SoftBank in Talks to Invest Up to $25 Billion in OpenAI

A new investment from the Japanese conglomerate would be separate from the $100 billion tied to a project announced at the White House last week.

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Security at ISIS Camps in Syria Threatened by U.S. Funding Freeze

A halt in foreign aid may undermine American organizations’ support for forces that guard the two largest camps holding Islamic State members and their families.

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Migrants at Paris Theater Hope to Prove They’re Just Kids

More than 300 homeless African immigrants are camping out in the Gaîté Lyrique, waiting for officials to rule on whether they are minors and eligible for benefits like housing.

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Kyiv’s Mayor Feuds With President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine

The mayor, Vitali Klitschko, who has had a tense relationship with President Volodymyr Zelensky, accused him of trying to usurp the powers of elected officials in the capital.

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Elon Musk and His Friends Help Trump Shake Up the Government

The billionaire and his Silicon Valley allies landed in the capital and immediately moved to cut the size of the federal government, reprising the playbook he used after buying Twitter in 2022.

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Maha Kumbh Mela: World’s Largest Gathering Begins in India

About 400 million Hindu pilgrims from around the globe gathered to bathe in and around the Ganges in the religion’s biggest display of unity.

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Life’s Building Blocks Lurked Inside NASA’s Bennu Asteroid Samples

Scientists studying samples that NASA collected from the asteroid Bennu found a wide assortment of organic molecules that shed light on how life arose.

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Student Threatened With Expulsion Over Social Posts Gets $250,000 Settlement

The University of Tennessee threatened to expel Kimberly Diei over posts the school said were inappropriate. She sued on First Amendment grounds.

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Israel Says 8 of the 26 Hostages That Hamas Is Expected to Release Are Dead

An accounting provided by Hamas over the weekend confirmed intelligence assessments, Israeli officials said.

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Many Ukrainian Aid Groups Stop Work After Trump’s Halt on Foreign Assistance

The Trump administration’s orders have sent a chill through humanitarian organizations in Ukraine, which depend heavily on such assistance.

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What Is M23, the Rwandan-Backed Group Fighting in Eastern Congo?

The militia seized the pivotal city of Goma, threatening a new humanitarian crisis in a region that has suffered decades of fighting.

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At the Louvre, the Mona Lisa Will Get Her Own Room as Museum Expands

President Emmanuel Macron announced plans to alleviate crowds at the Paris museum and to charge higher fees for visitors from outside the European Union.

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Wisconsin’s Supreme Court Race: A Pivotal Battle Over Abortion

A contest for control of Wisconsin’s top court may be even nastier and more expensive than its bitter 2023 predecessor, with the fate of an 1849 abortion ban and other policies at stake.

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Italy Begins Shipping Migrants to Albania, Reviving Stalled Program

Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s first attempt to have asylum seekers held for assessment overseas was immediately blocked by judges. Now another is underway.

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Colombia Will Not Accept U.S. Deportation Flights, President Petro Says

Gustavo Petro said on X that the United States should not treat Colombian migrants as criminals and needs to establish a dignified protocol before his country will allow their return.

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C.I.A. Now Favors Lab Leak Theory to Explain Covid’s Origins

A new analysis that began under the Biden administration is released by the C.I.A.’s new director, John Ratcliffe, who wants the agency to get “off the sidelines” in the debate.

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Let’s Get to the Marrow of What Trump Just Did

Three policy wonks dissect President Donald Trump’s executive orders on border security, immigration, government efficiency and beyond.

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Crafting a Haggis for American Tastes (and Import Restrictions)

Macsween, a popular maker of the distinctive Scottish dish, has developed a recipe for the U.S. market that swaps sheep lung for lamb heart as a main ingredient.

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China Cracks Down on Online Panda Advocacy

Panda fan culture once flourished in China. But Beijing is tightening control of discussion of a national symbol.

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Ukraine Is Losing Fewer Soldiers Than Russia — but It’s Still Losing the War

Russia has lost about twice as many men to death and serious injury as Ukraine. But the trends favor the Kremlin.

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Zelensky Could Face Tough Re-election Prospects, Polls Show

The high popularity that the Ukrainian president had in the early days of the Russian invasion, with an approval rating of about 90 percent, has dipped badly.

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Mel Gibson Returns as a Director with ‘Flight Risk’

For “Flight Risk,” his first outing as a director in nearly a decade, the Oscar winner isn’t quite taking center stage.

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Houthis Say They Will Free the Crew of a Cargo Ship They Hijacked 14 Months Ago

The Iranian-backed rebel group in Yemen made the announcement after the Houthis said they would scale back attacks given the cease-fire in the conflict in Gaza.

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The New Rules of the Trump Era

Ezra Klein and Aaron Retica discuss the oligarchic power dynamics of the second Trump administration.

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Deadly Hotel Fire at Turkish Ski Resort Stirs Grief and Outrage

Some had returned to the hotel year after year. Their deaths have stirred grief and outrage.

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Trump Closes Border, Leaving Migrants in Mexico With Few Options

On Monday, President Trump took action to seal the nation’s southern border and terminate the widely used CBP One app, leaving migrants in Mexico feeling desperate and disheartened.

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Europe Braces for a New Trump Era, Uncertain About What It Means

President Trump appears willing to shake up almost every policy area, and a behind-the-scenes E.U. task force has been trying to prepare. But is Europe ready?

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When Google Altered Its Ad Rules, Charities Paid the Price

After the search giant welcomed more ads from small rivals like Ask.com, Google ad costs for some nonprofits ballooned.

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Jules Feiffer, Acerbic Cartoonist, Writer and Much Else, Dies at 95

In his long-running Village Voice comic strip and in his many plays and screenplays, he took delight in skewering politics, relationships and human nature.

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Sean Spicer Has Regrets. But He Still Believes in Trump.

A former White House press secretary shares his predictions for Trump’s second term.

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Is Microsoft Excel the Next Big E-Sport?

At the Microsoft Excel World Championship in Las Vegas, there was stardust in the air as 12 finance guys vied to be crowned the world’s best spreadsheeter.

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What We Know About the TikTok Ban

The popular video app went dark in the United States late Saturday and then came back around noon on Sunday, even as a law banning it took effect.

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Significant Winter Storm Heads to the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast

Heavy snow is expected on Sunday in the Northeast before the coldest air in several years descends across much of the country starting on Monday, forecasters warned.

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Inside South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol’s Life in Jail

President Yoon Suk Yeol, a former prosecutor, used to put people in jail. Now, after his formal arrest, he himself is in a cell, alone.

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State Republicans Propose New Limits on Transgender Identity

The new lawmaking sessions open after a campaign year in which Republicans leaned on messaging that tapped into fears about transgender issues.

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Northeast Braces for Snow as Frigid Air Settles Across Most of the U.S.

Temperatures are expected plunge across the country this weekend.

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Syrians in Turkey Agonize Over a Return Home

With the Assad regime out of power, millions weigh the decision to go back to their war-torn country.

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Neko Case Has Sung Hard Truths. Now She’s Telling Hers in a Memoir.

In “The Harder I Fight the More I Love You,” the singer and songwriter outlines the personal and professional challenges that have shaped her career.

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30-Year Mortgage Rate Rises Above 7% for First Time Since May

The latest jump threatens to sideline more buyers and sellers.

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Jeff Bezos’ Successful Blue Origin Launch Silences Skeptics

The successful flight to orbit of the Amazon founder’s powerful rocket suggests it could grow into a credible competitor with Elon Musk’s SpaceX.

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Bob Uecker, Clubhouse Wit-Turned-Popular Sportscaster, Dies at 90

Uecker turned his meager baseball career into humorous fodder covering games on TV and as a commercial pitchman.

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FDA Bans Red Dye 3 in Foods, Linking It to Cancer in Rats

Consumer and food safety groups have long urged the agency to revoke the use of this dye and others. The F.D.A. says there still is no evidence it is a human carcinogenic.

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Defending Michigan’s Auto Industry, Whitmer Warns of Tariff Risks

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer addressed the Detroit Auto Show, saying that tariffs should not be used “to punish our closest trading partners,” like Canada.

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Capital One Is Accused of Cheating Customers Out of $2 Billion

Federal regulators said in a lawsuit on Tuesday that the giant bank deliberately underpaid savings account interest, even as rates rose.

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Art Once Divided Father and Son. Could It Now Bring Them Together?

A beloved illustrator died in the middle of a project. His son, who had been drifting away from art for years, was given the chance to finish the work.

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Melania Trump Says She Plans to Be at White House Full Time

Mrs. Trump did not immediately move in to the White House when her husband was inaugurated in 2017, but she said the second stay was going to be more routine. “I already packed,” she told Fox News.

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Dementia Cases in the U.S. Will Surge in the Coming Decades, Researchers Say

By 2060, new dementia cases per year could double to one million because of the growing population of older Americans, a study predicts.

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Oliviero Toscani, Driving Force Behind Provocative Benetton Ads, Dies at 82

A photographer and art director, he broke the boundaries of advertising in the 1980s and ’90s, embracing activism with images evoking AIDS and racial and sexual diversity.

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Writing Fantasy Came Naturally. Reality Was Far More Daunting.

After winning just about every major science fiction and fantasy award, Nnedi Okorafor explores a traumatic event in her own history in her most autobiographical novel yet.

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Trump Discusses Tax Cuts for New Yorkers With G.O.P. Lawmakers

The president-elect told Republicans from New York, New Jersey and California to come up with a plan for increasing the state and local tax deduction — a move that would benefit their constituents.

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I’m a Federal Employee. This Is What We Need Most in the Trump Era.

Practical support matters more than encouragement.

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Five Presidents and a Funeral

The pious Carter and profane Trump had some things in common.

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Far From the Fires, the Deadly Risks of Smoke Are Intensifying

Researchers see a growing health danger from the vast plumes of pollution spawned by wildfires like the ones devastating Los Angeles.

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In Congress, a Push for Proxy Voting for New Parents Draws Bipartisan Support

A group of younger lawmakers is pressing to change House rules to allow members who are new parents to vote remotely.

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Hoda Kotb Departs NBC’s ‘Today’ Amid Lots of Praise and Tears

Special guests, including Simone Biles and Oprah Winfrey, offered tributes to the longtime host, capping off a week that “Today” had called a “Hoda-bration!”

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U.S. Imposes New Sanctions to Squeeze Russia’s Energy Sector

The Biden administration is cracking down on the Russian “shadow fleet” and taking steps to curb oil and gas production.

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Israel Strikes Ports and a Power Plant in Houthi-Controlled Parts of Yemen

Israel and its allies have escalated strikes against the Houthis to try to force them to stop firing on Israel and Red Sea shipping lanes, but it was not clear whether they would deter the Iran-backed militia.

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Prosecutors Seek 15-Year Sentence for Menendez’s Bribery Conviction

Lawyers for New Jersey’s former Democratic senator, Robert Menendez, have said that even fewer years would be tantamount to a death sentence.

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Germany Approves Tribunal to Decide Nazi-Looted Art Claims

The new body will be easier to access and its decisions will be legally binding. But some lawyers and Jewish heirs are not happy with the reform.

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U.S. Efforts to Cut Emissions Stalled in 2024 as Power Demand Surged

After staying flat for nearly two decades, electricity use is starting to rise again, and the boom in wind and solar power hasn’t kept pace.

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Many Pay Their Respects to Jimmy Carter in the Georgia Cold

It was a once-in-a-lifetime chance to pay their respects to a president. They were not going to miss it, even if meant waking up in the middle of the night.

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Israeli Strike in West Bank Kills 3, Including Children, Official Says

Violence has escalated in the occupied territory over the last year and a half, as Israel conducts raids targeting armed fighters with Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad.

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At the Movies, the ‘Older Woman’ Is Growing Up

She has been called “cougar,” “Mrs. Robinson” and “your mom.” Now she’s the protagonist, and one of film and television’s most compelling characters.

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Belgium’s Food Agency Advises Against Eating Your Christmas Tree

The country’s food agency warned against using evergreens in food after the city of Ghent suggested an unusual form of recycling: spruce needle butter.

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Peter Yarrow of Peter, Paul and Mary Bridged Folk-Pop Eras

With Peter, Paul and Mary, the musician, who died on Tuesday at 86, eased folk songs into the Top 10.

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Golden Globes Ratings Decline Slightly to 9.3 Million Viewers

The show on Sunday averaged 9.3 million viewers, down from 9.4 million the year before.

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Pope Appoints Nun to Lead Vatican Department

Sister Simona Brambilla was appointed as the prefect of a Vatican office that oversees religious orders, but she may not be alone at the top.

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In Africa, Danger Slithers Through Homes and Fields

Venomous snakes bite millions of people worldwide each year, killing at least 120,000. Many of them are poor people in rural areas of Africa without easy access to treatment.

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Do Our Dogs Have Something to Tell Us?

Many owners think so, thanks to the “talking buttons” craze on TikTok and Instagram. Scientists are less convinced.

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Fed’s Vice Chair to Step Down From Role as Top Bank Supervisor

Michael Barr oversaw an attempt to rewrite financial regulations that came under attack from a wide range of groups, including banks, lawmakers and even some of his colleagues.

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California Police Department Agrees to Reforms After Federal Inquiry

The Antioch Police Department was under investigation by the Justice Department after racist text messages between its officers were released in 2023.

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How Scammers Could Cheat NYC’s Congestion Pricing Tolls

Drivers who obscure their plates or otherwise circumvent paying tolls already cost the city’s mass transit system millions of dollars.

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Costas Simitis, 2-Time Prime Minister of Greece, Dies at 88

Mr. Simitis imposed financial measures to prepare for Greece’s entry into the eurozone and laid the groundwork for the Olympic Games’ return to Athens.

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Soldier’s Struggles Began Before Las Vegas Tesla Explosion, Nurse Says

A Green Beret who had served several combat tours fatally shot himself in a Cybertruck that exploded outside a Trump hotel on New Year’s Day.

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From Georgia to Washington, Memorials Trace Jimmy Carter’s Life

Days of tribute for the 39th president began on Saturday with stops at his childhood farm, the Georgia State Capitol and the Carter Center.

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Is America Just Going to Abandon Its Towns Falling Into the Ocean?

Communities must be able to move to solid ground while remaining whole.

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David Lodge, British Novelist Who Satirized Academic Life, Dies at 89

His 15 well-plotted novels teemed with romance and strange coincidence. An erudite literary critic with an ear for language, he also wrote a raft of nonfiction books.

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Ford and General Motors Report a Sales Surge, Especially for E.V.s

The two big automakers said 2024 sales were up by 4 percent thanks to big increases in the final quarter.

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Do You Believe in Life After Death? These Scientists Study It.

Is reincarnation real? Is communication from the “beyond” possible? A small set of academics are trying to find out, case by case.

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Awaiting Sentencing, Menendez Pleads for Leniency and Blames His Wife

As they did during his trial, lawyers for the former senator argued in a court filing that he had been led astray by his wife, Nadine Menendez.

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Rosita Missoni, Who Turned Zigzag Sweaters Into High Fashion, Dies at 93

With colorful knitwear, she and her husband, Ottavio, built one of the world’s most recognizable brands, helping to make Milan a capital of “alta moda.”

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Cold Snap to Grip Much of the U.S., Followed by Winter Storms

The Arctic air arrives this weekend and could linger into mid-January.

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A Half-Ton Piece of Space Junk Falls Onto a Village in Kenya

No one was hurt by the object, believed to be part of a launch rocket. Experts say the frequency of such incidents is increasing as the amount of debris in orbit around the Earth increases dramatically.

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Brooke Eby’s Humor About Living With A.L.S. Made Her a TikTok Star

After being diagnosed with A.L.S. in 2022, Brooke Eby could have turned inward. Instead, she opened up — and found a fan base online.

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New Jersey Asks Judge to Delay Congestion Pricing Plan

The state had sued to stop New York’s plan to charge motorists entering Manhattan’s busiest roadways. Late Tuesday night, lawyers requested a temporary restraining order.

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Democrats’ Battleground Leader, Exiting Congress, Reflects on What She Learned

Representative Abigail Spanberger of Virginia, the only Democrat in a leadership position to leave Congress this year, talked about her party, her competitive district, and what the Trump era has in store.

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‘Raw Water’ Devotees Swear by Natural Springs, Despite the Risks

Untreated water enthusiasts swear by natural springs. Their movement has parallels with raw milk drinkers and vaccine skeptics.

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$850 for a Table at Applebee’s? Welcome to Times Square on New Year’s Eve.

As revelers throng Midtown Manhattan, some chain restaurants are offering a respite, if a pricey one. Perks include bathroom access and unlimited breadsticks.

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The Top Movies of 2024: ‘Wicked’ and Nine Sequels

Box office returns have started to stabilize. But nine of the top 10 box office hits this year were sequels. And the 10th was “Wicked.”

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Norovirus Outbreaks Surge Nationwide, C.D.C. Says

Here’s what to know about symptoms and treatment, as well as how to reduce your risk of infection.

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