The Evening: White House pulls back spending freeze

Also, Menendez was sentenced to 11 years in prison.

View in browser|nytimes.com January 29, 2025 By Matthew Cullen Good evening. Here's the latest at the end of Wednesday. Trump's reversal on a spending freeze A grilling for R.F.K. Jr. Plus, welcoming the Year of the Snake President Trump speaking at the White House.  Doug Mills/The New York Times Trump administration pulled back its spending freeze The White House rescinded an order today that froze trillions of dollars in federal grants and loans in an effort to purge the government of what President Trump has called a "woke" ideology. The directive had been temporarily blocked by a federal judge. By rescinding the order, the Trump administration appeared to ease concerns from hospitals, nonprofits and others who had spent the last two days scrambling to understand if they had lost their federal financial support. It was Trump's first major capitulation of his second term. Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, insisted this afternoon that "This is NOT a rescission of the federal funding freeze." She appeared to be referring to the fact that the president signed executive orders last week directing government agencies to review and eliminate spending on so-called woke ideologies. Those measures remain in force. Trump is now expected to pursue other ways of eliminating voices of dissent inside the federal government. Yesterday, for example, his administration offered roughly two million government employees the option to resign and continue being paid for several months. Many of his approaches could defy the law — but a legal challenge may be exactly what he wants. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. during confirmation hearings. Kenny Holston/The New York Times Kennedy tried to revise his anti-vaccine image Robert F. Kennedy Jr., whose antipathy toward vaccines helped him build a large national following, faced three hours of bruising questions today during in his first Senate confirmation hearing to become health secretary. He rejected accusations that he was anti-vaccine and repeatedly sought to steer the conversation toward different topics, like combating chronic disease. One of Kennedy's most important exchanges today was with Senator Bill Cassidy, a Republican physician from Louisiana whose vote is expected to be crucial. When Cassidy asked about Medicare and Medicaid, Kennedy appeared to have little familiarity with the enormous health insurance programs, at times seeming to confuse them. Kennedy, who will sit for another confirmation hearing tomorrow, "has made plain that he intends to do things a different way," our heath policy reporter Sheryl Gay Stolberg said. "He has spent the better part of the last decade or more sowing doubts about some of the very agencies that he would oversee." Our heath and science reporters fact-checked Kennedy's claims today. In other politics news: Trump signed a bill to make it easier to deport migrants accused of crimes. Federal prosecutors moved to drop the classified documents case against Trump's two co-defendants. Tulsi Gabbard, Trump's pick to lead national intelligence, is expected to be pressed on her support for Edward Snowden. Elon Musk and his allies are already a force in Washington. Universities are hiring lobbyists to fight back against threats to their funding. Here's what four Americans thought about Trump's first week back in office. Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida broke with his Republican allies and promised to veto legislation that would toughen immigration enforcement in the state. Robert Menendez arriving at Manhattan federal court, today.  Hiroko Masuike/The New York Times Menendez was sentenced to 11 years in prison Robert Menendez, the former New Jersey Senator and once one of the most powerful Democrats in Washington, was sentenced today to 11 years in prison. He had been convicted of being at the center of a yearslong international bribery scheme. The sentence brought a humiliating end to a five-decade career. Now 71, Menendez will most likely be remembered for his decision to accept gold bars as bribes and blame his wife. Jim Wilson/The New York Times Children's reading skills reached new lows The latest federal education assessments found that 33 percent of eighth graders and 40 percent of fourth graders have "below basic" reading skills — both the worst results in decades. The scores indicated that learning loss, especially in reading, had continued to worsen after the pandemic. Some experts wondered if screen time and school absence are among the causes. Reading scores began declining several years before the virus emerged, and one researcher told The Times that adults' skills have also fallen over the same time period. More top news New York City: Top Justice Department officials have held discussions with prosecutors about the possibility of dropping the corruption case against Mayor Eric Adams. Syria: The rebel coalition that overthrew Bashar al-Assad named its leader, Ahmed al-Shara, as president to preside over a transitional period. Economy: The Fed left interest rates unchanged at its first meeting of 2025 and avoided sending any signals about the path of rates. Middle East: Steven Witkoff, the U.S. envoy to the region, made a rare visit to the Gaza Strip. Fire: Officials ordered evacuations as a major brush fire broke out in western North Carolina and burned more than 150 acres. Business: Tesla reported a sharp drop in profit for 2024. Australia: Fourteen members of a religious sect were found guilty of manslaughter for withholding medication from a diabetic 8-year-old who died, including her parents. Space: Scientists studying samples that NASA collected from the asteroid Bennu found an assortment of organic molecules that shed light on how life arose. Aviation: Three years after their proposed merger failed, Frontier Airlines said it would make another offer to buy Spirit Airlines. A.I.: OpenAI said that its Chinese rival, DeepSeek, may have improperly harvested its data. TIME TO UNWIND Jimmy Fallon at the Hudson Theater in New York, yesterday.  Graham Dickie/The New York Times Jimmy Fallon made his Broadway debut Jimmy Fallon, the "Tonight Show" host, said he was nervous last night before stepping onto the stage at the Hudson Theater. He was making his Broadway debut in "All In," a comedy that features a rotating cast of recognizable actors who tend to hold scripts since they don't have much time to rehearse. Fallon shared the stage with Lin-Manuel Miranda, Aidy Bryant and Nick Kroll, and he will only appear for eight performances. "It's a dream," he said. A traditional lion dance performance in Beijing today.  Kevin Frayer/Getty Images It's now the Year of the Snake More than a billion people celebrated Lunar New Year this week with fireworks, dances and plenty of food. Traditions vary across the world, but similar threads run throughout: family time, rituals for prosperity and to honor ancestors, and marathon feasts. Here's a look at how people said goodbye to the Year of the Dragon and welcomed the Year of the Snake. Saint Laurent gives 'em the boot. Dominique Maitre/WWD, via Getty Images Dinner table topics Saint Laurent's show in Paris: These boots were made to get us talking. Forty years in Utah: Sundance brought the world to Park City. Now, it's leaving. Modern Love: A reader explained how she ended up buying her husband's girlfriend a burial plot. Love frozen food: Nutrition experts say not only it's as good as fresh, but it's often better. WHAT TO DO TONIGHT Linda Xiao for The New York Times Cook: Dunk carrots or chips in this avocado, edamame and yuzu dip. Watch: "Paradise" is an exhilarating new political thriller. Read: Solvej Balle's new novel rethinks the familiar story of Groundhog Day. Listen: Our critic recommended seven new songs. Exercise: Here's a 10-minute Pilates routine that you can do at home. Gift: Wirecutter has tested dozens of boxed chocolates. These are the best. Play: Here are today's Spelling Bee, Wordle and Mini Crossword. Find all our games here. ONE LAST THING Sometimes losing it is fine When cast members on "Saturday Night Live" break character — laughing when they're trying to keep a straight face — it's technically considered a failure. The show's producer, Lorne Michaels, reportedly hates it. But across 50 seasons, it's become one of the show's signature moves, and viewers often love it. We looked back at some of the most memorable "breaking" moments. Have a hilarious 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. 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