Good evening. Here’s the latest at the end of Tuesday.
Thanksgiving costs are drawing extra scrutinyWhen President Trump appeared this afternoon in the newly paved-over Rose Garden to pardon a pair of turkeys named Gobble and Waddle, he boasted that his policies had helped significantly bring down the cost of a Thanksgiving dinner. It’s a claim he has made several times in recent days. The reality is more complicated. Overall, food costs are up 2.7 percent over the past year. Some economists say that Thanksgiving food is slightly cheaper than last year; others suggest it is slightly more expensive. Trump has celebrated Walmart for reducing the price of its Thanksgiving meal, but this year’s meal includes different items and fewer of them. My colleague Kevin Draper calls it the Thanksgiving food cost wars, where retailers compete for shoppers and politicians compete for narrative. Complicating things further: Most grocers make their orders for Thanksgiving turkeys nine to 12 months in advance. Wholesale prices for turkey are up 75 percent from last year, largely because of diminished supply from avian flu, which could drive up prices for next year’s dinner. The battle comes as Americans have become increasingly concerned about affordability. Consumer sentiment, according to a popular survey from the University of Michigan, is the lowest it has been in 40 years. Lower than in the dark, early days of Covid, lower than during the financial crisis of 2008 and lower than in the wake of the 1987 stock market crash. For more on the economy: Measures of market volatility are up, reflecting anxieties about A.I. investment, shadow banks, government debt and other risks. For Thanksgiving travelers: My colleagues have tips for avoiding headaches while flying during this incredibly busy week.
Russia signaled resistance to the amended U.S. peace planThe U.S. Army secretary, Daniel Driscoll, met today with Russian officials to discuss Trump’s latest plan to end the war in Ukraine. The Americans now believe that Ukraine is on board with the proposal after it was amended to address concerns from Kyiv. (Here’s what we know about the plan.) But Sergey Lavrov, Russia’s foreign minister, suggested today that the Kremlin would resist any rolling back of the maximalist positions that were in the initial plan, which appeared to heavily favor Russia. In the meantime, the war continues to be punishing: Russian missiles and drones today killed at least seven people and injured 20 others in Kyiv. For more:
A vaccine skeptic was quietly hired as a top C.D.C. leaderRalph Abraham, who as Louisiana’s surgeon general ordered the state health department to stop promoting vaccinations, is now the second in command at the C.D.C. His appointment was never announced. Abraham has called the Covid vaccines “dangerous” and instead promoted discredited treatments like ivermectin. In other Trump administration news:
Immigration arrests are way up, and gun seizures are downThe Homeland Security Department made fewer arrests for drug crimes and seized fewer weapons during the 2025 fiscal year than in 2024, according to documents reviewed by The Times. Weapons seizures fell by 73 percent. The department also set a record by arresting more than 94,500 people for civil immigration offenses, up from roughly 5,000 in 2024. The numbers reflect a shift in priorities as the White House pressures the agency to crack down on undocumented immigrants. For more on immigration: An Eritrean mother tried to self-deport to Canada after more than two decades in the U.S. She found herself in a Texas detention center instead. More top news
The 100 most notable books of the yearOur Book Review team just released its list of the 100 notable books of 2025. Half the titles are works of fiction, half nonfiction. You check out the full list here. If 100 books seems like too much, use this cheat sheet to narrow down which ones you would like to read (or give as a gift) next. For more: The chief librarian of the New York Public Library argued in a Times Opinion essay that listening to audiobooks should count as reading.
Michelin honored the cheesesteak. Outrage ensued.When the Michelin Guide announced its first-ever Philadelphia restaurant ratings this year, it singled out three cheesesteak spots as being outstanding. Many locals were unhappy. The blowback revealed a deepening fissure between those who remain loyal to the traditional cheesesteak and those who believe it can be even better.
Dinner table topics
Cook: Here are 24 easy appetizers to serve as you prepare your Thanksgiving turkey. Watch: A reader recommended “The Gone,” a moody mystery show. Here’s what else is on TV this week. Plan: Our Frugal Traveler has tips for a tropical vacation to Dutch St. Maarten and French St. Martin. Wear: Let our fashion photographer’s look of the week inspire you. |
