Good morning. We're covering peace talks between Ukraine and Russia and the end of President Trump's trip to the Middle East. Plus: The Eurovision Song Contest final.
Trump's final day in the Middle EastPresident Trump will wrap up his time in the Gulf today, after being feted in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, and awarded the country's highest civilian honor. He will return to Washington having made clear to leaders in the region that the U.S. was done with nation-building and intervening. While the president looks to peace and profit in the Gulf, his remarks left some Arab listeners worried about the potential end of U.S. pressure over human rights violations, and what that could mean for their countries. Syria: Business owners who left the country during the war are drawing up plans to return after Trump promised to lift sanctions. Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with Syria's foreign minister to discuss a road map. Iran: Trump said that his administration was "getting close" to making a nuclear deal. Tech: Trump inked deals to create a large campus that would transform the United Arab Emirates into an A.I. powerhouse.
Plans for Ukraine-Russia talks descended into confusionUkrainian and Russian delegations arrived in Turkey yesterday for what would be the first peace talks in three years. Yet they spent much of the day in different cities, questioning whether they would even meet. President Vladimir Putin was absent, but he sent a midlevel delegation to Istanbul. In Ankara, Ukraine's leader, Volodymyr Zelensky, met with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey. He said he would send a pared-down delegation to Istanbul, led by the defense minister. Overshadowing it all was President Trump, who told reporters traveling with him on Air Force One that "nothing's going to happen until Putin and I get together." Context: Behind the chaotic diplomacy is wide divergence between Moscow and Kyiv over how to end the war. Zelensky wants an immediate and unconditional cease-fire, followed by peace negotiations. Putin, who appears confident of Russia's upper hand on the battlefield, is refusing to stop fighting before he gets what he wants.
Israel is razing Rafah, to which Gazans once fledLast year, a million Palestinians fled to Rafah, the southernmost city in the Gaza Strip, to escape the brunt of Israel's bombardment in its war against Hamas. When Israel invaded Rafah, most of it was spared. That is no longer the case: Israel's military has destroyed extensive parts of the city since the cease-fire ended in March. Satellite images and videos analyzed by The Times showed buildings being razed with controlled demolitions and excavators. New military installations have gone up. Related:
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KJ, now 9 ½ months old, was born with a rare genetic disorder that usually claims the lives of half of all afflicted babies in the first week of life. If he survived, his parents were told, he would have severe mental and developmental delays. Instead, KJ made medical history, as the first patient to have a gene-editing treatment designed just for him. Read more about the breakthrough. Lives lived: Nora Aunor, a Filipina actress and singer who for nearly 60 years captivated audiences, earning the nickname "the Superstar," died at 71.
Peace, love and EurovisionThe final of the Eurovision Song Contest takes place tomorrow in Basel, Switzerland, and organizers want to avoid any controversy, especially over the wars in Gaza and in Ukraine, that could spoil the fun. We spoke to Alex Marshall, who covers culture from London, about what to expect. Do you think we'll see some of the same political tensions from last year? Alex: I'm expecting it to be less tense, but a lot depends on what Israel does in Gaza. This year, there's a new code of conduct that says over and over again, "don't be political," and everyone's meant to have agreed to that. Who's the bookmakers' favorite? The bookmakers always think Sweden is going to win Eurovision. This year's entry is KAJ, with a song about saunas. It's fun and catchy, but the field's quite open. You need a great song, but you can't win without incredible staging. I'm hoping someone this year has something just so bonkers it makes the entirety of Europe, and much of the rest of the world, go, "Oh my god, what the hell was that?" For more: Alex wrote about the seven easy steps to win the Eurovision contest. One tip: Set something on fire. Just not the piano.
Cook: Transform carrots into a flavorful and satisfying salad. Watch: Tom Cruise defies it all in "Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning." Indulge: Airbnb is introducing the kinds of services typically found at hotels, including room service, spa treatments and personal training. Travel: Spend 36 hours in Rome. Care: Your hearing can worsen as you age. Here's how to protect it. Play the Spelling Bee. And here are today's Mini Crossword and Wordle. You can find all our puzzles here. That's it for today's briefing. Have a great weekend. — Natasha Reach Natasha and the team at briefing@nytimes.com.
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