Good evening. Here’s the latest at the end of Wednesday.
Trump is demolishing the entire East WingPresident Trump is redesigning the White House. First, he decorated the Oval Office in gold. Then, he paved over the Rose Garden lawn to make it look like Mar-a-Lago. Now, a senior official confirmed today, Trump is demolishing the entire East Wing to make way for his $200 million ballroom. When the president first unveiled his plans for a 90,000-square-foot ballroom, he pledged that the East Wing wouldn’t be touched. But the White House determined it was cheaper and more structurally sound to knock down the East Wing altogether. The demolition is expected to be finished by this weekend. The East Wing was built in 1902, and overhauled in the 1940s. It was built primarily to conceal an underground bunker, the Presidential Emergency Operations Center, but became the domain of the first lady. Some legal experts have questioned whether the demolition runs afoul of the National Historic Preservation Act. (Here’s a map of the changes Trump is making to the White House.) Trump has suggested that he’s nowhere near done. He’s directing renovations at the Kennedy Center, and now he wants an Arc de Triomphe-style arch built on the other side of the Potomac. In other Trump administration news:
The U.S. struck another suspected drug boatFor the eighth known time, U.S. Special Operations forces attacked a boat that the Trump administration claimed was carrying drugs. The strike, which Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said killed two people, was the first to target a vessel in the eastern Pacific Ocean since the president ordered the military to attack suspected smugglers. U.S. officials have acknowledged seven previous strikes on vessels in the Caribbean Sea, which they said have killed 32 people. The White House has described the strikes as self-defense against drug cartels that are attacking the country by bringing in drugs. But the attacks, which began in September, are highly unusual and legally disputed. A broad range of legal experts have described the strikes as illegal because the military is not permitted to target civilians who are not engaged in hostilities. My colleagues answered many of the most common questions about the boat attacks.
Oil prices have fallen sharplyU.S. oil prices have dropped about 19 percent this year. That’s good news for drivers, who should be able to fuel their cars for less. But the falling price has caused strain for American oil companies, which have idled drilling rigs and shed thousands of workers. The main reason for the price drop is that global oil production has remained strong, while demand has been slow to grow.
Syria’s new leader promised peace. Massacres followed.When rebels deposed the dictator Bashar al-Assad last year, the country’s new government — led by a former jihadist named Ahmed al-Shara — vowed to protect Syria’s many religious minorities. The assurances won international support, including from the U.S. But then came a killing spree in a province called Sweida, where government forces rampaged against civilians from the Druse religious minority. Fury over the mass killings is now threatening al-Shara’s control over parts of Syria. To understand what happened, my colleagues interviewed dozens of witnesses and analyzed hundreds of videos, uncovering execution-style atrocities against civilians carried out by government forces and pro-government fighters. More top news
Kathryn Bigelow likes when facts and thrills mixFor the last two decades, the director Kathryn Bigelow has focused entirely on films that are informed by facts offscreen, like the “The Hurt Locker,” for which she became the first woman to win the Oscar for best director. Or, as she put it: by “the inflection point between film and journalism or information.” Her new movie, “A House of Dynamite,” which arrives on Netflix this week, is a tense what-if thriller about American officials who try to stop an intercontinental ballistic missile from hitting the U.S. Our film critic Manohla Dargis talked with Bigelow about what interested her in the project.
Middle-aged women are increasingly using testosteroneTestosterone use has recently exploded in popularity among middle-aged women, even though the Food and Drug Administration has not approved such use and many doctors will not prescribe it for women. The reason: Women who take the hormone — some in very high doses — report a dramatic return of their sex drives, as well as bursts of energy and improved muscle tone. However, not everyone responds positively. My colleague Susan Dominus talked with researchers, doctors and patients to better understand the cultural phenomenon and how it affects women’s lives.
Dinner table topics
Cook: Every bite of this roasted pear dessert offers something to savor. Watch: “The Monster of Florence” is a true-crime show set in Tuscany’s beautiful rolling hills. Read: The thriller writer Hank Phillippi Ryan recommends nine great mystery novels. Utilize: New software updates help your phone replace your printer and scanner. Shop: The e-commerce app Depop has the energy of a good thrift store. Listen: Our critic pointed out that several fake movie bands made genuinely good songs. Decorate: Wirecutter’s home-décor experts explain how to shop secondhand like a pro. Play: Here are today’s Spelling Bee, Wordle and Mini Crossword. Find all our games here. |
