Good evening. Here’s the latest at the end of Wednesday.
Trump said he would lower fuel efficiency requirementsPresident Trump gathered executives from top U.S. automakers in the Oval Office this afternoon to announce that the federal government would weaken fuel efficiency requirements for tens of millions of new cars and light trucks. The president said he would significantly scale back the Biden administration’s effort to spur the sale of battery-powered vehicles and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The move would effectively gut one of the country’s most significant efforts to address climate change. Trump said that his proposal, which is set to be finalized next year, would save Americans $109 billion over five years and shave $1,000 off the average cost of a new car. The new policy frees automakers to sell more pickups and sport utility vehicles, which are usually much more profitable than smaller cars. Environmentalists criticized Trump’s decision. Carmakers publicly praised the announcement, though some have privately fretted that they are being shuffled around by conflicting policies. The major U.S. car companies have already invested billions of dollars to produce electric vehicles and batteries. The C.E.O. of General Motors told my colleague Andrew Ross Sorkin today that the company would continue to develop motors that are fuel-efficient and cleaner, even if federal standards no longer required them to do so. She was one of roughly a dozen guests at this year’s DealBook Summit. See what Scott Bessent, Gavin Newsom, Erika Kirk and others said in their interviews. In other climate news: A prestigious science journal retracted a study that predicted that climate change would cause catastrophic economic damage by the end of the century.
The military had contingency plans for boat strike survivorsDefense Secretary Pete Hegseth approved contingency plans for what to do if an initial strike on boats carrying suspected drug smugglers left survivors, according to multiple U.S. officials. Under the plans, the military would attempt to rescue helpless survivors — whom it would be a war crime to target — but it would try to kill them if they took what the U.S. deemed to be a hostile action, like communicating with suspected cartel members. The plans could raise more questions about a second strike on a boat on Sept. 2 that killed two survivors of a first strike. One survivor radioed for help, the U.S. officials said. Adm. Frank Bradley, the operation’s commander, interpreted the purported communications as meaning that the survivors were still in the fight, and ordered the second strike. In other Trump administration news:
Private employers cut jobs, hinting at a possible slowdownPrivate employment declined last month for the third time in four months, according to the payroll processing company ADP. The firm’s economist said the losses were concentrated with small businesses, and indicated that wealthy households spent freely while lower-income families grew cautious. The data is incomplete, and other sources have not shown the same sharp decline, but it is getting added attention because of delays in official statistics caused by the government shutdown. In other economic news:
People are giving their medical records to A.I. botsMillions of people around the world are using chatbots to better understand their health. Some — including more than a dozen who spoke to The Times — are uploading their personal health information and asking the A.I. bots to help them make medical decisions. One woman told us it seemed like the only way she could get answers. Some experts are concerned. Studies have found that chatbots frequently guide users to incorrect diagnoses. And uploading sensitive data comes with real privacy risks. More top news
The race for a best picture nomination is wide openMy colleague Kyle Buchanan is always plugged into the whispers around Oscar voting. This year, he sees just five sure bets to earn nominations for best picture: “One Battle After Another,” “Sinners,” “Hamnet,” “Sentimental Value” and the still-to-come “Marty Supreme.” As for the other five slots? It’s anyone’s guess, Kyle explained, so he’s got a lot of guesses. For more great films: Our critics ranked their top 10 favorite movies of the year. For something a bit more festive: We picked out several new holiday movies to stream.
Mormon women are sweeping across pop cultureIn years past, cultural portrayals of members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints were often satirical, investigative or focused on polygamy, which the church disavowed well over a century ago. Now, a wave of women who were raised in the church have become hugely popular across reality TV and social media. It’s not just “The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City.” Nearly half of this season’s professionals on “Dancing With the Stars” were raised Mormon. The church culture, one “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives” cast member said, comes with “a little bit of an undertone of competition.”
Dinner table topics
Cook: These cottage cheese egg bites were among our most popular recipes of 2025. See the rest. Read: Janice Page’s new memoir is a moving story about her cross-cultural marriage. Try: We put together a beginner’s guide to skiing. Listen: Hear 13 great tracks from the beloved jazz institution A.A.C.M. Save: Baby laundry detergent is expensive. It’s also unnecessary. Play: Here are today’s Spelling Bee, |
