Good evening. Here's the latest at the end of Thursday.
U.S. health agency announced a drastic reductionThe Trump administration announced today that it would lay off about 10,000 employees at the Health and Human Services Department and reshape it under the priorities of the health secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Together with previous buyouts and resignations, the agency — which provides oversight of medical care, food and drugs — will have seen its staff shrink by nearly a quarter in the early months of the administration. The major reduction will cut especially deep at two agencies within the department that have been in Kennedy's sights: the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Both are expected to lose roughly 20 percent of their staff members from the latest cuts. The restructuring is intended to bring communications and other functions directly under Kennedy. Stunned employees struggled to absorb the news, and some expressed concern that the cuts could threaten public health and safety. The move continued President Trump's effort to downsize the federal bureaucracy sharply. Another cutback that my colleagues reported today: A crackdown on FEMA, which has been targeted by Elon Musk, effectively froze billions of dollars in disaster grants. Other cuts: The Justice Department is considering merging its drug and gun agencies in a broader downsize.
Canada's leader vowed to retaliate against U.S. auto tariffsWhen Trump announced yesterday that he would soon impose a 25 percent tariff on imported cars, he cast it as a way to bring factory jobs back to the U.S. Canada's prime minister today described the levies as a threat to Canadian workers and promised retaliatory tariffs on U.S. goods. "We will respond forcefully," Prime Minister Mark Carney said. "It is clear that the United States is no longer a reliable partner." The tariffs would raise prices by thousands of dollars for American consumers, but it's not yet clear which models will be affected the most and when prices will rise. Some automakers have enough vehicles in storage to last a month or two while they prepare for the new fees.
Protesters in Gaza demanded an end to Hamas ruleOn each of the last three days, hundreds of people have marched down streets in Gaza to protest the war and demand an end of Hamas's 18-year-old rule. The rare displays of dissent against the armed group were catalyzed in part by an Israeli airstrike this week in Beit Lahia. Most of the protests have been small, but they represent the boldest challenge to Hamas's authority by Gazans since the October 2023 attack on Israel and the ensuing war. In other news from the region: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's allies in Israel's Parliament gave politicians more power to choose judges, resuming a political overhaul that has divided the country.
Online 'pedophile hunters' are growing more violentFor nearly a decade, a number of American vigilantes known as "pedophile hunters" have posed as minors on dating apps and targeted the adults who messaged them. Many of them who were inspired by the television series "To Catch a Predator" expose their targets on social media. In the past two years, a growing number of the "hunters" have gone a step further and violently attacked the targets in their videos. A New York Times analysis found more than 170 such attacks since 2023. More top news
A peak MoMA momentOver nearly six decades, the artist Jack Whitten's work was propelled by experimentation. He called every studio he worked in a "laboratory," and he found inventive ways to challenge convention. For the next several months, the Museum of Modern Art is featuring a sweeping retrospective of Whitten's career. The title piece is an example of radical vision; it's a painting that's built, not brushed. Read why our art critic says the MoMA show is great and scintillating.
Are you smarter than A.I.?In recent years, artificial intelligence researchers have created puzzles to track the progress of A.I. development. They were designed to be easy for humans but hard for the machines. But as A.I. has improved, the gap has been closing and new measures of intelligence have had to be developed. Try these puzzles to see how far the machines have to go.
Dinner table topics
Cook: These crispy mushroom tacos are a true delight. Watch: Naomi Watts pairs up with a Great Dane in "The Friend," a Times Critic's Pick. Cheer: Today is baseball's Opening Day. These are the biggest story lines of the season. Listen: Check out a new take on Wynton Marsalis's "Blues Symphony" and four other classical albums. Plan: We have recommendations for spending 36 hours in Budapest. Improve: Wirecutter spent nine months testing 128 skin-care products. Here are the winners. Hunt: Which live-in boat would you buy with a $350,000 budget? Play: Here are today's Spelling Bee, Wordle and Mini Crossword. Find all of our games here.
Mind-boggling finger artMei Kawajiri paints nails for a living, but she insists that she's not a manicurist. Instead, Kawajiri carefully sculpts extravagant 3-D objects to be worn atop one's nails. She's made swan nails, bikini nails, dirty-sock nails and croissant nails, among many other eye-catching looks. She now makes hotel calls to celebrities like Cardi B, Heidi Klum and Ariana Grande, and she has worked with major fashion brands like Balenciaga and Louis Vuitton. Have a showy evening. Thanks for reading. I'll be back tomorrow. — Matthew Philip Pacheco was our photo editor today. We welcome your feedback. Write to us at evening@nytimes.com.
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