The ayatollah sends his regrets
Briefing: Iran names a supreme leader who hasn’t appeared in public since the U.S. and Israel started bombing. A deleted tweet moves oil prices 17 percent. + Why’s it getting so hot in West Africa?
Theaters of war
The weekend despatch: The many faces of Operation Epic Fury. An Oscar-nominated screenwriter under bombardment picks up the phone. + What does it mean when the beat answers back?
‘Quiet death’
Briefing: The U.S. Navy sinks an Iranian warship in the Indian Ocean. The U.S. Senate votes to keep the war going. + What held the post–World War II order together—and what’s coming apart?
Four objectives, five days
Briefing: Washington continues fighting with no public definition of victory. Hezbollah breaks its ceasefire with Israel, while Lebanon outlaws Hezbollah. + How could an unexpected event transform a work of art?
Smoke in the streets
The weekend despatch: What’s happening inside Iran? + Why now?
Havana nocturne
Briefing: The last fuel in Cuba. The first strikes on Afghanistan since the Americans left. + Why is Los Angeles’s entertainment industry in such crisis?
A most wanted man
Briefing: The logic of Mexico’s surprise killing of the head of its most powerful cartel. The distance between the American president and the Pentagon on war with Iran. + Why are so many countries rethinking their nuclear strategies?
The check arrives
The weekend despatch: America’s highest court kills the president’s signature tariffs. Artemis II’s crew readies for the first Moon mission in half a century. + What’s free jazz doing on a major record label?
‘Misconduct in public office’
Briefing: A former prince arrested over the Epstein files. A former president sentenced to life for insurrection. + Why is Silicon Valley fighting with the EU?
Same city, same day
Briefing: Two negotiations—one led to progress, the other to a threat. North Korea builds homes for soldiers who won’t come back. + What’s online gambling doing to American society?
