New York Times - Top Stories

Trump Says U.S. Will Help Stranded Ships Leave Strait of Hormuz

President Trump offered few details on how the new program would work, but said interference would be dealt with “forcefully.”

3 min read

Trump Faces the Complicated Reality of a Costly, Unpopular War in Iran

4 min read

Oil Prices Edge Down While Stock Futures Inch Up

2 min read

Ships at sea, with mountains in the background. — Reuters

‘The Death Zone’: How Russia Is Luring Africans to Ukraine

A growing number of men say they are being promised jobs in Russia, only to be forced into the war. Some go as mercenaries, but many more are drawn unwittingly.

8 min read

Why Are Africans Fighting for Russia in Ukraine?

3 min read

James Kamau Ndungu told friends in Kenya he was going to Russia to work as a day laborer. He ended up on the front line in Ukraine.
Ed Ram for The New York Times
Jobs in Africa are scarce, making the promise of work overseas a powerful magnet, however risky.
Ed Ram for The New York Times
With so few formal employment opportunities on the continent, misleading advertisements for jobs in Russia have attracted many young African men.
Ed Ram for The New York Times
Family members have asked the Kenyan government for help finding those who have ended up in Ukraine.
Ed Ram for The New York Times
Vincent Odhiambo Awiti fought in Ukraine for the Russian military, but returned to Kenya after being wounded.
Ed Ram for The New York Times

Rudy Giuliani Is in ‘Critical Condition’ in Florida Hospital

A spokesman for the former mayor of New York City said Mr. Giuliani is critical but stable.

2 min read

Rudy Giuliani speaks into news microphones. — Jefferson Siegel for The New York Times

3 Dead of Suspected Hantavirus Infections on Cruise Ship, W.H.O. Says

One case of the infection has been confirmed in a laboratory, and there are five additional suspected cases, the organization said.

4 min read

What Is Hantavirus?

2 min read

An aerial view of the cruise ship MV Hondius off Cape Verde on Sunday. — Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

Got a Tip? The Times offers several ways to send important information confidentially ›

Defying the Censors Was Easy. Being a Good Comedian Is Harder.

After making jokes critical of the Chinese government, the standup comic Chizi lives in self-imposed exile. He’s finding that freedom imposes its own constraints.

7 min read

Chizi, seen from below, performing a standup routine on stage at a theater in Tokyo — Chang W. Lee/The New York Times

In Case You Missed It

‘City of Glass’ Is Under Threat From Iran War

In India, Firozabad has depended on its glassmaking industry for centuries. Fuel prices are starting to shatter businesses already under pressure.

5 min read

Did School Cellphone Bans in the U.S. Work? A New Study Finds Mixed Results.

Cellphone bans got devices out of students’ hands, according to the first large study. But behavior and academics have not improved, at least so far.

3 min read

From the back, a person in a white shirt and black backpack holds a black smartphone. Blurred figures are visible in the bright background. — Lea Suzuki/San Francisco Chronicle, via Associated Press

Doctors From Countries Under Travel Ban Now Allowed to Stay in U.S.

In a reversal, the Trump administration has exempted foreign physicians from a visa application freeze that was pushing many out of jobs in underserved areas.

3 min read

Analysis

A Long, Strange Trip: How the G.O.P. Came to Embrace Psychedelic Drugs

For decades, conservatives were adamantly opposed to the use of drugs like psilocybin and LSD. Now, the Trump administration has made a sharp pivot.

6 min read

Ezequiel Veliz, wearing a polo shirt and with his hands folded over his stomach, stands in front of a cream-colored building. — Gabriel V. Cárdenas for The New York Times

These Countries Embrace E.V.s to Avoid Oil Price Shocks

People in Costa Rica and other Latin American, Asian and African countries are increasingly buying electric vehicles to avoid spiking fuel prices.

6 min read

Driving Electric in Costa Rica Is Surprisingly Doable

5 min read

Electric Cars Were a Big Deal at the Turn of the Century. The Last Century.

5 min read

Tony Cenicola/The New York Times

The Widow of the Firefighter Slain by a Would-Be Assassin Speaks Out

The conspiracy theories around the Butler, Pa., assassination attempt hurt Helen Comperatore. But she nurtures a conspiracy theory of her own.

5 min read

Helen Comperatore stands with her hands clasped at her waist. — Maddie McGarvey for The New York Times

Liverpool Is Making History. Just Not the Good Kind.

Head coach Arne Slot is stuck in a doom loop, a columnist for The Athletic writes.

From The Athletic

Sir Alex Ferguson Taken to Hospital Before Manchester United vs. Liverpool

Manchester United’s most successful manager was in the tunnel area ahead of the game before being taken to hospital as a precaution.

From The Athletic

Opinion

Photo showing a portion of a man’s face with open lips as if speaking and a blurred American flag in the background. — Nathan Howard for The New York Times

Scott Anderson

Operation Epic Fury, Meet Operation Colossal Blunder

4 min read

Robin Givhan

Lauren Sánchez Bezos and the End of Good Taste

5 min read

Christopher Caldwell

America Is Officially an Empire in Decline

6 min read

An illustration of school hallway filled with students in uniforms. Their poses are reminiscent of Raphael’s “School of Athens.”

James Traub

Inside a Public School Reclaiming an Idea Liberals Left Behind

7 min read

The World

DeepSeek’s Sequel

China made the inner workings of an A.I. model open to all. That’s starting to look like a soft-power win.

7 min read

SKIP ADVERTISEMENT

Watch Today’s Videos

More News

Norway’s Northern Lights Nightmare

This Arctic region has seen a boom in tourism, but as tourists chase the northern lights, scammers chase their money.

4 min read

Kimi Antonelli Passed His Biggest Test Yet While Making Formula 1 History

In Miami, the 19-year-old Mercedes driver became the first racer ever to win in each of their first three pole positions.

From The Athletic

Commission Investigating Discrimination Claim at The New York Times

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission recently referred a reverse-discrimination complaint by an employee to the agency’s legal unit for review.

4 min read

A beach covered by sea creatures that resemble jelly fish. — Aidin Vaziri/San Francisco Chronicle

Blue and Tentacled, a Sea Creature Invades California Beaches

The brightly colored jellylike marine life, called “Velella velella,” show up every few years when strong winds blow in the right direction, scientists said.

2 min read