Good evening. Here’s the latest at the end of Tuesday.
The Supreme Court cleared the way for mass federal firingsThe Trump administration can move forward with plans to slash the federal work force and dismantle federal agencies, the Supreme Court announced this afternoon. The decision, which was unsigned and did not include a vote count, could result in job losses for tens of thousands of employees at agencies, including the Departments of Housing and Urban Development, State, Treasury and Veterans Affairs. Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson issued a dissent. The case was an important test of the extent of President Trump’s power to reorganize the government without involving Congress. Technically, the court’s ruling is only temporary, while challenges to his plans are heard. But in practice, it means that the administration is free to pursue its restructuring plans. In other Trump administration news:
Trump accused Putin of duplicityThe president railed against Vladimir Putin today during a televised cabinet meeting. He said he was “not happy” with the Russian leader, whom he accused of “killing too many people” and misleading the Americans during peace negotiations. “We get a lot of bullshit thrown at us by Putin,” Trump said. “He’s very nice to us all the time, but it turns out to be meaningless.” The president’s criticism followed his announcement last night that the U.S. would resume weapons shipments to Ukraine to help them fend off Russia’s invasion. On Friday, Russia attacked Ukraine with its largest single barrage of the war just hours after a phone call between Trump and Putin. It was a remarkable turnaround for Trump, who has often expressed skepticism of U.S. support for Kyiv and admiration for Putin’s intelligence and strength. Ukrainians reacted with cautious optimism — lawmakers and analysts said they were not expecting a full turnaround on military assistance.
161 missing in Kerr County after Texas floodsIn the video above, my colleague Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs described what it’s like in Kerr County, Texas, after catastrophic flooding swept through the region and killed at least 109 people. At least 161 people are still missing in the county, Gov. Greg Abbott said this afternoon, adding, “there could be more added to that list.” Signs of devastation are everywhere; locals are shaken; and bodies continue to be found in the debris. Here’s the latest. For more: Here’s a timeline of when federal and local officials issued warnings about the floods.
Israel and Hamas are wrangling over a cease-fire dealWhile Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel was in Washington this week for a meeting with Trump, officials from Israel’s government have been holding talks in Qatar over the possibility of a cease-fire in Gaza. There has been no sign of a breakthrough. However, the sustained presence of negotiators from both Hamas and Israel suggested that both sides were serious about a deal. In related news, Netanyahu was the latest foreign leader to use flattery on Trump: He nominated the American leader for the Nobel Peace Prize. More top news
Superman begins againLater this week, when “Superman” arrives in theaters, a Kryptonian baby with incredible powers will arrive on Earth. By day he is a journalist, by night a hero. OK, you know the story. But the reboot impressed Alissa Wilkinson, one of our movie critics, who described herself as superhero-weary. “It’s a sincere but also goofy movie, with a few well-timed twists on the mythology,” she wrote.
Gary Shteyngart writes through the eyes of a tween girlIn “Vera, or Faith,” the novelist Gary Shteyngart tells the story of a precocious Korean American girl who grows up in a privileged Manhattan household while the nation descends into chaos. Slight, dystopian and dark, it “lacks the bounce of Shteyngart’s best fiction,” Dwight Garner wrote, though he added that “no Shteyngart novel is a waste of time.” It was Shteyngart’s sixth novel, and by now his writing has earned him enough money to live a life of comfort. Over the past few years, he’s made an effort to do exactly that. The writer Alexander Nazaryan talked with him about bespoke suits and high-end watches (and fiction).
Dinner table topics
Cook: Wow your friends or family with these halloumi-stuffed sweet peppers. Watch: You can experience opera’s most interesting festival from your living room. Read: Sarah MacLean’s new novel is a gripping inheritance drama with a side of romance. Plan: Here are several apps that can easily improve your road trip. Wear: Take inspiration from our fashion photographer’s look of the week. Lounge: This beach chair has been Wirecutter’s top pick for nine years now. Test yourself: Take our quiz to see if you can match snarky quotes with their books. Play: Here are today’s Spelling Bee, Wordle and Mini Crossword. |
