Vue lecture

China or the U.S.? Two Meetings Offer Competing Showcases of Global Power.

As Xi Jinping gathered with the leaders of Russia and Iran, Europe challenged the Trump administration at the G20, offering a split-screen view of a changing world.

© Vyacheslav Oseledko/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images; Sam Wolfe/Reuters

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How the Pentagon Is Getting Into the Venezuelan Oil Business Under Trump

The Defense Department’s Office of Strategic Capital, founded by the Biden administration to give loans to bolster the U.S. defense industry, is helping lead President Trump’s oil deal.

© Adriana Loureiro Fernandez for The New York Times

President Trump said his defense secretary and secretary of state reached an agreement with the Venezuelan government on securing billions of barrels of oil reserves “through a partnership with private business.”
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How the Pentagon Is Getting Into the Venezuelan Oil Business Under Trump

The Defense Department’s Office of Strategic Capital, founded by the Biden administration to give loans to bolster the U.S. defense industry, is helping lead President Trump’s oil deal.

© Adriana Loureiro Fernandez for The New York Times

President Trump said his defense secretary and secretary of state reached an agreement with the Venezuelan government on securing billions of barrels of oil reserves “through a partnership with private business.”
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U.S. Strikes May Have Targeted a New Type of Iranian Naval Mine

The U.S. military said its attacks against Iran were in response to a threat to the Strait of Hormuz.

© Reuters

Vessels near the Strait of Hormuz seen from Musandam, Oman, on Monday. The strait has been under constant threat since the United States and Israel launched a combined assault against Iran on Feb. 28.
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Summit With Russia, India and Iran Shows Leverage Wars Have Given Xi of China

A two-day conference of the 10-nation Shanghai Cooperation Organization in Kyrgyzstan shows the limits of U.S. economic warfare.

© Pavel Mikheyev/Reuters

Xi Jinping, the Chinese leader, center, and the Kyrgyz president, Sadyr Japarov, left, during a welcoming ceremony in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, on Monday.
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U.A.E. To Review Banque Misr, Targeted by Iran Sanctions

The Treasury Department accused Banque Misr’s branches in the United Arab Emirates of helping Iran. The Emirati central bank promised an examination.

© Amr Abdallah Dalsh/Reuters

A branch of Banque Misr in Cairo in 2024. The U.S. Treasury Department said last week that the bank was helping Iran evade sanctions.
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Why the United States Can’t Quit Its Wars

The country’s longest war came to an end exactly five years ago. Today it offers lessons for policymakers seeking to avoid an endless war in Iran.

© Jim Huylebroek for The New York Times

A U.S. military helicopter over Kabul, Afghanistan, in May 2021.
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Google Maps Changes Lake Ontario to Lake America Following Trump’s Executive Order

Users in the United States will see the new label, following President Trump’s executive order last week.

© Eugen Sakhnenko for The New York Times

Lake Ontario in Toronto. Ontario is a historical Indigenous name for the lake, predating the creation of Canada and the United States.
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Iceland Votes to Steer Clear of European Union Talks

After divisive debate, Icelanders rejected a proposal to resume negotiations on joining the bloc in a referendum with the highest voter turnout in almost two decades.

© Marco Di Marco/Associated Press

Leaders of the “No to E.U.” campaign reacting as early results came in during a rally in Reykjavik, Iceland, on Saturday.
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Expedia Faces Off With Cuban Families Over Land Seized Decades Ago

A trial involving claims against the travel company has opened in federal court. Dozens of such lawsuits have been filed since President Trump opened the door to them.

© Phil Clarke Hill/Corbis, via Getty Images

A beach on Cayo Coco island in Cuba. Land on the cay, off Cuba’s north coast, was seized decades ago by Cuba’s Communist authorities and eventually developed for tourism.
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‘A New Form of U.S. Colonialism’: Venezuelans Bristle at U.S. Oil Takeover

A deal giving the U.S. majority control of vast Venezuelan reserves strikes at the heart of national identity.

© Alejandro Cegarra for The New York Times

Supporters of Venezuela’s government rally to demand the release of ousted President Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores, in Caracas, Venezuela, in January.
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Carney Has Canadians’ Support on Trump. Now Comes the Hard Part.

The U.S.-Canada trade war has galvanized Canadians behind their prime minister’s decision to walk away from negotiations. What happens when the time comes for talks to restart?

© Dave Chan/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney speaks at a news conference in Ottawa, Ontario, after trade talks with the US collapsed earlier this month.
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Modi Is Hedging Against Trump, One Deal at a Time

In a year of globe-trotting, the Indian prime minister has secured deals around the world as the United States becomes less dependable.

© Haiyun Jiang/The New York Times

Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India at the Group of 7 summit in Evian-les-Bains, France, in June. In the past year, Mr. Modi has paid official visits to at least 20 countries.
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George Cave, C.I.A. Agent With a Role in Iran-Contra, Dies at 97

He worked throughout the Middle East before joining a secret team that tried to obtain the release of Western hostages in Lebanon in exchange for arms sent to Iran.
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For Trump, the Iran War Is Stuck Between Combat and Genuine Peace

The war has deteriorated over the past six months into Mr. Trump’s own version of a “forever war,” with no clear goals and no end in sight.

© Kenny Holston/The New York Times

President Trump has been unable so far to broker an agreement to end the war on satisfactory terms.
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For Trump, the Iran War Is Stuck Between Combat and Genuine Peace

The war has deteriorated over the past six months into Mr. Trump’s own version of a “forever war,” with no clear goals and no end in sight.

© Kenny Holston/The New York Times

President Trump has been unable so far to broker an agreement to end the war on satisfactory terms.
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Why Putin Is Fighting On, Even as His Problems Multiply

There is little sign that public exhaustion, economic headwinds or increased Ukrainian strikes are changing the Russian leader’s view that he will eventually achieve victory.

© Pool photo by Alexander Zemlianichenko

Russian President Vladimir Putin has suggested that despite Moscow’s challenges, he believes Kyiv’s situation is worse.
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Six Months In, Iran Appears Stronger and U.S. Goals Unclear

Trump’s replacement of a military war with a heightened economic one is not expected to alter Iran’s strategy, while further impoverishing its people.

© Arash Khamooshi/Polaris for The New York Times

A man holding an Iranian flag in an apartment destroyed by U.S.-Israeli airstrikes in Tehran earlier this year.
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Six Months In, Iran Appears Stronger and U.S. Goals Unclear

Trump’s replacement of a military war with a heightened economic one is not expected to alter Iran’s strategy, while further impoverishing its people.

© Arash Khamooshi/Polaris for The New York Times

A man holding an Iranian flag in an apartment destroyed by U.S.-Israeli airstrikes in Tehran earlier this year.
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Palestine Action Activists Accused of Vandalism at Trump Turnberry Face Terrorism Accusation

Prosecutors will seek to prove that members of Palestine Action who they say painted “Gaza is not 4 sale” on the Scottish golf course last year committed acts connected to terrorism.

© Jaimi Joy/Reuters

People protesting outside the High Court in London in February as judges prepared to rule on a legal challenge to the British government’s decision to designate pro‑Palestinian group Palestine Action as a terrorist organization.
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Progressives Condemn Pick of Pro-Israel Democrat Atop House Panel

Outrage over making Representative Jared Moskowitz, who is vocally pro-Israel, the top Democrat on a Middle East policy subcommittee reflected the party’s rift over Israel.

© Kenny Holston/The New York Times

On Tuesday, Representative Jared Moskowitz of Florida, a vocally pro-Israel Democrat, was chosen to serve as the ranking member on a key subcommittee with jurisdiction over Middle East policy.
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Trump Signs Executive Order to Rename Lake Ontario to Lake America

The president also reiterated his criticism that Canada “treats us very badly.” Trade talks between the nations collapsed last week.

© Demetrius Freeman for The New York Times

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Canada Hires U.S. Scholars From Harvard and Other Top Universities

A crackdown on American academia by the Trump administration has handed Canadian universities a rare opportunity to lure some top researchers north.

© Nasuna Stuart-Ulin for The New York Times

McGill University in Montreal is one of the schools that has benefited from the Canada-bound brain drain from U.S. institutions.
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Yielding on French Could Restart Trade Talks, Canadian Officials Say

Canada’s minister in charge of trade with the U.S. was responding to comments by Jamieson Greer, the U.S. trade representative. But that was before any mention of Lake Ontario.

© Chris Tanouye/Reuters

Dominic LeBlanc, Canada’s minister responsible for trade with the United States, center, with Prime Minister Mark Carney of Canada.
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Trump Administration to Expand Deportation Flights to Haiti

Flights to the Caribbean nation will increase from once a month to once a week now that the Supreme Court allowed President Trump to cancel a humanitarian program.

© Jean Feguens Regala/Reuters

Deportation flights to Haiti will increase as soon as this week.
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After Whiskey With His Captors, Cuban Dissident Lands in a Miami Maelstrom

The former political prisoner Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara is unpacking 4,000 paintings he brought to Miami from Cuba and dodging criticism from exiles who once welcomed him.

© Martina Tuaty for The New York Times

Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara with one of his sculptures last month in Miami.
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Trump’s Top Gaza Official Says Israel Is Jeopardizing the Cease-Fire

Nickolay Mladenov, the Board of Peace’s high representative for Gaza, criticized Israel for its ongoing strikes on what it says are Hamas targets, after it rejected a plan to disarm the group.

© Saher Alghorra for The New York Times

An Israeli airstrike targeted a car in Gaza City earlier this month.
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Trump Administration Sends Saudi Nuclear Deal to Congress for Review

The prospect that the kingdom could enrich uranium has drawn opposition from Democrats and revived concerns about nuclear proliferation in the Middle East.

© Alex Brandon/Associated Press

Energy Secretary Chris Wright and Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman, the Saudi energy minister, in Saudi Arabia last year. The two signed an agreement last month as part of a broader package of cooperation on civilian nuclear power.
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At Trump’s IndyCar Race, a V.I.P. Invitation Became a Diplomatic Snub

Foreign ambassadors were promised free food and drinks, misting fans and shaded seats during the event. Then some of them were uninvited.

© Anna Rose Layden for The New York Times

White House staff members watch the Freedom 250 Grand Prix on the National Mall last week. Some ambassadors were uninvited.
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Gold, Flights, Cryptocurrency: U.S. Vows to Go After More Than Iran’s Oil

The United States threatened sanctions for any country or entity that engages with Iran’s gold, digital assets, aviation, shipping and tech industries. Here’s why that matters.

© Vahid Salemi/Associated Press

A gas station in Tehran on Tuesday. The United States imposed a monthslong blockade on Iran’s shipments of oil, the nation’s economic engine.
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In Canada and at Home, Deference to Trump Turns to Defiance on Tariffs and Other Issues

While the president remains the most dominant figure in the world, other leaders and institutions are pushing back more vigorously than at the beginning of his second term.

© Kenny Holston/The New York Times

World leaders and domestic institutions are showing less willingness to submit to President Trump’s will.
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What’s More Than ‘Maximum’? Trump Faces Limits on Iran Sanctions.

President Trump’s “Economic D-Day” is intended to break the stalemate with Iran. But decades of sanctions have done little to change the country’s behavior.

© Alex Kent/The New York Times

President Trump has bombarded Iran with new sanctions during his second term, targeting virtually the country’s entire economy.
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C.I.A. Director Makes Secret Visit to Moscow

John Ratcliffe flew to Moscow in a military cargo plane from Riga, Latvia. It is not clear whom he met or what the purpose of his trip was.

© Kenny Holston/The New York Times

Mr. Ratcliffe’s decision to fly on a military aircraft, probably for increased security, drew immediate attention.
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Trump Threatens to Rename Lake Ontario to Lake America as U.S.-Canada Trade War Heats Up

The president’s threat is his latest jab at Canada since trade talks between the two countries broke down.

© Eugen Sakhnenko for The New York Times

The name of Lake Ontario has become a recent target of President Trump.
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Canada Fires Back in Trade War Against Trump With Up to 50% Tariffs

Canada said the higher levies, on items from aluminum foil to dishwashers to fish, would help protect workers, producers and manufacturers harmed by new Trump tariffs.

© Jeff Swensen/Getty Images

The U.S. Steel Clairton Coke Plant in Clairton, Pa. Canada has announced it will impose retaliatory tariffs of up to 50 percent on hundreds of American products including steel.
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Trump Administration to Return Diplomats to Middle East Embassies

Evacuated foreign service officers could begin heading back to their posts as early as this week, an internal document shows, suggesting Washington does not anticipate a renewal of full-scale conflict with Iran.

© Joseph Eid/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

The U.S. Embassy in Beirut will be the first to see staff return, according to State Department documents.
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How U.S.-Canada Tariff Negotiations Turned Into an All-Out Trade War

Detailed accounts of the final hours of the negotiations show that, while the United States offered Canada what it said was the best deal of any country, what Canada had to give up in exchange was seen as unthinkable.

© Andrej Ivanov/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

Prime Minister Mark Carney of Canada speaking about the trade dispute with the United States on Monday at the Davie Shipyard in Levis, Quebec.
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Trump Administration Aims to Revoke Visas of Foreign Citizens Applying for Asylum

The State Department, in a move that could affect as many as 200,000 visa holders and asylum applicants, has begun its review. Cancellations could occur in waves.

© Oliver Contreras/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

“Obtaining a visa in order to seek asylum is fraud — which is grounds for visa revocation,” Tommy Pigott, a State Department spokesman, said in a statement.
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U.S. Tariffs Could Price Canadian Firms Out of U.S. and Threaten Thousands of Jobs

The 50 percent tariffs President Trump imposed on Canadian exports to the United States will make it impossible for many Canadian companies to continue to sell to the U.S. market, economists say.

© Ian Austen/The New York Times

Harvested logs in British Columbia in 2023. Canada’s forestry industry may be hit particularly hard by the latest American tariffs.
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Trump’s Attempt to Strangle Iran’s Economy Depends on China’s Cooperation

The U.S. has spent 20 years promising ‘crippling sanctions’ on Iran. But the latest effort comes with a reverse twist, after military action failed to accomplish President Trump’s goals.

© Doug Mills/The New York Times

In announcing Operation Economic Outcast, the Trump administration said on Monday that it would involve choking off every last transaction that funnels money to Tehran.
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A New Effort to Punish Iran

The Trump administration says it will try to cut the country off from the global economy by targeting its trading partners.

© Arash Khamooshi/Polaris for The New York Times

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U.S. Unveils Campaign to Cripple Iran’s Economy, but Offers Few Details

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent acknowledged the effort was more of a warning shot that would begin a period of “quiet diplomacy.”

© Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the United States would “tighten the noose” around Iran by imposing sanctions on every source or facilitator of its revenue.
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U.S. Military Kills 2 People in Attack on Boat in Pacific

The United States has killed at least 223 people since its campaign of boat strikes began nearly a year ago.

© U.S. Southern Command

A screen grab from a video posted by U.S. Southern Command on Monday showed what it said was a vessel operating along a drug-trafficking route in the Eastern Pacific.
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Can ‘Argentina’s Texas’ Save the Country’s Economy?

Thousands of Argentines are flocking to a remote stretch of Patagonia, seeking work with only backpacks, tents and the hope that they and their country can turn around their fortunes.
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Bessent is expected to announce new measures aimed at isolating Iran.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent will hold a news conference outlining the new package of measures.

© Kenny Holston/The New York Times

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said last week that countries that continue to do business with Iran would face the “full might and force” of the U.S. government.
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Trump’s Economic Approach Draws Concern From Some Republicans

A plan to lower tariffs on imported beef and trade tensions with Canada have compounded some G.O.P. worries about a central issue in the midterms.

© Al Drago for The New York Times

President Trump arriving aboard Air Force One at Kennedy International Airport on Aug. 14.
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Iran Warns Gulf States Not to Join Trump’s Economic War

Iran’s new hard-line national security adviser, Mohsen Rezaei, vowed to prevent “a single drop of oil” from leaving the region.

© Mohammed Salem/Reuters

Mohsen Rezaei, Iran’s new security chief, last month in Tehran. Though hostilities have largely ceased, the United States and Iran are locked in an economic standoff.
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U.S.-Canada Trade War: What to Know About Tariffs and the Negotiations

Canada suspended trade negotiations, triggering President Trump’s 50 percent tariffs on a range of Canadian goods. Mark Carney retaliated “dollar for dollar.”

© Andrej Ivanov/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney addresses the trade dispute with the United States in Levis, Quebec, on Aug. 24.
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