Afghan refugees arrivie at Dulles International Airport outside of Washington on Aug. 24, 2021. The Trump administration has also taken steps to end programs that extend temporary protections to Afghan citizens. (Kenny Holston/The New York Times) By Megan Mineiro and Adam Sella Back in 2021, as Kabul fell to the Taliban following the chaotic U.S. military withdrawal from Afghanistan, Republicans in Congress were among the loudest voices in Washington arguing that the United S

The old City Hall subway station in lower Mangattan on April 10, 2019. The station, which has been out of commission since 1945, is famous for its arches. (Hiroko Masuike/The New York Times) By JEFFERY C. MAYS As hundreds of thousands of people amass in Times Square for the annual New Year’s Eve ball drop, a much smaller gathering of historical importance will begin underground at a long-abandoned subway station. Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani will be sworn into office at the old

Then Vice President Dick Cheney walks off stage after delivering remarks at a Chamber of Commerce event in Washington, March 29, 2004. For decades, Dick Cheney, who died at 84, loomed over American life as the archetypical conservative power player: stern, unflashy, grimly effective. (Doug Mills/The New York Times) By WILLIAM McDONALD One after another they fell, towering names that needed no introduction. Pope Francis. Robert Redford. Diane Keaton. Dick Cheney. Brian Wilson.

A guard and prisoners at El Salvador’s Terrorism Confinement Center (CECOT), where the Trump administration sent about 300 Venezuelans in the U.S. that they accused of being gang members, in Tecoluca, El Salvador, March 11, 2025. New details of deliberations show how aides with overlapping agendas drove the U.S. toward a militarized confrontation with Venezuela. (Fred Ramos/The New York Times) By EDWARD WONG, TYLER PAGER, CHARLIE SAVAGE, JULIAN E. BARNES and MARIA ABI-HABIB O

Savino Del Bene warehouse, which moves fashion and luxury goods and was raided by immigration officials in October, in Avenel, N.J., on Dec. 22, 2025. Workers at facilities that stock shipped goods say customs officers who inspect merchandise are helping immigration agents arrest migrants. (Juan Arredondo/The New York Times) By ANA LEY At a warehouse in Avenel, New Jersey, workers assigned to stock Versace dresses, Swarovski crystals and Louis Vuitton sneakers had settled int

April Flakne, a philosophy professor at New College in Sarasota, Fla., on Dec. 6, 2025. Gov. Ron DeSantis and his allies vowed to turn New College, the tiny public university in Sarasota, into a bastion of conservatism. (Michael Adno/The New York Times) By ANEMONA HARTOCOLLIS April Flakne strides into the classroom to teach a course on “The Odyssey,” a new requirement at New College of Florida. She has taught philosophy at the small state college for 25 years, but this class

Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) in her office at the Longworth House Office Building in Washington, Dec. 18, 2025. “We feel bad, actually, for the president,” Omar said of herself and other members of the Somali-American community. “We also know we’re not garbage. We have not been broken by the life experiences that we’ve gone through. Words are not really that hurtful when you’ve survived war.” (Eric Lee/The New York Times) By ANNIE KARNI When Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., became an A

The community gathered at the Taino Towers Crystal Room for the annual “Coquito Masters” competition in New York, Dec. 20, 2025. The Puerto Rican rum and coconut drink used to be passed down within families, but now it has become a holiday party staple beyond the community. (Natalie Keyssar/The New York Times) By TAYLOR ROBINSON Milly Rodríguez’s recipe came from her grandmother, who she said patented it in Puerto Rico in the 1940s. Minerva Minaya is known for a blend she has