Saturday, February 28, 2026

Today's Paper

Mapping the U.S.-Led Attacks on Iran

Maps show where U.S. and Israel have struck Iran, and where Iran has retaliated.

By Lazaro Gamio, Samuel Granados, Josh Holder, Blacki Migliozzi, Pablo Robles, Helmuth Rosales, Elena Shao and Daniel Wood

image: Satellite imagery shows a black plume of smoke and extensive damage at the secure compound of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s supreme leader, in Tehran.

Israel Targeted Top Iranian Leaders in Attack’s Opening Strikes

At least one gathering of senior officials and military leaders was hit, but it was not immediately clear whether the effort to kill them had succeeded.

By Abdi Latif Dahir and Aaron Boxerman

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What to Know About the U.S. Attacks on Iran

The United States and Israel launched a major assault, as President Trump called on Iranians to overthrow the government.

By Lynsey Chutel

image: Plumes of smoke rose after a reported explosion in Tehran on Saturday.

Elite Doctors Served Jeffrey Epstein While Treating His ‘Girls’

A small stable of doctors gave V.I.P. medical services to the sex offender and the women around him. Some doctors bent or broke the ethical rules of their profession.

By David A. Fahrenthold, Azeen Ghorayshi and Maggie Astor

image: An exam room at Priority Private Care on the Upper East Side of Manhattan in 2018.

QAnon Faithful See Validation in the Epstein Files

The nearly decade-old conspiracy theory does not align neatly with the facts emerging from the documents. That does not seem to matter.

By Tiffany Hsu and Stuart A. Thompson

image: QAnon followers see validation of their theories in some elements of the Epstein files. But other parts of their canon, including the existence of a deep-state pedophilia conspiracy, are not backed up by the files.

Producers Rejected Epstein’s Offer to Help Finance a Dick Cavett Film

Jeffrey Epstein joined Mr. Cavett’s wife in an effort to create a PBS documentary on the talk-show legend. But then the producers did a background check on the financier.

By Michaela Towfighi and Julia Jacobs

image: Dick Cavett had an illustrious career as a talk-show host known for his probing interviews. When a documentary about him was in the early stages, Jeffrey Epstein took an interest.

Kash Patel’s Girlfriend Seeks Fame and Fortune, Escorted by an F.B.I. SWAT Team

Former F.B.I. officials say Mr. Patel beefed up field office staffing near his girlfriend in Nashville and ordered a team to ferry her on errands and to events.

By Elizabeth Williamson

image: Alexis Wilkins with Kash Patel as he is sworn in as F.B.I. director at the White House in February 2025.

OpenAI Reaches A.I. Agreement With Defense Dept. After Anthropic Clash

The deal came hours after President Trump had ordered federal agencies to stop using artificial intelligence technology made by Anthropic, an OpenAI rival.

By Cade Metz

image: Sam Altman of OpenAI, which reached an agreement with the Department of Defense on A.I. on classified systems on Friday.

A Tale of Two Seasons at Columbia, and Two Responses to Student Arrests

When Mahmoud Khalil was detained by immigration agents last year, the university’s response was restrained. It was different with Elmina Aghayeva this week.

By Troy Closson, Sharon Otterman and Luis Ferré-Sadurní

image: The message at Columbia University was clear this week after federal immigration agents again detained a student.

The Bloody Rise and Fall of Mexico’s Top Crime Boss

El Mencho’s brutality and business acumen put him atop the cartel world, until he made a fatal mistake.

By Jack Nicas, Paulina Villegas and Maria Abi-Habib

image: After Mexican forces killed a notorious cartel kingpin on Sunday, his followers set fire to hundreds of vehicles, like this one beside a highway in Jalisco state.

‘You Accept the Risk and the Fear’: What It Takes to Report on the Mexican Cartels

Cultivating sources. Verifying claims. Staying safe. After the death of El Mencho, four journalists share their approach to this difficult, dangerous work.

By Megan DiTrolio, Paulina Villegas, Jack Nicas, Maria Abi-Habib and Lauren Katzenberg

image: The remnants of retaliatory violence, including burned vehicles, was evident along the highway between Guadalajara and Tapalpa, in Jalisco state.

‘Avalanche!’: Survivors Recount the Tragedy at Perry’s Peak

The story of how nine skiers were killed, and six survived, in the deadliest avalanche in modern California history.

By Dave Philipps, Bora Erden, Marco Hernandez and Amy Graff

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How Wesley Hunt of Texas Is Working in Plain Sight With Outside Groups

Exchanges between two X accounts appear to offer a vivid example of how campaigns may sidestep campaign-finance law to share strategic information.

By Shane Goldmacher

image: Representative Wesley Hunt, center, at a watch party for the State of the Union address Tuesday night in Georgetown, Texas.

Could the Supreme Court’s Voting Rights Act Decision Affect the Midterms?

The court is set to decide a major case that could scramble the country’s congressional maps. One crucial factor for this year’s elections is when the ruling lands.

By Nick Corasaniti, Ashley Wu and Elena Shao

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Trump’s Attack on Iran Is Reckless

Donald Trump promised voters that he would end wars, not start them.

By The Editorial Board

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How Iranians Can Take Control of Their Future

U.S. military interventions have often gone poorly for the countries in question. But there is much the world, and Iranians, can do.

By Amir Ahmadi Arian

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Abrupt Change for Warner Bros. Prompts Many Grim Faces

Employees at the company had started to warm to the idea of Netflix as its corporate owner. Now they face the prospect of major cuts under Paramount.

By Brooks Barnes and John Koblin

image: Warner Bros. Studio in Burbank, California.

No Clear Endgame in the Conflict Between Afghanistan and Pakistan

Pakistan’s airstrikes in Afghanistan showed its overwhelming superiority in conventional warfare, but the Taliban have refined a lethal repertoire of guerrilla tactics.

By Elian Peltier

image: Pakistani airstrikes threatened to inflict major damage on cities in Afghanistan, which was already reeling from economic hardship and a humanitarian crisis.

In the Northwest, Polyamory Finds Something New: Legal Protection

From big cities like Seattle and Portland, Ore., to small ones like Astoria, Ore., proponents of “nontraditional” romantic relationships are making headway in getting legal recognition.

By Anna Griffin

image: Seattle is one of several cities in the Pacific Northwest where local leaders are considering adding polyamory and other nontraditional family structures to city policy this year.

Lloyd Blankfein on Trump, Epstein and Life After Goldman Sachs

In a wide-ranging interview with Andrew Ross Sorkin, Goldman’s former C.E.O. discussed his life and new memoir.

By Andrew Ross Sorkin

image: Lloyd Blankfein, a former C.E.O. of Goldman Sachs, has published a memoir.