Good evening. Here’s the latest at the end of Thursday.
Trump calls for new treaty as nuclear arms control era endsFor more than 50 years, the world’s two largest nuclear superpowers — the U.S. and Russia — have agreed to rules limiting their nuclear arsenals. That arrangement ended today. The expiration of the New START treaty, the last nuclear arms control agreement between the U.S. and Russia, arrives as both countries are planning new generations of nuclear weapons. Meanwhile, Russia and China are testing more ways of delivering deadly warheads that had not been contemplated 15 years ago, when the latest treaty was ratified. Talks for a new treaty were frozen by the war in Ukraine. This afternoon, President Trump called for a “new, improved and modernized” accord, but said nothing about President Vladimir Putin’s offer to hold American and Russian arsenals at current levels temporarily, leaving open the possibility of a renewed arms race. European leaders have talked about establishing nuclear forces independent of Washington’s. Japan, South Korea and Turkey are among the other nonnuclear weapon states discussing a change of course. The U.S. is spending $87 billion this year on its nuclear arsenal, including a modernization of its warheads and hugely expensive replacements of aging missiles and bombers. In other diplomatic news: Talks among Russia, Ukraine and the U.S. ended today with little signs of progress. In Ukraine: Elon Musk’s Starlink blocked Russian forces from using its satellite internet services, at Kyiv’s request.
Trump strips job protections for thousands of federal workersThe Trump administration finalized a policy today that significantly expanded the president’s ability to mold the federal work force. Until now, roughly 4,000 people appointed by the president could be fired at will. The new policy gives the president the power to fire or discipline as many as 50,000 career federal employees. Trump has already reshaped the federal work force far more than his recent predecessors. About 352,000 employees left the federal government in 2025, according to the most recent data. In other Trump administration news:
Canada stakes its automotive future on E.V.s, not the U.S.Canada’s prime minister, Mark Carney, announced today that Canada would offer automakers billions of dollars in incentives and tax breaks aimed at turning the country into a global leader in electric vehicles. The plan was designed to make the country less reliant on the U.S., where Trump has made it clear that he does not want Americans driving cars made in Canada. Carney also agreed last month to allow a small number of Chinese E.V.s into the Canadian market at a low tariff rate, which could cut into U.S. automaker sales.
Iranian authorities are still making mass arrestsWeeks ago, the Iranian authorities violently crushed a wave of protests that called for the end of the Islamic Republic’s rule. The government has continued what some activists say may be the most sweeping repression tactics in its history. Several rights groups estimate that up to 40,000 people have been detained, including several doctors who treated injured protesters. Businesses have been seized or shuttered, critical media has been silenced and families holding funerals for loved ones killed during the crackdown have been ordered not to cry in public. In related news, American and Iranian officials are expected to meet tomorrow in Oman for talks. More top news
An American Olympian who is testing the limits of painJessie Diggins, the best cross-country skier in American history, has nothing left to prove. But she will push off from the starting line this weekend for her final Winter Games, hoping to add to her medal tally. Diggins might not have the brute strength or tactical expertise of her European competitors. But in a sport that scientists consider among the most physically taxing, Diggins sets herself apart by enduring pain better than anyone else. Read more about how she discovered, and honed, her superpower.
A masked designer who lets his flowers speak for themselvesThe designer of the upcoming orchid show at the New York Botanical Garden spent his boyhood wanting to become Batman. Now he views himself as a different kind of superhero: Mr. Flower Fantastic, or MFF. The self-taught artist from Queens hides his face behind a respirator mask, protecting his anonymity and preventing the flowers from aggravating his severe pollen allergy. The show, which opens on Saturday, features thousands of living orchids bursting from symbols of New York City, like a taxi cab and a pizza joint. See photos from inside.
Dinner table topics
Cook: Pastina is Italy’s answer to the comforting cure-all chicken soup. Watch: “Sirat,” a thriller about a man’s search for his daughter, is admirably unorthodox. Read: “A Killing in Cannabis” is an exhilarating true-crime thriller. Listen: Spend a few minutes appreciating the greatest hits from Impulse! Records. Exercise: Try these five workouts for better mobility. Hunt: Which Manhattan apartment would you buy with a $1 million budget? Play: Here are today’s Connections, |
