Good evening. Here’s the latest at the end of Thursday.
Trump revived a Cold War debatePresident Trump surprised the national security world when he declared that he was ordering the U.S. military to resume nuclear testing after a three-decade pause. It revived an earlier era’s debate over whether such testing would demonstrate strength or incite a global arms race. On his way home from his six-day Asia trip, the president told reporters he had made the call because of all the other countries conducting nuclear tests. Except, of course, the last nuclear test was in 2017 by North Korea, the only country to regularly conduct tests in decades. Neither Moscow nor Beijing has conducted a test in nearly 30 years. However, it is possible, as my colleagues David Sanger and William Broad explained, that Trump was confused by Russia’s recent declaration that it had tested two exotic delivery vehicles for nuclear weapons, which did not involve a detonation. Many experts believe that if the U.S. were to resume testing, it would essentially give other nations permission to do the same. The Kremlin said today that it would follow the U.S. if it began testing. In other Trump administration news:
Damage from Melissa begins to come into focusWhen Hurricane Melissa lashed Jamaica this week with Category 5 winds and heavy rain, it left parts of the island unrecognizable. Towns were littered with rubble and the island nation was still working to count the dead. Jamaica’s prime minister said that the port town of Black River “has literally been totally destroyed.” One frequent visitor to the area, Amiri Bradley, said that “only places that have four concrete walls are still standing, and usually their roofs are gone.” See photos and videos of the storm’s aftermath. For more: In our Climate Forward newsletter, Judson Jones, a meteorologist for The Times, explained how Melissa became so damaging. (Sign up here to receive the newsletter.)
Mamdani holds a strong leadJust five days until the election, two new polls showed Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic nominee, holding a sizable lead in the New York City mayoral race. One showed him ahead of his closest rival, Andrew Cuomo, by 25 percentage points, and the Republican nominee, Curtis Sliwa, by 29. All three candidates roamed the city today, courting voters who had not yet cast ballots in a robust early voting period. For more: Cuomo has tried to persuade Republicans to vote for him. One thing he hasn’t done is change.
Andrew will no longer be a princeBuckingham Palace announced today that Andrew, the 65-year-old younger brother of King Charles III, will be stripped of his most valued title: prince. Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, as he is now to be known, will also be evicted from his royal residence, the palace said. The extraordinary punishment caps Andrew’s fall from grace over his ties to the convicted sexual predator Jeffrey Epstein. Palace officials said Andrew would move to a property on the grounds of Sandringham, a royal residence owned by Charles. The king, they said, would support Andrew through his private funds. More top news
This year’s buzziest Halloween costumes: KPop Demon HuntersGood luck finding last-minute costumes of Rumi, Zoey and Mira, the leading trio in “KPop Demon Hunters,” which became Netflix’s most-watched film ever this summer. They are sold out at the Spirit Halloween in Manhattan, and many more across the country. According to Google’s “Frightgeist,” all five of the most searched-for costumes are from the film. The outfits, one Halloween store employee said, are “more popular, I think, than when Jason and ‘Scream’ came out, to be honest.” You can DIY one, of course, but you might have to learn a French braid. For more: Have Halloween decorations become too scary?
A 1,200-page attempt to reinvent the westernThe new novel “Tom’s Crossing” has a simple plot: Two Utah teenagers set out to save a pair of ponies from slaughter. But since the book is written by Mark Z. Danielewski — who became a cult favorite for his dense, acclaimed debut, “House of Leaves” — it is full of literary allusions and sweeping mythology. Our reviewer called the novel, which runs 1,200 pages, an “audacious” reimagining of the American western. And Danielewski himself said it was “the book of my life.”
Dinner table topics
Cook: These vegan al pastor tacos are memorably bold. Watch: Here are three great documentaries to stream right now. |
