Today's Headlines: How 50,000 People Surged Into a Spanish Exclave in Africa
Trump Administration Plans to Upend Head Start by Deregulating It
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The New York Times
Today's Headlines
August 1, 2026, 4:30 a.m. Eastern time

Top News

How 50,000 People Surged Into a Spanish Exclave in Africa

On Thursday, tens of thousands of Moroccans broke into Ceuta, a Spanish territory that neighbors Morocco. By Friday evening, most of them had left, hungry and disappointed.

Trump Administration Plans to Upend Head Start by Deregulating It

The White House tried but failed to block funding for preschool for poor children. Instead, it will seek to strip away standards on health, literacy — and brushing teeth.

Why Mitch McConnell Isn’t Giving Up His Senate Seat

Democrats are demanding that the Kentucky Republican resign. Others who were sidelined for far longer faced no such calls, but times are changing.

World

Extreme Heat Has Transformed What Summer Means Across Generations in Europe

Rising temperatures and more frequent heat waves have changed the feel of the season for today’s children, compared with their parents and grandparents.

In Area Hit by Blaze, French Officials Failed to Enforce Wildfire Rules

Under French rules, homeowners must clear vegetation within roughly 50 yards of their houses. In the forests affected by France’s worst fire in decades, that didn’t happen.

Political Turmoil Will Not Derail Killer Robot Program, Ousted Minister Says

The Ukrainian former defense minister Mykhailo Fedorov, an advocate for drone and robot warfare, says the country’s tech-heavy strategy will persist.

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U.S.

Nancy Guthrie Ransom Notes Demanded Millions, Then Said She Had Perished

The 84-year-old mother of Savannah Guthrie, the television news anchor, has been missing for nearly six months.

Officer Charged With Violating Privacy for Recording Colleagues’ Racism

The charges stem from recordings that Daniel Flores made over the course of 2024, when he was working in a Los Angeles police unit that recruited new officers.

Coast Guard Vows to Protect Crews From Brain Injuries Caused by Rough Seas

The head of the Coast Guard said “decisive action” would be taken so the injuries would be recognized, treated and prevented.

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Politics

Charges Dropped in Reflecting Pool Case as Prosecutors Say Work Was ‘Botched’

A former Olympian will not face trial after federal prosecutors acknowledged that the Trump administration’s claims of vandalism were false.

Trump Backs Away From Deal to Let Ukraine Build Patriot Missiles

The president of Ukraine had warned that the country was running out of Patriot interceptors, the most reliable weapon it has to shoot down Russian ballistic missiles.

Trump and Netanyahu May Be at Odds Again Over Gaza Plan

President Trump’s announcement came at a difficult point in his relationship with the Israeli leader over their war against Iran.

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Business

Inside the Meltdown of a Wunderkind’s A.I. Hedge Fund

Situational Awareness, led by a 24-year-old, exploded onto the artificial intelligence scene — and then nose-dived.

Warsh Considers Reducing Frequency of Fed Policy Meetings

The Federal Reserve has met at least eight times a year for decades. Reducing the number of meetings would represent the biggest change by Kevin M. Warsh since he became chairman.

Editor of Washington Post Opinion Section Resigns After 1 Year

Adam O’Neal inherited a mandate from the paper’s owner, Jeff Bezos, to shift toward “personal liberties and free markets.”

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New York

‘Where Are the Kids?’: Caregivers Charged After Twin Starves to Death

A mother and grandmother in the Bronx face charges over the care of twin teenagers with autism. One of the boys weighed 59 pounds when he died. His brother, according to prosecutors, barely survived.

2 Children Drown in New Jersey River

The body of a girl, 10, was found in the Passaic River on Friday evening, two days after she was swept away. The body of a boy the same age was recovered earlier.

New York Sues Kalshi in Latest Bid to Regulate Prediction Markets

The suit is the latest effort by states to crack down on an industry that critics have called predatory. At least 15 states have introduced legislation this year to regulate the markets.

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Arts

Can a Gritty Spider-Man Save the Superhero Movie?

The newest entry in the franchise took a more grounded approach, a departure for a spectacle-focused genre that is teetering at the box office.

On ‘Ted Lasso,’ She’s Ruthless. Off Camera, She’s ‘Quite a Goofy Nugget.’

Hannah Waddingham is a rare British actor to beat a path from musical theater to the screen.

Five Science Fiction Movies to Stream Now

From the Ryan Gosling hit “Project Hail Mary” to the psychosexual alien rom-com “Touch Me,” explore this month’s eclectic picks.

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Books

How Emily Wilson’s Takedown of ‘The Odyssey’ Ignited a Debate

Wilson, whose 2017 translation of Homer’s Greek classic influenced the director Christopher Nolan, panned his screenplay for the movie version in an essay for The London Review of Books.

Audio