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A decade ago, President Vladimir Putin seized Crimea from Ukraine, a bold land grab that set the stage for Russia to invade its neighbor in 2022. The quick and bloodless seizure of the diamond-shaped peninsula, home to Russia’s Black Sea fleet and a popular vacation site, touched off a wave of patriotism and sent Putin’s popularity soaring. Now that he has swept to another six-year term as president, Putin is determined to extend those gains in Ukraine amid Russia’s battlefield successes and waning Western support for Kyiv. While Putin is vague about his goals in the war, some of his top lieutenants still talk of capturing Kyiv and cutting Ukraine’s access to the Black Sea.

The lack of excitement many Americans feel about a presidential rematch has heightened interest in alternatives to the major-party candidates — none more so than Robert F. Kennedy Jr., whose famous name has helped him build buzz for his independent bid. Kennedy is a huge longshot to win electoral votes, much less the presidency. But his campaign events have drawn large crowds of supporters and people interested in his message. He plans to announce his vice presidential nominee later this month in Oakland, California, and is stoking expectations that he might pick New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers or former Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura.

A ship carrying 200 tons of aid is approaching the coast of Gaza to inaugurate a sea route from Cyprus. The ship was expected to arrive later Friday. The sea route is intended to bring more assistance to alleviate the humanitarian crisis in the enclave five months into the war between Israel and Hamas. The food on the ship was sent by World Central Kitchen, the charity founded by celebrity chef José Andrés, and was transported by the Spanish aid group Open Arms. The ship left Cyprus on Tuesday.

The United States and Europe are focusing on opening a sea route to bring humanitarian aid into Gaza as alarm grows over the spread of hunger among the besieged territory’s 2.3 million people. However, aid officials say deliveries by ships or recently begun airdrops are far more costly and inefficient than sending trucks by land. And on Friday, five people in Gaza were killed and several others injured when airdrops malfunctioned and hit people and landed on homes, Palestinian officials said. After more than five months of war, much of Gaza is in ruins. The U.N. says a quarter of the population faces starvation.

Florida school districts could opt to allow volunteer chaplains in schools under a bill the Legislature sent to Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis. The Senate passed the bill Thursday over the objections of opponents who argued religion should be kept out of schools. Supporters argued the legislation will provide another resource for children while opponents pointed to chaplains that serve other government roles, such as police or military chaplains. Schools would have to publish online the names and religions of chaplains picked to participate in the program and parents would have to give permission before children could meet with them.

Social media users shared a range of false claims this week. Here are the facts: The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives has not updated its background check policy to allow people in the U.S. illegally to purchase firearms. Federal law prohibits people in the country illegally from purchasing or possessing firearms, with “limited exceptions,” an ATF spokesperson said.  Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency did not call the U.S. Air Force an “enemy” of Israel in a post on X after an active-duty member of the military branch set himself on fire outside the Israeli Embassy in Washington, D.C. The account that made the post is not affiliated with Mossad.

Old age may be debated as a liability on the presidential campaign trail, but it's not at this year’s Oscars. The 83-year-old Hayao Miyazaki is the older director ever nominated for best animated film. Martin Scorsese, at 81, is the oldest best director nominee ever. The 78-year-old Wim Wenders and the 86-year-old Ridley Scott also have nominated films. We may be living in the golden age of the aged filmmaker. Filmmaking is a rough-and-tumble business that requires an army of collaborators and millions of dollars and can be a grueling endeavor. But more mature moviemakers may be working than ever before.