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Inside Rikers: Dysfunction, Lawlessness and Detainees in Control

With a staffing emergency disrupting New York City’s main jail complex, detainees have had free rein inside. Some have nearly taken over entire units.
Absent and abusive guards as well as the site’s decrepit physical grounds have contributed to the crisis.

Spread across eight jail buildings on an island in the East River, Rikers houses more than 4,800 detainees on any given day.

Twelve people have died in New York City custody this year, the last in September.

Our columnist asked after deaths at Rikers Island: Why is the jail still open?

This Is What Fighting a Giant California Wildfire Looks Like

To battle the nearly one-million-acre blaze, California launched a military-style operation. Some experts wonder whether that approach is sustainable.

Live

Merck Applies for F.D.A. Clearance for First Antiviral Pill to Treat Covid

The pill could offer high-risk people a convenient, relatively inexpensive treatment. Here’s the latest on the pandemic.

Tracking the Coronavirus ›

United States ›

United States ›	United StatesAvg. on Oct. 10	14-day change
New cases	96,549	–19%
New deaths	2,000*	–2%

*Arkansas added many deaths

U.S. hot spots ›

Vaccinations ›

Where states are reporting vaccines given

Global hot spots ›

Other trackers: Choose your own places to track

Other trackers:

U.S. Navy Engineer Charged in Attempt to Sell Nuclear Submarine Secrets

Jonathan Toebbe and his wife tried several times to pass information on submarine technology to a foreign government, according to a criminal complaint.

White Tiger and Cheetah Furs: A Mess of Trump Gift Exchanges

Gift exchanges between U.S. and foreign leaders, a highly regulated process, devolved into sometimes risible shambles during the Trump administration.

‘This Drop Came So Quickly’: Shrinking Schools Add to Hong Kong Exodus

The Chinese territory is experiencing its biggest population drop in decades as residents flee political repression and a new “patriotic” curriculum.

Bashar al-Assad Steps In From the Cold, but Syria Is Still Shattered

Arab countries are gradually restoring ties with Syria, but its president remains mired in crises he can’t escape.

The Boston Marathon Returns After a Lost Year

The storied marathon is back for the first time since 2019 in a celebration of running and perseverance. Here’s the latest.

Marcel Hug won his fifth Boston Marathan wheelchair event, but a missed turn might have cost him $50,000.

LiveBoston Marathon Photos and Updates

Marcel Hug of Switzerland narrowly missed breaking his own record in the men’s wheelchair race.

31m ago

42m ago

1h ago

Allison Dinner for The New York Times

Mayim Bialik Wants the ‘Jeopardy!’ Job. Is She ‘Neutral’ Enough?

Alex Trebek projected impartiality. Bialik has questioned vaccines, endorsed a disputed brain supplement and weighed in on hot-button issues.

Opinion

Nicholas Shaxson

The City of London Is Hiding the World’s Stolen Money

Miles Taylor and Christine Todd Whitman

We Are Republicans With a Plea: Elect Democrats in 2022

Margaret Renkl

How to Prevent the Worst Case Extinction Scenario

Charles M. Blow

Democrats, You’re in Danger

Gail Collins and Bret Stephens

There’s More Than One Way to Play Dead

‘Sway’

Samantha Bee Doesn’t Miss Donald Trump

David Wessel

The Rich Have Found Another Way to Pay Less Tax

Sara Novic

Don’t Fear a Deafer Planet

Laurence Steinberg

Does Instagram Harm Girls? No One Actually Knows.

Yacine Djibo

What the Malaria Vaccine Means for Africa

Jennifer Finney Boylan

Abortion Rights and Trans Rights Are Two Sides of the Same Coin

The Editorial Board

Stop the Debt Ceiling Nonsense

Tish Harrison Warren

How to Help Prepare Kids for Suffering

Maureen Dowd

The Supreme Court v. Reality

Get Going

‘It Needs to Be Preserved’: A Street Basketball Mecca Gets a Face-Lift

Rucker Park in Harlem has been a proving ground for amateurs and professionals for generations. “It’s a landmark in New York City,” one player said.

Review: Finding Promise and Paradox in Coming to America

Packers kicker Mason Crosby, left, hit a 49-yard field goal in overtime to beat the Bengals. It was his fourth attempt at a game-winning field goal on Sunday.

What We Learned From Week 5 in the N.F.L.

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The Morning

Wildfires haven’t become more common. They have become bigger.

A vandalized, empty home on what used to be East Seagull Drive in Nags Head, N.C.

Listen to ‘The Daily’

The tough question in the climate crisis: Which towns are worth saving?

Opinion

Listen to ‘The Argument’

Do we need to redefine the American dream of owning a single-family home?

Celebrate 125 Years of The Book Review

On Oct. 25, join us and some special guests for performances from the archives, trivia and more.

More News

Behind the Courtroom’s Closed Doors With Elizabeth Holmes of Theranos

There are whispers, gestures and a daily rhythm, plus two court artists, numbered tickets and some true-crime fans.

Indigenous Peoples’ Day, Explained

President Biden became the first U.S. president to formally recognize Indigenous Peoples’ Day. Here’s some of the history behind it.

Fatima Garcia of the group Danza Azteca Guadalupana dances during an event celebrating Indigenous Peoples’ Day in Austin, Texas, on Saturday.

Two Journalists Started an Argument in Boston in 1979. It’s Not Over Yet.

A writer for an alt-weekly called out a Boston Globe editor in a column that reads as if it were written yesterday, our media columnist Ben Smith writes.

As E-Scooters and E-Bikes Proliferate, Safety Challenges Grow

A surge in electric-powered mobility devices during the pandemic is likely to become a lasting feature, transforming the New York City streetscape.

Nurse Dies After She Is Knocked to Ground in Times Square

Mysterious Boom Shakes New Hampshire and Massachusetts

Business Updates: Evergrande’s Creditors Consider Their Options

Red Sox Beat Rays Thanks to Tough Call and Walk-Off Homer

Severe Weather and Tornadoes Sweep Across Southern Plains

No Charges for Passenger Who Prompted La Guardia Emergency Landing

Continue reading the main story

Food and Nutrition

What to Look for When Buying Whole Grains

4 Things to Know About the Microbiome

Can You Develop Food Allergies at Any Age?

How Fruits Can Help Your Digestive Health

Could a Keto Diet Be Bad for Athletes’ Bones?

Culture and Lifestyle

Preserving Black Food Culture and Stories

The chef and cookbook author Bryant Terry is heading up a new imprint to give chefs of color a leg up in the historically insular publishing industry.