Long Overlooked, Caspian Sea Provides Strategic Trade Route for Iran

The landlocked body of water has taken on new significance, with Russia shipping military and commercial goods to bolster Tehran’s ability to withstand the U.S. assault.A woman walks along the southern coast of the Caspian Sea in the port city of Bandar Anzali, Iran. The Caspian has emerged as a key

N Nicholas Kulish, Neil MacFarquhar and Julian E. Barnes

Deadly Israeli Strikes Erode Cease-Fire in Lebanon

Fighting between Israel and Hezbollah has shown little sign of abating, with Hezbollah also continuing to attack Israeli troops, and both sides accusing the other of violating a U.S.-brokered truce.Rescue workers searching for survivors under the rubble of houses damaged by an Israeli airstrike Satu

E Euan Ward and Abdi Latif Dahir

How Republicans Gained an Edge on the Midterm House Map Over 10 Days

Republicans are charging ahead in the nation’s redistricting race, and showing new bullishness after months of growing midterm fears.Democrats are still widely favored to win control of the House in the November midterm elections, but Republicans have gained a new structural edge through their redis

S Shane Goldmacher and Tim Balk

Two Court Decisions Have Unleashed an Era of Perpetual Redistricting

Four states are considering drawing new maps in the coming weeks. Another dozen or more could join the fray next year.The state capitol buildings of, from left, Louisiana, South Carolina, Alabama and Mississippi. All four states are seeking to redraw maps.

R Reid J. Epstein and Nick Corasaniti

How Minority Districts Fueled the G.O.P.’s Southern Ascendancy in Congress

The “majority-minority” House districts struck down by the Supreme Court last week sent a surge of Black and Hispanic lawmakers to Congress. They also opened opportunities for the G.O.P.The new congressional map of Tennessee is displayed during a House committee meeting in Nashville, Tennessee.

C Carl Hulse

How China’s Leader Lost Faith in His Generals

Xi Jinping spent 13 years building a military to rival that of the United States. But the stronger the Chinese forces grew, the less he trusted the generals he had handpicked to run them.China’s leader, Xi Jinping, during a military parade in Tiananmen Square in 2025 in Beijing.

C Chris Buckley

How China May Have Sought to Recruit a House Aide to Spy on the U.S.

A staff member on the House China Committee was promised $10,000 for U.S. policy insights, on issues like Venezuela and rare-earth minerals.The outreach appears to provide a vivid portrait of how Beijing’s spy services seek to gain access to information from within the corridors of power in Washingt

D Dustin Volz

China’s Exports and Imports Set Records in April Amid High Energy Costs

The country’s exports surged and its trade surplus with the United States widened ahead of President Trump’s scheduled visit next week to Beijing.At the Beijing auto show in April, which featured hundreds of electric cars. Chinese electric vehicles are being exported in record numbers.

K Keith Bradsher

How ‘The View’ Landed at the Center of a Free Speech Battle

The Trump administration’s focus on the show is testament to the enduring influence of an old-fashioned broadcast TV program started 29 years ago.The hosts of ABC’s “The View,” from left, Whoopi Goldberg, Sara Haines, Joy Behar, Ana Navarro, Sunny Hostin and Alyssa Farah Griffin.

J John Koblin and Jim Rutenberg

My Ted Talk

Captain Courageous cut a cool swath, in contrast to today’s creepy oligarchs.

M Maureen Dowd

Early Adopter

Why does it feel worse to be early than to rush and stress and arrive a little late?

M Melissa Kirsch

Britain’s Electorate Is ‘Splintering.’ Can Its System Stand the Strain?

Insurgent parties like Reform U.K. surged at the polls this week. But the British electoral system wasn’t built for multiparty democracy.“The electorate are fed up with the fact that their lives aren’t changing quickly enough,” Prime Minister Keir Starmer of Britain said on Friday, after his Labour

M Michael D. Shear