Good evening. Here’s the latest at the end of Wednesday.
U.S. moves personnel out of Qatar as tensions rise with IranThe Pentagon is evacuating some nonessential personnel from the largest U.S. military base in the Middle East as President Trump weighs a response to Iran’s crackdown on antigovernment protests. Officials said the move was spurred by rising tensions between the U.S. and Iran. Just yesterday, Trump told Iranian protesters that “help is on its way” and threatened “strong action” if Iran’s theocratic government executes any of the demonstrators. And earlier today, Iranian authorities had been scheduled to put a 26-year-old antigovernment protester, Erfan Soltani, to death. But just a couple hours ago, Trump said that the U.S. had been informed that “the killing in Iran is stopping, has stopped, and there’s no plans for executions.” When asked whether he could trust statements out of Iran, the president said: “We were given a very good statement by people that are aware of what’s going on.” He declined to elaborate. For more: Our chief diplomatic correspondent, Steven Erlanger, explains why the anger in Iran will likely persist even if the government survives these protests.
The U.S. and Denmark clash over GreenlandHours before the leaders of Greenland and Denmark met with U.S. officials this afternoon in Washington, Trump declared that the U.S. “needs Greenland” and that anything less than American control of the island would be “unacceptable.” Afterward, the foreign minister of Denmark, which controls Greenland, said that “our perspectives continue to differ.” However, he did suggest that the “frank” meeting resulted in progress: The leaders agreed to form a group to find a path to accommodate Trump’s security concerns. To see how Greenlanders feel about Trump’s plans, my colleagues traveled to Greenland’s capital, Nuuk, to speak with residents. One local woman expressed skepticism: “We’re not going to sell our soul,” she said. “We’re not stupid.” For more: Trump’s plans for Greenland raise serious questions for NATO. Also, Greenland has outsize importance in our warming world because of its melting ice.
The F.B.I. searched the home of a Washington Post reporterF.B.I. agents searched the home of a Washington Post journalist this morning as part of a leak investigation. The agents seized laptops, a phone and a smartwatch. It is exceedingly rare for a reporter’s home to be searched; federal law generally bars warrants for reporters’ work materials, unless the reporters themselves are suspected of committing a crime. The journalist, Hannah Natanson, has covered the president’s effort to reshape the federal work force, speaking with many employees about their frustration with the administration’s changes. Court documents indicated that officials were investigating a systems administrator in Maryland. In other Trump administration news:
Where did all of the American-born roofers go?An enormous demographic shift has transformed the U.S. construction industry. Back in the 1970s and 1980s, the share of foreign-born construction workers was the same as in other industries. Today, that share of immigrants is nearly twice as high as in other jobs. My colleagues Ronda Kaysen and Robert Gebeloff took a close look at what has changed. They found that eroding unionization, wages and working conditions made jobs like roofing less desirable, and then immigrants filled the gap. Now, with Trump cracking down on noncitizens, the industry is vulnerable. More top news
In newly disclosed letters, Harper Lee’s views come to lifeHarper Lee was one of the most beloved American authors of the 20th century. But she avoided formal interviews for most of her life — which makes it even more compelling to see Lee’s views laid bare in a trove of a previously undisclosed letters. In the letters, Lee discusses growing old, her aversion to public attention and her opinions of fellow writers like Truman Capote. She also offered a fuller picture of her views on the Deep South: “What was heartbreaking was to discover that people you loved — friends, relatives, neighbors — whom you assumed were civilized, harbored the most vicious feelings,” Lee wrote.
My colleagues in Antarctica bumped into a penguinI wrote last week about my colleagues Raymond Zhong and Chang Lee, who are traveling to Antarctica on a reporting journey. Their trip to a glacier, which you can follow along with here, has been delayed by bad weather. But rather than mope around, Raymond, Chang and the rest of the crew used the time to explore a vast patch of sea ice. They walked around, started a snowball fight and even met a local: a lone Adélie penguin that waddled around and slid on its belly.
Dinner table topics
Cook: These spiced potato bits with yogurt are a perfect couch snack. Read: The philosopher C. Thi Nguyen’s new book examines how keeping score has kept us from having fun. Wear: Our fashion critic has advice on when to keep up with trends and when to ignore them. Consider: Olive oil has a breadth of health benefits. Arrange: Upgrade your creativity by organizing your desk. We asked experts for tips. Play: Here are today’s Connections, Wordle and |
