Good evening. Here’s the latest at the end of Wednesday.
The Supreme Court cast a skeptical eye on Trump’s tariffsA majority of the justices on the Supreme Court suggested during a hearing today that President Trump might have exceeded his authority when he imposed tariffs this year on imports from nearly every U.S. trading partner. The outcome of the case, which could be decided within weeks or months, has immense implications: Just under half of all goods that enter the U.S. are now subject to steep tariffs. The president — who has made tariffs a centerpiece of his agenda — described the case as “literally, LIFE OR DEATH for our Country.” At issue is whether Trump can impose the tariffs under a 1977 law that gives the White House the power to respond to an “unusual and extraordinary threat” by regulating the importing of foreign property. His critics argue that trade deficits do not qualify as a national emergency and that the tariffs seem to run afoul of the “major questions doctrine,” which requires Congress to weigh in on big issues. The court’s three liberal justices are likely to side with the states and small businesses that sued the Trump administration. Some of the conservative justices seemed inclined to side with Trump. The deciding votes appear to belong to Amy Coney Barrett and Neil Gorsuch — conservatives who cast doubt on Trump’s tariffs. Gorsuch warned of “a one-way ratchet” of delegating power from Congress to the presidency. For more: The Trump administration says it has other ways of imposing tariffs if it loses in court.
Elections showed Trump’s edge on the economy slippingOne year ago today, Trump won back the White House with a promise to fix the economy. Yesterday, Republican election losses delivered a reminder that the party’s longtime advantage on the economy has evaporated, as a drumbeat of polls have showed. Democratic victories in New Jersey and Virginia were built on promises to address the sky-high cost of living, for which the winning candidates blamed the president. In New York City, Democrats celebrated Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani, the democratic socialist whose ambitious agenda put a punctuation mark on affordability as a political force in 2025. In other election news:
Some food stamp recipients may receive $0 this monthMillions of low-income Americans will see staggering cuts and delays to their food stamps this month because of the way that the White House has chosen to pay partial benefits during the government shutdown. One analysis estimated that as one result of the changes, roughly five million people could receive no benefits at all. Congress has shown little interest in negotiating a quick end to the shutdown, which entered a record 36th day. The president blamed it for his party’s losses on Election Day and insisted to Republican senators today that the only way out would be to get rid of the filibuster, a move most Republicans are opposed to. In other shutdown news, the F.A.A. said that it would reduce air traffic in 40 key markets by 10 percent if there is no resolution by Friday.
Ukraine’s front lines are a drone-infested hellscapeRussia and Ukraine both operate drones that pursue and kill targets on sight. They have made being stranded in no man’s land, between the front lines, even deadlier and more harrowing. My colleague C.J. Chivers reported from the Kharkiv region on how rescuing Ukrainian soldiers has never been more difficult. A wounded soldier’s wait to reach a doctor now often stretches to times reminiscent of the worst of World War I. More top news
The audiobook version of a Hollywood blockbusterAudible, the audiobook giant, is out this week with what one executive described as its “most ambitious project” to date: a full-cast reading of the first Harry Potter book. It’s technically an audiobook, but it doesn’t sound like a typical one. The project features more than 200 actors (including Keira Knightley, Matthew Macfadyen, Hugh Laurie and Kit Harington) voicing more than 500 characters, along with a 60-piece orchestra playing an original score.
Telescopes captured explosions on the moonIt can be easy to forget that the moon is less a serene orb in the night sky than a noisy battleground constantly gaining new craters. Last week offered a reminder when a Japanese astronomer captured a pair of big flashes on the lunar surface. Both were the result of asteroids traveling about 30 times as fast as a fighter jet and slamming into the moon.
Dinner table topics
Cook: Mushy peas are the unsung hero of British “comfort sludge.” Watch: Ryan Murphy’s new legal drama, “All’s Fair,” is now streaming. Here’s what else is on TV this week. Read: These heist books add a dose of magic. Consider: The portfolio diet has been shown to lower cholesterol. Move: Knee arthritis is common. Exercise can help |
