6 Takeaways From the First Batch of the Epstein Files

Many of the Justice Department documents were heavily redacted, and President Trump’s name was rarely mentioned. The White House also sought to make political hay of the release of photos of Bill Clinton.

A Alan Feuer

Epstein Victims Upset About Lack of Transparency in Newly Released Files

Several victims said they were frustrated by the heavy redactions of photos and documents that the Justice Department released on Friday.Survivors spoke during a news conference on the Epstein Files Transparency Act ahead of the House vote to release the files in November.

M Matthew Goldstein and Mike Baker

Lawmakers Criticize Justice Dept. For Not Releasing All Epstein Files

Republicans and Democrats who had been pressing for the disclosure accused officials of failing to comply with a law that requires all material to be released.Senator Chuck Schumer, the minority leader, said, “Simply releasing a mountain of blacked out pages violates the spirit of transparency and t

M Michael Gold

U.S. Strikes on Syria Underscore Scale of Challenge for Its President

The Syrian government did not comment directly on the extensive American strikes targeting the Islamic State on Friday, but said it was intensifying its own efforts to fight the group.Syrian government forces at a checkpoint on the outskirts of Damascus in April. The U.S. launched airstrikes targeti

A Abdi Latif Dahir

Rubio Meets (and Meets, and Meets … ) the Press

The secretary of state held a marathon news conference, offering little news but more respect for reporters than most others in the Trump administration.Secretary of State Marco Rubio fielded questions from reporters for more than two hours on Friday.

M Michael Crowley

Why Middle-Class Americans Say Life Is Unaffordable

Economists say that a typical middle-class family today is richer than one in the 1960s. Americans in their 20s and 30s don’t believe it.Alicia Wrigley and her husband, Richard Gailey, both musicians and teachers, live in Salt Lake City with their 2-year-old.

S Sabrina Tavernise

Koch Political Operation Spent Nearly $550 Million During 2024 Cycle

The huge sum shows that while the Koch network may not hold significant power at high levels of the Republican Party, it remains a financial juggernaut.Charles Koch in 2019. The Koch family network now downplays its commitment to campaigns and elections, but it has continued to spend money on politi

T Theodore Schleifer and Ashley Cai

Elise Stefanik Tried Everything to Please Trump. He Still Jilted Her.

The G.O.P. congresswoman who ran as a moderate but became an “ultra MAGA” Trump acolyte ultimately found herself undermined by the president and politically adrift.Elise Stefanik’s tumble from grace crystallized the limits of MAGA loyalty and the risks of building a political identity around Preside

A Annie Karni

Trump Administration Pushes Asylum Seekers to Apply in Other Countries

In immigration courts, U.S. lawyers have filed thousands of requests to dismiss asylum cases and force people to pursue asylum elsewhere.Federal agents detaining a man after his immigration hearing at the Jacob K. Javits Federal Building in New York earlier this year.

J Jazmine Ulloa, Allison McCann and Hamed Aleaziz

Nuno Loureiro, Slain MIT Professor, Was a ‘Brilliant Scientist’

Nuno Loureiro, 47, was killed by an old classmate who was on the run from a shooting at Brown University, the authorities said.Nuno Loureiro, a theoretical physicist and fusion scientist, achieved early breakthroughs in his career and was renowned in his field.

S Sarah Mervosh, Alexander Nazaryan and Azam Ahmed

Closing Arguments

Today, your highly personal, delightfully specific bests of 2025.

M Melissa Kirsch

Hezbollah Is Down, but Not Out, as Lebanon Faces Pressure to Disarm It

The Lebanese militant group has resisted calls to lay down all its arms, risking a return to war with Israel.Hezbollah supporters gathered around the grave of Hassan Nasrallah, Hezbollah’s former leader, who was killed by an Israeli airstrike, on the anniversary of his death, in Dahiya, Lebanon, in

A Aaron Boxerman, Euan Ward, Natan Odenheimer and Hwaida Saad

Danica Troy’s Killing Rattles the Florida Panhandle

A body in the woods. A girl who had a crush on a boy. And a confession that led to the arrest of two teenagers on murder charges.A memorial to Danika Troy near the wooded trail where her body was found.

N Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs