The Headlines - Israel Orders Evacuation of Gaza City, and Congress Releases Epstein Birthday Notes

Episode Date: September 9, 2025

Plus, the fight for control of Fox News. On Today’s Episode:Israeli Military Orders Residents of Gaza City to Evacuate, by Adam RasgonHouse Panel Releases Drawing for Epstein Apparently Signed by Trump, by Michael GoldSupreme Court Lifts Restrictions on L.A. Immigration Stops, by Adam LiptakTrump Administration Says It Has Begun Immigration Crackdown in Chicago, by Hamed Aleaziz and Julie BosmanInside the Deal Ending the Murdoch Succession Fight, by Jim Rutenberg and Jonathan MahlerReading Skills of 12th Graders Hit a New Low, by Dana GoldsteinAmerica’s Best Restaurants 2025Tune in every weekend morning, and tell us what you think at: [e-mail]. Unlock full access to New York Times podcasts and explore everything from politics to pop culture. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Also, for more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.

From the New York Times, it's the headlines. I'm Tracy Mumford. Today's Tuesday, September 9th. Here's what we're covering. This morning, the Israeli military ordered residents of Gaza City to evacuate, signaling its moving ahead with its full-scale invasion of the city. The order will force hundreds of thousands of people to decide whether to risk staying put or fleeing south to areas that are already overcrowded, many of which are in ruins. A military spokesman posted on social media, quote, The Israeli Defense Force is insistent on finishing Hamas and will act in Gaza City with great force,

adding, for your safety, evacuate immediately. Residents have been instructed to go to what Israel calls a humanitarian area south of the city. Earlier in the war, the military told Palestinians to go to the same general area, calling at a humanitarian zone, but still carried out air strikes there. The United Nations has warned that further military operations in Gaza City will cause a catastrophe for civilians. More than 60,000 people have been killed in the war so far, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.

Now, two updates out of Washington. In Congress, the House Oversight Committee, which had subpoenaed the estate of Jeffrey Epstein, for a batch of documents, released many of them last night. The most closely scrutinized was a note from a book created for Epstein's 50th birthday that appears to be signed by President Trump. Featuring a sexually suggestive drawing of a woman, the note includes the line, We have certain things in common, Jeffrey, and closes with a reference to a, quote, wonderful secret the two men share. It's signed Donald, in what looks similar to the president's

distinctive handwriting. The White House has denied that he drew or signed the card. Trump previously sued the Wall Street Journal for defamation after it reported the card existed. Trump and Epstein were friends in the 90s and early 2000s, and the president is continuing to face tremendous backlash for how his administration is handling the Epstein case. And at the Supreme Court, the justices lifted restrictions on how federal agents can make immigration stops in Los Angeles. A lower court had ruled that agents could not single people out based only on race or ethnicity, or if they were speaking Spanish or accented English, or if they were near a place where immigrants frequently work. The Supreme Court overruled that.

The order was unsigned and gave no reasons, but the court's three liberal justices dissented. Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote that the administration had, quote, all but declared that all Latinos, U.S. citizens or not, who work low-wage jobs, are fair game to be seized at any time. Because there was no explanation with the court's order, it's hard to say whether it applies just to Los Angeles, or the case originated, or nationwide. But it's expected to emboldened the administration in its aggressive push to step up deportations. Meanwhile, in Chicago. My employees were telling me this morning that you literally went out in the morning and the streets were empty. They were empty as if, like, people aren't going to work.

And even some of my employees mentioned to me that they didn't take their kids to school, you know, because of the fear. Residents and business owners tell the times that some neighborhoods went eerily quiet yesterday. After the Trump administration officially launched the immigration crackdown, it had been promising for weeks. It's estimated that about 8% of households. in the city are undocumented. For the moment, local officials say that the operation appears to be limited and that there hasn't been a surge in arrests. On Monday, the Murdoch family, whose media empire includes Fox News and the New York Post,

reached a multi-billion-dollar agreement to settle an epic fight over the future of the family business. At the center of it all was the question of who will control that empire after its founder, 94-year-old Rupert Murdoch, dies. He said he wants the companies to be the, quote, protector of the conservative voice in the English-speaking world. But in recent years, that legacy came under threat as a political rift opened between his children, some of whom are less conservative. Rupert and his son Lachlan, his chosen heir, launched a remarkable effort to try and change the terms of the family trust and effectively push out the heirs who, who weren't on board. That bid failed in court, but it led to the negotiated agreement that

was signed yesterday. In it, Lachlan's three oldest siblings will each get about a billion dollars. In exchange, Lachlan will consolidate his control of the business, which he's expected to continue to run with a conservative bent. New national test scores out this morning show that the reading skills of high school seniors in the U.S. are the worst they've been in more than three decades. Math skills are also down at a 20-year low. That means only about a third of students are leaving high school with the skills they'd need to do college-level work. The decline was most pronounced among students already considered low-performing. The scores come from the National Assessment of Educational

Progress, or N-A-E-P, and there are yet another sign that teens have been struggling in the wake of the pandemic, which upended education with widespread school closures. Experts say there are also other factors at play, including some that predate the pandemic, like increases in teens' screen time and social media use. The NAEP has long been considered the gold standard for these kinds of tests, but the agency that runs the exam has faced widespread cuts under the Trump administration. Earlier this year, it had about 100 full-time employees. Now it's down to just three.

And finally, the Times annual list of the 50 Best Restaurants is out today. It's got everything from an upscale fish shack in Charleston to a West African restaurant in Houston that started as a food stand. Compiling the list is a months-long undertaking with reporters and editors fanning out across the U.S. They have a whole process to how they do it. They show up at restaurants unannounced and they pay for all the food. They don't accept any freebies. And as they look for what stands out, they get a wide view of American dining along the way. When we eat this many meals, we definitely notice trends that emerge across the country,

even in different sorts of restaurants with different cuisines. Brian Gallowher is the editor of the list and was part of the team going out to restaurants. This year, we saw a lot of counter-service-style approaches with really good cooking, but sort of minimal servers at the table. I know that's an economic model that helps a lot of restaurants cut staff costs. Another thing that we've seen a lot of that's also an economic model as much as anything is the all-day cafe. So you'll see a restaurant that's open for dinner service and really accomplished cooking, but they'll have baked goods or smaller dishes throughout the day that are a lower lift,

but oftentimes really delicious as well. That helps them stay open and make money for more hours in a day. In terms of atmosphere, we're seeing a lot of homey touches, seeing a lot more candles and sort of mismatched silverware, chalkboard menus, things like that that are like a little eclectic homespun and feel really kind of human and tactile. You can find the full list of the best restaurants at n.yatimes.com. Those are the headlines. Today on the Daily, how Russia has transformed its economy to keep its war machine running. You can listen to that in the New York Times app or wherever you get your

podcasts. I'm Tracy Mumford. We'll be back tomorrow.