Today's Headlines: Trump Claims the Power to Summarily Kill Suspected Drug Smugglers
A Defiant Kennedy Defends Vaccine Changes and C.D.C. Shake-Up
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The New York Times
Today's Headlines

September 5, 2025, 4:10 a.m. Eastern time

Top News

Trump Claims the Power to Summarily Kill Suspected Drug Smugglers

The move to treat criminals as if they were wartime combatants escalated an administration pattern of using military force for law enforcement tasks at home and abroad.

A Defiant Kennedy Defends Vaccine Changes and C.D.C. Shake-Up

A three-hour hearing before the Senate Finance Committee revealed that the health secretary was on uncertain ground even with some Republicans who voted to confirm him.

Giorgio Armani, Fashion’s Master of the Power Suit, Dies at 91

He created a male uniform whose feminized form won favor with women. An alliance with movie stars made his name all but synonymous with red-carpet dressing.

Editors’ Picks

Is That Bob Dylan in the Mirror?

In his autobiographical novel, Sam Sussman grows up wondering if his affinity for the great singer-songwriter goes beyond a striking resemblance.

Opinion | Epstein Won’t Break Trump’s Coalition, but the Fissures Are Starting to Show

Epstein’s victims won’t let Trump push their story aside.

World

Rubio Says U.S. Will Work With Other Nations to ‘Blow Up’ Crime Groups

The Trump administration aims to carry out more violent strikes against drug cartels, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said as he met with Ecuador’s president.

After Afghan Quake, Many Male Rescuers Helped Men but Not Women

A prohibition on contact between unrelated women and men meant many women’s wounds went untended and some were left trapped under rubble after a deadly earthquake, witnesses said.

Witnesses Recount Fatal Plummet of Lisbon Funicular, as Officials Seek Cause

The crash, at a popular tourist site, killed at least 16 people. The authorities were working to identify the victims, who included an American citizen.

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U.S.

Harvard Won Its Money Back, but Will It Actually Get It?

A judge ruled that the Trump administration broke the law in canceling billions in federal funds for Harvard. Whether the money is returned matters for the rest of higher education.

D.C. Sues Trump Administration Over Deployment of National Guard

The city is challenging the federal government’s authority to send troops into the city for what the president has called a “public safety emergency.”

College Board Cancels Tool for Finding Low-Income High Achievers

After the Trump administration criticized the use of what it called “racial proxies,” the group behind the SAT shut down a way for universities to identify promising applicants from disadvantaged communities.

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Politics

Trump to Sign Order Renaming the Defense Department as the Department of War

The president is turning back the clock to the name the agency held until shortly after World War II.

On Epstein Files, Women Lead the G.O.P. Resistance to Trump

The Republican rift over whether to demand greater transparency in the case has once again highlighted a gender divide in the male-dominated party.

Justice Dept. Opens Criminal Inquiry Into Lisa Cook, Elevating Trump’s Claims

The move was instigated by Ed Martin, a Trump loyalist who has said it is legitimate for officials to publicly air criminal investigations into people targeted by the president.

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Business

John Deere, a U.S. Icon, Is Undermined by Tariffs and Struggling Farmers

The tractor maker said that sales were down and that higher metal tariffs would cost it $600 million, while American farmers face dwindling overseas demand for some crops.

Boeing Plans to Hire Replacements for Striking Workers

About 3,200 workers at three St. Louis-area plants where Boeing makes military hardware have been on strike since Aug. 4.

In Tariff Standoff With Trump, China Boycotts American Soybeans

U.S. farmers need to sell their incoming crop, and China needs to buy it in case its main alternative, Brazil, has a flood or drought. But their trade war prevents a deal.

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Arts

Meet the New ‘S.N.L.’ Cast Members

Please Don’t Destroy will stop making videos for the show as Ben Marshall joins the cast. Watch clips of him and the other new additions.

May the Bid Be With You: Darth Vader’s Lightsaber Heads to Auction

Other notable movie props to be sold at an auction in Los Angeles this week include Indiana Jones’s whip and Michael Keaton’s “Batman” suit.

Amy Sherald, Having Canceled Her Smithsonian Show, Will Take Paintings to Baltimore

The artist had canceled the show in July, citing concerns about censorship at the Smithsonian. Now, the exhibition will be restaged at the Baltimore Museum of Art.

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New York

Adams Considers Dropping Out of Race After Secret Meeting in Florida

Mayor Eric Adams of New York City has told confidants that he would consider abandoning his re-election bid. President Trump said he favored a “one on one” mayoral race.

Detainee Dies at Rikers, the Fifth Fatality in 2 Weeks in N.Y.C. Lockups

The authorities said the man had a seizure. The previous death, of a pedicab driver in police custody in Manhattan, has been ruled a suicide.