Good evening. Here’s the latest at the end of Wednesday.
The U.S. charges Raúl Castro, increasing the pressure on CubaThe Justice Department charged Raúl Castro, the 94-year-old former president of Cuba and brother of Fidel Castro, with murder and a conspiracy to kill U.S. citizens. The accusations stem from the 1996 downing of two civilian planes, which were connected to a group that made provocative flights over the island. The charges, which can be read here, are part of an effort by the Trump administration to topple Cuba’s Communist government. They also laid the grounds for potential action by the U.S. military to remove Raúl Castro from the country. American officials used an indictment of Venezuela’s former leader, Nicolás Maduro, as reason to capture him in Caracas and to reshape the country’s government. Castro is frail, has poor hearing and difficulty speaking and no longer holds any official title, but he still wields enormous power, particularly over the military. He has also had a hand in secret negotiations with the Trump administration. Months ago, Marco Rubio, the secretary of state and the son of immigrants who left Cuba before the Castro revolution, reached out to a grandson of Castro to try to negotiate an economic opening. But U.S. officials have grown impatient. In a rare direct address, Rubio urged Cubans to align with the Trump administration. Cuba’s ambassador to the U.N. said the country was ready to negotiate, but did not believe the U.S. was operating in good faith.
Jan. 6 police officers sue to block Trump’s new fundTwo police officers who defended the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, filed a lawsuit today in an effort to block a $1.8 billion fund created this week by the Justice Department to pay people who claim mistreatment by the federal government. The officers accused the Trump administration of creating a “slush fund” to reward the pro-Trump rioters who had tried to stop the certification of the 2020 election. Multiple Jan. 6 rioters have expressed excitement about the prospect of getting paid. The arrangement between President Trump and his own administration — including the fund and a guarantee of immunity from I.R.S. audits — has generated widespread opposition and raised profound questions about presidential power. The whole enterprise, our chief legal correspondent writes, tests the limits of the America’s constitutional system.
The U.S. and Israel aimed to install a hard-liner in IranAt the start of the Iran war, the U.S. and Israel had an audacious and surprising plan: They wanted to replace Iran’s supreme leader with Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, a former Iranian president known for his anti-Israel and anti-American views. The plan, which Ahmadinejad was consulted on, quickly went awry: Ahmadinejad was wounded in a strike that had been designed to free him from house arrest. Soon after, he became disillusioned with the regime-change effort and has not been seen since. For more:
Barney Frank, the congressman and gay pioneer, dies at 86Barney Frank, the liberal Democrat who represented Massachusetts in the House for 32 years and helped write the most significant overhaul of the nation’s financial regulations since the Great Depression, died yesterday at 86. Read his obituary. For decades, Frank was the most prominent gay politician in the country. He was the first House member to come out voluntarily, and he helped normalize being openly gay in public office. “Prejudice is based on ignorance,” he said. “And the best way to counterbalance it is with a living example, with reality.” Earlier this month, after entering hospice care, Frank offered advice for his fellow Democrats. More top news
A Norwegian copper mine promises to be part of Europe’s green-energy future, but may also threaten the traditional reindeer-herding livelihood of the Sami people.
TV is having a senior momentTen years ago, the producer Norman Lear lamented in The Times that no one would greenlight a show set in a retirement community. This week, Netflix is answering the call with “The Boroughs,” in which a group of seniors battle mysterious creatures. The starry cast, mostly in their 70s, includes Alfred Molina, Alfre Woodard and Geena Davis. And it's part of a new wave of series — such as “A Man on the Inside” and “Only Murders in the Building” — that focus on the lives of older people. Seniors are still underrepresented onscreen, but many of the recent shows acknowledge that their lives are just as rich and complicated as young people.
What to wear to weddings, according to Jenna LyonsAs a designer and former J. Crew president, Jenna Lyons has spent much of her life thinking about clothes. And she can’t stand it when people show up to weddings wearing an outfit that looks like they came from work. What should we wear? Lyons told us that a key ingredient is just putting in effort. A simple slip dress is just fine as long as you’re trying. But there are some rules: “If you’re wearing drop earrings, no necklace,” she said. “If you’re wearing a big necklace, no earrings.” Read all of her advice here.
Dinner table topics
Cook this crunchy, savory and spiced cauliflower salad sandwich. Read Zayd Ayers Dohrn’s new memoir about being raised by radical parents. |
