Today's Headlines: As Hegseth Vows to Fight, Trump Considers DeSantis for Defense Secretary

Chief Executive of Insurance Giant Is Gunned Down Outside Midtown Hotel

View in browser December 5, 2024, 4:10 a.m. Eastern time Top News As Hegseth Vows to Fight, Trump Considers DeSantis for Defense Secretary The president-elect appeared to be having serious conversations about picking Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida as Pete Hegseth, the current selection, dismissed the allegations against him. Police Hunt Gunman After Health Executive Is Killed in 'Brazen Targeted Attack' Brian Thompson, the chief executive at UnitedHealthcare, was shot in the back in Midtown Manhattan by a killer who then walked coolly away. Lawmakers Move to Impeach South Korean Leader After Failed Martial Law Bid President Yoon Suk Yeol's attempt to break a political deadlock by imposing military rule collapsed within hours, leaving him with few defenders. A vote to impeach him could come as soon as Friday. Editors' Picks Opinion | The Dangerous Precedent of Biden's Pardon It sends a signal that Trump's abuse of the pardon system was not an aberration. How a Country's Economy Was Siphoned Dry Bangladesh's currency was battered by what the new head of the central bank says was the looting of the banks under the deposed prime minister. World France's Prime Minister Loses No-Confidence Vote and Is Expected to Resign Prime Minister Michel Barnier will most likely remain as a caretaker until a replacement is named. But the vote could create a wider opening for the far right. With Assad Challenged, a Push to Cut Syria's Ties to Iran Grows More Unlikely Even as Israel bombarded Syria, officials say the U.S. and Gulf countries were working to weaken its president's alliance with Tehran. Rebels' shock advance has dampened those hopes. Mexican Authorities Seize 20 Million Doses of Fentanyl in Record Haul The operation comes after President-elect Donald J. Trump threatened tariffs on Mexico if the country did not crack down on fentanyl. See more world news U.S. Supreme Court Inclined to Uphold Tennessee Law on Transgender Care The justices heard arguments on Wednesday over whether Tennessee can ban some medical treatments for transgender youth. More than 20 other states have similar laws. Russian General Calls U.S. Chairman of Joint Chiefs In a highly unusual call, the two men "discussed a number of global and regional security issues, to include the ongoing conflict in Ukraine," a spokesman said. U.S. Students Posted Dire Math Declines on an International Test On the test, American fourth and eighth graders posted results similar to scores from 1995. It was a sign of notable stagnation, even as other countries saw improvements. See more U.S. news Politics Trump Has 'Lost Faith' in N.R.A., Says Gun Group Official In a new letter, an N.R.A. vice president said the troubled group needed to rebuild trust with Donald J. Trump and his inner circle. Nadler to Relinquish Democrats' Top Judiciary Post, Bowing to Calls for Change Democrats' longtime leader on the panel faced a challenge from Representative Jamie Raskin, and pressure from colleagues who wanted a younger, more strategic figure at the helm. Pardon Backlash Reflects Fraught Breakup Between Democrats and Biden The criticism of the president's pardon of his son from within his own party underscores how far gone his relationship with Democrats in Congress already was. See more political news Business Collapse of France's Government Further Burdens Its Weak Economy Already struggling with flat growth and a large debt and deficit, the country faces a new period of instability without a functioning government or a budget. Trump Tax Cuts Won't Help the Economy Grow, Budget Office Finds A larger debt and higher interest rates would cancel out the boost from keeping individual taxes lower, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office found. China Just Showed Washington How It Plans to Fight the Next Trade War Faltering U.S. industrial leadership has allowed China to take a harder trade stance as President-elect Donald Trump prepares to take office. See more business news Sports Grooms, the Unsung Heroes of the Horse World They are the caretakers of the horses, who can't speak for themselves. So these professionals "have to speak for them and feel what they need and what they want," one groom said. Hong Kong International Races Week Celebrates Horses and Jockeys From Around the World The flagship event of the Hong Kong Jockey Club honors the horses and the athletes who ride them. The Formidable Golden Sixty, Just Retired, Still Looms Over the Hong Kong Races The horse dominated the sport for years and is the highest-earning racehorse of all time. See more sports news Arts Kieran Culkin Could Rule Oscar Season. He'd Rather Be at Home. The "Succession" actor is an awards front-runner for "A Real Pain," but his actual priority is being a dad: "That's the whole point of life." 'Let's Make a Dance.' At Nature Theater, the Body Rules. In "No President," Nature Theater of Oklahoma creates its version of a story ballet, one burpee at a time. Review: Feeling Frazzled? This Dance Reacts to an Age of Anxiety In "Dear Lord, Make Me Beautiful," the choreographer Kyle Abraham experiments with expressing his emotions about the current moment. See more arts news New York Eric Adams Proposes Tax Cut for New York City's Lowest Earners Under indictment and facing re-election, Mr. Adams has turned his attention to the city's affordability crisis. A City of Cameras: How New York Police Will Hunt a Killer The prelude, the crime and the aftermath were all caught on video. But investigators will need to use human intelligence to find the person who gunned down an insurance company's chief executive. 1 Dead and Over 70 Displaced After Senior Center Fire More than 95 firefighters responded on Tuesday night to a four-alarm fire at a senior housing facility in Edison, N.J., according to officials. See more New York news Media & Advertising FIFA Secures $1 Billion Broadcast Deal for Its Club World Cup An agreement with the London-based streaming company DAZN came just a day before the draw for the inaugural event and after other networks balked at FIFA's demands. Guardian Journalists Strike Over Planned Sale of Sister Publication Workers have begun a 48-hour walkout, the first in 50 years for the outlet, over a proposal to sell The Observer to Tortoise Media, a digital media start-up. Martial Law Didn't Silence South Korea's Media. It Empowered Them. Journalists criticized the president's attempt to place the press under military control, hardened by years of challenges to press freedoms by the country's political leaders. See more media & advertising news Science Google Introduces A.I. Agent That Aces 15-Day Weather Forecasts GenCast, from the company's DeepMind division, outperformed the world's best predictions of deadly storms as well as everyday weather. E.P.A. Again Seeks Limits on a Harmful Pesticide After a court overturned a ban, the agency has proposed restricting chlorpyrifos to 11 food crops, illustrating the limits of federal regulation. Mammoth: It's What Was for Dinner A study of a 12,800-year-old skull of a toddler offers a glimpse at how early Americans found food, and how their hunts may have led to a mass extinction. See more science news Magazine Is the Awkward 'Diversity Era' of Hollywood Behind Us? The past decade's clumsiest attempts to cram new faces into old stories now feel like a moment, and a genre, of their own. Never Underestimate the Power of a Good Cookie Biscochitos might not seem to have anything fancy about them until you take a bite. That's when they revive and restore. Is It Fair to Judge a Friend by the Way She Voted? The magazine's Ethicist columnist on friendship, suspicion and character assessment. See more magazine news Fashion & Style Steamy Nights Preserved on Film Polaroid photos capturing the fugitive spirit and some famous faces of New York's 1980s club scene are the focus of a new book, "Camera Girl." How Can I Show My Boyfriend My Parents' Filthy Home? A reader dreads the thought of her partner seeing her squalid childhood home, but being honest with her parents about her embarrassment is a nonstarter. Chanel's Answer to the China Question The house goes all out for its V.I.C.s. See more fashion news T Magazine Is Robert Pattinson the Last True Movie Star? He may have wanted to be an actor without being a celebrity. But then he turned his fame into its own kind of performance. When Life Becomes a Performance From movie stars to the singularly strange creative talents who rule New York, the freest people are the ones who chart their own course. See more on T Magazine Obituaries Mary McGee, Motorcycle Racing Pioneer, Is Dead at 87 Her most remarkable achievement came in 1975, when she became the first person, man or woman, to complete the Baja 500 race solo. Rohit Bal, Exuberant Star of Indian Fashion, Dies at 63 Known as "the bad boy of fashion," he was among a wave of designers who created modern Indian couture by updating traditional garments. Kelly Powers, Fox News Commentator Who Shared Her Health Crises With Viewers, Dies at 45 She was diagnosed with glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer, in 2020, and used her platform to talk about cancer research. See more Obituaries Opinion Carlos Lozada Donald Trump and Pete Hegseth Have the Same Enemies He, too, wants to fight the "enemy within." Guest Essay I Should Never Have Picked Up That Gun I am surrounded by men who live with regret. And that regret is an incarceration every bit as real as the towering walls around us. Maureen Dowd The Last Time Alcohol Poisoned a Defense Nomination Pete Hegseth is not the first. Guest Essay Trump's Project 2025 May Not Be What It Seemed. It's Worse. Trump's version of Project 2025 may not be what it seemed. It's worse. Guest Essay Will Trump Be the President of Vice? Moderation on pot and other vices appears to have been part of a calculated effort to turn out young men for the G.O.P. — but it may come with consequences. Jessica Grose Human Interaction Is Now a Luxury Good We're increasingly becoming a society in which very wealthy people get human care, like concierge medicine and private schools with tiny class sizes. See more Opinion 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. To opt out of other promotional emails from The Times, including those regarding The Athletic, manage your email settings. To opt out of updates and offers sent from The Athletic, submit a request. Subscribe to The TimesGet The New York Times app Connect with us on: Change Your EmailPrivacy PolicyContact UsCalifornia Notices The New York Times Company. 620 Eighth Avenue New York, NY 10018