Good morning. We’re covering Trump’s apparent pause on Iran and China’s hacking of Russia.
Plus, “Jaws” is a model movie.
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| Tel Aviv this week. Menahem Kahana/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images |
Trump appeared to put off U.S. action on Iran
An Iranian missile hit a large hospital in southern Israel yesterday, injuring several patients. Later, President Trump said that he would decide “within the next two weeks” whether to join Israel’s bombing campaign against Iran. Here’s the latest.
“Based on the fact that there’s a substantial chance of negotiations that may or may not take place with Iran in the near future, I will make my decision whether or not to go within the next two weeks,” Trump said in a statement delivered by the White House press secretary, Karoline Leavitt.
Leavitt said that any deal with Iran would have to include a ban on enriching uranium and developing a weapon. She added that Steve Witkoff, the president’s Middle East envoy, had been in touch with Iranian officials.
An Iranian missile barrage hit several locations in Israel, including the Soroka Medical Center in Beersheba. It was the first Israeli hospital to be hit directly since Israel began attacking Iran last week. Hospital officials said that much of the building had been recently evacuated.
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| Russian soldiers marching in the Victory Day parade. Maxim Shemetov/Reuters |
Chinese hackers are looking for Russia’s war secrets
Groups linked to the Chinese government have repeatedly hacked Russian companies and government agencies since a few months after the invasion of Ukraine began. China most likely sees the war as a chance to collect military secrets and use Russia’s battlefield experience to prepare for its own potential future conflicts, like a fight over Taiwan, cyberanalysts said.
It is unclear how successful the hacking attempts have been, in part because Russian officials have never publicly acknowledged them. But experts said the hacking shows that China sees Russia as a vulnerable target, even though the nations profess to have a close partnership and have promised for years not to hack each other’s networks.
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| A Pakistani soldier at the border with Afghanistan. Akhter Gulfam/EPA, via Shutterstock |
Pakistan’s covert drone program
Pakistan is quietly using drones to monitor and strike at rising Islamist militancy and a deadly separatist insurgency inside its borders, especially in remote regions near Afghanistan.
Pakistan hasn’t acknowledged the use of any drones, which are a politically sensitive issue. The U.S. government’s drone strikes in Pakistan against groups like Al Qaeda also killed a significant number of civilians. Pakistan heavily criticized the tactic it has now adopted, and, as with the U.S. strikes, civilian deaths have repeatedly been reported during Pakistan’s campaign.
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| Oaxaca, Mexico, yesterday. Carlo Echegoyen/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images |
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| Hannah Mckay/Reuters |
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| Pete Gamlen |
Inflammation gets a bad rap, but when it occurs normally it’s actually positive. It helps broken bones heal and sounds the alarm when we are infected with a virus.
It’s only when inflammation sticks around too long, or appears when there’s no threat, that it can become harmful. Learn more with this illustrated guide.
Lives lived: Edward Anders, who unraveled the solar system’s mysteries and later uncovered the identities of thousands of Jews killed in the Holocaust, died at 98.
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| Romane Iskaria for The New York Times |
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| Peacock/Universal Pictures, via Associated Press |
‘Jaws’ was a blueprint for blockbusters
Steven Spielberg’s film about a giant, murderous shark was released 50 years ago, and created a playbook that filmmakers have followed closely ever since.
The plot is so familiar that you’ll probably recognize it, even if you’ve never seen the film. It goes a little something like this: A creature stalks a remote location and attacks the first victim. Next, a reluctant hero challenges a local authority and enlists experts to help. Finally, a sacrifice and a confrontation lead to the creature’s death.
Take a look at how other movies have filled in those blanks.
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| Linda Xiao for The New York Times |
Bake: This strawberry lemonade cake is topped with fluffy pink buttercream.
Plant: Here are some ways to make your garden more ecologically sound.
Plan:
