Front Page: Most Popular Stories from The New York Times

Here are the Top Stories from The New York Times.

Hezbollah: Insurgents Killed Top Military Commander in Syria
The top commander of Lebanon’s militant Hezbollah was killed in Syria by insurgent shelling, Hezbollah said Saturday, vowing to continue its involvement in Syria’s civil war.

‘As Blacks, We Were Born as We Are’: Our Top 10 Comments
Readers react to the Obama administration’s directive on transgender students and bathrooms, Donald Trump’s candidacy, and allegations of Russian doping during the Olympics.

Bargain-Hunting Frenzy Threatens Traditional Department Stores
As Macy’s, Nordstrom and other large department stores have reported declining sales numbers, they have continued to push discounts in order to compete with off-price chains and online retailers.

First Draft: How Much Bad Press Does It Take to Cost Donald Trump a News Cycle?
Mr. Trump repeatedly had to do damage control this week, but the sheer volume of incoming fire seemed to diminish the impact of any of it when it landed.

London’s Cats Are Falling Victim to a Two-Legged Predator
Since last fall, owners have been horrified to discover their pets mutilated, some with their heads cut off. The police are investigating.

SFMoMA Expands and Sets a New Standard
It’s not just the abundance of art gifts but the continual surprises of the building’s design and details, writes Roberta Smith.

With Susannah Mushatt Jones’s Death, an End to a Life Spanning 3 Centuries
Ms. Jones, whose lifetime straddled three centuries, died on Thursday in Brooklyn at 116.

Chicago Mayor Looks to Replace Agency That Reviews Police Conduct
Rahm Emanuel’s new plan follows a task force’s blistering report, which said the force falls short on matters of race, transparency and accountability.

T.S.A. Offers New Measures Intended to Cut Airport Gridlock This Summer
The government authorized more overtime for screeners, faster hiring and more bomb-sniffing dogs in preparation for a busy summer travel season.

Details Emerge on Global Bank Heists by Hackers
The latest target appears to have been in Vietnam, and the intruders used tools similar to those used in a Sony Pictures hacking in 2014.

Sheldon Adelson Is Poised to Give Donald Trump a Donation Boost
The Las Vegas billionaire has also reportedly decided to scale back other Republican giving as he directs support to the presumptive Republican presidential nominee.

Eat: Kale, Coconut and Grace in a Salad
Roasting creates an edible tapestry, crisp and yielding all at once.

The House Lights, if Not the Stars, Shine Bright at Gaza’s Film Festival
At the Palestinian territory’s film festival, Hamas has the final cut on all the movies and insists the lights stay on to avoid any hanky-panky among the audience.

RushCard to Pay $19 Million to Users for Last Year’s Outage
RushCard, the pre-paid debit card company owned by hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons, is agreeing to pay at least $19 million to compensate its users who were impacted by the company’s multi-day outage last year.

Inspector Found Dead of Self-Inflicted Gunshot Wound, Police Say
The inspector, Michael Ameri, the commanding officer of the Police Department’s Highway District, was discovered in a car on Long Island.

First Draft: Donald Trump Denies He Impersonated Himself to a Reporter
The audio of a 1991 interview with a People magazine reporter sounded similar to Donald J. Trump’s cadences. But Mr. Trump denied it was him, saying, “I have many, many people that are trying to imitate my voice and you can imagine that, and this sounds like one of these scams.”

Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, Former Argentine President, Is Indicted
Mrs. Kirchner and other officials are accused of entering into contracts to sell the Central Bank’s dollars at below-market rates during her presidency.

Bottles Used in Fight Against Doping Take Center Stage
The bottles, thought to be tamper proof, are prominent characters in an operation, as described by a former Russian antidoping official, to avoid positive drug tests at the Olympics.

Your Evening Briefing
Here’s what you need to know at the end of the day.

Pfizer Blocks the Use of Its Drugs in Executions
The pharmaceutical giant’s move to clamp down on the distribution of its products closes off the last remaining open-market source of execution drugs.

A Kit Kat for Every Taste, and Then Some
There are nearly 300 varieties of Kit Kat in Japan, where the candy is so popular that it is sold at high-end department stores, Kit Kat-only shops and even post offices.

Books of The Times: Review: Nathaniel Philbrick’s ‘Valiant Ambition’ Revisits Benedict Arnold
Mr. Philbrick illustrates Washington’s warring instincts but few of his interactions with Arnold.

Russia Denies Doping at Sochi Olympics
“These allegations look absolutely groundless,” a spokesman for President Vladimir V. Putin said of the claims by a former Russian lab chief.

Economic View: What Was the Greatest Era for American Innovation? A Brief Guided Tour
Which was a more important innovation: indoor plumbing, jet air travel or mobile phones?

The Improvisational Oncologist
In an era of precisely targeted procedures, every case has to be played by ear. Siddhartha Mukherjee, the cancer physician, writes about his practice.

Scientists Hold Secret Meeting to Consider Creating a Synthetic Human Genome
The project poses ethical issues about whether humans could be created without parents.