A Meeting of World Leaders, With Two Major Absences

President Biden arrived today in New Delhi for the Group of 20 summit, where the world leaders not in the room at the meeting this weekend may be as important as those who are there. China’s leader, Xi Jinping, and President Vladimir Putin of Russia both decided to skip this year’s event, leaving a hole that the U.S. is seeking to fill.

At the summit, Biden plans to use the absences of Xi and Putin as an opportunity to present his case to the large group of important leaders that they should align with the U.S. on major issues including condemning Russia’s war in Ukraine and curbing China’s assertiveness.

There is little to no hope, however, that the G20 will as a group agree on issues such as aid to Ukraine or any sort of joint communiqué, which both China and Russia would have to sign off on.

Still, Biden will try to shore up his relationship with the summit’s host, Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India. My colleague Katie Rogers, who is covering the summit, said Biden saw Modi as “politically stable.” But, she added, “it remains to be seen how much of a partner he could be in forcefully countering China’s rise.”

A Georgia panel recommended charging Lindsey Graham

A special grand jury that investigated election interference allegations in Georgia recommended indicting a number of Trump allies who were not charged, including Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, according to a report that was unsealed today.

When charges were handed up by a regular grand jury in Atlanta last month, Donald Trump and 18 of his allies were charged under the state’s racketeering laws. But, despite the recommendation, prosecutors opted not to charge Graham and several others, including former senators David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler of Georgia and Michael Flynn, Trump’s first national security adviser.

A world climate report card shows limited progress

Eight years after world leaders approved a landmark agreement in Paris to fight climate change, the first official report card is out: Countries have made only partial progress in staving off the most dangerous effects of global warming.

“The United Nations’ polite prose glosses over what is a truly damning report card for global climate efforts,” said Ani Dasgupta, president of the World Resources Institute. “Carbon emissions? Still climbing. Rich countries’ finance commitments? Delinquent. Adaptation support? Lagging woefully behind.”

Elon Musk foiled a Ukrainian attack

The Starlink satellite internet service, which is operated by Elon Musk’s company SpaceX, has been a digital lifeline in Ukraine since the early days of the war. But last September, Musk denied satellite internet service near Crimea in order to prevent a major Ukrainian drone attack on the Russian Black Sea fleet.

The episode was recounted in a biography of Musk by the historian and journalist Walter Isaacson, which said that Musk spoke with the Russian ambassador to the U.S., Anatoly Antonov, who told him an attack on Crimea “could lead to a nuclear response.” Copies of the book, which were obtained by The Times today, are set to go on sale on Tuesday.

More top news

Olivia Rodrigo is livid in her new album, ‘Guts’

Two years ago, Olivia Rodrigo rose to pop stardom with her sensational debut album, “Sour.” Her songs showed her to be a spiky, vivid writer and singer, but one who hadn’t quite seen the world. Now, as my colleague Jon Caramanica writes, she’s seen too much.

Rodrigo’s new album, “Guts,” which was released today, is a reckoning with the maelstrom of becoming a new celebrity, the choices it forces upon you and the compromises you make. Toggling between bratty rock and piano-driven melancholy, her emotional position is consistent throughout a dozen songs about betrayal, regret and self-flagellation.

A weekend of tennis excitement

It all comes down to this: Just three singles matches remain at this year’s U.S. Open. First, at 7 o’clock Eastern tonight, last year’s men’s champion, Carlos Alcaraz, will take on the 2021 winner, Daniil Medvedev for a spot in Sunday’s final against Novak Djokovic. If Alcaraz wins, fans will get to see the young star pair with the all-time great in what is widely expected to be the thrill of this year’s tournament.

On the women’s side, tomorrow’s final is set: Coco Gauff, the 19-year-old American prodigy, will face off against Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus. Sabalenka is the higher-ranked player and the one with a Grand Slam victory, but in front of her home crowd, Gauff has the star attraction.

One tune, all day long

When the French composer Erik Satie wrote the piano piece “Vexations” in the 1890s, he specified that it was to be repeated an extraordinary 840 times. Today, in New York City, a relay team of 24 pianists took on that challenge.

The free concert began at 6 a.m. and is expected to last until about 9 p.m., or possibly even into the early morning. It’s a celebration of the 60th anniversary of what was apparently the first such marathon. Back then, in 1963, The Times assigned critics to cover the nearly 19-hour show in two-hour shifts. One pianist from that endurance test, David Del Tredici, now 86, returned today to take part once again.

Have a tireless weekend.

Thanks for reading. Bryan Denton was our photo editor today. I’ll be back on Monday. — Matthew

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