Good evening. Here’s the latest at the end of Thursday.
U.S. and Iran draft cease-fire extensionThe Trump administration is closing in on a framework deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and extend its nominal cease-fire with Iran, according to U.S. officials with knowledge of the discussions, even as both countries traded strikes and Israel escalated its bombing campaign in Lebanon. President Trump has not signed off on the potential deal, which would leave some sticking points, like Iran’s nuclear program and frozen assets, to future negotiations. It was not immediately clear whether the U.S. and Iran had the same understanding of the framework, though both sides acknowledged that negotiators had agreed to a draft. Follow our live coverage. The U.S. and Iranian militaries were fighting as recently as this morning. The U.S. military downed four Iranian drones and struck a drone ground-control station in Iran; Iran then fired a missile at a U.S. base in Kuwait in what it called a retaliatory strike. More in the Middle East:
Everything’s getting more expensivePrices, lifted by the Iran war, are rising at their fastest pace in years. That’s according to inflation data released this morning by the Commerce Department, plus data from earlier in the month. Today’s release shows that many consumers have been eating the cost: Spending held steady as the savings rate plunged to its lowest level since June 2022. Some are traveling huge distances to fill their cars with the cheapest gas they can find. The news also means that the Federal Reserve may have to consider raising interest rates to cool inflation, even at the risk of an economic downturn. The central bank often “looks through” inflation when the underlying disruptions — the Covid pandemic, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Trump’s tariffs — seem temporary. But experts now say the economic chaos caused by the Iran war looks worrisome.
Justice Department picks its next targetThe Justice Department has shown an eagerness to exact revenge on the president’s opponents. Under Pam Bondi, the department pursued such Trump rivals as the former F.B.I. director James Comey and the former Fed chairman Jerome Powell. Now under Todd Blanche, who took over after Bondi’s firing last month, the hunt continues: The department is said to be investigating whether E. Jean Carroll committed perjury in one of her successful lawsuits against Trump. The 82-year-old former magazine writer accused Trump of sexual assault and won $88 million in defamation judgments against him. Blanche already brought new charges against Comey, for a social media post of seashells arranged to say “86 47,” and moved ahead with investigations into John Brennan, the former C.I.A. director who helped investigate Russian interference in Trump’s 2016 campaign, and Cassidy Hutchinson, a former aide who implicated Trump in the Jan. 6 riots.
Treasury planning $250 bill with Trump’s face on itTreasury Secretary Scott Bessent told reporters at the White House that his department had prepared designs of a $250 bill bearing the president’s likeness. Current law, however, does not allow the image of a living person on U.S. currency; Bessent said an act of Congress would be needed to issue the bill, meant to celebrate the country’s 250th birthday (and the president, of course). More top news
Manhattan’s summertime spectacleIt’s that time of year again. New Yorkers will flood the streets for a chance to glimpse something special: The sun, setting perfectly between the buildings, will bathe entire city streets in reddish-orange light. The unique visual effect, which Neil deGrasse Tyson named “Manhattanhenge,” will be visible tonight and tomorrow night around 8:15 p.m. Eastern. The streets will probably be packed, but it’ll be worth it. Here’s how to watch.
No, your eyes do not deceive youNaked women pluck harps. A monster truck flattens a car. A woman swallows a sword after paragliding in a bird costume. Each of these lurid acts is part of the same nine-hour performance by Florentina Holzinger, an Austrian choreographer-provocateur who is the buzz of this year’s Venice Biennale. She specializes in live piercings, self-harm and nudity; her performances feature blood and urine. “Violence is something we’re used to,” she said. Dinner table topics
Cook: Zucchini can be boring, or it can be the best thing ever. Listen to an interview with Lizzo and her exclusive performance on a special edition of “Popcast.” Read a new biography of Harry Belafonte or a history of an 1830s whaling boat shipwreck. Reduce your exposure to harmful forever chemicals in tap water. Watch the new season of “Summer House.” It’s unexpectedly cathartic. Crack open the best nonalcoholic beer on the market. Here are our top picks. Play: Today’s Spelling Bee, Wordle and |
