An aerial view of homes destroyed by the Eaton fire in Altadena, Calif., Jan. 26, 2025. The deadly blaze that devastated the community of Altadena in Los Angeles County early last year was ignited by a transmission tower belonging to the utility company Southern California Edison, fire officials said in a report released on Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2026. (Erin Schaff/The New York Times) By LIVIA ALBECK-RIPKA, IVAN PENN and SHAWN HUBLER The deadly blaze that devastated the Altadena ne

Lake Mead, the largest reservoir in the country, is formed on the Colorado River at the Hoover Dam on Aug. 25, 2021. The reservoir’s water level has significantly dropped, along with the river. (Matthew Reamer/The New York Times) By REIS THEBAULT Lake Mead, the nation’s largest reservoir and a vital source of water for more than 25 million people across the Southwest, has dwindled to its lowest levels ever as the region struggles through a punishing drought. The record, first

Todd Blanche, the acting attorney general, at his confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, on Wednesday, July 15, 2026. A bitterly divided Senate confirmed Donald Trump’s former defense lawyer to the post of attorney general in a 50-49 vote in the early hours of Saturday, Aug. 8. (Kenny Holston/The New York Times) By MICHAEL GOLD, GLENN THRUSH and CARL HULSE A bitterly divided Senate narrowly confirmed Todd Blanche as attorney general on Saturday, elevating Preside

Demonstrators protest outside the U.S. Supreme Court after the court issued a 6-3 ruling that significantly impacts the future of Temporary Protected Status, a U.S. immigration program established by Congress in 1990, in Washington, June 25, 2026. The Trump administration is facing pressure on the right to ramp up arrests of about 350,000 Haitians who recently lost their legal status after the Supreme Court cleared the way for termination of a humanitarian program allowing th

The water treatment plant in Social Circle, Ga., Feb. 26, 2026. Federal and state officials are racing to address an assault on the nation’s water supply that they believe is the work of Iranian hackers. (Nicole Craine/The New York Times) By DUSTIN VOLZ In 2023, the Environmental Protection Agency under the Biden administration proposed creating stronger cybersecurity guidelines to better safeguard the nation’s water supply from hackers. The steps were modest, but necessary,

The Senate Homeland Security Committee during a business meeting in Washington on Thursday, Aug. 6, 2026. The committee on Thursday approved a resolution holding Dr. Anthony Fauci in contempt of Congress for his refusal last week to answer questions from the panel. (Alex Kent/The New York Times) By KATE KELLY The Senate Homeland Security Committee voted along party lines Thursday to hold Dr. Anthony Fauci in contempt of Congress for his refusal to answer questions at a hearin

Paul Child at his home on the outskirts of Spokane, Wash., on Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2026. Child noticed a man lurking in the grass and called 911 after seeing smoke. The man was accused of starting one of three wildfires in the area and charged with arson. (Loren Elliott/The New York Times) By POOJA SALHOTRA and ANNA GRIFFIN Paul Child and his grandson were about half a mile from their home outside Spokane, Washington, when they spotted a man standing over a stretch of tall grass

By KATIE GLUECK, KELLEN BROWNING and SHANE GOLDMACHER Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, a progressive and a vocal critic of Israel, edged Rep. Haley Stevens, a moderate, early Wednesday to win the Michigan Senate Democratic primary, according to The Associated Press. It was a high-profile victory for the ascendant political left, though the rancorous race was ultimately far closer than polls had suggested, with El-Sayed leading by less than a percentage point Wednesday morning. He will fac

Portraits of President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance inside the employee entrance of the Environmental Protection Agency in Washington, Nov. 13, 2025. An appeals court on Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2026, handed a victory to a group of federal grant recipients that the Trump administration has prevented from spending billions of dollars in climate funding for over a year. (Eric Lee/The New York Times) By CLAIRE BROWN An appeals court earlier this week handed a victory to a gr

A free camp for children of parents and caregivers impacted by nearby wildfires operates at Shadle Park High School in Spokane, Wash., on Monday, Aug. 3, 2026. In what authorities have described as the largest natural disaster in the history of Spokane County, Wash., wildfires have destroyed hundreds of structures and forced the evacuation of some 60,000 people. (Loren Elliott/The New York Times) By ANNA GRIFFIN Firefighters and officials earlier this week struggled to descri