Today’s Headlines: As Rafah Offensive Grinds On, Hunger in Gaza Spirals

Ukraine Starts Freeing Some Prisoners to Join Its Military

View in browser May 25, 2024, 4:00 a.m. Eastern time Good morning. To showcase the depth and breadth of New York Times journalism, we have given Today's Headlines a fresh look and feel. Some of you might also begin to see headlines from a wider range of sections. We hope you enjoy these changes, and thank you for reading Today's Headlines! Top News As Rafah Offensive Grinds On, Hunger in Gaza Spirals Aid officials and health experts expect famine this month unless Israel lifts barriers to aid, the fighting stops and vital services are restored. Ukraine Starts Freeing Some Prisoners to Join Its Military Nearly 350 inmates have been freed under a new law that allows them to serve in exchange for the possibility of parole, the country's justice minister said. Decades in the Making, a New Era Dawns for the N.C.A.A.: Paying Athletes Directly If approved by a judge, the $2.8 billion settlement of an antitrust lawsuit would allow for the first revenue-sharing plan for college athletes. The question now: How will it work? ADVERTISEMENT Editors' Picks The Architect Who Made Singapore's Public Housing the Envy of the World With a focus on affordability, community, convenience and light, Liu Thai Ker replaced squalid slums with spacious high-rises. A recent spike in some sale prices, however, has saddened him. Opinion | This Is the Democrats' Best Shot in 2024. And They Are Spending Like Crazy on It. Democrats have continued to leverage abortion rights as a powerful culture-war wedge issue against Republicans, seen in their ad campaigns. World Forced to Relive Childhood Horrors in Old Age The oldest Ukrainians whose towns have been bombarded and overrun by Russia's invasion have memories of similar miseries at the hands of Nazi Germany in World War II. Three Missionaries in Haiti Killed in Gang Attack The latest assault by Haitian gangs left three people, including two American missionaries and a local pastor, dead in Port-au-Prince. World Court Orders Israel to Halt Its Military Offensive Into Rafah The International Court of Justice has no means to enforce its order in the Gazan city, but the ruling added pressure on the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel. See more world news ADVERTISEMENT U.S. These Teens Adopted an Orphaned Oil Well. Their Goal: Shut It Down. Students, nonprofit groups and others are fund-raising to cap highly polluting oil and gas wells abandoned by industry. Uvalde Families Accuse Instagram, 'Call of Duty' and Rifle Maker of 'Grooming' Gunman The unusual lawsuits filed on Friday are among the most far-reaching to be filed in response to the escalating number of mass shootings in the United States. What Set the A.T.F. and an Airport Leader on the Path to a Deadly Encounter? Bryan Malinowski was the executive director of the airport in Little Rock, Ark., and sold firearms at gun shows. Federal agents believed he was breaking the law. See more U.S. news Politics Trump's Pattern of Sowing Election Doubt Intensifies in 2024 A false, familiar claim by the former president — that the contest in which he's participating is "rigged" — has reached a fever pitch in this cycle. Trump's V.P. Pageant Has an Unexpectedly Strong Contender: Tom Cotton Donald Trump's interest in the Arkansas senator reflects a desire to choose a running mate with experience and the ability to run a disciplined campaign. Justice Sotomayor Describes Frustration With Being a Liberal on the Supreme Court In a conversation at Harvard, the justice spoke of her despair at some of the court's decisions, but she urged optimism and a focus on future generations. See more political news Business The Emails at the Heart of the Government's Ticketmaster Case Live Nation Entertainment, which owns Ticketmaster, is accused of violating antitrust laws. The Justice Department drew on the concert behemoth's internal communications in its lawsuit. China Has a Plan for Its Housing Crisis. Here's Why It's Not Enough. A new approach by China's top leaders is bold but pales against the problem: a vast number of empty apartments no one wants to buy. The N.C.A.A.'s Landmark Athlete-Pay Settlement, Explained The $2.8 billion agreement announced on Thursday would, if approved by a judge, allow college athletes to share team revenue for the first time. Here is what we know. See more business news Technology Are These Drones Too Chinese to Pass U.S. Muster in an Anti-China Moment? U.S.-based Anzu Robotics is selling drones using technology from DJI, a Chinese firm that is the target of efforts by lawmakers to limit Chinese technology in America. Russia, in New Push, Increasingly Disrupts Ukraine's Starlink Service Russia has deployed advanced tech to interfere with Elon Musk's satellite internet service, Ukrainian officials said, leading to more outages on the northern front battle line. Google's A.I. Search Errors Cause a Furor Online The company's latest A.I. search feature has erroneously told users to eat glue and rocks, provoking a backlash among users. See more technology news Arts The Cannes Love Affair With American Cinema Takes Unexpected Turns Whether it's Demi Moore's performance in "The Substance" or Sean Baker's tale of a Brooklyn sex worker, this year's jury will have a lot to ponder. The Best Books of the Year (So Far) The nonfiction and novels we can't stop thinking about. I Was a Nude Model for a Half Hour. Revelatory? Actually, Yes. Two shows — an art fair in Brooklyn and an Yves Klein exhibition uptown — ask if nude art can still inspire or shock. I joined in to find out. See more arts news New York A State Fund That Helps Children Hurt at Birth Is Quietly Suspended New York officials said the fund would accept new beneficiaries into the new year, but a projected shortfall of at least $3.2 billion raises questions about its future. Pro-Palestinian Activism Marks CUNY Law Graduation Despite Speaker Ban With speeches canceled, students at the CUNY School of Law ceremony chanted, carried signs and walked out. Where New Yorkers Start Being Polite and Stop Getting Real The Portal, a video art installation connecting the city with Dublin, is open again, now with safeguards. But does changing the rules change the artwork? See more New York news Media & Advertising Elon Musk Ramps Up Anti-Biden Posts on X The billionaire owner of X has increasingly been using his social media platform to criticize President Biden for his health and immigration policies, according to a New York Times analysis. How FaceTime Calls With Mom Became a TV Hit What started as a way for the filmmaker Josh Seftel and his mother, Pat, to stay in touch has become a popular feature on "CBS Sunday Morning." Kabosu, Shiba Inu Who Helped Define the Doge Meme, Dies at 18 The dog, whose face helped spread the popular doge meme and later became the logo of the Dogecoin cryptocurrency, died on Friday. See more media & advertising news Science Ozempic Cuts Risk of Chronic Kidney Disease Complications, Study Finds A major clinical trial showed such promising results that the drug's maker halted it early. Raw Milk's Risks Don't Stop Right-Wing Commentators From Defiantly Pushing It On sites like Infowars, Gab and Rumble, federal concerns about raw milk are seen as overreach, but there are serious health risks and no scientifically proven benefits. Countries Fail to Agree on Treaty to Prepare the World for the Next Pandemic Negotiators plan to ask for more time. Among the sticking points are equitable access to vaccines and financing to set up surveillance systems. See more science news Obituaries Caleb Carr, Author of Dark Histories, Dies at 68 His own dark history prompted him to write about and investigate the roots of violence, notably in his best-selling novel "The Alienist." Morgan Spurlock, Documentarian Known for 'Super Size Me,' Dies at 53 His 2004 film followed Mr. Spurlock as he ate nothing but McDonald's for a month. It was nominated for an Oscar, but it later came in for criticism. Bob McCreadie, 'the Master of Going Faster,' Dies at 73 One of the winningest drivers in dirt racing history, he was a folk hero who cursed wildly, drove aggressively and crashed a lot. See more Obituaries Opinion Nicholas Kristof Biden's Chance to Do the Right Thing in Gaza The U.S. should side with the International Court of Justice in the Gaza war. Michelle Goldberg Women Have Gotten 'Too Mouthy,' Says This Republican Senate Candidate Alex Jones, Steve Bannon and the left-to-right pipeline. Christopher Hooks and Mike Osborne Try Living in Elon Musk's Company Town To some, Elon Musk has given Brownsville, Texas, a reason for being, a future. To others, he's a colonizer, flirting with white nationalists online while exploiting a predominantly brown work force. Jamelle Bouie Trump's Taste for Tyranny Finds a Target Once you start talk about immigrants "poisoning the blood of our country," what comes next? Michael Ponsor A Federal Judge Wonders: How Could Alito Have Been So Foolish? Displaying an upside-down American flag shouldn't have happened. Ross Douthat Harrison Butker's Very American Traditionalism How Latin Mass Catholics embody the spirit of Vatican II. See more Opinion ADVERTISEMENT Need help? Review our newsletter help page or contact us for assistance. You received this email because you signed up for Today's Headlines from The New York Times. To stop receiving Today's Headlines, unsubscribe. 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