The government has imposed lockdowns and is testing and tracing aggressively to fight a new outbreak. Experts say it is time for the country to rethink its approach to the virus.

After Months as a Covid Success Story, China Tries to Tame Delta

A second union vote may be held at an Alabama warehouse, and new tactics by the Teamsters and other groups aim to pressure Amazon across the country.

Amazon Faces Wider Fight Over Labor Practices

The “Saturday Night Live” star shares the story of her pandemic experience and a life touched by grief in “This Will All Be Over Soon.”

Cecily Strong Is Starting a New Conversation

The small Mediterranean country is in the throes of a financial crisis that the World Bank has said could rank among the world’s worst since the mid-1800s.

Collapse: Inside Lebanon’s Worst Economic Meltdown in More Than a Century

A diverse board of comics is trying to build an inclusive, accessible institution. But knowing what they don’t want to be may not be enough.

A New Improv Theater Tries to Be the Anti-U.C.B. Is That a Trap, Too?

With the vaccinated elderly susceptible to breakthrough infections, inoculation of workers is becoming more urgent.

Nursing Homes Confront New Covid Outbreaks Amid Calls for Staff Vaccination Mandates

The government accuses gun makers and suppliers of knowingly flooding the market with firearms attractive to drug cartels.

Mexico Sues Gun Companies in U.S., Accusing Them of Fueling Violence

District attorneys in Manhattan, Nassau, Oswego and Westchester Counties announced that they were investigating Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s actions. An impeachment inquiry is ongoing.

Facing Loss of Supporters, Cuomo Gains Attention From Prosecutors

At Jacob’s Pillow, with all shows outdoors, a new uncontrollable element emerged: weather. That’s where Paul Caiano comes in.

This Summer’s Dance MVP: The Weatherman

A growing bipartisan consensus to repeal decades-old military authorizations is driven partly by a shift among Republicans toward Donald J. Trump’s “America First” approach.

Debate Over Presidential War Powers Sets Up Test for a Divided G.O.P.

For years, the New York governor played the tough guy. And people bought his act.

How Cuomo Got Away With It for So Long

The Artist Pension Trust was created to pool, store and sell the works of painters and sculptors. After it drew complaints from many of those clients, two reporters set out to learn more.

Digging Into a Dispute Over a Company Entrusted With Art

The most stubborn social network admits defeat, retires Fleets.

Twitter Is Stuck With Itself, Too

Quotation of the Day for Wednesday, August 4, 2021.

Quotation of the Day: First Gold in Wrestling for a Black Woman

For these North Korean defectors, the road to liberty was paved in denim.

Tracing Freedom to a Pair of Jeans

Under a draft plan Democrats are circulating, the Treasury Department would tax a handful of the biggest emitters of planet-warming pollution to pay for climate change.

Democrats Seek $500 Billion in Climate Damages From Big Polluting Companies

Newly Published, From Octogenarian Marathoners to a Haunted Southern Plantation Wedding

Many people find trees a little enigmatic. But there is help for the asking. (And it’s free.)

Questions About Tree Care? You’re Not Alone.

The company expects to end the year with about 8.5 million. In its quarterly results, it reported holding nearly $1 billion in cash.

The New York Times Reaches 8 Million Subscriptions

A dry season made worse by climate change has left cow farmers with dwindling feed.

Farmers Race to Save Their Cattle From Canada’s Drought

Militants in Lebanon fired rockets at Israel, which retaliated with artillery fire. Amid rising frictions in the region, Israeli officials hinted they would respond forcefully to recent escalations linked to Iran.

Tensions Flare Again Along Israel-Lebanon Border

When the Photographers’ Gallery opened in London in 1971, few saw the medium as suitable for exhibitions. Today, everyone does.

50 Years of Taking Photography Seriously

Chris Cuomo, the top-rated host, left some colleagues confused after he did not acknowledge the calls for Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s resignation during his Tuesday show.

CNN’s Cuomo Conundrum: A Star Anchor With a Brother in Trouble

The C.D.C. isn’t following its own guidance to “be first, be right, be credible.”

The C.D.C. Needs to Stop Confusing the Public

Namir Smallwood and Jon Michael Hill talk about returning to the roles of two men trapped by existential dread and what it means to land on Broadway.

August 4, 2021

Headlines from August 4, 2021

After Months as a Covid Success Story, China Tries to Tame Delta

Amazon Faces Wider Fight Over Labor Practices

Cecily Strong Is Starting a New Conversation

Collapse: Inside Lebanon’s Worst Economic Meltdown in More Than a Century

A New Improv Theater Tries to Be the Anti-U.C.B. Is That a Trap, Too?

Billboard 200

F*ck Love

Sour

Planet Her

Dangerous: The Double Album

Faith

Historical Context for August 4, 2021