Today's Headlines: Trump, Iran and the Specter of Iraq: ‘We Bought All the Happy Talk’
Social Security’s Finances Erode Further and Could Spell Benefit Cuts
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The New York Times
Today's Headlines

June 19, 2025, 4:10 a.m. Eastern time

Top News

Trump, Iran and the Specter of Iraq: ‘We Bought All the Happy Talk’

President Trump is pondering swift military action in Iran. There were similar expectations that the war in Iraq would be quick and triumphant.

Social Security’s Finances Erode Further, Risking Benefit Cuts

The nation’s key program for retiree benefits continues to see financing shortfalls. Unless Congress acts, those drops could lead to payment cuts in eight years.

Supreme Court Upholds Tennessee Ban on Transgender Care for Minors

The justices ruled that the state’s law, which prohibited some medical treatments for transgender youths, did not violate equal protection principles.

Editors’ Picks

Katie Miller’s Washington Rise Takes a Musk Detour

She is one half of a Trump-world power couple. But she’s on Team Elon. It’s gotten complicated.

Opinion | America Must Not Rush Into a War Against Iran

The decision to declare war rests with Congress alone.

World

Austria Moves to Tighten Gun Laws After Deadly School Shooting

The government announced proposals to make it harder to buy a firearm after a gunman killed nine students and a teacher.

Iran Rejects Trump’s Call for ‘Surrender’ in War With Israel

President Trump did not rule out U.S. military intervention on behalf of Israel, saying, “Nobody knows what I’m going to do.”

In Attacking Iran, Israel Further Alienates Would-Be Arab Allies

Wealthy Gulf countries are alarmed and anxious about Israel and Iran’s new war.

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U.S.

Karen Read Found Not Guilty of Murder in Boyfriend’s Death Outside Boston

A jury cleared Ms. Read of charges related to the 2022 death of John O’Keefe, a Boston police officer, and convicted her only of drunken driving, in a trial that attracted wide attention.

An Unlikely Prosecutor Is Now the Law in Texas Oil Country

Sarah Stogner had never tried a criminal case before getting elected D.A. in an oil-rich area half the size of New Jersey. So far, it’s been a struggle.

In ‘Tehrangeles,’ Iranian Americans Anxiously Watch War Unfold From Afar

The Los Angeles area is home to the biggest diaspora of Iranians. The growing war between Iran and Israel has rattled this tight-knit community.

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Politics

Trump’s Base in Uproar Over His Openness to Joining Iran Fight

The president’s supporters are warring over two dueling campaign promises: to steer clear of foreign wars and to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon.

Images of Handcuffed Democrats Start to Pile Up in Trump’s Crackdown

Federal agents have arrested a growing number of the party’s elected officials, fueling liberal outrage and conservative accusations that Democrats are carrying out publicity stunts.

Sotomayor Writes the Court ‘Abandons’ Transgender Children to ‘Political Whims’

Justice Sotomayor also read her dissent from the bench, a move typically reserved to emphasize a justice’s extreme displeasure with a decision.

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Business

Fed Holds Rates Steady Amid Vast Economic Uncertainty

Officials at the Federal Reserve left interest rates unchanged, as they brace for the effects of President Trump’s policies on trade, taxes and immigration.

Nippon Steel Completes Its Acquisition of U.S. Steel

The deal gives the White House extraordinary control over U.S. Steel as part of a pact to alleviate national security concerns.

Boeing Keeps Low Profile at Paris Air Show as Airbus Announces Deals

The show is happening at a delicate time for Boeing, which is coming off its best month for sales in a year and a half and a deadly plane crash in India involving one of its aircraft.

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Technology

How Chinese Carmakers Doubled Their Share of the European Market

BYD and other companies doubled their share of the car market after the European Union imposed higher tariffs on electric vehicles from China.

Netflix Dips Its Toe Into Old-Fashioned TV

The streaming giant announced a deal on Wednesday to show live and on-demand programming from one of France’s television networks, TF1.

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Arts

Studio Ghibli’s Majestic Sensibility Is Drawing Imitators

Forty years after the Japanese animation studio was founded, game creators are embracing its legacy of moral integrity.

Bruce Springsteen Reveals His Paths Not Taken

An album “is a record of who you are and where you were at that moment in your life,” he said. With “Tracks II,” he adds seven full ones to his catalog.

Lawsuit Accuses Tyler Perry of Sexual Assault

Derek Dixon, an actor who worked with Mr. Perry, is suing him for $260 million for sexual harassment, assault and battery. A lawyer for Mr. Perry called the allegations a “scam.”

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New York

How Dr. Phil and a Top Adams Aide Helped Ease ICE’s Path Into New York

Kaz Daughtry, a freewheeling deputy mayor, has emerged as a crucial ally for the Trump administration and its border czar. So has Dr. Phil.