The Evening: A Justice Dept. reversal

July 17, 2025

	By Matthew Cullen

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

A pivot by Trump’s Justice Department
A plan for 16-year-old voters in Britain
Plus, a guide to Jane Austen’s work

Brett Hankison in a blue suit and blue tie.

The former officer, Brett Hankison. Matt Stone/The Courier-Journal, via Imagn

Justice Dept. asked for 1-day sentence for Louisville officer

The leader of the Justice Department’s civil rights unit asked a federal judge in Kentucky to sentence the former Louisville police officer who was convicted in the 2020 killing of Breonna Taylor to one day in jail. It was a significant reversal for a unit that spent years investigating and prosecuting the case in an effort to address racial disparities in policing.

The officer, Brett Hankison, who was found guilty last year of violating Taylor’s civil rights for firing several nonfatal shots through her window, faces a maximum sentence of life in prison. The judge will consider the government’s request at a sentencing scheduled for next week.

The official who submitted the request, Harmeet Dhillon, is a longtime Republican leader who was appointed to the role by President Trump. She suggested in her filing that the Biden administration’s prosecution of the former officer was excessive.

In other Trump administration news:

The president was diagnosed with chronic venous insufficiency, a common vein condition, after he sought medical care for swelling in his legs. Read the letter from Trump’s doctor.
Current and former staff members said there was a pervasive fear inside inspectors general offices after Trump fired several watchdogs.

A person carries a box U.S.A.I.D. box on her head.

An aid worker in Kampala, Uganda, in February. Stuart Tibaweswa for The New York Times

Congress is set to claw back billions for aid and public media

The House is planning to vote before the end of the week to approve a White House request to claw back $9 billion in congressionally approved spending. Early this morning, the Senate’s Republican majority narrowly approved the bill over the objections of two members of the party who said it abdicated the legislative branch’s power of the purse.

Most of the funds targeted — roughly $8 billion — were intended for foreign assistance programs. The remaining $1.1 billion was for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which finances NPR and PBS. A number of senators said the administration had not provided details about what specific programs would be affected.

In related news, the cryptocurrency industry reached a major milestone as Congress cleared legislation outlining the first federal rules for stablecoins, a popular form of digital currency.

Senator Ron Wyden of Oregon with his hands on his hip.

Senator Ron Wyden of Oregon. Eric Lee for The New York Times

Democrats, too, are refusing to let the Epstein matter go away

Senator Ron Wyden, the top Democrat on the Senate Finance Committee, told my colleague in an interview that he wants the Trump administration to release reports it has about $1.5 billion in suspicious transactions made by Jeffrey Epstein, the disgraced financier and sexual offender.

Trump has encouraged the public to move on from the Epstein case, but many of his allies insist there is more to uncover. Here’s what they’re saying.

In related news, Maurene Comey, a federal prosecutor who worked on the Epstein case, was fired by the Justice Department. In an email to colleagues, Comey — the daughter of James Comey, the former F.B.I. director — urged them not to give into fear, which she called “the tool of a tyrant.”

A large building with a sign that reads “polling station” and people walking toward its entrance.

A polling station in Brighton, Britain, last year. Carlos Jasso/Reuters

Britain is planning to lower the voting age

The British government said today that it would allow 16- and 17-year-olds to vote. The plan, which would require a new law, would add some 1.6 million teenagers to the voting population.

The center-left Labour Party, which has a large majority in Parliament, has backed such a move for years. Historically, teenage voters have skewed left, but recent polling showed growing youth support for Reform U.K., the right-wing populist party led by Nigel Farage.

More top news

Health: The head of the F.D.A. convened a panel to discuss whether the risks of hormone therapy for menopause have been overstated, deterring women who might benefit.
Texas: Online groups and search efforts along the Guadalupe River are helping to reunite survivors and families with items lost in the flooding.
Syria: Since Sunday, more than 500 people have been killed in the sectarian violence that has consumed the southern province of Sweida.
Europe: Britain and Germany signed a landmark defense treaty that includes a pledge by both countries to regard a threat against one as a threat against the other.
Iraq: A fire killed 61 people at a newly opened shopping mall in the city of Kut in the country’s east.
Royals: As several countries plan to revive the use of land mines, Prince Harry took up a cause that was embraced by his mother, Diana, Princess of Wales.
Media: Substack, which is building a social network and warming up to the advertising business, raised $100 million.
Lives Lived: Connie Francis, the 1960s balladeer who ruled the charts with songs like “Who’s Sorry Now” and “Where the Boys Are,” died at 87.

TIME TO UNWIND

In a scene from the movie “Eddington,” Joaquin Phoenix wears a cowboy hat and uses a laptop inside a car. The whole scene has a red cast.

A24

‘Eddington’ takes us back to the pandemic

Ari Aster made his name as a horror director with 2018’s “Hereditary” and 2019’s “Midsommar.” This week, his new film, “Eddington,” enters more familiar territory: It’s a western set during the height of the pandemic. Reality felt so unreal during those months, and Aster captures that.

Our critic Alissa Wilkinson said the film — which stars Joaquin Phoenix, Pedro Pascal and Emma Stone — caused her to be breathless with giggles at times. She declared it a Times Critic’s Pick.

For more: Aster, the man behind some of the 21st century’s most unsettling films, is afraid of everything.

An illustration shows a black-and-white portrait of Jane Austen next to a scrap of the title page of “Pride and Prejudice.”

Portrait by Hulton Archive, via Getty Images

It’s always a great time to read Jane Austen

Jane Austen, whose 250th birthday is being celebrated this year, died without seeing her own extraordinary success. But few authors have had such an enduring afterlife.

You can read Austen’s novels for their intricately arranged marriage plots, for their sly humor, for what they say about women and the financial arrangements that underpinned their search for husbands, for their vivid representation of a particular stratum of English life. For my colleague Sarah Lyall, there’s no one like Austen for using comic observation to alleviate a vexing situation. Read Sarah’s guide to the essential Jane Austen.

A short looping video clip of a man wearing a red shirt and construction hat laying bricks.

David Walter Banks for The New York Times

Dinner table topics

Team of rookies: Texas high school students had two days to build a tiny house, defend their title and live up to a legacy.

On death: From end-of-life care to burials and beyond, we answered your questions on mortality.
Cherry Lane: Why did the indie film studio A24 buy an Off Broadway theater?
Tasty journey: Over a month, our reporter tested more than 100 croissants across New York City. Here’s how it went.

WHAT TO DO TONIGHT

A pasta dish with zucchini, tomatoes and other vegetables, topped with basil and served on a white plate.

Armando Rafael for The New York Times

Cook: This ratatouille pasta is an easy weeknight dinner.

Game: There’s a lot to dig in the new video game Donkey Kong Bananza.

Travel: Here’s a plan for a short trip to Key West.

Wear: Jenna Lyons knows quality clothing. Take inspiration from her staple wardrobe.

Prepare: We talked to experts about how to swim-proof your hair.

Hunt: Which Connecticut home would you buy for $700,000?

Play: Here are today’s Spelling Bee, Wordle and Mini Crossword. Find all our games here.