Friday Briefing: 2 Israeli embassy staff killed

Plus, books to look forward to.
Morning Briefing: Asia Pacific Edition
May 23, 2025

Good morning. We're covering the shooting of two Israeli embassy aides in Washington and deliveries of aid to Gaza.

Plus, books to look forward to.

Several men stand and others kneel on a sidewalk with caution tape strung across it.
Outside the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, yesterday. Caroline Gutman for The New York Times

Two Israeli Embassy aides were killed in Washington

The man accused in the fatal shooting of two Israeli Embassy employees in Washington late Wednesday had a history of pro-Palestinian activism, U.S. officials said. The suspect, identified as Elias Rodriguez of Chicago, who is in his early 30s, declared "Free, free Palestine" after he was detained. He has been charged with first-degree murder and other crimes.

The F.B.I. director yesterday referred to the killings as an act of terror. The two aides were shot outside the Capital Jewish Museum, where the American Jewish Committee was hosting a reception for young diplomats. Here's the latest.

The victims: Yaron Lischinsky, 30, and Sarah Milgrim, 26, were a couple. She was a research assistant in the political department at the embassy and he organized trips to Israel. Lischinsky had just bought an engagement ring.

Details: Officials said the gunman approached four people who were leaving the event, shot the two victims and then entered the museum, where he was detained by security officers. Here's what we know about the suspect.

Context: Groups that monitor hate crimes said the shooting was part of a global surge in antisemitic incidents.

Two men standing near stacks of food aid.
A bakery in central Gaza. Eyad Baba/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

Aid deliveries began to reach Gazans

The first major influx of food aid since Israel imposed a blockade two months ago reached Gaza yesterday, the U.N. said. The U.N. and Israel confirmed that about 90 truckloads of aid had begun to reach warehouses and other points inside the territory after days of delays.

But U.N. aid officials said the shipment was a tiny fraction of what was needed. Israel's ban on the entry of food and fuel has led to widespread hunger.

Yesterday, some bakeries in central and southern Gaza resumed production for the first time since April 2, according to the head of the Gaza Bakers Association. In the Nuseirat area of central Gaza, there were large crowds rushing to collect the bread, raising safety concerns for the bakery workers, he added.

An older woman with short white hair standing for a portrait outside a rural home and next to an R.V. with a flag depicting a red maple leaf alongside stars and stripes.
Paulette McCulloch would like to see Alberta become part of the U.S. Amber Bracken for The New York Times

A secession bid in Canada

The western province of Alberta is laying the groundwork for a referendum on whether to secede from Canada. While the likelihood of that happening is slim, putting the question on the ballot points to a deep well of grievances.

Many Albertans feel the Canadian government has unfairly placed limits on the province's vast oil and gas resources while dutifully collecting taxes. A small minority of separatists have seen their voices amplified in part because of President Trump's calls to annex Canada.

MORE TOP NEWS

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Fires in Brazil's Brasilia National Park in September. Eraldo Peres/Associated Press

Business and Tech

Go Deeper

  • South Africa: President Cyril Ramaphosa walked away from a White House meeting with Trump bruised and uncertain about his country's crucial relationship with the U.S.
  • Fact-check: At the meeting, Trump presented a video that he claimed showed the "burial sites" of white farmers in South Africa. It didn't.

SPORTS NEWS

  • Soccer: This is how Tottenham ended their trophy drought by beating Manchester United.
  • Tennis: Novak Djokovic returns to Roland Garros in search of another milestone after finally securing an Olympic gold medal.
  • Golf: Max Homa was once a coming force. Now, out of form and out of sorts, he is proof that golf is truly the cruelest game.

MORNING READ

A portrait shows a woman in a white dress set against white curtains.
Sam Hellmann for The New York Times

Few movie stars today win over critics and convey Old Hollywood glamour as effortlessly as Scarlett Johansson does.

At the Cannes Film Festival, which ends this weekend, Johansson presented her feature directing debut, "Eleanor the Great." She sat down with our chief film critic, Manohla Dargis, to talk about her film and how, despite a long career in front of the camera, she always thought she would end up behind it. Read their conversation.

Lives lived: Simon Mann, a former British commando who sought to overthrow the leader of Equatorial Guinea, died at 72.

CONVERSATION STARTERS

This weekend, check out these new Times podcasts.

ARTS AND IDEAS

Looking for a great read? We can help.

The next few months are looking good for nonfiction fans. Prizewinning writers are tackling subjects such as how streetwear became high fashion and what a meal with King Tut might have smelled like. Or if memoirs are more your thing, there are yarns about celibacy, spycraft and the risqué misadventures of an aspiring chef in London. Here's the full list.

For fiction lovers, the selection of new novels features stories about queer vampires, a professor in hell and an actress's revenge.

Watch Gilbert Cruz, our Book Review editor, preview four new books he's looking forward to.

The New York Times

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Cook: Here's a pasta dish for tuna salad lovers.

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That's it for today. See you next time. — Justin.

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