Good morning. We’re covering the devastating floods in Texas and talks on a cease-fire in Gaza.
Plus, the case of the lost Stradivarius.
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| Search and rescue teams in Texas yesterday. Jordan Vonderhaar for The New York Times |
Floods in Texas have killed 79 people, including 28 children
Hundreds of searchers were combing wide swaths of central Texas yesterday after severe rainfall caused flash flooding on the Guadalupe River. As the death toll climbed to 79, and dozens remained unaccounted for, forecasters warned of more rain and possible flash flooding in hard-hit areas.We have live updates.
At least 28 of the victims were children. Ten girls from a summer camp remained missing.
Among the victims were 8-year-old and 9-year-old campers. Here’s what we know about some of them.
How it unfolded: The first flash-flood warning from torrential rain went out just before midnight on Thursday. At about 4 a.m. Friday, county authorities advised residents and campers to “seek higher ground now!” after the Guadalupe River had risen 22 feet, or 6 meters, in three hours. Here’s why the flooding was so intense.
Questions: Crucial positions at the local offices of the National Weather Service were vacant, prompting some experts to question whether staffing shortages made it harder for the agency to coordinate with local emergency managers.
Climate: Colossal bursts of rain like the ones that caused the deadly flooding in Texas are becoming more frequent and intense around the globe as the burning of fossil fuels heats the planet, scientists say.
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| Pool photo by Jack Guez |
Netanyahu is headed to the White House
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel is set to meet with President Trump today in Washington to discuss a cease-fire deal for Gaza. Trump said he hoped an initial truce could come together this week.
The cease-fire deal would see Hamas release hostages and could ultimately end Israel’s war in the Palestinian enclave, which was set off by the Hamas-led Oct. 7 attack on Israel. Yesterday, Israel sent negotiators to Qatar to try to bridge differences with Hamas, which agreed to enter into talks on a 60-day truce.
In Israel, opposition to the war in Gaza has been growing. Many people are asking what the military is still doing there, with more than 20 soldiers killed in the past month, according to the military. More than 55,000 Palestinians have been killed so far, according to Gaza health officials.
Other Middle East news:
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| The New York Times |
Why the Dalai Lama’s succession is complicated
The Dalai Lama, who turned 90 yesterday, has promised that China will have no say in the process of choosing his successor. But there are signs that China’s leaders may dispute the choice and designate a Dalai Lama of their own.
My colleague Mujib Mashal, our South Asia bureau chief, explains in the video above why this process could increase tensions with China.
For more: The exile government built in the Indian Himalayas to preserve Tibetans’ cultural identity will be tested by the Dalai Lama’s succession.
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| Haiyun Jiang for The New York Times |
Trade and Tech
Go Deeper
- Screens: By December, Australia wants to remove more than a million young teenagers from social media. Can it succeed?
- Weapons: Europe plans to nearly double its military spending, but it lacks alternatives to some of the advanced equipment that U.S. companies produce. Among them is the F-35.
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| Kirill Kudryavtsev/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images |
- Tennis: Carlos Alcaraz and Aryna Sabalenka advanced on Day 7 of Wimbledon. Follow live coverage here.
- Soccer: Gondomar, the Portuguese suburb where Diogo Jota spent his childhood and played for the local team, is mourning the loss.
- Formula 1: Lando Norris closed the gap on his teammate and rival, Oscar Piastri, to claim victory at a chaotic and wet British Grand Prix.
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| Dmitry Kostyukov for The New York Times |
In a world full of grim news, this is cause for celebration: The Seine has reopened to public swimming after a century. Swimming was banned in 1923 because of boat traffic and pollution. Now, the river is clean enough for humans to dive in. My colleague Catherine Porter took a plunge and marveled as she found yet another reason to love Paris.
Lives lived: Stuart Burrows, a Welsh lyric tenor acclaimed for his full range and a rich, unforced tone, notably while singing Mozart, died at 92.
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| David Vintiner for The New York Times |
- “Daddy” Trump: In “The Interview,” the head of NATO, Mark Rutte, makes clear that he is not interested in alienating the U.S. president.
- YouTube pirates: Users are uploading thousands of movies, TV shows and live sports using new tactics to evade the platform’s piracy detection tools.
- Money talks: How many dates should you go on before you start talking about money? Experts say discussing it sooner is better than later.
- “The Odyssey”: A teaser for Christopher Nolan’s next film, which is still a year away, has fans buzzing.
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