The Ex-President Whom Trump Plans to Pardon Flooded America With Cocaine

Juan Orlando Hernández, whom Mr. Trump called a victim of persecution, helped orchestrate a decades-long trafficking conspiracy. It ravaged his Central American country.When Juan Orlando Hernández was extradited to the United States, his own country erupted in celebration.

S Santul Nerkar, Annie Correal and Colin Moynihan

Trump Declares Venezuelan Airspace Closed

President Trump said days earlier that the United States could “very soon” expand its campaign of killing people at sea suspected of drug trafficking to attacking Venezuelan territory.President Trump spoke with Nicolás Maduro, Venezuela’s leader, last week, according to two people with knowledge of

J Julian E. Barnes and Helene Cooper

Several Arrested as Protesters Block ICE Agents From a Potential Raid in NYC

The confrontation appeared to foil a possible ICE raid nearby, underscoring the numerous challenges the federal government faces in trying to stage raids in a dense city like New York.The scene of the protest was just blocks from where a large-scale immigration raid took place last month.

M Maia Coleman, Wesley Parnell and Luis Ferré-Sadurní

F.D.A. Seeks More Oversight of Vaccine Trials and Approvals

The agency’s top vaccine regulator proposed broad changes, claiming that a new review linked 10 children’s deaths to the Covid vaccine. But public health experts questioned the findings, wanting to examine the data.Dr. Vinay Prasad, the F.D.A.’s top vaccine official, suggested in a memo that the dea

C Christina Jewett

Top Trump Aides to Meet With Ukrainians in Florida on Sunday

Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner plan to discuss peace terms again after an uproar over a 28-point proposal drafted with Russian input.Secretary of State Marco Rubio will attend talks with Ukrainian officials in Florida on Sunday.

E Edward Wong

Inside Trump’s Push to Make the White House Ballroom as Big as Possible

President Trump’s ever-growing vision has caused tension with contractors. His architect has taken a step back as the president personally manages the project.President Trump walking on the White House roof with James McCrery, whose firm created the initial designs for the new ballroom, in August.

L Luke Broadwater

Afghans Who Assisted U.S. During the War Underwent Rigorous Vetting

Former officials said the C.I.A. diligently assessed those who partnered with its forces, like the man accused of shooting two National Guard members in Washington.John Ratcliffe, the C.I.A. director, said the man accused of shooting two National Guard members, an Afghan who had worked with U.S. for

J Julian E. Barnes and Hamed Aleaziz

How Fraud Swamped Minnesota’s Social Services System on Tim Walz’s Watch

Prosecutors say members of the Somali diaspora, a group with growing political power, were largely responsible. President Trump has drawn national attention to the scandal amid his crackdown on immigration.Joseph H. Thompson, center, the federal prosecutor overseeing the cases, at the U.S. District

E Ernesto Londoño

Republicans Flipped South Texas. Can a Moderate Tejano Singer Take It Back?

The star power of Latin Grammy Award-winning Bobby Pulido has Democrats dreaming of taking a U.S. House district in South Texas, even though Republicans have redrawn it in their favor.Bobby Pulido sang one of his most popular songs, “Desvelado,” at a campaign stop in Goliad, Texas.

E Edgar Sandoval

Ahead of Primary Elections, Time Is Running Out in the Fight Over Congressional Maps

As partisan battles rage and courts wrangle proposals, the relentless pace of the calendar will force states to act — or land in murky legal ground.State legislatures like Ohio’s have held discussions about redistricting, but deadlines are fast approaching for decisions to be made about voting maps.

N Nick Corasaniti, Ashley Wu and Taylor Robinson

4 Dead After Shooting at Banquet Hall in California

The shooting in Stockton, a city in California’s Central Valley, left 11 others wounded. The authorities said they were looking for a suspect.Law enforcement officers at the scene of a shooting in Stockton, Calif., on Saturday.

Y Yan Zhuang

Cory Booker Weds Alexis Lewis in a Private Ceremony

The couple legally married at a courthouse in Newark days before hosting an intimate wedding in Washington, D.C. on Saturday. They shared their wedding details exclusively with The New York Times.

S Sadiba Hasan