Good evening. Here’s the latest at the end of Thursday.
Washington reopenedThe federal government was back up and running today for the first time since September, after the longest shutdown in history came to an end last night. Agencies reopened, hundreds of thousands of furloughed workers were welcomed back and federal courts resumed their normal dockets. However, it could take some time before operations are back to normal. Work piled up over the last 43 days, and some federal programs could take days or weeks to be fully restored. Federal employees are expecting to see paychecks again as early as Nov. 20, and delayed food stamp benefits are expected to arrive by Monday. The White House’s top economist said that the shutdown cost $14 billion per week, or as much as 1.5 percent of gross domestic product. It was especially hard on the Washington, D.C., area, where more than 400,000 federal employees live. For some of them, the anxiety is not going away. One result of the end of the shutdown: When the House reconvened to fund the government, members effectively forced a vote to demand the release of the government’s documents on Jeffrey Epstein. Here’s what we learned from yesterday’s release of new Epstein emails, several of which hinted that he had damaging information on President Trump.
Ukraine’s dilemma in PokrovskLeaders in Kyiv are facing a cruelly familiar choice as Russian troops move closer to capturing Pokrovsk, a crucial city in the Donetsk region that Vladimir Putin has long coveted. Ukraine could concede defeat and save lives. Or it could fight on, delaying a victory for Moscow. When Ukraine had to make similar decisions in Bakhmut and Avdiivka, it fought on. Officials argued that the decisions forced Russia to expend resources and showed a fighting spirit to the West. Critics argued that a timely retreat could have saved soldiers — Ukraine’s most precious resource. President Volodymyr Zelensky has shown no sign that he will order a retreat from Pokrovsk. For more: Take a look through the lens of our photographer as he saw Pokrovsk transform into a zone of destruction.
The U.S. is expected to significantly cut housing grantsThe Trump administration has developed plans for the most consequential shift in homelessness policy in a generation. According to a confidential plan reviewed by The Times, the U.S. would slash its main source of support for homelessness — $3.5 billion in long-term housing programs for disabled recipients — and redirect most of it to programs that prioritize work and drug treatment, and that help the police dismantle encampments. In other Trump administration news:
Why can’t anyone fix Penn Station?More than 25 years ago, President Bill Clinton stood beside the New York governor and announced plans to rebuild Penn Station, the nation’s busiest transit hub, for the modern age. Five presidencies and four governors later, it’s still cramped, congested, gloomy, grimy and prone to delays. The station — which is abhorred by many of the 600,000 people who use it daily — has become a symbol of the country’s failure to get big projects done. My colleague Patrick McGeehan, who covers infrastructure, explained what’s standing in the way. More top news
An ode to 1950s ParisRichard Linklater’s new film, “Nouvelle Vague,” is a glamorous portrait of young moviemakers in Paris who, in the late 1950s, upended cinematic norms. It focuses on Jean-Luc Godard’s efforts to create his first (now legendary) film, “Breathless.” Linklater’s film is both a homage to the era and, our critic wrote, “an expression of a certain approach — a consciousness — toward cinema’s pleasures and possibilities, one that at once embraces the art’s past and insists on its future.” Arriving in theaters: Glen Powell stars as an Everyman battling it out in a near-future America in an adaptation of the Stephen King novel “The Running Man.”
Ancient dogs were already amazingly diverseAs a species, dogs are mind-bogglingly diverse. Just think about the differences between a Shih Tzu and a Great Dane. Typically, researchers have traced the variation to the Victorian era, when dog fanciers created a wide range of breeds. But now, a new analysis of very old canine skulls suggested that half the variation we see in dogs was in place 10,000 years ago.
Dinner table topics
Cook: This soup tastes like a cheeseburger. Read: Let us help you find your next historical fiction book. Admire: These apps can make art galleries easier to navigate. Consider: Is it bad to exercise before bed? Stay warm: Here’s how to make the most of a space heater without burning down your house. Hunt: Which Boca Raton, Fla., home would you buy with a budget of $800,000? Play: Here are today’s Spelling Bee, |
