Today's Headlines: Is the U.S. at War With Iran?
‘It Felt Like Kidnapping,’ Khalil Says in First Interview Since Release
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The New York Times
Today's Headlines

June 23, 2025, 4:10 a.m. Eastern time

Top News

Is the U.S. at War With Iran?

President Trump avoided asking Congress for permission before striking Iran, despite the Constitution saying only the legislature can declare war.

‘It Felt Like Kidnapping,’ Khalil Says in First Interview Since Release

The Columbia graduate and pro-Palestinian activist returned to New York after more than three months in detention. The Trump administration is seeking to deport him.

Dangerous Heat Wave Expands Over Central and Eastern United States

A multiday heat wave is bringing high temperatures and health risks from the Midwest to the Northeast, prompting warnings and emergency measures.

Editors’ Picks

Iran Had Vowed to Retaliate. Now, It Faces Grim Choices.

Iran’s foreign minister warned that the U.S. decision to join Israel’s war against Iran would have “everlasting consequences.”

Opinion | How the Attacks on Iran Are Part of a Much Bigger Global Struggle

Putin and the ayatollahs want the same kind of world.

World

Satellite Images Show Damage at Iranian Nuclear Sites

A Times analysis shows the extent of the U.S. strikes’ impact on the three nuclear sites.

Inside the Race to Save a Family Farm From Canada’s Wildfires

As Canada endures another heavy wildfire season, a group of resourceful farmers in British Columbia became an ad hoc fire brigade to help a neighbor.

Far-Right Party Tries to Expand Its Appeal in Germany’s West

To reach voters outside its Eastern heartlands, the AfD is putting a new gloss on its anti-immigrant message — while sticking with its agenda.

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U.S.

‘I Feel Like I’ve Been Lied To’: When a Measles Outbreak Hits Home

From a lone clinic in Texas to an entire school district in North Dakota, the virus is upending daily life and revealing a deeper crisis of belief.

Missteps, Confusion and ‘Viral Waste’: The 14 Days That Doomed U.S.A.I.D.

The rapid dismantling of the global aid agency remains one of the most consequential outcomes of President Trump’s efforts to overhaul the federal government, showing his willingness to tear down institutions in defiance of the courts.

Arkansas May Not Be Ready for a ‘Healing’ Anti-Abortion Monument

A design for the state’s official “Monument to Unborn Children” was chosen in 2023. But it remains unbuilt as the debate over abortion grinds on.

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Politics

Trump Picks a Side on Entering the War in Iran, for Now

Even as he announced the strikes on Iran, President Trump appeared to be rapidly trying to get himself back to the middle by insisting the operation was a one-off.

With Military Strike His Predecessors Avoided, Trump Takes a Huge Gamble

President Trump is betting the United States can repel whatever retaliation Iran orders, and that it has destroyed the regime’s chances of reconstituting its nuclear program.

In Remarks on Iran, Hegseth Conveys Messages to Two Different Audiences

The U.S. defense secretary was in the difficult position of praising American military might while acknowledging people’s concerns about another conflict.

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Business

Europe Is Finally Ready to Spend More on Defense. The Hard Part Is How.

After a yearslong debate over NATO spending, European nations are poised to commit more funds to deter Russia. Now the region must decide how to unify its fragmented manufacturing.

U.S. Bombing of Iran Keeps Oil Markets on Edge

Fighting has the potential to disrupt oil markets, but a move by Iran to cut off supply would chiefly hurt China, the biggest buyer of Iranian oil.

Palm Beach Has Never Been Richer. The Locals Aren’t Pleased.

Donald Trump’s presidency has turned this Florida island into the nightlife headquarters of MAGA, but the town’s old guard — much of it Republican — doesn’t love the new vibe.

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Arts

Aide Who Was Sean Combs’s ‘Right Hand’ Draws Scrutiny at His Trial

Kristina Khorram, the mogul’s former chief of staff, was not charged in his indictment, but the government has identified her and other staff as co-conspirators.

What Does Shane Gillis Want (to Get Away With)?

Gillis built a bro-comedy fan base and endured a quasi cancellation. With his Netflix sitcom “Tires,” he’s trying to map the leap from edgelord to the mainstream.

‘The Sisters’ Turns a Family Mystery Into a Transnational Tour de Force

Jonas Hassen Khemiri plays with time, belonging and his own insecurities in a big, impressive novel that revolves around a trio of magnetic Swedish women.

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New York

Andrew Cuomo’s Complicated Legacy in New York City

Mr. Cuomo, the front-runner in the mayoral race and former governor, has a long — and, his critics say, mixed — record handling important issues in the city.

An Actor, a Bookseller and a Chef Walk Into a Voting Booth

We asked scores of well-known New Yorkers from a broad spectrum of the city to give us their ranked-choice ballots for mayor. Here’s what some told us.

Cuomo Enlists Bill Clinton as Part of Late-Stage Bid to Fend Off Mamdani

The former president’s endorsement came as Letitia James, the state attorney general who supports Andrew M. Cuomo’s mayoral rivals, criticized the former governor over harassment allegations.