Examining President Trump’s praise of a rallygoer who punched a protester last week, David E. Sanger, a White House and national security correspondent for The New York Times, studied the atmosphere at Mr. Trump’s recent events. What he found was a faint echo of the moments that made Mr. Trump’s 2016 rallies so shocking.

The president contended that Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, a Muslim, would “invite hordes of jihadis to our shores” as he sought to bolster the G.O.P. candidate in a tight Senate race.

© Haiyun Jiang/The New York Times

With new intelligence and the possibility of all sides seeking pretexts for action, the war in Iran is entering a dangerous phase ahead of elections in the United States and Israel.

© Arash Khamooshi/Polaris for The New York Times