Vue lecture

Why Russia Sold Alaska to the U.S.

The Trump-Putin summit will take place in a former Russian colony that the United States bought for $7.2 million in 1867. Here’s how the deal came together and why its legacy matters.

© National Archives and Records Administration

The $7.2 million U.S. Treasury check that sealed the American purchase of Alaska in 1867.
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Trump-Putin Meeting: What Time, Where and How to Watch

The leaders of the United States and Russia will hold talks at an American military base in Alaska and are expected to hold a news conference afterward.

© Jeenah Moon/Reuters

Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage on Wednesday.
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Man Fleeing an Immigration Raid Dies After Running Onto an L.A. Freeway

The man was hit by a vehicle. It happened about a month after an immigrant fell from a greenhouse and later died following a raid in Ventura County.

© Mario Anzuoni/Reuters

An immigration raid at a Home Depot in Monrovia, Calif., on Thursday caused a man to flee onto a freeway. He was struck by a vehicle and died, officials said.
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Newsom Kicks Off California Redistricting Campaign and Calls for Special Election

The governor kicked off his campaign for a proposition asking California voters to approve a new congressional map, a move that comes with both opportunity and risk.

© Mike Blake/Reuters

Gov. Gavin Newsom called on voters to approve a ballot measure redrawing the state’s congressional map at an event in Los Angeles on Thursday.
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Thousands Ask Harvard Not to ‘Give in’ and Pay Fine to Trump

In a petition, alumni, faculty and members of the public asked Harvard to stand up to the White House. The school has signaled a willingness to pay $500 million to restore research funds.

© Sophie Park for The New York Times

Many at the university had praised the school for suing the Trump administration in the spring over funding cuts and pushing back against other demands.
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Phil Knight, Ex-Nike Chief, and His Wife Pledge $2 Billion to Oregon Cancer Center

Oregon Health & Science University said the couple’s donation would be the largest single gift to a higher-learning institution in the United States.
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Federal Raids Target D.C. Homeless Camps

It was unclear how widespread or effective the raids were, after district officials and advocates had spent much of the day trying to clear the camps, urging people to go to shelters ahead of the raids.

© Kenny Holston/The New York Times

Metropolitan Police Department personnel stood by as a shelter hotline van arrived near the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library in Washington on Thursday.
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Judge Halts White House Effort to Defund Schools With D.E.I. Programs

The Trump administration had asked states to certify that their schools did not practice “illegal D.E.I.” and threatened to cut off billions of dollars from schools that did not comply.

© Eric Lee for The New York Times

The Supreme Court in Washington, where affirmative action in college has already been ruled unconstitutional.
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Dale Webster, Who Surfed Every Day for 40 Years, Dies at 76

He braved frigid waters and sharks and surfed even when he had a kidney stone while breaking the record for the most consecutive days surfed.

© Darcy Padilla for The New York Times

Dale Webster, who became known as Daily Wavester for his surfing streak, at Salmon Beach in Bodega, Calif., in 2000.
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Minnesota Assassination Suspect Indicted on First-Degree Murder Charges

State prosecutors had previously charged the man with second-degree murder in the deaths of State Representative Melissa Hortman and her husband.

© Tim Gruber for The New York Times

State Representative Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, were honored at the Minnesota State Capitol in June after they were killed.
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Texas Democrats Will Return Home, Allowing Vote on Redistricting Plan

The leader of Democrats in the Texas House said the battle over redistricting, which could determine control of Congress, is likely to continue in the courts.

© Jim Vondruska/Getty Images

State Representative Gene Wu, leader of the Democrats in the Texas House, speaking at a news conference in Chicago, where lawmakers from his party have fled.
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Russia and Ukraine Agree: A Trump Summit Is a Big Win for Putin

The talks on Friday in Alaska pull the Russian leader out of diplomatic isolation from the West, and Ukrainian and European leaders fear it gives him an opening to sway the American president.

© Nanna Heitmann for The New York Times

A summit meeting with President Trump is widely seen as a victory for President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia, even if no agreements are reached.
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