The Evening: Tension in the strait

April 22, 2026

	By Matthew Cullen

Good evening. Here’s the latest at the end of Wednesday.

Iran says it seized two ships
China is quietly building an island
Plus, a quiz about British insults

Ships and boats in the water with a rocky landscape in the background.

In the Strait of Hormuz off Musandam, Oman, on Wednesday. Reuters

Iran tightens its grip on the Strait of Hormuz

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps said today that it had seized two cargo ships near the Strait of Hormuz, the strategic choke point through which 20 percent of the world’s oil flowed before the war. Both ships came under fire before they were seized, maritime officials said. Here’s what we know about the vessels.

The Iranian attacks came as the U.S. enforces a blockade of Iran’s ports. Neither side appears to be shying away from trying to exert control over the strait, even as a cease-fire is still in effect. As a result, traffic through the waterway has all but halted, straining the global energy supply.

The White House press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, downplayed the ship seizures. She said that President Trump did not view them as violations of the truce, which he extended yesterday, because they are not U.S. or Israeli ships. For weeks, Trump had threatened to bombard Iran if it blocked the strait.

For more:

Iran’s leaders are betting that they can endure the standoff longer than Trump. It could be costly for average Iranians.
A 60-day deadline could put pressure on Trump to end the conflict with Iran.

A view from the back of a crisis line specialist wearing a headset seated at a desk in a cubicle.

A crisis line specialist in Houston in 2022. Brandon Thibodeaux for The New York Times

Youth suicides declined after the national 988 hotline was created

The rate of suicides among young people in the U.S. dropped 11 percent below projections in the two and a half years after the 2022 rollout of the national suicide prevention hotline.

That finding, from a study published today, indicated that the 988 hotline had helped result in 4,372 fewer suicides than expected. The suicide rate dropped much more significantly in states with the highest number of calls, compared with those that had the least.

In other health news:

The C.D.C. canceled the publication of a study showing benefits of the Covid vaccine.
A Times analysis found that spending on new medical research by the N.I.H. has fallen roughly $1 billion behind the pace of years past.
Two pancreatic cancer treatments currently being tested are raising hopes.
A law meant to end surprise medical bills is accidentally making doctors richer. One doctor earned $440,000 for a breast reduction.

Kash Patel in March. Kenny Holston/The New York Times

F.B.I. investigated a Times reporter

The F.B.I. began investigating a Times reporter last month after she wrote about the bureau’s director, Kash Patel, using bureau personnel to provide his girlfriend with government security. (Read her article here.)

Agents queried databases for information on the reporter, Elizabeth Williamson, and recommended moving forward to determine whether she broke federal stalking laws. Those actions prompted concerns among some Justice Department officials who saw the inquiry as retaliation.

In other Trump administration news:

Trump officials are in advanced talks to lend Spirit Airlines as much as $500 million to help the company — which last made money in 2019 — avoid shutting down.
The F.B.I. sent a plane to Cuba to retrieve a 10-year-old American who the agency believed had been kidnapped by a transgender parent to potentially undergo transition surgery.

A GIF of a succession of aerial images of the same crescent-shaped, white formation in the sea over time.

Planet Labs

China has been quietly building an island in disputed waters

The images above show Antelope Reef, a large artificial island that China has been quietly and quickly building in disputed waters off the coast of Vietnam. Parts of it that were underwater a few months ago now have buildings, a helipad and jetties.

The outpost appears to be part of China’s effort to dominate the South China Sea, a key waterway for global shipping. Analysts say it is likely to become one of Beijing’s largest military outposts in the region. Watch it take shape.

More top news

West Virginia: Two people died and more than 30 others needed medical treatment after a chemical accident at a refinery.
Supreme Court: The justices unanimously sided with Michigan over an oil company in a dispute about decommissioning an aging section of pipeline.
Congress: David Scott, a House Democrat from Georgia and an advocate for Black and farming communities, died at 80.
Hungary: After Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s electoral loss, the country dropped its opposition to a $106 billion E.U. loan to Ukraine.
Virginia: Voters in the state narrowly passed a new congressional map. Here’s what it looks like now, and where the national gerrymandering battle stands.
Britain: With the goal of raising a “smoke-free generation,” the country banned the sale or supply of tobacco and vape products to anyone born in 2009 or after.
College: Utah Valley University, where Charlie Kirk was killed, canceled a graduation speaker because of social media posts she had made about his rhetoric.
Recycling: More companies are offering to recycle old clothes. Here’s what that really means.
Space: In the remote Big Bend region of West Texas, the biggest dark-sky reserve on the planet lets astronomers search for dark energy (and enthusiasts celebrate star parties).

TIME TO UNWIND

Footage of Vilma Jää from below, singing.

George Etheredge for The New York Times

An opera voice unlike any other

At the Metropolitan Opera’s performance of “Innocence” tonight, one voice will stand out. I’m talking about the bright, youthful voice of Vilma Jää, a folk and pop singer from Finland, in a role written for her.

My colleague Joshua Barone says it’s unlike anything else in opera. “She sings in phrases of pure tone that end with an upward whip, or of scooping melodies punctuated by a yodel-like vocal break that is stark and so moving,” he writes. “It feels impossible to focus on anything else.” Listen to Jää’s singing, which is rooted in traditional Finnish music.

Felix Johnson stands in Andon Market and looks at a phone.

Minh Connors for The New York Times

Can A.I. run a store?

A shop in San Francisco bills itself as the world’s first retail boutique run by artificial intelligence. It has human workers, but they are managed by a bot named Luna. The experiment was designed to see how far we are from a future where A.I. agents are running everyday companies.

That future may still be far away. Luna has struggled with employee schedules, ordered 1,000 toilet seat covers for the employee bathroom and lost roughly $13,000. It also can’t seem to stop ordering candles.

An aerial view of a rectangular house with a courtyard at the center.

Jason Keen

Dinner table topics

Domestic design: A Detroit family decided to built a “home extension,” pictured above, seven minutes away from their house.
A 350-year-old brewery in Japan still makes sake the hard way — with wild yeast, ancient songs, and a mixture of muscle and finesse. They showed us how.
Age tech: There’s a rising industry of tools designed to help you grow old at home.

WHAT TO DO TONIGHT

A baking dish with two fish fillets covered in a honey, mustard and molasses glaze with pomegranate seeds and parsley.

Mark Weinberg for The New York Times

Cook: Pomegranate sauce adds some tang to this tender baked fish dish.

Watch: “My Brother the Minotaur” is a stunning animated series from the maker of “The Secret of Kells.”

Listen to the latest LP from Nine Inch Nails and six other songs our critic recommends.

Wear boots in warm weather with these tips from our fashion critic.

Clean just about anything with dish soap.