The Evening: Trump’s trial begins

Also, Israel weighs retaliation against Iran.

View in browser|nytimes.com Continue reading the main story April 15, 2024 By Matthew Cullen Good evening. Here's the latest at the end of Monday. Day 1 of Trump's New York trial Debate over Israel's next steps Plus, a handmade video game Donald Trump in court today. Jefferson Siegel for The New York Times Trump's criminal trial begins with a bumpy jury selection New York prosecutors joined Donald Trump and his attorneys today in a Manhattan courtroom for the official start of the first criminal trial of an American president. Trump is facing 34 felony counts of falsifying business records to cover up a sex scandal during his 2016 campaign. If convicted, he could face up to four years in prison. After the judge overseeing the case rejected Trump's latest effort to oust him, the prosecution and the defense began collaborating on the arduous process of choosing a jury. Immediately, they ran into problems. More than half of the first pool of 96 prospective jurors was dismissed after they indicated they did not believe they could be impartial, and court adjourned for the day with zero jurors chosen. My colleague Alan Feuer noted that such a high initial failure rate is "surpassingly rare," underscoring the challenges of seating an impartial jury for a defendant whom much of the country has already made its mind up about. Here's an explanation of the jurors both sides want. The trial — perhaps the only one against Trump that will unfold before Election Day — is projected to take about six weeks, the judge told the prospective jurors. But it could stretch out longer if jury selection turns out to be especially time consuming. The process will be crucial for both sides, but could be especially challenging for the defense, who will effectively be searching for red needles in Manhattan's giant blue haystack. "The defense will be looking for working class voters, people that work in city jobs, perhaps firefighters, police, sanitation workers," my colleague Jesse McKinley, who is writing our Trump on Trial newsletter, said. A girl crosses the street in Tehran today, where a large billboard depicting missiles is displayed. Arash Khamooshi for The New York Times Israel's war cabinet met to weigh a response to Iran Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel is facing conflicting pressures as he considers whether and how to retaliate against Iran for its missile and drone attack over the weekend. Some far-right members of his government have called for an immediate military response, while many international leaders, including President Biden, have urged Israel to de-escalate. Netanyahu's war cabinet met again today, but so far there has been no response to the attack. And rather than preparing the public for a showdown with its archrival, the government signaled a return to relative normalcy, lifting restrictions on large gatherings and allowing schools to reopen. Here's the latest. For more: Our national security correspondent David Sanger explained why it has become more difficult to contain Iran over the last several years. Bleached coral last month off the southern end of the Great Barrier Reef in Australia. Renata Ferrari/AIMS, via Reuters Scientists warned of the widest-ever threat to coral Record ocean temperatures have put so much stress on the world's coral reefs that they are losing their vital algae — a process referred to as bleaching — on an unprecedented scale. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration projected that the current crisis would within weeks become the most extensive bleaching event on record. An NOAA official said that more than 54 percent of the world's coral area has experienced bleaching-level heat stress in the past year, and that figure is increasing by about 1 percent per week. The pharmaceutical industry is already struggling with drug shortages at a 20-year high. Imaginechina Limited, via Alamy Congress is targeting a Chinese firm that makes key U.S. drugs WuXi AppTec is among the Chinese drug companies that lawmakers have identified as a potential threat to the security of Americans' genetic information and U.S. intellectual property. But the company develops and produces crucial therapies for cancer, cystic fibrosis, H.I.V. and other illnesses. As Congress considers legislation to push U.S. companies away from doing business with firms like WuXi, drug executives have warned that removing the company from the American market could also take some drugs out of the pipeline for years. More top news Tesla: Turmoil continued at the electric car company as it announced that it would lay off 10 percent of its work force. Business: Goldman Sachs earned nearly $4 billion in profit in the first quarter — around $1 billion more than analysts expected. New York: Lawmakers reached a deal on a framework to address one of the worst housing crises in the nation. Markets: Shares of Trump Media fell 18 percent today, and are down more than 50 percent since its first days of trading. Film: The armorer who loaded the gun before a fatal shooting on the "Rust" set was sentenced to 18 months in prison for involuntary manslaughter. Police: Two officers were killed in a shootout near Syracuse, New York. Music: Beyoncé's "Cowboy Carter" is at No. 1 for a second week, a feat the artist last managed 11 years ago. Nature: Fish off the Florida Keys started swimming upside down, spinning and dying. Scientists are racing to figure out why. Boston Marathon: Hellen Obiri claimed her second straight women's title, while Sisay Lemma won the men's race with the 10th fastest time in the event's history. TIME TO UNWIND Faith Ringgold at her home in Englewood, N.J., in 2020. Meron Tekie Menghistab for The New York Times A landmark art career outside the establishment Faith Ringgold, who died on Saturday at 93, was most famous for her narrative quilts depicting the joys and rigors of Black lives. But she was an expert at mixing the personal and political across a number of mediums, including sculpture, painting and writing. But major museums, auction houses and galleries never quite knew what to do with her art, so they mostly ignored it. This was a consequence, she often said, of her race, her sex and her uncompromising focus on art as a vehicle for social justice. It wasn't until very recently, when Ringgold was approaching 90, that MoMA finally acquired some of her works. The museum paired one alongside a Picasso. Arnold Schwarzenegger in "True Lies" when streamed, top, and on Blu-ray, where the image was made using artificial intelligence. 20th Century Fox Do clearer images make movies better? Film restorers are taking advantage of rapidly improving artificial intelligence tools to sharpen decades-old movies. Recently, several of James Cameron's films, including "True Lies" and "Aliens," were upgraded with machine-learning technology that makes water appear crystalline and colors look bright and vivid. Some critics strongly dislike the results. The lack of imperfections delivers an uncanny feeling for some viewers, while others are more broadly skeptical of the suggestion that A.I. could improve on human art. For more, our tech columnist explained why we struggle to explain how smart A.I. tools are. Adrienne Grunwald for The New York Times Dinner table topics A pricey symbol of love: A dozen red roses may be timeless, but the price isn't. Here's why a New York City bouquet now costs $72. An ageless sip: There's a new straw that doesn't cause facial wrinkles, yet another solution to a problem we didn't know we had. (And still might not). A new classic: Gen Z wanted a co-op version of Scrabble, and Mattel obliged. Some fans of the original aren't happy. A win in the second half: Dating after 50 can be miserable. But there's liberation there too, and unexpected pleasure. Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT WHAT TO DO TONIGHT Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Cook: This one-pot pasta dish combines the crisp salt of prosciutto with the bright pop of green peas. Watch: The W.N.B.A. draft airs tonight on ESPN. Here's what else is on TV this week. Dine: Here are the 25 best restaurants in Boston right now. Clean: Get organized quickly with decluttering sprints lasting 30 minutes or less. Travel: Planning to bring your pet onto the plane? Here's how different airlines handle that. Repel: We'd like to tell you about a secret weapon in the war against ticks. Compete: Take this week's Flashback history quiz. 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 The video game Harold Halibut's handmade quality seems to dovetail with its story and its ideas. Slow Bros. A handmade video game For more than a decade, Onat Hekimoglu had wanted to make a video game about a hapless janitor stuck in an undersea city. But he had no digital design experience. So he made Harold Halibut almost entirely by hand. Nearly everything onscreen was made of physical materials like cardboard and clay, including the characters, with costumes sewn from real textiles, then 3-D scanned so they could be animated digitally. Have a skillful 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. You received this email because you signed up for The Evening from The New York Times. To stop receiving The Evening, unsubscribe. To opt out of other promotional emails from The Times, including those regarding The Athletic, manage your email settings. To opt out of updates and offers sent from The Athletic, submit a request. Subscribe to The TimesGet The New York Times app Connect with us on: Change Your EmailPrivacy PolicyContact UsCalifornia Notices The New York Times Company. 620 Eighth Avenue New York, NY 10018