Good evening. Here’s the latest at the end of Friday.
The U.S. is sending more troops to the Middle EastAbout 2,500 Marines aboard as many as three warships are heading to the Middle East, as Iran blocks the world’s most important choke point for oil. The deployment, after two weeks of war, comes as Iran’s response has proved more resilient than U.S. officials had anticipated. The Marines will join more than 50,000 American troops in the region. Follow here for the latest updates on the war. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said today that the U.S. would not allow Iran to continue blocking the Strait of Hormuz, through which one-fifth of the world’s oil travels. He did not offer a timetable, but said that people “don’t need to worry about it.” Hegseth also said that today would be the most intense and lethal of the U.S. air campaign in Iran so far. President Trump, who early on in the conflict told Iran’s protesters that the country would be “yours to take,” acknowledged that Iranians would most likely be gunned down if they tried to rise up against the government. “I really think that’s a big hurdle to climb,” the president said. In related news:
Facing a crisis, Cuba says it’s in talks with the U.S.Cuba’s president, Miguel Díaz-Canel, confirmed for the first time today that his government was holding talks with the Trump administration, after a U.S. oil blockade pushed the island nation toward a humanitarian crisis. The announcement was seen as a last-ditch effort to save Cuba’s hobbled government. The 67-year-old Communist state has not imported any fuel in the past three months, Díaz-Canel said, plunging the country into prolonged periods of darkness. Just yesterday, Cuba announced the release of 51 prisoners in what appeared to be an effort to appease Trump.
Some Jews wonder how much more security is possibleIn the eight years since a gunman killed 11 people at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh, Jewish institutions across the country have gone to great lengths to fortify themselves. Those measures very likely saved lives yesterday, when a driver who rammed a truck into a synagogue near Detroit died after exchanging gunfire with security guards. But the attack, and the rise of antisemitic incidents nationwide, left some Jews wondering what more they could possibly do. “We are synagogues — we are houses of worship,” one rabbi said. “We are not Fort Knox.” In related news: The man who attacked the synagogue lost four family members in an airstrike in Lebanon last week.
Home prices are falling in this Calif. city. So is the ground.A Los Angeles-area enclave called Rancho Palos Verdes has been inching toward the sea for decades. But heavy rainfall in recent years has accelerated landslides in the area, shifting the ground by as much as a foot per week and turning a once-idyllic neighborhood into an unnerving place to live. Some families view the landslides as a tremendous buying opportunity. They include Eilen Stewart, who purchased a house there for $1.3 million in 2024. Since then, her land has moved a lot and the utility companies have cut off her access to gas and electricity. But her view has improved: The houses in front of hers have sunk several feet. More top news
“Friggatriskaidekaphobia”It is the fear of Friday the 13th, and a recipe for a difficult year. Today is the second of three Fridays the 13th in 2026 — the most any year can have. (Also, apologies if you have hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia, the fear of long words.)
Go behind the scenes of this year’s best picture contendersAhead of the Oscars on Sunday, The Times asked the directors of this year’s best picture nominees to narrate an important scene from their movie. Eight out of 10 agreed, including Josh Safdie, with a table tennis scene from “Marty Supreme,” and Kleber Mendonça Filho, with a warm ensemble sequence from “The Secret Agent.” See them all here. Want to know who is likely to take home Academy Awards this weekend? Our reporter Kyle Buchanan has spoken to many voters and made his projections. For more:
Can you tell a $1 tin of sardines from a $20 one?I’m always keen for some seafood in a can. But I hadn’t contemplated just how much variety there was until I read Wirecutter’s guide to the best tinned fish. My colleagues tried 109 varieties and picked out their 24 favorites. Their guide made me wonder whether the fancy stuff was really better than the $2 tins I’m familiar with. Luckily, Wirecutter’s Katie Quinn hosted a blind taste test. Watch it here.
Dinner table topics
Cook: This éclair cake is one of our most popular recipes right now. Watch: These are the movies that got our critics talking this week. Read “Night Night Fawn,” a novel about a closed-minded matriarch with compassion. Reset: Experts shared tips for improving your morning routine. Frame your favorite artwork yourself. It’s rewarding and not terribly difficult. Test yourself: Tak |
