The Evening: The U.S. is set for its first moon landing in 50 years

Also, A.I. buzz fueled Nvidia's surging valuation.

View in browser|nytimes.com Continue reading the main story February 22, 2024 By Matthew Cullen Good evening. Here's the latest at the end of Thursday. A landing attempt on the moon An A.I.-fueled stock surge Plus, what's your puzzle personality? A view of Earth from the Intuitive Machines Odysseus mission on Feb. 16. Intuitive Machines The first American moon landing in 50 years Tonight, a robotic spacecraft built by a Houston company will try to land safely on the moon. The lunar lander, named Odysseus, is scheduled to touch down at 6:24 p.m. Eastern time. If all goes to plan, the mission would achieve a series of distinctions: It would be the first American-built mission to the moon's surface since 1972, the closest landing to the moon's south pole in history and the first privately built spacecraft from any country to make it to the moon's surface without crashing. Watch the landing live, with coverage from our reporters. Odysseus is a hexagonal cylinder about 14 feet tall and five feet wide. The spacecraft launched on Feb. 15 from Florida aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and entered orbit around the moon yesterday. NASA did not build the craft or manage its flight, but the space agency did pay Odysseus's manufacturer, Intuitive Machines, $118 million to carry a set of scientific instruments that may aid future NASA astronaut missions. The lander is also carrying 125 miniature moon sculptures made by the artist Jeff Koons. Odysseus will try to land in a region where water ice has been detected. That ice could be used by astronauts who visit the moon in the future for drinking water, oxygen and to even fuel spacecraft. President Andrés Manuel López Obrador in Mexico City, last year. Alejandro Cegarra for The New York Times U.S. examined allies of Mexico's president for cartel ties American law enforcement officials spent years looking into allegations that allies of Mexico's president, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, met with drug cartels and took millions of dollars from them after he took office, according to U.S. records and people familiar with the matter. The inquiry uncovered potential links between top Mexican advisers and powerful cartel operatives, but the U.S. never opened a formal investigation into López Obrador himself. Ultimately, the officials shelved the inquiry after concluding that they had little appetite to pursue allegations against the leader of one of America's top allies. López Obrador called the allegations "completely false." He said the news of the inquiry would not "in any way" affect Mexico's relationship with the U.S., but he said he expected a response from the U.S. government. Goldman Sachs called Nvidia "the most important stock on planet Earth." Ann Wang/Reuters A.I. buzz fueled Nvidia's surging valuation The stock market had its best day in more than a year as investors raced to buy shares of the chipmaker Nvidia. The company had reported record profits fueled by its dominance in making the tools that power artificial intelligence. By market close today, Nvidia shares were up more than 16 percent, adding $276 billion to its valuation and making it the third-largest U.S.-listed company. Many investors still consider Nvidia undervalued because they expect it to keep generating cash as A.I. capabilities grow. But others are more cautious because of the company's enormous "price-to-sales" ratio, a measure of a company's value relative to how much cash it generates. Beyond the market enthusiasm, some economists expect A.I. to power once-in-a-generation productivity gains. Last year, the U.S. experienced 28 disasters with expected costs of at least $1 billion each. Zack Wittman for The New York Times Disasters displaced millions in the U.S. in 2023 Across the U.S., an estimated 2.5 million people were forced from their homes last year by weather-related disasters, according to new data from the Census Bureau. More than a third of those people said they had been displaced for longer than a month, and more than half reported that they had interacted with someone who seemed to be trying to defraud them. The survey data offer the most complete picture yet of the toll on humans related to the worsening effects of extreme weather. More top news Russia: Aleksei Navalny's mother said the Russian authorities would not release his remains unless she agreed to a "secret funeral." Business: AT&T said it had fully restored service to its wireless network after a widespread outage temporarily eliminated service for users across the U.S. China: Leaked documents show that the country has increasingly turned to private companies to hack foreign governments and control its domestic population. Gaza: Deadly strikes hit several homes and flattened a mosque in Rafah, residents and the Palestinian Authority's official news agency said. Politics: State Republican parties in roughly half of the most important battleground states in the 2024 election are awash in various degrees of dysfunction, debt and disarray. Gender identity: Americans are deeply divided on whether schools should teach about gender identity, two polls found. Health: A study found that nearly a quarter of menthol cigarette smokers quit in the year or two after a ban on menthol went into effect. Wendy Williams: The former daytime talk show host has been diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia, according to her representatives. TIME TO UNWIND Jennifer Lopez in her movie "This Is Me … Now: A Love Story." Prime, via Associated Press Jennifer Lopez's comeback album … with a twist For the first time in nearly a decade, Jennifer Lopez released a new album. Our critic Wesley Morris described the tracks on the project — "This Is Me … Now" — as a so-so buffet of sounds, and was much more interested in its accompanying movie, which Lopez co-wrote and is now streaming on Amazon Prime Video. In the 65-minute film, Lopez stars as her fictional self: a husband-hunter jailed in metaphorical music-video situations like "glass house" and "love factory." "Here's an entertainer determined to enter-freaking-tain," Wesley wrote. However, "Lopez has been never on any sort of cutting edge. She's often where music just was; and that can leave her stranded the way she is here." Sarah Mafféïs How to eat like a nutrition expert It might surprise you to hear that Maya Vadiveloo, a dietitian and professor of nutrition, is a self-described "connoisseur" of soft pretzels dipped in gooey melted cheese. "It's not a balanced meal," she said, but not every single meal has to be especially healthy. Rather than seeking perfection, Vadiveloo uses a handful of healthy habits to put together a balanced meal plan. We asked her for tips, which include focusing on the perimeter of the grocery store and making veggies your "lazy" snack. Cast members of "The Outsiders" musical, which is set to launch this April. Adali Schell for The New York Times Dinner table topics "The Outsiders" returns: One of the best-selling young adult novels of all time, and a star-studded Coppola movie from the 1980s, is coming to Broadway. Over 60 and single: Some older people who have given up looking for romantic love say they feel self-assured and satisfied on their own. Couple's logos: Want an Insta-worthy wedding? Brand your love story. Diesel in Milan: Was it the most democratic fashion show ever? Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT WHAT TO DO TONIGHT Kelly Marshall for The New York Times Cook: Roasted cauliflower and garlic soup is a vegan dish that's as velvety and rich as its creamy, dairy-filled counterparts. Watch: "About Dry Grasses," a Turkish film that asks whether the world can change, is a critic's pick. Read: Check out these four new horror novels. Listen: The Puerto Rican songwriter Residente's new album places romance alongside resistance. Preserve: Smaller is better in the freezer. Here's why. Sip: Wirecutter picked out the best filtered water bottle. Hunt: Which home in New York's Hudson Valley would you buy with a $600,000 budget? Play: Here are today's Spelling Bee, Wordle and Mini Crossword. Find all our games here. Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT ONE LAST THING Aaron Fernandez for The New York Times What's your puzzle personality? People solve puzzles and play games for all sorts of reasons. For some, it's primarily a social experience — an easy way to enjoy time with friends and family. For others, it's a tool to sharpen the brain, or an avenue to channel competitive drive. Take our quiz to see what puzzle personality you have. Based on the results, our Games desk will recommend a few games you might enjoy. Have an entertaining evening. Thanks for reading. I'll be back tomorrow. — Matthew We welcome your feedback. Write to us at evening@nytimes.com. Continue reading the main story Writer: Matthew Cullen Editorial Director: Adam Pasick Editors: Carole Landry, Whet Moser, Justin Porter, Jonathan Wolfe Photo Editor: Brent Lewis Need help? Review our newsletter help page or contact us for assistance. 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