By Christine Coleman
Edited by Elissa D. Hecker
Entertainment
D4vd Murder Case Can Go to Trial, Judge Rules
After five days of often grim and unsettling testimony, Judge Charlaine F. Olmedo of Los Angeles County Superior Court said that she would allow the murder case against the singer D4vd to go to trial. The ruling by the judge indicates that she found probable cause that D4vd had killed Celeste Rivas Hernandez, a 14-year-old girl whose severely decomposed body was discovered in the trunk of his Tesla last fall.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/27/arts/music/d4vd-celesete-rivas-hernandez-murder.html
A TV Judge and an R&B Singer Fought Online Trolls. They Didn’t Get Far.
Television judge Faith Jenkins Lattimore and Grammy-nominated R&B singer Kenny Lattimore took the rare step of battling defamation on YouTube. The couple uncovered videos full of lies and artificially generated content regarding their marriage. While they were able to sue the creators they could identify, their money, legal expertise, and willpower still could not get all the videos removed or the lies wiped from search engine suggestions.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/28/business/media/faith-jenkins-kenny-lattimore-youtube.html
The AI “License” That Isn’t: A Musician’s Checklist for Spotting a Covenant Not to Sue Censorship Trap in Disguise
Generative AI companies are coming to the negotiating table with “music licensing agreements.” While this sounds encouraging, not every document titled “license” actually functions like one, and if you sign one without reading the small print, you may be giving away far more than you realize. This article provides a checklist of what to look out for when licensing with generative AI companies.
https://thetrichordist.com/2026/07/22/the-ai-license-that-isnt-a-musicians-checklist-for-spotting-a-covenant-not-to-sue-censorship-trap-in-disguise/
Hollywood Foreign Press Association Sues Over Takeover of Golden Globes
The Hollywood Foreign Press Association, a group of freelance journalists that for years owned and operated the annual Golden Globe Awards, has sued the show’s new owner over what it says was an unlawful takeover. The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, claims that Penske Media fraudulently acquired the Golden Globes in a bid to monopolize the lucrative advertising business driven by Hollywood studios chasing awards.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/29/business/media/golden-globes-penske-hollywood-foreign-press.html
BTS, K-Pop Giants, to Boycott the Grammys
The K-pop supergroup BTS said it would not compete in the 69th annual Grammy Awards, a month after the organization behind the awards show announced a new category for Asian pop. Artist boycotts have been a frequent hazard for the Recording Academy in recent years. Frank Ocean, Drake, the Weeknd, and other top artists have refused to submit their music, often over complaints that the Grammys have frequently failed to recognize artists of color in top categories.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/29/world/asia/bts-grammys-arirang-boycott-asian-category.html
10 Women Accuse Jared Leto of Sexual Misconduct in BBC Report
Ten women have accused the actor and singer Jared Leto of sexual misconduct in a new BBC documentary and report, including several who were underage when they were assaulted, claims Leto has denied. The allegations in the documentary occurred between 2002 and 2016, when Leto was in his 30s and 40s. He is now 54.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/29/us/jared-leto-sexual-assault-bbc.html
Arts
Authors to get payout over AI training
Anthropic will pay $1.5 billion to authors whose pirated books it used to train its AI in the largest copyright settlement in U.S. history. Federal Judge Araceli Martinez-Olguin in Oakland granted final approval of the settlement. The record payout was a modest win for copyright holders, setting a precedent as a wave of AI-related lawsuits works its way through courts. Although the judge said Anthropic could use authors’ works for training, he backed the payout as punishment for acquiring and storing pirated books.
https://enewspaper.latimes.com/infinity/article_share.aspx?guid=796a165e-6a26-4e27-9664-79be3c9151bd
Authors have mixed feelings about the $1.5B Anthropic copyright infringement ruling
The AI company Anthropic will pay $1.5 billion dollars to hundreds of thousands of authors in a landmark copyright infringement settlement. However, some authors have mixed feelings about the outcome. While the overall settlement amount may seem large, thousands of authors are involved, and they have to split the money with the publishers. The case could also be seen as more of a win for the AI companies than it is for the publishing industry, because within the narrow terms of this particular lawsuit, the court did not find it illegal for Anthropic to train its AI algorithms on authors' copyrighted works as long as the company pays for the books it uses.
https://www.npr.org/2026/07/27/nx-s1-5904606/anthropic-vs-bartz-ai-copyright-lawsuit-pros-cons
Salman Rushdie’s Attacker Found Guilty of Aiding a Foreign Terror Group
Hadi Matar, the man who stabbed the author Salman Rushdie more than a dozen times, was found guilty of aiding a foreign terrorist group and carrying out the orders of the Iranian government, which had called for Rushdie’s death more than three decades ago. The verdict, which was reached by a federal jury in Buffalo after just two hours of deliberation, means that Matar could spend the rest of his life in prison. He is set to be sentenced in November.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/29/nyregion/hadi-matar-salman-rushdie-terror.html
Stuck With an Empty Storefront? Make It Art.
From New York’s Hudson Valley to Brooklyn, curators are hosting pop-up art exhibitions in empty commercial spaces. Artists and brokers alike are seeing the benefits.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/29/realestate/site-seen-art-pop-up-empty-storefronts.html
After Claiming ‘Bias’ at Smithsonian, Trump Officials Stage Patriotic Exhibition
After intensifying its critique of how the Smithsonian presents American history, the Trump administration has decided to stage a museum exhibition of its own. Trump officials have promised to “make visual arts great,” with a museum exhibition that includes artwork by several people with personal connections to the planners.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/30/arts/design/trump-exhibition-patriotism.html
A Newsstand That Aims to Delight N.Y.C. Subway Riders
Comedian Al Mullen and his friends are transforming a vacant retail space at the West 4th Street subway station with freebies, art and puppet shows to make commutes more enjoyable.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/28/nyregion/subway-newstand-west-4th-station-nyc.html
The Next Met Fashion Blockbuster and Gala Will Honor the Controversial Designer John Galliano
John Galliano is considered by many in the fashion world to be one of the most influential living designers. However, he became a household name after a video of him making antisemitic comments at a Paris bar became international news in 2011. The Galliano exhibition would make him only the third living designer ever to be made the subject of a solo exhibition at the Met.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/31/style/met-gala-costume-institute-john-galliano.html
Sports
Big Ten, SEC finally green-light college sports bill, teeing up historic trip to Senate floor
After months of withholding support and weeks of back and forth with lawmakers, the Big Ten and the SEC publicly backed a bipartisan Senate bill designed to stabilize college athlete compensation and provide antitrust protections to the NCAA and its most powerful conferences. The final major sticking point for the conferences with the Protect College Sports Act was language in a provision regarding name, image, and likeness deals athletes can strike with companies that work directly with schools.
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7483967/2026/07/31/senate-college-sports-bill-big-ten-sec/
FBI investigation of Argentine soccer entity escalates as grand jury meets in Miami
The FBI’s investigation into hundreds of millions of dollars in soccer sponsorship payments routed through local businesses to Argentina’s football association has escalated with a federal grand jury in Miami hearing testimony and reviewing records. A partial screenshot of a grand jury subpoena shows that federal prosecutors in Miami were seeking the testimony of an unknown witness with knowledge of the Argentine Football Association, the AFA’s top two executives, and two associates.
https://www.swoknews.com/ap/national/fbi-investigation-of-argentine-soccer-entity-escalates-as-grand-jury-meets-in-miami/article_2de20bd6-eba8-5db7-8567-88e34347f705.html
FIFA’s Gianni Infantino requested to appear before House committee over Trump relationship
Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), a leading Democratic lawmaker, has written to FIFA president Gianni Infantino to request that he appear before the House Judiciary Committee in a fresh attempt to scrutinize his organization’s relationship with the Trump administration. Rep. Raskin, the ranking member on the House Judiciary Committee, is pushing FIFA to provide all of its records on its contacts with Trump, his administration, and the Trump Organization by August 9.
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7471181/2026/07/27/gianni-infantino-trump-fifa-congress/
UEFA nations agree to boycott World Cups over FIFA’s private investment plans
European nations have agreed to boycott the World Cup over FIFA’s plans to sell stakes in the tournament to private investors. The decision to boycott any competition run by FIFA was taken at a virtual meeting of the 55 national associations which are members of UEFA, the European football confederation.
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7476012/2026/07/30/fifa-world-cup-boycott-sale-uefa/
Concacaf says it rejects FIFA’s proposal to sell World Cup stakes
Concacaf, the soccer confederation of North, Central America and the Caribbean, says it rejects FIFA’s plans to sell stakes in the World Cup to private investors after all 41 members met to discuss the proposals.
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7480502/2026/07/30/concacaf-reject-fifa-world-cup-proposal/
FIFA scraps World Cup private investment plans as Infantino fights for his future
FIFA and Gianni Infantino have performed a dramatic U-turn on his plot to sell a stake in its commercial and event operations after widespread condemnation of the plans. Infantino’s proposal attracted major opposition from UEFA, Concacaf, and the Asian confederation.
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7482610/2026/07/31/fifa-world-cup-infantino-sale-u-turn-future/
Anti-Doping dispute could result in LA losing Olympic Games, officials say
Olympic officials are calling for a reduction in tensions after a dispute over testing for performance-enhancing drugs could result in Los Angeles losing the 2028 Summer Olympics.
https://www.newsnationnow.com/us-news/sports/olympics/anti-doping-dispute-could-result-in-la-losing-olympic-games-officials-say/
Tony Romo placed on leave by CBS after OWI charge; J.J. Watt to take his place
Tony Romo was placed on leave by CBS Sports “until further notice”, 8 days after he was arrested on suspicion of operating a vehicle while intoxicated in Milwaukee.
In Romo’s place, J.J. Watt will join Jim Nantz and Tracy Wolfson on CBS Sports’ lead NFL team.
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7483144/2026/07/31/tony-romo-cbs-leave-arrest/
Technology/Media
Trump’s Nominee to Oversee Voice of America Suggests Return of Journalists on Leave
Sarah B. Rogers, President Trump’s nominee to oversee the parent agency of Voice of America, a government-funded news group that operates in countries with limited press freedoms, said that if the Senate confirmed her, she would bring back many of the journalists who had been placed on paid leave since the early weeks of Trump’s second term. This statement during her confirmation hearing signaled a stark reversal of Trump’s earlier efforts to shutter Voice of America and other federally funded news groups.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/30/us/politics/trump-voa-news-sarah-rogers.html
ABC Formally Rebukes Federal Communications Commission for Review of TV Licenses
ABC accused the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) of retaliating against the company because the agency “dislikes the content and viewpoints expressed” on the network’s programs, the latest salvo in the unusual clash between the company and the Trump administration. The network’s comments, made in a filing to the agency, are part of its formal opposition to the FCC’s review of ABC’s local broadcast licenses.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/30/business/media/abc-fcc-tv-licenses.html
Justice Dept. Subpoenas Times Freelancer in Effort to Identify Sources
A freelance reporter has been fighting a subpoena from the Trump administration seeking to force him to reveal his sources for a New York Times article about a failed top secret mission in North Korea. The subpoena reflects the administration’s intensifying campaign to investigate leaks of government secrets by pressuring reporters to divulge their sources. Until Trump began his second term, federal subpoenas to reporters were exceedingly rare.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/01/us/politics/times-subpoena-reporter-trump-north-korea.html
OpenAI’s system goes rogue, hacks a rival company
ChatGPT maker OpenAI said that its artificial intelligence system hacked into another AI company on its own in what the company called an “unprecedented cyber incident.” OpenAI said the intrusion was caused by a combination of its AI models, including its newly released GPT-5.6 Sol and an “even more capable” model that is still being tested internally.
https://enewspaper.latimes.com/infinity/article_share.aspx?guid=0c6ab629-0e93-4e6f-bdd5-622048054adb
Anthropic Says Its A.I. Systems Broke Into Computers at 3 Organizations
Several of Anthropic’s state-of-the-art artificial intelligence models recently broke into the systems of three outside organizations, a surprise revelation 9 days after a similar incident at the rival start-up OpenAI. The attacks, which date as far back as April, were discovered when Anthropic carried out a review of its systems.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/30/technology/anthropic-ai-hack.html
Rogue AI spurs new push for guardrails
When artificial intelligence systems committed what could be considered a string of white-collar felonies if it were human. As a result, California Rep. Jay Obernolte introduced the bipartisan Frontier Act with Massachusetts Rep. Lori Trahan. While the bill might not make either safety advocates or big tech companies entirely happy, it offers up the most comprehensive and strongest regulations of this dangerous industry that we’ve yet seen at the federal level.
https://enewspaper.latimes.com/infinity/article_share.aspx?guid=778c00e3-73f1-476b-8f31-85472e1ae1a6
Anthropic A.I. Model Finds Flaws in Tough-to-Crack Encryption Algorithms
A leading A.I. model built by Anthropic has found flaws in a weakened version of a digital encryption standard that is in pervasive use throughout the internet, underscoring the potential risks to global cybersecurity posed by ever-improving artificial intelligence software. The research shows that A.I. could one day challenge core assumptions for how the internet operates.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/28/us/politics/anthropic-ai-encryption-security-aes.html
How Meta Got Everything It Wanted in a Secret Louisiana Data Center Deal
used private talks with local officials in Richland Parish, Louisiana to build a data center big enough to cover nearly six square miles.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/27/technology/meta-data-center-louisiana.html
Apple Reclaims Title as the World’s Most Valuable Public Company
Apple overtook the chipmaker Nvidia to become the world’s most valuable publicly traded company, about two years after it lost the crown. The company’s ascent was as much a result of a sell-off of Nvidia’s stock as it was an endorsement by investors. While Apple’s reign over the stock market could be short-lived, it returned to the top as investors re-evaluate A.I.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/27/technology/apple-valuation.html
Should You Be Able to Bet on Drug Trials?
On the betting websites Kalshi and Polymarket, people can now wager on whether the Food and Drug Administration will decide this year to approve medicines for cancers of the lung, breast, pancreas and blood. Kalshi also plans to allow users to bet on whether drug trials will succeed.
Researchers, doctors and patients said that these prediction markets threaten to undermine the drug development process. They worry that study results could be compromised, insider trading could go undetected and public trust could be eroded.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/28/business/kalshi-polymarket-prediction-market-drugs.html
Trump Administration Is Repurposing Federal Land for A.I. Data Centers
The Trump administration is repurposing large chunks of federal land to host enormous data centers and the power plants needed to run them as officials seek to accelerate the development of artificial intelligence and overcome growing local opposition to the facilities.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/29/climate/trump-federal-data-centers.html
General News
Trump Asks Supreme Court to Allow Order Restricting Mail Voting
The Trump administration asked the Supreme Court to clear the way for an executive order that restricts voting by mail, setting up a legal showdown as the president pushes for more control over voting ahead of the midterm elections in November. The administration filed the emergency application to the justices after a federal appeals court blocked key parts of his executive order.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/27/us/politics/supreme-court-trump-mail-ballots.html
Fact-Checking Trump’s Recent Comments About Costs of Iran War
As the United States’ war with Iran stretches into its sixth month, concerns over a depleted weapons arsenal, rising casualties and economic consequences have mounted. Trump has waved off those worries, even as he seeks a diplomatic solution to end the fighting and polls show Americans growing frustrated with the war. This article fact checks his recent comments regarding the costs of the Iran War.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/01/us/politics/trump-iran-war-toll-oil-fact-check.html
Two More Appeals Courts Rule Against Trump’s Detention Policy
The U.S. Courts of Appeal for the Ninth Circuit and Seventh Circuit issued rulings against the Trump administration’s policy of detaining immigrants who crossed the border illegally years ago and then holding them indefinitely, without a bond hearing. The new rulings deepen a divide between the appellate courts and make it even more likely that the Supreme Court will take up the issue in its coming term.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/30/us/politics/appeals-courts-immigrant-detention-policy.html
Fauci invokes the Fifth Amendment more than 100 times in a bitter Senate hearing
Dr. Anthony S. Fauci refused to answer questions from a Senate committee, repeatedly invoking his constitutional right not to incriminate himself before a panel dominated by hostile Republicans who accused him of causing the coronavirus pandemic and insinuated that he enriched himself while Americans died.
https://www.nytimes.com/live/2026/07/29/us/trump-news-fauci-hearing#fauci-testifies-rand-paul
Comey Seeks Dismissal of Seashells Charges, Trump Demanded Details of Agents’ Interview of Comey, New Filing Says
James B. Comey, the former F.B.I. director, asked a judge to throw out the indictment accusing him of threatening Trump with a photograph of seashells arranged to read “86 47,” calling it a misuse of criminal law to punish free speech. Secret Service agents who questioned Comey were told to quickly send a written summary of the interview to Trump on Air Force One, according to a new court filing by Comey’s lawyers. The disclosure, included in internal government documents turned over to Comey, is one of the most glaring examples to date of the degree to which Trump now directs federal law enforcement actions. The records suggest his intense personal involvement in investigating his longtime nemesis and a sharp break from past practice in which the president remained removed from criminal inquiries.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/29/us/james-comey-seashells-trump-secret-service.html
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/27/us/politics/comey-seeks-dismissal-of-charges.html
With a Series of Big Donations, State Department Restores Some Global Health Aid
Over the past two months, the United States has made financial commitments that hint at a limited return to global health and humanitarian assistance partnerships, after the abrupt severing of many of those relationships a year and a half ago.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/02/health/trump-health-aid-state-department.html
Trump Threatens to Revive $1.8 Billion Fund for Allies Over Blanche Standoff
Trump said that he would revive a proposal for a $1.8 billion so-called anti-weaponization fund that would compensate his supporters if the Senate does not confirm his nominee for attorney general. In a social media post, Trump reacted to skepticism about his nomination of Todd Blanche to be attorney general, saying that he would keep Blanche as the acting attorney general if the Senate failed to confirm him, and added that he would “push hard” to pass legislation creating the fund.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/01/us/politics/trump-todd-blanche-weaponization-payouts.html
U.S. Revives Obscure Court in Bid to Deport Afghan Woman
The Alien Terrorist Removal Court, an obscure court set up 30 years ago to expel immigrants accused of terrorism from the country, heard its first case, as the Justice Department asked a federal judge to deport an Afghan woman who prosecutors say supports the Islamic State.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/30/us/doj-isis-alien-terrorist-removal-court.html
Senate Committee Approves Measure to Block Trump’s Effort to Gut Education Dept.
The Trump administration’s bid to dismantle the Education Department was rebuked by the Senate education committee, which approved a bipartisan bill that would block the executive branch from gutting the agency. The bipartisan bill is a long way from becoming law, but it represents the strongest opposition yet from Congress to the administration’s agenda.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/30/us/politics/senate-committee-education-dept.html
State Department Map Mislabels African Countries at AIDS Conference
A senior health official with the State Department presenting at an international AIDS conference in Brazil this week used a map of Africa to illustrate U.S. government funding for H.I.V. programs on the continent. However, the map incorrectly identified several African countries. The State Department called the misprint “an unfortunate error” in a statement and said it resulted from a team member who “hastily altered” a slide before the presentation. The department said it took “full responsibility” for the misprint.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/30/us/politics/state-department-map-africa.html
Case to Be Dropped Against Labor Leader Caught in L.A. Immigration Raid
Federal prosecutors moved to dismiss their case against David Huerta, a Los Angeles labor leader whose arrest during an immigration raid last year helped spark a wave of demonstrations against the Trump administration’s crackdown in the nation’s second-largest city. The U.S. attorney’s office in Los Angeles said in a statement that the case would be officially dismissed by the end of next month, as long as Huerta continued to follow the terms of his pretrial release agreement and not violate any laws.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/27/us/david-huerta-charges-dismiss-la-immigration-raids.html
McConnell Extends Senate Leave, Will Miss State Picnic
Senator Mitch McConnell, who has been hospitalized for six weeks, said that he would not be returning to the Senate this week as lawmakers work toward their August recess. In a statement from his office, McConnell also said that he would not be at Fancy Farm, an annual state political picnic that he has attended for more than four decades, and is a must for politicians in Kentucky.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/27/us/politics/mcconnell-extends-senate-leave-update.html
Sanctions Bill Would Give Trump Sweeping New Tariff Powers
The sanctions legislation that moved forward in the Senate goes beyond enacting new financial restrictions on Russia and Iran. It also gives Trump broad new powers to impose tariffs on imports from some of the world’s largest economies.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/29/us/politics/trump-tariffs-sanctions.html
How Diamonds, Paprika and Fertilizer Won Relief From Trump’s Tariffs
The new batch of tariffs target more than 80 countries that the Trump administration claims have not imposed or enforced laws banning imports made with forced labor. However, the tariffs, which range from 10 to 12.5%, contain more exemptions than before. Those exemptions will save billions of dollars in tariff costs for U.S. consumers and certain industries, but the new list of exemptions has renewed questions about which industries should be exempt from tariffs, and why.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/30/business/economy/trump-tariffs-exemptions.html
How a Top Law Firm Went From Standing Up to Trump to Bending the Knee
Paul Weiss was a progressive stalwart for decades and led the legal resistance against Trump in his first term. Then it surrendered without a fight. This is the inside story of its transformation.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/02/us/politics/paul-weiss-trump.html
Charges Dropped in Reflecting Pool Case as Prosecutors Say Work Was ‘Botched’
In a turnaround, federal prosecutors said that contractors hired by the Trump administration had botched the renovation of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, leaving behind “widespread damage” in the pool’s new blue lining, and that the Interior Department had then falsely blamed that damage on vandals. In an extraordinary motion filed Friday evening, the U.S. attorney in Washington, Jeanine Pirro, said she was seeking to dismiss a felony charge against David Hearn, a former Olympic canoeist who was accused of pulling up a piece of the pool’s lining two feet square. Trump said that Pirro “choked” and “made a mistake”.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/31/us/politics/david-hearn-reflecting-pool-vandalism-charges.html
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-disappointed-jeanine-pirro-dropping-reflecting-pool-vandalism-case/
Trump’s Fixation on Arctic Ships Led to Billions in No-Bid Contracts
Trump decided to buy 11 polar icebreakers after a game of golf with Finland’s president. Experts say it’s far from clear the United States needs so many.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/01/climate/trump-arctic-ships.html
Trump Administration Plans to Upend Head Start by Deregulating It
The Trump administration is preparing a major rollback of federal requirements for Head Start, a change that supporters of the childcare program fear could gut its longstanding antipoverty mission. The proposed changes would remove most of Head Start’s 133 pages of requirements for math and literacy curriculums, class sizes, medical screenings, home visits, and even a requirement that children brush their teeth after meals.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/31/us/politics/head-start-deregulation.html
Texans Try New Tactic to Remove Ten Commandments From Schools: Texas Law
Three parents sued to force Texas to block and remove posters with the Ten Commandments from public school classrooms, arguing that state laws on religious freedom and parental rights conflict with the new state-mandated displays. The lawsuit, filed in state court in Harris County, seeks a court order to remove the displays and prohibit their posting before students return.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/30/us/ten-commandments-texas-schools-lawsuit.html
Florida Professor Fired for Assigning a Profane Story, Lawsuit Says
An English professor is suing the president of South Florida State College that she says fired her for assigning a story that he called “political,” according to a federal lawsuit. The story is an award-winning one narrated by a fictional teacher who drinks to excess, uses cocaine, and discusses sex with her students. The instructor had taught the story in her classes for nearly a decade without incident, but in February the president of the college objected to the assignment after a student expressed “mild discomfort.”
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/29/us/south-florida-state-college-professor-fired-lawsuit.html
Mamdani’s Judicial Panel Appears to Be Missing Something: Jewish Members
Elizabeth Forspan, the president of the Brandeis Association of Queens, a group of Jewish legal professionals, sent a letter to Mayor Zohran Mamdani protesting the apparent absence of Jewish representation on his 18-person committee that will advise him on his judicial nominations. The slate of members who will advise Mamdani represents a broad cross-section of the city’s legal professions, including former state judges, litigators, former prosecutors, and law professors. The apparent omission of Jewish legal professionals comes amid a particularly turbulent time in Mamdani’s relationship with New York City’s Jewish community.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/27/nyregion/mamdani-judges-jewish.html
Lawyer Who Represented Trump Is Appointed U.S. Attorney in Manhattan
Federal district judges in Manhattan appointed James M. McDonald, a former partner at Sullivan & Cromwell who represented Trump in his appeal of his criminal conviction, to lead the U.S. attorney’s office for the Southern District of New York.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/29/nyregion/trump-attorney-james-mcdonald-manhattan.html
Rollout of New York City’s Second-Home Tax Is Confusing Some Residents
The second-home tax is part of the latest push by state and local leaders to iron out some of the inequities in New York City by taxing wealthy part-time residents. City officials stressed that the publication of taxable properties happens twice a year and is required by state law “for public inspection.” Although the lists published last week went online with little fanfare from state and local officials, they did so at a moment when some wealthy people in the city have said that they feel under attack.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/29/nyregion/new-york-second-home-tax-rollout-anxiety.html
Trump Unveils $22.5 Billion Redesign of Dulles Airport
Trump unveiled plans for a $22.5 billion redesign of Dulles International Airport at the White House, characterizing the reconstruction as part of his broader efforts to remake the Washington region. In the redesign, which officials said would not require federal spending, concourses would be connected by a central walking tunnel and a new air train, making the airport easier to navigate.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/29/us/politics/trump-dulles-airport-redesign.html
Officer Charged With Violating Privacy for Recording Colleagues’ Racism
An officer with the Los Angeles Police Department has been charged with violating his colleagues’ privacy after he secretly recorded them making racist, homophobic, and sexist comments, the county district attorney announced. The officer, Daniel Flores, faces 16 felony counts of eavesdropping on or recording confidential communications. If convicted, he could spend up to 13 years in prison.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/31/us/lapd-recording-felony.html
Father of Teenage Shooter in Georgia Sentenced to 15 Years in Prison
The father of a teenager who fatally shot four people at his Georgia high school was sentenced to 15 years in prison after a jury found he bore criminal responsibility for his son’s deadly attack in 2024. The father, Colin Gray, had been convicted in March of murder and involuntary manslaughter, among other charges. Prosecutors argued that he shouldered significant blame for the shooting in Winder, Ga., because he had given his son, Colt, the rifle that was used and failed to heed signs of his son’s deteriorating mental health and growing obsession with violence.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/30/us/colin-gray-sentencing-apalachee-school-shooting.html
Musk Plans to Spend at Least $100 Million to Help Republicans in the Midterms
Elon Musk, a year after voicing deep frustration with the Republican Party and threatening to start a third party, appears to be back in the fold and prepared to spend big in the midterms to help G.O.P. candidates. Musk has authorized his super PAC to spend $100 to $120 million on a new field program in at least 8 states to help elect Republicans in November.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/30/us/politics/elon-musk-midterms-republicans.html
Saudis Form Military Alliance to Protect Red Sea Shipping
Saudi Arabia said that it was forming a military coalition to protect shipping, as attacks in the Red Sea and the renewed hostilities between the United States and Iran further rattle the global economy. Fourteen countries affirmed their support for the new maritime coalition, the Saudi defense ministry said in a statement. It remains unclear how the coalition will operate, and which ships or aircraft participating countries would contribute
https://www.nytimes.com/live/2026/07/30/world/iran-war-strikes-trump
Ebola Outbreak Is Now the Second-Largest Ever, and in Record Time
The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo has already become the second-largest on record, and it is spreading much faster than previous outbreaks, according to figures released by the World Health Organization. The official death toll has jumped to 1,558 people in fewer than three months.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/30/world/africa/ebola-deaths-record.html