The Evening: A Russian general assassinated in Moscow

Also, Elon Musk and SpaceX face national security reviews.

View in browser|nytimes.com December 17, 2024 By Matthew Cullen Good evening. Here's the latest at the end of Tuesday. A Russian general killed in Moscow Elon Musk under security review Plus, a lost van Gogh masterpiece The residential building in Moscow where an explosive device was detonated. Maxim Shemetov/Reuters Ukraine said it assassinated a Russian general in Moscow A Russian general was killed today by a bomb on a Moscow street. Ukraine claimed responsibility for what appears to be one of the most brazen assassinations since Russia's full-scale invasion nearly three years ago. The general, Igor Kirillov, 54, died along with an aide after an explosive device planted in a scooter was detonated this morning, Russian authorities said. Kirillov was the head of Russia's radioactive, chemical and biological defense forces. Yesterday, Kyiv had blamed him for the "massive use of banned chemical weapons" in Ukraine. While other Russian generals have died during the war, Kirillov is the highest-ranking military official to have been killed inside Russia. Ukraine's security service shared a video of the attack. A senior American official said the U.S. was not informed about the assassination ahead of time and warned that the killing might be counterproductive by inciting a reaction from Vladimir Putin. In related news: The reality has set in on Capitol Hill that, with Donald Trump poised to take office, the era of U.S. military support for Ukraine is coming to an end. Outside Abundant Life Christian School in Madison, Wis., this morning.  Jamie Kelter Davis for The New York Times Madison mourned after a school shooting A makeshift memorial grew on a sidewalk outside a Christian school in Madison, Wis., where a teenage student fatally shot a teacher and a fellow student yesterday. Police identified the shooter as Natalie Rupnow, a 15-year-old student who died from what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Much is still unknown about the attack. In an update this afternoon, the city's police chief said it "appears that the motive was a combination of factors" but did not say what the factors were. He said that her parents were cooperating with investigators. Two victims were still hospitalized with life-threatening injuries. It's uncommon for young women to be suspects in school shootings. This year, nine shooting suspects were female compared with 249 who were male, according to the K-12 School Shooting Database. President Biden in Luanda, Angola, this month.  Eric Lee/The New York Times A weary Biden heads for the exit With about a month left in office, President Biden is determined to shape his legacy as a consequential leader. He recently visited Angola and the Amazon rainforest, gave a 40-minute "legacy speech" in which he claimed credit for a healthy economy and made another push for a cease-fire in Gaza. But time is catching up with the president. He looks a little older and appears a little slower each day. And he has absented himself from debates convulsing the country: After warning that Trump posed an existential threat to American democracy, Biden went silent on the matter. In other politics news: Trump sued The Des Moines Register for running a poll before the election that showed him trailing Kamala Harris. In her first major speech since conceding defeat, Harris urged young people to "stay in the fight." Robert F. Kennedy Jr., whom Trump picked to be heath secretary, has suggested that the polio vaccine cost more lives than it saved. Wall Street leaders have emphasized what they like in Trump's agenda and dismissed what they don't. Silicon Valley executives hope that Trump will offer more visas to highly skilled foreign workers. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez lost an internal vote to lead Democrats on the Oversight Committee in the next Congress, a blow to a younger contingent of progressives. Elon Musk's security clearance requires him to report certain activities to the Defense Department. Eric Lee/The New York Times Elon Musk and SpaceX face national security reviews Elon Musk's rocket company, SpaceX, secured at least $10 billion in federal contracts from 2019 to 2023. But Musk has repeatedly failed to comply with federal reporting protocols aimed at protecting state secrets, including by not providing details of meetings with foreign leaders, according to people with knowledge of his company. Concerns about the reporting practices have led to at least three federal reviews, and the Air Force recently denied Musk a high-level security access, citing potential security risks. In related news, Jeff Bezos is planning to soon launch a giant new rocket in an effort to compete with Musk in space. More top news Crime: Luigi Mangione was accused of a first-degree murder charge that branded him a terrorist for the killing of UnitedHealthcare's C.E.O. Gaza: Optimism for a cease-fire is rising. Syria: The leader of the rebel alliance that swept to power last week said that all armed groups in the country would be dissolved and brought under the defense ministry. Science: An Alabama woman received the country's third pig kidney transplant. Cars: New American vehicles will be required to have rear seatbelt alarms starting in September 2027. San Francisco: A tech consultant was convicted of second-degree murder in the death of Bob Lee, the founder of Cash App. Energy: A fusion start-up plans to build a power plant in Virginia in an effort to generate carbon-free electricity. A.I.: The maker of ChatGPT, OpenAI, wants to sever itself from the control of its nonprofit board. That could cost billions of dollars. Medicine: Drugmakers like Purdue Pharma secretly paid pharmacy benefit managers billions not to restrict painkiller prescriptions. TIME TO UNWIND A scene from "Red One." Frank Masi/Prime, via Associated Press Streaming hits are starting in theaters Just a few years ago, Hollywood executives contemplated the end of major theatrical releases. They thought the only way to compete with Netflix was by releasing films either directly to their streaming services or soon after a short run in theaters. But conventional wisdom has changed. Amazon, for example, spent tens of millions of dollars marketing the big-screen release of its new holiday comedy, "Red One," with the belief that its time in theaters would help it become a streaming hit. In related news, "Bluey" is headed to theaters. Vincent van Gogh's "Portrait of Dr. Gachet," painted in 1890.  Fine Art Images/Heritage Images, via Getty Images The search for a lost masterpiece Vincent van Gogh's "Portrait of Dr. Gachet," painted just weeks before his death, is one of his most prized works. It sold at auction in 1990 for $82.5 million — a record at the time — and experts say it may now be worth $300 million or more. But the painting has all but disappeared since, and its whereabouts have become one of the art world's greatest mysteries. A team of New York Times reporters went on a mission to find it. Here's what they found. French onion soup at Little Sparrow in Atlanta. Rocket Farm Restaurants Dinner table topics Best of the best: The Times traveled across the country in search of the best restaurants. These were the meals we couldn't forget. The conductor: Michael Tilson Thomas's new collections reveal the legacy of a maestro who has refused to conform to expectations. Out and about: Tom Hanks, Jon Stewart and Olivia Munn offered advice on love. Skin care: People are putting beef tallow on their faces. Doctors aren't thrilled. WHAT TO DO TONIGHT Armando Rafael for The New York Times Cook: These saltfish fritters are fun to eat and relatively easy to make. Watch: Readers shared their favorite shows and movies of 2024. Read: Our columnist recommends Jane Pek's "The Rivals" and three other new crime novels. Socialize: Here's how to have fun at parties, even when you're not drinking. Decorate: These are the best floor lamps, according to Wirecutter. Compete: Take our quiz to see how well you know the works of Charles Dickens. Play: Here are today's Spelling Bee, Wordle and Mini Crossword. Find all our games here. ONE LAST THING LeeAndra Cianci How well do you know holiday movies? The final weeks of December are an ideal time to gather with family, reflect on the year, fill up on delicious treats and watch those beloved seasonal classics you've already seen a zillion times. By now, some of you are probably holiday movie experts. Test your knowledge by listening to these clips and identifying the Christmas movies they come from. Have a festive evening. Thanks for reading. I'll be back tomorrow. — Matthew Sean Kawasaki-Culligan was our photo editor today. We welcome your feedback. Write to us at evening@nytimes.com. Writer: Matthew Cullen Editors: Carole Landry, Whet Moser, Justin Porter, Jonathan Wolfe 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. 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