F.D.A. Approves First U.S. Over-the-Counter Birth Control Pill

The move could significantly expand access to contraception. The pill is expected to be available in early 2024

Prosecutors Ask Witnesses Whether Trump Acknowledged He Lost 2020 Race

Jared Kushner was questioned before a federal grand jury as prosecutors appeared to be trying to establish if the former president knew his efforts to stay in power were built on a lie.

This Agency Was Created With a Terrorism Focus. Now It Also Has to Care for Migrants

Customs and Border Protection was set up after 9/11 amid the fight against terrorism. Its responsibilities have ballooned with the influx of asylum-seeking migrants crossing the southern border.

Actors Join Writers on Strike, Bringing Hollywood to a Standstill

The dual walkouts pit more than 170,000 workers against old-line studios like Disney and Sony, as well as tech juggernauts like Netflix and Amazon.

Inflation Cools Sharply in June, Good News for Consumers and the Fed

The Consumer Price Index climbed far more slowly in June, a relief for shoppers and a hopeful — though inconclusive — sign that America might pull off a “soft landing.”

Biden Braces NATO for Long Conflict With Russia, Making Cold War Parallel

Concluding a NATO summit focused on the war in Ukraine and other fast-changing challenges, President Biden vowed that the alliance would oppose Russian aggression for as long as needed.

G.O.P.’s Far Right Seeks to Use Defense Bill to Defund Ukraine War Effort

The group’s proposals have no chance of passage, but they have further mired the military spending bill in a partisan fight and highlighted Republican divisions over the war.

To Help Cool a Hot Planet, the Whitest of White Coats

Scientists at Purdue have created a white paint that, when applied, can reduce the surface temperature on a roof and cool the building beneath it.

NATO Says It Will Invite Ukraine Some Day, Resisting Calls to Act Soon

The alliance firmed up its plans to include Ukraine eventually, but gave no timetable, siding with President Biden and frustrating some East European members.

Dirty Socks and Rotting Bodies: What Russians Left Behind in the Trenches

As Ukrainian troops inch forward in the counteroffensive, they are occupying positions abandoned by enemy troops. Says one: “It’s not very pleasant.”

Vermont Floods Show Limits of America’s Efforts to Adapt to Climate Change

The lack of a comprehensive national rainfall database and current flood maps hampers the ability to prepare for storms intensified by climate change.

Heat Down Below Is Making the Ground Shift Under Chicago

Basements and train tunnels constantly leak heat, causing the land to sink and straining building foundations. Scientists call it “underground climate change.”

Turkey Clears the Way for Sweden’s Entry to NATO on the Eve of Summit

The announcement allows the military alliance to project unity, which is getting harder to sustain as the war in Ukraine goes on.

Flooding Closes Roads and Threatens Towns Through Much of Vermont

At least one person died as rain inundated New York’s Hudson Valley and the surrounding areas. In Vermont, rivers were expected to crest on Tuesday.

Putin Met With Mercenary Leaders He Had Called Traitors During Mutiny

The Kremlin’s disclosure of the meeting with Yevgeny V. Prigozhin and other Wagner group commanders hinted at the power they wield, but left many questions unanswered.

For a President and a King, the View From the Top Is Curiously Similar

Despite hints of tension between Washington and London, President Biden and King Charles III share interests and have faced comparable challenges, which might have helped smooth their meeting.

China and the U.S., Still Adversaries, Are Talking. That’s a Start.

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, after 10 hours of meetings with Chinese officials, said the two sides would pursue “more frequent communication” despite their deep differences.

Far-Right Parties Are Rising to Power Around Europe. Is Spain Next?

As Spain prepares for elections, some liberal European politicians fear that the hard-right Vox party could become the first right-wing party since the Franco era to enter Spain’s national government.

The Case That Could Be Fox’s Next Dominion

Tucker Carlson, before he was sidelined by Fox, repeatedly endorsed a conspiracy theory about an Arizona man, who may sue for defamation. Legal experts say it would be a viable case.

It’s Toxic Slime Time on Florida’s Lake Okeechobee

Huge green blooms are threatening wildlife, pets, people and cities. And algae season is only getting started.

Trump and DeSantis Are Battling for Iowa Voters. And for Its Governor, Too.

Gov. Kim Reynolds has vowed to be neutral in 2024. But Donald Trump’s team views her as neutral in name only when it comes to Ron DeSantis and his wife.

Where Clarence Thomas Entered an Elite Circle and Opened a Door to the Court

The exclusive Horatio Alger Association brought the justice access to wealthy members and unreported V.I.P. treatment. He, in turn, offered another kind of access.

Americans Tried to Save Elephants in Zambia. Were They the Good Guys?

A visit to a remote conservation park reveals the long-term impact on villagers of a crusade by the novelist Delia Owens and her husband to protect animals from poachers.

Bucha Gets a Remake, but Pain Lingers Behind the Facade

More than a year after Ukrainian forces wrested back Bucha from Russian troops, the town is physically transformed. But so much remains unresolved.

Biden Defends ‘Difficult’ Decision to Send Cluster Munitions to Ukraine

With Ukraine burning through stockpiles of conventional artillery, President Biden concluded that he had little choice but to provide the weapons.

U.S. Raises Pressure on China to Combat Global Fentanyl Crisis

The Biden administration push comes after cooperation on halting the flow of the drug into the United States was derailed by wider geopolitical tensions.

Fight or Flight: Transgender Care Bans Leave Families and Doctors Scrambling

Laws in 20 states have left the fate of clinics in doubt and families with transgender children searching for medical care across state lines.17h ago

They Fell in Love in a Video Game. Now Both Are in Jail.

The barrier-breaking romance of a Pakistani woman and an Indian man has led to criminal charges and nationalist intrigue.

Biden Weighs Giving Ukraine Weapons Banned by Many U.S. Allies

Ukraine is seeking cluster munitions, which are known to cause grievous injuries to civilians, as its ammunition supply runs low.

U.S. Is Destroying the Last of Its Once-Vast Chemical Weapons Arsenal

Decades behind its initial schedule, the dangerous job of eliminating the world’s only remaining declared stockpile of lethal chemical munitions will be completed as soon as Friday.

New Federal Decisions Make Alzheimer’s Drug Leqembi Widely Accessible

The F.D.A. gave full approval to the drug, but added a black-box warning about safety risks. Medicare said it would cover most of the high cost.

How Tom Brady’s Crypto Ambitions Collided With Reality

The superstar quarterback is among the celebrities dealing with the fallout from the crypto crash. Others, like Taylor Swift, escaped.

Ruling Puts Social Media at Crossroads of Disinformation and Free Speech

The case, which could alter how the government battles disinformation, is a flashpoint in a broader effort by conservatives to document what they contend is a liberal conspiracy to silence their views.

‘Dig, Dig, Dig’: A Russian Soldier’s Story

An inmate hoped to start over with a clean slate by fighting in Ukraine. Instead, he was confronted by the drudgery of trench work and the terror of battle. “You’re going in as meat,” he said he was told.

The Surprising Striver in the World’s Space Business

With at least 140 registered space-tech start-ups, India stands to transform the planet’s connection to the final frontier.

China Took Her Husband. She Was Left to Uncover His Secret Cause.

He was brilliant, quirky and intensely private — and also, she now suspects, an anonymous dissident blogger who had won fame for years of evading the surveillance state.