Members phkrause Posted May 8 Author Members Posted May 8 May 6, 2026 By Sam Sifton Good morning. President Trump said he was suspending his plan for the U.S. Navy to guide ships through the Strait of Hormuz. And, in Indiana, challengers he backed mostly won primary races. We’ll get to more, below — including my favorite recipe for beef and broccoli. But first, let’s go to sea. The cruise ship MV Hondius near Cape Verde yesterday. Agence France-Presse — Getty Images Seeking safe harbor It’s the plot of a horror movie: A mysterious virus creeps through a luxury cruise ship that’s following the spring migration of ocean birds out of the Antarctic. The bug, which can cause lung and kidney failure, isn’t supposed to be able to leap between humans. Except maybe it can? Three passengers are dead, and four more have fallen ill. The hantavirus crisis aboard the Hondius has been unfolding for nearly a month, and the uninfected passengers have been stuck aboard the whole time. The ship now sits at anchor near Cape Verde, off the west coast of Africa, and was supposed to sail to the Canary Islands yesterday. Spanish officials said the vessel would need to be inspected before they could decide where exactly it might go. Officials from Oceanwide Expeditions, the ship’s operator, said they had locked down the cruise with “isolation measures, hygiene protocols and medical monitoring.” The World Health Organization advises against panic. “Based on the current information, including how hantavirus spreads, W.H.O. assesses the risk to the global population from this event as low,” the agency said yesterday. Still, yikes. Can you imagine? These trips are meant to be edifying, adventuresome, cool. The company that runs this one offers cruises for tens of thousands of dollars. (The Hondius is a handsome ship.) It offers quiet luxury. “The point of a cruise like this isn’t cocktails by the pool or reconfigured versions of Broadway shows,” Amy Virshup, The Times’s travel editor, told me. “It’s to explore faraway places, to learn about them from scientists, naturalists, people who can talk about the ecosystems you’re observing.” Instead, voyagers got a seaborne season of “The White Lotus,” with pathogens. Here’s what we know. The virus may be jumping between people. Typically, the microbe spreads from rodent droppings. Humans contract the disease when they inhale fine particles of dung or urine. But the W.H.O. isn’t ruling out human-to-human transmission here. “Some of the cases had very close contact with each other,” a health official said, adding that one couple may have been infected before they boarded the ship. Hantavirus is dangerous. The disease may be uncommon, but the C.D.C. says it has a fatality rate of 35 percent in the U.S. (it’s closer to 15 percent in Asia and Europe). It presents early on as a fever with chills, body aches, headaches. Shortness of breath follows and, in some instances, lung or heart failure. There’s no drug to treat it, so doctors have to rely on oxygen and heart-lung machines if things get bad. Last year, colleagues reminded me, Betsy Arakawa, wife of the actor Gene Hackman, died from the effects of the virus. Cruising is back. After getting walloped by the coronavirus pandemic, the cruise industry now sees more people aboard its ships than ever before. Some 35 million people took cruises in 2024, according to the industry’s trade association, up from 30 million in 2019. (Most people go to the Caribbean: water slides, rum punches, repeat. “Exploration” cruises of the sort the Hondius takes to the Antarctic and the Arctic carry about 1 percent of global passengers.) Quarantines are scary. Being confined to quarters on a ship infected with a virus can be terrifying. In 2020, my colleague Motoko Rich reported on a vessel quarantined in Japan at the start of the pandemic. “I know that stress and anxiety compromise my immune system,” one passenger told her. “But every day it’s anxiety-provoking when we see the ambulances line up on the side of the ship.” Jake Rosmarin, a travel influencer aboard the Hondius today, echoed that anxiety in a tearful social media post on Monday. “All we want right now is to feel safe, to have clarity and to get home,” he said. THE LATEST NEWS War in Iran The White House has insisted that the war is over, though Iranian missile and drone attacks have continued. Trump’s push for a deal relies on tactics that suggest he doesn’t understand Iran’s motivations, analysts say. Midterm Elections Indiana: Trump mostly prevailed in his attempt to punish Republican legislators who opposed his redistricting plans. At least five Trump-backed challengers won primary races. Ohio: Vivek Ramaswamy, a Republican billionaire entrepreneur, and Amy Acton, a Democrat and the state’s former Covid czar, won their primaries and will face off in November’s race for governor. Michigan: Democrats kept their majority in the State Senate with a special election win. More on Politics Construction at the White House last month. Doug Mills/The New York Times Senate Republicans inserted $1 billion for Trump’s White House ballroom into an ICE spending package. Trump has previously said that the ballroom will be privately financed. The F.D.A. blocked publication of research showing that widely used Covid-19 and shingles vaccines were safe. The U.S. trade deficit grew more than 4 percent in March from February, after the Supreme Court struck down Trump’s sweeping tariffs. Technology People fear that A.I. will replace their jobs, and economists warn that our social safety net isn’t ready for that possibility. But lawmakers are doing little to prepare. Five book publishers and a best-selling novelist accused Meta of stealing their work to help train A.I. models. Around the World One of the captive orcas at Marineland, a shuttered park in France. Valery Hache/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images France: The country’s last two captive orcas are waiting for the government to decide whether to move them to another marine park or release them. China: A big national bet on wind power is paying off as the war in Iran strangles oil and gas supplies. Poland: The government is training civilians in defense tactics to prepare for a possible attack from Russia. THE MORNING QUIZ This question comes from our recent coverage. Click an answer to see if you’re right. (The link will be free.) Nina Westervelt for The New York Times Which designer dressed Chase Infiniti, Adut Akech, Skepta and Bill Skarsgård for this year’s Met Gala? Thom Browne Valentino Christian Siriano Gucci See which looks Times readers liked best. OPINIONS American kids are taking GLP-1 drugs. That’s a sign that the system has already failed to protect them, writes Julia Belluz. Here are columns by Bret Stephens on a Democrat who wants to restore old-school patriotism and Jamelle Bouie on John Roberts’s America. The Times Sale ends soon: Expand your knowledge with our experts. Take advantage of our best offer and gain understanding and insight in every area of life. Just $1 a week for your first year of unlimited access to news, culture, cooking and more. MORNING READS At a carnivore convention in Gatlinburg, Tenn. Juan Diego Reyes for The New York Times Where’s the beef? At Meatstock, carnivores shared their beliefs about the benefits of an all-protein diet and got up close with their favorite meatfluencers. “Cannot say”: The stand-up comic Chizi wants to be known for his jokes, not his defiance of China’s censors. “It’s easy to be a rebel,” he says. “It’s much harder to be a good comedian.” Your pick: The most clicked link in The Morning yesterday was the list of the Pulitzer Prize winners. TODAY’S NUMBER 22,000 — That is how many homes a developer plans to build in Pittsboro, North Carolina. The town’s current population is 5,000. Can its charms survive the growth? SPORTS N.B.A.: The Oklahoma City Thunder brought a 108-90 blowout to the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals series. In the Eastern Conference, the Detroit Pistons looked like a real contender again with a 111-101 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers. Women’s hockey: Marie-Philip Poulin’s goal in triple overtime for the Montreal Victoire tied the semifinal series against the Minnesota Frost at 1-1. Here are the playoff standings. Subscribe to The Pulse, The Athletic’s morning newsletter, for more sports in your inbox daily. RECIPE OF THE DAY Gentl and Hyers for The New York Times. Food stylist: Maggie Ruggiero. Prop stylist: Rebecca Bartoshesky. Here’s my super-simple recipe for a Chinese-takeout standby: beef and broccoli. The chef Jonathan Wu taught me the velveting technique that keeps the meat tender, and the chef Dale Talde taught me to swirl a little cold butter into the sauce at the end to make it luxurious. I figured out how to add chile crisp for spice all by myself. 🥩🥦 THE TONY AWARDS Daniel Radcliffe in “Every Brilliant Thing.” Sara Krulwich/The New York Times A lot of stars are acting on Broadway this season, which means a lot of stars received Tony nominations yesterday. John Lithgow, Daniel Radcliffe, Lesley Manville and Rose Byrne all picked up nods, as did two longtime Broadway favorites, Nathan Lane and Kelli O’Hara. “Liberation,” one of the candidates for best new play, won a Pulitzer for drama on Monday. Read about all the Tony nominees here. And consider the snubs and surprises. (Poor Lea Michele!) More on culture When “The Late Show” goes dark later this month, we’ll lose more than just Stephen Colbert, says Jason Zinoman, our comedy critic. Its last months have left him a little sentimental for generations of midnight laughs. We’re losing an institution, he writes. The New York Times’s “Book Review” podcast turned 20 last month. For its anniversary episode, our journalists look back at some of the titles, trends and turning points that defined the last two decades in publishing. Remember the implosion of James Frey’s “A Million Little Pieces”? That’s where they start. Ferrantes and Mantels follow, along with much, much more. Late night hosts wondered why Trump was telling kids about nuclear weapons. THE MORNING RECOMMENDS Ruthie Darling/NYT Wirecutter Remember that Mother’s Day is Sunday. The dutiful sons and daughters of Wirecutter assembled a sizable selection of gift ideas. (My mom hated even a card. “It’s just a Hallmark holiday,” she’d sniff.) Read Dwight Garner’s review of Siri Hustvedt’s memoir about her life with the writer Paul Auster, even if you’ll never read the book. Dwight’s electric: “She was blond and he was dark-haired; they were almost photonegatives. She looked as if she’d been in Bergman films. He was, visually, America’s Camus — wary, heavy-lidded, wreathed in cigarillo smoke, an intellectual turned out in black Levi’s and sheepskin-lined leather jackets.” Avoid miracle-cure supplements advertising on Facebook. Sometimes they’re selling things the authorities have classed as dangerous. GAMES Here is today’s Spelling Bee. Yesterday’s pangram was abundance. And here are today’s Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections, Crossplay and Strands. Thanks for spending part of your morning with The Times and me. See you tomorrow. — Sam Sign up here to get this newsletter in your inbox. Reach our team at themorning@nytimes.com. Host: Sam Sifton Editor: Adam B. Kushner News Editor: Tom Wright-Piersanti Associate Editor: Lauren Jackson News Staff: Evan Gorelick, Brent Lewis, Lara McCoy, Karl Russell Saturday Writer: Melissa Kirsch Editorial Director, Newsletters: Jodi Rudoren 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 May 10 Author Members Posted May 10 May 7, 2026 By Sam Sifton Good morning. A judge released a suicide note purportedly written by Jeffrey Epstein. Evacuations have begun from the cruise ship stricken with hantavirus. And it’s still unclear what’s going on in negotiations to end the war in Iran. There’s more below — including new music from Kacey Musgraves and Miranda Lambert. But first, let’s hit the gas station. Sticker shock There are many reasons to live in California, as so many readers of this newsletter could tell you. Cheap gas isn’t one of them, particularly since the start of the war in Iran. The national average is $4.56 a gallon, but have a look at this: Source: AAA. Karl Russell/The New York Times I was dorking around with The Times’s interactive gas-price map and saw the price running to $7.04 in Mono County, on the Nevada state line. Down in Murray County, Okla., it was just $3.98. There are reasons for such divergent prices, my colleague Emmett Lindner reports. There’s the location of the refineries that turn oil into gas. The fuel’s not cheap to ship, and the logistics can be complicated. Different states have different taxes and regulations. And gas stations compete with one another for business. It’s particularly bad in California because a bunch of refineries have closed there, forcing distributors to bring in fuel from elsewhere. Also, California uses a unique blend of gas designed to emit less noxious exhaust. That adds to the cost as well. But wherever you live in the U.S., you’re likely feeling the pinch. The hardest hit The surge in U.S. gas prices presses hardest on those with the least ability to shoulder it, writes Talmon Joseph Smith, who covers economics. Higher-income people spent more on gasoline in March than anyone else, but the amount they bought didn’t change much. They may not like it, but the wealthy can deal with more expensive gas. Poorer people, though, were not only spending more on gas than usual but also buying less of it. They’re driving less, according to a new analysis from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, and potentially car-pooling or using public transportation instead. But not all of them. Talmon spoke to a woman who drives for Uber and Lyft in Charleston, S.C. “I was paying well below $3 a gallon, damn near almost $2, then it felt like, within a week or so, it spiked,” she told him. The woman’s car is a Kia, one she got specifically for its mileage, which helps increase her return on eight or nine hours a day behind the wheel. Before the war in Iran, she paid around $25 every time she filled up. Now it’s $40 or more. “It’s rough,” she said. “Now, you’re only making 100 to 160 bucks a day.” How gas gets here To illustrate the punishing logistics of moving oil around the world, my colleagues Agnes Chang and Pablo Robles built a marvelous depiction of the long journey from the Strait of Hormuz to the gas tank. It shows a tanker leaving the strait and arriving, nearly three weeks later, in Japan. Workers spend a few days pumping the oil into storage tanks. Then it heads to a refinery that makes it into jet fuel, diesel and, eventually, gasoline. That’s another week right there. The jet fuel goes directly to airports. The rest supplies depots all over the country, often via tanker train. Those feed tanker trucks, which finally arrive at gas stations. The whole operation takes about a month, for that one tanker. Click below to follow the odyssey: Pablo Robles/The New York Times And, of course, very few tankers have made it through the Iranian blockade. Even when (or if?) the Strait of Hormuz fully reopens, it could take months for shipping to return to normal. We’re going to be in this pickle for a while. Who’s to blame? The last time gas was this expensive was in the summer of 2022, when prices rose above $5 a gallon. The Times wrote often about the demand for gas coming off the coronavirus pandemic, as well as disruptions in the supply chain and a huge shock to the global oil market brought about by Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Politics being what it is, some Republicans blamed President Joe Biden. They affixed his image to gas pumps all over the country on stickers that said, “I did that!” Yesterday on Etsy, I saw the theme was back, this time with a decal featuring President Trump. On it, he grins and points: “My war did that!” TED TURNER, 1938-2026 Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images; Robert Child/AP; Keith Meyers/The New York Times; Nancy Mangiafico/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP; Dave Martin/AP Ted Turner, the media mogul who gave us CNN and the 24-hour news cycle, died yesterday at 87. He was one of the great characters of the late 20th century, and The Times’s nearly 5,000-word obituary is filled with wild stories. Here are a few. He was a conservationist: Turner liked hunting and also wanted to protect the planet, so he bought more than a million acres of wilderness and ranch land, roughly enough to fill the state of Delaware, and set them aside as nature preserves. Read about how he revived ecosystems. He was a darn good sailor: Turner was twice named Yachtsman of the Year by the United States Sailing Association, and in 1977 he won the prestigious (and famously difficult) America’s Cup. He married Jane Fonda: Their courtship surprised many — he had been conservative in his youth, and she had been called Hanoi Jane for speaking out against the Vietnam War. But he won her over by emphasizing their similarities, including their mutual friendship with Fidel Castro. Related: As the owner of the Atlanta Braves, Turner changed how we consume sports. THE LATEST NEWS War in the Middle East Iranian leaders say they are reviewing an American proposal to end the war. Trump pressured them to accept to the deal: “If they don’t agree, the bombing starts.” With the Strait of Hormuz closed, Iran risks running out of places to store its oil. Israel carried out an airstrike in Beirut’s southern suburbs, its first in Lebanon’s capital since a cease-fire slowed fighting last month. Politics In Los Angeles last night. Jon Rou/LMU Candidates for California governor faced off in their last TV debate before the June primary. Topics ranged from housing and insurance to a proposed billionaire tax. Here are five takeaways. In a closed-door hearing, lawmakers questioned Howard Lutnick, Trump’s commerce secretary, over his ties to Jeffrey Epstein. (Lutnick’s name appears in more than 250 documents in the Epstein files.) Republicans in Tennessee unveiled a new congressional map that carves up a majority-Black district around Memphis. It would likely eliminate the state’s sole Democratic seat. Around the World The New York Times South Korea: The newest monk at a Buddhist temple in Seoul is a robot. It’s an effort to promote the modern relevance of the faith. Romania: Incursions by Russian drones have led NATO and the E.U. to make plans for a “drone wall” along Europe’s eastern border. Other Big Stories The Amazon rainforest could reach a tipping point and begin transforming into grassland in just a few decades, research indicates. The National Weather Service is trying to hire hundreds of meteorologists as storm season approaches. Deep cuts last year left the agency short staffed. OPINIONS The U.S. government says it plans to release all of its files on aliens and U.F.O.s. Neil deGrasse Tyson hopes it releases an actual alien — but expects to be disappointed. Frank Bruni and Bret Stephens discuss Democrats’ likely Senate candidate in Maine. The Times Sale ends soon: Expand your knowledge with our experts. Take advantage of our best offer and gain understanding and insight in every area of life. Just $1 a week for your first year of unlimited access to news, culture, cooking and more. MORNING READS Guy Goma outside BBC studios in London. Elliott Gotkine The wrong guy: Guy Goma thought he was interviewing for an I.T. job at the BBC. He found himself live on television. The mix-up became an early viral internet moment. Trending: Clavicular, a looks-obsessed influencer, was charged with illegally firing a weapon months after he shot a dozen bullets at an alligator while livestreaming from an airboat in the Everglades. Your pick: The most clicked link in The Morning yesterday was my recipe for beef and broccoli. TODAY’S NUMBER 18 — That is how many qualification games the Argentina men’s national soccer team played en route to this year’s World Cup. The Times spoke with a fan who attended all of them. Now, thanks to exorbitant ticket prices, fans are securing loans and maxing out their credit cards to attend the tournament. Click below to learn about the lengths fans will go for the sport. Click to watch the video. The New York Times SPORTS N.B.A.: The San Antonio Spurs were up 20 in the second quarter in a mostly boring game that ended in a win over the Minnesota Timberwolves. That ties this second-round playoff series at 1-1. The New York Knicks survived a back-and-forth thriller against the Philadelphia 76ers to take a 2-0 lead in their series. Running: Sabastian Sawe and Tigst Assefa broke world records at the London Marathon wearing Adidas’ Pro Evo 3s. Here’s how the company created the super shoe. RECIPE OF THE DAY Sang An for The New York Times You ever make waffles for dinner? It’s a great thing to do if you live near a supermarket, gas station or takeout joint that sells decent fried chicken. Add a pile of your favorite pickles, and there you have it: starch, protein, vegetable. (Don’t do this all the time.) ‘SWEET TRANSVESTITE’ Justin J Wee for The New York Times The Hollywood action star Luke Evans is playing Dr. Frank-N-Furter in “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” on Broadway. In fishnet stockings, five-inch heels and an incredible amount of glitter, he’s singing his ballad of sexual liberation. “There is a menace to him that sits just under the surface of glamour and charisma,” Evans told The Times about his character. “There is also something very naughty, powerful and subversive.” More on culture Let editors of the Times Book Review help you find the best book to give for Mother’s Day this weekend. On which subject: John Waters’s 1994 dark comedy “Serial Mom” is the perfect Mother’s Day antidote, our writer declares. It’s a murderous, comic capsule of pre-internet motherhood, free of mommy group chats and Reddit threads. Stream away! Late night hosts mocked Trump’s descriptions of the U.S. attacks on Iran. THE MORNING RECOMMENDS Miranda Lambert, left, and Kacey Musgraves. From left: Frank Micelotta/The Walt Disney Company; Christopher Polk/Billboard Listen to Miranda Lambert and Kacey Musgraves duet on “Horses and Divorces.” “In a world full of fake niceness,” our critic writes, “there is something refreshing about two artists admitting that they just didn’t like each other — and something even more refreshing about hearing them overcome those feelings, with self-effacing humor, on a song.” Improve your fitness with a “minimum effective dose” of strength training. Won’t take long! Visit the Venice Biennale right here on your screen. GAMES Here is today’s Spelling Bee. Yesterday’s pangram was virtual. And here are today’s Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections, Crossplay and Strands. Thanks for spending part of your morning with The Times and me. See you tomorrow. — Sam Sign up here to get this newsletter in your inbox. Reach our team at themorning@nytimes.com. Host: Sam Sifton Editor: Adam B. Kushner News Editor: Tom Wright-Piersanti Associate Editor: Lauren Jackson News Staff: Evan Gorelick, Brent Lewis, Lara McCoy, Karl Russell Saturday Writer: Melissa Kirsch Editorial Director, Newsletters: Jodi Rudoren 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 May 11 Author Members Posted May 11 May 8, 2026 By Sam Sifton Good morning. Iran and the U.S. exchanged strikes, and each side blamed the other for breaking their truce. President Trump insisted late last night the cease-fire was still in effect. Follow the latest updates. We have more news below — and a dispatch from the American pavilion at the Venice Biennale. But first, I’ve asked my colleague Evan Gorelick what it means that America’s national debt is bigger than its entire economy. In Washington, D.C. Kenny Holston/The New York Times Seeing red By Evan Gorelick I’m a writer for The Morning. Not long ago, the national debt was a scandal. Economists said it would wreck the financial system. Voters stewed. A 1990 poll found that 76 percent of Americans regarded the deficit as “a very serious problem calling for immediate action.” Presidential candidates ran against it; the 1992 race was a referendum on different belt-tightening proposals. At the time, the debt was around $4 trillion. Now it’s over $31 trillion, bigger than our entire economy. Here’s what that means: If the federal government were to demand, for an entire year, that all workers hand over 100 percent of their wages, that all landlords hand over 100 percent of their rents, that all investors hand over 100 percent of their capital returns and that all corporations hand over 100 percent of their profits, then at the end of that nightmarish year, the government would still be in debt. That’s not healthy. The United States hasn’t held this much debt since World War II. And it’s still growing, fast. Note: Excludes debt the federal government owes itself. Sources: Congressional Budget Office; Treasury Dept. Karl Russell/The New York Times Yet neither voters nor politicians seem worried, my colleague Tony Romm writes. Both parties keep cutting taxes, even as aging Americans receive more money from Medicare and Social Security. Lawmakers keep spending more on the military. And the Treasury must make debt interest payments so huge that they exceed the annual cost of Medicare. Our views on the debt, clearly, have changed. Why? Caution to the wind In the ’80s, we treated government debt like personal debt. A red ledger reflected poor judgment and a corrupt character. It seemed “irresponsible, inequitable and immoral,” Steve Hanke, who served on Reagan’s Council of Economic Advisers, told me. Voters agreed, and they picked leaders who finally balanced the federal budget in 1998. Then came a shift: More economists began to say that debt was a good thing. Interest rates were low, which held down borrowing costs. Inflation was also low. Government spending stimulated growth and created jobs. Both parties realized they could borrow money to pay for political candy — tax cuts, stimulus checks — without getting pummeled at the polls. George W. Bush took that insight to the bank. He cut taxes while spending trillions to fight wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. After the 2008 mortgage crisis, the government spent trillions more to revive the economy. Borrowing kept rising, even as the conditions that made it tolerable disappeared. Interest compounded. A global pandemic later, and we’re $31 trillion in the hole. The reckoning The solutions to this problem have never changed: spend less, tax more, or both. But the urgency to deal with it is gone. Even the fiscal hawks in Congress voted last year for tax cuts that will increase the debt by $3 trillion. Rating agencies have downgraded our credit, and many economists say we’re entering a period of protracted higher interest rates. Can we keep borrowing forever? In about 20 years, no amount of tax hikes or spending cuts will be able to stop the country from defaulting on its debt, according to projections shared by Kent Smetters, an economist at Wharton. If America defaults, the price of borrowing will skyrocket, starving businesses of cash and throwing the economy into crisis. Governments rarely allow that; instead, they often print money to pay. But doing so causes hyperinflation and makes everyone poorer. Both outcomes are terrible. We’re collectively betting that the country will grow its way out of this mess before then. If the economy gets bigger — say, because of an A.I. productivity boom — then Americans will get wealthier, and the government may collect enough in taxes to retire decades-old debt. But economists expect the labor force to shrink, too, and displaced workers may need financial support. It could be a wash, Smetters told me. Without a new approach in Washington, the debt probably isn’t going anywhere. Related: On “Interesting Times,” the billionaire investor Ray Dalio warns that the U.S. is repeating fiscal mistakes that ended great empires. Listen to the podcast here. Back to you, Sam. THE LATEST NEWS War in the Middle East Despite exchanging strikes, American and Iranian officials said they had started discussing a proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and end hostilities for 30 days while they work out a longer-term peace deal. The White House approved another $17 billion worth in sales of missiles and related services to Gulf nations, despite worries inside the Pentagon about dwindling U.S. stockpiles. The Israeli military said its recent strike in the Beirut suburbs, which risked reigniting the fierce conflict in Lebanon, had killed a Hezbollah commander. Politics A panel of federal judges ruled that Trump’s attempt to impose a 10 percent tariff on most U.S. imports, made in response to an earlier Supreme Court setback, was illegal. Tennessee approved a new congressional map likely to eliminate the state’s lone Democratic House seat by slicing up Memphis. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Pope Leo spoke in private at the Vatican. Trump has continued to attack Leo over the pope’s stance against the war. Around the World Prime Minister Keir Starmer Stefan Rousseau/Press Association, via Associated Press Britain: Early results in municipal elections show big losses for Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s Labour Party. Follow our updates. Indonesia: A volcano eruption killed at least three hikers. Several others are missing. France: A new law makes it easier to return looted African art to the country’s former colonies. Cruise Ship Outbreak Health experts are not particularly worried about a wider outbreak of hantavirus: The infection needs close contact over time to spread. But they are worried that the Trump administration isn’t prepared to manage a future pandemic. A YouTuber from Turkey was on board the MV Hondius, the cruise ship where the virus struck, when the first passenger died. He spoke with The Times about the experience. Click to play. The New York Times ASK THE MORNING Why does the United States maintain so many military bases in the Middle East? How do we compare with Russia and China? How many military bases do they have in foreign countries? | Tom Ahlberg | Gig Harbor, Washington Anton Troianovski, who covers global diplomacy, writes: The Persian Gulf war in 1991 ushered in the era of permanent, large-scale military bases in the Middle East — in part to protect oil supplies. The rationale evolved to include crushing Al Qaeda, promoting democracy and fighting the Islamic State. The bases are part of a military network spanning the globe that officials say helps project America’s economic and political power. Russia and China also have global ambitions, but their military footprint is much smaller. Russia’s main military presence outside the former Soviet Union is in Syria, where its influence has declined after the fall of the Assad regime in 2024. China has an African base near the Red Sea and is expanding elsewhere — Cambodia, for instance. Have a question for The Morning? Ask us here. OPINIONS Meta is dying, despite its immense wealth and influence, Julia Angwin writes, arguing users should log off and close this chapter of the social-media revolution. The Pentagon says the war in Iran has cost $25 billion. But the economist Justin Wolfers estimates that the true cost will be in the hundreds of billions of dollars, possibly trillions. The Times Sale ends soon: Expand your knowledge with our experts. Take advantage of our best offer and gain understanding and insight in every area of life. Just $1 a week for your first year of unlimited access to news, culture, cooking and more. MORNING READS From a family photo album. Graham Dickie for The New York Times Remembering: New brain research might someday help people with dementia preserve their memories. Influenced: Half of U.S. adults under 50 get health and wellness information from influencers or podcasters, research found. Your pick: The most-clicked story in The Morning yesterday was about doing the minimal effective amount of exercise. TODAY’S NUMBER 72,000 — That is how many children participated in a recent digital detox across five European countries, giving up their smartphones or strictly limiting their time online. The Times interviewed 14 Austrian participants about the experience. “The children spoke of a world transformed,” wrote our reporter. 📵 SPORTS Alysha Clark, 38, the oldest player in the W.N.B.A., uses red-light therapy to recover. Dina Litovsky for The New York Times Longevity: With cutting-edge sports medicine and sci-fi gadgetry, more athletes are figuring out how to extend their careers. N.B.A. playoffs: The No. 1 seeds in both conferences took 2-0 series leads over their opponents. The Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the Los Angeles Lakers 125-107 in the West semifinals, and the Detroit Pistons beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 107-97 in the East. W.N.B.A.: The Toronto Tempo, a new franchise that began assembling a roster 35 days ago, will play its first game today. RECIPE OF THE DAY Christopher Simpson for The New York Times If you’re going to win Mother’s Day this year — and I want you to! — I think it’s worth it to read down this recipe for pancakes today and maybe even take a practice run at making them tomorrow, in advance of the M.D. show on Sunday. They’re an adaptation of the famous flapjacks from the Golden Diner in Manhattan’s Chinatown. They’re not difficult to make, but there are a lot of steps. Attend to each one carefully and victory is yours. AN AMERICAN ABROAD “Not Yet Titled” by Alma Allen. Casey Kelbaugh for The New York Times Jason Farago, our art critic, went to Italy to take in the U.S. Pavilion at the Venice Biennale. The Trump administration drafted Alma Allen, “a competent but hardly compelling sculptor of bronze and marble plaques and curlicues,” to promote American values there. How’d that go? “The 20-odd sculptures here, ranging from a gourd of Mexican onyx to a stylized bronze of a boy clutching his legs, look fine enough for a South Beach hotel lobby,” Jason writes. “They do not offend, except in their inertness.” Read all about the American’s show at the “Epcot of art.” More on culture Nitsuh Abebe, who writes the “On Language” column, is just great on the proliferation in the American marketplace of “tactical” gear: consumer goods designed as if for warriors, then sold to the sort of people warriors call “mall ninjas,” or “Gravy SEALs.” Tactical pens, coffee-delivery systems, belts? A tactical diaper bag? Sure. Would deploy. Late night hosts joked about Rubio’s papal visit. THE MORNING RECOMMENDS Illustration by John Gall Add some delight to your day. Subscribe to Melissa Kirsch’s newsletter “The Good List.” This week’s edition brought birds, treasure hunting and yet more balloons lost to high ceilings. Replace the pulls on your cabinets and realize you don’t need a new kitchen after all. Listen to Mozart’s Piano Concertos Nos. 9 & 22, with Jan Lisiecki on the keys in front of the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra. It’s one of five new classical albums you can stream right now. Take our news quiz. GAMES Here is today’s Spelling Bee. Yesterday’s pangram was immunized. And here are today’s Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections, Crossplay and Strands. Thanks for spending part of your morning with The Times and me. See you tomorrow. — Sam Reach our team at themorning@nytimes.com. Host: Sam Sifton Editor: Adam B. Kushner News Editor: Tom Wright-Piersanti Associate Editor: Lauren Jackson News Staff: Evan Gorelick, Brent Lewis, Lara McCoy, Karl Russell Saturday Writer: Melissa Kirsch Editorial Director, Newsletters: Jodi Rudoren 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 May 12 Author Members Posted May 12 May 9, 2026 Good morning. Why does it feel worse to be early than to rush and stress and arrive a little late? María Jesús Contreras Early adopter By Melissa Kirsch If my mother has plans for dinner, she’s ready to go by lunchtime — showered and dressed, hair and makeup done. The apple has fallen very far from the tree in this regard, fallen and rolled down the hill into a puddle where, I fear, it rots. I am constantly running late, frittering away every last second before departure, leaving myself on average five minutes too few to get presentable. I am usually late by a few minutes, nothing outrageous, but this “respectable” tardiness is achieved only through chaotic rushing, sometimes jogging the last few blocks to the restaurant. Rushing, I’ve found, is the root of much of the misery of modern life. Why would one persist in behavior that brings on misery? I seem to have developed the irrational opinion that being early is worse than rushing. This sounds ridiculous. But I’ve observed myself, rich with multiple unscheduled hours before an engagement, defiantly do nothing to prepare myself for said engagement until 19 minutes before departure. Nineteen minutes, in my delusional calculations, feels somehow like just enough time to shower, dress and hit the road. Here, in clearheaded reflection, I know this is folly. When I think about being ready with time to spare, I feel almost queasy. Once I’m ready, I must rush out the door. I can’t be ready and then, say, water the plants, or sit down and read a book. I’m ready! Let’s go! When I imagine arriving someplace early, instead of envisioning a leisurely trip, a few minutes to collect myself before others arrive, I see myself unmoored, standing awkwardly and in the way. The maitre d’ asks me to wait over by the coats until the rest of my party arrives. Being early, according to my fool’s logic, results in discomfort and shame. When I asked my mother why she gets ready so early, she explained, “Then I don’t have to worry about it.” Getting ready is an item on a to-do list, and once she checks it off, she can move on with the rest of her day. I wonder if the modern fixation with productivity, with using every minute, has affected us both in different ways. My mother wants to get the chore done so she doesn’t have it hanging over her. I fear the loose, unstructured minutes that being early creates. I am so used to time being scarce, to feeling accomplishment when I cram as much as possible into a given day, that I create scarcity even when there isn’t any. I read this lovely meditation on time from a few years ago in which the writer Yohanca Delgado suggests looking to geologic time in an effort to recontextualize our commitment to hustle culture. “What if obsessively keeping time matters less than we think it does when we consider the time scale of the cosmos?” she writes. When you’re measuring time in the billions of years, those few unstructured minutes one must endure when arriving early recede in importance. I’m planning to do an “early experiment” over the next few weeks, where I fight every impulse I have to run out the clock, where I make myself arrive at least 15 minutes early for every obligation. I want to see what happens if I sit with the uncertainty of extra time. What if the relief I get from not rushing is so delicious that I am able to break the habit? “Better three hours too soon than a minute too late,” Shakespeare wrote in “The Merry Wives of Windsor.” I’ll admit this sounds more like punishment than wisdom, but I intend to find out. THE LATEST Politics Allison Robbert for The New York Times President Trump decided to paint Washington’s reflecting pool “American flag blue” — and then gave out a $6.9 million no-bid government contract to a firm he said had worked on his swimming pools. Trump has approved a plan to fire the F.D.A. commissioner, Dr. Marty Makary, according to a person briefed on the matter. The Trump administration asked courts to revoke 12 immigrants’ citizenship, signaling that it plans to ramp up denaturalizations, which have rarely happened in the past. A Virginia court struck down the state’s new congressional map. The ruling wipes out four new Democratic-leaning districts, which voters approved in a referendum last month. ABC accused the F.C.C. of violating its free speech rights, potentially setting the stage for a legal fight with the Trump administration. The U.S. fired at two more oil tankers that it said were trying to reach an Iranian port. Iran accused the U.S. of undermining diplomatic efforts to end the war. Other Big Stories The Pentagon The Pentagon released what it called “new, never-before-seen” files on U.F.O.s. The images are murky, however, showing little more than dots and small shapes. Job creation in the U.S. remained solid in April: Employers added 115,000 jobs last month, surpassing expectations, and the unemployment rate stayed at 4.3 percent. In Britain’s nationwide municipal elections, the right-wing populist party Reform U.K. picked up hundreds of seats, while the left-wing Labour Party suffered deep losses. THE WEEK IN CULTURE Venice Biennale Matteo de Mayda for The New York Times The Venice Biennale, the art world’s most prestigious international exhibition, is underway. See photos and videos of the art. The buzziest entry at this year’s Biennale, from Austria, involves two blue portable toilets and a naked scuba diver. Russia was allowed back into the Biennale for the first time since the country invaded Ukraine. Its pavilion featured music and free vodka. Film and TV “The Sheep Detectives,” a murder mystery featuring a talking flock of sheep, is a delightful surprise, our critic writes, the sort of funny, emotionally complex PG-rated fare that has become rare in Hollywood. The BBC series “The Other Bennet Sister” — which tells the story of “Pride and Prejudice” from the perspective of Mary, the overlooked middle sister — is the most-watched new drama of the past year in Britain. It’s now streaming on BritBox. TV shows of old often used menopause as a punchline. Newer series like “Your Friends & Neighbors” and “Riot Women” depict it as a matter-of-fact part of life. More Culture Kid Cudi fired the singer M.I.A. from his tour after she veered into a political rant about illegal immigration at a concert in Dallas. Barack Obama, Kim Kardashian and Bowen Yang have all signed on as co-producers of Broadway shows. In the video below, our theater reporter Michael Paulson explains why. Click to play. The New York Times The Times Sale ends soon: Expand your knowledge with our experts. Take advantage of our best offer and gain understanding and insight in every area of life. Just $1 a week for your first year of unlimited access to news, culture, cooking and more. CULTURE CALENDAR By Alexis Soloski 💕⚔️‘Outlander’ (Friday): Get ready for a little less tartan in your life, as “Outlander,” the passionate historical time-travel series, concludes its final season on Starz. A story of an English nurse (Caitriona Balfe) who slips from the mid-20th century to the mid-18th, where she meets and marries the Highland warrior Jamie Fraser (Sam Heughan), the show took its characters across nations and in and out of wars as it wove their love story. Before “Bridgerton,” before “Heated Rivalry,” it made a case for romance on television. For those with swooning withdrawal, a second season of the spinoff, “Outlander: Blood of My Blood,” debuts in the fall. REAL ESTATE Jeff and Cindy Gilliland Jonathan Zizzo for The New York Times The Hunt: A retired couple left Dallas for Denton, Texas, in search of a single-story house where their family could gather. What did they find? Play our game. What you get for $1.8 million in Budapest: A duplex penthouse in the heart of the city. A three-bedroom condo in a leafy neighborhood. A four-bedroom house with a terraced garden. First-time buyers: Even in a tough housing market, there are cities where owning a home is no more expensive than renting. Here are some of them. LIVING Beverly Brown has been living out of her camper van since 2019. Whitney Curtis for The New York Times Life on wheels: For a growing number of retirees, trading a home for an R.V. is a way to find adventure, and financial freedom. Landscaping: Before you get out the shovel and trowel to refresh your flower beds, learn the right way to mulch. ADVICE FROM WIRECUTTER What even is a passkey? Passkeys are a new technology that securely logs you in, without your having to remember a password or perform a two-factor authentication ritual. They aren’t perfect — and we’re still a ways off from their being commonplace — but learning what a passkey is and how to use it can get us a little closer to a more secure future. You can create one on your device, in a password manager or on a physical security key. Once you do, your accounts can only be unlocked after authentication via a PIN, facial recognition or a fingerprint scan. In a world of evolving scams, they’re a critical defense against credential theft. — Max Eddy GAME OF THE WEEK Justin Casterline/Getty Images Dallas Wings vs. Indiana Fever, W.N.B.A.: The season has just begun, and what better way to kick things off than with this showcase of young stars? The past four No. 1 draft picks are all here — Caitlin Clark and Aliyah Boston on the Fever, Paige Bueckers and Azzi Fudd on the Wings. The Athletic’s experts are high on Bueckers in particular, placing her on the First Team in their preseason All W.N.B.A. rankings. Last year, as a rookie, she was the only player in the league to finish in the top 10 in points, assists and steals. As a team, however, The Athletic rates Indiana above Dallas — especially now that Clark has recovered from the injuries that kept her off the court for most of last season. “Without Clark, the Fever were on the doorstep of a finals appearance,” Sabreena Merchant and Annie Costabile wrote this week in No Offseason, their new women’s basketball newsletter. “With her back, do they break through?” Today at 1 p.m. Eastern on ABC. Sign up here to get No Offseason in your inbox. NOW TIME TO PLAY Here is today’s Spelling Bee. Yesterday’s pangrams were glaciology, illogically and logically. Take the news quiz to see how well you followed this week’s headlines. And here are today’s Mini Crossword, Wordle, Crossplay, Connections and Strands. Thanks for spending part of your weekend with The Times. — Melissa Sign up here to get this newsletter in your inbox. Reach our team at themorning@nytimes.com. Host: Sam Sifton Editor: Adam B. Kushner News Editor: Tom Wright-Piersanti Associate Editor: Lauren Jackson News Staff: Evan Gorelick, Brent Lewis, Lara McCoy, Karl Russell Saturday Writer: Melissa Kirsch Editorial Director, Newsletters: Jodi Rudoren 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 May 12 Author Members Posted May 12 May 10, 2026 Good morning, and happy Mother’s Day. Today, we’re sharing a project that collected Times readers’ favorite bits of advice from their moms. Amélie Fontaine Words of wisdom By Catherine Pearson When our younger son was deep in a picky eating stage, my husband and I would often tell him: “Don’t yuck someone else’s yum.” He didn’t have to eat everything being served, but he couldn’t be rude. We repeated it whenever he sneered at the fish, meat or — heaven forbid — green vegetables on our plates. Thankfully, his picky eating has mostly faded. But the expression has stuck around, and it has grown to encompass much more than food. I find myself reminding both of our sons not to “yuck” other people’s tastes, passions, or the things that make them happy. It may not be great poetry, and they may roll their eyes at me, but it is a pithy reminder of the virtues of tolerance. For Mother’s Day, my colleagues on the Well desk asked Times readers to share their moms’ favorite expressions, and we were flooded with more than 5,000 submissions. It gave me hope that my own favorite saying will stick with my sons. We have picked a handful of readers’ responses to share in today’s newsletter. ‘It’ll quilt out.’ Mom was a quilter, as am I. If there was a small mistake in a quilt project, once the final stitches were in and the project was washed, no one would ever see the problem. Most things just don’t have to be perfect. — Laura Falk, 57, St. Louis, Missouri ‘All people bring joy: some by coming, some by going!’ It’s such a lighthearted way to reframe interactions with difficult people. Always makes me laugh! — Michelle Pauk, 42, Franklin, Tennessee ‘少吃, 多滋味’ “Eat less, taste more.” At a time of scarcity of food during the war, mother used to say her motto to us at meal time. — Christa Shih, 92, New York City ‘Knock with your elbows.’ It meant show up at a friend’s place burdened with contributions for the party. — Natalie Serber, 64, Portland, Oregon ‘Better to wear out than rust out.’ Having had polio, my mother’s inclination was toward motion, in which she often was a blur. She could best her three daughters in sports and accomplish more in a day than all of us combined. — Catherine R. Seeley, 78, Easton, Maryland ‘A man riding by on a fast horse would never notice.’ She used to say this whenever I complained that something wasn’t perfect. It taught me to always remember that “good enough” is good enough. — Susan Moxon, 81, San Diego, California ‘Tout passe et tout s’efface, sauf les souvenirs.’ “Everything passes and everything fades away, except memories.” I find myself using my Haitian mom’s saying whenever someone frets over something of little importance. — Babette Wainwright, 73, Madison, Wisconsin ‘Don’t push the river.’ Now I say this to friends — stop striving and forcing outcomes, trust the natural flow of life, let go and stay present. — Julie Merrick, 56, Olympia, Washington ‘Sing out, Louise!’ To my mom, this line from the musical “Gypsy” meant always let your presence be known. Make a choice, be specific and carpe diem. “Curtain up, light the lights!” — Jonathan Cobrda, 35, New York City ‘Never pass up an opportunity to pee.’ It’s very true, especially on road trips, but it also has a deeper meaning in my life: Take care of something when you get the chance. — Cari Stoltz, 42, Richland Center, Wisconsin ‘I’m in your pocket.’ Mom always said this to me, and it made me feel safe. Now that she is gone, I hear her in my mind’s ear and know she is still always with me. — Julie Lewis, 70, Providence, Rhode Island And you can find much more motherly wisdom in our full story. THE LATEST NEWS Hantavirus The Hondius arriving in Tenerife, in the Canary Islands, today. Pedro Nunes/Reuters Passengers have begun disembarking from the cruise ship at the center of a hantavirus outbreak. The vessel anchored off Spain’s Canary Islands early this morning. Spain’s health minister said everyone on the ship was asymptomatic. Health officials around the world have vowed to closely monitor the returning passengers for signs of disease. War in the Middle East Israel and Hezbollah exchanged strikes yesterday, further eroding a fragile cease-fire. The Strait of Hormuz remains effectively blocked. Politics Republicans are feeling more optimistic about the midterms as red states move aggressively to redraw congressional districts. Some Virginia Democrats are scrambling to rework their congressional campaigns after the state Supreme Court struck down a proposed redistricting map. As a generation of digital natives runs for office, many find themselves tripped up by old social media posts. Around the World Xi Jinping during a military parade last year. Pedro Pardo/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images China: Xi Jinping has spent 13 years building a military to rival that of the U.S. Then he began to lose trust in his handpicked generals. Australia: A far-right, anti-immigration party won a seat in the lower house of Parliament for the first time. THE SUNDAY DEBATE Countries have been scrambling to contain a hantavirus outbreak linked to a cruise ship. Though experts say the risk to the public is low, the outbreak has raised a question: Are we ready for the next pandemic? Yes. The mRNA approach, used for the Covid-19 vaccines, can help develop vaccines a lot faster than before, and A.I. can help identify and track possible threats, Andrew Thurston writes for The Brink: “With the mRNA platform in place and proven, it could rapidly be turned against other diseases in future.” No. Funding for pandemic countermeasures have fallen, and the world is overly reliant on the U.S. for research, Dr. Alex Asamoah Ankomah writes for Geographical: “In the wake of the carnage from the Covid-19 pandemic, the public rightly expects us to be better prepared, not less, for future outbreaks and to collaborate more closely.” FROM OPINION Molly Jong-Fast tried to emulate her famous mother, the novelist Erica Jong. It didn’t work: “I became the kind of woman my mother used to make fun of.” Democrats can win back blue-collar voters by focusing on affordability, not climate change, Matthew Huber writes. Here are columns by Nicholas Kristof on how President Trump’s U.S.A.I.D. cuts hurt poor children and Ross Douthat on what A.I. means for religion. The Times Sale ends soon: Expand your knowledge with our experts. Take advantage of our best offer and gain understanding and insight in every area of life. Just $1 a week for your first year of unlimited access to news, culture, cooking and more. MORNING READS Ernesto Soriano at work in Madrid. Gianfranco Tripodo for The New York Times Carving station: Spaniards line up to eat ham prepared by Ernesto Soriano, one of the world’s best slicers of jamón ibérico. Voice of nature: David Attenborough celebrated his 100th birthday. The Context: Silicon Valley oligarchs worried about the risks their technology posed to the world. They forgot about people. SPORTS M.L.B.: Bobby Cox led the Atlanta Braves to five National League pennants and a World Series championship in the 1990s. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2014 as “one of the most successful managers in history.” He died at 84. N.B.A.: The draft lottery is at 3 p.m. Eastern on ABC. John Hollinger’s rankings offer some options for who the winner will take at No. 1. College softball: Yesterday, U.C.L.A.’s Megan Grant broke the sport’s 31-year-old home run record. Read more about the player known as “Chef Megan.” BOOK OF THE WEEK Atria Books By Elisabeth Egan “Angel Down,” by Daniel Kraus: Few authors can pull off a novel that unfolds in a single sentence, but Kraus nailed it, landing this year’s Pulitzer Prize for fiction. “Angel Down,” one of the Book Review’s 10 Best Books of 2025, tells the dizzying and gruesome story of a group of World War I soldiers who encounter a fallen angel on the battlefield. Our reviewer described the novel as a “thunderous gallop,” adding, “The conclusion is a stunner, although I’m not sure if a book that ends with a comma rather than a period can be said to conclude at all.” For more: Read our full review of “Angel Down,” and an interview with Kraus. THE INTERVIEW Devin Oktar Yalkin for The New York Times By David Marchese This week’s subject for The Interview is Ramit Sethi, a personal finance expert and the author of “I Will Teach You to Be Rich.” He also helps couples with their finances on his podcast, “Money for Couples.” I see couples come on your show, and to outward appearances they look like they should be doing well, but they’re really struggling. They’re talking about losing their house or the specter of divorce because of tensions around money. And on the other side you have people on the show who have a lot of money but seem completely unable to enjoy it. It all paints a grim portrait. What do you think your podcast is saying about American society? It’s no surprise to me that money is fraught and that even the people I have on the podcast who are multimillionaires —— Aren’t happy! Yeah, they’re not happy. You look at it from the outside and go, “That is shocking.” I have couples who are two months away from running out of money — and they have kids! They will lose their house, they will lose their multiple vehicles, they are months away from it, and they’re remarkably lackadaisical about it. They have never really faced any consequences. When I ask them, “What are the consequences that you have faced?”… “Oh, I have $25,000 of credit card debt.” I ask, “How does that affect you day to day?” … “Nothing. It’s just a number.” It doesn’t help that we live in a society that thinks people who have money are better than people who don’t. It’s a bizarre relationship. We love the wealthy in America. We aspire to be them. But we hate them. We hate them for evading tax increases. We hate them for being evil capitalists. And these simple labels actually do us a disservice. We need to understand that just because you have money does not mean you are evil or bad. But if you have billions and you argue against paying a slight marginal tax increase — you might be an asshole. Read more of the interview here. Or watch a longer version on YouTube. THE NEW YORK TIMES MAGAZINE Photograph by William Wegman for The New York Times Read this week’s magazine. THE MORNING RECOMMENDS … Slip on a great pair of ultra-stretch jeans. (Denim nerds are wrong — flex jeans are insanely comfy.) Slip on an equally great pair of classic jeans. (Denim nerds are right — cotton jeans last forever.) Automate your shades and blinds to make your more home more luxurious and energy-efficient. MEAL PLAN Ryan Liebe for The New York Times It’s Mother’s Day. If you can, you should cook a great meal for your mom, or someone’s mom. If you have kids, appoint them as your sous-chefs and tablescapers. It doesn’t have to be fancy. Just try to make it nice! And don’t worry too much about the recipe selection — Emily Weinstein, the editor in chief of NYT Cooking, has some great recs, including gnocchi and peas with whipped feta and butter-basted steak with asparagus. NOW TIME TO PLAY Here is today’s Spelling Bee. Yesterday’s pangram was megahit. Can you put eight historical events — including the origin of buccaneers, the creation of Snoopy and the first soap opera — in chronological order? Take this week’s Flashback quiz. And here are today’s Mini Crossword, Wordle, Crossplay, 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. Host: Sam Sifton Editor: Adam B. Kushner News Editor: Tom Wright-Piersanti Associate Editor: Lauren Jackson News Staff: Evan Gorelick, Brent Lewis, Lara McCoy, Karl Russell Saturday Writer: Melissa Kirsch Editorial Director, Newsletters: Jodi Rudoren 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 May 13 Author Members Posted May 13 May 11, 2026 By Sam Sifton Good morning. President Trump rejected Iran’s latest offer to end the war. The energy secretary said the administration might pause federal taxes on gas to lower prices. And Eurovision’s semifinals start tomorrow. The contest is the world’s most watched cultural event, and governments are supposed to be neutral. But a Times investigation found that Israel ran a campaign to tip votes in its favor. There’s more below. But first, I want to talk about the human body. Jérôme Berthier It’s all connected We’ve long known about two systems in the human body that circulate fluids. A physician in Italy observed the first one, the lymphatic system, which removes excess fluid from tissues, in 1622. Six years later, an English doctor described the second, the cardiovascular system, which pumps blood through our arteries, veins and capillaries. (It was a great decade for science.) Now, scientists think they may have come across a third. In 2021, after examining the skin of people with tattoos, researchers saw in their biopsies that ink particles had traveled deeper into the body than they expected, through the skin into an interstitial space beneath it — and from that space into the fascia, the connective material below. The discovery — a hidden pathway between two layers of tissue not known to connect in this way — was a surprise. It has far-reaching implications for our understanding of the human body and for our health. Because that interstitial space doesn’t just exist between the skin and the fascia, researchers discovered. There are spaces like it throughout the body, forming pathways between organs and allowing fluids, cells and molecules to move between them before re-entering the lymphatic and cardiovascular systems. Scientists call this large interconnected network the interstitium. It’s the subject of an incredible story in The New York Times Magazine by Avraham Z. Cooper, an associate professor of medicine at Ohio State University. West meets East Jérôme Berthier The idea of a third circulatory system will not come as a surprise to anyone who practices traditional Chinese medicine. “This knowledge is actually quite ancient,” one professor told Cooper. “It’s something that other systems of medicine have been offering for a long time, but they didn’t have microscopes.” Mention the interstitium to an acupuncturist and you might get an eye roll, like, “No kidding.” (Ask me how I know.) Acupuncture works, of course. The studies are clear. People seek it out for treatment of all sorts of ills, from chronic pain and migraines to anxiety and insomnia. The discovery of the interstitium, Cooper writes, may help us better understand how it works. Traditional Chinese medicine holds that acupuncture is a way to balance the flow of energy — known as chi — through one of the body’s 12 main meridians. Acupuncturists insert thin needles into specific points along those meridians to enhance the flow of chi. Those specific acupuncture points are within the same areas of connective tissue where fluid flows through the interstitium, researchers found. And when they injected dye into acupuncture points on the forearms of volunteers, it slowly migrated up the arm along a meridian. “This pathway doesn’t go in the veins, it doesn’t go superficially,” one researcher said. Instead, he told Cooper, it flows through the interstitium between the muscles: “When I saw that, I said: ‘We’re onto something. This truly has to do with acupuncture.’” The future is past There will need to be a lot more research before we fully grasp the implications of an interconnected interstitium. But things that are good for you (healthy cells, for instance) move through it. So do bad ones (like metastatic cells). Cooper says there are already promising possibilities in that: in how the interstitium might inform the treatment of diabetes, gut health and cancer, among others. It may also help us understand other biological systems. Tiny freshwater invertebrates have a kind of interstitium, for instance. Plants appear to have one, too, that moves water and nutrients outside of cell membranes. Indeed, he writes, “fluid moving through interstitial spaces might have represented the first circulatory systems to develop in the earliest forms of complex multicellular plant and animal life, hundreds of millions of years ago.” I knew it. We’re all plants! Please read the whole story here. THE LATEST NEWS War in the Middle East Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu said in separate interviews that the war isn’t over. Hundreds of people gathered in Lebanon to mourn at least eight members of one displaced family who were killed in an Israeli airstrike. Around the World Keir Starmer Leon Neal/Getty Images Britain: Prime Minister Keir Starmer says he won’t step down after big losses by his Labour party in local elections. China: The government is pushing back against U.S. efforts to restrict the Chinese economy. Ukraine: Drones have slowed Russian advances significantly. Thailand: The military drafts young men by lottery. The country’s highest court will soon decide if that’s constitutional. Other Big Stories Seventeen American passengers from the cruise ship that was hit by hantavirus arrived in Nebraska this morning. Doctors will observe them at a quarantine center near Omaha. As prices increase for gas, groceries and other staples, more households are using credit cards to get by. How prepared are we for A.I. layoffs? Our chief economics correspondent, Ben Casselman, explains how recent job cuts are testing the resilience of the country’s safety net. Click to watch. The New York Times OPINIONS The U.S. criminal justice system should help those convicted of a crime rebuild their lives after they do their time, Rachel Louise Snyder writes. Climate change is killing ponderosa pine forests in the Southwest, Gary Ferguson writes. Here are columns by Nicholas Kristof on the sexual violence against Palestinians in Israel’s prisons and David French on political authenticity and Graham Platner’s tattoos. The Times Sale ends soon: Expand your knowledge with our experts. Take advantage of our best offer and gain understanding and insight in every area of life. Just $1 a week for your first year of unlimited access to news, culture, cooking and more. MORNING READS Yuval Raphael, Israel’s performer at last year’s Eurovision Song Contest, singing in the opening ceremony. Harold Cunningham/Getty Images Eurovision: A Times investigation found that the Israeli government constructed a well-organized campaign to use the contest as a soft power tool. Put down the phone: This summer, Well is running a four-week “Touch Grass” Challenge. Sign up here. Your pick: The most clicked link in The Morning yesterday was advice from moms. Metropolitan Diary: “Can you hold my bird?” TODAY’S NUMBER 11 — That is the percentage of Americans in their 50s who qualify as “frail” in tests that measure weakness, slowness, exhaustion, inactivity and unintentional weight loss. Here’s how to make sure it doesn’t happen to you. SPORTS N.B.A.: The New York Knicks are back in the Eastern Conference finals for a second straight year after walloping the Philadelphia 76ers. The decision to choose Mike Brown as coach looks pretty good right now. N.F.L.: Trump bemoaned the state of the N.F.L.’s media deal in an interview, suggesting the cost of watching games could spell doom for the league. Track and field: If you read anything today, make it this intensely personal story from Tina Sturdevant about American track legend Allyson Felix and pre-eclampsia — a life-threatening condition for pregnant and postpartum women. RECIPE OF THE DAY Christopher Testani for The New York Times I love this recipe for three-cup chicken because it’s dead simple to make — there’s no high-heat, fast-hands stir-frying. (It’s more like chair yoga than a spin class.) Also because the top-rated comment on it has a sentence with one of my favorite verbs: “I brought it to a Lunar New Year party and some Taiwanese guests tried it and then bogarted the whole pot because they said it was authentic and delicious.” FEAR FACTOR Kieron Moore as Aaron in “Blue Film.” Obscured Releasing Here’s Wesley Morris on “Blue Film,” a film about a camboy who accepts $50,000 to spend the night with an anonymous older client who turns out to be his middle-school English teacher. It’s great: “There’s no plot to twist. It’s merely two men increasingly astonished by what they’re saying to each other about themselves, surprised by what they’re hearing, doing and feeling.” More on culture The guitarist and bandleader Taj Mahal turns 84 this month, and he’s just released an album, “Time.” Jon Pareles, who has covered the artist for us since at least the early 1980s, talked with him about his music. “Jazz will give you back your mind, reggae will give you back your body, but the blues will give you back your soul,” Mahal said. It’s such a pleasure to read Sarah Lyall — who covers all sorts of things for The Times but most wittily animals — on “The Sheep Detectives,” a film about sheep who solve their shepherd’s murder. “How to make the sheep look realistic, and how to strike the proper balance between their inherent sheep-iness and their human-esque emotions were important questions the filmmakers grappled with,” she writes. Read on. 🐑🕵️ THE MORNING RECOMMENDS Philip Caputo in 1987. Frank Lennon/Toronto Star, via Getty Images Read “A Rumor of War,” Philip Caputo’s 1977 memoir about his service as a Marine infantry officer in the jungles of Vietnam. Caputo died last week at 84. His book should live forever. Get health advice from medical professionals. That will set you apart from the half of U.S. adults under 50 who take wellness guidance from online influencers instead. True story. Replace your raggedy, broken-zippered suitcase with one of the ones Wirecutter’s been recommending for over a decade. (I’ve got one. So does my wife. So does my editor.) GAMES Here is today’s Spelling Bee. Yesterday’s pangrams were flooding, folding and fondling. And here are today’s Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections, Crossplay and Strands. Thanks for spending part of your morning with The Times and me. See you tomorrow. — Sam Sign up here to get this newsletter in your inbox. Reach our team at themorning@nytimes.com. Host: Sam Sifton Editor: Adam B. Kushner News Editor: Tom Wright-Piersanti Associate Editor: Lauren Jackson News Staff: Evan Gorelick, Brent Lewis, Lara McCoy, Karl Russell Saturday Writer: Melissa Kirsch Editorial Director, Newsletters: Jodi Rudoren 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 May 13 Author Members Posted May 13 May 12, 2026 By Sam Sifton Good morning. Britain’s prime minister, Keir Starmer, is trying to hold on to his job. President Trump is planning to leave this afternoon for a summit with Xi Jinping. And there’s more news below — including our list of the 100 best restaurants in New York City. First, though, we’re heading to the Strait of Hormuz. A mural in Tehran representing Iran’s hold on the Strait of Hormuz. Arash Khamooshi for The New York Times History repeats President Trump said yesterday that U.S. negotiations with Tehran were on “life support.” Why? Among other things, Iran wants to maintain control of the Strait of Hormuz. A fifth of the world’s oil supply flowed through that passage before the war, and now Iran has choked it off. Iranian attacks on passing vessels and a U.S. blockade of Iranian ports have trapped thousands of ships in the Persian Gulf, inducing a global economic crisis. The crisis looms over Trump’s summit with China’s president, Xi Jinping, later this week. Trump wants Xi to lean on Iran to reopen the strait. This keeps happening. Sources: Flanders Marine Institute, International Maritime Organization, GEBCO. Samuel Granados and Agnes Chang/ The New York Times Iran and Iraq stopped ships in the Persian Gulf during the war between those two countries in the 1980s. The conflict spread. Iranian forces intercepted ships bound for Iraq and its allies. It led to a small if deadly naval war that killed more than 400 civilian sailors and damaged 500 commercial vessels along with American warships. Iran’s ability to control the strait is a recurring headache for U.S. military leaders. “If you ask me what keeps me awake at night, it’s the Strait of Hormuz,” one commander said in 2012. Fighting there, another said, “would be like a knife fight in a phone booth.” Who owns the water? Scholars have argued for centuries that no state can lay claim to the high seas, the ocean common. One jurist from the Dutch Golden Age came up with a term for it: mare liberum, or free sea. Which is fine out in the middle of an ocean. It gets a little more complicated closer to shore, and particularly with choke points like the Strait of Hormuz. For decades, the United States has argued that it has a right to freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz. Iran, in contrast, has said that it can regulate traffic there. By what right? Can a nation declare the waters off its coastline as its own? How far out do those waters extend? I picked up some light reading: “Legal Vortex in the Strait of Hormuz,” a 2014 paper by James Kraska, a professor at the U.S. Naval War College. It could have been written much more recently — like, in February. We spoke yesterday. Kraska has seen this conflict coming for more than a decade. What’s going on in the strait is fundamentally a legal dispute, he told me. The U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea, a kind of international constitution for the oceans, governs passage there. Neither Washington nor Tehran has ratified it, but it reflects “customary international law,” which means it is still supposed to be binding, Kraska told me. In other words, Iran can claim that its territorial waters extend 12 nautical miles from its shoreline, which is permitted by the treaty, but only if it recognizes the right of free navigation through those waters. (Free navigation, Kraska noted. Charging a toll, as Iran hopes to do, would break the law.) Kraska told me about a similar conflict between Britain and Albania in the late 1940s, over the channel between Greece and the island of Corfu. In an effort to control that strait, Albania fired on Royal Navy warships. Mines in the strait killed dozens of sailors. It didn’t lead to war. The case became the first one adjudicated by the International Court of Justice. It ruled that Britain enjoyed the right to sail through and that Albania had a duty to keep the strait clear of mines. Albania, a less powerful nation than Iran, complied. The precedent may end there. Heads up: I’ve been hosting this newsletter since November, and it’s been a pleasure getting to know you. Now we’re retooling a bit to keep things fresh. If you have 15 minutes to spare, would you mind sharing your opinions about The Morning here? Thanks. More on the war Iran’s peace proposal calls for war reparations from the U.S. and an end to American sanctions. Trump described the offer as a “piece of garbage.” Trump says he wants to suspend the federal gas tax, which would lower prices by about 18 cents a gallon. Congress would need to approve the change. THE LATEST NEWS Elections Virginia officials asked the Supreme Court to allow the use of a congressional map drawn by Democrats and approved by voters, after a state court struck it down last week. The court sided with Alabama lawmakers who want to use a congressional map that eliminates a majority-Black district. Republicans have an edge in the recent redistricting frenzy. And they still have a few more chances to add seats, while Democrats seem to have none. Barney Frank, the longtime congressman and gay rights advocate, is in hospice care. In an interview with The Times, he offered advice to his fellow Democrats: Slow down. More on Politics Painting the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. Al Drago for The New York Times The government says it will cost $13.1 million to repair (and paint) the reflecting pool in Washington — far more than the $1.8 million Trump first announced. Though Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has said little publicly about vaccines in recent months, he has quietly pushed agencies and scientists to investigate whether they are linked to chronic disease. Trump changed U.S. asylum rules to prioritize white Afrikaners from South Africa. Now, he’s considering allowing even more of them into the country, as Zolan Kanno-Youngs explains in the video below. Click to play. The New York Times Around the World Russia: Vladimir Putin, under domestic pressure, said the war with Ukraine “is coming to a close.” But he gave no indication that he might give up on his demands. Iran: Narges Mohammadi, the Nobel Peace Prize laureate, has been transferred from prison to a hospital in Tehran. She collapsed and lost consciousness this month. Israel: The country is preparing to prosecute hundreds of Palestinians suspected of taking part in the Hamas-led terrorist attacks on Oct. 7, 2023. Education The New York Times Public school enrollment in the U.S. is falling as women have fewer babies. The maker of Canvas, the software used by thousands of schools, reached a deal with hackers to return data they stole. THE MORNING QUIZ David Attenborough and his daughter in 1957, with a Sulphur-crested cockatoo. Press Association, via Associated Press This question comes from a recent edition of the newsletter. Click an answer to see if you’re right. (The link will be free.) David Attenborough, the British naturalist and broadcaster, celebrated his 100th birthday on Friday. Which of the following is NOT true about him? He caught a newborn gorilla as its mother gave birth last year. He gave Monty Python its start as a BBC executive. He didn’t own a television when he became a TV producer. More than 50 species are named after him. OPINIONS The supposed A.I. race between the U.S. and China distracts from how the tech is already squeezing workers in both countries, Yi-Ling Liu writes. Here are columns by Michelle Goldberg on the antisemitic sex therapist running for Congress in Texas and Thomas B. Edsall on Trump’s crusade against renewable energy. The Times Sale ends soon: Expand your knowledge with our experts. Take advantage of our best offer and gain understanding and insight in every area of life. Just $1 a week for your first year of unlimited access to news, culture, cooking and more. MORNING READS Jessica Pate/Marine Megafauna Foundation Bumming a ride: The remora often hitches a ride on larger marine animals, but sometimes it follows a less dignified strategy: It disappears inside a manta ray’s rear end. Your pick: The most clicked link in The Morning yesterday was about the human body’s hidden pathways. Advocate: Michal Gatchalian was an altar boy who spoke out against sexual abuse by a priest in the devoutly Catholic Philippines. Now, he’s a lawyer helping other victims. TODAY’S NUMBER $50,000 — That is the amount awarded to Keith McNally, the restaurateur, as the winner of the 2026 Gotham Book Prize for his memoir, “I Regret Almost Everything.” (A Pulitzer Prize winner receives $15,000, and a National Book Award winner receives $10,000.) SPORTS N.B.A.: The Los Angeles Lakers were swept out of the playoffs by the defending champion, the Oklahoma City Thunder. Women’s hockey: Yesterday’s winner-take-all Game 5 between the Montreal Victoire and the Minnesota Frost was postponed because of illness hours before puck drop. RECIPE OF THE DAY Christopher Simpson for The New York Times I like Ali Slagle’s recipe for asparagus and sausage pasta for these still-a-little-chilly spring evenings when you want some starch and meat alongside the seasonal brightness of asparagus, peas, lemon and a packed cup of basil leaves. If you see some morels at the farmers’ market, grab ’em. They’d be an excellent addition to the dish. THE BEST OF THE BEST At Golden Diner in Manhattan. It’s one of the top 100 restaurants this year. Karsten Moran for The New York Times And here they are now: the 100 Best Restaurants in New York City, selected by Ligaya Mishan, one of our critics. It’s exciting, because a lot of newcomers made the list. It’s reassuring, because a lot of old-timers stayed the course of excellence. And it’s an invitation — because we want to talk about it with you. “A list is never just a list,” Ligaya writes. “It is an argument: This is what is good, what matters. Cue the debate.” More on culture “Men Like Ours” is a darkly comic debut novel that takes place in the New Jersey enclaves known collectively as Little India. In a lovely book review, Dwight Garner calls it “a love letter to this area, and to the pluck and tenacity of a generation of South Asian women who were smart but poor and brought to America in arranged marriages.” He calls Bindu Bansinath, the author, “a genuine and offbeat talent.” A cigarette tax has generated $270 million for cultural organizations in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, which includes Cleveland. It has also led to declining smoking rates in the region. Which is a win-win — except the arts organizations now need to replace what they’re losing as people buy fewer smokes. “It’s a double-edged sword,” one arts leader told The Times. 🚬 🎭 Stephen Colbert hosted four of his “best television friends.” THE MORNING RECOMMENDS Eric Helgas for The New York Times Seek out sunlight — and maybe get a puppy — to develop a healthier morning routine. Consider the gardening tools professional horticulturalists recommended to Wirecutter. (Did you know about soil knives?) GAMES Here is today’s Spelling Bee. Yesterday’s pangram was twitched. And here are today’s Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections, Crossplay and Strands. Thanks for spending part of your morning with The Times and me. See you tomorrow. — Sam P.S.: Wordle is coming to the small screen. NBC announced that it planned to turn the puzzle into a prime-time game show, with Savannah Guthrie as host. Sign up here to get this newsletter in your inbox. Reach our team at themorning@nytimes.com. Host: Sam Sifton Editor: Adam B. Kushner News Editor: Tom Wright-Piersanti Associate Editor: Lauren Jackson News Staff: Evan Gorelick, Brent Lewis, Lara McCoy, Karl Russell Saturday Writer: Melissa Kirsch Editorial Director, Newsletters: Jodi Rudoren 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 May 14 Author Members Posted May 14 May 13, 2026 By Sam Sifton Good morning. I am really looking forward to introducing you to the last full-time museum taxidermist in the United States. But first, a few things. President Trump and Xi Jinping in Busan, South Korea, last year. Haiyun Jiang/The New York Times At the summit “This is not how President Trump wanted to arrive in China,” my colleague David Sanger writes. Six weeks ago, Trump pushed off his summit meeting with China’s leader, Xi Jinping, because of the war in Iran. He’d thought the conflict would be over by now, showing Beijing that reports of America’s demise as a superpower were premature. Instead, David writes, Trump starts the meeting today “bogged down by a far lesser power in a war he started.” But Xi’s in a tough spot, too. China gets more than 30 percent of its oil from the Persian Gulf, which is now cut off. Economic growth there is falling as energy prices rise. “The result is that this is a summit like few others,” David writes. It features the world’s two dominant superpowers looking hobbled. Experts aren’t optimistic the sides will announce a major economic deal or resolve their differences. Smaller nations across Asia are worried about that, my colleague Damien Cave reports. As the summit looms, they’re “behaving as if they are stuck in ‘Godzilla’ or ‘Dune’ — moving quietly in small groups, trying not to provoke the wrath of petulant giants.” Here’s some of what Trump and Xi may discuss: Trade: Trump hopes China will buy lots of American soybeans, beef and Boeing airplanes. Xi is likely to push for an extension of last year’s trade truce between the U.S. and China, and for the right to import more A.I. computer chips. Taiwan: Currently, the U.S. says it “does not support” Taiwanese independence. China wants Trump to actively oppose it — and to stop selling Taiwan weapons. (That’s unlikely. But it’s Trump. He could always go off script.) Iran: Trump will ask Xi to persuade Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Xi’s administration has prodded Iranian officials to negotiate with the U.S., but Beijing sees the war as Washington’s problem. Ask The Times How badly has China been hit by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz? — Cameron Tran, United States China correspondent David Pierson replies: Despite being the largest importer of crude oil through the Strait of Hormuz, China has weathered the crisis relatively well. It has been stockpiling oil since last year. China is estimated to have about four months of imports saved up. The country has also aggressively invested in renewable energy and boasts the largest fleet of electric vehicles in the world. China’s demand for fossil fuels fell over the past two years. Still, China has felt some of the war’s effects. Restaurants and hotels report fewer guests. Car sales plunged in April. SCORES OF PROBLEMS Note: Includes traditional public school districts with data for 2015 and 2025. Source: Sean Reardon, Stanford Educational Opportunity Project. Francesca Paris/The New York Times American education is in crisis. Almost everywhere in the country, students’ academic performance is worse than their peers’ was a decade ago, according to district-level test score data that came out this morning. The numbers are startling. Reading scores were down last year in 83 percent of school districts for which we have data. Math scores were down in 70 percent. The drops happened in rich districts as well as poor ones — in urban, suburban and rural ones. They crossed racial divides. And the biggest losses of all were among the lowest-achieving kids. In one in three school districts in the U.S., my colleagues report, students are reading a full grade level lower than they were in 2015. Education experts told The Times that there’s no single reason for this learning recession. But federal school accountability has relaxed since the No Child Left Behind Act was replaced in 2015. There was also the rise of iPhones, social media and school-issued laptops. And of course the pandemic didn’t help. Student absenteeism spiked and remains high in its wake. Source: Sean Reardon, Stanford Educational Opportunity Project. Francesca Paris/The New York Times “This is an enormous problem that’s not getting enough attention,” one researcher told my colleagues. Look up how schools fared in your district. THE LATEST NEWS War in Iran Iran’s military remains much stronger than Trump has claimed, according to U.S. intelligence agencies. Trump said Americans’ economic pain was not a factor in his thinking on Iran. Kuwait accused Iran of invading a strategically important island in the Persian Gulf. Health The New York Times How worried should you be about hantavirus? In the video above, our global health reporter, Apoorva Mandavilli, explains. Click to play. Scientists long believed pancreatic cancer was impervious to treatment. Then researchers found a breakthrough that extended patients’ lives. (It might help people with lung and colon cancer, too.) Prescriptions for ivermectin, an antiparasitic drug, spiked after Mel Gibson told Joe Rogan that it cured his friends of cancer. There is no high-quality evidence that ivermectin has any benefit for cancer patients. Politics Kash Patel Tierney L. Cross/The New York Times At a congressional hearing, a senator asked the F.B.I. director, Kash Patel, about reports that he drank excessively. Patel in turn accused the senator of “slinging margaritas in El Salvador” with a deported immigrant. A super PAC with Republican ties is meddling in congressional primaries by backing Democrats viewed as weaker candidates, including a sex therapist accused of antisemitism. The paint job on Washington’s reflecting pool appears uneven and behind schedule, according to government workers. After Cindy Burbank won the Democratic nomination for Senate in Nebraska, she restated her plan to drop out and back an independent who has a better chance against the incumbent Republican. The Economy Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics. The New York Times Last month, consumer prices rose at their fastest rate since 2023. Tomatoes have gotten nearly 40 percent more expensive in a year. Companies are cutting back on family-friendly policies like paid leave and support for I.V.F., in part because the weak job market means there’s less competition to attract employees. JOIN THE CONVERSATION Streaming, Toilet Paper, Underwear: Subscription Fatigue Is Setting In As companies look to build cash flow and loyalty, everything from heated car seats to earthworm deliveries can become a recurring charge on your credit card. By Sopan Deb G Ghost of Sinclair Lewis Here The first law that needs to be passed is one that requires subscriptions to be as easy to cancel as they are to start. Companies that allow subscriptions to be created online but don’t allow cancellation online are thieves. K Kevin NJ At a larger level, this is part of the "Right to Repair" movement that has been proposed. Things you don't own, you often cannot fix - a new form of planned obsolescence. You're locked into using the services of the original manufacturer. View all comments OPINIONS By waging war in Iran without the support of Congress, Trump pushes the U.S. one notch closer to autocracy, the editorial board writes. Here are columns by Jamelle Bouie on the Voting Rights Act and Thomas Friedman on NATO and the Strait of Hormuz. The Times Sale ends soon: Expand your knowledge with our experts. Take advantage of our best offer and gain understanding and insight in every area of life. Just $1 a week for your first year of unlimited access to news, culture, cooking and more. MORNING READS Brendan Bannon for The New York Times Missing: Before Border Patrol agents left Nurul Amin Shah Alam to freeze outside in Buffalo one night, he was a grandfather trying to adjust to a new life far from his native Myanmar. “Trimester Zero”: Women are stressed about preparing for pregnancy. It’s a bonanza for influencers. Your pick: The most clicked link in The Morning yesterday was The Times’s list of the 100 best restaurants in New York City. Trending: The newest thing on TikTok? Breaking into Scientology buildings. Warrior against hate: Abraham Foxman marshaled the nation’s fight against antisemitism for decades as the longtime leader of the Anti-Defamation League. He died at 86. TODAY’S NUMBER 25 — That is the percentage increase in the “length of the jet” of urine produced by a 19th-century physiologist, Charles-Édouard Brown-Séquard, after he injected himself with substances he made from crushed dog or guinea pig testicles. Read more about the origin story of testosterone as a wonder drug to enhance and restore manhood. SPORTS A trail-breaking athlete: Jason Collins, who in 2013 became the first active N.B.A. player to come out as gay, died at 47. He had brain cancer. Tennis: The sport’s biggest drama may come during the handshake. RECIPE OF THE DAY Ryan Liebe for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Monica Pierini. I ginned up this recipe for chicken paprikash a decade ago with the help of Arthur Schwartz, a former restaurant critic for The Daily News in New York and a grand maven of Jewish home cooking. His indispensable advice: Whatever paprika you’ve got in your spice cabinet, it’s probably stale. Chuck it and cook this dish with fresh. I picked up another tip from the comments left on the recipe. Add the paprika off the heat so as not to scorch it. Serve over buttered egg noodles, please. THE ART OF CRAFT Tim Bovard Sasha Arutyunova for The New York Times Tim Bovard, the last full-time taxidermist at any museum in the United States, has been working at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County since 1984. He’s 72 and often sleeps at the museum: The glue he uses to mount pelts dries slowly, and he likes to adjust the animals’ stance while it sets, so he awakens every few hours to fuss with them. “It wouldn’t be for everybody,” he told The Times. “But I am known to be slightly different.” The videos that accompany this story are incredible. Check them out here. More on culture Kurt Vile, the slacker poet of indie rock, takes inspiration from Philadelphia, where he has lived for most of his adult life. Visit him there, as The Times did recently, and you’ll discover he’s a pretty chill hang. Theater is suddenly full of reported plays. “What’s surprising isn’t that so many fail to convince but that several succeed, in the process inventing a new style befitting our time,” writes Jesse Green. During a season of plays that approaches what he calls “the archival density of the Jeffrey Epstein files,” he wonders: What’s real, and what’s fake news? Late night hosts think Trump needs more sleep. THE MORNING RECOMMENDS The interior of Raffles at the OWO, a luxury hotel in London. Amy Virshup/The New York Times Consider life as an ultrahigh-net-worth traveler and book a room in a luxury hotel in London. Or just read about the experience of staying in two of them. Clean your grill after every use, while the grates are still warm. Whether you do so with this neat, if expensive, grill brush recommended by Wirecutter is up to you. But I am telling you: Clean the grill every time. Listen to my colleague Lauren Jackson, who writes our “Believing” newsletter, talk about why more Americans are seeking religion — and how she left the Mormon, or Latter-day Saint, church. That’s on “The Daily.” GAMES Here is today’s Spelling Bee. Yesterday’s pangrams were combatant and noncombatant. And here are today’s Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections, Crossplay and Strands. Thanks for spending part of your morning with The Times and me. See you tomorrow. — Sam Sign up here to get this newsletter in your inbox. Reach our team at themorning@nytimes.com. Host: Sam Sifton Editor: Adam B. Kushner News Editor: Tom Wright-Piersanti Associate Editor: Lauren Jackson News Staff: Evan Gorelick, Brent Lewis, Lara McCoy, Karl Russell Saturday Writer: Melissa Kirsch Editorial Director, Newsletters: Jodi Rudoren 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 May 16 Author Members Posted May 16 May 14, 2026 By Sam Sifton Good morning. President Trump is in Beijing. And we have more news below, including a dispatch from a Dutch town hoping for a surge in musketeer tourism. Before we get to it, though: Who’s running in 2028? The New York Times A crowded field The next presidential election is more than two years away. But watch in the coming weeks and months when politicians from out of state start showing up in Iowa to give speeches and shake hands. Online and in the circles I travel in, it’ll lead to a knowing smirk: He’s runnin’. Or she is. Folks in the political class are beginning to think about the future, and about how brightly it could shine on them. Reid Epstein, who has covered every presidential campaign since 2008, has kept an eye on the shadow campaigns. He maintains a spreadsheet of every potential candidate for the nation’s top job. And today he’s launched it into the world, a very long list of who might run for president in 2028. (He’ll keep it updated as the months spool along, so it’s worth bookmarking.) Some of the highlights: The vice presidents The New York Times Vice President JD Vance isn’t saying much about 2028 right now. His boss is still running the show, and it wouldn’t look good. But he’s styled himself as Trump’s heir for years, and was in Iowa at the start of the month. Then there’s former Vice President Kamala Harris, who probably has the biggest name in the field. That cuts both ways. Many Democrats may hunger for a candidate less tied to President Joe Biden after their disaster with him in 2024. The Trump administration officials The New York Times Secretary of State Marco Rubio is also in the mix, Vance’s top primary competitor should they both run (or top ally should they run together). He ran for president in 2016. Other cabinet members have already taken runs at the White House, including Doug Burgum, the interior secretary; Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the health and human services secretary (he ran as both a Democrat and an independent in 2024); and Tulsi Gabbard, the director of national intelligence. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has not made a bid for the presidency before, but now that a lot of people know his name, he might want to try. The Biden alumni The New York Times Pete Buttigieg, the former transportation secretary, has positioned himself as a possible-future-president ever since he ran in 2020. Rahm Emanuel, the former mayor of Chicago, who was an ambassador, has been putting out a lot of policy proposals — and visiting Iowa, too. Gina Raimondo, the former commerce secretary, appeals to donors but is not well known. Mitch Landrieu, the former New Orleans mayor, who served in the Biden White House? He’s said he may run, as well. The governors The New York Times A lot of state leaders, of both parties, would like to make the jump to the national stage. Among the Democrats, there’s Gavin Newsom of California, one of the loudest anti-Trump voices. Also the billionaire JB Pritzker of Illinois and Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania. And Wes Moore of Maryland has been steadily building a national profile. For the Republicans, it’s possible that Ron DeSantis of Florida could enter the race again. And Greg Abbott of Texas might try for the first time, hopeful that his anti-immigration policies echo nationally. You could see Brian Kemp of Georgia on the hustings, too, along with Sarah Huckabee Sanders of Arkansas and Glenn Youngkin, the former governor of Virginia. The senators The New York Times Among the Democrats, there are a lot of possibilities. One is Cory Booker of New Jersey, who ran in 2020. Of course, so did Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota (she’s running for governor this year). Mark Kelly of Arizona has national ambitions. And Chris Van Hollen of Maryland has already traveled to Iowa. For the Republicans, look to Ted Cruz of Texas and Rand Paul of Kentucky. They both ran in 2016. And to Tim Scott of South Carolina, who ran in 2024. The outsiders The New York Times You’ve got progressive House Democrats like Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York and exiles from Trumpville like Marjorie Taylor Greene. Might Tucker Carlson run for president? Or the sports personality Stephen A. Smith? Donald Trump Jr.? It’s possible! These are just highlights — there are many more hopefuls in Reid’s catalog. Look at all these faces and see who makes the list, and drops off, over the next year or two. KENNEDY CHAOS Jack Schlossberg Vincent Alban/The New York Times Speaking of politics, Jack Schlossberg, the grandson of John F. Kennedy, holds a narrow lead in a crowded primary for a House seat in New York City. Nicholas Fandos, who’s covering the race, took a close look at Schlossberg’s campaign. Here’s his description of its very first hours: Aides teed up calls with frenzied media outlets, Democratic luminaries and a roster of wealthy donors. The goal was to show that Mr. Schlossberg, a 33-year-old heir known for his good looks and madcap social media musings, was a serious candidate ready for what promised to be a grueling race. But just hours into his Day 1 launch, the candidate abruptly announced a change of plans, according to three people familiar with the events. Forget dialing for dollars — Mr. Schlossberg said he needed a nap. He then effectively disappeared for the day, leaving his team reeling. More erratic behavior and a lot of staff turnover followed. Read Nick’s investigation here. THE LATEST NEWS Trump in China President Trump and Xi Jinping visiting the Temple of Heaven. Kenny Holston/The New York Times Trump and Xi Jinping discussed trade, the Middle East, Ukraine and the Korean Peninsula during their meeting this morning, according to the Chinese news agency Xinhua. Before the talks began, China said it would allow U.S. exports of beef to resume. Beijing banned the shipments 15 months ago in response to Trump’s tariffs. Xi warned Trump against ignoring China’s demands over Taiwan. Politics The Senate confirmed Kevin Warsh to become the next chair of the Federal Reserve. Trump had criticized his predecessor, Jerome Powell, for not lowering interest rates more. Vice President JD Vance said the administration would withhold $1.3 billion in Medicaid payments to California because the state had not done enough to combat fraud. Health Marty Makary resigned as F.D.A. commissioner after the Trump administration authorized sales of fruit-flavored vapes. (A spokesman for Robert F. Kennedy Jr. also resigned over the decision.) The new vaping guidelines reflect Trump’s close relationship with tobacco companies, which have donated millions of dollars to his political groups and projects. Crime South Carolina’s top court overturned the murder conviction of Alex Murdaugh, a powerful lawyer found guilty of killing his wife and son, because of jury interference. Murdaugh will remain in prison on other charges while he is retried. A Utah woman who wrote a children’s book about grief after poisoning her husband with fentanyl has been sentenced to life in prison. MILES OF AISLES Daniel Wood/The New York Times How do retailers deliver our online orders so quickly? It’s not a miracle. It’s logistics — lots of warehouses to store all that stuff, and fleets of tractor-trailers to move it all around. A new story looks at how the growing sprawl of concrete and steel is transforming one part of the country. Near Chicago, developers have erected more than 146 million square feet of warehouse space since 2000. And with it comes the trucks: Roughly 20,000 pass through the city of Joliet, Ill., each day, pummeling roads and belching fumes. OPINIONS Frank Bruni and Bret Stephens discuss Britain’s political crisis. Zain Habboo lost her 6-year-old son to cancer a decade ago. Now she asks: Why is Trump cutting funding for pediatric cancer research? The Times Sale ends soon: Expand your knowledge with our experts. Take advantage of our best offer and gain understanding and insight in every area of life. Just $1 a week for your first year of unlimited access to news, culture, cooking and more. MORNING READS A statue of Count d’Artagnan in the Netherlands. Ilvy Njiokiktjien for The New York Times All for one: A Dutch village hopes that a recently exhumed body thought to be that of Count d’Artagnan, made famous by “The Three Musketeers,” could bring a new surge in tourism. Eating biblically: Some MAHA influencers are promoting a diet made up of foods mentioned in the book. Your pick: The most clicked link in The Morning yesterday was a look at test scores in individual school districts. TODAY’S NUMBER 7 million — That is roughly the number of applications submitted last year to New York City’s affordable housing lottery, competing for just 10,000 affordable apartments. The odds of winning one is about 0.14 percent. SPORTS Soccer: Shakira, Madonna and BTS will headline the first-ever halftime show at a World Cup final. N.H.L.: The league’s top team, the Colorado Avalanche, bounced back from a three-goal deficit and advanced to the Western Conference final with a 4-3 win over the Minnesota Wild. M.L.B.: The Seattle Mariners star Cal Raleigh took a shower in his uniform in an attempt to shake off a slump. The strategy worked. RECIPE OF THE DAY David Malosh for The New York Times David Tanis’s recipe for lemon garlic roast chicken with squash is a flavorful delight. But on a weeknight, you might want to follow my lead and go minimalist, roasting plain chicken thighs over a bed of sliced leeks. I make a miso butter to paint the chicken as it roasts. The combination of that and the fat rendered from the skin brings big, big flavor to the leeks. Squeeze some lemon over the top at the end. If you squint, it looks a lot like David’s dish! FACE TO NAME Drawing by Stephen Mancusi. Photograph by Karl Leitz for Anthony Cotsifas Studio Amitav Ghosh’s new novel, “Ghost Eye,” is about many things, including the climate crisis. At its center, though, is a study of a girl from Kolkata who demands fish for lunch, though she’s never eaten it, because she claims she remembers another life, one where she lived by a river and caught and cooked fish. The character came to Ghosh fully formed, he told The Times. He could see her clearly. So clearly, in fact, that he met with a forensic artist to build the sketch above. 👻👁️ More on culture Soap operas may be waning — only four original ones remain on the air — but our love of sudsy stories has never wavered. Why is that? Late night hosts commented on Trump’s visit to China. THE MORNING RECOMMENDS dri.ster7/TikTok Embrace nostalgia and take up Tae Bo, the ’90s fitness trend that’s finding a new life on TikTok. Read “The Coroner’s Lunch,” about a doctor who unwillingly becomes the national coroner of Laos right after the Communist takeover. Crimes and dreams and spirits haunt the guy, and the language is beautiful. We raved about the book in 2007. I inhaled it last week. Dress like an extreme weather reporter. The Times’s Judson Jones does (that’s his job, after all). The look includes cowboy boots. GAMES Here is today’s Spelling Bee. Yesterday’s pangram was blizzard. And here are today’s Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections, Crossplay and Strands. Thanks for spending part of your morning with The Times and me. See you tomorrow. — Sam Sign up here to get this newsletter in your inbox. Reach our team at themorning@nytimes.com. Host: Sam Sifton Editor: Adam B. Kushner News Editor: Tom Wright-Piersanti Associate Editor: Lauren Jackson News Staff: Evan Gorelick, Brent Lewis, Lara McCoy, Karl Russell Saturday Writer: Melissa Kirsch Editorial Director, Newsletters: Jodi Rudoren 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 May 17 Author Members Posted May 17 May 15, 2026 By Sam Sifton Good morning. We’ll get to Harry Styles soon enough. First, though, President Trump has left Beijing. There wasn’t a big diplomatic breakthrough. How’d the trip go? Photograph by Alex Wong/Getty Images At the summit I’ve been marveling at this ☝️ amazing photograph of the U.S. delegation standing outside the Great Hall of the People, as Trump and President Xi Jinping started their summit meetings in Beijing yesterday. It provides a pretty good sense of what was on the agenda, at least for the Americans. Click here to explore the image. Many of Trump’s top guys were up front, including the secretaries of State, Treasury and Defense. Xi shook hands with all of them, including the China hawks. In the next rows were the titans of industry, many with business in and with China. There was the leader of Cargill, the agricultural behemoth that wants China to start buying U.S. soybeans, sorghum and beef again. Elon Musk of Tesla and SpaceX was there, along with Tim Cook of Apple, David Solomon of Goldman Sachs and others. The chief executive of Boeing joined them. During the summit, Trump announced China had made a big order of jets from the company. China was silent. Kenny Holston/The New York Times But if Trump wanted trade out of the summit, Xi’s agenda was focused on Taiwan. At a dinner served at ornate, gold-plated settings (read about the menu), Xi said that China and America can both be made great again, together. But after journalists left the room, my colleague Chris Buckley reported, Xi gave a blunt warning about Taiwan: “If handled poorly, the two countries will collide or even clash, putting the entire U.S.-China relationship in an extremely dangerous situation.” Xi cited the “Thucydides Trap,” the idea that conflict is inevitable when a rising power faces an incumbent one. He said the United States and China could avoid clashing if they both pursued stability — a word rarely associated with Trump. The upper hand? Kenny Holston/The New York Times Another photograph, by Kenny Holston, captured the attention of Joe Kahn, our executive editor, who won a Pulitzer Prize for his reporting on China. I asked Joe to tell us what he saw in the image: A day of stagecraft and ceremony. Xi receives Trump with his feet firmly planted on the red carpet, arm raised high in preparation for a handshake. Trump approaches with his arm held low and his palm open. Both of these leaders choreograph meetings obsessively. So this is a moment. The American leader appearing deferential as China’s leader welcomes him from a position of strength. The substance of the summit is where we’ll put the most emphasis. These ceremonial images matter as well. Read more about their body language. And see more photos from the summit. China speaks Away from the summit, everyday people in China see Trump in different lights. Ana Swanson, who covers international trade, spent a week reporting from four Chinese cities to learn what people have to say about him. She found a mixture of anger and amusement, and a sense that the United States is to blame for their slowing economy and rising fuel prices. Some highlights: In Beijing: “Trump is the kind of person who says one thing today and another tomorrow when he gets back to the United States,” an investor told her. “His words can actually stir up things globally.” In Fuzhou: “He’s not friendly to China,” a nail salon worker said. Tariffs and the U.S.-China trade war had dampened earnings for her customers. “I think at his age, he doesn’t need to be president anymore.” In Jinan: One cabdriver thought it was significant that Trump would visit to bend Xi’s ear. “It means that this trade war isn’t just unsuccessful for China, it means that the U.S. is also struggling,” he said. THE LATEST NEWS War in Iran Saudi Arabia and the U.A.E. carried out retaliatory strikes on Iran during the war, U.S. officials said. It is the first known time that the two countries have directly attacked Iran. Iran said it had allowed some Chinese ships to pass through the Strait of Hormuz at Beijing’s request. A Times analysis showed that some ships carrying Iranian oil to Asia sailed through the strait last month despite the U.S. blockade. The U.S. commander in charge of operations in Iran said he knew of only one civilian casualty event in the campaign — the bombing of a school in February. Senators and human rights groups questioned his assertion. (The Times has verified damage to 22 schools and 17 health care facilities.) At least 18 U.S. military sites in seven countries have been damaged during the war, a Times investigation found. In the video below, Aric Toler explains how reporters sifted through misinformation and propaganda to determine the toll. Click to watch. The New York Times Around the World Cuba: The government says its oil reserves are empty, which is likely to plunge the island into even more extensive blackouts. The C.I.A. director visited yesterday. Argentina: Scientists are scrambling to debunk a rumor that the hantavirus outbreak originated in a landfill in the country. France: The Musée d’Orsay opened a gallery that features works recovered from Germany and Austria after World War II. The museum hopes visitors can identify the paintings’ owners. Health Notes: Methods before June 2024 may slightly undercount the share of telehealth abortions. Data beginning July 2025 is still preliminary. The telehealth count is for pills ordered from the U.S.; some women may not have taken them. Source: Society of Family Planning By The New York Times The Supreme Court ruled that patients could continue to receive abortion pills by mail. The pills have become a major way that women in the United States get abortions. The C.D.C. is monitoring 41 people across the U.S. for symptoms of hantavirus. Californians are asking if it’s safe to return to schools and offices that were covered in toxic chemicals during last year’s wildfires. ASK THE MORNING Can you give some tips for distinguishing between real and fake content (A.I., conspiracy theories, misquotes, etc.)? This used to be relatively simple but seems to get harder by the day. How can we stay informed and accurate? | Sophie O’Driscoll | Copenhagen, Denmark Steven Lee Myers, who covers the spread of information, replies: You’re right. It’s getting harder. The social media giants have largely abandoned the fight against fake content, even as technology has made it easier to create and spread it. Some companies offer tools to detect videos made with A.I., but they’re not always definitive — and they’re not convenient to use as you scroll through your feed. Organizations like FactCheck.org and PolitiFact do a great job calling out politicians’ lies or conspiracy theories. In Europe, the European Union maintains a database of Russian disinformation. Unfortunately, there’s no silver bullet. The best advice still is to consider the source. Chances are “some random guy on the internet” is less reliable than a government agency or a news organization. Have a question for The Morning? Ask us here. OPINIONS Trump’s war in Iran punishes the working class with gas prices they can’t absorb, Jeff D. Colgan writes. Here’s a column by Tressie McMillan Cottom on why A.I. and female empowerment don’t mix. The Times Sale ends soon: Expand your knowledge with our experts. Take advantage of our best offer and gain understanding and insight in every area of life. Just $1 a week for your first year of unlimited access to news, culture, cooking and more. MORNING READS Westen Champlin in his 1962 Centurion battle tank. He breaks it out for parades and “doing cool stuff” with, he said. Chase Castor for The New York Times Weekend warriors: Where do battle tanks and military trucks go when their service has ended? Sometimes, to someone’s backyard. Drunk deer season: Officials in France are warning drivers to look out for animals intoxicated on fermented fruits. Your pick: The most clicked link in The Morning yesterday was a list of people who might run for president in 2028. Frank Stack’s Jesus strips. Frank Stack, via Denis Kitchen Art Agency Comic Crusader: Frank Stack, an art professor and painter, hid his identity to create “The Adventures of Jesus,” a chronicle of Christ’s encounters with sanctimonious hypocrites that is widely considered the first underground comic. He died at 88. TODAY’S NUMBER 20 — That is how many years it has been since Cristo Fernández, 35, played in the youth league of a professional soccer team in Mexico. In 2020, he began starring in the Apple TV series “Ted Lasso,” where he played Dani Rojas, a passionate fútbol evangelist. This week, Fernández signed a contract to play actual professional soccer, for El Paso Locomotive FC. ⚽ SPORTS N.F.L.: The 2026 schedule kicks off with a Super Bowl rematch between the New England Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks on Wednesday of Week 1. Schedule release day videos are now a big deal, but they weren’t always. Here’s how they became a social media event. Soccer: Lowe’s will soon start selling 10-foot Lionel Messi lighted yard inflatables in the 11 U.S. World Cup host cities. RECIPE OF THE DAY Ryan Liebe for The New York Times Here’s a one-pot dinner for two, with three main ingredients: chicken, rice and scallions. Double for four people. Either way: five stars! SHORT STORY Martin Short Thea Traff for The New York Times Martin Short is the subject of a new documentary on Netflix, “Marty, Life Is Short,” that alternates between the star’s extremely funny career in show business and a personal life filled with great friendships and terrible sadness. Jason Zinoman, our comedy critic, spoke with him about it for a terrific profile. “I am trying to head toward the light,” Short said. More on culture You know that (probably apocryphal) episode from history, where George Washington prays on bended knee at Valley Forge, alone next to his horse? A 1976 painting of the scene has lately become a touchstone for the right, who see in it the importance of Christianity in the nation’s founding. Read more. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, the largest museum in the country, is getting bigger. It will merge with the Neue Galerie New York in 2028, bringing the Neue’s collection of 20th-century Austrian and German art into the fold. Late night hosts poked fun at Trump in China. THE MORNING RECOMMENDS The New York Times Listen to Harry Styles’s “American Girls” with Jon Caramanica and a bunch of very young music critics. It’s our “Song of the Week, Kids Edition.” Cook outdoors this summer with the camping stove recommended by the counselors at Wirecutter. Believe ’em: I’ve had mine for years. Take our news quiz. GAMES Here is today’s Spelling Bee. Yesterday’s pangram was bookmobile. And here are today’s Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections, Crossplay and Strands. Thanks for spending part of your morning with The Times and me. See you tomorrow. — Sam P.S. There was an issue with some of the photographs of possible presidential candidates we published in yesterday’s newsletter. It came about because of a problem with how phones render images in “dark mode.” The whitest teeth were confused with the background, and the phone darkened them. (It wasn’t a problem for those who read the newsletter in light mode.) We’ve corrected the graphics and you can view the updated newsletter here. Sign up here to get this newsletter in your inbox. Reach our team at themorning@nytimes.com. Host: Sam Sifton Editor: Adam B. Kushner News Editor: Tom Wright-Piersanti Associate Editor: Lauren Jackson News Staff: Evan Gorelick, Brent Lewis, Lara McCoy, Karl Russell Saturday Writer: Melissa Kirsch Editorial Director, Newsletters: Jodi Rudoren 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 May 18 Author Members Posted May 18 May 16, 2026 Good morning. It’s graduation season, a time of aspiration and anxiety in fairly equal measure. Today, I’m writing about the aspiration — the wisdom to be gleaned from great commencement addresses. (Tomorrow’s newsletter will be about the anxiety.) María Jesús Contreras Finishing school By Melissa Kirsch It’s the time of year for what Susan Sontag designated “that necessarily seasonal, minor literary form called the ‘commencement address.’” In the age of memeable wisdom, the commencement address has become a social-media-ready trove of inspiration whence spring bons mots like George Saunders’s “failures of kindness,” (Syracuse, 2013); Steve Jobs’s “Stay hungry, stay foolish” (Stanford, 2005); and David Foster Wallace’s “This Is Water” parable (Kenyon, also 2005). I appreciate a sincerely delivered secular sermon exhorting me to go in the direction of my dreams, but, like any liberal arts grad, I insist on my own specialness, and the generic nature of graduation speeches often leaves me skeptical. “The world is more malleable than you think,” Bono told the University of Pennsylvania class of 2004, “and it’s waiting for you to hammer it into shape.” I want to believe in this kind of rallying cry, but the lack of specificity in such mass encouragement can make it feel a little toothless. (Is the world waiting as eagerly for the guy who spent all second semester dozing through econ to hammer?) The best graduation speeches, I think, are the ones grounded in personal experience, the ones that ring not only sincere, but also profoundly felt. You may not be a Taylor Swift fan, but you knew she was speaking from her soul when she told N.Y.U.’s 2022 graduates: “Never be ashamed of trying. Effortlessness is a myth.” Yes! Anyone can see that Taylor Swift tries hard, that her success has come via fist-clenching, teeth-gritting effort. “The people who wanted it the least were the ones I wanted to date and be friends with in high school,” she continued. “The people who want it most are the people I now hire to work for my company.” If a billionaire is going to genuinely connect to an audience of debt-saddled grads, she has to show that she came by her wisdom honestly. She has to truly mean it. In George Saunders’s speech, he tells a story about a girl in his seventh-grade class who was “mostly ignored, occasionally teased,” and how he could tell this hurt her. He wasn’t mean to her, he says, but, 42 years on, he regretted that when he witnessed her suffering he responded “sensibly, reservedly, mildly.” The oft-quoted line is, “What I regret most in my life are failures of kindness,” but the line that I like even better is more direct: “What’s our problem? Why aren’t we kinder?” He goes on to propose some theories, and some solutions. I love this speech because it emerges from a relatable personal experience, and it dwells in specifics rather than conceptual oratory. Every person present has their own failures of kindness. Everyone present is implicated. The Sontag quote at the top of this newsletter is actually from a graduation speech she gave at Wellesley College in 1983. It has one more line that I love, that, if I must receive life advice via Instagram quote card, I would be delighted to see in my feed. She tells the graduates that the most useful suggestion she can make is that they go on being students for the rest of their lives, and then says, “Don’t move to a mental slum.” I don’t know exactly what that means, to move to a mental slum, but I find her admonition witty and hyperbolic and inarguably wise. And, like the most enduring speeches, it still has impact. Sontag wasn’t optimistic about the world into which her audience was graduating, but she felt it urgent that they not abandon their education when they exited the halls of knowledge. She concludes by telling them if they stop reading or looking at art or “whatever feeds your head now,” then they’re getting old. I think about this a lot — what feeds my head. And her sign-off was appropriately encouraging: “I wish you love. Courage. And fantasy.” I wish that for us, perpetual students all, no matter what we’re commencing this spring. One more thing: We’re hoping to retool this newsletter a bit, just to keep it fresh and incorporate all the great things The Times can do. If you have 15 minutes to spare, it would be great to hear what you like (and don’t like) about The Morning. Take our survey here. THE LATEST NEWS China Summit Kenny Holston/The New York Times After a two-day summit with Xi Jinping, President Trump appears to have entered a new era of conciliation with China. Trump said that he and Xi had discussed U.S. weapons sales to Taiwan — potentially testing Washington’s decades-old assurance to Taiwan that it wouldn’t “consult” with China on this sensitive topic. The president touted new deals to sell American-made airplanes, farm goods and other products to China, but details remain scarce. Politics The Supreme Court rejected an emergency request by Democrats in Virginia to keep in place a new map, approved by voters, that would have given their party an edge in House races. Colorado’s Democratic governor commuted the sentence of Tina Peters, a former county clerk and prominent 2020 election denier convicted of tampering with voting machines. Representative Steve Cohen, Tennessee’s last remaining Democratic congressman, announced his retirement after a Republican redistricting plan carved up his seat. The Trump administration is considering creating a $1.7 billion fund to compensate the president’s political allies who were investigated under the Biden administration. Navy SEALs escorted Kash Patel, the F.B.I. director, on a “V.I.P. Snorkel” swim near one of the military’s most sacred sites, the underwater tomb of the U.S.S. Arizona at Pearl Harbor. Iran War An Iran-backed militia commander was arrested and charged with plotting to attack Jewish sites in the U.S., including a New York synagogue. Trump’s aides have drafted plans for the U.S. military to resume strikes against Iran. Trump has said that Iran’s latest peace offer is unacceptable. Other Big Stories Raúl Castro, center, in a 2016 photo. Stephen Crowley/The New York Times Federal prosecutors in Miami are working on a possible indictment of Raúl Castro, the brother of Fidel, as the White House continues to increase pressure on Cuba. Harvey Weinstein’s New York rape trial ended in a mistrial after the jury was unable to reach a verdict. He has already been convicted in two other cases. THE WEEK IN CULTURE Film and TV The Times asked the “The Devil Wears Prada 2” director David Frankel to break down a scene featuring Meryl Streep and Anne Hathaway. The decline of late-night TV has been a long time coming. David Letterman spoke with The Times about the industry, the end of “The Late Show” and CBS’s new owners. This year’s Cannes Film Festival features relatively few American movies — which has made for an uncharacteristically quiet and un-star-studded event. Alissa Wilkinson, a Times film critic, reviews “Faces of Death,” a remake of a 1978 film by the same name that is often regarded as one of the first “viral videos.” Click below to watch. The New York Times Music The Eurovision song contest finals are tonight. Prediction markets and bookmakers have Finland as the favorite; Australia, Denmark, Greece and Israel are coming for the title, too. Drake, who has kept a low profile since his 2024 beef with Kendrick Lamar, released three albums on Friday: “Iceman,” his anticipated solo album, and the surprise companion albums “Habibti” and “Maid of Honour.” The London rooftop where the Beatles gave their final public performance will open to the public as a museum next year. More Culture Jeremie Souteyrat for The New York Times When King Charles III was crowned, the Royal Opera House sent his office an urgent inquiry: Do we need to get new curtains? Three years later, the time has finally come. Archaeologists in Egypt discovered a 2,000-year-old mummy who had been buried with a papyrus fragment of the “Iliad.” See how Nathan Lane, Taraji P. Henson, Daniel Radcliffe and other Tony nominees get ready for a Broadway performance. At the Park Avenue Armory, home to the art fair with the deepest roots in Europe, these five artists wooed our critic. The Times Sale ends soon: Expand your knowledge with our experts. Take advantage of our best offer and gain understanding and insight in every area of life. Just $1 a week for your first year of unlimited access to news, culture, cooking and more. RECIPE OF THE WEEK Ryan Liebe for The New York Times By Melissa Clark Smashed Beef Kebab With Cucumber Yogurt It’s almost grilling weather here in New York, and that makes me crave the smoky char of a good kebab. For those who don’t have grills — or if you’re not quite ready to dust yours off for the season — take a cue from Zainab Shah, who cooks her smashed beef kebab with cucumber yogurt in a cast-iron skillet on the stove. This means anyone can make her garlicky, Persian-inspired dish without stepping outside. It’s a lovely, easy meal — and our most popular recipe of 2025 — in which a tangy cucumber yogurt sauce adds a cooling contrast to the crisp nuggets of highly spiced meat. REAL ESTATE Jared Skolnick and Tracy Ellen Kamens. James Estrin/The New York Times The Hunt: Determined to downsize, two longtime Manhattanites looked north to the Bronx for an apartment with two or three bedrooms, a balcony, and maybe even a pool. What did they find? Play our game. What you get for $1.8 million: A cottage in Maine. A midcentury modern home in Los Angeles. An Arts & Crafts house near the University of Georgia. The Hamptons: Just how expensive is the haven for the ultrawealthy? Some brokers consider $20 million the low end of the market. T MAGAZINE Keerthana Kunnath; Tomoko Yoneda; Maxime Fossat Read the travel issue of T, The Times Style Magazine, out this weekend. LIVING The Star Train runs between Ely, Nev., and a remote desert stargazing platform. Nevada Northern Railway Railway meet Milky Way: Train journeys offer stargazers a trip into dark-sky territory. Burst of color: Enjoy your garden indoors by growing flowers that are meant to be cut and arranged. Words on wheels: A retiree’s desire to spread the joy of reading came to life as a traveling bookstore. ADVICE FROM WIRECUTTER The best way to pack Two words: packing cubes. They are an essential tool to pack faster and more efficiently. Over the years, we’ve figured out the best ways to use them to maximize space and keep clothes looking fresh. First, make a list of everything you want to bring, and then divide your clothes into groups. One simple method is to pack similar items, like underwear and socks, together in a cube. Or pack by outfit, especially if you’re going on a multi-leg trip. And as you start filling them, roll anything that won’t wrinkle, and fold all the clothes you want to keep tailored and crisp. — Claire Wilcox GAME OF THE WEEK Maverick McNealy is tied for the lead after two rounds, Michael Reaves/Getty Images The PGA Championship: The second of golf’s four majors is this weekend at Aronimink Golf Club, a course outside Philadelphia with sloping fairways and plenty of bunkers. The main attraction going into the tournament was Scottie Scheffler, the world No. 1, who had finished second in his past three events. He finished Day 1 tied for the lead, as many expected, but his early tee time yesterday forced him to play through some windy weather, and he dropped down the leaderboard. Two Americans, Maverick McNealy and Alex Smalley, now share the lead. (The Athletic’s Gabby Herzig has a great feature on Smalley’s mother, who used to be his caddie and still keeps his stats.) And keep an eye out for Chris Gotterup, who shot a tournament-best five-under yesterday; some experts have pegged him as the tour’s next big star. You can follow today’s action live at The Athletic, and watch on CBS starting at 1 p.m. Eastern, today and tomorrow. NOW TIME TO PLAY Here is today’s Spelling Bee. Yesterday’s pangrams were campaign, campaigning and camping. Take the news quiz to see how well you followed this week’s headlines. And here are today’s Mini Crossword, Wordle, Crossplay, Connections and Strands. Thanks for spending part of your weekend with The Times. — Melissa Sign up here to get this newsletter in your inbox. Reach our team at themorning@nytimes.com. Host: Sam Sifton Editor: Adam B. Kushner News Editor: Tom Wright-Piersanti Associate Editor: Lauren Jackson News Staff: Evan Gorelick, Brent Lewis, Lara McCoy, Karl Russell Saturday Writer: Melissa Kirsch Editorial Director, Newsletters: Jodi Rudoren 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 May 19 Author Members Posted May 19 May 17, 2026 Good morning. If college graduation has you stressing about finding a job, you’re not alone — especially this year. But the numbers aren’t all bad. We explain below. Commencement at Johns Hopkins University last year. KT Kanazawich for The New York Times School’s out By Evan Gorelick I’m a writer for The Morning. Gowns are on. Folding chairs are lined up on the quad. Graduates: Ready to begin the rest of your lives? This year, that question sounds like a dare. Neither the manicured grass nor the dignified tune of “Pomp and Circumstance” can mask the sour vibes. Inflation is accelerating. Hiring is glacial. Businesses are petrified by wars, tariffs and artificial intelligence. Gather the evidence, and the verdict seems clear: These poor graduates are screwed. A small army of internet essayists promotes this view, and young Americans subscribe to it. Just 43 percent view their job prospects positively — down from 75 percent in 2022. Pessimism rules. But is everything as bad as it seems? Held back In 1965, the Who sang “The Kids Are Alright.” Thirty years later, a California band called the Offspring recorded its own take, “The Kids Aren’t Alright.” For my generation, the second song is more resonant. Its title has become a Gen-Z rallying cry. We came of age during a recession and doom-scrolled through a pandemic. We were told that college was a shot at deliverance. If we worked hard, and if we could stomach the cost (or more often, if our parents could), then we’d reap long-term benefits. But for many, deliverance hasn’t come. As older Americans steered more teenagers to college, the job market for degree holders failed to keep pace. The employment rate has sagged to virtually the same dismal level for young adults with and without degrees. One data point captures the disappointment: For decades, fresh grads were less likely to be unemployed than the average worker. That’s not true anymore, according to the New York Fed. James Talarico delivering the commencement address at Paul Quinn College. Desiree Rios for The New York Times Commencement speakers are in the unenviable position of having to acknowledge these issues without bumming everyone out. The Morning analyzed 50 graduation speeches — half from this year, half from 2018 — to see how their messaging has changed. While many of the 2018 speeches focused on gender and racial inequality, this year’s focused more on generational inequality and grit. A third of the 2026 speakers explicitly mentioned “resilience,” but only one said that word in 2018. James Talarico, the Democratic Senate candidate in Texas, told graduates at Paul Quinn College this month that the economy simply isn’t built for Gen Z. “Young people can’t afford to buy a home,” he said. “Young people can’t afford to fill up their gas tank.” Brain fog When things get hectic, people tend to delay big decisions. Businesses do the same, which helps explain what’s happening in the labor market. “Think about young college grads like an investment: You pay now and you get the full benefit later,” David Deming, a Harvard economist and undergraduate dean, told me. “Companies are much less likely to make those investments when the environment is so uncertain.” Executives don’t know whether they’ll wake up to a huge trade deal with China or a complete decoupling. They don’t know whether energy prices will rise or fall. Throw A.I. into the mix, and things get even hazier. Experts can’t agree on how this technology might change the economy, but it menaces the white-collar professions that so many students were told to pursue. Commencement speakers this year couldn’t stop talking about it. Graduates understand the threat: When a speaker at the University of Central Florida called A.I. “the next industrial revolution,” they booed. High marks It’s easy to succumb to gloom, but the post-college job market isn’t all bad. Real wages have grown a lot — more than 13 percent since 2014. Young people enjoy higher incomes than their parents and grandparents did, even in fields exposed to A.I. In fact, people in those fields earn more than anybody else. “Graduates are still in a much better position than non-college workers, and this bears repeating early and often,” said Lisa Kahn, an economist at the University of Rochester. Young people are saddled with debt, which postpones wealth accumulation, but as they reach their late 20s, they’re getting much richer than previous generations did at the same age, according to data from the Fed. The average net worth for millennials and Gen Z at age 30 is around $118,000. For Gen X, after adjusting for inflation, it was $53,000. “In terms of earnings and income,” said Kevin Corinth, an economist who advised President Trump during his first term, “Gen Z is starting to pull away from previous generations.” For more Many graduates are resetting their ambitions in search of a first job. Some are working as servers and baristas, or in other positions that don’t require college degrees. The hiring process feels impenetrable. A.I. screening systems are reading applications — and rejecting them, many applicants suspect — without human input. As more graduates view themselves as underdogs, they are shifting to the political left. But the transformation is deeper. My colleague Jodi Kantor recently published a book offering advice to new college graduates. Here’s one of her tips for figuring out what career you might want to pursue: Look to your friends instead. Think about what roles you take on with them: math tutor, party planner, psychologist, workout coach. These answers often reveal truths that our résumés do not. In social relationships, we aren’t bound by suffocating expectations about our future. Our friends have needs, and by noticing how we respond to them, we can learn who we are. Read a longer excerpt here. THE LATEST NEWS Politics Senator Bill Cassidy of Louisiana Emily Kask for The New York Times Senator Bill Cassidy, a two-term Republican who voted to convict Trump in his 2021 impeachment trial, lost his primary race after Trump backed another candidate. A Senate official ruled that a Republican proposal to provide $1 billion for Trump’s White House ballroom cannot be included in a budget bill. Nearly 10 years after Congress passed measures to crack down on sexual harassment, lawmakers and aides say it’s still rampant. War in the Middle East An Israeli airstrike killed Hamas’s top leader in Gaza. Israel spent over a year preparing a secret base in Iraq to support attacks on Iran. The war with Iran has created an energy crisis for much of the world, but oil-producing countries outside the Persian Gulf — including the United States — are benefiting. Other Big Stories Trump said that U.S. and Nigerian forces had killed a top ISIS leader in an operation in Lake Chad. The World Health Organization declared an Ebola virus outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda a global health emergency. THE SUNDAY DEBATE Does the collapse of Spirit Airlines, a low-cost carrier, hurt consumers? Yes. Spirit Airlines was an affordable choice that increased price competition, making travel possible for the working and middle class. “For millions who flew Spirit, the cheaper fares made the difference between taking a family vacation or staying home,” The Miami Herald’s editorial board writes. No. Spirit had been a terrible business for years and deserved to die. “I’d like to remind Washington that capitalism, for the most part, works. Our economy is the envy of the world, and that’s due in no small part because it allows bad businesses to go south,” Steven Rattner writes for The Times. FROM OPINION Elite colleges like Stanford are at the vanguard of the A.I. cheating revolution, Theo Baker writes. Here’s his dispatch from the first graduating class of the ChatGPT era. The Trump administration’s missed opportunities might be even worse than its mistakes, E.J. Dionne Jr. writes. Here’s a column by Ross Douthat on the power balance between the United States and China. The Times Sale ends soon: Expand your knowledge with our experts. Take advantage of our best offer and gain understanding and insight in every area of life. Just $1 a week for your first year of unlimited access to news, culture, cooking and more. MORNING READS The reporter Susan Saulny as a child with family members in New Orleans. Worlds apart: In the 1920s, a young Black man who could pass for white left his darker-skinned brother in New Orleans and headed to Chicago. A hundred years later, a reporter unraveled her family’s secret. A strange alliance: Scientists have derided MAHA for its anti-vaccine efforts. But when it comes to antidepressants, the two sides seem closer in alignment. SPORTS N.H.L.: There’s been no home-ice advantage in the playoff series between the Buffalo Sabres and the Montreal Canadiens. Buffalo scored seven consecutive goals Saturday en route to an 8-3 Game 6 victory in Montreal. Game 7 is in Buffalo on Monday. N.F.L.: The quarterback Aaron Rodgers has agreed to play another year with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Here’s a breakdown of the implications for the team. BOOK OF THE WEEK By Elisabeth Egan “The Calamity Club” by Kathryn Stockett: In this long-awaited follow-up to “The Help,” Stockett tracks a plucky orphan and a resourceful spinster doing whatever it takes to survive the Great Depression in Mississippi. Both yearn for family and find it in unexpected places. One devises an ingenious plan to open a brothel with a “slapped-together band of misfits,” while the other proves unsinkable under the most trying circumstances. At more than 600 pages, “The Calamity Club” is a commitment — but, as our reviewer wrote, “It’s all about plot, baby.” For more: Read our full review, and about Stockett’s 17-year journey since her last book. THE INTERVIEW Philip Montgomery for The New York Times By Lulu Garcia-Navarro This week’s subject for The Interview is Maine’s presumptive Democratic Senate nominee, Graham Platner, a progressive 41-year-old military vet and oyster farmer who is pitching a working-class revolution. He is poised to take on the incumbent, Susan Collins, in November. You grew up in a small town, didn’t graduate college, became a bartender. But also your father was an attorney, your grandfather was a Cornell-educated architect, quite well known. How do you think about class? Is working-class how you grew up or how you live now? I work with my hands. I don’t make a lot of money. My wife and I work incredibly hard and we probably make, like, $60,000 a year combined. We don’t have money left over. We’re not saving for retirement. I was lucky. I got to buy my house in 2017, and I could not afford my house today. My house has gone up almost three times in value. Do you have family money? My father gave me the mortgage, except, of course, because he’s my dad and he’s an attorney, he gave me a significantly higher interest rate than the bank would have. I could have used a V.A. home loan if I had wanted to, but at that point it was just easier to do it that way. But I could never get that today because I couldn’t afford the monthly mortgage if it was three times what it is. My income hasn’t gone up three times. But you know, in this day and age, you are working class if you make your money from work and wages. The world of wealth disparity has become so intense that there are just so many people now who are sitting on so much money who do not work. They make money off their investments. I know it’s an expansive definition of “working class,” but I think you need to have an expansive definition when we have the most expansive margin of wealth inequality in the history of the country. Read more of the interview here. Or watch a longer version on YouTube. THE NEW YORK TIMES MAGAZINE Lisette Poole for The New York Times Read this week’s magazine. THE MORNING RECOMMENDS … Watch the singer Dara perform “Bangaranga.” The act gave Bulgaria its first win in the Eurovision Song Contest. Get more exercise by approaching your workouts with an “all or something” mind-set. Read one of these sci-fi and fantasy novels that speak to our world today, picked by the best-selling author Vaishnavi Patel. Try milk-scented perfumes — they’re all the rage. MEAL PLAN Ryan Liebe for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Monica Pierini. Prop Stylist: Megan Hedgpeth. It’s that time of year when every activity you signed up for in September culminates in a swirling beehive of tournaments, recitals and ceremonies. But you — and all of your people — still need to eat. NYT Cooking’s Margaux Laskey asked food writers for advice. They came back with seven delicious recipes, including cream cheese ramen, and halloumi and sweet potato tacos. The best part? All of them can be whipped up in 20 minutes or less. NOW TIME TO PLAY Here is today’s Spelling Bee. Yesterday’s pangrams were pantheon, phaeton and phonate. Can you put eight historical events — including the inspiration for the marathon, the beginning of Hershey’s chocolates and the creation of the first artificial big toe — in chronological order? Take this week’s Flashback quiz. And here are today’s Mini Crossword, Wordle, Crossplay, 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. Host: Sam Sifton Editor: Adam B. Kushner News Editor: Tom Wright-Piersanti Associate Editor: Lauren Jackson News Staff: Evan Gorelick, Brent Lewis, Lara McCoy, Karl Russell Saturday Writer: Melissa Kirsch Editorial Director, Newsletters: Jodi Rudoren 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 May 19 Author Members Posted May 19 May 18, 2026 By Sam Sifton Good morning. Let’s talk about what happens when countries say they’re going to stop shooting at each other. The site of an Israeli airstrike in Beirut’s southern suburbs this month. Daniel Berehulak/The New York Times Fragile peaces There was a three-day truce last week in the Russia-Ukraine war. A cease-fire in the Iran war continues, though President Trump said it was on “massive life support.” Israel and Hezbollah are still firing on each other despite their cease-fire. Nothing seems to move the needle toward peace. Cease-fires in the age of Trump “have become a tool of performative diplomacy, stand-alone commodities used to manage media cycles while the machinery of war grinds along,” writes Marc Santora, who covers the Ukraine war. A cease-fire looks like peace, and it’s good for headlines. And it’s better when fewer people die. But it doesn’t solve the underlying conflict. And is peace even the goal for leaders in these conflicts? Linda Kinstler wrote about that for The New York Times Magazine last year. By using cease-fires, she asked, “have world leaders avoided difficult conversations about the origins of wars and the possibility of justice, and left the entire world less stable?” Peace on the ground? So how seriously should we take these stopgaps? I asked Marc if cease-fires were helping in Ukraine. Here’s what he told me: Ukrainian soldiers training in April. Brendan Hoffman for The New York Times The fighting at the front never stopped, and at midnight Monday, as the truce technically expired, Russia resumed its bombardments of towns and cities across Ukraine. Ukraine also resumed its strikes aimed at the Russian oil industry and military production facilities. Russia’s bombardments often combine attacks on military targets with strikes aimed at purely civilian targets. It blew up an apartment building in Kyiv last week and by Friday, rescue workers had recovered the bodies of at least 24 people, including two children. Same as it ever was. Dread continues in Israel, where I tracked down David Halbfinger, our Jerusalem bureau chief. Life there is precarious right now, he said: In Israel and Gaza, it’s hard to talk about cease-fires with a straight face, or at least without an ironic tone, given that Israeli airstrikes are killing Palestinians almost every day in Gaza, Hezbollah drones are targeting Israeli soldiers and one Israeli division said it killed 60 Hezbollah militants in Lebanon just over the past week. There may not be Iranian missiles hitting Israel, and Israelis in the center and south of the country may not be running to shelters. But for all anyone knows that could change even before you publish this newsletter. I’m sure everyone prefers this to whatever a war would be by comparison, but it ain’t peace, either. Israeli strikes on a building in central Gaza on Friday. Saher Alghorra for The New York Times Euan Ward, who lives in Beirut and covers Lebanon, spoke in a similar vein: Lebanon’s cease-fire exists mostly on paper. In the south, I can hear the fighter jets roaring overhead and the thud of Israeli airstrikes in the distance, while evacuation warnings for entire towns remain a daily occurrence. On the country’s highways, there is always the fear that a nearby vehicle could be hit. Even in Beirut, the Lebanese capital, the constant whir of Israeli surveillance drones punctuates a fragile sense of normalcy. Lebanese authorities say hundreds of people have been killed since the truce took effect. Hezbollah, meanwhile, continues to broadcast propaganda videos of attacks on Israeli forces, including drone footage with a macabre, almost Hollywood-like quality. This is not a war that feels over. It seems like wars don’t end any longer, and cease-fires don’t stick, Linda wrote. They become permanent only “if they are accompanied by real political compromises from both sides. Otherwise, the brief reprieve they deliver may turn out to be hardly a reprieve at all.” THE LATEST NEWS Politics In Washington. Alex Kent for The New York Times Thousands gathered on the National Mall for a daylong rally that blended Christian prayer with political speech, an assembly Trump said was a chance to “rededicate America as one nation under God.” Trump’s approval rating hit a new low for his second term in the latest New York Times/Siena poll. More than 100,000 children, about three quarters of them likely U.S. citizens, have been separated from their parents under Trump’s immigration crackdown, a report found. Around the World Greenland: During confidential talks with officials from Denmark and Greenland, the United States is pushing for a much bigger role there in the future. Taiwan: Officials emphasized the island’s strategic importance after Trump suggested a weapons deal could be a “negotiating chip” with China. Turkey: The government is offering incentives to get people to have more babies. Couples mostly aren’t interested. ASK THE MORNING What’s the status of the “new” Air Force One? | Cleo Reilly | Hartford, Connecticut Eric Lipton, an investigative reporter in Washington, replies: Trump has watched with frustration as a Boeing project to replace the two jets used as Air Force One has dragged. (They won’t be ready until at least 2028.) So the Air Force is rushing to retrofit a luxury jet that the Qatari government donated by this summer, as a temporary stand-in. An Air Force spokeswoman declined to say how much it would cost — it is at least $400 million. The plane has been inspected to find hidden devices that might be used to spy on the president, and it needs to be painted with a new design Trump picked out. It’s unclear what typical protective measures — such as hardening the electrical systems against the pulse from a nuclear attack — the Air Force might decide to do without. What is certain: It will have high-end luxury accommodations Trump covets, since it was originally built for the Qatari royal family. OPINIONS The key to making housing affordable? The numbers are clear, the editorial board writes: We’ve got to build more of it. Tech workers understand the danger of A.I. If they band together, they can do something about it, Kate Andrias writes. Here are columns by Lydia Polgreen on Trump’s misunderstanding of power and David French on a Republican who stood up to Trump. The Times Sale ends soon: Expand your knowledge with our experts. Take advantage of our best offer and gain understanding and insight in every area of life. Just $1 a week for your first year of unlimited access to news, culture, cooking and more. MORNING READS Inside an oyster hut in Japan. Noriko Hayashi for The New York Times On the half-shell: In parts of Japan, spring begins when pop-up shops known as kakigoya appear. People put on colorful plastic ponchos and gather to eat oysters straight from the water. Chick bait: Birding apps are attracting avian enthusiasts to Colombia, which is home to the most species of birds known to ornithologists. Loyal losers: Would-be authoritarians rely on mediocre employees to maintain power, research found. Your pick: The most clicked link in The Morning yesterday was the story of an American family’s secret. Metropolitan Diary: Best slice ever. TODAY’S NUMBER 35 — That is the number of crimes listed as racketeering offenses in the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, RICO. They include gambling, murder, arson, drug dealing, kidnapping and bribery. G. Robert Blakey, the principal author of the 1970 law, died this month. He was 90. SPORTS Golf: Aaron Rai won the P.G.A. Championship, the first Englishman to do so in over a century. Rai wears rain gloves and puts covers on his irons. Here’s the back story on his quirks. N.B.A.: The Detroit Pistons’ dream season withered away with a 125-94 loss at home to the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semifinals. The Cavaliers advance to the Eastern conference finals for the first time since 2018. They will face the New York Knicks. Soccer: The superstar Kylian Mbappé suggested France’s far-right National Rally party was a threat to the country, reigniting a debate over the role of sports in politics. RECIPE OF THE DAY Linda Xiao for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Monica Pierini. Prop Stylist: Sophia Eleni Pappas. Dan dan noodles are a terrific snack or side dish, but a dan dan noodle salad is an excellent meal. Hetty Lui McKinnon’s recipe brings baby bok choy and corn into the mix, but I generally go with mushrooms and sugar snap peas. You could add tofu, too, or crumbled, stir-fried ground pork. Or both! It’s a salad. Bring to it what you like. The dressing can handle all comers, I promise. THE SURVIVOR Peter Gelb on the opening night of “Tristan und Isolde.” Ryan Lowry for The New York Times Peter Gelb has been the general manager of the Metropolitan Opera in New York for nearly two decades, at a precarious time. Artistic successes have been accompanied by financial hardships — most recently a $30 million shortfall after Saudi Arabia pulled out of a plan to give $200 million. “But as he finishes his 19th season,” writes Adam Nagourney, who covers classical music, “Gelb conveys confidence that he will again find a way to save the opera house that he said he always dreamed he would run.” He’s bold, I’ll give him that. He’s looking for a billionaire to pony up $1 billion. He’d sell naming rights to the opera house. “I am trying to be as entrepreneurial as possible,” he said. “That’s my upbringing and my pedigree.” More on culture At the Louvre Museum, the Mona Lisa is getting a room of her own. Matt Dillon’s a painter, too? He has a solo show up in New York. Check it out. THE MORNING RECOMMENDS Gianni Cipriano for The New York Times Spend 36 hours on Italy’s Amalfi Coast — or take a few minutes to daydream about it. Notify your next of kin from the afterlife, with the help of this end-of-life project kit the undertakers at Wirecutter dug up. It’s kind of cool? ⚰️ Embrace your authentic (and eccentric) self. (Maybe that’s just me.) Take our news quiz. GAMES Here is today’s Spelling Bee. Yesterday’s pangrams were cartload and doctoral. And here are today’s Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections, Crossplay and Strands. Thanks for spending part of your morning with The Times and me. See you tomorrow. — Sam Sign up here to get this newsletter in your inbox. Reach our team at themorning@nytimes.com. Host: Sam Sifton Editor: Adam B. Kushner News Editor: Tom Wright-Piersanti Associate Editor: Lauren Jackson News Staff: Evan Gorelick, Brent Lewis, Lara McCoy, Karl Russell Saturday Writer: Melissa Kirsch Editorial Director, Newsletters: Jodi Rudoren 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 May 20 Author Members Posted May 20 May 19, 2026 By Sam Sifton Good morning. Today’s a big one for primary elections across the country, with voters heading to the polls in Alabama, Georgia, Idaho, Kentucky, Oregon and Pennsylvania. If you’ll forgive a sports analogy, it’s like a series of playoff games. The championship — control of Congress — is in November. Let’s start there. Representative Thomas Massie campaigning in Kentucky last week. Michael Swensen for The New York Times Map quests History tells us that the party in power generally loses congressional seats in midterm elections. Yesterday’s New York Times/Siena poll showed that Democrats should be in a good position to pick some up. Democrats had an 11-point lead when registered voters were asked which party’s candidate they would support for Congress — well ahead of where voters ranked Democrats earlier in this cycle, writes Nate Cohn, our chief political analyst. Currently, Republicans hold narrow majorities in both the House and the Senate. Democrats need to gain three seats in the House and four seats in the Senate to flip control of Congress. And polling is an important bellwether for their chances. But congressional maps can confound voter sentiment and polarize races, as these charts from my colleague Ashley Wu show. For Democrats in particular, they pose a problem. A month ago, the party expected a blue wave. Then the Supreme Court said a new congressional map in Louisiana, drawn to protect Black representation in Congress, was an unconstitutional racial gerrymander. After that, Republican-led states across the South went to work. Louisiana is crafting a new map. Florida drew one aimed at getting rid of four seats that leaned toward Democrats. Tennessee designed one that would give Republicans an additional seat. Voters in California and Virginia opted to go in the other direction, authorizing their leaders to draw maps that would create new Democratic seats. The Supreme Court in Virginia threw out that state’s measure — and four seats for the left — early this month. Ashley Wu The Trump loyalty test One race to watch closely today is the Republican primary in Kentucky, where Representative Thomas Massie, who has clashed with President Trump, is trying to keep his seat against Ed Gallrein, a challenger backed by the president. Kentucky has an unpredictable political landscape, Reid Epstein reported. It’s a deep-red state with a Democratic governor. One of its senators is an insider’s insider, Mitch McConnell, who is retiring. The other is Rand Paul, an outsider libertarian. Reid’s just terrific: Ever since Daniel Boone crossed the Cumberland Gap into what is now Kentucky, the state has served as an incubator for colorful figures who stand out for their quirks, their rejection of party orthodoxy and their national success despite long odds. Massie and Gallrein fit right into that tradition. Will voters prefer their incumbent — a libertarian-leaning maverick — or vote instead for a MAGA-aligned former Navy SEAL with a huge war chest and no experience in holding office? (Yesterday, in an unusual move, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth traveled to Kentucky to stump for Gallrein.) The result in the race, already one of the costliest this year, will be a referendum on loyalty to Trump, Robert Draper wrote. Republicans would see a Gallrein victory as evidence that the president’s hold over the party remains absolute, he said. (On Saturday, Senator Bill Cassidy of Louisiana lost his Republican primary after Trump backed Cassidy’s challenger. Cassidy, the party’s loudest vaccine defender, had voted to convict Trump in his impeachment trial five years ago.) Massie, of course, hopes he’ll hold on. “You can send him a message,” Massie said at a campaign event last week, talking about the president. “He needs to work with me because I ain’t going anywhere.” More on today’s primaries: There are crowded races for governor in Georgia and senator in Alabama. And in Pennsylvania, a tight House contest has united the left and center flanks of the Democratic Party. Reid explains all those races, and more, here. MOSQUE SHOOTING Outside the Islamic Center of San Diego yesterday. John Francis Peters for The New York Times Three men were killed yesterday outside a San Diego mosque, and two suspected shooters — both teenagers — were found dead in a nearby car along with anti-Islamic writing, officials said. Both suspects appeared to have shot themselves. Two hours before the shooting, the mother of one suspect warned the police that her teenage son was suicidal and had gone missing with a companion, along with her vehicle and several weapons. The call set off a frantic, but ultimately unsuccessful, effort to find them. One of the victims was a security guard who may have prevented a more deadly massacre by intervening, the authorities said. Here’s the latest on the shooting. THE LATEST NEWS OpenAI Trial A jury in California rejected Elon Musk’s lawsuit against OpenAI and its C.E.O., Sam Altman, because he failed to file the suit within the three-year statute of limitations. Musk had sought $150 billion in damages, changes to OpenAI’s business model and the removal of Altman from the company’s board of directors. His lawyers say they will appeal. Here are our reporter’s takeaways from the trial. Politics The Justice Department announced a $1.776 billion fund to compensate people who say they were targeted by the Biden administration, which could send taxpayer money to Trump’s allies. The top lawyer at the Treasury Department resigned after the announcement. (The department is responsible for depositing the money into the fund.) War in Iran Trump said he had authorized a new wave of attacks against Iran this week, but that he was holding off after three Gulf leaders requested more time to negotiate a nuclear deal. An oil slick caused by a strike on a refinery during the war has reached one of Iran’s most important nature reserves. Videos show birds, turtles and crabs trapped inside mounds of tar. Immigration State prosecutors charged an ICE agent with assault in the January shooting of a Venezuelan immigrant in Minneapolis. Deportations are costing American-born construction workers jobs. Trump moved ahead with plans to allow 10,000 more white South Africans into the United States as refugees. Around the World In Congo, the center of a new Ebola outbreak. Victoire Mukenge/Reuters Congo: Ebola raged for weeks before anyone raised the alarm about the outbreak. The head of the W.H.O. said he was deeply concerned as the number of cases rises. Japan: The police detained two Americans after one entered the enclosure of Punch the monkey, a social media darling known for cradling a stuffed toy. India: The U.S. Embassy put Trump’s portrait on motorized rickshaws as part of a campaign to celebrate America’s 250th birthday. Anindito Mukherjee for The New York Times Other Big Stories Transit officials and union leaders reached a deal to end the Long Island Rail Road strike, which froze the nation’s busiest passenger rail service for several days. Mark Fuhrman, a Los Angeles detective who was the star witness in the O.J. Simpson murder trial until the defense team used his past racist language to discredit him, died at 74. STATE WITHIN A STATE Lazaro Gamio/The New York Times A secretive organization known as GAESA controls much of Cuba’s economy. Run by the military, it owns high-end hotels and tourist attractions, gas stations, supermarkets, the island’s only internet provider and a major commercial bank. The Castro family helps control it, and military leaders take home most of the profits. While Cuba often blames American sanctions for its financial problems, GAESA has a big role, too. Read about this secretive organization, whose finances do not appear on the government’s budget. OPINIONS The New York Times Who should run California? The Times brought together a panel of experts to guide voters through the issues driving the governor’s election. The Supreme Court needs term limits, Jesse Wegman writes, and Clarence Thomas’s 35-year tenure explains why. Here’s a column by Michelle Goldberg on why young Americans hate A.I. enough to boo it. The Times Sale ends soon: Expand your knowledge with our experts. Take advantage of our best offer and gain understanding and insight in every area of life. Just $1 a week for your first year of unlimited access to news, culture, cooking and more. MORNING READS A drilling site in Quebec. Ian Willms for The New York Times Digging deep: Clean-burning hydrogen could replace many fossil fuels, if there were enough of it. Some companies are looking underground to extract more. By the book: Stamped. Stickered. Barcoded. What does it take for new volumes to reach the library? Your pick: The most clicked link in The Morning yesterday was about Trump’s low approval rating. TODAY’S NUMBER 1999 — That is the last year that the New York Knicks made it to the N.B.A. finals. Will they make it back this year? Their Eastern Conference series, against the Cleveland Cavaliers, begins tonight. SPORTS Victor Wembanyama Alonzo Adams/Imagn Images, via Reuters N.B.A.: Victor Wembanyama joined playoff royalty with 41 points and 24 rebounds in the San Antonio Spurs’ 122-115 double-overtime win over the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 1 of the Western Conference finals. N.H.L.: The Montreal Canadiens won their Eastern Conference semifinals series against the Buffalo Sabres after Alex Newhook scored in overtime for a 3-2 victory in Game 7. RECIPE OF THE DAY Nico Schinco for The New York Times Genevieve Ko’s recipe for ginger-scallion chicken and rice draws inspiration from the classic Hainanese chicken rice, but isn’t quite so fussy or complicated. You can and should make it on a weeknight, with some quickly wok-fried string beans on the side. FEAR FACTOR Naomi Ackie Siân Davey Meet Naomi Ackie, the British actress who’s heading, she hopes, toward a breakout this year, with powerful roles in Boots Riley’s “I Love Boosters” and DC Studios’ “Clayface.” “Acting doesn’t scare me right now,” she told T Magazine. “I like feeling a little scared.” More on culture Jesmyn Ward has a new book of essays out, “On Witness and Respair.” I liked Dwight Garner’s review. On Ward’s writing about blue-collar Black life in the South, he says, “She keeps everyone in the frame, and deals out facts and impressions so deftly that she makes you recall Saul Bellow’s comment that a fact is a wire through which one sends a current.” Drake dropped his long anticipated album “Iceman” last week, alongside two surprise other albums: “Habibti” and “Maid of Honour.” The Popcast team broke down all three on their podcast. Late night hosts wondered what Trump brought back from China. THE MORNING RECOMMENDS The Riverwalk luxury residential complex in London. James Veysey/Shutterstock Listen to Patrick Radden Keefe read his latest book, “London Falling,” about the mysterious death of a young man who pretended to be someone he was not, and his parents’ attempts to discover what happened before he jumped off a balcony into the Thames. Annoyingly, Keefe’s not just a good writer. The audio version’s magnetic. Protect yourself from melanoma with these expert tips. (Sunscreen, obvs.) Replace your sheets with one of the sets recommended by Wirecutter. You’ll go to sleep feeling like a million bucks for quite a bit less than that. 🛏️😴 GAMES Here is today’s Spelling Bee. Yesterday’s pangram was chutzpah. And here are today’s Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections, Crossplay and Strands. Thanks for spending part of your morning with The Times and me. See you tomorrow. — Sam Sign up here to get this newsletter in your inbox. Reach our team at themorning@nytimes.com. Host: Sam Sifton Editor: Adam B. Kushner News Editor: Tom Wright-Piersanti Associate Editor: Lauren Jackson News Staff: Evan Gorelick, Brent Lewis, Lara McCoy, Karl Russell Saturday Writer: Melissa Kirsch Editorial Director, Newsletters: Jodi Rudoren 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 May 21 Author Members Posted May 21 May 20, 2026 By Sam Sifton Good morning. It was a big night for President Trump. His acolytes won Republican primaries across the country. There’s more below, including news about prehistoric dentistry. But first: There’s something you should know about me. Kelsey McClellan for The New York Times Who’s writing this? “The Future of Truth” is the title of a new book about what artificial intelligence is doing to veracity. Steven Rosenbaum, its author, used artificial intelligence to help him research, write and edit. You can probably guess what happened next. The Times took a close look at the book and found more than a half-dozen misattributed or completely made-up quotes concocted by A.I., including one stemwinder from the tech journalist Kara Swisher. It wasn’t just wrong, Swisher said, but “I also sound like I have a stick up my butt.” Rosenbaum acknowledged the delusions, telling our reporter that if the hallucination “serves as a warning about the risks of A.I.-assisted research and verification, that is why I wrote the book.” Times readers are having a field day in the comments: Z Zeta Atlanta The AI that I used to write a book about AI making mistakes made mistakes. It’s like a sitcom B plot. View all comments You can’t trust the machines — not always, not often. Of course, they’re getting better. Yes, they’ll make many things easier. (Yesterday, Google announced that it will overhaul the search bar it has used for the past 25 years to accommodate longer, more complex questions answered by A.I. Say, “Explain the theory of relativity to me as if I were a child.”) But they’re also changing life in uncomfortable ways, altering our relationship with truth and just generally disorientating people: That car on the road next to me has no driver. That’s one reason graduating students at the University of Arizona last week booed their commencement speaker, the former Google leader Eric Schmidt. He had been talking about the vast promise of A.I. to transform the world through technology. Graduates didn’t want to hear it. Job security If the future of truth is scary, so is the future of jobs. China seems to understand that. Its courts are trying to balance widespread A.I. adoption with the unemployment it may bring about, my colleague Catie Edmondson reports. One precedent-setting decision recently said that an employee couldn’t be fired after he’d been replaced by software. China is an A.I. leader, but it also has a high youth unemployment rate — about 17 percent. Some 200 million people work gig-economy jobs. Folks are worried. Robots will eventually own the gig economy. In Shanghai last year. Qilai Shen for The New York Times The court rulings reflect the government’s worries, too: “Despite being an authoritarian country, the Chinese government is actually very attentive to what people are thinking and feeling and saying on the internet, and they feel like they need to respond,” one researcher told Catie. China’s not alone in wrestling with the problem. Officials in Japan, South Korea and Britain have proposed versions of a universal basic income for workers displaced by technology: a replacement for the salary they used to earn, courtesy of the government. There will be a lot of them. All too human One of the great pleasures of writing The Morning is the newsletter’s inbox. It groans most days with emails from readers expressing thanks, annoyance, interest, praise or anger, sometimes a lovely combination of all five. Reading the notes often makes me think of Nick Cave: “I hold this letter in my hand/A plea, a petition, a kind of prayer.” A lot of the mail concerns artificial intelligence. Some write to express relief that we’re not bots. (Yeah: me, too.) Some, like Dan Robbins of Tucson, Arizona, are worried we might be: I can only hope you are not AI or AI-aided as it’s not so easy to tell these days, especially with as upbeat as you seem to be. It is so sad I must be suspicious of everything I read. After a typo, another reader told me that he wonders “if you are relying too heavily on AI-generated editing.” My answer: We make those mistakes on our own, thank you. The team that delivers this newsletter — you can find their names on the masthead below — doesn’t use artificial intelligence to write or edit. I want to be clear about that here in your inbox. The Morning is built by humans, for humans. We may use A.I. to find information we verify elsewhere. We may use it for editorial chores, giving us time back for more reporting. We definitely use it to help us out at home, trying to figure out how to fix the damn air-conditioner. But the thought-making and question-asking and deep reading and writing that follow are tasks performed by journalists free of chips. The Times outlines its A.I. principles here. I write fueled by adrenaline and fear of errors. And I promise you that will never change. THE ‘ANTI-WEAPONIZATION’ FUND Todd Blanche Kenny Holston/The New York Times We learned more yesterday about the Trump administration’s plan to compensate people who claim to have been victimized by Democratic administrations, as Todd Blanche, the acting attorney general, went before Congress and defended the $1.8 billion program. President Trump gets some immunity. The deal that created the fund also settled a lawsuit Trump had filed against the I.R.S. after someone leaked his tax returns. (I.R.S. lawyers initially had tried to contest Trump’s lawsuit, drafting a 25-page document outlining what they saw as flaws in his argument.) As part of the settlement, the agency is barred from auditing Trump, his family or his businesses. Jan. 6 rioters may get paid. Vice President JD Vance, asked about the program, said he could not rule out that people convicted of assaulting police officers during the attack at the Capitol might receive payments from the fund. Rioters were enthusiastic about the idea. Blanche promises “full transparency.” He told lawmakers, “I very much anticipate that the claims that are awarded — the basis and the amount — will for sure be made public along the way.” Democrats slammed the project. Senator Patty Murray of Washington called it “corruption that has never been more blatant or more widespread.” ELECTION RESULTS Tuesday was Primary Day in six states. On the Republican side, it was another strong showing for candidates that Trump favored. Some results: Kentucky: Representative Thomas Massie, an outspoken Republican critic of the president, lost his re-election bid to a Trump-backed challenger. And Representative Andy Barr, endorsed by Trump, won the Republican primary for the Senate seat being vacated by Mitch McConnell. Georgia: Keisha Lance Bottoms, a former mayor of Atlanta, won the crowded Democratic primary for governor. The Republican race will proceed to a runoff between a billionaire health care executive, Rick Jackson, and the Trump-backed lieutenant governor, Burt Jones. Pennsylvania: In a Republican-held House district that Democrats think they can flip, voters picked Bob Brooks, a firefighter and union leader backed by the party’s moderates and liberals, as the challenger. See more primary results, including from Oregon, Alabama and Idaho. And read our reporters’ takeaways from the big races. THE LATEST NEWS More on Politics Ken Paxton Desiree Rios for The New York Times Trump endorsed Ken Paxton, a scandal-struck MAGA ally, over the veteran Senator John Cornyn in Texas’ Republican Senate primary, a week before the election. The South Carolina House of Representatives passed a congressional map that aims to eliminate the seat now held by James Clyburn, a powerful Black Democrat. War in Iran The United States and Israel went into the war with a secret plan: to replace the supreme leader with a former Iranian president previously known for extreme anti-Israel and anti-American views. Here’s how that went awry. The U.S. military pays $4 million for a missile that shoots down a $35,000 Iranian drone. This kind of disparity isn’t new. So why doesn’t the Pentagon seek out cheaper weapons? Around the World In Tuapse, Russia, last month. Vantor, via Reuters Russia: Ukraine’s strikes on refineries are creating an ecological disaster along the Black Sea coast, with oil-laden rain and towering clouds of smoke. Greenland: Trump’s envoy offered local kids MAGA hats and chocolate chip cookies. They weren’t interested. Other Big Stories A woman died after stepping out of her car in Midtown Manhattan and plunging into an open manhole. Early reviews of the Semi truck, Tesla’s new electric tractor-trailer, suggest it could be a much-needed hit for the company. OPINIONS Higher education is in crisis, writes Michal Leibowitz. Fixing it might take work — specifically, farm work. Here are columns by Ross Douthat on what sports fandom teaches us about religious decline and Thomas Friedman on three factions of the Republican Party. The Times Sale ends soon: Expand your knowledge with our experts. Take advantage of our best offer and gain understanding and insight in every area of life. Just $1 a week for your first year of unlimited access to news, culture, cooking and more. MORNING READS Sam Youkilis for The New York Times A pasta pilgrimage: Travelers flock to northern Sardinia to try su filindeu, “the threads of God.” This pasta shape is considered the rarest of the more than 350 officially recognized in Italy. Another Giuliani: Andrew, the son of Rudy and a longtime Trump loyalist, is overseeing the World Cup next month. It’s a big promotion. Your pick: The most clicked link in The Morning yesterday was a recommendation for sheets. TODAY’S NUMBER 59,000 — That is how many years ago a Neanderthal endured the first known root canal. The discovery of a drilled-out tooth in a Stone Age cave in southern Siberia pushed back the earliest evidence of dentistry by more than 40,000 years. Read more about the gruesome procedure. Those hominins were tough! SPORTS N.B.A.: The New York Knicks were down 22 points against the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals. Then Jalen Brunson got to work. He scored 15 in the fourth quarter as the Knicks rallied, winning 115-104 in overtime. Tennis: Carlos Alcaraz, a two-time Wimbledon champion, will miss this year’s tournament with a wrist injury. RECIPE OF THE DAY Linda Xiao for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Monica Pierini. This is my favorite recipe for hummus, and it takes only about five minutes. Trowel it onto plates and top with shredded rotisserie chicken mixed with sliced red onion and lemon juice. Also with fat coins of eggplant dredged in cornstarch and shallow-fried in oil. With sliced pickles. With mint. With pomegranate seeds. I did that last night and served the meal with warm pita. The whole thing came together in under an hour. THE ARTS Stanford University. Noah Berger/Reuters Theo Baker’s first book, “How to Rule the World: An Education in Power at Stanford University,” is out this week. (Baker’s not. He’s still a student there.) Anand Giridharadas reviewed it for us, and it’s a great read: If America is the most powerful country on earth, and Silicon Valley the most powerful place in that country, and Stanford the most powerful institution in that place, and a secretive network of students and adult hangers-on there the hub of influence on campus (I know that’s a lot of ifs, but let me finish), then here lies the rapacious, awkward center of the world. “Taiwan Travelogue,” a love story depicted as a rediscovery from the 1930s, won the International Booker Prize, the major British award for fiction translated into English. Written by Yang Shuang-zi and translated by Lin King, it’s the first book originally in Mandarin to win the prize, and the first by a Taiwanese author. Our review. THE MORNING RECOMMENDS In a memorable “Saturday Night Live” sketch this season, a woman (Ashley Padilla, with Tommy Brennan and Jane Wickline) reconsidered her support for President Trump. Will Heath/NBC, via Getty Images Binge your way through the best of “Saturday Night Live” Season 51. Take our poison ivy and oak quiz and learn to protect yourself from rash this summer. (Here’s a hint: If you see leaves of three, let it be.) Build your own outdoor movie theater. It’s easier and less expensive than you’d think. I’m thinking “Crooklyn,” in Brooklyn, on my roof. GAMES Here is today’s Spelling Bee. Yesterday’s pangrams were outpolled and polluted. And here are today’s Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections, Crossplay and Strands. Thanks for spending part of your morning with The Times and me. See you tomorrow. — Sam Sign up here to get this newsletter in your inbox. Reach our team at themorning@nytimes.com. Host: Sam Sifton Editor: Adam B. Kushner News Editor: Tom Wright-Piersanti Associate Editor: Lauren Jackson News Staff: Evan Gorelick, Brent Lewis, Lara McCoy, Karl Russell Saturday Writer: Melissa Kirsch Editorial Director, Newsletters: Jodi Rudoren 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 May 22 Author Members Posted May 22 May 21, 2026 By Sam Sifton Good morning. The Trump administration is ramping up pressure on Cuba. And we’re learning more about the $1.8 billion fund. We have more below, including a wonderful obituary for Barney Frank. But before we get to it, I’d like to introduce Adam Kushner, my editor. He’s going to tell you about Democrats fighting with Democrats and Republicans fighting with Republicans. Voters in Independence, Ky., on Tuesday. Maddie McGarvey for The New York Times Beyond belief By Adam B. Kushner Here’s a puzzle: Both political parties seem monolithic, and they gather more and more fervent support from their voters every year. Yet inside each is turmoil. You wouldn’t expect that, just looking at the way Americans have sorted themselves into tribes with shrinking overlap. If you’re older, married, white, Christian or rural, you’re probably a Republican, the numbers show. If you’re college educated, urban, young, female or unmarried, you’re probably a Democrat. Animosity for people on the other team has intensified over the years. But the two cauldrons are simmering beneath their lids. Even as President Trump chases MAGA-skeptical Republicans from elected office, more than a third of G.O.P. voters want a new direction for their party, according to a new Times/Siena survey. At the same time, Democrats look strong in midterm election polls — even as their voters are miserable about the state of their party. Let’s look at what’s happening on each side. The right Most Republicans still hold Trump as their lodestar. Only 37 percent of American voters approve of his performance, but three-quarters of Republicans and right-leaning independents do. Here is one measure of Trump’s power: Over the last decade, rank-and-file Republicans realigned to adopt his views. They made peace with tariffs, came to distrust national security and intelligence agencies, stopped worrying about the deficit and turned against foreign wars. But the poll showed that there are limits to fealty, as my colleagues wrote this week. Look at attitudes toward the Iran war, which haven’t mirrored Trump’s pivot toward interventionism: Based on a New York Times/Siena poll of 1,507 registered voters nationwide conducted May 11 to 15. Karl Russell/The New York Times The most independent-minded Republicans seem to be the young ones, writes Nate Cohn, our chief political analyst. Most of the ones under 45 think it was wrong to attack Iran, wrong to give Israel more economic and military support, wrong to focus so much on problems abroad. Even some congressional Republicans are bridling against Trump. Some may vote with Democrats to constrain Trump’s war-making powers, challenge his White House ballroom and dish out payments to people supposedly persecuted by previous Democratic administrations. They may stifle his pick for attorney general. Christine Zhang/The New York Times The left The other side is feeling the wind at its back. Registered voters prefer Democratic candidates over Republican ones by 10 points — a big lead! But that doesn’t mean they like the party. More than half of Democrats and left-leaning independents vented their frustration in the poll, our politics reporters write. The big reason is Trump. Just as he guides the right, he shapes the left: 58 percent of potential Democratic supporters think their party doesn’t fight him hard enough. So while Democrats have an opportunity this November to capture control of Congress, familiar fissures offer mixed guidance about how to seize that chance. Christine Zhang/The New York Times As candidates work to embody this potpourri of sentiments — think of Graham Platner in Maine, a brash ex-Marine who preaches the economic populism of Bernie Sanders — they are addressing what our politics reporters call “a combative, anti-establishment mood within the Democratic Party”: More than 80 percent of the party’s backers thought the political and economic system should be torn down entirely or needed major changes, and nearly 90 percent called the economic system unfair. It’s complicated to balance that idea with the preference of primary voters for moderate stances on immigration and crime. As my colleagues write, these divisions are “an early indication of the intraparty battles to come the moment the midterms are over.” TESTING THE LIMITS Eric Lee for The New York Times As part of the deal to resolve Trump’s lawsuit against the I.R.S., the Justice Department released a brief, one-page addendum this week declaring that the government was “forever barred and precluded” from auditing Trump’s taxes or pursuing claims against him involving “lawfare and/or weaponization.” Has Trump effectively pardoned himself? While the move is more complicated than a formal self-pardon, the Justice Department’s addendum may have that effect, Adam Liptak writes: The whole enterprise was a jarring shock to the conventional understanding of the constitutional system, raising what legal experts said were profound questions about presidential power. If the arrangement is allowed to stand, they said, Mr. Trump will have managed simultaneously to thwart Congress’s power of the purse and the ability of the courts to police the separation of powers. More on the deal The $1.8 billion fund is the latest example of how Trump is using the government to advance his own interests and those of his family and allies. Two Capitol Police officers sued to block the creation of the fund, which could be used to reward Jan. 6 rioters and right-wing militia groups. THE LATEST NEWS U.S.-Cuba Tensions The Justice Department indicted Raúl Castro, the former Cuban president, on murder and conspiracy charges tied to the downing in 1996 of two planes operated by a Miami-based exile group. The U.S. military could use the charges to justify removing Castro from Cuba, just as it seized Nicolás Maduro from Venezuela. Cuba’s ambassador to the U.N. told The Times that his country was eager to negotiate with the United States. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, a longtime foe of Cuba’s government, is ramping up pressure there, our diplomatic correspondent Michael Crowley explains in the video below. Click to play. The New York Times Around the World China: A week after hosting Trump, Xi Jinping welcomed Vladimir Putin for meetings that emphasized their countries’ deepening ties. Congo: The head of the W.H.O. said the Ebola outbreak in central Africa showed little risk of becoming a global pandemic. Other Big Stories James Murdoch, son of Rupert, bought half of Vox Media for more than $300 million. He’ll take control of its podcast network, Vox.com and New York magazine. To counter grade inflation, Harvard will cap how many A’s some undergraduate classes can award. BARNEY FRANK, 1940-2026 Barney Frank in 1980, the year he was elected to Congress. Ted Dully/The Boston Globe, via Getty Images Barney Frank, the sharp-tongued former congressman who represented Massachusetts in the House for more than three decades, has died at 86. Among his legislative achievements was the Dodd-Frank Act, the most significant overhaul of U.S. financial regulations since the Great Depression. He was also the first House member to come out voluntarily and he helped normalize being openly gay in public office. Read his obituary. OPINIONS Trump’s $1.8 billion fund is the most blatant example of presidential corruption in modern times, the editorial board writes. On The Conversation, David French and Emily Bazelon discuss Trump’s fund, his poll numbers and some recent Supreme Court rulings. Here’s a column by Bret Stephens on how hatred of Israel has damaged Western institutions. The Times Sale ends soon: Expand your knowledge with our experts. Take advantage of our best offer and gain understanding and insight in every area of life. Just $1 a week for your first year of unlimited access to news, culture, cooking and more. MORNING READS Sharon Dilling, who graduated in 1991, hopes her advice for landing a job will help her son, Dan Dilling, a recent graduate. via Sharon Dilling; Michelle Gustafson for The New York Times Been there: In 1991, The Times profiled 12 people graduating into what was the bleakest job market in years. Today, those graduates’ children are entering a work force in flux. Stranded: A humpback whale stuck in the Baltic Sea seemed to unite Germany in hope. Then came failed rescue efforts and finger-pointing. Your pick: The most clicked link in The Morning yesterday was about a woman who died after falling into a Manhattan manhole. TODAY’S NUMBER 140 — That is how many pounds of meat my colleagues on Wirecutter cooked during their latest test of gas grills. Eggplant, broccoli and veggie burgers added further weight. See which grill swept the field. SPORTS Women’s hockey: The Montreal Victoire won the Walter Cup with a 4-0 rout of the Ottawa Charge. This will be a big summer for the P.W.H.L., which plans four expansion teams. N.B.A.: The Oklahoma City Thunder tied its series against the San Antonio Spurs with a 122-113 win in Game 2 of the Western Conference finals. RECIPE OF THE DAY Christopher Simpson for The New York Times I don’t know where you lay your head, but it’s been summer-hot in New York City, and I’ve been taking meals from the mid-August playbook: cold silken tofu with spicy soy dressing. There’s no real cooking involved. Just whisk together the ingredients for the dressing and spoon it over the tofu. Garnish with chopped scallions, cilantro and some roasted peanuts. Serve with rice. WEATHER KIDS Zayd Ayers Dohrn and Harriet Clark in New York. Sara Messinger for The New York Times Zayd Ayers Dohrn and Harriet Clark are children of radical activists, revolutionaries who fought in the 1960s alongside the Weather Underground and the Black Panthers. Dohrn and his parents spent his childhood on the run from the F.B.I., which had placed his mother on its Most Wanted list. Clark’s mother went to prison for her role as a getaway driver in an armored car robbery that ended in the deaths of a security guard and two police officers. Now the children have both written well-received books about their experiences — a memoir for Dohrn, a novel for Clark. The Times brought the pair together for the first time. “Almost all the ‘Weather kids’ and ‘Panther cubs’ and children of the movement who I know went into some form of art or writing or thinking,” Dohrn said. “I think it was trying to make sense of ourselves, our childhoods.” More on culture Museum wall text — those small signs next to artworks that offer descriptive background and context — has vanished from some displays at the Smithsonian and other museums. Critics call that self-censorship. “I have predicted for decades that the culture wars would go to labels because labels are something we construct,” said Michael Govan, the director of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. A trend I did not see coming: Hooters, the sports bar chain known for its tightly tank-topped, short-shortsed waitresses, has become a hot spot for kids’ birthday parties. Late night hosts paid tribute to Stephen Colbert. “The Late Show” airs its series finale tonight. THE MORNING RECOMMENDS Sienna Miller, Wendell Pierce and John Krasinski in “Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan: Ghost War.” Jonny Cournoyer/Amazon MGM Studios Watch “Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan: Ghost War” even if that’s an objectively terrible movie title. Action! Save your skin. These are the best sunscreens tested by the beach bums at Wirecutter. Stop popping sleep aids. There may be better ways to snooze. GAMES Here is today’s Spelling Bee. Yesterday’s pangrams were backboard, backdoor and corkboard. And here are today’s Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections, Crossplay and Strands. Thanks for spending part of your morning with The Times and me. See you tomorrow. — Sam P.S. I received a lot of nice notes about yesterday’s edition of The Morning, where I wrote about the newsletter’s relationship with artificial intelligence. Some readers wanted to know what I meant when I said we use A.I. for “editorial chores” but not to write or edit. Here’s one example of what that means: A.I. can search large data sets and find patterns. Think of the Epstein files. Here’s how The Times used A.I. to analyze them. It’s not a reporter, nor an editor. Sign up here to get this newsletter in your inbox. Reach our team at themorning@nytimes.com. Host: Sam Sifton Editor: Adam B. Kushner News Editor: Tom Wright-Piersanti Associate Editor: Lauren Jackson News Staff: Evan Gorelick, Brent Lewis, Lara McCoy, Karl Russell Saturday Writer: Melissa Kirsch Editorial Director, Newsletters: Jodi Rudoren 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 May 25 Author Members Posted May 25 May 22, 2026 By Sam Sifton Good morning. Welcome to Memorial Day weekend and, for those escaping to beaches or mountains for the break, some of the worst traffic of the year. Just breathe. We’ll get to the news below, including the House canceling a vote that could have pushed President Trump to end the war — and Stephen Colbert’s late night goodbye. But let’s start with the weekend. In New York. Janice Chung for The New York Times People get ready Monday is a somber, important holiday, one that honors those who gave their lives in service to the nation. We’ll salute them. But Americans are prone to celebration, even in the face of mourning. True facts: We’re off work on Monday, and summer’s basically here. You know what that means. Many will light grills this weekend, ice down cases of beer, turn up the music and gather with family and friends for good eating and endless debate: Is this a barbecue or a cookout? (I’ll tell you straight. The answer’s in the words. It’s a barbecue if you spend the day smoke-roasting a large piece of meat. If you’re just cooking outside, it’s a cookout. Here endeth the lesson.) Let’s get ready for that today. You don’t have to follow my lead and sketch out detailed menus for all three days, or order 200 clams and a few dozen oysters. You don’t need to string bistro lights over your lawn or through the bars of your fire escape so folks can stay late. I’m not going to insist you play cornhole. And you probably don’t need to seethe, as I so often do, about people who don’t understand the United States Flag Code. (That standard hanging from your window, pal? The stars should be to the observer’s left.) But it’d be great if you could cook. That, to me, is the best thing to do during this long weekend that heralds the unofficial start of a new season: to cook with the intention of delivering pleasure to others, to celebrate the delicious even as we honor those who sacrificed in order to make the delicious possible. What to cook? My old friends on Cooking have a huge collection of recipes for Memorial Day — amazing burgers, foolproof deviled eggs, excellent salads, intriguing desserts. Go see what appeals. Because that is always what you ought to make. When it comes to long-weekend cooking, you don’t have to choose a stretch assignment. Me, I’m thinking beer brats for at least one meal. Melissa Clark’s recipe calls for simmering the fresh sausages in beer for a while before grilling, but I might reverse that and follow the instructions from one of the commenters on the recipe, who calls himself Mr. Milwaukee: Grew up eating brats made as in this recipe. Currently make them by starting a brat tub with onion, half stick butter, can of American lager like Pabst or High Life; bring this to a simmer. Grill fresh brats on med high to high until just browned thoroughly. Drop in brat tub for 20 to 30m. Serve with mustard, proper fermented kraut. Christopher Simpson for The New York Times A brat tub. That sounds fantastic. For Memorial Day itself, maybe a beer-can chicken? I no longer cook mine with an actual beer can. (Instead I use a stainless steel simulacrum I picked up at a big-box store for about $10.) It’s a grand feed alongside a simple coleslaw for which you don’t need a recipe. Just slice as much cabbage as you need into a big bowl. Then in a smaller one, combine around a cup of mayonnaise with a big splash of apple cider vinegar and a sprinkling of celery seeds. It may want some sugar, but not much. Season with salt and pepper, then taste to see if you went overboard with the mayo (in which case, add more vinegar) or with the vinegar (in which case, add more mayo). Mix that dressing in with the cabbage, cover and set it in the fridge while you cook your bird. And then a browned-butter rhubarb crisp for dessert? Have a fantastic weekend whatever you make, however you celebrate, however you honor the American service members who’ve died during peace and war. Give thanks. THE LATEST NEWS Congress House Republican leaders scrapped a vote that might have directed Trump to end the Iran war or seek authorization for it. They lacked the votes to defeat the measure. And Senate Republicans put off a vote on President Trump’s immigration crackdown and a $1.8 billion fund that would be likely to benefit Trump’s allies. Todd Blanche, the acting attorney general, met with Republicans to defend Trump’s fund. “It is in real trouble — and it should be,” Susan Collins, Republican of Maine, said of the plan after leaving the contentious meeting. Politics In Chicago in 2024. Erin Schaff/The New York Times The Democratic Party released a draft report on why Kamala Harris lost the 2024 election. It omits some major issues, such as Biden’s age and the war in Gaza, and some whole sections are empty. Candace Owens, a conspiracy theorist, held a nearly two-hour interview with Hunter Biden and apologized for past remarks about him. Read takeaways. A federal panel full of Trump appointees approved his plan to build a 250-foot triumphal arch in Washington. Trump announced a slowing of restrictions on planet-warming chemicals used in air-conditioners and refrigerators. Candidates endorsed by Trump are winning Republican primaries across the country. But, as Shane Goldmacher explains in the video below, the president’s unpopularity could hurt the party in the general election. Click to watch. The New York Times Around the World Makoto Kondo/The Yomiuri Shimbun, via Reuters Japan: After a mountain temple burned down, spiritual leaders announced the site’s “eternal flame” had been salvaged. The flame is said to have been lit for more than 1,200 years. Greenland: Hundreds marched through Nuuk, the capital, to protest the opening of a bigger U.S. consulate. Middle East: Iran has discussed partnering with Oman to charge ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz. Uganda: Officials promised to restrict travel to and from Congo because of an Ebola outbreak. Germany: Two men face federal charges of plotting to kill leaders of the country’s Jewish and Israeli communities on behalf of Iran. Venezuela: Exxon is said to be nearing an oil deal that would end a long standoff with the country’s rulers. Other Big Stories An experimental obesity injection helped patients lose far more weight than drugs already available, according to its maker, Eli Lilly. Tennessee called off a prisoner’s execution after staff members couldn’t find a vein for a lethal injection. A powerful El Niño is forming. Past ones have caused epic droughts and heat waves. A bone was found near the home of Nancy Guthrie, the missing mother of Savannah Guthrie. But it’s from centuries before she disappeared. ASK THE MORNING The administration has fired people in all parts of government who have had long, distinguished careers. Does this mean that they lose their pensions? Their benefits? | Claudia Sumler | Baltimore, Maryland Eileen Sullivan, who covers the federal work force, replies: The separation arrangements vary between, and even within, federal agencies. Some people were fired without any severance. Some had to choose between the layoff (just a few years before they would have been eligible to retire) and a demotion. Some left — but are still waiting for their retirement benefits to be processed. One former Department of Commerce employee told me that his agreement would have paid him through the end of 2025. Later, he learned that the checks would stop in September. (He fought and was eventually paid through the end of the year.) OPINIONS Trump’s $1.8 billion fund is a rip off and an affront to the Constitution, writes Representative Jamie Raskin. He has introduced a bill that he says will “put a stop to this.” Here’s a column by Michelle Goldberg on Democrats’ 2024 autopsy. 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 In northern Norway. Michał Siarek for The New York Times Following the herd: Indigenous Sami people in Norway fear that a giant copper mine under development in the green energy transition will disrupt their reindeer and their way of life. Higher calling: Scott Vincent Borba helped start E.L.F. Beauty, which became a cosmetics empire. Then he gave it up to become a priest. Your pick: The most clicked article in The Morning yesterday was about Wirecutter’s favorite sunscreen. Dive bartender: Sam Sianis became famous running the Billy Goat Tavern in Chicago, thanks to regulars like the columnist Mike Royko and members of the Second City comedy troupe, who later immortalized him on “Saturday Night Live.” He died at 91. TODAY’S NUMBER $835,000 — That is the size of the settlement a Tennessee man is due from the sheriff who detained him for 37 days over a Facebook post he shared after the killing of Charlie Kirk. The man promised his wife that he’d stay off Facebook. SPORTS M.L.B.: Want more than peanuts and beer with your home runs? Unlike most sports arenas, baseball stadiums let fans bring in outside food. Some take it to extremes. NASCAR: Kyle Busch, a larger-than-life driver described by a rival as his sport’s Kobe Bryant, died of an illness. He was 41. World Cup: The New York City mayor, Zohran Mamdani, secured 1,000 discounted tickets from FIFA to games at MetLife Stadium. The $50 tickets will be distributed by lottery; winners must prove they live in New York. RECIPE OF THE DAY Christopher Simpson for The New York Times I am digging Justine Doiron’s new recipe for tofu schnitzel with buttermilk slaw. You don’t mallet the protein as you would a piece of veal, but gently roll it out so it cracks. More surface area offers more crunch and deliciousness in the frying. The slaw — cabbage and fennel in a creamy dressing — is a perfect counterpart. PECTORAL ATTIRE The New York Times Men’s fashion is obsessed with musculature. Watch Nick Haramis, an editor at T Magazine, break down the bodymaxxing. Click above to play. More on culture Stephen Colbert Scott Kowalchyk/CBS Last night was the final episode of “The Late Show,” with Stephen Colbert. Here’s the recap. James Poniewozik, our television critic, reviewed Colbert’s very first show. He wrote yesterday about the host’s more than two-decade run. Was a short story that shared a prestigious prize this week written with artificial intelligence? THE MORNING RECOMMENDS Kimberly Elliott Stop swiping, Swiper! Here’s what’s next for dating apps. Invest in a good hard cooler this summer. You’ll never go back to Styrofoam. Wirecutter has excellent picks. Drink a Coke slushie with a floater of light cream if you run into a slushie machine at a gas station this weekend. You’ll thank me. Take our news quiz. GAMES Here is today’s Spelling Bee. Yesterday’s pangram was changed. And here are today’s Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections, Crossplay and Strands. Thanks for spending part of your morning with The Times and me. See you tomorrow. — Sam Reach our team at themorning@nytimes.com. Host: Sam Sifton Editor: Adam B. Kushner News Editor: Tom Wright-Piersanti Associate Editor: Lauren Jackson News Staff: Evan Gorelick, Brent Lewis, Lara McCoy, Karl Russell Saturday Writer: Melissa Kirsch Editorial Director, Newsletters: Jodi Rudoren 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 May 25 Author Members Posted May 25 May 23, 2026 Good morning. It’s a holiday weekend, three days to ease from one seasonal mind-set into the next, even if it feels too soon. María Jesús Contreras Track changes By Melissa Kirsch If Memorial Day is the unofficial beginning of summer and Labor Day the unofficial end, then I am pleased to inform you that we are embarking on the longest unofficial summer: From Monday, May 25 to Monday, Sept. 7, this year delivers the earliest and latest possible dates for both holidays. For those of us still reeling from the cold shower of last year’s Sept. 1 Labor Day, this is very welcome news. For others who would prefer to take refuge in the air-conditioning until the first frost, I’ll remind you that astronomical summer is still nearly a month away, and the solstice-equinox span only ever vacillates by a few days. So here we go — ready or not, Northern Hemisphere — into the brightness. Will we wear this longest summer loosely, letting the extra days billow, open and unscheduled? Or perhaps the days are already packed tight with vacation or camp or class reunions, longest summer be damned, busyness knows no season? Does it feel too soon to be asking these questions? As much as I yearn all year long for summer, I always feel dragged, as if on a leash, into this weekend. The shift that Memorial Day weekend incites — from spring brain to summer brain, from “It’s too early to pack away the sweaters” to “How do you like your burger?” — feels abrupt. I’m forever clocking those tiny variations from one week to the next, sensitive to how a particular span of days feels. I wrote a few months ago about the brutal but accurate “12 actual seasons” meme, a comical effort to add texture to the weather’s fluctuations. I’m drawn to the specificity of the traditional Japanese calendar’s 72 microseasons, each about five days in duration, each charting a tiny event in the natural world. (May 21-25: “Silkworms start feasting on mulberry leaves.”) In my Brooklyn neighborhood, it’s “Tulips are still showing off.” Or is it “The birds are back in town”? I’ve never tracked those little transitions against the calendar, but I’d like to do it this year, a one-line journal, whenever it feels as if there’s been a shift. Year after year, my neighbors and I make the same remarks about the brief window when the dogwoods open up, and the briefer one when the magnolias bloom. The four days in July when it feels like the air is the exact same temperature as your skin and you just stand there, unsure where the humidity ends and you begin. The internal microseasons recur as well: Right now, I’m in the hyper-optimism of the summer’s launch, fresh from the flash of grief for spring’s brevity. A journal this year becomes a calendar next, a way to anticipate and follow along with the microscopic variations, inside and out. THE LATEST NEWS Immigration The Trump administration said green card seekers would need to return to their home countries to apply. The change could make obtaining permanent residency more difficult for hundreds of thousands of people. A federal judge dismissed the criminal case against Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the Maryland man wrongly deported to El Salvador, ruling that the Trump administration had charged him vindictively. Trump Administration Kenny Holston/The New York Times Tulsi Gabbard resigned as national intelligence director, saying she was stepping aside to support her husband, who has bone cancer. Her standing and influence within the White House had eroded in recent months. Donald Trump Jr. married Bettina Anderson, a Palm Beach socialite and influencer. President Trump said he could not attend the ceremony, writing on social media, “Circumstances pertaining to Government, and my love for the United States of America, do not allow me to do so.” Kevin Warsh was sworn in as the chair of the Federal Reserve. Trump has repeatedly criticized the central bank for not cutting interest rates. Other Big Stories Pakistan and Qatar rushed diplomats to Iran in an attempt to save the current cease-fire between Washington and Tehran. A toxic chemical tank in Orange County, Calif., is failing, and officials say it’s likely to collapse or explode. The authorities told tens of thousands of residents to evacuate. Maryland Democrats plan to draw a new voting map that eliminates the state’s only Republican-held district. At least 90 people were killed in an explosion at a mine in northern China. Xi Jinping called for an all-out rescue mission. THE WEEK IN CULTURE Film and TV Martin Scorsese’s character makes a mean sandwich in “The Mandalorian and Grogu.” Jon Favreau, the director, breaks down that scene. The comedian Billy Eichner needed time to process the poor turnout for his gay rom-com, “Bros.” His vulnerable new memoir has him soul-searching. The Cannes Film Festival this year was disappointing, our critic writes, but there were still standouts. James Gray’s “Paper Tiger” was among her favorites. Alissa Wilkinson reviews the new film from Boots Riley, “I Love Boosters,” in the video below. Click to play. The New York Times Music Miles Davis would have turned 100 next week. We asked other artists to share their favorite songs from the jazz giant. Drake dropped not one, not two, but three new albums. Are they any good? “Popcast” breaks them down. Listen here. Politics isn’t supposed to influence Eurovision. But some people wanted it to play a bigger role in this year’s voting. More Culture The House rejected a bill to construct an American Women’s History Museum on the National Mall. Not long ago, the effort was bipartisan. When Britney Spears was arrested on charges of driving under the influence earlier this year, officers said she spoke in a British accent and offered to make them lasagna. 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. RECIPE OF THE WEEK Bobbi Lin for The New York Times By Melissa Clark Green Feta Dip Does your Memorial Day weekend itinerary include being somewhere surrounded by good friends and plenty of snacks? If you’re on snack duty and love the pungent saltiness of feta, give Andy Baraghani’s green feta dip a try. This verdant mix is filled with herbs (any kinds you like), lemon and just enough garlic to feel the bite. You can whirl it up in the blender just before serving or even a couple of days in advance. Then serve it to hungry friends with all the requisite dippers — cut-up vegetables, crackers and chips. It will disappear even faster than your day off. REAL ESTATE Shelby Dibs and Liam Kirker. Philip Cheung for The New York Times The Hunt: A young couple ventured to the northern reaches of the San Fernando Valley in search of a house with two or three bedrooms and a yard for their dogs. What did they find? Play our game. What you get for $825,000: A midcentury modern house in Las Vegas. A home with river views in Bonners Ferry, Idaho. A 1950s cottage in Charlotte, N.C. 19th-century houses with turrets. These homes in California, Florida, New Hampshire and New York feature conical roofs, stained-glass windows and curved walls. LIVING The drag queen Queera Nightly performing at “Aphrodite’s Hothouse.” Aaron Chown/Press Association, via Associated Press Birds and bees: The Chelsea Flower Show is the Super Bowl for the rarefied world of elite British gardening. This year, a sexy garden is ruffling some attendees’ petals. Shocking treatment: Influencers are promoting stimulation of the vagus nerve, which connects the brain to most major organ systems. Does it really improve your health? Seeking relief: Some women are trying allergy drugs to ease period and perimenopause symptoms. ADVICE FROM WIRECUTTER Marki Williams/NYT Wirecutter Clean your grill, please If your grill is overdue for a deep clean, it might be time to get in there and scrub — especially if you’re cracking it open for the first time this weekend. We’re talking gloves and hot, soapy water, maybe even some degreaser. After that, you’ll just need 10 minutes of maintenance every time you cook (yes, every time). Simple tasks, like scraping the grates, cleaning the grease trap or emptying the ash, can ensure your grill stays in good shape through the rest of your summer cookouts. Here’s exactly how to do it — whether you’ve got a charcoal, gas or pellet grill. And if you’re in need of some inspiration for what to throw on it, might we suggest one of our newly crowned best hot dog picks? — Lesley Stockton GAME OF THE WEEK The Spurs’ Dylan Harper, left, and the Thunder's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Alonzo Adams/Imagn Images, via Reuters Connect Oklahoma City Thunder vs. San Antonio Spurs, N.B.A. Western Conference finals: This is the matchup basketball fans have been waiting for. The Thunder won the title last season, and they’ve looked inevitable again this year. Their star guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was just awarded his second M.V.P. trophy. And yet it was the Spurs who grabbed the sports world’s attention in Game 1. Their 7-foot-4 center, Victor Wembanyama, is unlike any other basketball player on the planet, and he hit the conference finals like a meteor, scoring 41 points in a double-overtime win. His masterful performance “tilted the N.B.A. on its head,” The Athletic’s Marcus Thompson II wrote. But the Thunder regained control in the next two games, limiting Wembanyama’s output to merely very good and playing with an offensive intensity that the Spurs haven’t been able to slow down. Oklahoma City now leads the series, 2 to 1. Enjoy the ride, basketball fans: This budding rivalry just might be the new generation’s Lakers vs. Celtics. Game 4 is Sunday at 8 p.m. Eastern on NBC and Peacock NOW TIME TO PLAY Here is today’s Spelling Bee. Yesterday’s pangrams were annihilation and inhalation. Take the news quiz to see how well you followed this week’s headlines. And here are today’s Mini Crossword, Wordle, Crossplay, Connections and Strands. Thanks for spending part of your weekend with The Times. — Melissa Sign up here to get this newsletter in your inbox. Reach our team at themorning@nytimes.com. Host: Sam Sifton Editor: Adam B. Kushner News Editor: Tom Wright-Piersanti Associate Editor: Lauren Jackson News Staff: Evan Gorelick, Brent Lewis, Lara McCoy, Karl Russell Saturday Writer: Melissa Kirsch Editorial Director, Newsletters: Jodi Rudoren 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 May 26 Author Members Posted May 26 May 24, 2026 Good morning. Stephen Colbert went off the air last week. Today, a Morning writer reflects on the late-night host’s ability to find connection. Scott Kowalchyk/CBS Stephen and I By Tom Wright-Piersanti I’m the weekend editor of The Morning. In the summer of 2007, my friends and I took a train from New Jersey to Manhattan to see a taping of “The Colbert Report.” By luck, we got seats in the front row. That’s when Stephen Colbert and I formed our deep psychic bond. Well, that might be overstating it, at least from his side of things. But it certainly felt true for me. During one commercial break, as I mouthed the words to a Neutral Milk Hotel song playing on the loudspeaker, Colbert spotted me. We locked eyes. He began singing, too, and smiled at me. After he introduced that night’s guest, he leaped from his desk, pointed toward me and ran over and high-fived me and my friends. Then he circled around and did it again. That’s me in the red T-shirt. Comedy Central It was a special moment, one that still comes back vividly all these years later. For Colbert, it was simply what he did, night after night. Over two decades on TV, I can’t imagine how many thousands of others he made feel the same way — like This is my guy. His capacity for showmanship and connection carried him through more than 10 years of hosting “The Late Show” on CBS. It helped make his talk show No. 1 among its peers. But even he couldn’t defy gravity forever. CBS took him off the air Thursday. During his final show, his opening speech summoned the magical alchemy he seemed to have with audiences, the one I felt almost 20 years ago. “The energy that you’ve given us,” he told his crowd, “We’ve given it all right back to you.” In his own words Colbert’s “Late Show” found its identity in needling President Trump, our chief TV critic James Poniewozik wrote. It was uncomfortable for a company (CBS is owned by Paramount) trying to close a multibillion dollar merger that required Trump’s approval. CBS says that’s not why it canceled the series — late-night interview shows are expensive to make, and viewership has fallen over the decades. Colbert sat down with my colleague John Koblin to talk about the motivations behind the cancellation: Why do you think the F.C.C. and the Trump administration are so focused on you? Authoritarians don’t like anybody who doesn’t give them undue dignity. Comedians are anti-authoritarian by nature. And authoritarians are never going to like anybody to laugh at them. The number of newspeople who have said to me or Jon Stewart or any of the guys who do this, “God, I wish I could say what you say on air.” And we can. I think that upsets them. I think it might be upsetting that we really do not live in their world of principalities and powers. Read the full conversation, in which Colbert explains how he evolved the show and what he might do next. The end of an institution Jason Zinoman, our comedy critic, looked back on the 33-year run of “The Late Show,” which began after David Letterman was passed up for the “Tonight Show” job and decided to compete against it instead. Both Letterman and Colbert came into the show as ironic outsiders, Jason writes, and both sanded down those personalities a bit in their turn to the mainstream. But not entirely: Letterman stayed weirder than his “Tonight Show” counterpart, Jay Leno; Colbert stayed politically edgier than his, Jimmy Fallon. The case for institutions is usually framed as preserving stability, reliability and other virtues that clash with what audiences want from comedy. But sometimes you need the stodgy power of institutions in service of irreverent art. They allow artists to reach new audiences and take risks they wouldn’t otherwise. Read Jason’s full story, or watch him explain it in the video below. The New York Times THE LATEST NEWS War in Iran Trump said that the United States was close to an agreement with Iran to end the war. Three Iranian officials said their country had agreed to a memorandum of understanding that would stop the fighting and reopen the Strait of Hormuz. It’s unclear what has actually been agreed to, or if the proposal addresses Iran’s nuclear program. Here’s what we know about the deal. Politics At the White House yesterday evening. Allison Robbert for The New York Times A man opened fire near the White House. He was killed by Secret Service officers. A federal financial watchdog agency has reduced crypto enforcement and helped prediction markets obtain regulatory approval, a Times investigation found. Other Big Stories Fox is getting a huge discount on the broadcast rights for the 2026 World Cup, industry analysts say. A Brooklyn man became trapped in a bat-filled cave in upstate New York. Rescuers gave him Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, then used a drill to free him. “Fjord,” a multilingual drama about a devout Christian couple accused of physically abusing their children, won the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival. THE SUNDAY DEBATE Harvard recently voted to cap the number of A’s that could be given out in some undergraduate courses. Does this kind of policy improve educational outcomes? Yes — if done right. Easy A’s reduce the incentive for students to learn, resulting in less knowledgeable and less skilled graduates. “For our new cap to work, we will have to show that it is part of a broader effort to improve education and learning — that we are not simply punishing our students with lower grades but raising the bar with more challenging and exciting classes,” Jason Furman and David Laibson, two Harvard professors, write for The Times. No. A cap on A’s does nothing to address the real problem driving grade inflation: that universities rely on underpaid, overworked adjunct instructors and graduate students for a huge amount of grading. “Schools would much rather wring their hands over vague cultural ‘softness’ than admit the obvious: that their revenue-maximizing logic is actively undermining educational quality,” Alex Bronzini-Vender, a Harvard student, writes for Washington Monthly. FROM OPINION Air travel has become miserable enough to make Rachel Feintzeig yearn for the halcyon days of 2023. A Vermont museum housed in an aluminum trailer and run by a 15-year-old boy captures the humanity behind military service, Jasper Craven writes. Here are columns by Ross Douthat on why tech billionaires should make cultural philanthropy a priority and Tressie McMillan Cottom on Trump’s problem with MAGA moms. 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 The Rev. Siv Limstrand on Svalbard. Lauren Jackson/The New York Times Believing: A postcard from the northernmost church on earth, in Svalbard. Linus and Lucy: The owner of the “Peanuts” catalog wants the government to stop using its music without permission. Kid lit crit: The national ambassador for children’s literature published a manifesto for adults. A single line in the book set off a firestorm. Sales man: John Marion, the public face of Sotheby’s for more than three decades, was long considered the country’s greatest art auctioneer. He died at 92. SPORTS NASCAR: Driver Kyle Busch died of complications from severe pneumonia that progressed into sepsis, his family said. N.B.A.: The New York Knicks defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers 121-108 to take a 3-0 lead in the Eastern Conference finals. Tennis: The French Open began today in Paris. Here are 30 players to know. Want daily French Open updates directly in your inbox? Sign up for The Athletic’s Grand Slam Briefing. ROAD TRIP SEASON In Yellowstone National Park, earlier this month. Mario Tama/Getty Images If you’re traveling for Memorial Day weekend, get ready for packed highways. The national average for regular unleaded gas was around $4.55 a gallon as of Friday, according to AAA data, up from $3.20 at the same time last year. Despite that, AAA estimates that most Americans who are traveling this weekend — 87 percent of them — are driving to their destination. Americans’ top domestic getaways for the long weekend include Las Vegas, New York, Seattle and Orlando, Fla., according to AAA booking data. Only about 8 percent of this weekend’s travelers are projected to fly. But airports are still likely to be crowded; the Transportation Security Administration predicts that it will screen more than 18 million passengers and flight crew members through Wednesday. And there are signs that air travel will be in high demand this summer. American Airlines is projecting a record 75 million customers from May 21 through Sept. 8, and United Airlines expects three million more customers than it had last summer. — Christine Chung, travel reporter More on travel Here are a few perfect, and less heralded, beaches for your summer getaway — including one in Wisconsin. America is turning 250 years old. Here are some ideas to ring in the semiquincentennial. For your next rental, should you try an E.V. or hybrid? THE INTERVIEW Devin Yalkin for The New York Times By David Marchese This week’s subject for The Interview is the legendary actor Nicolas Cage, who is making his first big foray into TV with his new series, “Spider-Noir.” We talked about his highly unusual ideas about acting, his odd encounters with fellow celebrities, and many other things. There’s a movie you did that came out in 2025 called “Gunslingers.” It’s a western, and your character does a voice that I would describe as “modern blues man.” What was that voice? What happened was, we had a back-to-back strike in Hollywood, and I got a phone call: “You need to do this movie right now or you’re going belly up.” I’m like, What am I going to do? I want to do this other movie, “Madden,” but they pushed. How am I going to be able to afford to do the other movie? I thought, Oh, god, please, I don’t want to do another commercial. I had done commercials in Japan a million years ago and I got burned because I thought it was for a toy, this little pachinko machine. But it was basically Japanese gambling. So I thought, I don’t trust commercials as a thing I should be doing. Plus, at the time I was going through this thing, like, What would Jim Morrison do? What would Jim Morrison do? That’s terrible advice! Well, he would not do a commercial, but he didn’t live that long. I’m still here and I didn’t know how I was going to be able to buy the time to get to “Madden,” and along comes “Gunslingers.” And I thought: OK, I’m a cameo in this movie. Let’s have some fun with it. I remembered going on “Dick Cavett” a million years ago with Miles Davis. Miles was like: [Miles Davis impression] “Nick! Where’s your leather jacket? Did you learn nothing from Dennis Hopper, man? What are you wearing that suit for?” But to answer your question, I was channeling what I loved about Miles’s voice. Plus I wanted to wear a green bowler hat. I thought: If I can do a Miles Davis sound and a green bowler hat, I’m happy. So let’s make the movie. I’m still trying to get over the fact you were ever asking yourself, What would Jim Morrison do? Did that ever go wrong? Probably. “Should I really have another whiskey? What would Jim Morrison do?” [Laughs] Read more of the interview here. Or watch a longer version on YouTube. THE NEW YORK TIMES MAGAZINE Read this week’s magazine. THE MORNING RECOMMENDS … Get a tan, the easy way. We tested 15 self-tanners. These ones were golden. Squiggle a line of mustard on your hot dog. And do it with one of these superior yellow mustards. Watch a movie on the porch or in your backyard with one of these outdoor projectors. MEAL PLAN Rachel Vanni for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Monica Pierini. Emily Weinstein, the editor in chief of NYT Cooking, is here to help you plan some very delicious (and doable) dinners this week — hoisin garlic noodles, anyone? She also recommends one-pan roasted fish with cherry tomatoes, huevos enfrijolados and more. NOW TIME TO PLAY Here is today’s Spelling Bee. Yesterday’s pangram was cyanide. Can you put 8 historical events — including the first McDonald’s drive-thru, the Battle of the Marne and the first trapeze act — in chronological order? Take this week’s Flashback quiz. And here are today’s Mini Crossword, Wordle, Crossplay, 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. Host: Sam Sifton Editor: Adam B. Kushner News Editor: Tom Wright-Piersanti Associate Editor: Lauren Jackson News Staff: Evan Gorelick, Brent Lewis, Lara McCoy, Karl Russell Saturday Writer: Melissa Kirsch Editorial Director, Newsletters: Jodi Rudoren 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 May 27 Author Members Posted May 27 May 25, 2026 By Sam Sifton Good morning. It’s Memorial Day. The United States and Iran appear to be close to a deal to end the war. We have more on that below. I’m going to start, though, with a poem written by Paul Laurence Dunbar and published in 1896. It’s about the Civil War, but the words elegize all those who gave their lives in service to the United States. It opens in the aftermath of war, then casts back to record its bloody, immeasurable cost. The peace that follows brings flowers of “glory eternal,” and Dunbar pays tribute to those who died for freedom, “with the flag flashing high in the sun.” Spend some time with the stanzas, and then we’ll get to the news. In Arlington National Cemetery last week. Rod Lamkey, Jr./Associated Press ‘Ode for Memorial Day’ Done are the toils and the wearisome marches, Done is the summons of bugle and drum. Softly and sweetly the sky overarches, Shelt’ring a land where Rebellion is dumb. Dark were the days of the country’s derangement, Sad were the hours when the conflict was on, But through the gloom of fraternal estrangement God sent his light, and we welcome the dawn. O’er the expanse of our mighty dominions, Sweeping away to the uttermost parts, Peace, the wide-flying, on untiring pinions, Bringeth her message of joy to our hearts. Ah, but this joy which our minds cannot measure, What did it cost for our fathers to gain! Bought at the price of the heart’s dearest treasure, Born out of travail and sorrow and pain; Born in the battle where fleet Death was flying, Slaying with sabre-stroke bloody and fell; Born where the heroes and martyrs were dying, Torn by the fury of bullet and shell. Ah, but the day is past; silent the rattle, And the confusion that followed the fight. Peace to the heroes who died in the battle, Martyrs to truth and the crowning of Right! Out of the blood of a conflict fraternal, Out of the dust and dimness of death, Burst into blossoms of glory eternal Flowers that sweeten the world with the breath. Flowers of charity, peace, and devotion Bloom in the hearts that are empty of strife; Love that is boundless and broad as the ocean Leaps into beauty and fullness of life. So, with the singing of paeans and chorals, And with the flag flashing high in the sun, Place on the graves of our heroes the laurels Which their unfaltering valor has won! WAR IN IRAN Near the Strait of Hormuz. Reuters The United States and Iran have agreed in principle to a deal that could end the war in the Middle East, officials said. But any agreement needs final approval by leaders of both sides, and that could take days. The deal could reopen the Strait of Hormuz, end the U.S. blockade of Iranian ports and commit Iran to discuss disposing of its highly enriched uranium. But Iran’s nuclear stockpile, enrichment program and missiles have not been discussed. And many U.S. lawmakers were skeptical of any agreement that would reopen the strait while continuing negotiations. Read about five issues that need to be resolved. THE LATEST NEWS Around the World Pope Leo yesterday. Matteo Minnella/Reuters The Vatican: Pope Leo released an encyclical warning of the risks of artificial intelligence. Cuba: Apartment dwellers are cooking with wood and charcoal since the U.S. oil embargo has cut off gas supplies. Democratic Republic of Congo: The city at the center of the Ebola outbreak is short of basic medical supplies and is still constructing isolation units. Politics Trump’s lack of focus on the midterms is making Republicans nervous. The Trump administration created a $1.8 billion fund to give taxpayer dollars to the president’s political allies. Our chief legal affairs correspondent, Adam Liptak, explains how these legally questionable moves test the Constitution’s limits on the president’s power. Click to play. The New York Times OPINIONS Richard Thaler, a Nobel Prize-winning behavioral economist, has some thoughts on how Democrats can win in 2028. The American medical system treats postpartum care as an afterthought. New mothers deserve better, Sejal Hathi writes. Here’s a column by Carlos Lozada on democratic guardrails. 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 A Compleat Kidz clinic in Concord, N.C. Erin Schaff/The New York Times Short naps, long hours: Autism therapy has become a multibillion-dollar industry. Employees say clinics are increasing profits at children’s expense. Drinks with benefits: After a vineyard slowed down a 2017 wildfire, Spanish experts created a “Fire Wine” designation for winemakers who adopt practices to avert future disasters. Your pick: The most clicked link in The Morning yesterday was about the national ambassador for young people’s literature. Metropolitan Diary: A butcher with a clever idea. TODAY’S NUMBER 45 million — That is how many people were expected to travel this weekend — a record, according to AAA. Despite high gas prices, some 87 percent were likely to drive. SPORTS Racing: The Swedish driver Felix Rosenqvist won the closest Indianapolis 500 ever on a stunning last-second pass. N.H.L.: The Vegas Golden Knights rallied to beat the Colorado Avalanche 5-3. The Golden Knights are one win from sweeping the Western Conference finals. N.B.A.: Victor Wembanyama had 33 points in the San Antonio Spurs’ 103-82 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder, helping them even the Western Conference finals series at 2-2. Here’s an up-close look at Wembanyama. RECIPE OF THE DAY Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews. Here’s a showstopper of a day-off dessert, easily made: Melissa Clark’s strawberry cream cheese tart. Melissa’s so smart. Giving the berries a brief simmer in a light sugar syrup keeps them plump and juicy in the oven while preventing the crust from going soggy. TROLLING THE ART WORLD At the Arken Museum of Contemporary Art. Hilary Swift for The New York Times Thomas Dambo has built a cult following for the enormous trolls he builds out of scavenged wood. He installs them in off-the-beaten-track spots from Scandinavia to California. Now the artist has his first museum exhibition, in Denmark. It’s all made of trash. “I am not the weirdo in the forest anymore,” Dambo told The Times. “What I have created is interesting and cool to the people who run the cultural world.” THE MORNING RECOMMENDS Inès Gradot Read a lot of books this summer. Our Book Review has a neat bucket-list challenge to help. Swap judgment for curiosity today and you’ll find yourself on the road to compassion. Reject the extended-warranty plan. It is almost never worth the money. Take our news quiz. GAMES Here is today’s Spelling Bee. Yesterday’s pangram was unknotting. And here are today’s Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections, Crossplay and Strands. Thanks for spending part of your morning with The Times and me. See you tomorrow. — Sam Sign up here to get this newsletter in your inbox. Reach our team at themorning@nytimes.com. Host: Sam Sifton Editor: Adam B. Kushner News Editor: Tom Wright-Piersanti Associate Editor: Lauren Jackson News Staff: Evan Gorelick, Brent Lewis, Lara McCoy, Karl Russell Saturday Writer: Melissa Kirsch Editorial Director, Newsletters: Jodi Rudoren 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 May 29 Author Members Posted May 29 May 26, 2026 By Sam Sifton Good morning from Knicks-mad New York City. The United States struck new sites in southern Iran, and Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel would intensify its attacks on Hezbollah, the militant group in Lebanon. Israel hit more than 70 Hezbollah targets in the last day, the military said. And there’s more news below. But first, let’s take some more of your questions. In the Gaza Strip. Saher Alghorra for The New York Times Your questions, answered Readers of The Morning are curious this week about, among many other things, weapons sales, the population of Gaza, websites that gather our personal information, the national debt and the federal jobs reports. We took the questions to reporters who know the answers. Please keep them coming! When I read that the administration has authorized a sale of weapons to another country, do they come from an existing U.S. stockpile, or is the government authorizing a defense contractor to make and sell new weapons? | Scott Gordon | Anacortes, Washington Mark Mazzetti, who covers national security, replies: There are two ways that the government authorizes a weapons sale to a foreign country. In one, the U.S. government acts as a middleman: A nation buys weapons directly from the government, which then works with defense contractors to complete the order. In the other (less regulated) form, the State Department issues a license to a foreign government to deal directly with an American defense contractor to purchase the arms. How are people in Gaza doing? Is food and humanitarian aid now getting to them? | Maggie Flynn | Los Angeles, California Adam Rasgon, who covers Israel, the West Bank and Gaza, replies: Since the October 2025 cease-fire agreement between Israel and Hamas, the delivery of food items into Gaza has improved, but humanitarian officials say it is still well short of what people need. Little progress has been made toward the reconstruction of Gaza. American and Israeli officials have said the rebuilding depends on Hamas giving up its weapons. The militant group has resisted that demand. Many Palestinians want to relocate abroad, but only a small fraction of Gaza’s inhabitants have been allowed to leave. Meanwhile, trash is accumulating in displacement camps, and rats are proliferating. Business and economics Is there a law that requires websites to let users opt out of systems that gather personal information for advertising? Most websites I visit allow this, but not all. | Terry Toczynski | Berkeley, California Kashmir Hill, who covers tech policy, replies: It depends where you live! There’s no federal law. But a number of states have laws that grant their residents the right to opt out of the sale of their personal data or the use of it for targeted ads. See what each state allows here. The United States is $39 trillion in debt. To whom does it owe all that money? If we were to repay our debts, where would it all go? | Linda Frank | Williamsburg, Michigan Alan Rappeport, who covers economic policy, replies: About 80 percent of the debt is held by the public, which means people who buy Treasury securities like bonds, bills and notes. The government is borrowing against those and needs to repay them when they come due. According to the Peter G. Peterson Foundation, a fiscal watchdog, foreign investors hold about a third of those. The Federal Reserve holds about a quarter of the domestically held debt. The rest is counted as transfers of money between government agencies and federal trust funds. The Federal Reserve building. Al Drago for The New York Times Do Times reporters have confidence in the jobs reports coming from the Bureau of Labor Statistics? Is there any evidence the numbers are being massaged for favorability? | Andrea Robinson | Napa Valley, California Ben Casselman, the Times’s chief economics correspondent, replies: When President Trump fired the head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics last year after a disappointing jobs report, many economists worried that he would try to interfere with the agency’s work. But there is no evidence that has happened. The agency is being run on an interim basis by its longtime deputy director, and Trump recently nominated a career civil servant — described by people who know him as a “data nerd” — to take over permanently. Economists and agency employees say there are no signs of interference. Political bias may not be a problem, but there are other reasons to be cautious about the numbers. U.S. statistical agencies have seen declining survey response rates, shrinking budgets and, during the Trump presidency, high rates of staff attrition. Economists worry that, over time, those issues could erode the reliability of government statistics. THE LATEST NEWS In Tehran over the weekend. Arash Khamooshi/Polaris for The New York Times War in the Middle East Iran’s supreme leader said that Persian Gulf states would not be “shields” for U.S. military bases after the war. Trump is asking more Middle Eastern countries to normalize relations with Israel as part of the peace talks to end the war. Politics Texas Republicans will choose between Senator John Cornyn and state Attorney General Ken Paxton in today’s Senate primary runoff. Trump has endorsed Paxton. Trump’s cabinet members have been making a bold claim in their meetings: that he is the only person who can save America. Around the World In the skies over Iceland. Sergey Ponomarev for The New York Times Iceland is considering joining the E.U. because of Trump’s threats toward its neighbor Greenland. Cambodia: The country’s autocratic leader pardoned its most prominent opposition politician. The Vatican: Pope Leo’s encyclical on A.I. called the technology a “valuable tool” but fundamentally not human. Read the main takeaways. Ukraine: Little is left of Kostiantynivka, a city on the front lines. As Russian troops close in, rescuers risk their lives to evacuate the few residents who remain. Other Big Stories Officials in Southern California said they had averted the risk of a large explosion from an unstable chemical tank but the risk of a smaller blast or spill remained. Ferrari unveiled its first electric vehicle. Drivers for Lyft and Uber have unionized in Massachusetts. OPINIONS California has become one of the most unequal places in America, Emmanuel Saez and Gabriel Zucman write. This makes it the ideal state to test the proposed Billionaire Tax Act. The Democratic Party has lost its strategic direction, moral clarity and credibility on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Senator Chris Van Hollen 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 In Los Angeles. Jake Michaels for The New York Times Old-school: The hottest skate park for Gen X skateboarders in Los Angeles is a Costco parking lot. 🛹 Rebuilding: Conservationists are using concrete molds to revive a coral reef in Malaysia. Your pick: The most clicked link in The Morning yesterday was The Times’s summer reading bucket list. Jazzman: Sonny Rollins, who died at 95, was a master on the tenor saxophone and one of the dominant jazz musicians of the post-World War II era. Listen to some of his most compelling work. TODAY’S NUMBER 1.5 million — That is about how many American students are estimated to be using school vouchers, many for K-12 private school tuition. It is more than twice as many as five years ago. Read more about how school choice is creating two separate school systems. SPORTS In New York. Vincent Alban for The New York Times N.B.A: The New York Knicks reached the finals for the first time in 27 years, sweeping the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference playoffs. Tennis: The American Coco Gauff begins her French Open title defense today. Read our full recap of yesterday’s action. RECIPE OF THE DAY Johnny Miller for The New York Times I like Yasmin Fahr’s recipe for chicken meatballs with greens because of how it treats the greens, cooking them on top of the meatballs instead of under or alongside. The chard she uses collapses in the heat, draping the meatballs and keeping them luscious. Slices of lemon keep everything bright. Could you make the meatballs with ground pork or turkey instead of chicken? Absolutely. IN THE PIT David Jones Jared Soares for The New York Times The musicians in the Kennedy Center’s house orchestra, which accompanies all of its opera, theater and ballet performances, are in limbo after cascading cancellations and the building’s impending closure for a two-year renovation. David Jones, the orchestra’s principal clarinetist for almost three decades, hasn’t played there in months. It is an unexpected coda to his professional career. Through the Clinton, Bush, Obama, Trump and Biden administrations, all he has known are late-night shows and long stretches of rehearsals. Jones is unsure what will happen next, he told The Times. He’s not alone. More on culture The New York Times Artificial intelligence has made pirated audiobooks faster to produce and harder to detect. Alexandra Alter, who covers the book industry, tells us about the latest threat. Click above to play. “Girl, Interrupted” was a 1993 memoir that became a film starring Winona Ryder and Angelina Jolie. Now it’s a play with songs by Aimee Mann. How’d that happen? THE MORNING RECOMMENDS Helena Bonham Carter in “The Crown.” Des Willie/Netflix Re-stream “The Crown,” on Netflix. If you need an excuse, Helena Bonham Carter, who plays Princess Margaret in the third and fourth seasons, turns 60 today. Sleep better during allergy season when you wash your sheets more frequently. Consider adding a pocketknife or multitool to your everyday carry. It’s quite a lifestyle. Just don’t forget to leave it home when you go to the airport or a hockey game. GAMES Here is today’s Spelling Bee. Yesterday’s pangram was varmint. And here are today’s Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections, Crossplay and Strands. Thanks for spending part of your morning with The Times and me. See you tomorrow. — Sam Sign up here to get this newsletter in your inbox. Reach our team at themorning@nytimes.com. Host: Sam Sifton Editor: Adam B. Kushner News Editor: Tom Wright-Piersanti Associate Editor: Lauren Jackson News Staff: Evan Gorelick, Brent Lewis, Lara McCoy, Karl Russell Saturday Writer: Melissa Kirsch Editorial Director, Newsletters: Jodi Rudoren 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 May 29 Author Members Posted May 29 May 27, 2026 By Sam Sifton Good morning. Ken Paxton, the Texas attorney general who received President Trump’s endorsement in the state’s U.S. Senate race, easily won yesterday’s Republican primary runoff, defeating the establishment incumbent, John Cornyn. In a stark display of Trump’s hold on the party base, Paxton was the second primary challenger to knock out an incumbent Republican senator in less than two weeks. There’s more political news below. I’m going to start today, though, by checking on three stories from around the world. In Lebanon. Daniel Berehulak/The New York Times This is a cease-fire? The pause in fighting between the United States and Iran may be shaky. But the United States still calls its strikes against Iran this week “self-defense,” and officials declare they’re “using restraint” in their attacks on Iranian speedboats and missile launch sites. They say they’re close on a deal to end the war. There’s no such restraint in the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, which is also technically under a cease-fire, though there has hardly been a cease in fire. Israel pummeled the Iran-backed group yesterday, hitting targets across Lebanon and pushing deeper into the country. “We are at war with Hezbollah,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday night, adding that he had ordered the military to “press on the pedal even more.” What that looks like: Yesterday’s Israeli strikes killed at least 31 people in Lebanon, the health ministry there said. Strikes earlier in the week killed at least 11 people, including two children, the ministry also said. (Israel says it targeted Hezbollah infrastructure.) Israel also issued an evacuation warning for Nabatieh, one of the largest cities in southern Lebanon — a sign that airstrikes there could be imminent. Hezbollah, for its part, said yesterday that it had launched drone and rocket attacks on Israeli troops in southern Lebanon. There, the cease-fire looks a lot more like a hot war. WHAT A SCORCHER Gareth Fuller/PA; Tom Nicholson/Reuters; Peter Kneffel/DPA; Pierre Larrieu/Hans Lucas; Pablo Blazquez Dominguez/Getty Images It’s hot in Western Europe this week. It was over 95 degrees Fahrenheit yesterday in London. It was over 90 in Bordeaux. Madrid’s bound for the same this week, forecasters say. And summer hasn’t even started. The heat wave came far earlier than normal. In Britain, the average high temperatures in May are around 59 — few were expecting those digits to flip yesterday. That’s dangerous. Extreme heat can cook you, more quickly than you think, and those who have chronic conditions like kidney disease or hypertension are at extra risk. Heat waves in Europe have become more frequent and more severe recently, as scientists point to a rise in global temperatures brought about by the burning of coal, oil and gas. A study yesterday blamed the high temperatures in Western Europe this week on “human-driven climate change.” In Madrid, one woman talked to The Times about the furnace-like conditions. She recited an old Spanish proverb that says “you shouldn’t pack away your winter clothes until the ‘40th of May,’” meaning early June. “Well, that saying makes no sense anymore,” she said. TODAY’S NUMBER I love finding a surprising number in The Times, some figure that informs beyond its series of digits. Today’s is worth dwelling on for a moment: 2.4 trillion — That is how many cigarettes are sold in China each year, nearly half the global total. Xi Jinping, the country’s president, may have quit smoking years ago. But his government hasn’t done much to help its constituents join him. Cigarette sales are falling in most countries. In China, the numbers are going up. Smoking there rose 39 percent from 2003 to 2023, even as it fell 26 percent in the rest of the world. And while younger people are smoking less, older ones are smoking more, in part because it’s an inexpensive habit in China: A pack costs roughly $3. In contrast, if you want a pack of Marlboro Reds at my local bodega? That’ll be $20. Joy Dong, who reported on all this from Hong Kong, says it shows how powerful China’s state tobacco company is. It’s a literal monopoly: A single agency both regulates the cigarette industry and makes most of the smokes. The government’s brand, the China National Tobacco Corporation, generated roughly $244 billion in profit and tax revenue in 2025. That’s about 7 percent of national government revenue and nearly what China says it spends on defense. Big numbers! THE LATEST NEWS Redistricting In the South Carolina State House this month. Jeffrey Collins/Associated Press South Carolina’s Senate refused to approve a Trump-backed voting map, which aimed to eliminate the state’s lone majority-Black district. A judge in Florida let a new map there stand while a lawsuit against it moved through the courts. The map could give Republicans four additional House seats. And in Alabama, a three-judge panel rejected the state’s new pro-Republican map, ruling that it was discriminatory toward Black voters. An appeal is likely. More on Politics The U.S. has a plan to give weapons-grade plutonium from dismantled Cold War-era warheads to companies that will repurpose it for use in nuclear power plants. The Trump administration wants federal employees to sign nondisclosure agreements. Under Trump, federal prosecutors have struggled to persuade grand juries to indict people. War in the Middle East American officials said the U.S. decided to strike Iran this week after detecting that the Iranian military had deployed mine-laying boats and attack drones near the Strait of Hormuz. Iran has begun lifting the internet blackout that leaders put in place months ago, in the early days of the war against the U.S. and Israel. The Times analyzed Trump’s statements about the war and compared them with reality. Often, there was a wide disconnect. Around the World Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology, via Storyful The Philippines: A fireball falling through the atmosphere photo-bombed an erupting volcano. Click the video above to see how it happened. South Korea: The Coast Guard detained a Chinese dissident who escaped his country in a rubber boat. He hopes to be released to join his family in Canada. Other Big Stories Silicon Valley mostly dismissed Pope Leo’s critique of A.I. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. posted a video of himself wrangling two snakes in Florida. Experts said he did a decent job. THE MORNING QUIZ Doug Mills/The New York Times Workers have started building the structure pictured above outside the White House. What is it for? (Click an answer to see if you’re right. The link will be free.) A Fourth of July concert by Kanye West and Ted Nugent. A semiquincentennial-themed roller coaster erected by the Smithsonian. A Cirque du Soleil performance to benefit Melania Trump’s Be Best initiative. A U.F.C. fight on President Trump’s 80th birthday. OPINIONS Even students who don’t use A.I. to write might use it to brainstorm. That choice can erode their creativity, Rebecca Winthrop writes. Here are columns by Bret Stephens on the risks of a deal with Iran and Thomas L. Friedman on Trump’s miscalculations in the war. 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 the Chelsea Flower Show. Andrew Testa for The New York Times Camp vs. class: The organizers of London’s prestigious Chelsea Flower Show temporarily lifted a ban on garden gnomes. Cue the controversy. In Hollywood: The rich and famous all have assistants. But after Matthew Perry’s injected him with ketamine, killing him, some are wondering what the limits of their duties are. Custody battle: A couple started I.V.F. and then split. Who gets the embryos? Your pick: The most clicked link in The Morning yesterday was about Ferrari’s new electric vehicle. SPORTS N.H.L: The Vegas Golden Knights swept the Colorado Avalanche in the Western Conference final with a 2-1 victory in Game 4 of the series. N.B.A.: The Oklahoma City Thunder bounced back from their worst game of the season to beat the San Antonio Spurs 127-114 in Game 5 of the Western Conference finals. Tennis: Naomi Osaka debuted her latest couture-inspired outfit for her first-round French Open win. Follow our live coverage of the tournament. RECIPE OF THE DAY Armando Rafael for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Cyd Raftus McDowell. You can keep chopping your rhubarb and reducing it into mush on the stovetop. That’s a fine way to cook the stalks. But if you roast rhubarb instead, you get a similar softness without losing too much shape, which I really like when I stir it into yogurt in the morning. (Rhubarb’s great on pound cake, too.) ‘DOWNER’ ON AN UPSWING Rachel Dratch OK McCausland for The New York Times Rachel Dratch, the sly comedian who brought us Debbie Downer on “Saturday Night Live,” is on the up elevator of fame, with a woo-woo podcast called “Woo Woo” and a delightful new turn as the Narrator in Broadway’s “Rocky Horror Show.” “She does something that’s totally singular,” Sam Pinkleton, who directed her, told The Times about her Tony-nominated performance. More on culture You’re probably not going to build a $2.5 million home in Costa Rica. But it’s fun to read about someone doing so, and to look at beautiful photographs of the compound that came out of the work. Auction houses engineered a huge comeback this season after four years of uneven sales. How? By redefining expectations and studiously avoiding flops. Looking for your next book? We’ve got the summer’s best beach reads all lined up for you. 🏖️📚 Late night hosts commented on Trump’s decision to miss his son’s wedding. THE MORNING RECOMMENDS The New York Times Improve your coordination. You just need a tennis ball and a few minutes per day. Choose between gas and charcoal grills. Or make like me and use both. Listen to love songs. I’ll start with “Hackensack,” from Fountains of Wayne. GAMES Here is today’s Spelling Bee. Yesterday’s pangram was clickable. And here are today’s Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections, Crossplay and Strands. Thanks for spending part of your morning with The Times and me. See you tomorrow. — Sam Sign up here to get this newsletter in your inbox. Reach our team at themorning@nytimes.com. Host: Sam Sifton Editor: Adam B. Kushner News Editor: Tom Wright-Piersanti Associate Editor: Lauren Jackson News Staff: Evan Gorelick, Brent Lewis, Lara McCoy, Karl Russell Saturday Writer: Melissa Kirsch Editorial Director, Newsletters: Jodi Rudoren 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 May 31 Author Members Posted May 31 May 28, 2026 By Sam Sifton Good morning. Iran said it had targeted a U.S. military base in retaliation for recent strikes. And President Trump said he wasn’t worried about domestic pressure to end the war: “I don’t care about the midterms,” he said. There’s more below — including a visit with Paul McCartney. But first I want to tell you about an extraordinary investigation into Texas school police by The New York Times and The San Antonio Express-News. In Corpus Christi, Texas. Meridith Kohut for The New York Times A violent education At a school near Houston, a police officer used a cord to hogtie a 10-year-old boy with a behavioral disorder who had kicked the principal. At a school in San Antonio, an officer handcuffed a 6-year-old boy who had kicked a school employee. Near a school in Galveston, an officer chased down a 17-year-old who ran off campus after he was caught with a vape, then pointed her gun and threatened to shoot him. In the four years since a gunman killed 19 children and two adults at an elementary school in Uvalde, school districts in Texas have spent billions of dollars to put police officers on every school campus in the state. This outlay is meant to protect students from similar attacks. And our reporters spoke with dozens of parents, teachers, principals and students who said they believed in it. School police officers stop violent fights. They confiscate weapons. And they’re a balm against a parent’s greatest fear: school shootings. “Just look at the TV,” a third-grade math teacher in Dallas told The Times. “There’s no school in America that should not have some kind of officer.” But the flood of Texas school police officers — about 11,000 have been trained, more than the total number of police officers in many states — has not always made public schools safer. Officers have instead turned to heavy-handed tactics on children, often in response to minor misbehavior, according to an exclusive investigation by The Times and The San Antonio Express-News. Instead of being sent to the principal’s office, a student might get slammed into a wall or a floor, arrested, kneed in the head, pepper-sprayed or shocked with a Taser. And there’s little accountability for it. Here’s a chilling sentence from the investigation: “Police departments in Texas are not required to report incidents of force in schools unless they shoot someone.” Command and control Most police officers employed by a Texas school district come from municipal police agencies, the reporters found. More than 1,000 had been jailers. And in those jobs, they often need to project a commanding presence. “The notion of policing requires force,” a professor of criminal justice said. “It requires that you compel people to obey your authority.” That doesn’t work so well with young people, the professor and other law-enforcement experts told The Times. The adolescent brain has not fully developed. It has problems with impulse control. Yelling at teens, or getting physical with them, can go sideways. So can yelling at cops. It made me think of one of the most chilling videos that our reporters uncovered. The footage is not easy to watch, but you can find it on our site. Near Dallas. These screenshots, taken from the video, show a 14-year-old at school in Mesquite, east of Dallas. The officer smashes the boy face first into a wall. He falls to the polished linoleum floor, and the officer yanks him back to his feet by his shackled arms. “Who else?” the officer shouts at the group of students gathered behind him. The boy had been caught with a vape. Please read the whole story, which is by Clare Amari, Kristian Hernández and Asher Lehrer-Small, with photographs by Meridith Kohut. No paywall. It’s free. It’s important. Thanks. THE LATEST NEWS Politics E. Jean Carroll Dave Sanders for The New York Times The Justice Department is said to be investigating whether E. Jean Carroll, the former magazine writer who accused Trump of sexual abuse, committed perjury in her civil lawsuits. A Times investigation into Howard Lutnick, the commerce secretary, showed how he pushed legal boundaries during his first year in office. Jill Biden said that her husband’s disastrous performance in a 2024 presidential debate made her think, “Oh, my God, he’s having a stroke.” Texas Elections State Attorney General Ken Paxton’s resounding victory over Senator John Cornyn in a Senate primary runoff, by nearly 30 percentage points, is a sign of Trump’s continuing sway over the Republican base. Cornyn was a dependable conservative vote, an able debater and a prolific fund-raiser. His ouster is causing strife between Senate Republicans and the president, our chief Washington correspondent writes. Democrats believe the Senate election is their best chance in years to win a seat in Texas. Shane Goldmacher explains why in the video below. Click to play. The New York Times Ebola Uganda closed its border with the Democratic Republic of Congo, citing the Ebola virus outbreak. Americans who are exposed to the disease will be sent to Kenya for treatment, rather than to facilities in the United States. The recent hantavirus and Ebola outbreaks have been unexpectedly bad, in part because the viruses have behaved in ways that surprised scientists. Other Big Stories Kenneth Iwamasa, the assistant who injected Matthew Perry with the ketamine that killed him, was sentenced to more than three years in prison. A major teachers’ union is urging schools not to give students tech devices until at least the third grade, and to keep A.I. out of elementary schools. People are using A.I. to help write and file their own lawsuits. They’re overwhelming courts. The Scripps National Spelling Bee’s final round is today. It’s gotten harder, and organizers are trying to make it feel like a game show. SLEEPING WITH THE FISHES A zebrafish. Max Planck Institute for Biology Fish sleep a lot like humans, according to new study of zebrafish: 🌙 They snooze mostly at night — they need about 10 hours — and they like to nap during the day. ☀️ While fish don’t have eyelids, light does disrupt their sleep. 😴 If they don’t get enough, they sleep more the next night. Read about how scientists studied zebrafish slumber by watching their eyes. OPINIONS Jack Schlossberg’s campaign has nothing to offer voters but nostalgia. It’s time for America to move on from the Kennedys, Michelle Cottle writes. Here’s a column by David French on three ways the United States is losing the war with Iran. 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 In San Sebastián, Spain. Markel Redondo for The New York Times Influencer: Santiago Rivera is widely credited with creating the Basque cheesecake. But don’t bring one to his upcoming retirement party — he prefers chocolate. In-between time: The clocks in Nepal are always 15 minutes off from everywhere else. That’s fitting for such a unique country. Your pick: The most clicked link in The Morning yesterday was about a custom-built home in Costa Rica. TODAY’S NUMBER 5,000 — That is the size, in acres, of an A.I. data center that one company plans to build near Broadview, Mont., which has a population of around 140. The campus would be about the size of 3,800 football fields. One mom there isn’t having it. SPORTS N.H.L.: The Carolina Hurricanes are one win away from their first trip to the Stanley Cup Final since 2006 after last night’s 4-0 victory over the Montreal Canadiens. Tennis: It was a wild day at the French Open. In one match, two players argued over which ball mark in the clay should be consulted for a line call. The weirdest part: They both agreed the shot was out. RECIPE OF THE DAY Andrew Bui for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Kaitlin Wayne. Taco Thursday? With this excellent recipe for beef tacos dorados, you may make a habit of it. Our recipe comes from Camelia Valdivia Carnero, whose family has been making it for generations. Spread raw seasoned ground beef on corn tortillas, and then fry them in a skillet until they’re golden and crisp. Serve with salsa, shredded cabbage, sliced tomatoes, avocado and crema. ARTS AND CULTURE Dante Fernandez/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images Paul McCartney is 83 and still writing songs. It’s a compulsion and a craving. “It’s a magical world, music,” McCartney told The Times. “Scientifically, even, it is just a bunch of frequencies. So how can these frequencies affect your heart? I get it, if it’s got a lyric, sometimes you go, oh yeah. But if it’s just a melody — how can that make you cry? That’s magic. I love it.” More on culture Thornton Wilder’s last play, “The Emporium,” appeared bound for Broadway when The Times first wrote about it in 1953. It never opened. And the play just disappeared. Or did it? Read the amazing story of one man’s quest to find it. An ecology journal recently published a paper suggesting that scientists should use old landscape paintings as a framework for studying climate change. It sent one art historian back to the artists of the Hudson River School — and to the physical landscapes of the Catskill Mountains they painted. What a fascinating read. Late night hosts wondered if the Los Angeles mayoral race is actually a reality show. THE MORNING RECOMMENDS Read Roddy Doyle’s lovely review of David Sedaris’s latest collection of essays, “The Land and Its People.” It’s tough to beat a smart and funny novelist on a smart and funny memoirist. Return to wired earbuds. That’s not just Gen X nostalgia. There are actually some benefits. Deflate the balloon of stress caused by this problem or that one. Ask yourself three questions. GAMES Here is today’s Spelling Bee. Yesterday’s pangram was flexion. And here are today’s Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections, Crossplay and Strands. Thanks for spending part of your morning with The Times and me. See you tomorrow. — Sam Sign up here to get this newsletter in your inbox. Reach our team at themorning@nytimes.com. Host: Sam Sifton Editor: Adam B. Kushner News Editor: Tom Wright-Piersanti Associate Editor: Lauren Jackson News Staff: Evan Gorelick, Brent Lewis, Lara McCoy, Karl Russell Saturday Writer: Melissa Kirsch Editorial Director, Newsletters: Jodi Rudoren 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 June 1 Author Members Posted June 1 May 29, 2026 By Sam Sifton Good morning. The United States and Iran say they are closing in on a deal. Japan’s population is plummeting. And my colleagues talked to Olivia Rodrigo. I’m going to start today, though, in the pool. In Washington. Allison Robbert for The New York Times Pool problems There are many surprising things to learn about the current renovation of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. For one thing, the company doing the repairs didn’t have to bid for the job, and it’s receiving a puffed-up profit margin, according to my colleague David Fahrenthold, an investigative journalist in our Washington bureau. Federal construction projects like this one generally yield a profit of 6 to 12 percent, according to a National Park Service analysis that David obtained. The estimate from the firm fixing the reflecting pool yields 20 percent. That added at least $850,000 to the cost. Of course, it’s a difficult job. The pool is 167 feet wide and over 2,000 feet long. The water within it could fill roughly a half dozen Olympic-size swimming pools. And President Trump wants everything done in time for the celebration of America’s 250th birthday in July. The government thought the firm deserved extra for hustling. The cost they eventually settled on: $13.1 million, some seven times the amount the president initially said it would cost. That included the 20 percent profit margin and an additional 20 percent for “overhead,” which the Park Service analysis said “appears excessive.” The documents David obtained show something else, too: The contractor’s attempts earlier this month to seal gaps in the pool’s bottom failed, compelling the company and the Park Service to grasp for new solutions. And the waterproof paint it’s using on the bottom of the pool — “American Flag blue” — has bubbled or developed small holes in some places. Uneven spraying has left some areas with different shades of blue. Same as it ever was In the early 1920s. Bettmann Archive, via Getty Images Those problems may come as no surprise to anyone who owns a pool. Think of the upkeep and the ongoing costs: chemicals, pumps, cleaning, draining, covering, uncovering, filling, filtering, repeat. Something’s always going wrong. I have a friend with a pool. (Beats having a pool.) I asked him about it. He was forceful: “It’s a lot.” Similarly, the reflecting pool has been a headache for the federal government almost from its start, in 1922. Contractors built a cavity for the pool, but their construction soon settled into the muddy wetlands below it. The water burbled under the harsh sun of Washington summers, growing murky as algae bloomed. And, yes, it leaked — eventually some 16 million gallons of water per year. In 2010, the Obama administration drained the pool and embarked on an expensive two-year renovation meant to seal the leaks and improve the filtration system. I found a Times article that ran right after it reopened in the fall of 2012. The first sentence may sound familiar: “The National Park Service has again drained the reflecting pool in front of the Lincoln Memorial to clean an algae buildup that formed after a $34 million overhaul.” THE LATEST NEWS Politics At the White House. Evan Vucci/Reuters Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said his agency had designed a $250 bill bearing Trump’s image. Congress would need to approve the currency. The Pentagon announced a $9.7 billion contract with Dell. Trump, who bought more than $1 million in Dell stock this year, stands to benefit. “Both parties kind of get it wrong”: Many Gen Z men who voted for Trump say they’re disappointed by his time in office. But they haven’t heard an appealing pitch from Democrats, either. A divided Supreme Court sided with a death row inmate from Mississippi. The inmate, who is Black, accused the white prosecutor in his case of illegally striking potential Black jurors from the panel that heard his case. Israel Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel would expand its military control to 70 percent of Gaza, further squeezing Hamas. Israel will sever ties with the U.N. secretary general after being blacklisted over the alleged sexual abuse of Palestinian detainees. War in the MIddle East The U.S. and Iran are moving closer to an agreement to reopen the Strait of Hormuz while they negotiate over the fate of Iran’s nuclear program, officials from both countries said. Trump announced that a U.S.-Iran peace deal would be contingent on a host of Middle Eastern countries establishing relations with Israel. Many of those countries were baffled by the demand. Around the World In Romania, a Russian drone hit an apartment building, officials said. NATO condemned “Russia’s recklessness.” In Austria, a man was sentenced to 15 years in prison for plotting a terrorist attack at a Taylor Swift concert in Vienna. Business U.S. consumer prices are rising at their fastest pace in years, according to inflation data from the Commerce Department. Anthropic has surpassed OpenAI as the most valuable artificial intelligence company. Bari Weiss, the editor in chief of CBS News, is overhauling “60 Minutes.” She fired two on-air correspondents and hired Nick Bilton, a former New York Times tech columnist, to run the show. Other Big Stories A rocket built by Blue Origin, the Jeff Bezos-owned space company, blew up on the launchpad last night, sending a tower of flames into the sky. Bezos said no one was hurt. See a video. The F.B.I. arrested a C.I.A. official after investigators found $40 million worth of gold bars in his house. Rescuers in Alaska are racing to reach four climbers who fell near the 18,200-foot level of Mount McKinley. LIVES LIVED Happy in 2018. Bebeto Matthews/Associated Press Happy, an Asian elephant who had delighted Bronx Zoo visitors since the 1970s, died this week at 55. She was euthanized after a period of hospice care, prompted by a recent deterioration in her health. Happy was a particularly brilliant pachyderm. In the 2000s, she touched an X marked on her head with her trunk while looking in a mirror, acing a test of self-awareness that only humans, apes and dolphins had previously passed. That set off a legal fight from an animal rights group, which argued that confinement in a zoo was inhumane for a creature of such intellect. Read her obituary. OPINIONS Sandeep Vaheesan and Claire Kelloway say Americans can save on groceries if the country carves up Big Beef. Andrew Weissmann, a former general counsel of the F.B.I., has suggestions for how to stop Trump’s vindictive prosecutions. Here’s a column by M. Gessen on Viktor Orban’s defeat. 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 Al Torreggiani Agentic agent: A journalist tried to sell his home with the help of a chatbot. He beat the market. Hand to God: A Florida sheriff’s deputy pulled over a woman for holding a phone in her right hand, but she has no right hand. Genetic testing: What happens when your employer knows the diseases you might get? Your pick: Yesterday’s most clicked story in The Morning was about three questions that can help solve a stressful situation. TODAY’S NUMBER 9th — That is the finishing position of the decathlete Russ Hodge at the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. His mother, the high jumper Alice Arden, finished in the same position at the 1936 Berlin Games. They were the first mother and son to have competed for the United States in the Olympics. Hodge died this month at 86. SPORTS N.H.L.: Claude Lemieux, a four-time Stanley Cup champion and one of the fiercest playoff performers in the league’s history, died, the NHL Alumni Association said. He was 60. N.B.A.: The Western Conference finals are headed to a seventh game after the San Antonio Spurs defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder 118-91 in Game 6. Victor Wembanyama scored 28 points. French Open: Jannik Sinner, the world No. 1 and winner of 30 straight matches, lost in a shocking upset to Juan Manuel Cerúndolo of Argentina. Sinner was up two sets and serving for the match when the 90-degree Paris heat apparently took a toll on him. RECIPE OF THE DAY David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews. If you can get your hands on some wild salmon this weekend, use it in Melissa Clark’s lovely recipe for a grilled salmon salad with lime, chiles and herbs. If you can’t, use chicken instead. Maybe it’s just me, but I taste desperation in the farmed fish — these animals meant to swim thousands of miles from rivers to ocean and back again but raised, instead, in a pen. The wild ones taste of freedom. THE ODD COUPLE Hannah Einbinder and Jean Smart Chantal Anderson for The New York Times Jean Smart came to an interview with The Times wearing a crisp merlot suit, gold hoop earrings and a swirly updo. Hannah Einbinder had arrived before her, in ripped jeans and a shirt that read “Planet Earth: Love It or Leave It.” Smart saw her. She narrowed her lips exactly as she does on “Hacks,” their HBO Max comedy, which ended last night. “I see you dressed,” she said coolly. The conversation that followed is a delightful read, though I must warn you that there are spoilers within it. More on culture The annual list of the 50 Best North American restaurants was released. Smyth in Chicago was named No. 1. A villanelle is an elaborate sort of poem, with complicated guidelines and only two end rhymes allowed. A.O. Scott, in another one of his lively, fascinating close reads, walks us through an excellent one, “Some Rules,” by Wendy Cope. Mind the unk and ind. You’ll learn a lot. The case for ugly-cool wraparound sunglasses. “They are so anti-fashion that they tip over into fashion,” writes Jacob Gallagher, whose job is to notice things like that. Late night hosts joked about President Trump’s low approval rating. SHOULD NOVELS GET UPDATES? Publishers have “modernized” novels for years, updating older cultural references and technologies to make them more palatable for younger readers. Some folks don’t like that. Check out the comments on the article. W Winter East Coast Next up, Mr's Darcy "swipes right" to find Elizabeth. M MJ Northern California When Huck Finn gets on a hydrofoil to go down the Mississippi, we'll know the practice has gone too far. View all comments THE MORNING RECOMMENDS Caroline Tompkins for The New York Times Watch Olivia Rodrigo. The pop star visited “Popcast” this week to talk about superstardom, rivalries, jealousies, politics, songwriting and, above all, love. Protect yourself from the sun with guidance from the zinc-nosed ray-avoiders at Wirecutter. Jam out to the Toy Factory Project, “Fire on the Mountain.” Take our news quiz. GAMES Here is today’s Spelling Bee. Yesterday’s pangram was unjamming. And here are today’s Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections, Crossplay and Strands. Thanks for spending part of your morning with The Times and me. See you tomorrow. — Sam Reach our team at themorning@nytimes.com. Host: Sam Sifton Editor: Adam B. Kushner News Editor: Tom Wright-Piersanti Associate Editor: Lauren Jackson News Staff: Evan Gorelick, Brent Lewis, Lara McCoy, Karl Russell Saturday Writer: Melissa Kirsch Editorial Director, Newsletters: Jodi Rudoren 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 June 1 Author Members Posted June 1 May 30, 2026 Good morning. Today, let’s set our ambitions for summer reading. María Jesús Contreras Season pass By Melissa Kirsch What is this stray weekend we find ourselves with between Memorial Day and June? A byproduct of this longest possible unofficial summer, a strange gift of a weekend between spring and the month in which summer officially begins. A perfect weekend, I think, for determining our reading plans for this summer. I do this each year, decide which books will be inscribed indelibly into my memories: the novel I’ll read while lying on the grass in the sun; the short one I’ll finish in an afternoon under a blanket in the air-conditioning; the audiobook that’ll accompany me on a long drive, window down, spritzing the pollen off the windshield every few miles. The road to absolutely not one book completed by Labor Day is paved with vague notions of wanting to read more, without much thought as to what will be read, or when. To actually manifest a season of reading, I’ve found, I need a plan. It doesn’t have to be complicated, or perfect, but it has to exist. May I present to you a lovely plan for getting a more-than-respectable amount of reading done this summer? It is the Summer Reading Bucket List, brought to you by my friends at The New York Times Book Review. If we all follow this list, we’ll expand our palates (“Read a book in a genre you don’t normally read”), travel without traveling (“Read a book in translation”), make use of a resource whose wonder we might have forgotten (“Check out and read a book from your local library”). Once upon a time, I galloped through a book a week, thanks to a group challenge that prescribed 52 reading categories for the year. I got arrogant after completing two years of the challenge and thought I could go it alone, unyoked from the categories, which had started to feel like homework assignments. The next year I struggled to finish books, starting several at once and then casting them aside, tasting first chapters as if I were grazing at an all-you-can-eat buffet. As anyone who has filled their plate with a bit of Caesar salad, a dumpling, some cacio e pepe, two coins of roasted zucchini, maybe a little calamari knows, those buffets are a trap. You get a lot of interesting bites but you never feel satisfied. A checklist for summer reading may seem a little uptight for those who imagine they’ll feast lavishly on the season’s bounty. But for those like me whose eyes are bigger than our attention spans, we benefit from a menu. You could always create your own list if you prefer: 10 books you’ve been meaning to read. One book from each of the past 10 decades. Or you could enlist friends, family members, colleagues to work through the list with you — a group text keeps everyone accountable and is good for recommendations. (Be sure to check out the Book Review staff’s pointers: I didn’t know that Stockard Channing is the audiobook narrator for Beverly Cleary’s Ramona books! If I were taking a road trip with kids, we’d be listening to every one.) Whatever books you select, do so knowing that you’re architecting the literary memories that you’ll associate with this summer for years to come. I remember the summer of 2015 not so much for what I did, but for how it felt to stretch out by the pool, the sun burning my legs, unwilling to move to the shade so engrossed was I in Gabrielle Hamilton’s memoir, “Blood, Bones and Butter.” “The Long Secret,” the Long Island–set sequel to “Harriet the Spy,” was, for most of my adolescence, as constant a summer stalwart as lemonade. I can still feel the humid subway platform where I stood in 2012, almost immune to the August heat, devouring Lauren Groff’s novel “Arcadia.” So many of summer’s signatures (the sun, the sandals, the mosquitoes) stay the same year to year, but the books we read give the summer its character (and characters!), its unique complexion. I’m almost done with “How to Rule the World,” by Theo Baker, reading it on Kindle and listening to the audiobook — my favorite double-barreled method for total immersion — so I could count it as an audiobook, or check off “Read a book published in the last year.” Next up: a book in a genre I don’t normally read. Is this the summer I get into romantasy? I’ll let you know. THE LATEST NEWS In the Courts A federal judge in Washington ordered the Kennedy Center to remove President Trump’s name from its facade, ruling that only Congress could rename the center. A judge temporarily barred the Trump administration from setting up the $1.8 billion fund that Trump said would be used to pay people who claimed to have been harmed by Democratic administrations. And a judge in Miami reopened Trump’s $10 billion case against the I.R.S., saying she wanted to investigate the hasty deal to resolve the suit. Immigration Law enforcement in Texas arrested an ICE agent accused of shooting a Venezuelan man during the immigration crackdown in Minnesota and then lying about it. The Department of Homeland Security said most green-card seekers would not have to leave the U.S. to apply, apparently walking back a policy announced last week. More Politics The New York Times Trump’s new counterterrorism strategy focuses on “violent left-wing extremists,” as well as narcoterrorists and Islamic terror groups. In the video above, Zolan Kanno-Youngs explains what it means. Click to play. Pam Bondi, the former attorney general, said she had little authority over the release of the Epstein files. She blamed the botched rollout on her successor, Todd Blanche. Louisiana lawmakers approved a new congressional map that would eliminate one of the state’s two majority-Black districts. China’s government ordered a New York Times reporter, Vivian Wang, to leave the country. In response, the U.S. revoked the visa of a Chinese state media journalist. THE WEEK IN CULTURE Film and TV A24 “Backrooms,” a psychological horror film from the indie studio A24, takes its inspiration from an internet meme about the unsettling feeling one gets from liminal spaces. Read our review. Meet the director of “Backrooms”: Kane Parsons, a 20-year-old YouTube sensation. “Pressure” tells the story of the meteorologists tasked with forecasting the weather for the D-Day landings. Here’s what really happened. “Spider-Noir,” a new Spider-Man series starring Nicolas Cage as a hard-boiled investigator and former web-slinger, comes in both black-and-white and color versions. Music The New York Times Is the avant-garde rock duo Angine de Poitrine disturbing? Creative? Nonsensical? The Times asked a group of children to tell us how they felt about the song “Sarniezz.” Click the video above to watch. Many of the performers scheduled for a concert series in Washington, D.C., celebrating the country’s 250th anniversary have dropped out, including Bret Michaels, the Commodores and Martina McBride. More Culture Elliott Verdier for The New York Times Restorations of great works of art usually happen behind closed doors. But over the past year, the Musée d’Orsay has welcomed visitors to interact with restorers as they transform one of its largest and most important paintings. Naked women plucking harps, a monster truck flattening a car, a woman swallowing a sword after paragliding in a bird costume: All are part of a new nine-hour performance by the Austrian choreographer and provocateur Florentina Holzinger. 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. BIG CITY, SMALL TOWN Vincent Alban for The New York Times The New York Knicks are in the N.B.A. finals for the first time in more than a quarter century, and the team has the city in its thrall. Matt Flegenheimer, a born-and-raised New Yorker, captured the vibe: For a few weeks now, strange things have been happening in New York City. Eye contact on the train is intentional, warm, knowing. Terriers in team sweaters sniff terriers without team sweaters suspiciously, triple-checking their loyalties. Drivers honk with joy and not rage (sometimes), as if flagging down old friends on some Rockwellian Main Street, shouting through open windows at sidewalk splotches of orange and blue — the least melodic performance on Broadway, and the likeliest to move grown men to tears anyway: “KNIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIICKSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!” Read his full story here. RECIPE OF THE WEEK Armando Rafael for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Brett Regot. By Melissa Clark Tamarind-Glazed Chicken Thighs With their sweet-and-sour finish punched up by chile flakes, Ashley Lonsdale’s tamarind-glazed chicken thighs are glossy, savory and fall-off-the-bone tender. To get the deepest caramelization on the skin, Ashley recommends thoroughly drying the thighs before adding them to the pan. Patting with paper towels gets the job done, but I also like to spread them out on a plate and leave them uncovered in the fridge for an hour or so, or even overnight. Then, serve them with rice or a baguette to catch all the tangy drippings. REAL ESTATE Maia Kenney and her dog, Pepper. Desiré van den Berg for The New York Times The Hunt: After a breakup, an art curator who had been living in Utrecht decamped to Amsterdam. She saw studios in three intriguing neighborhoods. Which did she choose? Play our game. What you get for $2.8 million: A 19th-century farmhouse in Red Hook, N.Y. A Frank Lloyd Wright-inspired cottage in Port Allegany, Pa. A 1949 house in Franklin, Tenn. Buy a bubble: California’s last surviving “bubble house” is for sale. The futuristic dome — and affordable housing prototype — still stuns. LIVING Krysta Jabczenski for The New York Times Into the wolf’s mouth: The artist Johnny DeFeo reimagined his wildlife paintings as a tiny adventure house that he constructed high in the New Mexican desert. You can rent it. Sit down: Well-chosen, carefully sited outdoor seating is a powerful design tool that can beckon seductively to visitors. One too many? Carrying multiple cellphones, whether for cybersecurity or work-life balance, comes with some quirks and style challenges. ADVICE FROM WIRECUTTER Why are garden hoses so annoying? If you feel like your hose is constantly breaking, or you are buying a new one every year, the best thing we can recommend is to replace your flimsy vinyl hose with one made of rubber. They are the most long-lasting options, and our favorite is nearly indestructible. If you would rather repair the hose you already own, use a utility knife or a pipe cutter to remove the broken part of the hose. If the split is in the middle, try hose menders, which clamp together two pieces to make your hose whole and usable again. If the break is closer to the end, just cut off the damaged piece and use a thread-repair mender to put on a new attachment end. Hopefully your water will keep flowing all summer long. — Annemarie Conte GAMES OF THE WEEK Franck Fife/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images We’re entering one of the best sports weeks of the year, and there’s just too much going on to pick a single game. Here’s a rundown: Arsenal vs. Paris St.-Germain, Champions League final: Arsenal, fresh off its first Premier League title in 22 years, will try to win its first ever Champions League trophy today. Fans (including the mayor of New York City) are jazzed about this shot at history, but beware: The Athletic’s Nick Miller says P.S.G. is “the best team in Europe and possibly the world right now.” Carolina Hurricanes vs. Vegas Golden Knights, Stanley Cup finals: Since joining the N.H.L. in 2017, the Golden Knights have won more playoff games than any other team. Now, after sweeping the top-seeded Colorado Avalanche, they have a chance to add four to that tally. But the Hurricanes are the hottest team going, with only one loss so far in the playoffs. San Antonio Spurs vs. Oklahoma City Thunder, N.B.A. playoffs. Victor Wembanyama vs. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. The Alien vs. the M.V.P. This has been the best series of the playoffs, fiery and physical, and it goes to a decisive Game 7 tonight. The Knicks await the winner. NOW TIME TO PLAY Here is today’s Spelling Bee. Yesterday’s pangram was squeaky. Take the news quiz to see how well you followed this week’s headlines. And here are today’s Mini Crossword, Wordle, Crossplay, Connections and Strands. Thanks for spending part of your weekend with The Times. — Melissa Sign up here to get this newsletter in your inbox. Reach our team at themorning@nytimes.com. Host: Sam Sifton Editor: Adam B. Kushner News Editor: Tom Wright-Piersanti Associate Editor: Lauren Jackson News Staff: Evan Gorelick, Brent Lewis, Lara McCoy, Karl Russell Saturday Writer: Melissa Kirsch Editorial Director, Newsletters: Jodi Rudoren 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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