Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), aided by two staff members, makes his way to a Senate Republican luncheon on Capitol Hill in Washington, May 12, 2026. McConnell, who has been hospitalized for six weeks, said on Monday, July 27, that he would not be returning to the Senate this week as lawmakers work toward their August recess. (Haiyun Jiang/The New York Times) By CARL HULSE Sen. Mitch McConnell, the former Republican leader from Kentucky, who has been hospitalized for six weeks

An undated photo provided by AirSea Heritage Foundation and Deep Sea Vision shows the nose section of the Clipper Endeavor with the visible PAA logo in the Atlantic Ocean. The wreckage has been located off the coast of Puerto Rico. (AirSea Heritage Foundation and Deep Sea Vision via The New York Times) By NEIL VIGDOR The flight lasted less than nine minutes, the right two engines losing power in quick succession as the Douglas DC-4 made its initial climb from San Juan, Puerto

By YAN ZHUANG and ISHANI DESAI A chaotic shooting in Seattle’s downtown arts and entertainment venue left three people dead Sunday and four others wounded, including a toddler, authorities said, after at least two people sprayed gunfire during a food festival in the shadow of the Space Needle. Officers took one suspect into custody, Assistant Chief Tyrone Davis of the Seattle Police Department said at a news conference late Sunday, and they were searching for another that he

Firefighters from the Ventura County Fire Department battling the Park Fire near Lomo, Calif., in July 30, 2024. The 2024 fire in Northern California was one of the state’s largest wildfires ever. The man faces a prison sentence of 25 years to life. (Loren Elliott/The New York Times) By NICHOLAS BOGEL-BURROUGHS A 44-year-old man was convicted late last week of pushing his flaming car into a gully after it had gotten stuck, setting off one of California’s largest-ever wildfire

Signs calling on Senator Susan Collins to retire are handed out during the Democratic Convention to select a U.S. Senate nominee to replace Graham Platner in Bangor, Maine on July 25, 2026. (Sophie Park/The New York Times) By REID J. EPSTEIN and JESS BIDGOOD Democrats in Maine have reset a Senate race seen as critical to their party’s chances of retaking the chamber after an improvised scramble to swap out a damaged candidate, Graham Platner, for a new one, Troy Jackson, afte

By JONAH E. BROMWICH The federal judge presiding over the case of Nicolás Maduro last week set a June 2027 trial date for the captured Venezuelan leader, introducing some deadlines into a high-profile case that has proceeded slowly. The judge, Alvin Hellerstein, set the June 1 trial date after prosecutors and lawyers for Maduro said Tuesday evening that they had agreed to it, ahead of a Wednesday court appearance. Like all trial dates set far in advance, the schedule is tenta

The campus of Howard University in Washington on March 28, 2025. More than 500 incoming Howard University freshmen learned weeks before move-in that the school had canceled their enrollment. The school said that it dismissed the students whose accounts showed that they had not met enrollment and financial requirements by a deadline of July 10, 2026. (Maansi Srivastava/The New York Times) By MARK WALKER and EMMETT LINDNER More than 500 incoming Howard University freshmen learn

Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) speaks during a news conference at the Capitol in Washington, July 21, 2026. Republican leaders muscled through resistance in their own ranks to approve the budget blueprint, but its prospects were far dimmer in the Senate. (Alex Kent/The New York Times) By CATIE EDMONDSON House Republicans on Wednesday won narrow approval of their $95 billion budget plan to fund the war with Iran and impose new election restrictions President Donald

By JUDSON JONES and AMY GRAFF Fausto is a hurricane spinning in the open waters of the Eastern Pacific and may graze past Hawaii early this coming week. On Saturday, satellite imagery showed a classic pinwheel cloud pattern spinning toward Hawaii with a visible eye. Forecasters at the National Hurricane Center said that Fausto had gone through a process indicating that it was strengthening, though it was about to enter a less hospitable, drier environment, so they believe it

Rep. Tom Barrett (R-Mich.) speaks to reporters after the House passed an Iran war powers resolution on Capitol Hill in Washington, on Wednesday, June 3, 2026. The House on July 23 voted a second time to direct President Donald Trump to end the war in Iran or seek explicit authorization to continue it, with Barrett and three other Republicans joining Democrats in the 214-208 vote. (Haiyun Jiang/The New York Times) By ROBERT JIMISON The House on Thursday voted a second time to