China Sees a ‘Giant With a Limp’ as U.S. Drains Weapons on Iran War

America’s ability to deter China in a war over Taiwan is weakened, Chinese analysts say, giving Beijing leverage in an upcoming summit with President Trump.President Trump meeting with China’s leader, Xi Jinping, in Busan, South Korea, in October. Both sides agreed to extend a trade truce to limit t

D David Pierson and Berry Wang

Trump Reversed Hormuz Plan After Saudis Denied Airspace Access

Saudi Arabia’s refusal of support suggests that President Trump’s unpredictable approach to Iran has strained ties with one of his closest allies in the Middle East.Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia at the White House with President Trump in November.

M Michael Crowley, Eric Schmitt and Vivian Nereim

How Energy Prices Are Driving Demand for Solar Panels and Heat Pumps

Already having faced an energy crisis five years ago, more European consumers believe they are “one Trump-ignited war away” from crushing costs.A worker in Vienna installing a heat pump for the company Heizma, which said it had record sales in March and April.

E Eshe Nelson

Trade Court Rules Trump’s 10% Global Tariff Is Illegal

A panel of federal judges found that President Trump could not legally impose the tariff on most imports.A court found that President Trump had wrongly invoked a decades-old trade law when he applied the duties in February.

T Tony Romm and Ana Swanson

Why Stocks and Bonds Are Responding Differently to the Iran War

Stock investors are betting that companies will make enormous profits, despite the war. But investors in bonds, including U.S. Treasuries, have other concerns.People attending a pro-government demonstration in Tehran last month. The S&P 500 has hit new highs since the start of the war in Iran.

J Jeff Sommer

U.S. to Review Mexican Consulates After Right-Wing Claims Against Them

The State Department said it would review all Mexican consulates in the United States, following claims in conservative media that the consulates interfere in politics.The State Department is reviewing the 53 Mexican consulates in the U.S., including the consulate in Los Angeles.

J Jack Nicas

Hantavirus Response Shows How Trump Cuts Have Compromised U.S. Preparedness

The Trump administration has slashed funding for infectious disease research and has far fewer employees, including disease detectives, to respond to outbreaks.An ambulance crew awaiting an evacuated passenger with a suspected hantavirus infection in Amsterdam on Wednesday. The U.S. government has r

A Apoorva Mandavilli

Is the Blake Lively v. Justin Baldoni Legal Fight Over? Not So Fast.

Lawyers for Ms. Lively and Mr. Baldoni have said the two sides settled much of the contentious dispute. But one major disagreement remains.Despite the joint statement they put out, Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni have not settled a major issue that divides them: Is she due damages in a related legal

J Julia Jacobs

Fetterman Says He Has ‘No Plans’ to Leave the Democratic Party

In an opinion piece in The Washington Post, the Pennsylvania senator wrote that while he was “at odds” with the party’s approach to some issues, his values had not changed.Senator John Fetterman, Democrat of Pennsylvania, wrote in an opinion piece in The Washington Post this week that the Democratic

T Tim Balk

Tennessee Approves New Map Aimed at Flipping the Last Democratic Seat

After a Supreme Court ruling that weakened the Voting Rights Act of 1965, Republicans carved up a majority-Black Memphis seat as the national redistricting wars continue.Representative Steve Cohen, left, Tennessee State Senator Raumesh Akbari, center, and Tennessee State Senator London Lamar, right,

E Emily Cochrane

A Project in Europe Tested Whether Students Could Live Without Smartphones

For three weeks, thousands of children in Europe went without social media or their smartphones, or both. This is the diary of their digital detox.A teenager using a smartphone in Vienna. Some participants in a phone ban experiment felt more connected to their families and hobbies, while others stru

V Valeriya Safronova

Vote Brings ‘Freeze the Rent’ Closer to Reality in New York

The panel that regulates rents for nearly one million apartments cast its first vote since Mayor Zohran Mamdani took office, approving ranges that included no increases.As New York City’s Rent Guidelines Board provisionally voted on a rent freeze, a member of the audience made their views clear.

M Mihir Zaveri