Today's Headlines: Surprise Battlefield Encounter Led to Hamas Leader’s Death, Israelis Say

Trump's Meandering Speeches Motivate His Critics and Worry His Allies

View in browser October 18, 2024, 4:10 a.m. Eastern time Top News Surprise Battlefield Encounter Led to Hamas Leader's Death Although Yahya Sinwar was a major target of Israel's military campaign in Gaza, the soldiers who killed the militant chief had not expected to run across him, Israeli officials said. Trump's Meandering Speeches Motivate His Critics and Worry His Allies Some advisers and allies of former President Donald J. Trump are concerned about his scattershot style on the campaign trail as he continues to veer off script. U.S. Charges Indian Official in New York Assassination Plot The United States and Canada have worked together to investigate what they say is the Indian government's campaign against Sikh separatists. Editors' Picks Is Hugh Grant's Most Convincing Character 'Hugh Grant'? The seemingly droll, breezy star is actually sentimental about his family and utterly serious about his work, including his villainous turn in "Heretic." Opinion | This Is What It Takes to Get an Abortion in America In text messages, videos, voice memos and pictures, we hear from the people at the frontlines of abortion access about how their worlds have changed. World Sinwar Is Dead. Will the Fighting Stop? The killing of Hamas's leader may allow Israel to claim victory and agree to a cease-fire, and new Hamas leadership could be more open to compromise. But neither side is likely to immediately change course. Alone in the Dark: The Nightmare of Bangladesh's Secret Underground Prison In the House of Mirrors, political captives were pushed to the brink of insanity and death. Some are telling their stories now that the woman who put them there, Sheikh Hasina, is gone. Moscow Roils a Country on the Edge of Europe and Russia Russia is behind a disinformation campaign in Moldova ahead of a presidential election and a referendum making E.U. membership a "strategic objective," Moldovan officials and global media companies say. See more world news U.S. Review Panel Calls for Overhaul of Secret Service Leadership The findings of a review of the attempted assassination of Donald J. Trump in July are stark but familiar, underscoring the challenge of overhauling the agency. Father and Son Indicted on Murder Charges for Georgia School Shooting A grand jury handed up charges against a 14-year-old who is accused of killing four people at his high school. His father is accused of giving him access to the murder weapon. Texas Supreme Court Halts Execution in Shaken Baby Case Robert Roberson had been set to be executed on Thursday night for the death of his 2-year-old child. But after a bipartisan intervention by Texas lawmakers, the Supreme Court issued a stay. See more U.S. news Politics Harris and Democrats Lose Their Reluctance to Call Trump a Fascist Since Gen. Mark Milley was quoted as saying Donald Trump is "fascist to the core," a term avoided by top members of the Democratic Party is suddenly everywhere. How Accurate, or Off-Target, Could the Polls Be This Year? Pre-election polls will never perfectly match election results. But an examination of three decades of polling helps put recent misses into context. Meet the Candidate: Elon Musk The billionaire is spending a fortune to support former President Donald J. Trump. But at a town hall event in Pennsylvania, he looked an awful lot like a politician himself. See more political news Business Microsoft and OpenAI's Close Partnership Shows Signs of Fraying The "best bromance in tech" has had a reality check as OpenAI has tried to change its deal with Microsoft and the software maker has tried to hedge its bet on the start-up. Electric Vehicles May Be Struggling. G.M.'s Leader Is Still a Believer. Mary Barra, G.M.'s chief executive, said that the company had fixed battery-manufacturing problems and that its electric vehicles would soon be profitable. Shoppers Spend More Freely Than Expected, Sign of Solid U.S. Economy A new report showing a rise in retail sales in September indicates that consumer spending, a key engine of economic growth, remains robust. See more business news Arts One Direction Members Honor Liam Payne With Emotional Tributes After hearing the news of Payne's fatal fall from a hotel balcony, his groupmates, fans and collaborators shared their shock and grief. Prosecutors Argue Sean Combs Can't 'Pay His Way Out of Detention' In a new filing, the government said the music mogul, who has proposed a sizable bail package as part of his bid to be released, should remain incarcerated. Art Show of the Season? It's These Centuries-Old Italian Paintings The glowing works from Siena, now at the Met, are revelatory for their emotional intensity and 24-karat beauty. See more arts news Movies 'Anora' Review: Her Glass Slipper Is a Swarovski Stiletto Mikey Madison gives a career-making performance in a Palme d'Or-winning film about the romance between a sex worker and a rich scion. 'Smile 2' Review: A Bigger and Bloodier Spotlight In this sequel, the pop sensation Skye Riley (Naomi Scott) is preparing to begin her comeback tour a year after a brutal car accident. 'Union' Review: A Labor Fight to the Finish at Amazon As this documentary by Brett Story and Stephen Maing chronicles, the efforts to unionize a warehouse in New York were successful — but also a grind. See more movies news New York Can a $350 Million Plan Transform 5th Avenue Into a Grand Boulevard? New York City officials and business leaders plan to expand sidewalks, add seating areas and trees and remove two car lanes to make the renowned avenue more pedestrian friendly. Could Second-Home Owners Swing New York's Swing Districts? A group is pushing thousands of New Yorkers to vote from weekend homes in swing districts. Its pitch: "Your second home could determine the next speaker." Scaring Halloween Trick-or-Treaters Is Free. But This Pumpkin? $13.50. Americans spend billions on Halloween annually. But with every modestly priced pumpkin come behind-the-scenes costs that add up for the farms producing them, like seeds, fertilizer, irrigation and labor. See more New York news Media & Advertising Inside the Secretive $700 Million Ad-Testing Factory for Kamala Harris Future Forward has ascended to the top of the Democratic political universe, but it has also drawn suspicion and second-guessing. Amazon Enters News With Live Election Coverage From Brian Williams The tech giant has been increasing live programming on its streaming service, but this will be its first test with news. Netflix Adds 5 Million Subscriptions in Quarter The additions helped lift revenue to $9.8 billion during the period, a 15 percent increase from the same period last year. See more media & advertising news Food The Great Pumpkin Dumplings No fussy rolling or dough cutting required: Just scrape the soft batter into boiling, salted water with a spoon for perfect, pillowy free-form dumplings. It's Fall. Do You Know Where Your Squash Is? Put that kabocha, spaghetti, butternut and honey nut to good use in hearty salads, cozy pastas and a very photogenic galette. See more food news Science These Tiny Worms Account for at Least 4 Nobel Prizes A staple in laboratories worldwide, C. elegans is "an experimental dream," said one scientist. Sperm Can't Unlock an Egg Without This Ancient Molecular Key Using Google's AlphaFold, researchers identified the bundle of three sperm proteins that seem to make sexual reproduction possible. Parachutes Made of Mucus Change How Some Scientists See the Ocean With a new kind of microscope, researchers got a different view of how marine snow falls to the seafloor. See more science news Well In a Bid to Feed More Families, WIC Diversifies Its Menu The program, which provides free groceries to millions of women and children nationwide, now covers naan, soy milk, teff and more. It's Time to Upgrade Your Grains These five lesser-known options are nutritional powerhouses — and delicious, too. This Ring on Your Finger Tracks Your Sleep. Is It Worth the Splurge? The $350 Oura Ring 4 looks sleek and cool, and it may be useful for data-hungry health enthusiasts. But it failed this sleep-deprived parent. See more on Well Travel 6 Vacations That Could Help You Live Longer and Healthier All-inclusive retreats around the world aim to cultivate wellness and longevity though high-tech tests, "biohacking" treatments, meditation, breath work and more. 36 Hours in Hanoi, Vietnam Get swept up in the boundless energy of the 1,000-year-old Vietnamese capital. A Psychic and a Skeptic Walk Into a Vortex On a trip to Sedona, Ariz., a writer tries to understand her mystically inclined mother's beliefs with the help of crystals, meditation and visits to the area's supposed celestial portals. See more travel news Real Estate Heading North to Find a Hudson Valley Home for $500,000. But Which One? Wishing to be closer to their children and grandchildren, a couple left Philadelphia to check out townhouse communities in Dutchess County. Here's what they found. A Supertall on Fifth Avenue, Eager to Be a Good Neighbor The building, to be known as 520 Fifth Avenue, is adorned with setbacks and arches, nods to classic New York City architecture. Homes for Sale in New York and New Jersey This week's properties are a four-bedroom contemporary house in Pound Ridge, N.Y., and a three-bedroom cabin in Medford Lakes, N.J. See more real estate news Fashion & Style Going From Royal Gowns to Uniqlo Clare Waight Keller, who designed Meghan Markle's wedding dress, finds a different kind of luxury at a mass market brand. The Hot New Thing In Vintage Kathleen Sorbara founded the beloved vintage boutique Chickee's, and she's got a fresh idea for her devoted customer base. The Clothing Store Luring Women to Scranton The British brand Boden offers sample-sale prices at an outlet on Biden Street in the industrial Pennsylvania city. See more fashion news T Magazine The Greats T celebrates four talents across music, art and fashion who, through patience and perseverance, have transformed the culture. See more on T Magazine Obituaries Yahya Sinwar, Leader of Hamas, Is Dead Mr. Sinwar climbed the ranks of the Palestinian militant group to plot the deadliest attack on Israel in its history. Arie Kopelman, a Driving Force in Expanding Chanel Inc., Dies at 86 Arriving at the storied luxury house two years after Karl Lagerfeld, he helped guide a boom in both products and revenues as the company's president. Mitzi Gaynor, Leading Lady of Movie Musicals, Is Dead at 93 She was best known for starring in the 1958 screen version of "South Pacific." But her Hollywood career was brief, and she soon shifted her focus to Las Vegas and TV. See more Obituaries Opinion Thomas L. Friedman How the Biden Team Plans to Build Peace From Sinwar's Death Will Israel take steps toward a Palestinian state? Paul Krugman How Trump's Radical Tariff Plan Could Wreck Our Economy There's no upside to the former president's pet economic plan. David Brooks Why the Heck Isn't She Running Away With This? After huge shifts in the electorate, it's baffling that the two parties are still almost exactly evenly matched. Guest Essay With Sinwar Dead, We Must End the War in Gaza Another opening for the U.S. to push for a cease-fire. Guest Essay It's Always Virus Season Now The concept of flu season is too narrow. Guest Essay In Lebanon, We Took Pride in Our Resilience. Not Anymore. The Lebanese have held strong through many tragedies. But they are now at the end of their rope. See more Opinion Need help? Review our newsletter help page or contact us for assistance. You received this email because you signed up for Today's Headlines from The New York Times. To stop receiving Today's Headlines, unsubscribe. 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