants built water-guzzling data centers in Georgia to power the A.I. race. Then the neighbors’ faucets and toilets stopped working. Officials in Kerr County, Texas, where flash floods killed dozens of people earlier this month, said they had received death threats over their response to the tragedy. A fire engulfed an assisted living residence in southern Massachusetts, killing nine people, officials said. Trapped people smashed windows and screamed for help. OPINIONS Israel is committing genocide against the Palestinian people, writes Omer Bartov, an expert on genocides and former Israeli soldier. Here are columns by Michelle Goldberg on Trump’s base and Epstein and Thomas Edsall on eroding democracy in America. Everything The Times offers. All in one subscription. Morning readers: Save on unlimited access to The Times with this introductory offer. MORNING READS Su Yun Song “Happy growing up”: The tooth fairy is real. She’s a dentist in Seattle. Ask Well: Experts believe it’s time to say goodbye to older antihistamines like Benadryl. Here’s why. Your pick: The most clicked article in The Morning yesterday was about how climate change is remaking Europe’s summers. Trending: Filming on the “Harry Potter” HBO series has begun. The production released an image of the 11-year-old actor Dominic McLaughlin in costume as Harry, the BBC reports. See it here. Lives Lived: John MacArthur was a firebrand pastor in Southern California who influenced generations of evangelical preachers and became a culture warrior in his later years. He died at 86. SPORTS M.L.B.: The Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh won the Home Run Derby, knocking 54 homers out of the park. M.L.B.: The sale of the Tampa Bay Rays from the current owner Stu Sternberg to a group led by the Jacksonville developer Patrick Zalupski for about $1.7 billion has been agreed to in principle and is expected to be completed as soon as September, according to The Athletic. ARTS AND IDEAS Dika, 11, in Indonesia. Lensa Rams You may have seen this viral video online: An Indonesian boy on the precarious front of a boat dances while men behind him row furiously. It’s a study in contrasts, their effort and his ease. And he has inspired people around the world to find a similar level of Zen through “aura farming.” In short, they do something that looks cool over and over to develop a better aura. Read more about the trend. More on culture Could you have landed a job at Vogue in the 1990s? Take a quiz. Woody Guthrie’s estate is releasing 13 previously unheard songs that he recorded on tape at home. The recent couture shows in Paris were full of over-the-top, opulent and otherworldly fashion. See some of the looks. THE MORNING RECOMMENDS … Nico Schinco for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Kaitlin Wayne. Burst tomatoes in this orzotto. Eat like a 2025 Wimbledon champion: Add strawberries and yogurt to pasta. (The crowd audibly gasped when Iga Świątek said she loved it.) Get into romantasy, the hottest genre in literature, with help from this guide. Sharpen your knives correctly. Make cold-brew coffee at home. GAMES Here is today’s Spelling Bee. Yesterday’s pangram was brought. And here are today’s Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections, Sports Connections and Strands. Thanks for spending part of your morning with The Times. See you tomorrow. Sign up here to get this newsletter in your inbox. Reach our team at themorning@nytimes.com. Editor: Adam B. Kushner News Editor: Tom Wright-Piersanti Associate Editor: Lauren Jackson News Staff: Evan Gorelick, Desiree Ibekwe, Brent Lewis, German Lopez, Ashley Wu News Assistant: Lyna Bentahar Saturday Writer: Melissa Kirsch Quote phkrause When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan. Proverbs 29;2
Members phkrause Posted July 17, 2025 Author Members Posted July 17, 2025 July 16, 2025 Good morning. Here’s the latest news: Ukraine: Republicans have shifted to supporting Ukraine, matching President Trump’s reversal. Congress: The Senate advanced legislation that would rescind $9 billion for foreign aid and public broadcasting. Immigration: The U.S. resumed deporting migrants to countries other than their own, sending five people to Eswatini, in southern Africa. The Supreme Court cleared the practice. Afghanistan: Iran deported more than a million Afghans this year. Women and girls who fled the Taliban to work and study fear “coming back to a cage.” We have more below. But first, we look at recent flooding — and explain what you can do to stay safe. Brian Fraser for The New York Times, Juan Luis Landaeta via Reuters and Eduardo Munoz/Reuters The torrent By Tom Wright-Piersanti I’m an editor for The Morning newsletter. The rainwater flowed into my central New Jersey home on Monday night, carving rivulets across my floor that grew into streams and then ponds. My sump pump was quickly overmatched; so was my wet vac. A second pump, which I hoped would drain pooling water through a window, shot a geyser of brown basement liquid into my face. My battle against the elements left me with a sore back and a cellar full of sopping mementos, musical instruments and holiday decorations. But I got off easy. The flash floods did far more damage just a few towns over. There, roads became rivers. Two people died when fast-rising waters carried their car into a stream. “Water has killed more people in my time as governor than any other sort of weather event,” Gov. Phil Murphy, a Democrat, lamented yesterday. He blamed climate change. Many factors influence the weather, and scientists don’t like to say that climate change caused this specific storm or that one. But researchers know that climate change is causing heavier rainfall in many storms — the warmer the atmosphere gets, the more moisture it can hold and release. Extreme rainstorms have become more common around the world. The last month has brought a rush of the resulting floods. Over a single week, the water surged in New Mexico, Illinois, North Carolina and Texas, where the deluge killed more than 130 people. Are you safe? Flash floods are the hardest disasters to prevent. What should you know about your neighborhood’s flood risk? Claire Brown, who covers the climate, talked to experts about why you may be at more risk than you think, what you can do about it and how local governments are adapting. FEMA’s flood maps. The agency publishes maps that inform zoning regulations and building standards. They also affect which homeowners have to buy flood insurance. (Search for your address here.) But experts worry that these maps underestimate the risk of sudden and intense storms that lead to the rapid rise of rivers — such as the one that inundated Camp Mystic in Texas this month. By one estimate, more than twice as many properties are prone to once-in-a-century floods as FEMA maps suggest. As many as 440,000 homes across the country may be underinsured for flood risk. Where else to look. The government frequently updates maps of current and past floods and runs a water prediction service. The National Weather Service is refining a tool to visualize floods at street level. Real estate websites like Zillow, Redfin and Realtor.com also use models from an independent research firm to share flood-risk data on listings. States adapt. Many are bolstering their warning systems and building infrastructure. New York City, for example, is building a 2.4-mile system of flood walls and floodgates designed to protect the East Side of Manhattan. After thousands of Vermont residents lost homes and businesses in a 2023 flood, the state is improving its alert system and may require homeowners to disclose past flood damage when they sell property. It’s also buying homes in floodplains and turning them into parkland. More coverage Florida and the central Gulf Coast face a risk of flash flooding in the coming days. A summer camp in Central Texas serving disabled youths reopened barely a week after the flooding. An army of volunteers helped it clean up. THE LATEST NEWS War in Ukraine As Trump has pivoted and announced a plan to send weapons to Ukraine, some Republicans are contorting themselves to stay aligned with him. In the video below, Maggie Haberman, who covers the White House, explains how Trump’s position on Russia and Ukraine has changed. Click to watch. Congress Some Republican senators refused to support the move to rescind aid and public broadcast funds. JD Vance had to break a tie. PBS and NPR are pleading directly with lawmakers to shield them from more than $500 million a year in federal funding cuts. Josh Hawley, a senator from Missouri, introduced legislation to reverse some of the Medicaid cuts that he voted for as part of Trump’s big policy bill two weeks ago. Epstein Files House Democrats, capitalizing on a Republican rift, called for Trump administration officials to testify about their handling of the Jeffrey Epstein investigation. The Republican breach over the Epstein saga hints at a broader fraying of Trump’s political coalition, Annie Karni writes. Late night hosts covered Epstein and MAGA. Government Overhaul The Health and Human Services Department finished firing thousands of employees after a Supreme Court ruling cleared the way for mass government layoffs. The Justice Department wants to undo civil service and whistle-blower protections so it can to fire career law enforcement officials without cause. Israel Some of Benjamin Netanyahu’s political allies quit his government over a proposal to make ultra-Orthodox religious students serve in the Israeli military. The Israeli military struck government forces in Syria and the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militia in Lebanon. Israel said it was securing its northern border. The U.S. ambassador to Israel urged an investigation into the killing of a Palestinian American during a clash with Israeli settlers in the West Bank, calling it a terrorist act. China Beijing is spending billions to become an A.I. superpower. China will restrict use of its battery-making technology in other countries, which could cement its lead in electric-vehicle production. Other Big Stories The Trump administration released around half of the National Guard troops it deployed to Los Angeles during last month’s protests. Federal officials rarely penalize for-profit rehab hospitals for grave errors that hurt patients, an investigation found. Inflation accelerated slightly last month. Prices rose more for the products most affected by tariffs, like furniture and appliances. NEW YORK MAYOR’S RACE Zohran Mamdani Angelina Katsanis for The New York Times The Times recently invited readers to send questions about Zohran Mamdani’s decisive win in New York City’s Democratic mayoral primary. We’ve highlighted one below; you can find many more here, about both local and national issues. How does Mamdani’s race and subsequent win reflect the overall picture of politics — especially the identity of the Democratic Party — going into November and beyond? Samantha Kaplan, Annapolis, Md. Lisa Lerer, a national political correspondent, explains: There’s a long and storied history of overinterpreting New York elections as barometers of the national mood. Just ask Eric Adams, who once heralded himself as the Biden of Brooklyn, or ask Bill de Blasio about his very brief presidential campaign. As one prominent Democrat put it to me recently, the party should spend more time thinking about the Upper Peninsula of Michigan than the Upper West Side. The most competitive midterm races will largely take place in more moderate areas of the country. So I would not expect many Democratic candidates to embrace democratic socialist positions. More likely is that candidates will try to emulate Mamdani’s effective use of social media, and perhaps his intense focus on affordability, an issue that resonates everywhere. As I wrote last month, there are some early signs that Mamdani’s win could inspire some younger Democrats to challenge older incumbents in primaries. It comes as many voters are desperate for generational change after watching their leaders dismiss their concerns about Joe Biden’s age. We plan to continue answering questions in the New York Today newsletter until the election in November. Submit your own here, and sign up here to get that newsletter delivered to your inbox. For more Mamdani told a group of business leaders that he would discourage use of the phrase “globalize the intifada,” a rallying cry for opponents of the war in Gaza that has been seen as a call to violence against Jews. Andrew Cuomo, who will run as an independent against Mamdani, is test driving a warmer, friendlier version of himself. Read his interview with The Times. OPINIONS Public media is a public service. To abandon it would take away nonpartisan local news that the private sector can’t provide, the Editorial Board writes. Here’s a column by Bret Stephens on Mamdani. Everything The Times offers. All in one subscription. Morning readers: Save on unlimited access to The Times with this introductory offer. MORNING READS Peter Fisher for The New York Times Bigger and Weirder: Click the image above to see Weird Al Yankovic’s first ever Madison Square Garden performance. Stubborn visitor: A popular New York hiking trail had to close for a month because of a moose that wouldn’t leave. Your pick: The most clicked article in The Morning yesterday explored the pros and cons of Benadryl. Lives Lived: Andrea Gibson was a master of spoken-word poetry who cultivated legions of admirers with intensely personal, often political works exploring gender, love and a four-year fight with terminal ovarian cancer. Gibson died at 49. SPORTS M.L.B.: A wild All-Star Game featured a homage to Clayton Kershaw, a first-of-its-kind home run swing-off to decide the winner and an M.V.P. award for the Phillies slugger Kyle Schwarber. W.N.B.A.: Caitlin Clark injured her groin in last night’s game against the Connecticut Sun. EMMY NOMINATIONS Apple TV+ may not be many people’s streaming platform of choice, but yesterday’s Emmy nominations were good to it. “Severance,” its dystopian workplace drama, earned 27 nominations — the most for any series. Seth Rogen’s “The Studio,” also from Apple TV+, picked up 23, tying a record for a comedy. Here are some other highlights: The former “ER” star Noah Wyle capped his comeback with a best drama actor nomination for his role in the medical drama “The Pitt.” (It was one of 13 for the show.) “Adolescence,” a British show that stirred political debate about teenage social media use in its home country and became a hit for Netflix, was nominated for best limited series. (Forecasters say it’s the favorite.) Colin Farrell’s prosthetics in “The Penguin” paid off: He was nominated for best actor in a limited series or TV movie. Trending: People online were searching for this year’s nominees. See the full list here. THE MORNING RECOMMENDS … David Malosh for The New York Times Achieve near-instant joy with two-ingredient mango soft serve. Travel ultralight. Use a melon baller on more than just melons. GAMES Here is today’s Spelling Bee. Yesterday’s pangram was beachcomb. And here are today’s Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections, Sports Connections and Strands. Thanks for spending part of your morning with The Times. See you tomorrow. Sign up here to get this newsletter in your inbox. Reach our team at themorning@nytimes.com. Editor: Adam B. Kushner News Editor: Tom Wright-Piersanti Associate Editor: Lauren Jackson News Staff: Evan Gorelick, Desiree Ibekwe, Brent Lewis, German Lopez, Ashley Wu News Assistant: Lyna Bentahar Saturday Writer: Melissa Kirsch Quote phkrause When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan. Proverbs 29;2
Members phkrause Posted July 18, 2025 Author Members Posted July 18, 2025 July 17, 2025 Good morning. The Senate made a big decision overnight. We have that first. Then we cover cases at the Supreme Court, the Jeffrey Epstein saga and President Trump’s feelings about the Fed chair. Plus, we have stories on death and K beauty. A Senate vote Early this morning, the Senate approved a White House request to cancel about $8 billion in funding for foreign aid and $1 billion for public broadcasting. Congress had previously authorized the spending. This matters to the aid programs and local news outlets that rely on that money. But it also matters because the Constitution gives Congress the “power of the purse” — the power to decide what the government spends. By bowing to Trump’s request, Republicans made the rare choice to cede that power. The Senate voted 51 to 48. Two Republican senators objected: Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska. The House is expected to give final approval to the package later this week and send it to Trump to sign. Read more about the bill. Looking at the Supreme Court. Haiyun Jiang/The New York Times The Supreme Court docket By Adam B. Kushner I’m the editor of this newsletter. Why has the Supreme Court sided with the Trump administration so often? In many cases, it won’t say. My colleague Adam Liptak has a new story about a curious type of Supreme Court case. These aren’t the lawsuits about big constitutional questions. Those wind their way upward slowly through district and circuit courts. They yield rulings, reversals and reams of briefings along the way. At the end, justices interrogate lawyers during oral arguments and then exchange drafts of their views. The result, Adam writes, “is often a comprehensive set of opinions that can be as long as a short novel.” The cases Adam writes about now are something else — emergency applications. These require a snap decision about whether a policy can go ahead or must wait while lower judges argue over its legality. Critics call this the “shadow docket,” and the court usually rules on the urgent cases within weeks. Trump has won almost all 18 of these petitions. And unlike normal rulings, justices often don’t explain their rationale. Some recent examples: On Monday, the court said Trump could dismantle the Education Department. The unsigned order was a single paragraph about procedural mechanics. Adam called it “an exercise of power, not reason.” In June, the court let the administration deport migrants to countries other than the ones they came from. Since the justices offered no rationale, the government had to ask for clarification about whether the ruling applied to men it had already sent to a U.S. base in Djibouti. (The answer was yes.) In May, the court allowed Trump to enforce a ban on transgender troops serving in the U.S. military. Its ruling was brief and unsigned. Fast thinking, fast work None of these emergency decisions are final. In each, lawyers can fight the policy in lower courts. Perhaps the Supreme Court will eventually decide that the government can’t deport migrants from around the world to Sudan or unmake a federal agency without the say-so of Congress. But by then, critics of the shadow docket say, the work will already be done. The justices themselves have battled over the propriety of emergency rulings. In a 2021 dissent, Elana Kagan rued a midnight ruling that effectively overturned Roe v. Wade in Texas. A month later, Samuel Alito returned fire in a speech: The catchy and sinister term ‘shadow docket’ has been used to portray the court as having been captured by a dangerous cabal that resorts to sneaky and improper methods to get its ways. … You can’t expect the E.M.T.s and the emergency rooms to do the same thing that a team of physicians and nurses will do when they are handling a matter when time is not of the essence in the same way. Some law professors have built a new database tracking the rise of the emergency docket. The first half of 2025 represented a record high, with 15 emergency applications accepted as of June 18. The next highest peak was 11, from the final year of the previous Trump administration. THE LATEST NEWS Epstein Files President Trump Tierney L. Cross/The New York Times On social media, Trump berated supporters who are upset with the administration’s handling of the Jeffrey Epstein investigation. He blamed Democrats. The administration fired a Manhattan prosecutor who worked on cases against Epstein and an associate. Late night hosts again covered Epstein and MAGA. Immigration At Florida’s new immigrant detention center, named Alligator Alcatraz, detainees say they live in tents, shower infrequently and lack medication. Morale is low among the California National Guard troops whom Trump deployed to Los Angeles, and some are questioning the mission. Many ICE raids take place in public spaces — parking lots, job sites, neighborhood streets. In the video below, Jennifer Medina, a political reporter, speaks with a woman who recorded an arrest near her home. Click to watch. More on Politics Trump frequently labels his opponents “evil.” That allows him to justify all kinds of actions usually considered extreme, writes Peter Baker. Republicans in Congress said this would be “crypto week.” But their efforts to pass several cryptocurrency bills in the House stalled after ultraconservative members revolted. Middle East A stampede outside an aid distribution center in southern Gaza killed at least 20 people — the latest in a string of deaths near aid sites in the enclave. Israel attacked Syria’s capital. It said the airstrikes aimed to help drive government forces from a region dominated by the Druse minority, which Israel has pledged to protect. Mike Huckabee, the U.S. ambassador to Israel, made a highly unusual appearance at Benjamin Netanyahu’s corruption trial. Dozens of people, including children, died in a shopping mall fire in eastern Iraq, local officials said. More International News Eswatini said it would send five migrants deported there by the U.S. to their countries of origin. The U.S. had said those countries wouldn’t accept them. Germany, Austria and Poland have set up vehicle search checkpoints to crack down on migration. They’re also snarling traffic. Japan’s agriculture minister has released stockpiled rice in an effort to lower prices and mollify voters. One of China’s most popular video games is called Revenge on Gold Diggers. It’s prompted debate about misogyny, gender dynamics and economic pressures, Li Yuan writes. Other Big Stories Looking north over the Grand Canyon. Bridget Bennett for The New York Times. A wildfire has devastated the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. A former New York City police commissioner sued Mayor Eric Adams, accusing him of running City Hall and the Police Department as a criminal enterprise. A lightning strike at an outdoor archery range in Jackson Township, N.J., killed a man and left 13 other people with burns, including a 7-year-old. Trending: After a 7.3-magnitude earthquake, people were searching online about the risk of a tsunami in Alaska. Officials issued a warning for parts of the coast, then downgraded it to an advisory. Trump said on social media that Coca-Cola had agreed to use cane sugar to sweeten U.S. Coke, rather than high-fructose corn syrup. “It’s just better!” he declared. CAN TRUMP DO THAT? Jerome Powell Mark Schiefelbein/Associated Press Trump has a draft of a letter firing Jerome Powell, the chairman of the Fed. He has considered sending it, and he waved a copy of it in the Oval Office in front of House Republicans. But Powell’s term doesn’t end until 2026, and he says he’ll stay until then. A president can fire the head of the central bank only for cause, like fraud. Now Trump’s allies are talking about accusations of misconduct. Colby Smith and Tony Romm explain. Trump wants Powell gone. The president believes the economy would soar — and his political standing alongside it — if only the Fed would lower the cost of borrowing. But Powell has held interest rates in place to forestall inflation, which may creep up as Trump’s tariffs take hold. The president says this makes Powell a “very stupid person.” The claims: Republicans say that Powell has mismanaged a revamp of the Federal Reserve that cost billions. The project is running around $700 million over budget. What next? Legal and economic experts say that this is little more than a pretext to ax Powell, and that it’s unlikely prosecutors could ever prove a case against him. If the administration cites misconduct or fraud in firing him, Powell will get to defend himself in court. And a judge may stop the dismissal if it looks like Powell might fight the charges and win. “The Daily” today is on their fight. The show calls it “the most toxic relationship in Washington.” More on the economy Months after Trump announced sweeping tariffs, inflation remains muted, the job market is strong. Will it last? The U.S. reached a trade agreement with Indonesia. It exempts U.S. goods from tariffs while levying a 19 percent duty on Indonesian goods. OPINIONS Students thrive in liberal arts programs. Universities should fund them accordingly, Jennifer Frey writes. Here’s a column by Lydia Polgreen on Trump’s antagonistic diplomacy. Everything The Times offers. All in one subscription. Morning readers: Save on unlimited access to The Times with this introductory offer. MORNING READS Xiao Hua Yang Let’s talk about death: From end-of-life care to burials and beyond, we answer your questions on mortality. K beauty: Fearing imminent tariffs, Americans are buying Korean beauty products in bulk. Heat pumps: Should you get one? Take our two-question quiz. Your pick: Yesterday’s most-clicked link in The Morning was a video about Trump’s pivot to supporting Ukraine. SPORTS N.C.A.A.: Fox Sports is close to completing a deal with Barstool Sports. The agreement would place Barstool’s C.E.O., Dave Portnoy, on Fox’s “Big Noon Kickoff” on Saturdays, and Barstool content could fill a weekday morning cable TV gap. Lives Lived: Audun Groenvold, who won bronze for Norway in ski cross at the 2010 Winter Olympics, died after being struck by lightning during a cabin trip. He was 49. ARTS AND IDEAS Cheese curds in Marshfield, Wis. Tim Gruber for The New York Times It is boom time for America’s cheese makers — but not because of cheese. Whey, a byproduct of cheese making that was once considered waste, is now in demand from weight lifters and health-conscious people seeking to get more protein into their bodies. Read more about how our protein obsession is transforming the dairy industry. More on culture Michael Maggart Vincent Alban/The New York Times This math tutor has no acting aspirations. Wes Anderson keeps casting him anyway. Paulette Jiles, a horse-riding poet and historical novelist who evoked the grit and grandeur of the American West in “News of the World,” died at 82. A fossil of a young carnivorous dinosaur fetched over $30 million at Sotheby’s. The auction house had estimated its value at $4 million to $6 million. THE MORNING RECOMMENDS … Rachel Vanni for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Spencer Richards. Braise hoisin garlic chicken in your slow cooker. Ski in South America over the summer. Start journaling — and stick with it. GAMES Here is today’s Spelling Bee. Yesterday’s pangram was chewing. And here are today’s Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections, Sports Connections and Strands. Thanks for spending part of your morning with The Times. See you tomorrow. Sign up here to get this newsletter in your inbox. Reach our team at themorning@nytimes.com. Editor: Adam B. Kushner News Editor: Tom Wright-Piersanti Associate Editor: Lauren Jackson News Staff: Evan Gorelick, Desiree Ibekwe, Brent Lewis, German Lopez, Ashley Wu News Assistant: Lyna Bentahar Saturday Writer: Melissa Kirsch Quote phkrause When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan. Proverbs 29;2
Members phkrause Posted July 20, 2025 Author Members Posted July 20, 2025 July 18, 2025 Good morning, and happy Friday. Here’s the latest news: President Trump called for the release of testimony in the Jeffrey Epstein case. The House approved a White House request to rescind $9 billion for foreign aid and public broadcasting. CBS is canceling Stephen Colbert’s late-night talk show. More news is below. But first, we examine the voting age. In London. Carl Court/Getty Images Coming of age By Evan Gorelick I am a writer for this newsletter. Britain is about to add up to a million and a half people to its voter rolls. Some lean left, some lean right and others don’t care about politics at all. But all of them are 16 or 17 years old. Liberals are thrilled with the plan, which lawmakers announced yesterday; conservatives are outraged. In planning to lower the national voting age before the next general election, Britain joins a small but growing club of nations willing to test the boundaries of electoral inclusion. Brazil, an early adopter, cut its voting age to 16 in 1988. Austria, Argentina and Malta followed suit in the 2000s. Most recently, Germany and Belgium decided to let 16- and 17-year-olds vote in some elections but not others. Sources: C.I.A. World Factbook; ACE Electoral Knowledge Network | Based on 234 countries or territories with available data; places with no data are in gray. | By The New York Times Beneath these changes lies a fundamental question: At what age does civic responsibility begin? Today, I explain the debate and look at how it is reshaping some democracies, including America’s. Who’s ready? Legal codes are filled with age minimums. In the United States, you must be 18 to serve in the military, 21 to drink alcohol and 35 to run for president. Sometimes, these are built on easy-to-understand ideas. Alcohol, for instance, is meant only for people who are likely to drink responsibly. The right to vote follows from the notion that governments draw their legitimacy from the consent of the governed. When can someone give that consent? Experts offer different answers to the question. Developmental psychology: Research shows that by age 16, most adolescents can make informed voting decisions. Maturity is not a monolith: Policymakers think it takes more poise to buy a handgun (which Americans can do at 21) than it does to drive. Although 16-year-olds tend to be impulsive — a problem when it comes to wielding guns — voting is simply an expression of a preference. By 16, most adolescents can express and defend their preference. Partisan politics: Reshaping the electorate has immediate political consequences. If new voters break left, for instance, an electoral expansion may help liberals. That’s why politicians often see the franchise as a means to an end. In Britain, where young voters are typically more liberal, the ruling center-left party is now counting on a boost. That politicizes the process. Civic participation: When people vote at younger ages, they tend to become repeat voters. That can improve voter turnout, which is low in many places. And when younger people have the right to vote, elected officials are more responsive to their interests, research shows. In the United States A 17-year-old of Takoma Park, Md., preparing to vote for the first time. Getty For most of American history, people had to be 21 to vote in federal elections. That changed when 18-year-olds started being shipped abroad to fight in the Vietnam War. They protested; they staged sit-ins; they burned their draft cards. If they could die for their country, why couldn’t they vote for its leaders? So, in 1971, states ratified the 26th Amendment, which lowered the voting age to 18. Without another broad-based movement, the federal voting age probably won’t change anytime soon, said Franita Tolson, a law professor at the University of Southern California. But cities and states have their own election laws, and a handful have lowered voting ages. In May 2013, Takoma Park, Md., lowered its minimum age to 16 for municipal elections, making it the first American city to do so. After the change, the new voters began to vote at rates two to three times as high as those of other voters. “Young people are already impacted by the decisions lawmakers make every day, from school funding to climate policy,” said Janhitha Veeramachaneni, a 17-year-old in Jersey City, which is considering trimming its voting age. “We pay taxes, work jobs and navigate the world shaped by those in power.” There’s one other way that teens can do what adults can: After Newark let 16- and 17-year-olds vote in local school-board races, only 73 new voters — out of 1,851 who had registered — showed up. Britain’s governing party is probably hoping for better. THE LATEST NEWS Epstein Investigation A cabinet meeting. Doug Mills/The New York Times Trump told Attorney General Pam Bondi to seek the release of grand jury testimony from the Jeffrey Epstein case, and House Republicans are considering a vote to call for the release of additional information. The requests are a concession to Democrats and to Trump’s supporters, who have pressured the administration for more details. If successful, the requests would still fall short of the transparency many are demanding. The Wall Street Journal reported that Trump once contributed a bawdy note as part of a birthday gift for Epstein. Trump said the note was fake and vowed to sue The Journal. Which of Trump’s supporters have taken his side in the fallout over the Epstein investigation? This chart explains. Read a timeline of what we know about Trump and Epstein. Congress In voting for Trump’s cancellation of $9 billion in spending they had already approved, Republicans in Congress showed they were willing to cede their power of the purse. Republicans have long wanted cuts to public broadcasting, and they finally got them. See maps of where the cuts could affect PBS and NPR. The House passed a bill to regulate digital currency known as stablecoins. Trump said it would be the first major piece of crypto legislation to become law in the U.S. “The Daily” today is about the power of the purse. Trump Administration The White House and Columbia University are nearing a deal to end their monthslong legal dispute. It’s expected to include a fine of about $200 million for the university. Trump has chronic venous insufficiency, a physician to the president said, a common condition among older adults that has caused swelling in his legs. The Washington Post called it a rare acknowledgment of Trump’s age. (He is 79.) A federal judge ruled that Trump’s firing of a Democratic commissioner at the Federal Trade Commission was illegal. International U.S. strikes damaged and potentially destroyed Iran’s deeply buried nuclear enrichment plant at Fordo, an American intelligence report found. The Greek authorities arrested five people after a well-known Berkeley professor was killed. Those arrested include his ex-wife and her current boyfriend, the police said. Elon Musk is trying to expand two of his companies — Starlink and Tesla — in India. He’s making progress. Stephen Colbert Stephen Colbert Scott Kowalchyk/CBS, via Getty Images CBS described the decision to cancel Colbert’s show as “purely financial.” Colbert recently criticized its parent company’s settlement with Trump as a “big fat bribe.” The company is in the middle of a merger that requires approval from the Trump administration. When the audience booed the news about the loss of his show, Colbert responded with a smile, “Yeah, I share your feelings.” Other Big Stories The F.D.A. approved Juul e-cigarettes for use in the country, ending a standoff with regulators who had accused the company of contributing to a rise in youth vaping. A man who attacked a fellow Pennsylvania college student in 2013 and years later sent her a Facebook message that said “So I raped you” pleaded guilty to sexual assault. OPINIONS The informal language in Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson’s dissents shows how she is trying to speak to everyone, John McWhorter writes. To win elections, the Democratic Party should become the party of prosperity, Jonathan Rauch and Peter Wehner write. Here are columns by David Brooks on America’s surrender to China and Michelle Goldberg on Covid in film. Everything The Times offers. All in one subscription. Morning readers: Save on unlimited access to The Times with this introductory offer. MORNING READS At Grand Teton National Park, Wyo. Adams/NPS Thief: At least one wily fox has been stealing shoes at Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming. Ideas: Empathy was once considered a virtue. Why do some people now think it’s a bad thing? True crime: Everyone’s obsessed with it. Even prisoners like me. Trending: A kiss cam at a Coldplay concert exposed an apparent affair. See the video in The New York Post. Your pick: The most-clicked link in The Morning yesterday was a video about an immigration raid in Los Angeles. Modern Love: When my 60-year-old husband suddenly left, I lost a sense of who I was, but not entirely. Lives Lived: Connie Francis dominated pop charts in the late 1950s and early ’60s. And she had an unlikely resurgence this year when one of her songs, “Pretty Little Baby,” become a TikTok sensation. Francis died at 87. SPORTS In Portrush, Northern Ireland. Maja Smiejkowska/Reuters Golf: It’s Round 2 of the British Open. Scottie Scheffler of the U.S. is up this morning. See the leaderboard. N.B.A.: Damian Lillard is expected to rejoin Portland on a three-year, $45 million deal. N.F.L.: T.J. Watt agreed to stay with the Pittsburgh Steelers on a three-year, $123 million extension. ARTS AND IDEAS Nicholas McCarthy Hayley Benoit for The New York Times Nicholas McCarthy was born without a right hand. This weekend at the Royal Albert Hall in London, he will be the star name for a concert at the Proms, Britain’s most prominent classical music series, playing Maurice Ravel’s bravura Piano Concerto for the Left Hand. “Everyone might be thinking, ‘Bloody hell, I’m only seeing five fingers playing, but I’m hearing so many hands,” he told The Times. More on culture The popular art-house movie studio A24 has a new venture: It bought a theater in Manhattan, where it will present plays, music and comedy. Members of the rock band Jane’s Addiction are suing one another after getting into a fight onstage. THE MORNING RECOMMENDS … Nico Schinco for The New York Times Make these tomato and Cheddar toasts, which a reader described as “the best tomato sandwich I have ever had.” Cook over a campfire. Here’s some expert advice. Wear a surfer-approved sun hat. Take our news quiz. GAMES Here is today’s Spelling Bee. Yesterday’s pangrams were dactylic and didactically. And here are today’s Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections, Sports Connections and Strands. Thanks for spending part of your morning with The Times. See you tomorrow. Sign up here to get this newsletter in your inbox. Reach our team at themorning@nytimes.com. Editor: Adam B. Kushner News Editor: Tom Wright-Piersanti Associate Editor: Lauren Jackson News Staff: Evan Gorelick, Desiree Ibekwe, Brent Lewis, Ashley Wu News Assistant: Lyna Bentahar Saturday Writer: Melissa Kirsch Quote phkrause When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan. Proverbs 29;2
Members phkrause Posted July 21, 2025 Author Members Posted July 21, 2025 July 19, 2025 Good morning. The popular notions of summer fun and the things we actually feel like doing can sometimes be at odds with each other. María Jesús Contreras Open season By Melissa Kirsch There’s a period before sunrise called civil twilight, when the sun is still below the horizon but it’s light enough to start your day. In high summer in New York City, light starts to peek around the edges of the shades at 5 a.m., scratching at the screen like a pet trying to get in: I’m here! Get up! Let’s go! It makes for a long day if you get up at this hour — around 15 hours if you’re keeping track, as I am, trying to squeeze as much juice out of the season as possible before it’s done. A member of the anti-summer contingent recently groused to me that she hates this time of year, because she feels so much pressure to always be doing things, to fill her time with outdoor activities that would be impossible in colder months. She feels guilty saying “I’m just doing nothing” when asked about her weekend plans. How could she be so wasteful, squandering this brief period of light and warmth? Think of all the picnics and pool parties and breezy strolls she’ll regret not having undertaken come February! She’s right — in the warmer months, there’s a tinge of accusation to our small talk. “What are you up to this summer?” seems to require a recitation of an action-packed agenda in response. If you have kids, the pressure to keep them properly occupied can set the season up as “a parenting Rorschach test,” as Hannah Seligson recently wrote in The Times. Someone once suggested to me that there’s no question that makes one feel more defensive than, “Any fun trips coming up?” The socially acceptable definition of fun and the reality of what we actually experience as fun can often be quite different from each other. One person’s “beach barbecue” is another person’s “lying on the couch, reading, kind of dozing all afternoon.” Doing absolutely nothing today might be the most pleasant summer activity you can think of. You do not need to get up with the sun and pack your hours with berry picking and butterfly catching in order to have a dreamy summer day. (I did that only once, and I was so tired by lunch I could barely keep my eyes open.) The true promise of summer, the one we’re all entitled to, is that feeling of lightness and openness, of our cares diminishing at least a little bit. Let no well-intentioned but ultimately irksome query about what you did this weekend keep you from doing, or not doing, whatever it takes to achieve this. THE LATEST NEWS Trump Administration Venezuelan migrants arriving in the country on Friday. Federico Parra/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images In a prisoner swap, the Venezuelan government released 10 Americans and U.S. permanent residents in exchange for more than 200 Venezuelans whom the U.S. had sent to El Salvador. The State Department will sharply restrict its criticism of tainted foreign elections, pulling back from the pro-democracy advocacy that the U.S. long offered. At President Trump’s request, the Justice Department asked a federal judge to unseal grand jury testimony from the Jeffrey Epstein case. Trump sued Rupert Murdoch and The Wall Street Journal over an article that said Trump had contributed a cryptic note and a drawing as part of a birthday gift for Epstein. Trump, disputing The Journal’s report, said, “I don’t draw pictures.” But many of his sketches have sold at auction. Other Big Stories Brazil’s Supreme Court ordered Jair Bolsonaro, the former president, to wear an ankle monitor. Bolsonaro, who is charged with attempting a coup, has lobbied Trump for help. Heavy monsoon rains in Pakistan have killed at least 57 people in recent days. The leaders of Britain, France and Germany are working together to build diplomatic and defense institutions that free them from their reliance on the U.S. An explosion at a law enforcement training center in Los Angeles killed three sheriff’s deputies. A state official said it appeared to be an accident. THE WEEK IN CULTURE Colbert Cancellation CBS said it canceled Stephen Colbert’s late-night talk show for financial reasons. People familiar with the show’s finances told The Times that it was losing of tens of millions of dollars a year. But Democratic lawmakers raised questions about the cancellation, which came just days after Colbert criticized CBS’s parent company for paying Trump millions to settle a lawsuit. “Do I think this is a coincidence? NO,” Senator Bernie Sanders said. The saga evokes a term Colbert coined many years ago, our TV critic writes: “truthiness,” or a statement that is not actually true but represents a reality the speaker wishes to inhabit. Ari Aster Ari Aster Jonno Rattman for The New York Times Ari Aster has made some of this century’s most unsettling films — like “Hereditary” and “Midsommar” — by taking his own anxiety and putting it onscreen. Read a profile of the director. Aster’s new movie is “Eddington,” a Western set in the early days of the Covid pandemic. Our critic gives it a good review, writing that the film “sets us not-so-gently adrift on a sea of very recent memories and the nausea they re-prompt.” In the mood for horror after all this Aster talk? Here are five movies you can stream now. Drake’s Comeback Drake Emli Bendixen for The New York Times Drake headlined all three nights of London’s Wireless Festival, his first high-profile live outing since his beef with Kendrick Lamar. And he brought reinforcements: Guests included Lauryn Hill, 21 Savage, Sexyy Red, the British rappers J Hus and Dave, and Vanessa Carlton (of “A Thousand Miles” fame). Our critic Jon Caramanica was at the event, and he writes that joy was the dominant mode — though, after all he’s been through, Drake was also keen to project strength. More Culture Robyn Hurder Vincent Tullo for The New York Times This year is the 50th anniversary of two iconic musicals: “Chicago” and “A Chorus Line.” See a Broadway dancer demonstrate what made these shows so special. After 29 years, the American Ballet Theater principal Gillian Murphy said farewell with a performance in “Swan Lake.” Emmy nominations came out this week. “Squid Game” was shut out of the drama field, and John Mulaney didn’t get a nod for his variety talk series. Read about other snubs and surprises. Nintendo introduced a character, a cow known as Cow, in its newest Mario Kart game. Fans are obsessed with her. The style of Catherine, Princess of Wales, has changed: Her skirts have gotten longer, her jackets more tailored, her silhouette more streamlined. She is dressing for a new stage of life, our fashion critic Vanessa Friedman writes. Everything The Times offers. All in one subscription. Morning readers: Save on unlimited access to The Times with this introductory offer. CULTURE CALENDAR By Tom Wright-Piersanti ? “Happy Gilmore 2” (Friday on Netflix): Convene a large enough crowd of elder millennials — my cohort, people in their late 30s and early 40s — and before long, you’re quite likely to hear someone recite a line from “Happy Gilmore.” There may be no actor more formative for that generation than Adam Sandler, and “Gilmore” is his dopey magnum opus. Now, almost 30 years later, there’s a sequel. The trailer is loaded with callbacks to the original, and nostalgia is not exactly a recipe for great comedy. But before you dismiss it, it’s worth noting that Sandler’s recent output isn’t all bad. For every detestable “Grown Ups” sequel, there are some underrated gems, like the earnest basketball drama “Hustle” or the surprisingly funny (and perfectly stupid) “Hubie Halloween.” For more: Read the obituary for Morris, the alligator who starred in the original “Happy Gilmore.” He died this year at 80 (or so). RECIPE OF THE WEEK Christopher Simpson for The New York Times By Melissa Clark Italian Hero Sandwiches Perfect for picnicking in the park, at the beach or in the air-conditioned comfort of home, Ali Slagle’s Italian hero sandwiches balance rich, fatty ingredients with cool, crisp ones. Her mix of pickles, lettuce and onions adds just the right texture to the layers of salami, ham and cheese, all drizzled with an oregano-spiked red wine vinaigrette for tang. Pack plenty of napkins to tackle this glistening, overstuffed beauty. REAL ESTATE Rahul Barua and Winnie Wong. Christopher Capozziello for The New York Times The Hunt: Two California transplants ventured east in search of midcentury design, sunlight and space for guests. Which home did they choose? Play our game. What you get for $2.9 million: A Victorian in New Canaan, Conn.; a 2017 contemporary house in Cave Creek, Ariz.; or a 1910 Colonial Revival house in Boise, Idaho. LIVING Dulce Vida in Tulsa, Okla. Dulce Vida Café Carry out: Cafes across the U.S. are serving large coffee drinks in plastic buckets. The gimmick is working. A year’s worth of mascara?: American consumers of Korean beauty products are stocking up as Trump’s tariffs loom. Five favorites: The W.N.B.A. star A’ja Wilson shares her picks for places to eat, drink and chill in Las Vegas. ADVICE FROM WIRECUTTER Staying overnight with friends? Don’t show up empty-handed. I have a couple of general rules for buying gifts for friends who host you overnight. First, the gift should be easy to travel with. (Skip the crystal vase or Key lime pie.) Second, consider something that you can enjoy together, or that is themed to your stay. For a recent trip to my friend’s Italian lake house — lucky, I know — I brought insulated wine tumblers to encourage lakeside happy hours. And if you don’t know your hosts well, opt for something universal. An elevated take on an everyday item they likely wouldn’t buy for themselves can be a good bet. Or a specialty from your home that feels personal; I bring See’s Candy from California nearly everywhere I go, and it’s always a hit. — Samantha Schoech For more handpicked gifts and expert advice, sign up for Wirecutter’s weekly newsletter, The Gift. GAME OF THE WEEK The 16th hole at Royal Portrush Golf Club on Friday. Jon Super/Associated Press The Open Championship: At Royal Portrush, situated at the very top of Northern Ireland, the fairways dip and rise as if sculpted hastily from Play Doh. This is links golf, the game’s rugged side. Instead of the flat, neon courses we’re used to in the U.S., the links courses that you’ll see at this tournament, also known as the British Open, trace the imperfections of the earth in natural tan and olive hues. If you’re sweltering this weekend, take respite watching the world’s best battle through a gray, rainy, bumpy gauntlet. Today and tomorrow, starting at 7 a.m. Eastern on NBC For more: Scottie Scheffler, an American, led the field at the start of today’s play. You can find The Athletic’s coverage here. NOW TIME TO PLAY Here is today’s Spelling Bee. Yesterday’s pangram was appendix. Take the news quiz to see how well you followed this week’s headlines. And here are today’s Mini Crossword, Wordle, Sudoku, 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. Editor: Adam B. Kushner News Editor: Tom Wright-Piersanti Associate Editor: Lauren Jackson News Staff: Evan Gorelick, Desiree Ibekwe, Brent Lewis, Ashley Wu News Assistant: Lyna Bentahar Saturday Writer: Melissa Kirsch Quote phkrause When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan. Proverbs 29;2
Members phkrause Posted July 21, 2025 Author Members Posted July 21, 2025 July 20, 2025 Good morning. Here’s the latest: Weather: Torrential rain caused flash floods in the Washington, D.C., area. The authorities in Maryland rescued dozens of people, including from cars. Japan: It’s the parliamentary elections there today. A Trump-inspired candidate with a “Japanese First” agenda has grabbed the spotlight. Trump and Epstein: The Times took a closer look at their nearly 15-year friendship. We have more news below. But first, Joseph Bernstein explains how videos came to take over our podcast feeds. Sound and vision By Joseph Bernstein I write for the Styles section. Log on to social media these days, and it’s likely that you’ll come across a video of two people in a studio, talking. Usually the host is famous — Joe Rogan, or Amy Poehler or the Kelce brothers. Often the guest is, too. And while the clip on social media is probably brief, the video it’s been cut from may well be three, four, even five hours long. This is podcasting in 2025: Many of the most popular shows are now video conversations that seem to stretch on forever. They often feature major political figures and may even have played a role in electing Donald Trump to his second term. The sheer profusion of these talk shows poses a very basic question: Who, exactly, is watching all this? I put that question to podcast creators and viewers, industry analysts and executives. And the answer, it turns out, is complicated. In today’s newsletter, I’ll explain what I learned. Who’s watching One thing we do know: A lot of people are hitting play on podcast videos. YouTube announced recently that more than a billion people a month watch podcasts on its platform. And according to the most recent survey research, around three-quarters of podcast consumers play podcast videos. What makes it complicated, though, is that we don’t know whether everyone playing these videos is actually watching them. The same survey showed that more than 40 percent of people who play podcast videos on YouTube listen to them only in the background — say, while folding laundry or doing other work. Podcasting began as an audio-only format, which led to an extraordinary degree of intimacy between listeners and hosts. Hearing the same people in your ears week after week tends to do that. Video podcasts strive for the same, or an even greater, sense of intimacy with their audience. One superfan of “This Past Weekend w/ Theo Von” told me that she liked to watch the entire podcast because it made her feel less alone and as if she had company over. (Von’s show, which regularly draws hundreds of thousands of viewers on YouTube, typically runs for about two hours.) Indeed, if cable news is the background noise of choice for many boomers, video podcasts have the potential to become the same for younger audiences, who often consume media with a smartphone in hand. Alyssa Keller, a stay-at-home mom from Michigan, told me she often watched “The Shawn Ryan Show” while cleaning during her children’s nap time. The old guard The rising popularity of video podcasts challenges how people conceive of the medium. Many were introduced to podcasts through deeply reported, painstakingly produced narrative shows like “Serial” and “This American Life.” The popular video shows today are less ambitious, and they’re much easier to share on social media, which increases the potential for bigger audiences and more money. But at least one podcast pioneer doesn’t see much to be alarmed about. Ira Glass, the creator of “This American Life,” believes the expansion of the podcast tent is good for business, he told me. And, he added, traditional, radio-style programming — listening to people, not watching them — has a unique power that video lacks. “If people want to watch people on a talk show, that seems fine to me,” he said. “I don’t feel protective of podcasting in that way. I don’t have snowflakey feelings about podcasts.” Read more about video podcasts here. THE LATEST NEWS Trump Administration Donald Trump, his future wife Melania Knauss, Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell in 2000. Davidoff Studios, via Getty Images For nearly 15 years, Trump and Jeffrey Epstein socialized together in Manhattan and Palm Beach, Fla. They fell out around 2004, before Epstein’s first arrest. Read more about the friendship and how it ended. Republican efforts to force Trump’s agenda through Congress have caused tempers to flare and relationships to fray. That could mean trouble ahead, Carl Hulse writes. A kite surfer, a Navy SEAL and a makeup artist were among the more than 260 people freed in the U.S.-Venezuela prisoner swap. Trump came into office determined to bully China into changing its trade behavior with tariffs. Now, he’s trying to woo Beijing instead. Democratic Party Zohran Mamdani is on a charm offensive with national Democratic leaders, many of whom are still grappling with how much to get behind his run for New York mayor. The Democrats’ 2024 election autopsy is expected to avoid discussion of some key decisions, including whether Joe Biden should have run in the first place. Weather The number of missing in Kerr County, where the Texas floods hit hardest, is down to three. It was 97 just days ago. Many were confirmed as safe, officials said. The Cram fire in central Oregon has grown to more than 95,000 acres, making it the largest U.S. wildfire of the year so far. Other Big Stories Vance Boelter Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office The man accused of killing a Minnesota lawmaker and her husband had undergone periods of religious zealotry and an unsettled career. Read about Vance Boelter’s life — and his messages to The Times. A man who had been thrown out of a Los Angeles nightclub intentionally plowed his car into a crowd, officials said, injuring at least 30 people. The C.E.O. of a tech company resigned after a big screen at a Coldplay concert showed him embracing another executive who isn’t his wife. PATIENTS AT RISK The bedroom of Misty Hawkins, a woman with a cognitive disability who fell into a coma. Wes Frazer for The New York Times Brian Rosenthal has been investigating the U.S. organ transplant system for more than a year. Below, he explains the findings from his newest story, which he reported with Julie Tate. In Alabama, surgeons cut open a woman’s body to retrieve her organs only to discover she was alive. In New Mexico, coordinators subjected another woman to days of preparation for donation even as she seemed to be regaining consciousness, which she eventually did. Those are just two examples from a growing number of bungled attempts to retrieve patients’ organs. These lapses have occurred as the U.S. health care system comes under growing federal pressure to increase transplants. Here’s what else our reporting found: Most donated organs come from patients who are brain-dead, but another type of donation has tripled in recent years: donation after circulatory death. In these cases, the patients are on life support and a doctor has concluded that they won’t recover. Their organs are removed after life support is withdrawn and their hearts stop. This process involves more medical judgment calls and can be subject to hasty decisions. Some organ procurement organizations are aggressively pursuing circulatory death donors and pushing families and doctors toward surgery. Hospitals are responsible for patients up to the moment of death, but some are allowing the organizations to influence treatment decisions. Fifty-five medical workers in 19 states told us they had witnessed at least one disturbing case of donation after circulatory death. And several said they had seen coordinators persuading clinicians to administer drugs to hasten death in potential donors. Read our full investigation here. THE SUNDAY DEBATE Does the backlash over Trump’s refusal to release information on Epstein represent a real schism in the MAGA coalition? Yes. While Trump will eventually quiet his base, this fracture will never fully heal. “Mr. Trump’s not exposing the story is Mr. Trump’s not draining the swamp. That is a big moment in the history of MAGA,” Peggy Noonan writes in The Wall Street Journal. No. Though his influential supporters are standing firm for now, they know Trump has a history of abandoning conspiracies he no longer needs. “They can’t let go of Trump, adored by their audiences as he fuels content, which they convert into profits,” Chris Brennan writes in USA Today. FROM OPINION “Hamlet” isn’t a true tragedy: It’s a story about how even in the most dire of circumstances, it’s possible to find peace, Jeremy McCarter writes. Here are columns by Maureen Dowd on the MAGA rift and Nicholas Kristof on the impact of deportations. Everything The Times offers. All in one subscription. Morning readers: Save on unlimited access to The Times with this introductory offer. MORNING READS In Eagle Rock, Los Angeles. Carlos Jaramillo Vidiots: This L.A. video store, a holdover from the golden age of VHS, is staging a comeback as a community hub. Vows: Their shared love of theater was just the opening act. Your pick: The most clicked link in The Morning yesterday was about a couple’s hunt for a home in the woods of Central Connecticut. Trending: Charli XCX and George Daniel, a member of the band The 1975, got married in a town hall in East London, Vulture reports. Lives Lived: Felix Baumgartner, nicknamed “Fearless Felix,” was an Austrian extreme adventurer who hurtled to earth from more than 24 miles high in 2012 and became the first human to break the sound barrier while free-falling. Baumgartner died, paragliding, at 56. SPORTS W.N.B.A.: Team Collier cruised to a 151-131 victory over Team Clark in the All-Star Game. The captain Napheesa Collier scored a record 36 points, capturing M.V.P. honors. N.B.A.: Marcus Smart appears headed to the Los Angeles Lakers. He has agreed to a contract buyout with the Washington Wizards after one injury-shortened season. BOOK OF THE WEEK By Elisabeth Egan “These Summer Storms,” by Sarah MacLean: If Steve Jobs’s will had stipulated that his four children spend five days together before collecting their inheritance, one might say that MacLean’s delicious romp of a novel was based on his life (or death, really). Instead we land in the long shadow of a fictional tech billionaire, Franklin Storm, whose grown offspring have gathered at the family compound in Rhode Island to complete a series of tasks tailored according to their specific issues with one another. We arrive on the island with Alice, the problem child, who only cements her reputation by getting entangled with one of her father’s henchmen before crossing Narragansett Bay. MacLean’s previous 15 novels have been historical romances; here, she proves she can more than hold her own in the modern world, spinning love, grief and sibling rivalry into a mesmerizing cyclone of family dysfunction. More on books Jane Austen was a peerless chronicler of class and romance. She died without seeing her own extraordinary success, but her novels remain relevant more than two centuries after her death. Here’s why — and where to start. Looking for your next great romantasy? Start here. THE INTERVIEW Devin Oktar Yalkin for The New York Times By Lulu Garcia-Navarro This week’s subject for The Interview is the actor Sandra Oh, whom I spoke to live onstage at the Tribeca Festival last month. Oh — who played Dr. Cristina Yang on “Grey’s Anatomy” for 10 years, and is soon to play Olivia in Shakespeare in the Park’s upcoming production of “Twelfth Night” — brought along some of her diaries, which she has been keeping since she was 11 years old. You’ve described yourself as a very emotional child, and you brought a diary entry that speaks to that. Yes, this is my very first entry, and I just want to actually prompt it with: Don’t worry. “Sunday, the 3rd of October, 1982. Dear Ary” — like diary — “I hate myself. That’s all. Oh yeah, I also think I’ll commit suicide.” Spelled S-U-C-I-C-I-D-E. “Nothing is worth living for. I’m no good at anything. I’m never happy anymore. I try so hard but I never succeed.” Spelled S-U-C-C-I-D-E. “Mom and Dad always laugh at me when I try, I do stupid mistakes, Mom always yells at me. I have no self confidence. I don’t believe in myself. I can’t do anything. Someday I’ll run real far, so far that no one will ever find me. I have a lot of thoughts but I can’t write them all down. I hate myself.” Then: “Monday, the 4th of October. A great day!" I turned out OK. [Laughs.] When you were revisiting this, were you surprised? I just have so much compassion for that young person. I’m so pleased with myself that at 11, with so much feeling, I unconsciously found some place to regulate myself, which was writing. I remember my mom didn’t like it, because I would always be writing, and she knew it was about her. It was like, “What are you always writing?” That has just been a receptacle that started out as an unconscious place to feel safe but eventually helped me figure out who I am. Read more of the interview here. THE NEW YORK TIMES MAGAZINE Read this week’s magazine. THE MORNING RECOMMENDS … Fight anxiety and depression with exercise. Embrace the joy of diving. Take this L.L. Bean tote to the beach. MEAL PLAN Julia Gartland for The New York Times It’s the time of year when a lot of us arrive home from our evening commutes sticky and warm. So, in this week’s Five Weeknight Dishes newsletter, Margaux Laskey offers up meals that don’t require a stove. She suggests making slow-cooker chipotle-honey chicken tacos, air-fryer salmon and slow-cooker corn chowder. NOW TIME TO PLAY Here is today’s Spelling Bee. Yesterday’s pangrams were diabolic and diabolical. Can you put eight historical events — including the first urban public transit, the first trans-Atlantic radio signals, and the creation of Winnie-the-Pooh — in chronological order? Take this week’s Flashback quiz. 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: Adam B. Kushner News Editor: Tom Wright-Piersanti Associate Editor: Lauren Jackson News Staff: Evan Gorelick, Desiree Ibekwe, Brent Lewis, Ashley Wu News Assistant: Lyna Bentahar Saturday Writer: Melissa Kirsch Quote phkrause When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan. Proverbs 29;2
Members phkrause Posted July 21, 2025 Author Members Posted July 21, 2025 July 21, 2025 Good morning. Here’s the latest: Gaza: Israeli forces fired on crowds of Palestinians trying to secure food in two separate deadly episodes over the weekend. Epstein: Lawmakers, both Democratic and Republican, called for the release of more information related to the Jeffrey Epstein case. Japan: Voters are swinging right. The country’s long-dominant governing party suffered a defeat in parliamentary elections. More news is below. But first, we examine how A.I. is being used against itself. Balazs Gardi for The New York Times Prompt wars By Evan Gorelick I’m a writer for this newsletter. Artificial intelligence isn’t just for drafting essays and searching the web. It’s also a weapon. And on the internet, both the good guys and the bad guys are already using it. Offense: Bots and algorithms perpetrate much of the world’s cybercrime. Con artists use them to generate deepfakes and phishing scams. Want malware to steal someone’s data? A chatbot can write the code. Bots also cook up disinformation. As Israel and Iran fired missiles at each other last month, they also flooded the internet with A.I.-powered propaganda. Defense: Cybersecurity companies use A.I. to intercept malicious traffic and patch software vulnerabilities. Last week, Google announced that one of its bots had found a flaw in code used by billions of computers that cybercriminals wanted to exploit — likely the first time A.I. has managed such a feat. Cybersecurity used to be slow and laborious. Human hackers would concoct new attacks, and then security companies would tweak their defenses to parry them. But now, that cat-and-mouse game moves at the speed of A.I. And the stakes couldn’t be higher: Cybercrime is expected to cost the world more than $23 trillion per year by 2027, according to data from the F.B.I. and the International Monetary Fund. That’s more than the annual economic output of China. Today, I explain what the arrival of A.I. hacking means for the internet — and the billions who use it every day. The siege The newest cybercriminals are robots. They write with flawless grammar and code like veteran programmers. They solve problems in seconds that have vexed people for years. Malicious emails used to be riddled with typos and errors, so spam filters could spot and snag them. That strategy doesn’t work anymore. With generative A.I., anyone can craft bespoke, grammatical scams. Since ChatGPT launched in November 2022, phishing attacks have increased more than fortyfold. Deepfakes, which mimic photos, videos and audio of real people, have surged more than twentyfold. Because commercial chatbots have guardrails to prevent misuse, unscrupulous developers built spinoffs for cybercrime. But even the mainstream models — ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini — are easy to outsmart, said Dennis Xu, a cybersecurity analyst at Gartner, a research and business advisory firm. “If a hacker can’t get a chatbot to answer their malicious questions, then they’re not a very good hacker,” he told me. Google, which makes Gemini, said criminals (often from Iran, China, Russia and North Korea) used its chatbots to scope out victims, create malware and execute attacks. OpenAI, which makes ChatGPT, said criminals used its chatbots to generate fake personas, spread propaganda and write scams. “If you look at the full life cycle of a hack, 90 percent is done with A.I. now,” said Shane Sims, a cybersecurity consultant. Here’s something odd: Attacks aren’t necessarily getting smarter. Sandra Joyce, who leads the Google Threat Intelligence Group, told me she hadn’t seen any “game-changing incident where A.I. did something humans couldn’t do.” But cybercrime is a numbers game, and A.I. makes scaling easy. Strike enough times, and some hits are bound to land. Ameca, a humanoid robot created for realistic interactions that uses ChatGPT. Loren Elliott for The New York Times The fortress What makes A.I. good on offense — finding patterns in heaps of data — also makes it good on defense. Walk into any big cybersecurity conference, and virtually every vendor is pitching a new A.I. product. Algorithms analyze millions of network events per second; they catch bogus users and security breaches that take people weeks to spot. Because A.I. is so quick on offense, a mere human can’t play good defense anymore. “They’re going to be outnumbered 1,000 to 1,” said Ami Luttwak, co-founder of the cybersecurity company Wiz. Algorithms have been around for decades, but humans still manually check compliance, search for vulnerabilities and patch code. Now, cyber firms are automating all of it. That’s what Google said its bot had done. Others are on the way. Microsoft said that its Security Copilot bot made engineers 30 percent faster, and considerably more accurate. There’s a risk, though: A.I. still makes mistakes, and when it has more power, the errors can be much bigger. A well-meaning bot may try to block traffic from a specific threat and instead block an entire country. Related: Robots are taking over food delivery, carting fried chicken through Chicago streets and parachuting Panera strawberry lemonade to Charlotte, N.C., The Wall Street Journal reports. THE LATEST NEWS Israel-Hamas War In Gaza City. Saher Alghorra for The New York Times Israeli forces killed dozens of people in northern Gaza yesterday, local health officials said, as crowds gathered near a crossing where aid trucks were entering. The U.N. said: “People were simply trying to access food.” The Israeli military said its soldiers had fired “warning shots” after thousands of Gazans gathered. Gaza officials gave the death toll as over 60; Israel said that figure did “not align” with its initial assessment. A day earlier, Gaza health officials said at least 32 people were killed near a food distribution site in the south. Read what to know about the shootings. Epstein Investigation A former Epstein employee said that she twice told the F.B.I. about what she considered a troubling encounter with Trump. Her account suggests how Trump might appear in the Epstein files. By tapping into other grievances, including mistrust of the mainstream media, Trump has been able to deflect MAGA’s wrath over Epstein — at least for now, Erica Green writes. Your pick: The most-clicked story in The Morning yesterday was about Trump’s friendship with Epstein. “The Daily” is about Epstein and the MAGA base today. Politics In Manhattan. David Dee Delgado/Reuters The mayor of Los Angeles, Karen Bass, criticized ICE agents’ use of masks during immigration raids, saying they created a “reign of terror.” President Trump urged the Washington Commanders and Cleveland Guardians to revert to their former names (the Washington Redskins and the Cleveland Indians), claiming, without evidence, that Native Americans wanted this change. International Japan’s prime minister, Shigeru Ishiba, at his party’s vote counting center. Pool photo by Franck Robichon Japan’s long-ruling Liberal Democratic Party now holds a minority in both houses of Parliament. Two new nationalist parties surged in elections for the upper house. In South Korea, landslides and floods from torrential rain killed at least 18 people. Trump’s policies, including tariffs and criticism of European allies, have inadvertently brought the E.U. together. Other Big Stories Trending: Alaska Airlines grounded all its planes for several hours overnight after a software outage. A day after a 9-year-old Canadian girl was reported missing in northern New York State, the authorities found her body. The police did not release a cause of death, but they said no abduction had occurred. OPINIONS The Democratic Party is in shambles. To unify, its midterm candidates should campaign against the Republican budget bill, James Carville writes. Here’s a column by Ezra Klein on divisions among American Jews. Everything The Times offers. All in one subscription. Morning readers: Save on unlimited access to The Times with this introductory offer. MORNING READS MJ Cocking Eric Ruby for The New York Times A.I. friend: Chatbots can get scary if you suspend your disbelief. One woman didn’t — and wound up in a relationship that was strangely, helpfully real. Trader Joe’s: The grocery chain has no store in London but its tote bags are all over the city. Toupee Queen: This woman is working to change the way people talk about men’s hair loss. Travel 101: Learn some of the local language in your destination before you fly. Here’s how. For the lucky few: Some airlines and credit card companies are stocking their elite lounges with caviar, sushi bars and big-name chefs. Metropolitan Diary: Champagne on the subway. Lives Lived: Peter Phillips was a vanguard figure in the British Pop Art movement of the 1960s who drew from his working-class background to incorporate images of automotive parts, pinups and film sirens in paintings that captured postwar culture’s swirl of sex and consumerism. He died at 86. SPORTS Golf: Scottie Scheffler won the Open Championship in Northern Ireland by four shots to capture his second major this year. N.F.L.: JC Tretter, who was one of the favorites to take over as interim head of the NFL Players Association, resigned from the organization. ARTS AND IDEAS David Duchovny in a scene from “The X-Files.” Doug Hyun/Fox TV shows like “The X-Files” have taught audiences to invest in conspiracy theories over the years, the critic James Poniewozik argues. “They didn’t create the breakdown of public trust,” he writes, “but they played it all out on TV.” Read more about how conspiracy thrillers fueled our politics. More on culture Justin Bieber Renell Medrano On “Swag,” Justin Bieber eschews formulaic pop and leans into his R&B instincts. It was Jon Caramanica’s Critic’s Pick. Read the review. The members of the K-pop band Big Ocean are deaf or hard of hearing. They’ve found success with a mix of singing and signing. Canceling “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” is bad for late night, not for Colbert, Jason Zinoman writes. THE MORNING RECOMMENDS … Sang An for The New York Times Stir-fry tomatoes and eggs for a comforting Chinese home-style meal. Find your next thrilling dystopian novel in these picks from Veronica Roth, author of the Divergent series. Try one of these bike storage ideas. Sip on the best tequila. Take our news quiz. GAMES Here is today’s Spelling Bee. Yesterday’s pangrams were piloting, plotting and toppling. And here are today’s Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections, Sports Connections and Strands. Thanks for spending part of your morning with The Times. See you tomorrow. Sign up here to get this newsletter in your inbox. Reach our team at themorning@nytimes.com. Editor: Adam B. Kushner News Editor: Tom Wright-Piersanti Associate Editor: Lauren Jackson News Staff: Evan Gorelick, Desiree Ibekwe, Brent Lewis, Ashley Wu News Assistant: Lyna Bentahar Saturday Writer: Melissa Kirsch Quote phkrause When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan. Proverbs 29;2
Members phkrause Posted July 22, 2025 Author Members Posted July 22, 2025 July 22, 2025 Good morning. Here’s the latest: Tariffs: The president of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr., is meeting with President Trump in the White House today to seek a better trade deal. M.L.K.: The federal government published more than 6,000 documents related to the assassination of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Climate change: Forest fires are on the rise worldwide. Plus: Sharing a bed with your kid? It’s totally normal in Asia. More stories are below. But first, we explain why Jeffrey Epstein has been in the news so much lately. Jeffrey Epstein Uma Sanghvi/The Palm Beach Post, via Associated Press The Epstein saga By Lauren Jackson I’m a writer for this newsletter. Jeffrey Epstein, the rich sex offender, has been dead for six years. But we’re still talking about him. Why? His story has captivated the imagination of conspiracy theorists bent on proving that the government is corrupt — that elite America is a cabal of villainous pedophiles covering for one another. Those notions collided with real news in recent weeks, when the government released a long-promised memo about Epstein’s case. The Justice Department said it had nothing new to report. Americans aren’t buying it. Most (69 percent) believe that the government is concealing information, including about who else may have been involved in his abuse of young girls, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll. The fallout has threatened to fracture Trump’s base and given Democrats new energy. In the swirl of conspiracy theories, it’s hard to tell what’s real in the Epstein saga. So today’s newsletter will help clarify what we know — and explain what reporters are still trying to learn. Why are Americans so fixated on this? As a refresher: Epstein was a financier who paid teenage girls to perform sex acts. He used his onetime girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell to recruit and manage his victims. He had a wide circle of influential friends and acquaintances, including Bill Clinton and Trump. Epstein was in legal trouble for decades: In 2005, police in Palm Beach, Fla., investigated him after the parents of a 14-year-old girl said she was molested at his mansion. In 2008, his lawyers finalized a plea deal that helped conceal the full accusations against him. But his story became major national news in 2019, when federal agents arrested him. (Read a timeline of key moments in the case.) He died in a jail cell while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges; a medical examiner concluded that he hanged himself. His story had all the elements for a conspiracy: He was a wealthy, politically connected man who had seemingly gotten away with horrific crimes for years and died suddenly while under government watch. Why is he back in the news? This may be a crisis of Trump’s own making. For years, Trump promised to reveal previously unknown details of the investigation into Epstein. He didn’t. The Justice Department released a memo a few weeks ago that said the investigation had concluded, and that its findings weren’t new. The government said there was no “client list” full of famous Epstein associates. It also said he hadn’t been murdered in jail, despite the attorney general’s earlier hints that the government might disclose details on those topics. When Trump supporters revolted, the president told the Justice Department to release witness testimony gathered during Epstein’s 2019 prosecution. Attorney General Pam Bondi Pete Marovich for The New York Times Why do people believe there’s more? Trump and Epstein were friends: They knew each other and socialized together for a decade, as Alan Feuer and Matthew Goldstein reported this past weekend. Their relationship seems to have ended around 2004 after both of them bid for a property in Florida. Trump has faced dozens of sexual misconduct allegations over the years, but our reporting has not connected any of those to Epstein. Epstein got rich from powerful friends: How did he make so much money, and what did he do for the people who paid him? Billionaires like Leon Black, a private equity boss, gave him tens of millions of dollars. (Black denies knowledge of Epstein’s crimes and says that Epstein provided tax and estate-planning services.) There’s video: The government is holding video evidence collected by investigators, including footage from inside the prison. Pam Bondi, the attorney general, has said that these don’t include any depictions of crimes by Epstein or his friends and that they were clips Epstein downloaded. Still, she said that she doesn’t want to release most of the videos because they document child sexual abuse. There was an actual coverup: The Miami Herald found in 2018 that incriminating evidence never became public as a result of Epstein’s 2008 plea deal. The federal prosecutor who arranged the deal eventually became Trump’s labor secretary. After the Herald reports, conspiracy theories proliferated. Luke Broadwater, who covers the White House, explains a few: Some people believe that Epstein didn’t die by suicide; that either Presidents Clinton or Trump had Epstein killed in jail; that he was blackmailing the rich and famous; and that he was an asset of a foreign intelligence agency. We don’t have reporting to support those ideas. We know a lot about Epstein. How? David Enrich, an investigative reporter and editor at The Times, explains: Since his 2019 arrest, Times journalists have tried to map out Epstein’s personal and professional lives to understand his crimes. Early on, we identified powerful figures who had ties to Epstein, including men like Bill Gates and Les Wexner, who owned Victoria’s Secret. Reporters spent months — and in some cases years — talking to their associates and chasing leads. We interviewed many of Epstein’s victims, including in this powerful story from Sunday. We also dug into his finances, which were partly hidden inside offshore companies and his foundation. We examined his relationships with some of the world’s biggest banks. We talked to international, federal, state and local law enforcement officers who had investigated Epstein. We analyzed tax filings, depositions, financial statements and many other documents that we obtained via court records, public-records requests and sources. We even sued the Federal Bureau of Prisons and the U.S. Virgin Islands to force them to hand over information. We answered a lot of questions. Plenty are still outstanding. More on Epstein The House speaker, Mike Johnson, said last week that the government should release everything it has on Epstein’s case. Yesterday he retreated, saying he wanted to give the administration “the space to do what it is doing.” The White House barred Wall Street Journal reporters from joining Trump’s coming trip to Scotland, in retaliation for the newspaper’s recent reporting on Trump and Epstein. Your pick: The most-clicked story in The Morning yesterday was about an Epstein accuser whose story suggests how Trump may appear in the Epstein files. THE LATEST NEWS Politics The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in 1963. Bettman Archive, via Getty Images Historians said they saw little that was noteworthy in the Martin Luther King Jr. assassination records that Trump disclosed despite opposition from most of King’s family. The Trump administration and Harvard are meeting in court again, this time over billions of dollars in research funding that the government pulled. The Trump administration’s effort to deport pro-Palestinian students pushed immigration agents to make arrests unlike any they had made before, four veteran agents told a court. As some of the world’s biggest law firms acquiesced to Trump, small firms and solo practitioners stepped up to challenge his agenda. Middle East Carrying aid in Gaza City. Saher Alghorra for The New York Times Aid sites in Gaza have become hot spots for shootings. Behind the violence is a deeper problem: Israel won’t provide for a transitional government in Gaza, writes Patrick Kingsley. Iran is repurposing folklore and patriotic anthems as it seeks to channel national outrage over American and Israeli attacks. Israel refused to renew the visa of a U.N. official who oversees Gaza humanitarian efforts. As part of a deal to stop clashes between Bedouin tribes and members of the Druse religious minority, Syria said it would move hundreds of Bedouin families. More International News In Dhaka, Bangladesh. Reuters A Bangladesh Air Force training plane crashed into a school in Dhaka, the capital, killing at least 20 people and injuring another 164. Military officials blamed mechanical error. How did new right-wing parties do so well in Japan’s election? Younger voters embraced their calls to lower taxes and curb immigration. Ukraine wants to make more of its own weapons. To do that, it still needs lots of money from Western allies. The death of a mother and child in Rome stumped the police. A TV show helped find a suspect. Other Big Stories A federal appeals court overturned the conviction of the man who confessed to killing Etan Patz, a 6-year-old boy whose disappearance in 1979 put a national focus on missing children. Postpartum depression is common but treatment has long been challenging. The Times spoke with the first wave of women to take a new medication. They had varied outcomes. The powerful industry group that decides how much Medicare pays doctors may ax decades-old pay advantages for specialists (like surgeons) over other doctors. Trending: The actor Malcolm-Jamal Warner, known for playing Theo on “The Cosby Show,” drowned in Costa Rica, officials said. He was swimming at a beach and a strong current swept him away. He was 54. OPINIONS Trump’s domestic policy law will create big budget problems for many states and cities. They will need to be smart about what will be disrupted, Robert Gordon and Jennifer Pahlka write. Here’s a column by Margaret Renkl on a wetland in Georgia. Everything The Times offers. All in one subscription. Morning readers: Save on unlimited access to The Times with this introductory offer. MORNING READS In Guizhou, China. Andrea Verdelli for The New York Times Leaning tower of Guizhou: A Chinese man made his house taller and taller, until it had 11 rickety stories. Now, tourists come to see it. Behind the bars: Meet the little lab fueling the big protein boom. “Heterofatalism”: Women are so fed up with dating men that the phenomenon has a name. The great outdoors: Summer vacation may place you closer to wildlife than you’re used to. This quiz tests whether you’re prepared. Lives Lived: After becoming the first African-American elected to the House of Representatives from Missouri, William Clay co-founded the Congressional Black Caucus and forcefully promoted the interests of poor people. He died at 94. SPORTS M.L.B.: Only once has there been a walk-off on a catcher’s interference. The second happened last night when Carlos Narváez of the Boston Red Sox committed the offense against the Philadelphia Phillies. N.B.A.: Damian Lillard met with the media to discuss his return to Portland, the city where he became an All-Star and a place he considers home. ARTS AND IDEAS In London. Museum of London Archaeology Archaeologists have found a missing piece of Roman London. Well, many pieces. They are trying to put together 1,800-year-old frescoes from thousands of plaster fragments, like a giant art-history jigsaw puzzle. The fragments, recovered at a construction site south of the River Thames, filled 120 assorted boxes. Now, researchers are trying to carefully arrange, categorize and restore the original artwork. More on culture The therapist in “Couples Therapy” has become a style icon, The Cut reports. Jon Stewart expressed support on air for Stephen Colbert, whose late night show has been canceled. THE MORNING RECOMMENDS … Armando Rafael for The New York Times Make a stellar farro salad by using enough salt and great olive oil. Use the best meditation apps. Spend 36 hours in Key West, Fla. GAMES Here is today’s Spelling Bee. Yesterday’s pangrams were manorial and monorail. And here are today’s Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections, Sports Connections and Strands. Thanks for spending part of your morning with The Times. See you tomorrow. Sign up here to get this newsletter in your inbox. Reach our team at themorning@nytimes.com. Editor: Adam B. Kushner News Editor: Tom Wright-Piersanti Associate Editor: Lauren Jackson News Staff: Evan Gorelick, Desiree Ibekwe, Brent Lewis, Ashley Wu News Assistant: Lyna Bentahar Saturday Writer: Melissa Kirsch Quote phkrause When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan. Proverbs 29;2
Members phkrause Posted July 23, 2025 Author Members Posted July 23, 2025 July 23, 2025 Good morning. Here’s the latest: Tariffs: Japan and the U.S. reached a trade deal. Japan promised to import more American goods and will pay a tariff on exports of 15 percent. UNESCO: The U.S. said it would withdraw from the United Nations’ cultural organization. (The decision may help China, which wants more influence over it.) Epstein: President Trump, under scrutiny about the Jeffrey Epstein case, is deflecting by talking about his enemies. More news is below. But first, we look at the state of the Democratic Party. Bill Clinton in 1992. Wilfredo Lee/Associated Press The wilderness By Adam Nagourney I’ve reported on the last 11 presidential campaigns. The Democratic Party had just lost another presidential election. It was hemorrhaging support among blue-collar voters and was seen as out of touch on cultural issues. It was struggling to find its next generation of leaders. The future seemed bleak. The year was 1984. Eight years later, Bill Clinton — a moderate governor from Arkansas who presented himself as a “new Democrat” — unseated an incumbent president, George H.W. Bush. His victory was the culmination of a campaign by a renegade organization of moderate Democrats, most from the South and the West, to move the party to the center, recruit new candidates and win back working-class Americans. For Democrats today, that history offers a glimmer of hope. But it’s also a reminder of how deep a rut the party is in. Democratic leaders still don’t agree on why they lost the election or who might lead them back, and today’s electorate is much different from the one in the 1990s. The renovation The rebuilding process in the 1980s took nearly a decade — and the route back to power meant ending the party’s leftward drift. It followed debilitating ideological battles pitting the party’s liberal establishment against moderates, many of whom came from what were already becoming red states. The turnaround came only after Democrats suffered three consecutive lopsided presidential defeats, in 1980, 1984 and 1988. Republicans in those contests won over critical blue-collar voters in some key states. Eventually, a group of centrists formed the Democratic Leadership Council to promote moderate candidates and ideas. The party pushed aside liberal leaders like the Rev. Jesse Jackson. Clinton, a politician of unusual skill who unified the factions, ran for president in 1992 promising to “end welfare as we know it.” With his victory, the pivot was complete. The reprise Today, the party is at the start of its next reinvention. And it will probably not be easy. Party leaders are quarreling about why they lost to Donald Trump, what to do next or who their next champion might be. And a return to the center might prove difficult. When 120 Democrats, including some original D.L.C. leaders, gathered in Denver this year to chart a path back to power, some argued that Clinton’s agenda — especially on trade — had fueled the blue-collar alienation that put Trump in the White House. “What they promoted turned out to be quite corrosive to the middle class,” said Senator Michael Bennet of Colorado, who attended the conference. In interviews, many of the veterans of that last battle said the Democratic Party’s problems today were not as bad. (Joe Biden left the White House just seven months ago, and he defeated Trump decisively in 2020.) But they see echoes in the despair that led to the creation of the D.L.C. Many Democrats said it was difficult, at least right now, to imagine unifying the party behind a similar change mission. The left is stronger, and politicians often fear angering it, said Matt Bennett, the founder of Third Way, a moderate Democratic think tank based in Washington The issues have changed. Trump and Elon Musk have already tried to reinvent government, as Clinton promised to do. Voters haven’t stressed much about the welfare system since Clinton signed a bipartisan bill scaling it back. The electorate has shifted. After trade deals that preceded a decades-long contraction of U.S. manufacturing, followed by the trauma of the 2008 housing crisis, few Democrats are talking up free trade or free markets. The future The D.L.C.’s effort to pull the party to the center was immediately divisive, a lesson in what Democratic leaders of today now face. The council floundered in its early years, battling with the Democratic National Committee, labor unions and some groups on the left. Four years after the organization was founded, the party stumbled again after nominating Michael Dukakis, a liberal Massachusetts governor, who lost the presidential election in 1988. Voters saw Democrats as out of touch — much as they saw Kamala Harris last year on issues like inflation and immigration. For Dukakis, the issue was crime. The Dukakis defeat was a turning point, says Will Marshall, an early D.L.C. leader. “It struck a lot of people that we were right — that the party was on a terrible presidential losing streak.” The next year, the D.L.C. drafted Clinton to help craft its platform: getting tougher on crime and welfare, breaking with unions in embracing school choice. The solution this time almost certainly requires the party to head down a new path. It may mean another turn to the center or something completely different and more populist. The only way to find the answer may be to muddle yet again through the wilderness. More on Democrats Zohran Mamdani campaigned on a progressive platform in New York’s Democratic mayoral primary. But for the general election, he has started to shift some positions. In Minnesota, a young state senator with an immigrant story is also winning. Is he Minneapolis’s Mamdani? THE LATEST NEWS Jeffrey Epstein Mike Johnson Haiyun Jiang/The New York Times Speaker Mike Johnson sent House members home early for the summer to avoid holding votes on whether to release files related to Epstein. The Justice Department said it had reached out to Ghislaine Maxwell, a longtime Epstein associate who’s in prison for sex trafficking, to address lingering questions about the case. Your pick: For the second day in a row, the most-clicked article in The Morning was about an Epstein accuser whose story suggests how Trump may appear in the Epstein files. Late night hosts covered Trump’s attempts to change the conversation from Epstein. Trump’s Tariffs Mark Carney, Canada’s prime minister, said he wouldn’t accept a U.S. trade deal unless it was “in the best interest of Canadians.” He downplayed the chances of achieving that. Tariffs have sunk the value of the U.S. dollar this year. Many investors have turned to the euro. American steel makers are raising their prices, affecting U.S. factories that make everything from school buses to battle tanks. General Motors’ quarterly profit fell by more than a third. It said tariffs had cost it over $1 billion. International In Kyiv, Ukraine. Stanislav Kozliuk/Reuters Ukraine had its first major antigovernment demonstration in three and a half years of war, after Volodymyr Zelensky moved to weaken anticorruption agencies. The Israeli military attacked a city in central Gaza that, until now, had remained relatively unscathed. It also raided a World Health Organization building there. In Iran, weeks of mysterious fires, including at oil refineries and apartment blocks, have officials searching for saboteurs. Other Big Stories At the White House. Tierney L. Cross/The New York Times Republicans moved to rename the Kennedy Center Opera House after Melania Trump. NPR’s top editor is leaving as the organization fights for federal funding. Millions of foreign visitors to the U.S., including from Mexico, India, Brazil and China, face a new $250 visa fee. Microsoft said that hackers backed by China were exploiting a security flaw in one of its SharePoint products, which are used by U.S. government agencies and many companies. NATIONAL PARKS In Philadelphia. Hannah Beier for The New York Times Earlier this year, Trump instructed employees of the National Park Service to review plaques, films and other materials at 433 sites around the country. The goal, he said, was to ensure that they emphasized the “progress of the American people” and the “grandeur of the American landscape.” Here are some signs that employees flagged for removal, according to internal documents reviewed by The Times. Climate change: At Cape Hatteras National Seashore, a sign explained how rising seas are threatening the habitat of wild horses. “We do not believe it to be in violation, but would like someone to review if messaging of climate change and sea level rise reduces the focus on the grandeur, beauty and abundance,” an employee wrote. Native American history: At Castillo de San Marcos National Monument in Florida, a panel described the imprisonment of Plains Indian tribes in the late 19th century. An employee wrote that its language “could be considered negative towards the United States.” Read more about the effort here. OPINIONS Trump is building a machine to disappear people to other countries, Jeff Crisp writes. Legalizing assisted suicide encourages governments to euthanize their most vulnerable populations to relieve strained welfare states, Louise Perry argues. Everything The Times offers. All in one subscription. Morning readers: Save on unlimited access to The Times with this introductory offer. MORNING READS In Salt Lake City, Utah. Lindsay D'Addato for The New York Times 5,000th concert: The Tabernacle Choir (f.k.a. The Mormon Tabernacle Choir) has been singing for a really long time. Medical mystery: Some nonsmokers are still getting lung cancer. Scientists want to know why. Trending: People were talking about a new Pokémon, the Mega Dragonite, introduced for a game, Video Game Chronicle reports. Lives Lived: Sarah Morlok Cotton was the last of four identical quadruplets who were a national sensation even before they became song-and-dance performers. Offstage, they endured abuse and mental illness. Cotton died at 95. SPORTS Venus Williams Scott Taetsch/Getty Images Tennis: Venus Williams, the seven-time Grand Slam singles champion, returned from a yearlong hiatus at age 45 and won. M.L.B.: The Arizona Diamondbacks second baseman Ketel Marte said he lost $400,000 worth of items in a break-in at his home while he was at All-Star Game festivities. OZZY OSBOURNE Chad Batka for The New York Times; Chris Walter/WireImage; Associated Press; Martyn Goodacre/Getty Images; Reuters Ozzy Osbourne, a pioneer of heavy metal and a symbol of rock ’n’ roll excess, died yesterday at 76. His band, Black Sabbath, developed a sonic template — deafening volume and grinding tempos, with Osbourne yowling occultish lyrics — that established a genre of its own. Critics and radio stations reviled the sound at first, but fans flocked to it. Ben Sisario, a Times music critic, writes about Osbourne’s reputation: He was a legend of bad behavior. At a record company conference, he once bit the head off a live dove. On tour in 1982 in Des Moines, it was a dead bat that he decapitated. Osbourne later said he thought the bat was a toy, but antics like that were reported widely and stirred parental fears. More coverage This month, Osbourne reunited onstage with the other members of Black Sabbath for what the band presciently billed as its final performance. Here are 12 essential Osbourne songs, covering both his time with Black Sabbath and his solo career. See his life in pictures. Culture Joe Budden, a former rapper who oversees a podcast network, gave The Times a look at the economics of podcasting. (He’s on pace to generate more than $20 million this year.) Can a buzzy bistro make the Upper East Side of New York City cool? Our restaurant critic isn’t sure. “Wow, what a text”: On her podcast, Gwyneth Paltrow texted her husband to ask what his favorite thing about her was. The response went viral, The Cut reports. THE MORNING RECOMMENDS … David Malosh for The New York Times Use red curry paste to add instant depth to this easy Bolognese, our most popular pasta recipe of the year so far. Visit Hydra, a beautiful Greek island — though The Irish Times suggests you may be jostling with Brooklyn residents imitating a young Leonard Cohen. Listen to Poolsuite FM for summer music. It describes itself as “Your hot cousin’s favorite music website.” Pick better drugstore makeup and skin care. You can find good stuff. GAMES Here is today’s Spelling Bee. Yesterday’s pangram was biotech. And here are today’s Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections, Sports Connections and Strands. Thanks for spending part of your morning with The Times. See you tomorrow. Sign up here to get this newsletter in your inbox. Reach our team at themorning@nytimes.com. Editor: Adam B. Kushner News Editor: Tom Wright-Piersanti Associate Editor: Lauren Jackson News Staff: Evan Gorelick, Desiree Ibekwe, Brent Lewis, Ashley Wu News Assistant: Lyna Bentahar Saturday Writer: Melissa Kirsch Quote phkrause When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan. Proverbs 29;2
Members phkrause Posted July 25, 2025 Author Members Posted July 25, 2025 July 24, 2025 Good morning. Here’s the latest: Epstein: Pam Bondi, the attorney general, informed President Trump months ago that his name appeared in the Epstein files. Thailand: At least 12 people were killed in fighting along a disputed border with Cambodia, Thailand said. Columbia: The university agreed to pay a $200 million fine to settle its dispute with Trump. More news is below. But first, we explore Trump’s renaming spree. In Cleveland, Ohio. Dustin Franz for The New York Times What’s in a name? By Jodi Rudoren I oversee The Times’s newsletters, and my husband and I combined our surnames. President Trump, perhaps seeking to divert attention from the Jeffrey Epstein saga, last weekend lobbed an out-of-nowhere demand: The Washington Commanders and the Cleveland Guardians must restore the racist team names and logos they discarded years ago. It was both an attempt to change the conversation and a rallying cry to the right. Trump loves to rename things — military bases and ships, a mountain, a body of water. It’s often part of his Great Unwokening quest. But it’s also a way he asserts power, an expression of his belief in the potency of branding and a nod to how nostalgia shapes his political project. “This is about turning back the clock,” said Paul Lukas, a journalist and author who writes about consumer culture and who for 25 years ran a website focused on sports uniforms and logos. “He has this vision of a world and an America where things were the way they were supposed to be, and two of those things were these two team names.” Today’s newsletter is about how Trump reopens seemingly settled questions, including ones about team names, years after the controversy around them has ended. Brand Trump The president’s record as a businessman is checkered, but his knack for brand-building is beyond doubt. He started renaming things in his real estate days, plastering his own name on buildings he bought. And in politics, it’s all about MAGA, always with the red hat. The spinoff brands — Make America Healthy Again, Make America Beautiful Again — only highlight the ubiquity of the original. On Air Force One. Pete Marovich for The New York Times Upon Trump’s second inauguration, he changed the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America and restored the name of President William McKinley to the tallest mountain in Alaska. He also ordered the U.S. Board of Geographic Names to rechristen “our national treasures” to “honor the contributions of visionary and patriotic Americans in our nation’s rich past.” That past is a particular fixation. In June, Trump said he would restore the names of Confederate generals to seven military bases that had dropped them. Meanwhile, his Navy is reviewing ships named for civil rights heroes including Harvey Milk, Thurgood Marshall, Harriet Tubman and Cesar Chavez. Brand attention Amid all this, Representative Jared Huffman, a California Democrat, tried sarcasm, introducing an amendment this past spring to rename Earth as Planet Trump. And this week, Stephen Colbert sardonically suggested the capital’s football team be called the Washington Epsteins. Trump threatened to block the team’s bid to build a new stadium in Washington unless it brings back the Redskins name, which the team dropped in 2020. He has no formal role in the stadium decision; in December, Congress gave Washington, D.C., full control of the land. There is a federal commission, half of its members appointed by Trump, that will review the design. The Commanders’ stadium. Daniel Kucin Jr./Associated Press The president said people were clamoring for a return to the Redskins. In fact, a Washington Post poll in May showed that half of Washington-area adults liked or loved the team’s new name, up from 34 percent a year ago. Nine percent said they hated it. As usual with the president, the demand was not so much about the Washington football brand as his own brand. ”All these stunts are promotions, if you will, to get attention, which is part of his brand,” says Jim Stengel, the former chief marketing officer of Procter & Gamble. “And to get attention about something that is part of his brand, which is contrarian.” ‘Frame warfare’ The power to rename things is the power to define reality, argues Jennifer Mercieca, a Texas A&M communications professor who wrote a book about Trump’s rhetorical style. It goes hand in hand with Trump’s assertions that are not backed by evidence or fly in the face of it. Remember “alternative facts”? Redefinitions of reality have been central to his success. Mercieca calls it “frame warfare.” What you call a thing determines the contours of the debate around it — or precludes debate altogether. Did you borrow a car without permission, or did you steal it? Was the crush of migrants at the Mexican border an invasion or a humanitarian crisis? All politicians try to play the frame game. Trump is a master at it. THE LATEST NEWS Epstein Investigation We know Bondi briefed Trump on his name’s appearance in the Epstein files, but it is not clear what those documents were — or in what context his name was raised. A House panel, including several Republicans, voted to subpoena the Justice Department for its files regarding the Epstein investigation. A federal judge in Florida denied the Justice Department’s request to unseal grand jury transcripts from an investigation into Epstein. Many Republican voters disapprove of Trump’s handling of the Epstein investigation, polls found. Late night hosts covered the Epstein files. Higher Education Columbia University’s $200 million fine is to settle a dispute with the Trump administration over the treatment of Jewish students. In exchange, the government will unfreeze hundreds of millions of dollars in research grants. Columbia estimated that more than $1 billion in annual scientific research funding would have been at risk if it had not made the deal. Here’s what else we know about the agreement. Earlier this week, Columbia suspended or expelled dozens of students who were involved in a pro-Palestinian demonstration that shut down a library in May. The State Department opened an investigation into Harvard’s compliance with a visa program for international students and professors. A judge blocked the government’s previous attempt to bar Harvard from the visa program. Are you, or is someone close to you, attending college this fall? We want to hear your questions about higher education. Ask us here, and we may answer in an upcoming newsletter. Politics The Supreme Court allowed Trump to fire the three Democratic members of the Consumer Product Safety Commission, which monitors the safety of products like cribs and electronics. The Trump administration illegally withheld funding from a roughly $12 billion federal child care program known as Head Start, congressional investigators found. The administration said it planned to speed the development of A.I., removing oversight and safeguards while ensuring that the technology is free of “ideological bias.” Tulsi Gabbard, the director of national intelligence, released a document that she said undermined the Obama administration’s conclusion that Russia favored Trump’s election in 2016. An appeals court blocked Trump’s attempt to restrict birthright citizenship. China The New York Times China wants to have its own version of Starlink, SpaceX’s satellite network. But its efforts have fallen short. In the video below, Selam Gebrekidan explains why China is so behind. Click to watch. Beijing’s staunch support for Russia’s economy has helped Moscow survive. See what that looks like in one border town. More International News In Gaza City. Saher Alghorra for The New York Times More than 100 aid agencies and rights groups, including Doctors Without Borders, warned that starvation was spreading across Gaza. They called on Israel to lift restrictions on humanitarian aid. The U.S. has quietly drafted a plan to end PEPFAR, a George W. Bush-era program that has saved millions around the world from AIDS, according to documents obtained by The Times. Other Big Stories Trending: A judge sentenced Bryan Kohberger to four consecutive life sentences for the murders of four University of Idaho students. Family and friends of the victims spoke with fury and devastation at the hearing; Kohberger said nothing about his motives. This should be the busiest time of year for the housing market. Instead, sales are down and home prices have hit a record high. IN ONE CHART Source: Real Time Crime Index | Chart represents sample of 421 police agencies with available data. | By The New York Times Good news: Murders are on the decline in the U.S., as they have been for the past couple of years. Criminologists say it’s too early to definitively explain why homicides have fallen so rapidly, but the answer probably involves the dissipating effects of the Covid pandemic, more community investment and tougher law enforcement. See more charts here, including trends for major cities and for other crimes, like robberies, assaults and car thefts. OPINIONS The New York Times Nonwhite voters have shifted away from the Democratic Party. That change was years in the making, Daniel Martinez HoSang writes. The American people and the victims of Epstein’s crimes deserve answers about how he operated and who helped him, Barry Levine writes. Here is a column by Jessica Grose on boys’ performance in school. Everything The Times offers. All in one subscription. Morning readers: Save on unlimited access to The Times with this introductory offer. MORNING READS Isabella Cotier ‘The Pond at Dusk’: Our critic wants a poem by Jane Kenyon to be read at his funeral. He explains why. Scam or Not: Do you need to drink electrolytes? Wellness: The Oura Ring, a sleek fitness and sleep tracker that passes as an unassuming piece of jewelry, is seemingly everywhere. But is it worth it? PCOS: It’s a condition that affects millions of Americans. The Cut explains what you need to know. Cleaner clothes: If you’re not adjusting the settings on your washing machine, you’re doing your laundry wrong. These are the right cycles and options. Your pick: The most-clicked article in The Morning yesterday was about the best drugstore makeup and skin care products. Lives Lived: As a mainstay of the daytime drama “As the World Turns” from 1960 until 2010, when the show went off the air, Eileen Fulton inhabited the world of Lisa Miller across eight marriages, dozens of love affairs and the deaths of two children. She had the role for so long that she liked to say she led a double life. Fulton has died at 91. SPORTS Apology: Pat McAfee, a sports analyst, apologized to an Ole Miss student months after amplifying an unsubstantiated rumor about her romantic life that forced her to switch to online classes and move out of her dorm. Collectibles: Michael Jordan’s rise coincided with a huge trading card boom. As a result, there might be more Jordan cards than those of any other athlete. What are the cards worth today? A SURPRISE VISITOR Drake posted a photo of himself and Alex Marshall, our culture reporter, on Instagram. He later deleted and replaced it with a video. Instagram Alex Marshall, a culture reporter for The Times who is based in London, boarded a train as soon as he heard Ozzy Osbourne was dead. He wanted to report on how people were reacting in Birmingham, England, the singer’s hometown. Arriving around midnight, Alex wandered across a dark Birmingham, talking to heavy metal fans who were paying their respects to Osbourne. “Most were in shock because he meant an awful lot to them,” he said. “Some struggled to hold back tears.” He talked to a Mexican couple who had disrupted a vacation to be there. He listened to a woman sing Ozzy karaoke at a pub. He also met Drake. Around 1:45 a.m., a fleet of blacked-out S.U.V.s pulled up to a bench in town that is dedicated to Black Sabbath. Soon, Alex found himself unexpectedly standing near one of the world’s most famous rappers, who was in the city on tour. “He stood looking at the bench for quite some time and then poured some tequila on the ground,” Alex said. Then, after chatting, he passed the bottle to Alex, who took a swig. “He lived hard,” Drake said. “It reminds me if, like, God forbid, Snoop Dogg died,” he added. “Ozzy has that vibe.” Read Alex’s dispatch from Birmingham. THE MORNING RECOMMENDS … David Malosh for The New York Times Assemble this no-bake peaches and cream cake that’s like a fruity tiramisù. Have a surreal encounter in the Berkshires. Use better dish soap. GAMES Here is today’s Spelling Bee. Yesterday’s pangram was deductive. And here are today’s Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections, Sports Connections and Strands. Thanks for spending part of your morning with The Times. See you tomorrow. Correction: Yesterday’s newsletter described incorrectly Trump’s tariffs on Japan. Japan does not pay them; importers buying Japanese goods pay them. Sign up here to get this newsletter in your inbox. Reach our team at themorning@nytimes.com. Editor: Adam B. Kushner News Editor: Tom Wright-Piersanti Associate Editor: Lauren Jackson News Staff: Evan Gorelick, Desiree Ibekwe, Brent Lewis, Ashley Wu News Assistant: Lyna Bentahar Saturday Writer: Melissa Kirsch Quote phkrause When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan. Proverbs 29;2
Members phkrause Posted July 27, 2025 Author Members Posted July 27, 2025 July 25, 2025 Good morning. Here’s the latest: Jerome Powell: In front of cameras, the Fed chair refuted President Trump’s claims. It’s something Trump’s own advisers rarely do. Media: The F.C.C. approved the $8 billion merger between Paramount and Skydance. As part of the deal, the company will install an official to monitor bias at CBS’s news division. Hulk Hogan, whose flamboyance and star power turned professional wrestling into a multibillion-dollar industry, died at 71. More news is below. But first, we explain the state of Gaza. Near Gaza City. Saher Alghorra for The New York Times The hunger By Lauren Jackson I am a writer for The Morning newsletter. For nearly two years, people in Gaza have faced death by airstrikes, tanks and bullets. Now, many are facing a slower, quieter end: They are dying from starvation. It’s a crisis that Gaza’s few remaining functional hospitals can’t treat. “There is no one in Gaza now outside the scope of famine, not even myself,” Dr. Ahmed al-Farra, who leads the pediatric ward at Nasser Hospital in southern Gaza, told my colleagues. “I am speaking to you as a health official, but I, too, am searching for flour to feed my family.” As Gaza faces a looming famine, its social order is breaking down. Looting is rampant. Chaos surrounds the enclave’s few aid delivery sites. Israeli troops have opened fire on civilians waiting for food, again and again. The United Nations says that more than 1,000 people trying to get food have been killed since May. After 21 months of devastating war in Gaza, it can be difficult to discern when conditions there have meaningfully shifted. But Times correspondents are clear: Gaza is descending into anarchy. It’s a crisis that appears unlikely to abate soon, as Israel and the U.S. said yesterday that they would withdraw from cease-fire talks with Hamas. Below, we explain what is happening. An ongoing crisis Hunger in Gaza is not new. Israel’s blockade — its ability to control what is allowed into the enclave — has been a source of tension for nearly two decades. Throughout the war, international aid agencies have accused Israel of not allowing enough food into Gaza. Israel says Hamas diverts supplies for its own purposes and aid groups mismanage shipments. The Times has been unable to verify Israel’s claims that Hamas is diverting large amounts of aid to itself. The claims are difficult to confirm because Israel does not allow foreign journalists into Gaza unaccompanied. And Gaza-based journalists are themselves struggling to find food. But our reporters have heard from Gazans in recent weeks that they are at risk of starving to death. A mother of six children, two of whom suffer from cerebral palsy and severe malnutrition. Saher Alghorra for The New York Times The past few months have pushed Gaza to a new level of distress. The World Food Program, part of the United Nations, said this week that the crisis in Gaza had reached “astonishing levels of desperation, with a third of the population not eating for multiple days in a row.” The war has decimated Gaza, but the hunger crisis has grown worse for a few reasons: Blockade: For months this past spring, Israel banned food, fuel and other supplies from entering Gaza. Israeli officials said the policy was intended to force Hamas to release the hostages it took during its terror attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. That didn’t happen. Hunger quickly spread, and Israel’s allies, including Britain, France and Canada, condemned the blockade. Pope Leo also called for more aid. Aid delivery: When Israel allowed aid to enter Gaza, it did so on new terms. The Israeli military empowered private, mostly American, contractors to deliver supplies. The rollout was chaotic. People had to walk for miles in the dark. They jostled and fought for food. In the chaos, Israeli soldiers have repeatedly opened fire on people near aid delivery sites — killing dozens on multiple occasions. An untenable situation Now, Gaza faces anarchy. Gazans have been forced repeatedly from their homes and are unable to work without a functioning economy. They are dependent on the limited aid entering the enclave to survive. And in the daily fight for food and water, Gaza’s most vulnerable civilians — the young, the old and the sick — are losing, doctors say. Mohammed Almadhoun, who works for the nonprofit Medical Aid for Palestinians, shared images of the emaciated rib cages of boys he’d treated. “On their luckiest day, they just have dry bread and tea,” he said. This was avoidable. Experts have warned for a year and a half that “Israel’s failure to plan for a power transition in Gaza” would make it harder to deliver aid, Patrick Kingsley, our bureau chief in Jerusalem, said. And without a plan for who should take over, it’s unlikely the crisis will abate soon, Shira Efron, an expert on aid systems in Gaza, told Patrick. Israel and Hamas had been locked in negotiations without a breakthrough in sight. As American and Israeli representatives now step back from the talks, more than two million people in Gaza will continue to search for food — and hope it doesn’t run out. More on Gaza Some of Israel’s closest allies have criticized its restrictions on aid to Gaza in recent days. Australia’s prime minister said the situation has “gone beyond the world’s worst fears.” President Emmanuel Macron announced that France would recognize Palestine as a state. That would make France the first of the Group of 7 major industrialized nations to do so. TRUMP AND THE FED The renovation site at the Federal Reserve. Haiyun Jiang/The New York Times It was a surreal scene at a construction site at the Federal Reserve’s headquarters in Washington yesterday as President Trump and Jerome Powell stood next to each other in hard hats. Trump’s visit appeared to be part of his campaign against Powell, the chair of the central bank, whom Trump has attacked for his unwillingness to lower interest rates. Recently, Trump’s attacks on the Fed have targeted the construction project, which has run over budget. Yesterday, Trump went so far as to suggest that the project’s cost may be fraudulently inflated. Powell, however, stood his ground and fact-checked Trump in front of the cameras. Trump vs. Powell By The New York Times Trump’s relationship with Powell has been rocky, but his criticisms have escalated this year, in both pace and intensity. Since April, Trump has publicly insulted Powell or called for his resignation more than 40 times. By The New York Times Read about some of the other attacks — and our analysis of how their relationship has soured. THE LATEST NEWS Epstein Investigation Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell in an undated photo. Agence France-Presse, via US District Court for The Southern District of New York This past spring, hundreds of F.B.I. and Justice Department officials scoured the Epstein files. They were looking for something — anything — that could satisfy angry Trump supporters. Yesterday, top Justice Department officials interviewed Ghislaine Maxwell, an associate of Jeffrey Epstein’s who is serving a 20-year prison sentence. The long history of the right’s obsession with child trafficking means it won’t be easy for Trump to make this story disappear, Jia Lynn Yang writes. Late night hosts joked about Epstein. Politics White House officials have already cut deals with Columbia and Penn. The administration hopes that Harvard, Princeton, Brown, Cornell and Northwestern will be next. An appeals court struck down a California law that required buyers of ammunition to pass a background check. Gov. Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania accused Zohran Mamdani of failing to condemn “blatantly antisemitic” remarks by “extremists,” wading into a party-wide debate over the Democratic mayoral nominee and his views on Israel. Immigration The Justice Department sued New York City over its sanctuary policy. The Trump administration negotiated the release of a convicted murderer in Venezuela as part of a large prisoner swap. He is now on American soil. A Venezuelan migrant took the first steps to sue the U.S. for what he said was his wrongful detention and removal to a notorious prison in El Salvador. Hulk Hogan Hulk Hogan David Brewster/Star Tribune, via Getty Images Hogan was known for his horseshoe mustache, colorful bandannas and massive biceps (which he called “24-inch pythons”). See photos from his wrestling career. After his wrestling days were over, he became a vocal supporter of Republican politics. He spoke last year at the party’s convention in Milwaukee, tearing off his shirt to reveal a Trump/Vance shirt underneath. (Here’s a video.) Other Big Stories Donations to NPR, PBS and local stations across the country have surged after Congress cut roughly $535 million of their funding. More than 100,000 people are fleeing fighting at the border between Cambodia and Thailand, and at least 16 people have died. The area has been contested for years because it’s home to ancient temples. THE MORNING QUIZ This question comes from a recent edition of the newsletter. Click an answer to see if you’re right. (The link will be free.) After the death of Ozzy Osbourne, which famous rapper visited a vigil in Birmingham, England — the singer’s hometown — and poured tequila in his honor? Snoop Dogg Drake Kendrick Lamar Megan Thee Stallion OPINIONS The problem with naming sports teams the Redskins or the Indians isn’t in the wording. It’s in the choice to use a human group as a mascot at all, John McWhorter writes. Here is a column by David Brooks on ambition. Everything The Times offers. All in one subscription. Morning readers: Save on unlimited access to The Times with this introductory offer. MORNING READS Reykjavik, Iceland. Hilary Swift for The New York Times 36 Hours: Thinking of visiting Reykjavik, Iceland? Here is a guide to making the most of the quirky, surprisingly cosmopolitan outpost on the edge of the Arctic. No goodbyes: When therapists die unexpectedly, the shock to patients can be devastating. The Met Gala effect: Faced with federal funding cuts, institutions are staging elaborate parties to draw donations from the superrich. Smooth jazz: Chuck Mangione was a pioneer of the genre, a hitmaker whose “Feels So Good” reached the Top 10 and a master of the fluegelhorn whose cotton-candy hooks could bore into listeners’ senses. He died at 84. SPORTS N.C.A.A.: Trump signed an executive order addressing the employment status of college athletes. Tennis: Venus Williams, who is 45, made her return to tennis at the Citi Open. She lost a Round of 16 matchup 6-2, 6-2 to Magdalena Fręch of Poland. ARTS AND IDEAS In Palma, Spain. Imago/Nicepix World, via Reuters “Nothing beats a Jet2 holiday.” The audio from an ad for a British tour operator has gone viral on TikTok. It’s being used ironically to joke about situations that are decidedly not holiday-like, including when a flooded subway station leaked rainwater across the floor of a train car. See the videos here. THE MORNING RECOMMENDS … Ryan Liebe for The New York Times Improve your burger technique with these tips from Kenji López-Alt. Use better washing machine settings (you’re probably doing it wrong). This was the most-clicked link in The Morning yesterday. Take our news quiz. GAMES Here is today’s Spelling Bee. Yesterday’s pangram was infallibly. And here are today’s Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections, Sports Connections and Strands. Thanks for spending part of your morning with The Times. See you tomorrow. Sign up here to get this newsletter in your inbox. Reach our team at themorning@nytimes.com. Editor: Adam B. Kushner News Editor: Tom Wright-Piersanti Associate Editor: Lauren Jackson News Staff: Evan Gorelick, Desiree Ibekwe, Brent Lewis, Ashley Wu News Assistant: Lyna Bentahar Saturday Writer: Melissa Kirsch Quote phkrause When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan. Proverbs 29;2
Members phkrause Posted July 28, 2025 Author Members Posted July 28, 2025 July 26, 2025 Good morning. We tend to confine our parties to milestones and cultural events, but there are countless micro-occasions worthy of commemorating. María Jesús Contreras Little victories By Melissa Kirsch This week, I went to a party thrown by a New York City deli to celebrate a specific varietal of herring. I was keen to attend because the concept of a herring party seemed delightful — an occasion for revelry that I’d never considered. I was intrigued to learn that in the Netherlands, this particular herring is traditionally fished for only a few months, when the herring’s body fat reaches at least 16 percent, for maximum flavor. The Dutch even have an annual festival, Flag Day, to honor the opening of herring season. I had never celebrated herring before, but, then again, I haven’t celebrated most things. We tend to confine our parties to milestones (birthdays, holidays, housewarmings, weddings) and cultural events (the Oscars, the Super Bowl). Why must it be this way? Sure, if every day is a special occasion, then no day is, but it seems unnecessary to let the calendar totally dictate when we raise a glass or kick up our heels. Also, it’s sort of boring to glorify the same things year after year, when there’s so much else out there that’s worthy. Once you begin considering all the micro-occasions deserving of a rager or at least an intimate soiree, you realize you’ve been letting so many opportunities for merrymaking just sail right by. A New Haircut Party sounds fun (you tried a new style, you look great) as does a My Back Pain Finally Went Away Party (has there ever been a more profound reason to exult?). New tattoo, old tattoo removal; the puppy spent a full night in the crate; no cavities — let’s rejoice! Commemorating the completion of something you’ve been procrastinating on forever seems only sensible: Come over for cocktails, I dry-cleaned my wool coat. Someone alerted me to the existence of a Forcing Party, which is part celebration, part motivation — friends gather and force one another to do things they’ve been putting off, like renewing their passports or answering emails. Genius! A party can be productive as well as fun. There are those who hate parties, or who believe that the number of get-togethers that issue from the standard occasions are more than plenty. To them I say: Fine, but even thinking about the little things you might celebrate is a satisfying gratitude exercise. What are the good things that are going unacknowledged in your life? Where are you limiting or postponing delight unnecessarily? I recently told a friend that I could think of nothing more luxurious and blissfully absurd than a seafood tower. “Well, your birthday just passed, but next year?” he said. Ha! As if I’m going to wait a year to have a seafood tower. Yes, it’s expensive, but I did just make a doctor’s appointment that I’d been putting off since February, and that seems ample reason to assemble a group of friends, order up a tower and celebrate. THE LATEST NEWS Middle East Emmanuel Macron Doug Mills/The New York Times By acknowledging Palestinian statehood, the French president, Emmanuel Macron, showed that he had lost patience with the United States and Israel, Roger Cohen writes. Israel will allow donor nations to parachute humanitarian aid into Gaza amid a widening crisis in which children have died of malnutrition. The U.S. conducted a rare raid in Syria, killing a senior Islamic State leader. Epstein Investigation Intelligence director Tulsi Gabbard is back in President Trump’s good graces. But her efforts to divert attention from the Jeffrey Epstein craze may threaten Attorney General Pam Bondi. Justice Department officials interviewed Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein’s former girlfriend, again on Friday after a full day of questioning on Thursday. The Economy Desiré van den Berg for The New York Times The world has too much steel, but no one wants to stop making it. Big food brands are struggling to stay profitable as consumers’ tastes, waistlines and wallets change. Behind Trump’s war with the Fed chair, Jerome Powell, there’s Bill Pulte: a social media-savvy bureaucrat who made ousting Powell his personal mission. Paramount’s cable business has cratered; its news division is floundering; A.I. is coming for movies. And those are just the obvious challenges facing David Ellison as he takes control of the company. Trump Administration Trump officials hoped to disprove claims of Russian interference in the 2016 election. The documents they released show how rushed that investigation was. The White House will release $5.5 billion in frozen education funds, ending a standoff that sent districts scrambling weeks before the start of the school year. Three employees fired from the Justice Department sued the Trump administration, arguing that they were dismissed unlawfully. Media Matters, a nonprofit group at the center of liberal politics, is scrambling to pay its legal fees after months of legal assaults by Trump and his allies. THE WEEK IN CULTURE Film and TV Marvel Studios/20th Century Studios “The Fantastic Four: First Steps” arrived in theaters this weekend with a $200 million budget and starry cast led by Pedro Pascal. Read our critic’s review. The documentary “2000 Meters to Andriivka” puts viewers in the head space of Ukrainian soldiers. The actor Shia LaBeouf settled a lawsuit with the musician FKA twigs, his former girlfriend, who accused him of sexual battery and assault. “We love ‘Parasite.’ But where the hell is Steven Spielberg?” On his podcast “Cannonball,” the Times critic Wesley Morris — a former video store clerk — debates the Best Movies of the 21st Century list. Music John Williams Chantal Anderson for The New York Times The legendary film scorer John Williams — known for “Star Wars” and “Indiana Jones” — hasn’t stopped composing, even at 93. His latest? A piano concerto. In her new opera, “Mars,” the Irish composer Jennifer Walshe tackles space colonization, pronatalism, tradwifes and A.I. Ozzy Osbourne died this week at 76. Here are five funny and bizarre moments from his life — including that time he bit off a bat’s head during a concert. More Culture “Trans Forming Liberty,” by Amy Sherald. Kelvin Bulluck Amy Sherald, who rocketed to fame with her 2018 portrait of Michelle Obama, canceled her upcoming show at the Smithsonian after learning that the museum might remove her painting of a transgender Statue of Liberty to avoid provoking Trump. New York City’s medical examiner ruled that the Food Network star Anne Burrell’s death last month was a suicide. A museum in Brooklyn is trying to save the midcentury neon signs that once adorned local businesses on New York City’s streets. The summer can be a slow time for new video games, but there were several major releases in recent weeks. Here are some you might have missed. A London auction house says there is “no documented evidence” that an intricately carved grasshopper is from King Tut’s tomb. It may fetch close to $675,000 anyway. Former President Joe Biden is writing a memoir about his time in the White House. The book, which doesn’t yet have a title or a publication date, already sold for $10 million. Everything The Times offers. All in one subscription. Morning readers: Save on unlimited access to The Times with this introductory offer. CULTURE CALENDAR Jason Momoa Nicola Dove/Apple TV+ By Alexis Soloski ? “Chief of War” (Friday): Have you longed for a show portraying the unification of the Hawaiian islands through the medium of Jason Momoa’s torso? Then say mahalo to AppleTV+ for this new series. “Chief of War,” created by Momoa and his longtime collaborator Thomas Pa’a Sibbett, depicts the battles, internecine and otherwise, that marked late-18th-century Hawaii. Momoa, who was born on Oahu, plays Ka’iana, a well-traveled noble known for his good looks and stature. Meticulously researched and brazenly dramatic, the show is a celebration of Hawaiian history and culture — alongside set pieces involving sharks, lava and weapons studded with human teeth. RECIPE OF THE WEEK David Malosh for The New York Times One-Pan Shrimp Enchiladas Verde By Melissa Clark Tomato season is here in all its glory, and with the tomato comes its nightshade cousin, the tomatillo. These husk-wrapped green orbs are ripe and ready to be turned into salsas and soups, braises and pickles. Sarah Copeland’s ready, too, blending them with jalapeños and onions to make a tart, cilantro-flecked sauce for her deeply spicy, cheesy one-pan shrimp enchiladas verde. And you can save the recipe to make when tomatillos aren’t in season; a jar of store-bought salsa, fortified with extra cilantro for freshness, will work almost as well. REAL ESTATE Cynthia Ferrer and David Lotton Matthew Avignone for The New York Times The Hunt: A couple from Colorado dreamed for years of moving to France. They finally took the plunge, setting off for Normandy with a $450,000 budget. Which home did they choose? Play our game. What you get for $1.2 million in Australia: A three-bedroom Queenslander house with a pool; a villa with a natural pool and studio; or a California-bungalow style home with a guesthouse. LIVING The White Salmon River Valley of Washington. Bailey Made Rural getaways: Tired of summer beach vacations? Try these spots in the countryside. Solo travel: Tracee Ellis Ross told us how joyful and lonely it can be. Party animal: Celebrate your birthday like the chef Jacques Pépin, who turns 90 this year. Best gear: At the beach, what you pack matters. We tested umbrellas, towels, totes and coolers and share the winners here. ADVICE FROM WIRECUTTER Not all sun hats are created equal Sorry, but your baseball cap probably isn’t cutting it when it comes to sun protection. It can leave your ears, neck and the sides of your face vulnerable. Instead, look for a hat with a brim that fully wraps around the head, and that is about the length of a credit card. The best sun hats also have a UPF rating of 30 or above. If a UPF rating isn’t available, opt for densely woven fabrics, like denim or canvas, in dark colors. All of that said, a hat can provide sun protection only if you wear it, so make sure to pick one you’ll actually enjoy. — Maria Adelmann GAME OF THE WEEK Tadej Pogacar, in yellow. Benoit Tessier/Reuters The Tour de France: Cycling’s premier race comes to a close this weekend, after three weeks of grueling climbs and all-out sprints through France’s picturesque countryside. So far, the Slovenian superstar Tadej Pogacar has looked unstoppable; even his longtime rival, Jonas Vingegaard, has been unable to mount a meaningful challenge from second place. A victory for Pogacar on Sunday would mean his fourth title in six attempts. It would cement him as the best rider of his generation — and reignite a debate over whether he, at just 26, deserves to be called the greatest of all time. Today and tomorrow, starting at 8 a.m. Eastern on NBC NOW TIME TO PLAY Here is today’s Spelling Bee. Yesterday’s pangram was motivation. Take the news quiz to see how well you followed this week’s headlines. And here are today’s Mini Crossword, Wordle, Sudoku, 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. Editor: Adam B. Kushner News Editor: Tom Wright-Piersanti Associate Editor: Lauren Jackson News Staff: Evan Gorelick, Desiree Ibekwe, Brent Lewis, Ashley Wu News Assistant: Lyna Bentahar Saturday Writer: Melissa Kirsch Quote phkrause When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan. Proverbs 29;2
Members phkrause Posted July 28, 2025 Author Members Posted July 28, 2025 July 27, 2025 Good morning. Protein is remaking the food economy. How much do you really need? David Chow for The New York Times Superfood By Adam B. Kushner I’m the editor of this newsletter. Once upon a time, I indulged at breakfast — banana bread, fruits, the occasional bowl of my kids’ cereal. Then protein propaganda wore me down. I’m sure you’ve experienced it, too: It feels as if every expert, every algorithm, every podcast is exhorting us to consume more protein. Now I concoct virtuous but joyless Mason jars full of overnight oats (5g of protein), kefir (6g), whey (24g), collagen (9g) and peanut butter (7g). I’m stuffed until lunch, but I miss banana bread. Apparently this is how I’m supposed to live? I thought about the pressure we all feel to optimize and do better while reading a story that published today about the David bar, a product designed to maximize protein. It’s “basically a protein Scud missile wrapped in gold foil,” reports Elizabeth Dunn. I wanted to know: How much protein do we actually need? Has this fad gone too far? The Times has published some excellent journalism about the protein boom. Here’s a quick guide. The science Expert advice. Protein builds muscle and can help with weight loss. But what’s the right amount? Recommendations are tricky, since everyone is different. In general, scientists say you need at least 1 gram for every 3 pounds of body weight (well, 2.76 to be precise) each day — and more if you exercise. So a 150-pound person would need 54 grams of protein, about the amount in a strip steak. Are you getting enough protein? This helpful calculator, using your age and weight, will tell you. Don’t be fooled. The idea that Americans don’t eat enough protein — the main message on my social media feeds — is a lie. “The average man in the United States is overshooting the federal protein recommendation by more than 55 percent and the average woman by more than 35 percent,” according to this explainer by Alice Callahan, a Times reporter with a Ph.D. in nutrition. Your body can’t store extra protein. Once you’ve eaten what you need, your liver breaks down the extra to use as calories or store as fat. If I didn’t work out, my breakfast would be overkill. So is protein powder a scam? Thankfully, Alice has answered that one, too. The money Jake Michaels for The New York Times The protein craze is big business, and it’s changing the way we eat: A third of Americans say they’re gobbling more protein, and surging interest has remade the grocery store. The number of products that claim to be high in protein quadrupled between 2013 and 2024, according to one estimate. Cottage cheese is flying off the shelves. Improbably, you can even drink soda suffused with our favorite macronutrient. All of it has altered the food economy: Reshaping agriculture: Demand has given new life to dairy farmers. I learned a lot from this piece about how they derive whey protein, once considered a worthless byproduct, from the cheese-making process. (The photos are also very cool.) In the early 2000s, whey made up around 3 percent of earnings. Now it’s triple that. Fueling start-ups: This profile — “The Little Food Lab Fueling the Big Protein Boom” — also had great pictures and videos. It tells the story of YouBar, which started in 2006 as a two-person kitchen operation for protein snacks and now pumps out shakes, nut butters and baked goods for other companies. Its clients were desperate for protein muffins, protein toaster pastries, protein churros. “It doesn’t matter what it is,” the founder told our reporter. “People want to put protein in it.” Now YouBar’s factory runs 24/7. Spurring innovation: Companies are finding inventive ways to pack more protein. That’s the story behind the David bar. Read about how it cornered the market for a modified plant fat to make its snacks even more protein-forward. It’s good to know, at least where my breakfast is concerned, that I have options. If you’re oatmeal-curious, I’ll put my recipe at the very bottom of today’s newsletter. It’s a decent disguise for a protein bomb — and a cheap meal when you purchase the ingredients in bulk. THE LATEST NEWS Gaza Palestinians await aid outside Gaza City earlier this month. Saher Alghorra for The New York Times Israel will make it easier for aid to reach Gaza after global outrage over hunger there. The military announced that it would revive the practice of dropping aid from airplanes. It will also let aid convoys move through Gaza by land. In several of the hospitals still functioning in Gaza, nurses are fainting from hunger and dehydration and doctors are feeding newborn babies water instead of formula. Read about starvation in Gaza. Other Big Stories At Palm Beach International Airport in Florida. Al Drago for The New York Times The cost of renovating Air Force One is officially, and conveniently, classified. But a clue may be hiding in another budget, David Sanger and Eric Schmitt write. ICE took half of one company’s work force. It’s struggling to stay open. Despite a cease-fire agreement, fighting continues on the border between Thailand and Cambodia. Smoke from Canadian wildfires is blanketing New York City. In Alabama, the police charged seven people in connection with a sex trafficking operation that abused at least 10 children, many between 3 and 10 years old, in a concrete bunker, officials say. Trending online yesterday: People were searching for information after several people were stabbed at a Walmart in Traverse City, Mich. A suspect is in custody. THE SUNDAY DEBATE Should Columbia University have accepted its deal with the Trump administration? No. The deal cost Columbia its independence and doesn’t prevent the government from restarting its attacks. “A poorer, smaller Columbia would at least still be a university committed to freedom of expression and academic autonomy,” Suresh Naidu writes for The Times. Yes. The agreement leaves Columbia with more sovereignty than the government wanted it to have. “If the administration’s other campus investigations end in similar agreements, we might come out of the whole mess with the academy and its mission intact,” Bloomberg’s Stephen Carter writes. FROM OPINION Thomas Wilson Alex Wolfe and Thomas Wilson walked the route that New York City wants to turn into a light rail line. Read what they thought. Israel’s bombing of a notorious Iranian prison, which killed detained dissidents, refutes the idea that war helps people fighting for democracy, Sahar Delijani writes. Here’s a column by Ross Douthat on Israel’s war in Gaza. Everything The Times offers. All in one subscription. Morning readers: Save on unlimited access to The Times with this introductory offer. MORNING READS In Sumiswald, Switzerland. Keystone/Christian Beutler On time: Switzerland’s minimalist railway station clocks, with their distinctive red second hand, have been a symbol of reliability for 80 years. Different lessons: Go inside a gathering for America’s home-school movement. Cooling: Could artificial clouds save the Great Barrier Reef? Race: What it means to be both Black and white, and neither, in a polarized United States. Your pick: The most-clicked link in The Morning yesterday was about two Americans who made their dreams come true buying a home in Normandy, France. Vows: Two octogenarians found love and a dream home. “Willy Wonka of cheese”: James Leprino transformed his family’s small Italian grocery store into a mozzarella empire, producing 85 percent of the cheese for pizzas in the United States as the primary supplier for chains like Domino’s and Pizza Hut. He died at 87. SPORTS M.L.B.: The Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh hit his 40th home run. He could beat the single-season record for home runs by a catcher and tie Aaron Judge’s American League record. Women’s soccer: Nigeria beat Morocco 3-2 to win the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations. NASCAR: Austin Hill received a “reckless driving” penalty after another driver, Aric Almirola, crashed. Hill said it wasn’t intentional. He could be facing suspension. TAKE A WALK Are you getting in your steps? The supposed magic daily number, 10,000, has long been a fitness cliché. Researchers have come up with a more scientifically sound goal, and thankfully, it’s also more attainable: 7,000 steps. To arrive at that number, researchers analyzed more than 50 studies. They found that even a small amount of walking was beneficial: Regular, moderate walks were associated with a lower risk of dementia and cardiovascular disease. But more is better, and people who walked 7,000 steps a day — roughly three miles — have a 47 percent lower risk of death compared with those who walked 2,000 steps. “It is just as important to walk 7,000 steps a day as it is to take your pills,” said Dr. Joshua Knowles, a cardiologist at Stanford Health Care. THE INTERVIEW Devin Oktar Yalkin for The New York Times By David Marchese This week’s subject for The Interview is Robert Reich, a former labor secretary who has been ringing the alarm bell about rising inequality for decades, including on social media, where he has built a devoted audience of millions. Reich, who’s 79, is also the author of a new memoir, “Coming Up Short,” in which he examines what he sees as the failures of the Baby Boom generation. The title of your memoir is a pun on the fact that you’re short, but it also refers to your argument that your generation failed to strengthen democracy, failed to reduce economic inequality and, generally, failed to contain “the bullies.” What went wrong? We took for granted what our parents and their parents bequeathed to us. I was born in 1946, as were George W. Bush and Bill Clinton and Donald Trump. The so-called greatest generation gave us not only peace and prosperity but the largest middle class the world had ever seen. What I try to understand is how we ended up with Donald Trump. Trump is the consequence, not the cause, of what we are now experiencing. He is the culmination of at least 50 years of a certain kind of neglect. And I say this very personally, because I was part of this failure. It is a reckoning that is deeply personal. But how useful is the generational frame? Because alongside the shortcomings, baby boomers helped reduce racial discrimination, grew the environmental movement, bolstered feminism and gay rights and helped to shepherd along giant technological advances. So is it really accurate to describe the problem as a “generational” failure? It’s not fair to blame a generation, but I think it is fair to say there has been, in America, a failure to appreciate the importance of democracy, the importance of holding back big money. Because as inequality has gotten worse and worse, the middle class has by many measures shrunk. That is an open invitation for corruption. We see more and more big money undermining our democratic institutions. Earlier this year, my colleague on The Interview, Lulu Garcia-Navarro, interviewed the Democratic senator Ruben Gallego, and he made a point that Americans don’t necessarily begrudge the wealthy because they, too, would like to be wealthy, and Democratic messaging perhaps misses that in favor of an “eat the rich” philosophy. Is there something to that? That’s utter B.S. It may have been the case in the ’60s, ’70s, ’80s, maybe even early ’90s, when the gap between the wealthy and everybody else was not a chasm. But it’s now utterly ridiculous to make that point. The idea that the American dream is still alive is, for most people, a sham. Read more of the interview here, or watch a longer version on YouTube. THE NEW YORK TIMES MAGAZINE Photograph by Ziv Koren/Polaris, for The New York Times Read this week’s magazine. THE MORNING RECOMMENDS … Mel Andrel, Staud, Michael Hession/NYT Wirecutter; illustration by Con McHugh for NYT Wirecutter Celebrate tomato season. Pick a better sun hat. Clean your purse. (It’s probably filthy.) MEAL PLAN Armando Rafael for The New York Times It’s corn time. In this week’s Five Weeknight Dishes newsletter, Emily Weinstein offers a few ways to cook it. Sauté chicken breasts with corn and shallots; mix a spicy corn and coconut soup; cream corn with tofu and rice. See all the recipes. NOW TIME TO PLAY Here is today’s Spelling Bee. Yesterday’s pangram was clowned. Can you put eight historical events — including France declaring war on Britain and the Sumerians creating a board game — in chronological order? Take this week’s Flashback quiz. And here are today’s Mini Crossword, Wordle, Sudoku, Connections and Strands. Thanks for spending part of your weekend with The Times. P.S.: The Book of the Week feature is taking a summer break. It will return next week. Overnight protein oats, Adam’s way This recipe, imbued with chocolate and peanut butter, makes five servings. The consistency is more dense and sticky than soupy. If you prefer something viscous, try almond milk instead of kefir. Add a dollop of maple syrup if you want it sweeter. — Adam B. Kushner You’ll need: Pint-size Mason jars; a 32-ounce bottle of vanilla or unsweetened kefir; peanut butter; chocolate-flavored whey powder; chocolate-flavored collagen powder; chia seeds; psyllium-husk powder (optional); whole rolled oats. 1) Open five Mason jars. Add ¾ cup of kefir to each. This will use up the bottle. 2) First, add a heaping tablespoon of peanut butter to each jar. Then add the powders: a scoop of whey (or the entirety of a single-serving package); a tablespoon of collagen; a tablespoon of chia seeds; a teaspoon of psyllium-husk powder. Stir it all together until the consistency is even and nothing is stuck to the sides of the bottle. 3) Now add ½ cup of oats into each jar and stir them until they’re well mixed. Seal them and put them in the fridge. They’ll be ready tomorrow morning and last for about 10 days. Sign up here to get this newsletter in your inbox. Reach our team at themorning@nytimes.com. Editor: Adam B. Kushner News Editor: Tom Wright-Piersanti Associate Editor: Lauren Jackson News Staff: Evan Gorelick, Desiree Ibekwe, Brent Lewis, Ashley Wu News Assistant: Lyna Bentahar Saturday Writer: Melissa Kirsch Quote phkrause When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan. Proverbs 29;2
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