Today's Headlines: Inside the Long Friendship Between Trump and Epstein
A Kite Surfer, Navy SEAL and Makeup Artist: Freed in a U.S.-Venezuela Swap
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The New York Times
Today's Headlines

July 20, 2025, 4:10 a.m. Eastern time

Top News

Inside the Long Friendship Between Trump and Epstein

For nearly 15 years, the two men socialized together in Manhattan and Palm Beach, Fla., before a falling out that preceded Mr. Epstein’s first arrest.

A Kite Surfer, Navy SEAL and Makeup Artist: Freed in a U.S.-Venezuela Swap

Over 260 people were released from prisons in El Salvador and Venezuela. Now they face the challenge of coming home.

Why Are More Than 100 People Still Missing in Texas, 2 Weeks After the Floods?

The number of people unaccounted for dropped this week but remains stubbornly high as some searchers lose hope of finding them.

Editors’ Picks

Opinion | She Exposed Epstein, and Shares MAGA’s Anger

The reporter who took down Jeffrey Epstein on what’s still hidden.

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How TV Trained Us to Be Conspiracy Theorists

Pop culture didn’t create the real-world mythologies roiling our politics, but it helped write the scripts.

World

Tear It Down, They Said. He Just Kept Building.

Defying demolition orders, a Chinese man turned his home into a rickety 11-story tower. Now tourists are coming.

Why Russia Is Gaining Ground in Ukraine

The most important factors may be far from the battlefield.

As Japan Votes, a Trump-Inspired Politician Grabs the Spotlight

With his calls to limit foreign workers, fight globalism and put “Japanese First,” Sohei Kamiya has brought a fiery right-wing populism to Japan’s election on Sunday.

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U.S.

Vance Boelter’s Life Before the Minnesota Shootings

Periods of religious zealotry and an unsettled professional career were intertwined for years before he was accused of murder.

An Ancient Law Could Shape the Modern Future of America’s Beaches. Here’s How.

The growing battle over how to manage sea level rise turns partly on a legal principle set down in Roman times.

Judge Orders Trump Officials to Restore Funding for Radio Free Europe

In a stern ruling, the judge rebuked the Trump administration for refusing to disburse funding that Congress had already approved.

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Politics

Democrats’ 2024 Autopsy Is Described as Avoiding the Likeliest Cause of Death

An audit being conducted by the D.N.C. is not looking at Joe Biden’s decision to run or key decisions by Kamala Harris’s team, according to six people briefed on the report.

Trump Order on International Criminal Court Likely Violates First Amendment, Judge Rules

The ruling’s scope is limited to two American activists, but it represents a striking, if tentative, blow to the president’s efforts to penalize and isolate the world’s highest criminal court.

Should Food Stamps Pay for Soda?

Colorado and Texas are among the states aiming to change what food and drink can be bought with SNAP benefits.

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Business

Tech’s Top Venture Firm Tried to Stay Above Politics. Then a Partner Created a Furor.

Sequoia Capital, which backed Nvidia, Google and Apple when they were start-ups, has long stayed above the fray. But one partner’s post about Zohran Mamdani set off a chain reaction.

Brett Cooper Is Spreading Conservatism, One Celebrity Drama at a Time

The YouTuber set out to reach young conservatives who felt alienated by mainstream culture. Now she is the newest face at Fox News, though dreaming of her own Goop.

5 Years Ago, They Reversed Roles With Their Parents. Where Are They Now?

Most young adults don’t expect to support their aging parents. Here’s what happened when four people had to.

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Arts

Patty Griffin’s Life Fell Apart. Rebuilding Gave Her Music a Jolt.

During the last 16 years, the singer-songwriter lost her voice, her parents and her relationship. She captures her period of crisis and rebirth on “Crown of Roses.”

Veronica Roth’s Favorite Dystopian Novels

The author of the Divergent series recommends books that explore human nature and disintegrating reality.

The Kurosawa You May Never Have Heard Of

The great Japanese genre director Kiyoshi Kurosawa, whose latest film is “Cloud,” has mastered the cinema of psychological fright. Here’s why you should watch his work.

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New York

Cyclist and Pedestrian Killed After Vehicle Jumps Curb in Manhattan

The vehicle, a stolen rental car, had been traveling west on the Manhattan Bridge before it struck the victims at the base of the bridge in Chinatown early Saturday morning.

Scams and a Rent Spike Follow New York City’s New Broker Fee Law

The law mostly shifts fees from tenants to landlords. But since it took effect, some landlords have raised rents, and tenants say some brokers still try to make them pay fees.