The Evening: Kash Patel will lead the F.B.I.

Also, nearly one in 10 U.S. adults identifies as L.G.B.T.Q.

View in browser|nytimes.com February 20, 2025 By Matthew Cullen Good evening. Here's the latest at the end of Thursday. The next F.B.I. chief A survey of L.G.B.T.Q. Americans Plus, George Clooney's Broadway debut Kash Patel in Washington last month. Eric Lee/The New York Times The Senate confirmed Kash Patel as F.B.I. director Fifty-one Republican senators voted today to narrowly confirm Kash Patel as the director of the F.B.I., installing a loyal ally of President Trump as the new leader of the nation's premier law enforcement agency. Patel, 44, has embraced politics to a degree that is extraordinary for an F.B.I. director in the post-Watergate era. He is also a hard-line critic of the bureau. "As a campaign surrogate," our Justice Department reporter, Devlin Barrett, told me, "Patel vowed to empty F.B.I. headquarters, fire its leaders, and turn the building into a museum." "It's safe to say there has never been a director like him," Devlin said. Democrats questioned Patel's credentials and highlighted his embrace of conspiracy theories. But it's his loyalty to the president — the exact quality that seemed to secure him the job — that most concerned many critics and raised questions about the F.B.I.'s independence. In an earlier era, Patel would have very likely had trouble surviving the confirmation process. But just two Republican senators — Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Susan Collins of Maine — joined every Democrat in voting against him, a sign of Trump's hold over the party. Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky has been one of the few Republicans willing to vote against Trump's nominees. But the 83-year-old former leader voted for Patel and announced today that he planned to retire at the end of his term. Eric Lee/The New York Times Trump's first month was frenetic As of this afternoon, it's been a month since Trump returned to the White House and set out to overhaul the federal government at a scale unseen in decades. Some of the changes are considered well within his authority; others appear to purposely violate statutes, setting up tests of presidential power. We examined the legality of 38 of Trump's biggest moves so far. He's not done. My colleagues reported today that the Trump administration has begun dismantling the teams of officials who had been flagging foreign interference in U.S. elections. Some experts are worried it could leave the country vulnerable. Also, Trump is planning to all but eliminate the office that oversees America's recovery from the largest disasters and cut 6,000 jobs at the I.R.S. In other politics news: Funds for vital health programs around the world remain frozen, seemingly flouting a judge's order pausing the dismantling of U.S.A.I.D. The C.I.A. is planning its largest mass firing in nearly 50 years. Trump's push to kill New York City's congestion pricing faces tall legal hurdles. Trump said that the federal government should take over Washington, D.C. The locals are bracing for a shock to the economy. Trump wants to get rid of pennies. Each nickel loses even more money. With Truth Social, Trump has an official mouthpiece and a channel for revenue. Neera Tanden, a longtime fixture of Democratic politics, is returning to lead the party's top think tank. We went to Greenland to see what it's like to be thrust into a geopolitical maelstrom. Militants handing over what Hamas said were the remains of hostages in Gaza today. Saher Alghorra for The New York Times Hamas returned the remains of Israeli hostages, with taunts Hamas handed over today what the group said were the remains of four Israelis abducted during the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel — including those of Shiri Bibas and her two young children, whose abduction was widely seen as emblematic of the assault's viciousness. The fourth was that of Oded Lifshitz, who was 83. The handoff was a theatrical display that a senior U.N. official called "abhorrent and cruel." The coffins were placed on a stage in front of a cartoonish picture of Israel's prime minister as triumphant music played. One coffin bore a picture of Kfir Bibas, who was less than 9 months old when he was kidnapped. The New York Times Nearly one in 10 U.S. adults identifies as L.G.B.T.Q. A large survey released today found that more than 9 percent of adults in the U.S. identified as L.G.B.T.Q. in 2024 — a rapid increase from just a few years ago. The rise, according to Gallup, was driven by adults 27 and under, nearly a quarter of whom identify as L.G.B.T.Q. More than half of these L.G.B.T.Q. young adults identify as bisexual. More top news New York: Gov. Kathy Hochul said she would not remove Mayor Eric Adams from office at this time, but would seek to impose strict new guardrails on his administration. Cars: Tesla's sales are falling. Its C.E.O., Elon Musk, is focused on his role in the Trump administration and right-wing politics abroad. Employees and investors are frustrated. Ukraine: President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine met with Trump's special envoy in Kyiv, a day after his feud with Trump threatened to derail peace talks. Spain: Luis Rubiales, the former head of the country's soccer federation, was found guilty of sexual assault for forcibly kissing Jennifer Hermoso, a star on the national team. London: Britain appears ready to approve a Chinese Embassy that would be the largest diplomatic outpost in Europe. Neighbors and activists fear surveillance. Business: Walmart forecast slower growth in 2025 on fears of inflation, the uncertain impact of tariffs and a potential rise in unemployment. Clemency: Leonard Peltier, the American Indian Movement activist, returned to North Dakota to serve the remainder of his life sentence for the murders of two F.B.I. agents. Italy: Thousands of tourists have stormed Mount Etna in Sicily during the volcano's most recent eruption. Argentina: A court dropped charges against three people who had been accused of negligence in Liam Payne's death. Two others still face charges. TIME TO UNWIND Graham Hughes/The Canadian Press, via Associated Press Tonight is about national pride At 8 p.m. Eastern, Team USA will take on Team Canada in the winner-take-all 4 Nations championship. And unlike other major American All-Star games, the players really care. It is the kind of star-studded international competition that the hockey world has been hoping for. The Americans will be led by Auston Matthews, and the Canadians by both Connor McDavid and, of course, Sidney Crosby. The U.S. team is narrowly favored. Thea Traff for The New York Times George Clooney is making his Broadway debut George Clooney doesn't like smoking; many of his relatives died of lung cancer. But when his children aren't looking, the 63-year-old movie star has been sneaking outside to practice lighting up in preparation for his Broadway debut next month in "Good Night, and Good Luck." The play is an adaptation of a 2005 movie by the same name that Clooney made, financed by a mortgage on his house. Only this time, he stars as the CBS newsman Edward R. Murrow, who had a three-pack-a-day habit. Clooney sat down for a five-hour interview with my colleague Maureen Dowd. He said he's ready but also "terrified" to take the stage. "Eternal Light Choir Performing" (1980). Arlene Gottfried; via the Estate of Arlene Gottfried and The New York Historical Dinner table topics Fabulous unknowns: Through the photographer Arlene Gottfried's lens, New York took on the excitement of a circus. New heroes: The latest "Captain America" film isn't great, but the handoff to a new star might actually work. Therapy is good: Yet these therapists are bad. Transforming fashion: Experts picked out the 25 most influential shoes and bags. WHAT TO DO TONIGHT Armando Rafael for The New York Times Cook: This cashew butter chicken korma is an efficient-yet-decadent meal. Watch: "Best Interests" is a deeply empathetic British TV series. Read: Here are some great second-chance romance novels. Book: The dollar's strength against foreign currencies means bargains for U.S. travelers. Work out: Body weight exercises can be just as effective as lifting. But it takes work. Stitch: Our sewing expert swears by this "hardcore" sewing machine. Hunt: Which Manhattan apartment would you buy with a $475,000 budget? Play: Here are today's Spelling Bee, Wordle and Mini Crossword. Find all of our games here. ONE LAST THING Metroid, left, and Castlevania.  In these games, it's a joy to be lost In 1986, the Nintendo game Metroid gave players an unusual level of freedom to explore a labyrinthine alien world. The next year, Castlevania II was released with a similar format, but with a cursed vampire hunter in Dracula's mansion. As decades passed, the games' ideas became so popular that they were smashed together into an accidental-but-enduring new video game subgenre: the metroidvania. With mazelike levels and areas that are unreachable until players achieve certain items or abilities, metroidvanias offer the freedom to be lost — and then found. Have an explorative 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. 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