Latest from New York Times
New York Times
37 minutes ago
- Politics
- New York Times
The Supreme Court Limited the Use of Nationwide Injunctions
The Supreme Court's conservative majority opened the door for President Trump to end birthright citizenship in some parts of the country. The court's 6-to-3 decision — which stopped Trump's order from taking effect for 30 days, and did not rule on the constitutionality of the president's plan — could drastically, if temporarily, reshape how U.S. citizenship is granted. Crucially, the justices limited the ability of federal judges to temporarily pause the president's executive orders. The decision, which you can read highlights from or in full here, appeared to strip lower-court judges of one of their most potent tools: the nationwide injunction, which had been used frequently in recent years to block policies instituted by presidents of both parties. The ruling means that the practice of giving citizenship automatically to the U.S.-born children of undocumented immigrants and some temporary residents and visitors would end in the 28 states that have not challenged the order. It could also spur the revival of some of Trump's contested policies. 'Our country should be very proud of the Supreme Court today,' Trump said. Justice Sonia Sotomayor, who issued a blistering dissent along with the court's other two liberal justices, called the majority's decision 'a travesty for the rule of law.' It was the last day of the court's term. Here's what else it ruled on: The justices said schools must allow parents to opt their children out of classes where L.G.B.T.Q. stories are discussed. They upheld part of the Affordable Care Act that requires insurance companies to offer some preventive care at no cost to patients. The court rejected a challenge to a Texas law that seeks to limit minors' access to online pornography through age verification. And the justices punted a closely watched case challenging Louisiana's voting map until next term. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
New York Times
43 minutes ago
- New York Times
Cocaine Is the Fastest-Growing Illegal Drug Worldwide. Here's Why.
More people around the world are using illicit drugs than ever — more than 316 million in 2023. Marijuana is the most used drug, followed by opioids and amphetamines. But it is the cocaine market that continues to break records year after year. Global production reached a new high in 2023, racing to meet record demand and fueling new highs in cocaine-related deaths in many countries in recent years, according to a United Nations report released on Thursday. An estimated 25 million people used cocaine worldwide in 2023 — up from 17 million a decade earlier. Production jumped by 34 percent from 2022. Tracking the production and consumption of illicit drugs, including cocaine, is complex and time-consuming. The U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime's annual World Drug Report, which this year includes data through 2023, is one of the few sources of global data on the illegal drug trade. Here's what it shows about the worldwide cocaine market. Where does cocaine come from? The coca plant, the main ingredient for cocaine, is primarily cultivated in Colombia, Peru and Bolivia. Colombia drove the recent increase in illegal cocaine production because of an expansion of coca cultivation areas and better yields from each acre. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
New York Times
an hour ago
- Sport
- New York Times
NHL trade grades: Blue Jackets pay high price, let Avalanche off the hook in Charlie Coyle deal
By Corey Pronman, Dom Luszczyszyn and James Mirtle Columbus Blue Jackets get: F Charlie Coyle and F Miles Wood Colorado Avalanche: F Gavin Brindley, 2025 third-round pick (No. 77) and 2027 conditional second-round pick The condition on the 2nd Rd pick in '27 is that the CBJ have two 2nd Rd picks that year so can send lower pick to Colorado — Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) June 27, 2025 Gavin Brindley was just OK as a rookie pro, but he was also a very young player at the AHL level. He's a highly likable player with a great track record, though at the college and international levels. With excellent skating and work ethic, Brindley buzzes around the ice, playing with a ton of pace and giving his best effort nightly. He's able to make highly skilled plays at full speed and plays with courage, going to the net and engaging along the walls. Brindley is a creative playmaker as well, although for a tiny forward, I wouldn't call him a dynamic offensive player. His energy could make him a middle-six wing, but he will need to score more versus men than he showed this past season. I understand Colorado wanting to target a player such as Brindley over a high draft pick as well. Brindley could realistically play in the NHL within a year or two. — Corey Pronman This one is some nice Houdini-like salary magic for the Avs, who were projected to be over the cap going into this deal. Instead, they free up $7.75 million that will allow Colorado to be an unexpected player in free agency on Tuesday. Plus, they get a little draft and prospect capital sprinkled in, too. Advertisement It's been a weird year for contract dumps already, as Mason Marchment and others have been shipped out for what feels like very little. Here, two overpriced forwards fetch two decent picks and a young player who put up huge numbers in college. I can see what Columbus is thinking, as the Blue Jackets are drowning in cap space (more than $35 million before this deal), and it's going to be a challenge in this free agent landscape to bring in one of the few big names. They also have an exciting young team that made a huge step last year, so trying to spend that money on reinforcements and depth makes sense. Both players are rebound candidates and likely playing down the lineup for Columbus, where they'll bring OK value. If it doesn't work out, Coyle is signed for only one more year anyway. Wood, meanwhile, has had a lot of injuries and the term on his deal — with four more years to go — could hurt, even though the cash is closer to $2 million than his $2.5 million AAV. (And Columbus is still working on getting to the floor.) All in all, it's not all that exciting for either party — but it could be setting the table for bigger things to come for both teams. — James Mirtle Avalanche grade: B+ Blue Jackets grade: C+ This is a telling deal when it comes to where the NHL market currently stands in two ways. One, the center market must be dry as a bone. Two, cap growth has led to some cap-hit blindness. To the first point, Coyle is the focal point of the deal, and the Blue Jackets are a better team with him on it. He gives Columbus a lot of versatility in the middle six as a plug-and-play center who can play wing if needed. While there isn't much about Coyle's game that stands out, there aren't a lot of holes either. He's by almost any account — scoring, play-driving, puck possession, offense, defense — an average player. That's a helpful addition to a team that had a lot of sub-standard players in the bottom six. Advertisement Coyle is also 33 and will probably fall a bit below average next season as a result; third-line calibre. At $5.25 million, that's a pricey ticket for what he likely brings to the table. And between Sean Monahan, Adam Fantilli and Cole Sillinger, a top-nine center wasn't exactly the most pressing need either. Columbus has a lot of cap space, making the price not too concerning, and you can never have enough centers. Still, the cost of acquisition shouldn't have been this high for what is effectively a cap dump. Which brings us to the cap-hit blindness and the Miles Wood of it all. It's possible Wood reignites his game with the Blue Jackets, but he's been a below-replacement-level player for two years in Colorado. Wood played in just one of seven playoff games for the Avalanche, and at 29, there's a big question of how much he has left to offer at the NHL level. With four years left at $2.5 million, it's unfathomable that the Avalanche were able to rid themselves of Wood's deal without any consequences. This is a deal that teams used to have to pay a heavy price to get out of — the Avalanche seemingly got an asset out of it. Even if Columbus was really enamoured with Wood (for whatever reason), the Blue Jackets completely let Colorado off the hook here. Just because the cap is going up doesn't mean that cap efficiency no longer matters. A bad deal is still a bad deal. This is an unbelievably good move for the Avalanche, who clear $7.75 million in cap space while getting a 2nd, 3rd and a prospect for two players that aren't worth their current cap hits — by a substantial degree. With that money freed up, the Avalanche can seriously load up. And while Columbus got a decent center for its trouble, the cost of doing so looks obscenely high. — Dominik Luszczyszyn Avalanche grade: A Blue Jackets grade: D (Photo of Charlie Coyle: Jerome Miron / Imagn Images)
New York Times
an hour ago
- Sport
- New York Times
Masai Ujiri and the Raptors have split, but their success will impact Toronto forever
By parting ways with longtime executive Masai Ujiri, the Toronto Raptors have officially moved on from every major element of the most successful stretch in the franchise's 30-year history. No matter your thoughts on whether or not it was time for Ujiri to leave, it's hard to overstate his impact after turning the Raptors into an NBA champion with bold trades and sustained efforts to bring new talent to Toronto. But even the most successful teams must find a new path forward. In the Raptors' case, Ujiri's dismissal may not have been a shocker to many because the franchise has been facing a new direction for a while. Advertisement Since Toronto won the 2019 NBA Finals, the Raptors have sported the NBA's 20th-best win percentage (.475), missed the playoffs four times and parted ways with franchise stars Kawhi Leonard, Kyle Lowry and Pascal Siakam, along with key supporting players such as Serge Ibaka and O.G. Anunoby. They haven't finished with more than 41 wins in three seasons and have since replaced those aforementioned pillars with a core led by a 23-year-old Scottie Barnes, 25-year-old RJ Barrett, 26-year-old Immanuel Quickley and 27-year-old Brandon Ingram, the trade-deadline acqusition who has yet to suit up for the Raptors but signed a three-year extension with the team. Under Ujiri, the Raptors were led by head coaches Dwane Casey, Nick Nurse and Darko Rajaković. The Raptors missed the playoffs in each of their first two seasons under Rajaković but went 13-14 after last season's All-Star break, despite several injuries, including Ingram's. By moving on from Ujiri, who, as our own Eric Koreen explains, faced an uncertain future with the Raptors at various points during his 12-year tenure, Toronto will seek to add new successful chapters in its basketball history. Before the Raptors move on, let's examine a timeline of Ujiri's path to running Toronto's show and molding a champion. If you feel there are any glaring omissions, feel free to add and discuss in the comments. 2003 — Ujiri became an international scout for the Denver Nuggets after working in a similar role with the Orlando Magic. 2007 — The Raptors, led by Bryan Colangelo, hired Ujiri into their front office as director of international scouting. He became Toronto's assistant general manager by 2008. 2010 — On Aug. 27, Ujiri returned to the Nuggets as general manager and executive vice president for basketball operations, becoming the first African general manager in major American sports. The Nuggets went 50-32 during his first full season overseeing the franchise. Advertisement 2013 — On May 9, he was named NBA's Executive of the Year for the 2012-13 season, during which Denver won 57 games (tied for its most since joining the NBA via merger with ABA in 1976). 2013 — On May 31, Ujiri re-joined the Raptors as executive vice president and general manager on a five-year, $15 million deal. 2013 — On July 10, the Raptors traded Andrea Bargnani to the New York Knicks for Marcus Camby, Steve Novak, Quentin Richardson, a 2016 first-round pick (used to select Jakob Poeltl ninth) and two second-round picks. 2013 — The Raptors entered Dec. 9 with a record of 7-12 to begin the 2013-14 season. That day, Ujiri traded Rudy Gay, Quincy Acy and Aaron Gray to the Sacramento Kings for Chuck Hayes, Patrick Patterson, John Salmons and Greivis Vásquez. Toronto had the NBA's fourth-best record (41-22, .651 win percentage) en route to the first of a franchise-record seven consecutive playoff berths. The Raptors finished 48-34, then the best record in team history. 2014 — On April 19, during a fan rally for the Raptors' first-round series against the Brooklyn Nets, Ujiri shouted 'F— Brooklyn!' to the crowd, for which he apologized. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver fined Ujiri $25,000 for the incident. 2014 — With the 20th pick, the Raptors took Brazilian forward Bruno Caboclo, a relative unknown who memorably caused ESPN international basketball analyst Fran Fraschilla to declare that Caboclo was 'two years away from being two years away.' Caboclo played just 25 games over three-plus years with the Raptors before Ujiri traded him to Sacramento in 2017. He played for the Kings, Grizzlies and Rockets before leaving the league, but he has put together a solid international career. 2015 — On April 18, at a postseason fan rally, Ujiri said, 'We don't give a s— about it!' in response to the Washington Wizards' Paul Pierce saying the Raptors didn't have an 'it' factor. Silver fined Ujiri $35,000 and the Raptors organization $25,000. Ujiri apologized for the comments. Advertisement 2016 — For the 2015-16 season, the Raptors notched the first 50-win season in team history (56-26 mark, finishing one game behind the Cleveland Cavaliers, the eventual NBA champions, for first in the East) as Kyle Lowry secured his first career All-NBA nod (Third Team). Toronto reached its first-ever conference final, losing to LeBron James' Cavaliers in six games. 2016 — On June 23, Ujiri and the Raptors drafted New Mexico State's Pascal Siakam, who was born in Cameroon, 27th in the 2016 NBA Draft. He was assigned to the franchise's G League affiliate, Raptors 905, as a rookie. Siakam led Raptors 905 to the G League title that season, averaging 23 points and nine rebounds in the finals en route to MVP honors. 2017 — Led by DeMar DeRozan's All-NBA season (Third Team), Toronto won 51 games in the 2016-17 season but were swept in East semifinals by the Cavaliers. 2017 — The Raptors drafted Indiana forward O.G. Anunoby 23rd in the 2017 NBA Draft. 2018 — During the 2017-18 season, the Raptors set a franchise record with 59 wins as Dwane Casey won NBA Coach of the Year honors. The Raptors fired Casey shortly after the 2018 playoffs, which ended with the Raptors' third consecutive postseason elimination by the Cavaliers, another sweep. Ujiri promoted Toronto assistant Nick Nurse to head coach. 2018 — On July 18, Ujiri traded DeRozan, Poeltl and a top-20-protected 2019 first-round pick to the San Antonio Spurs for Kawhi Leonard, Danny Green and cash. In 60 regular-season games during his lone season as a Raptor, Leonard averaged 26.6 points, which remains the third-highest single-season mark in team history, trailing only peak Vince Carter (27.6 in 2000-01) and DeRozan (27.3 in 2016-17). 2018 — On Nov. 28, during Peace Week, Ujiri was awarded the first-ever President's Peace Medal presented by YMCA of Greater Toronto. Advertisement 2019 — On Feb. 7, the Raptors acquired Marc Gasol from the Grizzlies in exchange for Jonas Valančiūnas, C.J. Miles, Delon Wright and a 2024 second-round pick. Down the stretch of the 2018-19 regular season, Gasol appeared in 25 games for the Raptors, shooting 44.2 percent from deep, ranking second on the team in rebounds (6.6 per game), second in blocks (0.9 per game) and third in assists (4.0 per game). The Raptors were 17.6 points per 100 possessions better when Gasol was on the floor in his 629 minutes to close the regular season than when he sat. 2019 — On June 24, Siakam was named Most Improved Player for the 2018-19 season, during which he averaged 16.9 points, 6.9 rebounds and 3.1 assists after averaging six points across his first 136 NBA games. He earned an All-Star nod and Second Team All-NBA selection by the next season. 2019 — On June 13, the Raptors clinched their first NBA championship, beating the Golden State Warriors 4-2 in that year's finals. Leonard, who won the 2014 NBA Finals MVP as a member of the Spurs, joined Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (Lakers, Bucks) and LeBron James (Cavaliers, Heat) as the only players to win finals MVP honors with multiple teams. Leonard's 732 points for the 2019 playoffs trail only Michael Jordan (759 in 1992) and James (748 in 2018) for the highest-scoring playoff run by any player in NBA history. 2019 — Moments after the 2019 title was secured, Ujiri was seen on video getting into an altercation with a sheriff's deputy. It was alleged by Sgt. Ray Kelly, a spokesman for the Alameda County Sheriff's Department, that Ujiri failed to show proper credentials for floor access, shoved a sheriff's deputy and made contact with his face. Lowry eventually came over to escort Ujiri onto the court for the Raptors' celebration. Ujiri disputed the account, saying the sheriff's deputy initiated and escalated the confrontation. Both parties filed lawsuits against the other. Both lawsuits were dropped by February 2021. The story of the greatest players in NBA history. In 100 riveting profiles, top basketball writers justify their selections and uncover the history of the NBA in the process. The story of the greatest players in NBA history. 2020 — After losing Leonard in free agency, the Raptors went 53-19 for the 2019-20 season, the year was interrupted and shortened by the COVID-19 pandemic. Their title defense ended in the second round of the playoffs, losing to the Boston Celtics in seven games. 2021 — For the 2020-21 season, the Raptors had their lowest win total since Ujiri took over (going 27-45 and finishing 12th in the East) and hosted home games in Tampa, Fla., due to travel restrictions between the United States and Canada as the pandemic continued. On July 28, the team drafted Florida State's Scottie Barnes fourth, with the Raptors having moved up from seventh in the lottery. 2021 — On Aug. 6, the Raptors signed Lowry to a new contract to complete a sign-and-trade with the Miami Heat for Precious Achiuwa and Goran Dragić. Advertisement 2021 — Ujiri signed a five-year contract with Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment. 2022 — The Raptors went 48-34 for the 2021-22 season but were eliminated in the first round by the Philadelphia 76ers. It was the last time the Raptors finished above .500 2023 — On April 21, the Raptors fired Nurse as head coach, leading to Rajaković, who spent time as an assistant for the Memphis Grizzlies, Phoenix Suns and Oklahoma City Thunder, taking over the role. 2023 — On June 30, Ujiri was named an Officer of the Order of Canada. 2023 — On Dec. 30, the Raptors traded Anunoby, Achiuwa and Malachi Flynn to the Knicks for Barrett, Quickley and a 2024 second-round pick. 2024 — On Jan. 17, the Raptors traded Siakam for Bruce Brown, Jordan Nwora and three future first-round picks. 2024 — On July 8, the Raptors and Quickley, a restricted free agent, agreed to a five-year, $175 million contract. On the same day, Barnes signed a five-year, $224.2 million extension. 2025 — On Feb. 6, Ujiri acquired Ingram from the Pelicans in exchange for Brown, Kelly Olynyk, a 2026 first-round pick and a 2031 second-rounder. On Feb. 12, the Raptors and Ingram agreed to a three-year, $120 million contract extension, which includes a player option for 2027-28 2025 — Toronto finished the 2024-25 season with a 30-52 record and missed the playoffs for the third consecutive year, marking the longest such streak under Ujiri. 2025 — On June 25, the Raptors selected South Carolina forward Collin Murray-Boyles with the ninth pick of the 2025 NBA Draft. 2025 — On Friday, Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment parted ways with Ujiri. During his tenure overseeing the franchise, the Raptors had the NBA's fifth-highest win percentage (.565) as they secured almost twice as many playoff berths in 12 seasons under Ujiri's leadership (eight) than the five they clinched in 18 seasons prior. ( Photo: Dan Hamilton / USA Today Network via Imagn Images )
New York Times
an hour ago
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Jack Kleinsinger, Impresario Behind a Marathon Jazz Series, Dies at 88
Jack Kleinsinger, a lawyer by day who in his evening hours indulged his passion for music by creating and running Highlights in Jazz, one of New York's longest-running concert series, for which he arranged and hosted more than 300 shows over a 50-year run, died on June 11 at his home in Manhattan. He was 88. His cousin, Elizabeth Elliot, said the cause was complications of a fall. Mr. Kleinsinger spent 30 years as a government lawyer, first for New York City and then, from 1970 to 1991, as an assistant attorney general for the State of New York. But his real life began after he punched out every afternoon. Seven times a year, he presented Highlights in Jazz, a roaming concert series that featured some of the country's best musicians playing alongside a host of promising young artists. Beginning in 1973, at a time when interest in jazz was at its ebb and nightclubs were shutting down, Mr. Kleinsinger nonetheless drew packed crowds. His shows often sold out; any tickets he didn't sell, he donated to performing-arts high schools around the city. He could count on a core audience of about 350, many of whom took pride in attending virtually every one of his shows. He built on that base with a mailing list of 5,000, which he curated by hand. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
