The Trump administration appeared to be making progress on Friday toward a deal that would give the United States valuable mineral rights in Ukraine. The movement came after a week in which President Trump, initially rebuffed on an agreement, turned up the pressure by assailing Ukraine and suggesting he would side with Russia in seeking…

Nathan J. Hochman, the recently elected district attorney of Los Angeles County, offered the strongest indication yet of his thinking on the case of Lyle and Erik Menendez, declaring at a news conference on Friday that the sexual abuse the brothers claim they suffered at the hands of their father “does not constitute self-defense.” Lawyers…

Mariano Rivera and Bernie Williams had to shave. So did Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez. But now Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton and the rest of the current Yankee roster can grow “well-groomed beards” if they so choose, after the club announced a change to its longstanding grooming policy. “After great consideration, we will be amending…

The Swedish authorities said on Friday that they were investigating a new cable break in the Baltic Sea, the latest example of damage to underwater infrastructure in the region. The Swedish Coast Guard said that it had been informed of the cable break on Thursday and was en route to the area, off the eastern…

Friedman: You know, what concerns me about Trump, Patrick, is that he’s got a real upside. The upside is that he is ready to shake up the game board. And the game board sometimes really does need to be shaken up. Why are we still talking about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict? Why are there still Palestinian…

Funds for vital health programs around the world remain frozen and their work has not been able to resume, despite a federal judge’s order that temporarily halted the Trump administration’s dismantling of the government’s main foreign aid agency. Interviews with people working on health initiatives in Africa and Asia found that parents in Kenya whose…

Luis Rubiales, the former head of Spain’s soccer federation, was convicted on Thursday of sexual assault for forcibly kissing a member of the women’s national team on the lips after the team won the 2023 Women’s World Cup. Mr. Rubiales’s kiss of the player, Jennifer Hermoso, set off a national scandal, deepened debates about longstanding…

Hamas said on Thursday it had handed over the bodies of four Israelis abducted during the Oct. 7, 2023 attack on southern Israel — including a woman and her two young children — in exchange for Palestinian prisoners. Large crowds had gathered near the southern Gazan city of Khan Younis to watch the choreographed handoff…

A senior Justice Department official suggested Wednesday that President Trump’s administration is justified in putting aside allegations of corruption against a public official if the official cooperates with the president’s political agenda. The Justice Department official, Emil Bove III, raised the idea during a hearing on Wednesday at which a judge asked him to explain…

Nikola, an electric vehicle start-up that had once hoped to become the Tesla of heavy trucks, filed for bankruptcy protection on Wednesday. Founded in 2015, Nikola promised to develop long-haul semi trucks powered by hydrogen and electricity, and listed itself on the stock exchange in 2020 before it had sold a single vehicle. Its share…