• Actor James Gandolfini, Star of 'The Sopranos,' Dead in Italy (Wed, 19 Jun 2013 23:56:18 GMT)
  Actor James Gandolfini, best known for his Emmy-winning portrayal of a conflicted New Jersey mob boss in the acclaimed HBO cable television series "The Sopranos," has died while vacationing in Rome, the network said on Wednesday.

      

  
  
  
  
• Flooding Damages Lourdes, French Holy Site (Wed, 19 Jun 2013 23:28:41 GMT)
  Visited by nearly six million Christian pilgrims every year, the site is turning to the faithful for financial relief after storms inundated the celebrated grotto and vast subterranean church.

      

  
  
  
  
• Dumping the Face, and Founder, of Men’s Wearhouse (Wed, 19 Jun 2013 23:25:30 GMT)
  George Zimmer, the founder of Men’s Wearhouse and a frequent presence in its commercials, was fired by the company’s board on the day of its shareholders’ meeting.

      

  
  
  
  
• Twigitecture: Building Human Nests (Wed, 19 Jun 2013 23:05:20 GMT)
  From New Age cocoons and backyard playthings of the rich to contemporary art objects, giant nests are having a moment.

      

  
  
  
  
• Three Naval Academy Midshipmen Accused of Sexual Assault (Wed, 19 Jun 2013 22:31:07 GMT)
  The case stems from an off-campus party in 2012 that involved heavy drinking.

      

  
  
  
  
• HPV Vaccine Is Credited in Fall of Teenagers’ Infection Rate (Wed, 19 Jun 2013 22:26:04 GMT)
  The prevalence of dangerous strains of the human papillomavirus, a principal cause of cervical cancer, has dropped by half in the last decade, officials say.

      

  
  
  
  
• Thompson, Endorsed by Union, Says He’ll ‘Fight Day and Night’ for Teachers (Wed, 19 Jun 2013 21:49:45 GMT)
  The United Federation of Teachers’ endorsement could help jump-start the candidacy of William C. Thompson Jr. as he seeks to extend his support.

      

  
  
  
  
• Here’s Snow White. Don’t Bring the Kids. (Wed, 19 Jun 2013 20:20:20 GMT)
  In presenting Paul McCarthy’s “WS,” the Park Avenue Armory is signaling that it will not fear controversy.

      

  
  
  
  
• Fed Outlines Timeline for Winding Down Stimulus (Wed, 19 Jun 2013 20:09:53 GMT)
  Federal Reserve policy makers, more confident about the economic recovery, said they intended to reduce their monetary stimulus program later this year if unemployment continues to decline.

      

  
  
  
  
• The Calorie-Packed Perk (Wed, 19 Jun 2013 19:42:29 GMT)
  Small, high-growth tech companies have a reputation for showering employees with perks, many of them calorie-packed.

      

  
  
• Casino Referendum Planned by New York Leaders (Wed, 19 Jun 2013 19:10:16 GMT)
  Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo and top legislators have agreed to ask voters in November to amend the State Constitution to allow seven nontribal casinos.

      

  
  
• State of the Art: Microsoft Office for the iPhone Is Here. Yawn. (Wed, 19 Jun 2013 18:30:00 GMT)
  Microsoft’s application falls short of duplicating the everyday functions of Word, Excel and PowerPoint. Some outside apps do it better.

      

  
  
  
  
• U.S. Presses Taliban on Qatar Office in Bid to Save Talks (Wed, 19 Jun 2013 18:20:40 GMT)
  American officials, worried about a crumbling peace process, moved to try to resolve the Afghan government’s objections to what appeared to be a publicity coup.

      

  
  
  
  
• Michael Hastings, Award-Winning Journalist, Dies at 33 (Wed, 19 Jun 2013 18:03:46 GMT)
  Mr. Hastings, an intrepid war zone reporter in Afghanistan and Iraq, won a Polk Award in 2010 for his Rolling Stone magazine cover story, “The Runaway General.”

      

  
  
• Europe Fines Drug Companies for Delaying Generics (Wed, 19 Jun 2013 17:55:31 GMT)
  Antitrust regulators levied a total of $195.5 million in penalties for what they said were companies’ attempts to block a less expensive generic version of a popular antidepressant.

      

  
  
  
  
• Militants Attack U.N. Compound in Somalia’s Capital (Wed, 19 Jun 2013 17:31:47 GMT)
  The Shabab claimed responsibility for the assault in Mogadishu, which government officials said left at least 15 people dead, including 7 attackers.

      

  
  
  
  
• Matter: A Homely Rodent May Hold Cancer-Fighting Clues (Wed, 19 Jun 2013 17:11:24 GMT)
  Naked mole rats produce a compound that appears to render them immune to cancer, and researchers say the discovery may lead to treatments for humans.

      

  
  
• Monsanto Executive Is Among World Food Prize Winners (Wed, 19 Jun 2013 17:10:29 GMT)
  Robert Fraley of Monsanto shares the prize with two other scientists prominent in the field of genetically modified crops.

      

  
  
  
  
• Obama Preparing Big Effort to Curb Climate Change (Wed, 19 Jun 2013 17:03:07 GMT)
  Officials said President Obama would announce new policy initiatives in the coming weeks, including the first limits on greenhouse gas emissions from new and existing power plants.

      

  
  
  
  
• Cross Cuts: The Hard Work in ‘Before Midnight,’ Amour’ and Other Films and Shows (Wed, 19 Jun 2013 15:15:49 GMT)
  In film and television, work and wedded bliss are now synonymous: the harder marriage is, the more romantic it seems.

      

  
  
• Merkel Challenges Obama on Surveillance (Wed, 19 Jun 2013 15:10:21 GMT)
  Speaking Wednesday in Berlin, President Obama said that German terrorist threats were among those foiled by American surveillance programs, which the German chancellor, Angela Merkel, seemed to confirm.

      

  
  
  
  
• On Basketball: Heat’s Allen Knows All About Big 3s (Wed, 19 Jun 2013 15:00:03 GMT)
  Ray Allen’s 3-pointer sent Game 6 into overtime and may have saved the legacies and even the N.B.A. future of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh in Miami.

      

  
  
• Family: Country Singer Slim Whitman Dies at Age 90 (Wed, 19 Jun 2013 14:48:32 GMT)
  Country singer Slim Whitman, the high-pitched yodeler who sold millions of records through ever-present TV ads in the 1980s and 1990s and whose song saved the world in the film comedy "Mars Attacks!," died Wednesday at a Florida hospital. He was 90.

      

  
  
• Michael Hastings, Polk Winner, Dies in Crash at 33 (Wed, 19 Jun 2013 14:40:03 GMT)
  Mr. Hastings, the journalist whose reporting led to the ouster of the commander of American forces in Afghanistan in 2010, was killed in a car crash, the news Web site BuzzFeed said.

      

  
  
• Protests Widen as Brazilians Chide Leaders (Wed, 19 Jun 2013 12:21:55 GMT)
  Leaders offered conciliatory gestures, but demonstrators angry at corruption, the cost of living and public spending continued to flood the streets.

      

  
  
  
  

_{Copyright 2013 The New York Times Company}

• Three Naval Academy Midshipmen Accused of Sexual Assault (Wed, 19 Jun 2013 22:31:07 GMT)
  The case stems from an off-campus party in 2012 that involved heavy drinking.

      

  
  
  
  
• F.B.I. Hunt for Hoffa’s Remains Ends (Wed, 19 Jun 2013 22:27:08 GMT)
  The excavation of a rural field in suburban Detroit has failed to turn up the remains of former Teamsters union leader James R. Hoffa, adding another unsuccessful chapter to a nearly 40-year-old mystery.

      

  
  
  
  
• HPV Vaccine Is Credited in Fall of Teenagers’ Infection Rate (Wed, 19 Jun 2013 22:26:04 GMT)
  The prevalence of dangerous strains of the human papillomavirus, a principal cause of cervical cancer, has dropped by half in the last decade, officials say.

      

  
  
  
  
• Michael Hastings, Award-Winning Journalist, Dies at 33 (Wed, 19 Jun 2013 21:57:58 GMT)
  Mr. Hastings, an intrepid war zone reporter in Afghanistan and Iraq, won a Polk Award in 2010 for his Rolling Stone magazine cover story, “The Runaway General.”

      

  
  
  
  
• Statue Unveiled, Douglass Is Hailed for Equality Fight (Wed, 19 Jun 2013 21:55:54 GMT)
  A great-great-granddaughter of the abolitionist leader Frederick Douglass said that her ancestor believed in freedom and equality for “all of us, regardless of our race, gender, religion or sexual orientation.”

      

  
  
• F.B.I. Director Warns Against Dismantling Surveillance Program (Wed, 19 Jun 2013 18:09:17 GMT)
  Robert Mueller III told the Senate Judiciary Committee that investigators would be slowed in seeking to prevent terrorist attacks.

      

  
  
  
  
• Europe Fines Drug Companies for Delaying Generics (Wed, 19 Jun 2013 17:55:31 GMT)
  Antitrust regulators levied a total of $195.5 million in penalties for what they said were companies’ attempts to block a less expensive generic version of a popular antidepressant.

      

  
  
  
  
• Obama Preparing Big Effort to Curb Climate Change (Wed, 19 Jun 2013 17:03:07 GMT)
  Officials said President Obama would announce new policy initiatives in the coming weeks, including the first limits on greenhouse gas emissions from new and existing power plants.

      

  
  
  
  
• Merkel Challenges Obama on Surveillance (Wed, 19 Jun 2013 15:10:21 GMT)
  Speaking Wednesday in Berlin, President Obama said that German terrorist threats were among those foiled by American surveillance programs, which the German chancellor, Angela Merkel, seemed to confirm.

      

  
  
  
  
• Phys Ed: The 4-Minute Workout (Wed, 19 Jun 2013 14:03:39 GMT)
  A single, strenuous four-minute workout can effectively improve health and fitness as much as longer workouts can, researchers found. Download the “Well 4-Minute Workout” playlist for your workout.

      

  
  
• Dissent Festers in States That Obama Forgot (Wed, 19 Jun 2013 09:00:09 GMT)
  In a country splintered by partisanship and race, President Obama’s near-complete absence from more than 25 percent of states may have consequences.

      

  
  
• Hoffa Search Returns to Michigan (Wed, 19 Jun 2013 04:18:11 GMT)
  Since the 1975 disappearance of James R. Hoffa, the former Teamsters president, law enforcement officials have followed up a number of tips as to where his remains might lie.

      

  
  
  
  
• The F.B.I. Deemed Agents Faultless in 150 Shootings (Wed, 19 Jun 2013 02:54:45 GMT)
  Critics say the fact that no agent in the past two decades has been disciplined for deliberately shooting someone raises questions about the bureau’s internal investigations.

      

  
  
  
  
• Board to Vote on Condoms in Boston Schools (Wed, 19 Jun 2013 02:36:17 GMT)
  A new health policy that would make condoms available in the district’s high schools is up for a vote on Wednesday night.

      

  
  
  
  
• A Political Stalemate Ends in Washington, With Food Truck Rules (Wed, 19 Jun 2013 02:30:46 GMT)
  The City Council in Washington agreed on regulations for food trucks after a protracted legislative battle that consumed the city.

      

  
  
  
  
• U.S. Military Deaths in Afghanistan (Wed, 19 Jun 2013 02:25:36 GMT)
  The Department of Defense has identified 2,221 American service members who have died as a part of the Afghan war and related operations.

      

  
  
  
  
• In Bulger’s Underworld, a ‘Judas Was the Worst’ (Wed, 19 Jun 2013 02:22:35 GMT)
  In early testimony in the criminal trial of James (Whitey) Bulger, who is charged with racketeering and murder, witnesses shared their concepts of honor and loyalty.

      

  
  
  
  
• Uncertainty at Fed Over Its Stimulus Plans and Its Leadership (Wed, 19 Jun 2013 01:38:01 GMT)
  Ben S. Bernanke faces the growing challenge of shaping investor expectations amid increasing signs that his era as Federal Reserve chairman is ending.

      

  
  
  
  
• Spoils of the Sea Elude Many in an Alaska Antipoverty Plan (Wed, 19 Jun 2013 01:34:39 GMT)
  A government-backed fishery program meant to help impoverished Alaskans has made some villages haves and others have-nots.

      

  
  
  
  
• Audit Finds Sexual Abuse Was Topic Decades Ago (Wed, 19 Jun 2013 01:21:17 GMT)
  An auditors’ report found that sexual abuse by friars in the St. Joseph Province of the Capuchin Order was discussed at meetings as far back as 1932.

      

  
  
  
  
• NASA’s New Class of Astronauts Gives Parity to Men and Women (Wed, 19 Jun 2013 01:15:30 GMT)
  The eight recruits were selected from 6,300 applicants and will start training at the Johnson Space Center in Houston in August.

      

  
  
  
  
• Education Chief Lets States Delay Use of Tests in Decisions About Teachers’ Jobs (Wed, 19 Jun 2013 01:06:47 GMT)
  Responding to complaints, Education Secretary Arne Duncan said states could postpone for a year using more rigorous tests to make career decisions about teachers.

      

  
  
  
  
• Clues in the Search for a Sunken Ship, Lost in the 1600s (Wed, 19 Jun 2013 01:04:38 GMT)
  Experts hope that the search is over for the Griffin, a ship lost in Lake Michigan over 300 years ago that was commanded by a 17th-century French explorer.

      

  
  
• In Partisan Vote, House Approves Ban on Abortions After 22 Weeks (Wed, 19 Jun 2013 01:04:08 GMT)
  The House of Representatives approved a bill that would ban abortions after 22 weeks of pregnancy in a largely symbolic vote.

      

  
  
  
  
• Immigration Law Changes Seen Cutting Billions From Deficit (Wed, 19 Jun 2013 01:01:54 GMT)
  A long-awaited analysis by the Congressional Budget Office found that the benefits of an increase in legal residents would outweigh the costs.

      

  
  
  
  

_{Copyright 2013 The New York Times Company}

• Flooding Damages Lourdes, French Holy Site (Wed, 19 Jun 2013 23:28:41 GMT)
  Visited by nearly six million Christian pilgrims every year, the site is turning to the faithful for financial relief after storms inundated the celebrated grotto and vast subterranean church.

      

  
  
  
  
• Ex-Senator Feingold Chosen as Special Envoy to African Region (Wed, 19 Jun 2013 22:30:35 GMT)
  In choosing Russ Feingold, Secretary of State John Kerry moved to raise the profile of the Great Lakes region of Africa, which has been torn by conflict but overshadowed by other crises.

      

  
  
  
  
• Michael Hastings, Award-Winning Journalist, Dies at 33 (Wed, 19 Jun 2013 21:57:58 GMT)
  Mr. Hastings, an intrepid war zone reporter in Afghanistan and Iraq, won a Polk Award in 2010 for his Rolling Stone magazine cover story, “The Runaway General.”

      

  
  
  
  
• The Lede: Readers Debate Brazil’s Protests (Wed, 19 Jun 2013 21:32:42 GMT)
  As the unrest in Brazil has intensified, readers of The New York Times have attempted to explain the protests to a curious American audience in comments posted on this site in both English and Portuguese.

      

  
  
  
  
• For Many Filipinos, Jobs and the Good Life Are Still Scarce (Wed, 19 Jun 2013 21:26:34 GMT)
  The Philippines has the fastest-growing economy in East Asia. But unemployment is still rising and the number of people in poverty has barely changed in six years.

      

  
  
  
  
• Fast-Spreading Virus Under Inquiry in Saudi Arabia (Wed, 19 Jun 2013 21:06:07 GMT)
  An international team found that a person can get sick 5.2 days after being exposed to the MERS virus, which has infected 64 people in eight countries.

      

  
  
• Lens Blog: West Africa, as Seen From Its Barbershops (Wed, 19 Jun 2013 19:52:14 GMT)
  Andrew Esiebo, who documents barbershops in West Africa, is among an emerging generation of African photographers telling stories rooted in daily life but often overlooked.

      

  
  
  
  
• U.S. Presses Taliban on Qatar Office in Bid to Save Talks (Wed, 19 Jun 2013 18:20:40 GMT)
  American officials, worried about a crumbling peace process, moved to try to resolve the Afghan government’s objections to what appeared to be a publicity coup.

      

  
  
  
  
• Europe Fines Drug Companies for Delaying Generics (Wed, 19 Jun 2013 17:55:31 GMT)
  Antitrust regulators levied a total of $195.5 million in penalties for what they said were companies’ attempts to block a less expensive generic version of a popular antidepressant.

      

  
  
  
  
• Militants Attack U.N. Compound in Somalia’s Capital (Wed, 19 Jun 2013 17:31:47 GMT)
  The Shabab claimed responsibility for the assault in Mogadishu, which government officials said left at least 15 people dead, including 7 attackers.

      

  
  
  
  
• India Ink: Image of the Day: June 19 (Wed, 19 Jun 2013 17:28:49 GMT)
  Devotees gather at the Kamakhya temple in Guwahati, Assam, for the Ambubachi festival which begins on Saturday.

      

  
  
  
  
• Monsanto Executive Is Among World Food Prize Winners (Wed, 19 Jun 2013 17:10:29 GMT)
  Robert Fraley of Monsanto shares the prize with two other scientists prominent in the field of genetically modified crops.

      

  
  
  
  
• ‘Letter to a Refusing Pilot’ by Akram Zaatari (Wed, 19 Jun 2013 17:06:30 GMT)
  Akram Zaatari, who was selected to represent Lebanon at the 55th Venice Biennale, focused on an Israeli Air Force pilot’s act of conscientious objection with a quiet, evocative film.

      

  
  
  
  
• Warm Notes in Berlin for Obama and Merkel (Wed, 19 Jun 2013 17:03:01 GMT)
  President Obama and Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany showed an easy familiarity with each other during a news conference at the Chancellery and later at the Brandenburg Gate.

      

  
  
  
  
• Letter from India: India's Socialists Try to Find a Middle Way (Wed, 19 Jun 2013 16:52:18 GMT)
  Activists seek solutions to widespread poverty in a country that has undergone decades of economic liberalization and growth.

      

  
  
  
  
• BT Group Chief Resigns to Join British Government (Wed, 19 Jun 2013 16:12:43 GMT)
  Ian Livingston plans to become minister for trade and investment after five years of leading the British telecommunications giant.

      

  
  
• Japan to Overhaul Nuclear Safety Guidelines (Wed, 19 Jun 2013 16:02:59 GMT)
  The announcement by the country’s nuclear regulator starts a process that could allow some idled reactors to come back online early next year.

      

  
  
  
  
• IHT Rendezvous: And the Weatherman Says There’s More to Come (Wed, 19 Jun 2013 15:42:02 GMT)
  Europe has been enduring another year of unseasonable weather, and climate scientists warn that the pattern of extended winters and wet summers could last for years. Is it a natural phenomenon or does man-made climate change play a part?

      

  
  
  
  
• U.N. Reports Increased Number of Displaced People (Wed, 19 Jun 2013 15:21:27 GMT)
  The agency’s Global Trends report indicated that about 7.6 million people around the world were displaced last year because of conflict or persecution.

      

  
  
  
  
• Merkel Challenges Obama on Surveillance (Wed, 19 Jun 2013 15:10:21 GMT)
  Speaking Wednesday in Berlin, President Obama said that German terrorist threats were among those foiled by American surveillance programs, which the German chancellor, Angela Merkel, seemed to confirm.

      

  
  
  
  
• India Ink: Judge’s Remarks on Premarital Sex Raise Questions in India (Wed, 19 Jun 2013 14:41:24 GMT)
  The Madras High Court ordered a man to pay spousal support to his live-in partner of five years, who is also the mother of his children.

      

  
  
  
  
• High Level of Radioactive Strontium Found in Groundwater Near Fukushima Plant (Wed, 19 Jun 2013 13:35:50 GMT)
  Tokyo Electric Power said it had found strontium-90 at 30 times Japan’s safety limit in groundwater, raising concerns that the plant’s storage tanks are leaking contaminated water.

      

  
  
  
  
• Jerusalem Journal: A-List Celebration Traces Leader’s Trajectory, and Israel’s (Wed, 19 Jun 2013 13:14:32 GMT)
  Dignitaries and celebrities gathered on Tuesday to fete President Shimon Peres of Israel, already the world’s oldest leader, who turns 90 in August.

      

  
  
  
  
• Protests Widen as Brazilians Chide Leaders (Wed, 19 Jun 2013 12:21:55 GMT)
  Leaders offered conciliatory gestures, but demonstrators angry at corruption, the cost of living and public spending continued to flood the streets.

      

  
  
• Reception for Obama Is More Sober Than in 2008 (Wed, 19 Jun 2013 10:18:34 GMT)
  President Obama’s arrival in Berlin was greeted with far less fanfare than when he gave a speech as a candidate in 2008.

      

  
  
  
  

_{Copyright 2013 The New York Times Company}

• Op-Ed Columnist: Of Rats and Hit Men (Wed, 19 Jun 2013 21:34:05 GMT)
  The criminal trial of Boston’s Irish gang is an immorality tale brimming with Judases.

      

  
  
  
  
• Joe Nocera's Blog: The Gun Report: June 19, 2013 (Wed, 19 Jun 2013 17:48:13 GMT)
  A day in the life of armed America.

      

  
  
  
  
• Opinionator | Fixes: An Investment Strategy in the Human Interest (Wed, 19 Jun 2013 17:32:43 GMT)
  What if projects to end malaria or sleeping sickness were treated like business startups? The idea of development impact bonds is a step in that direction.

      

  
  
  
  
• The Conversation: Border Raids (Wed, 19 Jun 2013 17:10:04 GMT)
  Brooks and Collins review Rick Perry’s traveling salesman act.

      

  
  
• Opinionator | Disunion: ‘Slaves of the Marriage Union’ (Wed, 19 Jun 2013 16:29:58 GMT)
  How did the women’s rights movement fare during the Civil War?

      

  
  
• Taking Note: Boehner’s Latest Blow to Immigration (Wed, 19 Jun 2013 14:50:28 GMT)
  How John Boehner’s latest contribution to the immigration legislation weakens its chances of passing.

      

  
  
  
  
• Latitude: Beyond Sweatshops (Wed, 19 Jun 2013 13:08:33 GMT)
  Pakistani manufacturers with cutting-edge operations struggle to make headway because of government failures.

      

  
  
  
  
• Editorial: The Taliban Agree to Talk (Wed, 19 Jun 2013 01:06:46 GMT)
  While a public declaration of being interested in negotiating peace is a breakthrough of sorts, any real progress remains a long shot.

      

  
  
  
  
• Op-Ed Columnist: Postcard From Turkey (Wed, 19 Jun 2013 01:06:41 GMT)
  The protesters in Istanbul have a message for Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan: Butt out!

      

  
  
  
  
• Editorial: Proper Scrutiny for Drug Settlements (Wed, 19 Jun 2013 01:06:38 GMT)
  The Federal Trade Commission says pay-for-delay practices cost Americans billions annually in higher drug prices. The Supreme Court has given the government the power to ensure more market competition.

      

  
  
  
  
• Editorial: Details on Spying, Not More Assurances (Wed, 19 Jun 2013 01:06:38 GMT)
  President Obama promised transparency, and he can begin with the secret surveillance court.

      

  
  
  
  
• Op-Ed Contributors: How to End the Stalemate With Iran (Wed, 19 Jun 2013 01:01:31 GMT)
  America and Iran mustn’t be deluded by false perceptions. If both believe they have the upper hand in negotiations, there will be no nuclear deal.

      

  
  
  
  
• Op-Ed Contributor: Our Genes, Their Secrets (Wed, 19 Jun 2013 01:00:11 GMT)
  Why the Supreme Court’s ruling on gene patents is only a partial victory for DNA-data sharing.

      

  
  
  
  
• Editorial: Lawmakers in Albany Should Stay Put (Wed, 19 Jun 2013 00:59:40 GMT)
  Public financing is at the top of the list of business not finished by New York’s lawmakers.

      

  
  
  
  
• Op-Ed Contributor: Surviving the Next Gulf Oil Spill (Wed, 19 Jun 2013 00:58:26 GMT)
  A nickel of every dollar from the BP-oil-spill fines should be used to protect coastal marshes and wetlands to help the gulf survive the next oil spill.

      

  
  
  
  
• Letter: Unpaid Internships (Wed, 19 Jun 2013 00:47:07 GMT)
  A former intern observes that low-income students cannot afford to take jobs with little or no pay.

      

  
  
  
  
• Letter: Coal Exports and Prosperity (Wed, 19 Jun 2013 00:47:02 GMT)
  The National Mining Association discusses the benefits of coal exports in American jobs and affordable energy.

      

  
  
  
  
• Letter: Protecting Your Privacy (Wed, 19 Jun 2013 00:47:02 GMT)
  A reader says Congress must act; meantime, as a precaution, use the Postal Service.

      

  
  
  
  
• Letter: Delay of a Lifesaving Rule (Wed, 19 Jun 2013 00:47:02 GMT)
  Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety decries inaction on a rule to prevent backover crashes.

      

  
  
  
  
• Letter: Competition and Jobs (Wed, 19 Jun 2013 00:47:02 GMT)
  James J. Florio, a former Democratic governor of New Jersey, discusses global competition and the American job market.

      

  
  
  
  
• Letters: Developing Drugs for Rare Diseases (Wed, 19 Jun 2013 00:47:02 GMT)
  The New York Stem Cell Foundation and Research!America discuss the problem of developing drugs that help only a relative few patients.

      

  
  
  
  
• Room for Debate: Out of Officials' Hands and Onto the Ballot (Tue, 18 Jun 2013 20:24:13 GMT)
  Should voters enact more local laws through ballot initiatives? Or would that become too chaotic?

      

  
  
  
  
• Letter: Invitation to a Dialogue: A Doctor Shortage (Tue, 18 Jun 2013 19:35:14 GMT)
  A reader notes that expanding health care coverage is useless unless there are enough doctors to treat everyone. Readers are invited to respond.

      

  
  
  
  
• Taking Note: What Does Limbaugh Think the Pro-Choice Are Choosing? (Tue, 18 Jun 2013 17:29:17 GMT)
  Rush Limbaugh’s latest characterizations of of the pro-choice are outrageous.

      

  
  
  
  
• Joe Nocera's Blog: The Gun Report: June 18, 2013 (Tue, 18 Jun 2013 14:45:13 GMT)
  A day in the life of armed America.

      

  
  
  
  

_{Copyright 2013 The New York Times Company}

• Proper Scrutiny for Drug Settlements (Wed, 19 Jun 2013 00:00:00 -0500)
  The Federal Trade Commission says pay-for-delay practices cost Americans billions annually in higher drug prices. The Supreme Court has given the government the power to ensure more market competition.
  
• The Taliban Agree to Talk (Wed, 19 Jun 2013 00:00:00 -0500)
  While a public declaration of being interested in negotiating peace is a breakthrough of sorts, any real progress remains a long shot.
  
• Details on Spying, Not More Assurances (Wed, 19 Jun 2013 00:00:00 -0500)
  President Obama promised transparency, and he can begin with the secret surveillance court.
  
• Lawmakers in Albany Should Stay Put (Wed, 19 Jun 2013 00:00:00 -0500)
  Public financing is at the top of the list of business not finished by New York’s lawmakers.
  
• The Court: Congress Regulates Federal Elections (Tue, 18 Jun 2013 00:00:00 -0500)
  In the Arizona case, the power of Congress to regulate federal elections is affirmed.
  
• The Court: Right and Wrong on Criminal Justice (Tue, 18 Jun 2013 00:00:00 -0500)
  Two criminal justice rulings affect Americans’ basic rights.
  
• The U.S.D.A. Inspects Its Inspectors (Tue, 18 Jun 2013 00:00:00 -0500)
  A new report from the inspector general about the department’s visual and manual inspection of meat is not encouraging.
  
• A Promising Moment in Iran (Tue, 18 Jun 2013 00:00:00 -0500)
  The election of Hassan Rowhani as president gives Iran and the United States an opportunity for new diplomatic engagement, which neither can afford to squander.
  
• Release the Facts About the I.R.S. Scandal (Mon, 17 Jun 2013 00:00:00 -0500)
  House Republicans talk about a White House connection, despite evidence to the contrary. It’s time they released the transcripts from their investigation.
  
• The Forgotten 50,000 (Mon, 17 Jun 2013 00:00:00 -0500)
  The next New York City mayor will inherit an overlooked emergency: homelessness
  

_{Copyright 2013 The New York Times Company}