Good evening. Here’s the latest at the end of Wednesday.
The U.S. is seeking to increase denaturalizationsIn an aggressive new phase of President Trump’s crackdown on immigrants, his administration is planning to ramp up its efforts to strip more foreign-born Americans of their citizenship. My colleague Hamed Aleaziz obtained new internal guidance that described the plans to the field offices of the agency that oversees the immigration system. The guidance demands that the agency identify 100 to 200 denaturalization cases per month that could be referred to the Justice Department. If the cases are successful, it would represent a significant escalation: Since 2017, just over 120 total denaturalization cases had been filed. Under federal law, the 26 million or so naturalized Americans can only be denaturalized if they committed fraud while applying for citizenship, or in a few other narrow circumstances. Denaturalization cases must go through a challenging federal court process, but activists warn that such a campaign could sweep up people who make honest mistakes on their citizenship paperwork. In other Trump administration news:
Venezuela’s Navy escorted ships after U.S. threatened a blockadeVenezuela’s Navy began escorting ships carrying petroleum products from port last night, shortly after Trump said that the U.S. would blockade sanctioned oil tankers that do business with the country. The Venezuelan government was said to have ordered the escort in response to Trump’s threat. The move escalated the risk of a military confrontation with the U.S. However, the ships did not appear on a current list of U.S.-sanctioned ships, making it unclear whether they could be subject to Trump’s blockade.
A group of Republicans forced a vote on Obamacare subsidiesFour politically vulnerable House Republicans rebelled against their party’s leadership today and teamed up with Democrats to force a vote on a three-year extension of Affordable Care Act subsidies that are set to lapse at the end of the month. The vote will not come until January — after the subsidies have expired and premiums for health care have spiked. The bill would also face long odds in the Senate, where Republicans blocked a similar extension last week. In other news from Congress: The Senate gave final approval to a $900 billion defense policy bill, which provides a pay raise for troops and has some measures to reassert congressional oversight.
New York will allow the terminally ill to end their livesGov. Kathy Hochul announced today that she would sign a bill that would allow terminally ill New Yorkers to end their lives. The law will apply to adults who have incurable, irreversible illnesses and who have been given six months or less to live, and each patient will need the sign-off of three doctors. Twelve states, Washington, D.C., and several European countries have passed similar laws, over the objections of religious leaders and some disability rights advocates. Hochul, who is Catholic, cited her faith and the death of her mother from A.L.S. as reasons she made the decision. “I was taught that God is merciful and compassionate, and so must we be,” she wrote. More top news
The lives they livedAt the end of every year, The New York Times Magazine devotes an issue to remembering the artists, innovators and thinkers who died over the past year. This year’s edition explores the remarkable lives of Jane Goodall, Marcia Marcus, George Foreman and many more icons. I recommend reading through each one. For more: These are some of the beloved objects left behind by those we lost in 2025.
The hardest spelling bee word of 2025 came from this puzzleThe Times publishes a new Spelling Bee puzzle every day. In total, players have found nearly 6,000 distinct words so far in 2025. The easiest word of the year, according to our analysis of millions of games played, was jack. The most challenging word came from the puzzle pictured above. Can you guess what it might have been? The answer is at the bottom of the newsletter. (Hint: It’s defined as a thin skin or a film.)
Dinner table topics
Cook: This comforting skillet chicken is reminiscent of a rich French onion soup. Listen: Our writer explained why this Ravel piece might be the most magical four minutes in music. Watch: These were the 25 most notable movies of 2025, according to our critics, reporters and editors. (Fill out your own ballot.) Plan: Our Frugal Traveler columnist explored Hawaii’s Big Island on a budget. Test yourself: Take our quiz to see how well you know Jane Austen 250 years after her birth. Play: Here are today’s Connections, Wordle and Mini Crossword. Find all our games here. |
