Monday Briefing: Floods in Texas killed nearly 80

Plus, the case of the lost Stradivarius.

View in browser|nytimes.com July 7, 2025 By Justin Porter Good morning. We're covering the devastating floods in Texas and talks on a cease-fire in Gaza. Plus, the case of the lost Stradivarius. Search and rescue teams in Texas yesterday.  Jordan Vonderhaar for The New York Times Floods in Texas have killed 79 people, including 28 children Hundreds of searchers were combing wide swaths of central Texas yesterday after severe rainfall caused flash flooding on the Guadalupe River. As the death toll climbed to 79, and dozens remained unaccounted for, forecasters warned of more rain and possible flash flooding in hard-hit areas.We have live updates. At least 28 of the victims were children. Ten girls from a summer camp remained missing. Among the victims were 8-year-old and 9-year-old campers. Here's what we know about some of them. How it unfolded: The first flash-flood warning from torrential rain went out just before midnight on Thursday. At about 4 a.m. Friday, county authorities advised residents and campers to "seek higher ground now!" after the Guadalupe River had risen 22 feet, or 6 meters, in three hours. Here's why the flooding was so intense. Questions: Crucial positions at the local offices of the National Weather Service were vacant, prompting some experts to question whether staffing shortages made it harder for the agency to coordinate with local emergency managers. Climate: Colossal bursts of rain like the ones that caused the deadly flooding in Texas are becoming more frequent and intense around the globe as the burning of fossil fuels heats the planet, scientists say. Pool photo by Jack Guez Netanyahu is headed to the White House Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel is set to meet with President Trump today in Washington to discuss a cease-fire deal for Gaza. Trump said he hoped an initial truce could come together this week. The cease-fire deal would see Hamas release hostages and could ultimately end Israel's war in the Palestinian enclave, which was set off by the Hamas-led Oct. 7 attack on Israel. Yesterday, Israel sent negotiators to Qatar to try to bridge differences with Hamas, which agreed to enter into talks on a 60-day truce. In Israel, opposition to the war in Gaza has been growing. Many people are asking what the military is still doing there, with more than 20 soldiers killed in the past month, according to the military. More than 55,000 Palestinians have been killed so far, according to Gaza health officials. Other Middle East news: Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, appeared publicly for the first time since the 12-day war with Israel began last month, attending the Shiite ceremony for Ashura. Analysts expect Iran to use the BRICS summit that began yesterday in Brazil as an opportunity to shore up support after Israeli and U.S. military strikes. Some U.S. officials talked about an "axis" between China, Russia, Iran and North Korea, but the American and Israeli war with Iran has exposed the limits of that idea. The New York Times Why the Dalai Lama's succession is complicated The Dalai Lama, who turned 90 yesterday, has promised that China will have no say in the process of choosing his successor. But there are signs that China's leaders may dispute the choice and designate a Dalai Lama of their own. My colleague Mujib Mashal, our South Asia bureau chief, explains in the video above why this process could increase tensions with China. For more: The exile government built in the Indian Himalayas to preserve Tibetans' cultural identity will be tested by the Dalai Lama's succession. MORE TOP NEWS Haiyun Jiang for The New York Times U.S.: Elon Musk said that he would create a new political party, the America Party, that would be active in elections next year. Australia: Many Jews in the country are on edge after two violent episodes in Melbourne, one at a synagogue and one at an Israeli restaurant. Oil: Saudi Arabia, Russia and six other OPEC Plus members agreed to pump more oil starting in August, an increase that could lead to lower prices. Kenya: The death in police custody of the blogger Albert Ojwang has thrust the country's policing tactics into the spotlight and fueled a wave of protests. Diplomacy: The E.U. is stuck between the U.S. and China as it tries to negotiate with Trump on tariffs and keep ties with Beijing on stable footing. Weather: Typhoon Danas is taking shape in the South China Sea. See our tracking map. Trade and Tech A.I.: Hangzhou, home to DeepSeek and Alibaba, has become the center of China's A.I. frenzy. Tariffs: Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said he expected more deals to be reached with some countries before the Tuesday deadline, Mexico: Relying on Asian suppliers is no longer a safe bet for many Mexican factories. Companies are racing to change. Go Deeper Screens: By December, Australia wants to remove more than a million young teenagers from social media. Can it succeed? Weapons: Europe plans to nearly double its military spending, but it lacks alternatives to some of the advanced equipment that U.S. companies produce. Among them is the F-35. SPORTS NEWS Kirill Kudryavtsev/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images Tennis: Carlos Alcaraz and Aryna Sabalenka advanced on Day 7 of Wimbledon. Follow live coverage here. Soccer: Gondomar, the Portuguese suburb where Diogo Jota spent his childhood and played for the local team, is mourning the loss. Formula 1: Lando Norris closed the gap on his teammate and rival, Oscar Piastri, to claim victory at a chaotic and wet British Grand Prix. MORNING READ Dmitry Kostyukov for The New York Times In a world full of grim news, this is cause for celebration: The Seine has reopened to public swimming after a century. Swimming was banned in 1923 because of boat traffic and pollution. Now, the river is clean enough for humans to dive in. My colleague Catherine Porter took a plunge and marveled as she found yet another reason to love Paris. Lives lived: Stuart Burrows, a Welsh lyric tenor acclaimed for his full range and a rich, unforced tone, notably while singing Mozart, died at 92. CONVERSATION STARTERS David Vintiner for The New York Times "Daddy" Trump: In "The Interview," the head of NATO, Mark Rutte, makes clear that he is not interested in alienating the U.S. president. YouTube pirates: Users are uploading thousands of movies, TV shows and live sports using new tactics to evade the platform's piracy detection tools. Money talks: How many dates should you go on before you start talking about money? Experts say discussing it sooner is better than later. "The Odyssey": A teaser for Christopher Nolan's next film, which is still a year away, has fans buzzing. ARTS AND IDEAS The Mendelssohn violin in photographs taken before it went missing in 1945. Mendelssohn-Bohnke Papers The case of a lost Stradivarius might be solved For decades, the Mendelssohn-Bohnke family searched for a rare violin, a family treasure that was plundered from a bank in Berlin at the end of World War II. The violin, by the Italian luthier Antonio Stradivari, was valued at millions of dollars. Now, the instrument, known as the Mendelssohn, may have resurfaced. A scholar recently spotted a violin that bore striking similarities to the Mendelssohn in photos from a 2018 exhibition of Stradivarius instruments in Tokyo. After a careful review of earlier images of the lost instrument, experts are convinced they match. Read more. RECOMMENDATIONS Joe Lingeman for The New York Times Cook: This may be the perfect gochujang sauce for burgers, marinades and dressings. Read: Here are nine new books we recommend this week. Watch: The Turkish series "Bet Your Life" features a ghost and a small-town murder. Exercise: Try one of these six workouts in the great outdoors. Compete: Test your knowledge of history with our flashback quiz. Play: Spelling Bee, the Mini Crossword, Wordle and Sudoku. Find all our games here. That's it for today. See you tomorrow. — Justin We welcome your feedback. Send us your suggestions at briefing@nytimes.com. If you received this newsletter from someone else, subscribe here. Need help? Review our newsletter help page or contact us for assistance. You received this email because you signed up for Morning Briefing: Asia Pacific Edition from The New York Times. To stop receiving Morning Briefing: Asia Pacific Edition, unsubscribe. 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