NYTIMES - ‘What Do I Do? Do I Tell Her? How Do I Fix This?’
Some notable friends of Metropolitan Diary share their New York stories in the first of a special, limited series of columns marking the feature’s 50th anniversary.
NYTIMES (Alex Vadukul) - For Half a Century, Capturing New York’s Human Moments
Lovers’ quarrels on sidewalks, acts of kindness on public transportation, friendships forged under awnings in the rain, and so much more of the city’s daily poetry.
NYTIMES (Anna Griffin) - Protect Every Animal From Cruelty? Not in 2026, Oregon Democrats Say
A possible referendum in Oregon on animal rights would end fishing, hunting, even pest control, just when Democrats are trying really hard not to be seen as “weirdos again.”
NYTIMES (Tim Balk and Bayliss Wagner) - How Trump’s Fragile Agreement With Iran Is Shaping the Midterms
Democrats say the president started an economically painful war that resulted in nothing positive. Republicans are more divided, even as they show some signs of relief at falling gas prices.
NYTIMES (Nicholas Fandos and Sally Goldenberg) - Mamdani Burns Allies in Making a Big Bet for Congress and the Left
The strength of the mayor’s political brand will be tested on Tuesday, when his slate of leftist congressional candidates takes aim at Democratic incumbents.
NYTIMES (Jan Hoffman) - Cities and Schools Are Testing Wastewater for Illicit Drugs
The White House recently endorsed monitoring sewage for evidence of drug use. Critics fear such efforts could violate privacy and stigmatize neighborhoods.
NYTIMES (Reis Thebault and Paul Ratje) - A Diocese Tries to Protect Its 29-Foot Jesus From Trump’s Border Wall
In a battle of symbols, the Catholics of Las Cruces, N.M., argue that religious freedom should stop the wall from scarring a mountain that has attracted pilgrims for nearly a century.
NYTIMES (Kenneth P. Vogel, Nicole Hong and William K. Rashbaum) - Trump Administration Shuttered a Criminal Probe Into Fraudster’s Clemency
Federal prosecutors had been examining the circumstances behind the commutation of David Gentile’s sentence. He was aided by a Catholic priest friendly with the president.
NYTIMES (Keith Bradsher) - While the World Scrambles for Oil, China Sits on Full Tanks
The possible reopening of the Strait of Hormuz may not prompt China to return quickly to prewar levels of oil purchases from the Persian Gulf.
NYTIMES (Neil MacFarquhar) - Neither the War Nor Trump’s Deal Terminated the Main Threats in Iran, Analysts Say
Neither the war nor the agreement terminated the main threats emanating from Iran, many analysts said.