The Evening: Thousands of federal firings were reversed

Also, Putin said he was open to a cease-fire, but with many conditions.

View in browser|nytimes.com March 13, 2025 By Matthew Cullen Good evening. Here's the latest at the end of Thursday. Reversed federal firings Putin's comments on a potential truce Plus, John Mulaney's new late night show Demonstrators protested federal cuts last month near the Capitol. Tierney L. Cross for The New York Times A judge ordered the U.S. to rehire thousands of workers A federal judge in California ordered six agencies to rehire thousands of workers who had been fired last month as part of President Trump's effort to sharply reduce the size of the federal work force. The judge, William Alsup, ruled that the government's human resources arm had unlawfully fired probationary workers en masse based on poor performance, regardless of their actual conduct on the job. He directed the Treasury and the Veterans Affairs, Agriculture, Defense, Energy and Interior Departments to reinstate any employees who had been terminated in such a manner. "It was a sham," Alsup said. The reprieve for fired workers may be only temporary. Alsup clarified that agencies can still legally conduct large-scale layoffs, which are known as a "reduction in force." The Office of Personnel Management had set a deadline of today for agencies to submit reduction in force plans. In other politics news: Trump's lawyers asked the Supreme Court to partially lift a nationwide pause on his executive order targeting birthright citizenship. Elon Musk's DOGE team obscured the details of some new claims on its website, but The Times was still able to detect mistakes. A group of 21 Democratic attorneys general sued the Trump administration, arguing that mass firings at the Education department were illegal. Trump withdrew his C.D.C. nominee, just before his Senate hearing. A Trump loyalist is hoping to swing Wisconsin back to the right. Companies from around the world are seeking to buy American liquefied natural gas as a way of placating Trump. Pete Buttigieg said he wouldn't run for Senate in Michigan, opening the door to a 2028 presidential bid. President Vladimir Putin of Russia, right, today. Pool photo by Maxim Shemetov Putin said he was not ready to agree to a cease-fire President Vladimir Putin made it clear during a news conference today that he was in no hurry to agree to a truce with Ukraine. Two days after Kyiv said it would agree to a monthlong cease-fire, Putin said he was in favor of "the idea" of a short truce, but added that there were "questions we need to discuss." Those questions, Putin said, included whether Ukraine would be able to continue receiving arms shipments during the truce, and how the cease-fire would be enforced. He also said that he would not allow Ukrainian forces to peacefully withdraw from Russia's Kursk region, where Russian troops have recently made progress. He encouraged them to "simply surrender." The conditions that Putin laid out would most likely delay any truce, or potentially even make one impossible to achieve, our Moscow bureau chief Anton Troianovski wrote. James Hill for The New York Times Trump threatened a 200% tariff on champagne Trump threatened today to escalate his trade war with the E.U. He said he would impose a 200 percent fee on all alcohol imported from the bloc in retaliation for Europe's new levies on U.S. whiskey and other products — which themselves were imposed in response to America's new metal tariffs. The new levies deepened anxiety on both sides of the Atlantic. The S&P 500 fell 1.4 percent, tumbling into a "correction" — a drop that suggests that the two-year-long bull market may be running out of steam. Some of Trump's allies consider the president's threats largely a negotiating tactic. But the White House insists that he is setting out to bring manufacturing jobs back to America. It's a significant gamble, as my colleague David Sanger wrote. The moon during a lunar eclipse in 2022. J. David Ake/Associated Press The moon will appear blood red tonight In the middle of the night, Earth's shadow will appear to swallow the moon, transforming the pearly orb into a striking red circle in the sky. It's the first total lunar eclipse, also known as a blood moon, in more than two years, and it should be visible across the Americas. My colleague, Katrina Miller, explained why it happens and how to see it. More top news Columbia: Mahmoud Khalil, the activist who was detained by the Trump administration, sued to block the school from producing student disciplinary records to Congress. Weather: The South and Midwest are facing a "multiday severe weather episode" that could bring tornadoes and hail. New York: The city's population again began to grow after a steep drop during the pandemic. Syria: More than 13 million people fled their homes during its civil war. Photos and video show the destruction they are returning to. Teens: In a Pew survey, 60 percent of girls said they plan to attend a four-year college, compared to just 46 percent of boys. Education: The pandemic was devastating for children. Here's what we've learned, and what leaders told us they would do the next time. Japan: The government held a rare auction of 165,000 tons of rice — about two billion bowls — to make up for a shortage that one official called "unthinkable." Indiana: Brieonna Cassell crashed into a ditch and was trapped just yards from a road. She survived for six days, soaking up water to drink with her sweater, before she was found. TIME TO UNWIND John Mulaney during last night's premiere of "Everybody's Live." Ryan West/Netflix John Mulaney is going live Last night, the comic John Mulaney hosted the first episode of his new late night talk show on Netflix, "Everybody's Live." It's similar in structure and style to Mulaney's first stab at the format last year, "Everybody's in L.A." It's not quite as Los Angeles-centric, but it's no less weird (or enjoyable). The talk show, which features an assortment of celebrities and experts discussing a topic and taking calls from viewers, is Netflix's latest foray into live programming. The streaming service has had mixed success with a comedy special, a boxing match and an awards show. Four different pairs of Blanches and Stanleys. Top left, Reuters, Top right, bottom right, and bottom left, Sara Krulwich/The New York Times The latest in an illustrious line of Blanches and Stanleys The Hollywood heartthrob Paul Mescal is starring alongside Patsy Ferran in a Brooklyn revival of the Tennessee Williams classic, "A Streetcar Named Desire." Mescal plays Stanley Kowalski, the character made famous by Marlon Brando; Ferran plays the heroine, Blanche DuBois. Ben Brantley, who was chief theater critic for The Times for two decades, considers the play to be the greatest of all American dramas. It is also, perhaps, the one most haunted by ghosts of actors past. Ben looked back at some of the most memorable Blanches and Stanleys, to see what each had to offer. Simbarashe Cha/The New York Times Dinner table topics Music for the eyes: Rock stars and other performers figured prominently in the crowds and the clothes at Paris fashion shows. Maastricht's hidden tunnels: Deep beneath the Dutch city lie vast subterranean spaces full of art and military history. Ask the therapist: "Gentle parenting" is spoiling my granddaughter. What should I do? Wet weather: Who gets the most rain every year? The Sunshine State. WHAT TO DO TONIGHT David Malosh for The New York Times Cook: Serve spiced chicken breast in a puff pastry. It's simple and juicy. Sip: Our wine critic recommended 10 New York cabernet francs. Watch: In "Black Bag," Cate Blanchett and Michael Fassbender play a glamorous couple of spies. Read: Fernando A. Flores's new novel imagines a bleak world where books are illegal. It's a blast. Plan: Check out these six spectacular North American train trips. Hunt: Which Bay Area apartment would you buy with a $600,000 budget? Play: Here are today's Spelling Bee, Wordle and Mini Crossword. Find all of our games here. ONE LAST THING Maxim Arbugaev for The New York Times The bone hunters of Siberia In Russia's Arctic north, the coldest inhabited place on the planet, mammoths and other ice-age creatures once roamed the land. Now, the permafrost has thawed enough for many long-hidden fossils to begin to wash into the rivers. A team of local explorers has made it their mission to recover the bones. They go out in minus-60 degree weather, cut through six feet of ice and dive down into rivers where no other humans have ventured. A photographer joined them on a recent adventure to see what it was like. Have an audacious 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. A correction: Yesterday's newsletter misstated how two astronauts are scheduled to travel from the International Space Station to Earth. They will take a spacecraft that is already docked there, not a new one. 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