Vue lecture

A judge blocks FEMA from repurposing disaster mitigation funding.

A federal judge in Massachusetts said the Trump administration’s move to redirect $4 billion left states exposed to damage from natural disasters.

© Houston Cofield for The New York Times

Damaged homes after a tornado tore through Cave City, Ark., in March.
  •  

Italy Approves Project to Link Sicily to the Mainland by Bridge

The government says the road and rail link will create jobs and lift the economy of the region, but critics are concerned about the environmental and social impact.

© Yara Nardi/Reuters

The Strait of Messina, the planned site for a suspension bridge connecting Sicily to mainland Italy.
  •  

Trump Suggests Vance is MAGA Movement’s Heir Apparent

President Trump said Vice President JD Vance was “probably favorite at this point” to succeed him as leader of the hard-right political movement.

© Kenny Holston/The New York Times

President Trump said on Tuesday that Vice President JD Vance was “most likely” to succeed him as the leader of the MAGA movement.
  •  

Truce Quiets Syrian City Torn by Sectarian Clashes

The fighting has stopped in the southern city of Sweida, three weeks after a deadly eruption of violence. But the area remains tense as clashes continue beyond the city.

A wedding procession passed through the town of Busra al-Sham, Syria, during a cease-fire on Thursday. The latest conflict had renewed fears of attacks against religious minorities.
  •  

Statue of French General Accused of Torture Divides His Hometown

An effort to have a statue of Marcel Bigeard removed has reignited the debate over how the colonial past should be remembered.

© Jean-Christophe Verhaegen/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

A demonstration last October in front of the city hall in Toul against the installation of the statue of Marcel Bigeard.
  •  

For Some Wounded in Ukraine War, Surgery Helps Rebuild a Sense of Self

Surgeons have made significant strides in tending to the war’s wounded, particularly through the use of 3-D printing, creating patient-specific implants and surgical guides.

After more than three years of war, thousands of Ukrainians struggle with the physical and emotional trauma of severe facial injuries.
  •  

Sudan’s Civil War Shifts Toward Kordofan

Since the Sudanese Army drove its paramilitary rival from the capital in March, the two sides are battling for territorial gains in the Kordofan region.

© Associated Press

Sudanese Army soldiers arriving last March at a market in Al Kalalah district, an area south of the country’s capital, Khartoum, that had been recaptured a short while earlier from Rapid Support Forces.
  •  

War Shattered His Face. Technology Helped Reconstruct It.

Volodymyr is a Ukrainian marksman whose face was shattered by a Russian bomb in 2023. After multiple surgeries and titanium implants, he has returned to active duty near the closest point of the front line of the war with Russia. Calling in from there, he describes his recovery to Marc Santora, an international editor for The New York Times.
  •  

Lindsey Vonn’s Comeback Is Winning 40-Something Fans. Can She Win Gold?

The ski racer’s comeback has made her a folk hero among aging Americans who want to live fearlessly. Vonn, taking aim at the 2026 Olympics, isn’t done yet.

© Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images

Lindsey Vonn is expected to compete at the Olympics in February in one or both of the most dangerous events: the downhill and super-G, where racing speeds reach 70 miles an hour.
  •  

Trump Amps Up an Obama Strategy to Crack Down on Colleges

Under Obama, federal rules pushed universities to build new bureaucracies to address sexual misconduct. Trump is doubling down on that tactic for antisemitism claims.

© Hiroko Masuike/The New York Times

Columbia University and other institutions have added the position of Title VI coordinator to their administrative rosters.
  •  

With Sanctions Looming, Trump’s Envoy to Russia Meets With Putin

The envoy, Steve Witkoff, was making his fifth visit this year. He has managed to secure some prisoner exchanges but made no clear progress so far on ending the war in Ukraine.

© Haiyun Jiang/The New York Times

Steve Witkoff in New Jersey last month.
  •