Today’s Headlines: Anarchy Hinders Gaza Aid Efforts, Despite Daily Combat Pause

A Massacre Threatens Darfur — Again
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Today's Headlines

June 20, 2024, 4:08 a.m. Eastern time

Top News

Anarchy Hinders Gaza Aid Efforts, Despite Daily Combat Pause

Thousands of tons of aid stockpiled in southern Gaza cannot be distributed because the roads are too dangerous, relief groups say.

A Massacre Threatens Darfur — Again

Darfur, the region of Sudan once synonymous with genocide, may be on the brink of a new chapter of horror.

Louisiana Requires All Public Classrooms to Display Ten Commandments

A law signed by Gov. Jeff Landry on Wednesday makes the state the only one with such a mandate. Critics have vowed to mount a constitutional challenge.

Editors' Picks

A Disaster of the U.S. Military's Own Making

Austin Valley's death exposed the Army's most urgent challenge: a suicide crisis among soldiers in peacetime.

Opinion | Something's Rotten About the Justices Taking So Long on Trump's Immunity Case

It shouldn't take so long for the justices to consider an outlandish claim.

Today's Videos

Video | New Mexico Wildfires Burn Homes and Cars

The blazes in the southern part of the state prompted the evacuation of thousands of people and scorched more than 23,000 acres.

Video | Deaths Reported as Heat Soars During Hajj Pilgrimage

Muslims from around the world faced scorching temperatures as they traveled to the holy city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia for the annual five-day pilgrimage.

Video | Beluga Whales Evacuated From Ukrainian Aquarium

Two beluga whales were rescued from Kharkiv, Ukraine, and transported to an aquarium in Valencia, Spain, after the war in Ukraine significantly affected their chances of survival there.

World

Putin Once Tried to Curb North Korea's Nuclear Program. That's Now Over.

Vladimir Putin promised unspecified technological help to North Korea, which could allow it to advance its nuclear weapons program.

Who Owns Alexander the Great? It's a Diplomatic Minefield.

North Macedonia has claimed historical figures as part of a drive to build a national identity. That has ruffled the feathers of the Balkan nation's neighbors.

From Ukraine, Two Enormous Passengers Are Trucked and Flown to Safety

A pair of beluga whales were extricated from the besieged city of Kharkiv and taken to an aquarium in Spain with help from experts around the world.

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U.S.

2 Are Killed in 'Devastating' New Mexico Wildfires

The state's governor declared a regional state of emergency as thousands evacuated. Wind and rain could affect firefighting efforts.

Supreme Court Ruling on Bump Stocks Could Open Door to More Lethal Weapons

The court's decision has the potential to undercut President Biden's efforts to restrict other gun accessories that enable semiautomatic rifles to fire at speeds rivaling those of machine guns.

'We Just Always Expect It to Work': 911 Outage Shows System's Perils

The failure of the Massachusetts 911 system on Tuesday was the latest reminder of the potential problems faced by an emergency network that many say needs to be upgraded.

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Politics

Trump Tries to Set Expectations, and Floats Excuses, for His Debate With Biden

The former president has set a low bar for President Biden's performance at next week's matchup. Now, he is preparing supporters for the possibility that Mr. Biden clears it.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s Conspiracy of Ravens

The presidential candidate keeps two of the free-minded birds as wild pets. They're much better behaved than his old emu, Toby, who would attack his wife, Cheryl Hines.

Congress Debates Expanded Draft Amid Military Recruitment Challenges

Republicans and Democrats are weighing proposals to expand military conscription to women and make registration automatic. Both proposals face an uphill path to becoming law.

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Business

Are Planes Safe Right Now? Here's What the Experts Say.

You should expect the unexpected while flying, but few disruptions should provoke serious concern, aviation experts say.

Group of Austrians Picks 77 Charities to Receive Heiress's Fortune

Marlene Engelhorn, a descendant of the founder of one of the world's largest chemical companies, decided to give away most of her inheritance.

Britain Election Winner's First Problem: Fix a Stagnant Economy

After more than a decade of deep budget cuts, slow growth and weak productivity, the country has struggled to overcome years of uncertainty and underinvestment.

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Technology

OpenAI Co-Founder, Who Helped Oust Sam Altman, Starts His Own Company

Ilya Sutskever's new start-up, Safe Superintelligence, aims to build A.I. technologies that are smarter than a human but not dangerous.

If You Know What 'Brainrot' Means, You Might Already Have It

A popular term captures the condition of being terminally online, with humor and pathos.

He Memorized the World With Google Maps. Now He's Exploring It.

Few people are better than Trevor Rainbolt at identifying obscure locations online — but there's even more joy in watching him visit them IRL.

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Sports

Willie Mays, Birmingham and Rickwood Field: Baseball Honors a Legend in His Hometown

Major League Baseball is in Birmingham to honor the legacy of the Negro Leagues. With Mays's death, the celebration at ancient Rickwood Field takes on new meaning.

Split by Politics and Protests, Georgia Lets Soccer Carry the Flag

The opposition in Georgia accused the government of cozying up to Russia. Can playing in the Euros make the nation feel more like a part of Europe?

Getting Real With the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders

Kelli Finglass, the director of the dance squad, sits down for a discussion of the new Netflix series "America's Sweethearts."

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Arts

How Black Librarians Helped Create Generations of Black Literature

Recent scholarship is uncovering the role of the women who ran libraries during the Harlem Renaissance where they built collections and, just as important, communities of writers and readers.

With the Help of Whales, a Choreographer Falls Into an Abyss

Mayfield Brooks explores grief and decomposition in the hull of a 19th-century cargo ship.

Land Art in Malibu Gets a Second Chance

Lita Albuquerque redraws her "Malibu Line," an ultra-vivid blue earthwork that connects earth, ocean and sky.

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New York

In a State Notorious for Political Scandal, Signs of Change Emerge

New Jersey's senior senator is on trial, charged with taking bribes. A political power broker is accused of racketeering. A judge has declared the election system unfair.

Race and Israel Take Center Stage in Final Bowman-Latimer Debate

Representative Jamaal Bowman of New York sought to portray his challenger, George Latimer, as a pawn of a major pro-Israel lobby.

More Black and Latino Students Admitted to New York's Elite High Schools

The percentage of Black and Latino students in the eight schools increased modestly to 12 percent, the highest since 2013, but still far below the overall percentage of those students in schools.

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Media & Advertising

Is Murray Hill's Showbiz Dream Finally Coming True?

For years he wowed 'em in the clubs with his drag-king lounge act. Now, against all odds, he's breaking out.

It's the Summer of 'Brats'

Fans of the new Charli XCX album count themselves among them. But the term "brat" has cropped up elsewhere in culture lately, and it has subtly different meanings.

The A.I. Influencer Ads Are Coming

Look closely. Is that a real person?

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Science

South Africa Runs Out of Insulin Pens as Global Supply Shifts to Weight-Loss Drugs

The shortage highlights a widening gulf in the standard of care for people with diabetes, most of whom live in low-income countries.

Do We Need Language to Think?

A group of neuroscientists argue that our words are primarily for communicating, not for reasoning.

Ancient Shipwreck Preserves a Deep Bronze Age Time Capsule

About a mile beneath the sea, the ship suggests that trade in the eastern Mediterranean Sea traveled much farther from the safety of land.

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Well

What Your Heart Rate Can Tell You About Your Fitness

Most fitness trackers offer a wealth of heart-rate data. Here's how to make sense of it.

How Heat Affects the Brain

High temperatures can make us miserable. Research shows they also make us aggressive, impulsive and dull.

Does Stress Cause Ulcers?

Here's what the evidence suggests about this long-running claim.

See more on Well

Fashion & Style

After His Arrest, Justin Timberlake Is the Talk of Sag Harbor

As the serene Hamptons village is overrun with news vans, the locals eat oysters and engage in some light media criticism.

Can You Retire if You Never Had a Job? NOFX Will Try.

The punk rock pioneers chose freedom — and chaos — over major labels. Pulling the plug while things are still working is one final act of rebellion.

Exposing the Designer Behind the Curtain

Dior, Chanel, Lagerfeld — a rash of new streaming biopics have tried to humanize fashion's most famous names. Is that a good thing?

See more fashion news

Obituaries

Bob Schul, a Singular U.S. Olympian in the 5,000-Meter Race, Dies at 86

His remarkable sprint in the final yards on a muddy track in the 1964 Games in Tokyo made him the only American ever to win the gold medal in that event.

Warren Winiarski, Whose Fledgling Cabernet Bested the French, Dies at 95

His $6 bottle of Napa Valley cabernet won a historic tasting in Paris in 1976, astonishing connoisseurs and putting his Stag's Leap winery on the map.

Sarah Mandel, Therapist Who Told Her 'Trauma Narrative,' Dies at 42

She received a diagnosis of Stage 4 breast cancer late in her second pregnancy and described her experience in a book, "Little Earthquakes: A Memoir."

Neil Goldschmidt, Portland Mayor Who Abused Teenager, Dies at 83

While he was reviving Portland, Ore., as a vibrant, pedestrian-friendly city, he was also sexually abusing a teenage girl over three years, he later admitted.

See more Obituaries

Opinion

Andrew Ross, Tommaso Bardelli and Aiyuba Thomas

End Legal Slavery in the United States

Compulsory labor with little or no compensation should be unthinkable.

Jennifer B. Nuzzo

How Scared Should You Be of Bird Flu?

Here's who needs to worry right now.

Thomas B. Edsall

Political Scientists Want to Know Why We Hate One Another This Much

What does the rise of partisan sectarians portend for the rest of us?

Glenn Kramon

What My Cancer Surgery Taught Me About Immigration

Glenn Kramon discusses the coincidences that led him to realize how critical immigration was to his recent cancer battle.

The Opinions

The Good News About a Bad G.P.A.

A mediocre high school record doesn't have to define your life.

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