The Evening: A Trump jury was chosen

Also, the U.S. and Britain imposed new sanctions on Iran.

View in browser|nytimes.com Continue reading the main story April 18, 2024 By Matthew Cullen Good evening. Here's the latest at the end of Thursday. The Trump trial has 12 jurors Iran was hit with new sanctions Plus, the real legacy of Keith Haring Donald Trump greets spectators and supporters on Tuesday evening in New York. Anna Watts for The New York Times Trump's jury was chosen A full panel of 12 jurors has now been selected to decide Donald Trump's criminal trial in Manhattan, the first for a former American president and a crucial challenge to his bid to regain the Oval Office. Several more alternate jurors still need to be chosen, but the judge overseeing the case indicated that opening statements could begin on Monday. The dozen New Yorkers who were sworn in today by Justice Juan Merchan will, at the end of a six-week trial, be asked to render a verdict that could help shape the remainder of the 2024 campaign. Trump is facing 34 felony charges and up to four years in prison, in what might be his only criminal trial before Election Day. Those stakes caused some drama today. Two jurors were excused from the case: Prosecutors had raised questions about the credibility of answers given by one; the other said she had developed concerns about her identity becoming public, which she feared would compromise her fairness. The dismissals appeared to rankle the judge, Juan Merchan, who wants to keep the proceedings on schedule. He instructed reporters to no longer divulge prospective jurors' employers, a decision that some media law experts questioned. He also said he would consider next week whether Trump had repeatedly violated his gag order, as prosecutors said. What's next: My colleague Jesse McKinley explained what to expect from opening statements. Missiles on display during the annual celebration in Tehran, yesterday. Abedin Taherkenareh/EPA, via Shutterstock The U.S. imposed new sanctions on Iran President Biden today announced sanctions aimed at disrupting Iran's ability to produce the kind of drones that it used to attack Israel, imposing financial restrictions on companies involved. The American sanctions will also try to block lucrative exports by Iran's steel industry, officials said. Britain also announced news sanctions and the European Union planned to follow suit. Several Western leaders have been looking for ways to punish Iran while urging Israel not to retaliate in a way that could inflame a wider war. My colleagues reported last night that the U.S. was caught off guard when Israel killed several senior Iranian commanders in an airstrike in Syria. In other news from the Middle East, Qatar is now questioning its role as a key mediator between Israel and Hamas. Solar-panel manufacturing for export in China. Agence-France Presse/Getty Images Biden sees Chinese exports as a threat to his agenda President Biden is weighing new and higher tariffs on Chinese technologies that his administration considers threatening to nascent yet crucial American industries like electric-vehicle production and solar-panel manufacturing. The president yesterday called for higher tariffs on Chinese steel and aluminum. But unions, manufacturing groups and some economists say the administration may need to do much more to ensure that the U.S.'s vast industrial investments are not swamped by lower-cost Chinese versions of the same emerging technologies. In related news, the U.S. will give Micron up to $6.1 billion to build semiconductor plants in New York and Idaho. Schoolgirls in Freetown, Sierra Leone, in 2022. John Wessels/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images Millions will miss HPV shots after a production issue The drugmaker Merck said it would not be able to deliver millions of doses of the HPV vaccine that it had been contracted to provide to low- and middle-income countries this year. It cited "a manufacturing disruption." More than 10 million girls, mostly in Africa, will not receive their shots, and about 1.5 million of them will most likely never receive them because they will soon be too old to qualify. The delay is a big setback for countries that had already waited years to begin vaccinating girls against a virus that causes an estimated 90 percent of cervical cancers. More top news Education: Police arrested pro-Palestinian demonstrators at Columbia after the school pledged to Congress that they would quell protests. Politics: Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will be on the ballot in Michigan, but members of his family announced that they would endorse President Biden. Environment: China's cities are slowly sinking below sea level. Housing: Mortgage rates rose above 7 percent for the first time this year. TikTok: Court records mistakenly made public revealed the company's origin story and the role of a Republican megadonor. Southern Africa: More than 20 million people are facing what the U.N. calls "acute hunger" from one of the worst droughts in more than four decades. Tajikistan: The terrorist group ISIS-K has drawn more than half its recruits from the tiny country, which is one of the world's poorest. Media: Highsnobiety is a store, a website, a production agency and a clothing line — and now a National Magazine Award winner. Obituaries: Dickey Betts, the Allman Brothers guitarist who wrote and sang "Ramblin' Man," is dead at 80. Royals: Prince Harry officially became a U.S. resident. TIME TO UNWIND Michael Douglas as Benjamin Franklin. Apple TV+ Michael Douglas enjoyed being Benjamin Franklin For eight months of filming in France, Michael Douglas donned 18th-century formal wear and oozed charm to portray the most worldly of America's founders, Benjamin Franklin. The new series, now on Apple TV+, covers Franklin's time persuading the monarchy of Louis XVI to bankroll a nascent American republic. Douglas, 79, called it "the best production that I have ever been involved with." He also found it educational: Until the show, he said, he did not realize how significant a role the French played in U.S. independence. Keith Haring's designs can be seen on all sorts of consumer products, including skateboards. Karsten Moran for The New York Times Keith Haring's legacy is not at a museum Almost everyone is familiar with the artwork of Keith Haring — those unmistakable pulsating lines — even if they couldn't name him. And yet, 34 years after his death, the most likely place you'll encounter his art now is not the museum, but the mall. Haring, whom Andy Warhol described as "an advertising agency unto himself," took from graffiti the goal of maximum exposure. "My contribution to the world is my ability to draw," Haring once wrote. "I will draw as much as I can for as many people for as long as I can." Clockwise from top left: Sarah Pidgeon, Titus Kaphar, Sky Lakota-Lynch and Tyla. Shikeith Dinner table topics Let's begin: Artists young and old talked to T magazine about starting a creative career. Getting dark: The musician St. Vincent craved a "pummeling" in making her blistering seventh album. "Edible haute couture": Bastien Blanc-Tailleur left home at 15 to become a pâtissier. He is now one of France's most sought-after cake designers. Fixing the pages: Go inside the book conservation lab at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT WHAT TO DO TONIGHT Michael Kraus for The New York Times Cook: This chicken tagine with olives and preserved lemons will transport you to a mountainside cafe in Morocco. Watch: In "Abigail," some chucklehead criminals face off with a vampire in an old mansion. Read: Fall in love with poetry in this video feature with our poetry editor. Listen: These six new songs will take you on a bit of a journey without leaving your chair. Heal: A grieving mother found a new beginning on an electric bicycle. Toss: Think twice before you recycle shredded paper. Hunt: Nobody retires to California, right? This couple did. Here's the home they picked. Play: Here are today's Spelling Bee, Wordle and Mini Crossword. Find all of our games here. Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT ONE LAST THING Tunde Onakoya, left, in Times Square. Lola Fadulu/The New York Times A world record attempt in Times Square Tunde Onakoya, a Nigerian chess master, is playing nonstop in New York City's Times Square. His plan: to play through the night and nearly all of tomorrow to break the Guinness world record for the longest chess marathon, which currently stands at 56 hours. Onakoya is streaming the attempt online and asking viewers to donate to Gift of Chess and Chess in Slums Africa, organizations that aim to use the game to lift children out of poverty. Have a persistent 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? 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