Reading view

There are new articles available, click to refresh the page.

The Sailors Stranded in the Persian Gulf

Thousands of civilian sailors have been stranded for more than a month in waters surrounded by a conflict zone because of the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran.

© Altaf Qadri/Associated Press

Almost 20,000 seafarers are stranded in the Persian Gulf, according to the International Maritime Organization, as Iran has effectively blocked the exit through the Strait of Hormuz.

Backdoor Funding of Homeland Security Agency Could Weaken Congress Anew

An emerging Republican plan to skirt a Democratic filibuster and fund an entire department without congressional appropriations would be the latest example of surrendering power to the White House.

© Jamie Kelter Davis for The New York Times

Border Patrol agents in Minneapolis in early January. Using the complex budget process known as reconciliation to fund the entire Homeland Security Department, as Republicans are suggesting, would be a significant departure from traditional congressional practice.

March Madness Puts Las Vegas Back in the Game

The influx of fans during this month’s college basketball tournament is a welcome lift to the city’s casinos and hotels after a dismal 2025, when the number of visitors fell 7.5 percent.

© Roger Kisby for The New York Times

Crowds pack the Las Vegas sportsbooks to place bets on the N.C.A.A. March Madness basketball tournament and then watch who wins the games.

Apple has just released an update to XProtect for all macOS

Apple has just released its regular weekly update to XProtect, bringing it to version 5336. As usual it doesn’t release information about what security issues this update might address.

This version adds two new rules for MACOS.WANNABEWALLABY.IMA and MACOS.WANNABEWALLABY.STA, amends rules for MACOS.TIMELYTURTLE.DYHEOC, MACOS.SOMA.MAENA, and MACOS.SOMA.MAENB, and changes some rule UUIDs. In the Osascript rules in XPScripts.yr, it amends the rule for MACOS.OSASCRIPT.SYPR.

You can check whether this update has been installed by opening System Information via About This Mac, and selecting the Installations item under Software.

A full listing of security data file versions is given by SilentKnight and SystHist for El Capitan to Tahoe available from their product page. If your Mac hasn’t yet installed this update, you can force it using SilentKnight or at the command line.

If you want to install this as a named update in SilentKnight, its label is XProtectPlistConfigData_10_15-5336

Sequoia and Tahoe systems only

This update hasn’t yet been released for Sequoia and Tahoe via iCloud. If you want to check it manually, use the Terminal command
sudo xprotect check
then enter your admin password. If that returns version 5336 but your Mac still reports an older version is installed, you should be able to force the update using
sudo xprotect update

Judge Approves Trump Effort to Obtain List of Jews From University of Pennsylvania

The government’s effort to collect the names and phone numbers of Jewish people on campus as it investigates antisemitism has upset some people who worry about how the information will be used.

© Rachel Wisniewski for The New York Times

Some Jewish students and faculty at the University of Pennsylvania have expressed concern about the Trump administration’s tactics.

From Oil to Food, the Iran War Is Squeezing the Global Economy

The effects of the war in Iran are squeezing consumers, businesses and governments around the world, raising the prices of many essential goods.

© Taiwo Aina for The New York Times

A fertilizer plant outside Lagos, Nigeria. Fertilizer shortages driven by the fighting in the Middle East, where crucial inputs are produced, can lead to poorer harvests and higher food prices around the world.
❌