New York City in brief

Donald Trump launched air strikes against Iran alongside Israel, bypassing both US Congress and public debate, and invoking his fledgling “Peace Board”—a multilateral body recently introduced as panacea for global woes. While the new war leaves uranium talks in shambles and seems to lack legal or Security Council blessing, at least the UN now knows what to expect when sold a cure-all by salesmen with sizable navies.

The United States and Israel launched coordinated strikes seeking regime change in Iran, killing an undisclosed number and triggering Iranian retaliation against American interests in Bahrain and beyond. Despite the Trump administration’s shifting explanations—nuclear fears, fast-rebuilt missiles, and talk of imminent threats—parallels to the 2003 Iraq playbook abound. We suppose every Middle East foray requires its own choose-your-justification adventure.

Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s $21 billion revival of the Sunnyside Yard housing megaproject in Queens has prompted eyebrow-raising among local leaders, with Queens Borough President Donovan Richards touting a “let’s build” spirit, and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez sounding less skeptical than in 2019. The scheme, which would deck Amtrak tracks with 12,000 apartments—and perhaps a stadium for the New York Liberty—appears, for now, more blueprint than building.

Iran’s authorities declared 40 days of official mourning after confirming the death of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei—alongside multiple family members—in coordinated American-Israeli strikes on Tehran, which also killed senior commanders. With a caretaker council overseeing the cockpit, both sides traded threats and missiles as the UN and IAEA scrambled to contain the fallout. Hardly the vacation data wonks had pencilled in for Vienna.

Donald Trump, in nocturnal fashion, unveiled Operation Epic Fury—his boldest Middle Eastern adventure yet—by vowing to unseat Iran’s regime and urging Iranians to revolt, aided by U.S. might and Benjamin Netanyahu’s Israel. The campaign swiftly struck nine Iranian cities, allegedly killing Ayatollah Khamenei, and spilled into seven regional nations. Congressional and legal particulars lag behind Trump’s hunger for a Nobel, but fireworks seem assured, whatever the peace prize odds.