In a sudden flurry of military activity, Ukrainian forces have ramped up their artillery strikes and ground assaults at several points along the front line. Russian officials reported major Ukrainian attacks at five different locations in the eastern region of Donetsk.
U.S. officials said today that it was possible that the long-awaited counteroffensive had begun, citing satellite imagery that showed a significant uptick in movement from Ukrainian positions.
Officials in Kyiv, however, were tight-lipped about their strategy, and feints or diversions are to be expected in war. In an address, President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine expressed gratitude “to all our defenders who gave us the news we expect.”
Whatever precisely is happening, the Ukrainian assaults took place within range of the counteroffensive’s expected focus. In the southeast, analysts anticipate that Ukraine’s troops will seek to cut off the so-called land bridge that connects Russian-occupied Crimea to Russia.
Much is riding on the counteroffensive, whenever it does occur. Success could help Ukraine’s push for longer-term support from the West. It could also strengthen its hand in any peace talks with Russia. But failure, or a lack of dramatic progress, could complicate Ukraine’s path forward and lead some Western officials to question the war strategy.
Mike Pence enters the 2024 race
Mike Pence, who for four years served as vice president under Donald Trump, is embarking on a long-shot effort to defeat the former president. Pence, who has polled in the single digits in every survey taken so far, filed paperwork today to officially declare his presidential candidacy.
For more: At least two other candidates, Chris Christie and Doug Burgum, are expected to announce their bids this week. Here’s how the field is shaping up.
India investigates the cause of a deadly train crash
Officials have focused on the malfunctioning of an electronic signal system as a cause for one of the deadliest train crashes in India’s history, but haven’t ruled out sabotage. Investigators are also looking into whether negligence played a role.
Trains started running again today near the site of the catastrophic crash on Friday that killed at least 275 people and injured more than 1,200. Two passenger trains collided after one of them struck a stationary freight train at full speed and derailed, in the Balasore District of Odisha State, in eastern India.
Oklahoma approves America’s first religious charter school
An Oklahoma school board voted today to allow taxpayer dollars to fund an online school run by the local Roman Catholic Archdiocese, with religious teachings embedded in the curriculum. The approval hands a major victory to Christian conservatives, but opens the door to a constitutional battle over whether taxpayer dollars can directly fund religious schools.
Opponents of the proposal had argued that it was a brazen and messy melding of church and state, and one that ran counter to the public nature of charter schools. Supporters said that excluding religious schools from charter funding violated the First Amendment’s protection of religious freedom.
More top news
Washington: Donald Trump’s lawyers met with Justice Department officials to discuss their concerns as the classified documents inquiry nears its end.
Finance: Federal regulators accused Binance, the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange, of mishandling customer funds as well as lying to regulators and investors.
Twitter: An internal document showed the company’s U.S. advertising revenue had plunged 59 percent from a year earlier.
International: At least 42 people were dead and thousands were displaced in Haiti after a weekend of heavy rainfall and widespread flooding.
New York: The N.Y.P.D.’s anti-crime units are stopping, frisking and searching people, despite promises from Mayor Eric Adams of an end to the illegal tactics, a court-appointed monitor said.
Education: Schools received billions in stimulus funds to help students recover from learning loss during the pandemic, but the aid may not be doing enough.
Immigration: Authorities in California said 16 migrants were flown to Sacramento from Florida and dropped off outside a church. A second plane carrying migrants arrived there today.
Royals: Prince Harry is set to testify tomorrow in a lawsuit against the Mirror newspaper. He will be the first senior royal to be cross-examined since the 19th century.
Espionage: Robert Hanssen, an F.B.I. agent caught spying for Moscow during and after the Cold War, was found dead in his prison cell in Colorado.
Tech: Apple debuted its next big product: a virtual reality headset.
Music: Taylor Swift bumped Morgan Wallen off the top of the Billboard chart.
EVENING WIND DOWN
‘The Idol’ is not for everybody
In the world of television, HBO has been a reliable hitmaker. But the network’s latest Sunday-night show might not have mass appeal. Directed by Sam Levinson and starring Lily-Rose Depp and the Weeknd, “The Idol,” which premiered yesterday, called itself the “sleaziest love story in all of Hollywood.”
At times, the sex-filled show seems engineered to generate controversy, and early reviews have been less than enthusiastic. But as long as “The Idol” is attracting eyes, Levinson seems satisfied: “I think running headfirst into that fire is what thrills us all,” he said.
A closer look at psychedelic therapy
Psychedelic therapy is on its way to becoming a mainstream medical treatment in mental health care. But while ample research has been done on the drugs themselves, the therapy component has received much less scrutiny.
Because patients are emotionally vulnerable while they’re on psychedelics, there is a greater risk for psychological injury, particularly by inept or inexperienced practitioners. As stories of abuse or trauma have emerged, researchers, clinicians and former patients have called for more oversight.
Dinner table topics
Sibling friendship: Research suggests that a warm relationship with a brother or sister can provide a buffer against loneliness and help boost well-being.
Welcome to CringeTok: TikTok comedy creators are gaining large followings and lucrative brand deals by impersonating terrible people.
The perfect wedding gift? Consider going rogue on that wedding registry and asking the couple if you can give them something major: a homemade wedding cake.
Beautiful chaos: We asked readers to bare their souls — in other words, to share the contents of their Notes app with us. They did not disappoint.
WHAT TO DO TONIGHT
Cook: This simple chicken Milanese makes chicken breasts seem positively lavish.
Watch: A dreamlike Brazilian documentary is among five international movies you can stream right now.
Work: Teenagers looking for summer jobs have some strong prospects. Here’s what to know.
Play: Diablo IV wants video game players to slay demons in hell forever.
Listen: These 11 works defined the composer Kaija Saariaho, who died last week.
Heal: What’s better for treating a sports injury: ice or heat?
Play: Here are today’s Spelling Bee, Wordle and Mini Crossword. Find all our games here.
ONE LAST THING
The iceberg capital of the world
Each spring, icebergs from Greenland pass through Canada’s Iceberg Alley, the stretch of water along the eastern coast of Newfoundland and Labrador, on a slow-motion journey southward to the North Atlantic Ocean. As they move into warmer water, the icebergs make for a truly spectacular show: an eerily opalescent display of monoliths of ice destined for decay.
About half a million Atlantic puffins, along with other birds, and one of the greatest concentrations of migrating humpback whales found anywhere form the area’s camera-ready trifecta, usually on display from about mid-May through the end of June.
Have an adventurous evening.
Thanks for reading. We’ll be back tomorrow. — Matthew and Justin
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