NYTIMES (Gia Kourlas) - Alysa Liu on Dancing Her Way to Olympic Gold: ‘The Music Carries My Body’
The free-spirited figure skater spoke to our dance critic about her approach to performing, the role of music and more.
NYTIMES (Kenneth P. Vogel) - Pardon Industry Offers Rich Offenders a Path to Trump
One inmate paid lobbyists and lawyers with ties to the president’s team and walked free. Others are following his blueprint, but it is not always clear who can deliver.
NYTIMES (Pooja Salhotra and Ernesto Londoño) - Minnesota Governor Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Welcome Kristi Noem’s Firing
Mayor Jacob Frey of Minneapolis said “Good riddance” after Ms. Noem’s ouster. Gov. Tim Walz and others said they still wanted a “complete overhaul” of the department.
NYTIMES (Michael C. Bender, Michael Gold, Hamed Aleaziz and Maggie Haberman) - Trump Announces He Is Replacing Noem With Oklahoma Senator
The president said he would replace Kristi Noem, the homeland security secretary, with Senator Markwayne Mullin, after Ms. Noem was grilled by Republicans at a congressional hearing.
NYTIMES (Zolan Kanno-Youngs and Hamed Aleaziz) - Timeline: The Rise and Fall of Kristi Noem as Trump’s DHS Secretary
The homeland security secretary, who was fired by President Trump Thursday, helped fulfill his border pledges, but also drew negative attention to his administration.
NYTIMES (Tracy Mumford, Will Jarvis, Margaret Kadifa, Ian Stewart, Christina Goldbaum, Hamed Aleaziz and Katie Benner) - Kristi Noem’s Firing, and the Boom of American Billionaires
Plus, your Friday news quiz.
NYTIMES (Paul Sonne) - As Trump Out-Putins Putin, Russia’s Global Influence Erodes
The conflict in Iran may give Moscow a short-term boost economically and in Ukraine. But it has also shown the limits of Russia’s partnerships.
NYTIMES (Christina Goldbaum) - Lebanon at ‘Tipping Point’ as It Seeks to Disarm Hezbollah
The country is waiting to see if the government seizes on this moment to disarm the Iranian-backed armed group and how the militants will respond.
NYTIMES (Lydia DePillis) - Health Care Has Become the Lifeblood of the Labor Market
An aging population is drawing workers to medical and social care, creating reliable jobs and revealing weakness for the rest of the economy.
NYTIMES (Ben Casselman) - Big Revisions Are a Reason to Question the Jobs Numbers, Not to Dismiss Them
Economists say estimates from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and other agencies are reliable, but they worry the quality of data is eroding.