The Evening: The new pick for attorney general

November 22, 2024

	By Matthew Cullen

Good evening. Here’s the latest at the end of Friday.

A new pick for attorney general
A potential cease-fire in Lebanon
Plus, a “Wicked” weekend

Pam Bondi at a Trump rally in North Carolina this month. Sam Wolfe/Reuters

Gaetz’s replacement is a lobbyist and experienced prosecutor

Pam Bondi, who Donald Trump tapped last night for attorney general after former Representative Matt Gaetz dropped his bid, is arriving on the national stage with a smaller profile and less political baggage than Gaetz.

Bondi began working as an assistant state attorney in the Tampa-area in the 1990s, before becoming Florida’s first female attorney general in 2011. She left that post in 2019 and became a lobbyist for a powerhouse Republican firm. While there, she represented major corporations and foreign governments with interests before the U.S. government.

Like Gaetz, Bondi is a Trump loyalist. She served on Trump’s legal team during his first impeachment and oversaw the filing of voting-related lawsuits in battleground states.

The president-elect has been keen to install a close ally at the Justice Department. He has vowed to purge the agency of what he calls “deep state” foes — suggesting an end to the department’s longstanding practice of independence.

Trump still has 10 more cabinet picks to announce. We’re tracking his choices.

In other politics news:

A New York judge postponed Trump’s sentencing in his Manhattan criminal case.
Elon Musk is getting a crash course on the cutthroat politics of Trump’s inner circle. His ultimate influence remains an open question.
JD Vance and other Trump allies say limiting immigration will raise wages and give jobs to sidelined Americans. Many economists disagree.
Blue state attorneys general worry that blocking Trump through court action will be tougher in his second term.
Trump won the popular vote by one of the smallest margins since the 19th century. But he has claimed a “powerful mandate.”

Destroyed and battered cars, with a heavily damaged building in the background, on a street with trees and people sitting or inspecting the damage.

The aftermath of an attack in Beirut, Lebanon, this week. Daniel Berehulak/The New York Times

Terms of Lebanon cease-fire begin to take shape

After weeks of punishing combat between Israeli forces and the Hezbollah militant group in Lebanon, the contours of a potential cease-fire agreement appear to be taking shape, several officials said.

The proposed agreement calls for a 60-day truce, during which Israeli forces would withdraw from southern Lebanon and Hezbollah fighters would pull back to the north. During that time, the Lebanese Army and a U.N. peacekeeping force would ramp up their deployment in the border zone.

Some critical details still need to be worked out, and further disagreements could undermine a deal.

In related news, Hungary’s prime minister invited Israel’s leader, Benjamin Netanyahu, to visit, flouting an International Criminal Court arrest warrant.

Vehicles, including yellow cabs, are stopped at a traffic light in Manhattan at night. Four tolling scanners are attached to a metal pole overhead.

Hiroko Masuike/The New York Times

New York’s congestion tolls were approved

New York City received the green light today from the Federal Highway Administration to start charging drivers $9 to use some of the busiest streets in Manhattan. The congestion pricing program, the first of its kind in the country, is set to begin on Jan. 5, though it could still be stopped by lawsuits.

Gov. Kathy Hochul revived the push for congestion pricing this month after pausing an earlier plan to charge drivers $15. The tolls are intended to raise money for mass transit while relieving some of the world’s worst gridlock and clearing air pollution.

A hand rests on the base of a glass of wine on a bar.

Jenn Ackerman for The New York Times

Alcohol deaths more than doubled in two decades

Nearly 50,000 Americans ages 25 to 85 died from alcohol-related diseases in 2020, a steep rise from under 20,000 in 1999, according to new research. Those numbers do not include other deaths influenced by alcohol, such as accidents.

The increases were in all age groups, with the biggest spike among young adults. There was also a steep surge among women, though they remain far less likely than men to die of alcohol-related illnesses.

More top news

Ukraine: Parliament canceled a session over a warning that Russia could target the building in a missile attack.
Norway: Authorities arrested a security guard at the U.S. Embassy in Oslo, accusing him of passing sensitive information to Russia and Iran.
Germany: The country is facing a second year of zero growth, and industry leaders are worried about potential tariffs from Trump.
A.I.: Amazon said that it would invest another $4 billion in Anthropic, a start-up that competes with OpenAI and Google.
Logging: It’s the deadliest job in the U.S., but still a way of life in Oregon.
Health: A Covid-19 infection doubled the risk of a major cardiovascular event for up to three years afterward, a study found.
American slave trade: For generations, scholars argued that white women were rarely involved in the active buying and selling of Black people. A growing body of research says otherwise.

TIME TO UNWIND

In a still from “Wicked,” Ariana Grande as Glinda and Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba look at their reflections in a glittery pink mirror.

Ariana Grande as Glinda and Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba in “Wicked.” Giles Keyte/Universal Pictures

It’s a ‘Wicked’ weekend

Theaters across the country are expecting big crowds this weekend for “Wicked,” the first installment in a two-part musical adaptation of the beloved Broadway play. The film, starring Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo, is projected to be one of the most popular of the year. Here’s our review.

Early screenings have already generated debate: Some fans are treating the musical as a singalong, and not everyone is thrilled.

“Gladiator II”: Ridley Scott’s latest is also out in theaters today. Our critic called it a “pleasurably immersive spectacle.”

Muffins drizzled with icing sit on a wooden board.

Armando Rafael for The New York Times

Cook something new this Thanksgiving

We all know — and maybe even love — Thanksgiving staples like turkey, gravy, stuffing and pumpkin pie. My colleagues at New York Times Cooking have plenty of recipes and tips for the holiday mainstays.

But this year, why not try out a new dish? Perhaps pickle biscuits, cottage cheese dip or a cranberry-sauce shrimp cocktail sound good to you. For more ideas, take a look at these dishes that our recipe testers loved this year.

For a restful holiday: We have three easy strategies and budget-friendly recipes to make the big feast stress-free.

A man in a white T-shirt stands in front of a crowd of people, many of whom are taking photos of him on their phones.

The winner of the Harry Styles look-alike contest held in London this month. Leon Neal/Getty Images

Dinner table topics

Doubles of famous men: A wave of celebrity look-alike contests has provided a brief yet appealing diversion from politics.
An epic sequence: We followed along with Broadway’s “Sunset Boulevard” to see how the show pulls off an ambitious outdoor scene.
Social media bright spot: Bluesky has a hint of the old Twitter magic. But the feeling of freedom it offers might be even better, our critic writes.
Brew from sewage: At the climate summit, Singapore is giving out beer made from recycled toilet water.

WHAT TO DO THIS WEEKEND

A slice of nam prik ong lasagna on a plate, with the full pan of lasagna in the background.

Ghazalle Badiozamani for The New York Times

Cook: Nam prik ong lasagna embraces the overlaps between Thai and Italian cuisines.

Watch: Our critics are talking about these six new documentaries.

Read: “Stranger Than Fiction” was one of our favorite new books this week.

Plan: Here’s how to survive Thanksgiving travel.

Flatten: Wirecutter tested a dozen of the highest-rated rolling pins. This one is the best.

Compete: Take this week’s news quiz.

Play: Here are today’s Spelling Bee,