Smoky Skies Menace U.S. Cities, Driving Residents Indoors

Across the nation’s middle, unhealthy air from Canadian wildfires sent summer campers home and left residents coughing, and asking when this would end.

Putin Moves to Punish Prigozhin Allies

Russia’s president indicates that associates of the Wagner group’s leader in government and the military will face punishment.

Something Was Messing With Earth’s Axis. The Answer Has to Do With Us.

Scientists knew the planet’s centerline could move. But it took a sharp turn sometime around the start of the 2000s.

A Night Out for Dinner Ends in Destruction and Death

A Russian missile strike on a popular restaurant in Kramatorsk, Ukraine killed at least 11 people, wounded dozens more, and showed the peril of trying to claim pieces of ordinary life during war.

Putin Casts Mutiny as Proof of Solidity, as Belarus Opens Doors to Rebels

Belarus said it had taken in the mercenary boss Yevgeny V. Prigozhin and might welcome his Wagner troops, while Russia dropped a criminal investigation of him for the weekend uprising.

Supreme Court Rejects Theory That Would Have Transformed American Elections

The 6-to-3 majority dismissed the “independent state legislature” theory, which would have given state lawmakers nearly unchecked power over federal elections.

Russian General Knew About Mercenary Chief’s Rebellion Plans, U.S. Officials Say

Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of Wagner, may have believed he had support in Russia’s military.

The Unexpected Rescuers Who Found Colombia’s Missing Children

Colombia’s Indigenous Guard has long had to fight for a space in the national narrative. Today, it is at the center of the country’s biggest story.

Putin Says Russia Is United Behind Him, After Quelling Rebellion

President Vladimir V. Putin spoke angrily of those who want “Russians to fight each other,” but his former ally, Yevgeny V. Prigozhin, said the mutiny he led was not a coup attempt.

Minefields and Menace: Why Ukraine’s Pushback Is Off to a Halting Start

The Ukrainian Army is encountering an array of challenges that has complicated the early stages of its counteroffensive, especially the large swaths of minefields. But its leaders are urging patience, insisting the main push is yet to come.

Intensifying Rains Pose Hidden Flood Risks Across the U.S.

In some of the nation’s most populous areas, hazardous storms can dump significantly more water than previously believed, new calculations show.

A.I. May Someday Work Medical Miracles. For Now, It Helps Do Paperwork.

The best use for generative A.I. in health care, doctors say, is to ease the heavy burden of documentation that takes them hours a day and contributes to burnout.

Revolt Raises Searing Question: Could Putin Lose Power?

Russians with ties to the Kremlin expressed relief that the mercenary leader’s mutiny did not spark a civil war. But they agreed that Vladimir Putin had come off looking weak in a way that could be lasting.

One Big Winner of Kremlin-Wagner Clash? The Dictator Next Door.

The strongman leader of Belarus, a dependable ally of Vladimir Putin’s, may see a chance to rebrand himself as a statesman.

As Legal Fees Mount, Trump Steers Donations Into PAC That Has Covered Them

A previously unnoticed change in Donald Trump’s online fund-raising appeals allows him to divert a sizable chunk of his 2024 contributions to a group that has spent millions to cover his legal fees.

He Was Handcuffed and Hospitalized. Now He’s on Track for Housing.

A contentious New York City policy to send more mentally ill homeless people to hospitals has helped some move into permanent homes.

Rebel Wagner Forces, Threatening March to Moscow, Abruptly Stand Down

The mercenary group had seized the Russian city of Rostov-on-Don, the center of Moscow’s military operations in Ukraine, posing a grave threat to President Vladimir Putin’s government.

Putin embraced turmoil, and now it is rattling his leadership.

For more than two decades, the system helped President Vladimir V. Putin secure his unrivaled authority, ensuring that he personally held the keys to wealth and influence in modern Russia.

How a Year Without Roe Shifted American Views on Abortion

New and extensive polling shows public opinion increasingly supports legal abortion, with potential political consequences for 2024.

He Tried to Save a Friend. They Charged Him With Murder.

They bought $30 worth of fentanyl before making it into rehab. One overdosed. The other was charged in his death.

Wagner Chief Accused Of Fomenting A Coup, Putting Russia On Edge

The claims from Yevgeny V. Prigozhin including a veiled threat of an uprising against Russia, prompted the F.S.B. to open a criminal investigation.

Supreme Court Revives Biden Immigration Guidelines

The guidelines, setting priorities for which unauthorized immigrants should be detained, were blocked by a federal judge in Texas.

Facing Brutal Heat, the Texas Electric Grid Has a New Ally: ‌Solar Power

The amount of solar energy generated in Texas has grown exponentially. Some Republicans question the state’s increasing reliance on renewable power.

Garland Pushes Back at G.O.P. Claims of Bias in Hunter Biden Investigation

The attorney general denied assertions that he had interfered with the case and blocked a prosecutor from lodging more charges.

Biden Seeks to Bolster Ties With Modi While Soft-Pedaling Differences

At the White House, the president emphasized common ground with India’s prime minister and announced joint initiatives without making progress in enlisting help against Russian aggression.

Deep in the Atlantic, a ‘Catastrophic Implosion’ and Five Lives Lost

The vast multinational search for the missing submersible ended after pieces of it were found on the ocean floor, 1,600 feet from the bow of the Titanic.

A North Korean Dissident Defects to the American Right

Yeonmi Park’s account of the horrors of North Korea made her a human rights celebrity. Her new claims that America is on the same path have made her a right-wing media star.

Harsh New Fentanyl Laws Ignite Debate Over How to Combat Overdose Crisis

Critics say a fierce law-and-order approach could undermine public health goals and advances in addiction treatment.

F.T.C. Sues Amazon for Tricking Users Into Subscribing to Prime

The lawsuit is the first time that the Federal Trade Commission under its chair, Lina Khan, has taken Amazon to court.

Is the Inflation Battle Won? Not Yet.

Inflation has come down from its 2022 heights, but economists are worried about its stubbornness.

How It Feels to Have Your Life Changed By Affirmative Action

Black and Hispanic college graduates, whose lives were directly shaped by race-conscious college admissions, have complicated thoughts about the expected Supreme Court decision.

Why Is Narendra Modi So Popular? Tune In to Find Out.

The Indian leader, who visits Washington this week, has softened his image at home with an old-fashioned radio show, which feeds a vast social media apparatus.

Judge in Trump Documents Case Sets Tentative Trial Date as Soon as August

The judge, Aileen M. Cannon, set an aggressive schedule for moving the case forward, though the proceedings are likely to be delayed by pretrial clashes.

Hunter Biden Reaches Deal to Plead Guilty to Misdemeanor Tax Charges

Under an agreement with the Justice Department, the president’s son agreed to probation for filing his taxes late, and he can avoid a charge that he lied about his drug use when he bought a gun.

‘They Expected Me to Die on My Own’: Life as a Ukrainian P.O.W.

Ukrainian captives released in prisoner exchanges say that beatings were common, and that they suffered from woefully inadequate health care and food.

Judge Strikes Down Arkansas Law Banning Gender Transition Care for Minors

The case had been closely watched as an important test of whether bans on transition care for minors, enacted by more than a dozen states, could withstand challenges.

Greek Coast Guard Under Scrutiny for Response to Migrant Mass Drowning

Contradictions in the Coast Guard’s account cast new doubts over how the Greeks handled one of the worst maritime disasters in the country’s history.

G.O.P. Targets Researchers Who Study Disinformation Ahead of 2024 Election

A legal campaign against universities and think tanks seeks to undermine the fight against false claims about elections, vaccines and other hot political topics.

Trump Real Estate Deal in Oman Underscores Ethics Concerns

Details of the former president’s agreement to work with a Saudi firm to develop a hotel and golf complex overlooking the Gulf of Oman highlight the ways his business and political roles intersect.

Blinken Meets Xi as China and the U.S. Try to Rein in Tensions

U.S. diplomats visited Beijing to try to ensure that competition “does not veer into conflict.” The talks pave the way for a possible Biden-Xi meeting.