Good evening. Here's the latest at the end of Friday.
Trump's cabinet clashed with MuskLess than seven weeks into President Trump's second term, Elon Musk has made himself a force by slashing foreign aid and directing agencies to fire tens of thousands of employees. Yesterday, there was a potential turning point: a remarkable cabinet meeting detailed today by my colleagues Jonathan Swan and Maggie Haberman. At least two secretaries aired their grievances about Musk and engaged in heated clashes with the billionaire. Secretary of State Marco Rubio was particularly incensed. After Musk accused him of failing to slash his staff, Rubio accused Musk of not telling the truth and asked, sarcastically, if he wanted the State Department to rehire staff just to fire them again. Sean Duffy, the transportation secretary, accused Musk of trying to lay off air traffic controllers. Musk called that "a lie," asking for their names. The exchange ended with Trump telling Duffy that he had to hire people from M.I.T. as air traffic controllers because they need to be "geniuses." By the end of the meeting, Trump made clear he still supported Musk's initiative. But from now on, he said, the secretaries would be in charge; the Musk team would only advise. On X, Musk called the meeting "productive," but he seemed far less enthused inside the room.
Trump cut $400 million in federal funding to ColumbiaThe Trump administration announced today that it had canceled $400 million in federal grants and contracts to Columbia University because of what it described as the school's failure to protect Jewish students from harassment. Last year, protests on Columbia's campus over the war in Gaza set off a nationwide debate over free speech, campus policing and antisemitism. Four federal agencies said in a joint statement today that the cancellations were just the first round of action. Columbia, the statement said, holds more than $5 billion in federal grant commitments. A spokeswoman for the university said it would work with the federal government to restore the funding.
Trump said he was weighing sanctions on RussiaTrump said today that he was "strongly considering" imposing new sanctions and tariffs on Russia until a permanent peace deal was reached in its war against Ukraine. He urged both sides to come to the negotiating table "before it is too late." Just last night, Russia unleashed a furious bombardment on power and gas facilities. The comments were a notable turnabout for Trump, who has distanced the U.S. from Ukraine. But he also said in the Oval Office this afternoon that the U.S. was "doing very well with Russia" in negotiating a peace deal, and that he was finding it was "more difficult" to deal with Ukraine. For more: Trump wants Europe to defend itself. Here's what it would take.
Canada is set to pick a new prime ministerOn Sunday, Canada's Liberal Party will elect a new leader who will, at least temporarily, replace Justin Trudeau as prime minister. Polls suggest that the leading candidate is Mark Carney, a former governor of the central banks of Canada and Britain, who is seen as well-suited to take on Trump and his tariff threats. His top competitor appears to be Chrystia Freeland, who until her dramatic December resignation was Trudeau's right-hand woman. The Liberal Party does not command a majority in Parliament, so it has a weak grip on power. Elections must be held before October, but could come sooner. For more: Canada has come to believe Trump is serious when he talks about the "51st state." More top news
Two must-see art shows opened in EuropeMore than 400 years after the death of Michelangelo Merisi, the artist better known as Caravaggio, he is in the spotlight again. Two dozen of his works went on display today in Rome, where 60,000 tickets to the exhibit have already been sold — a testament to Caravaggio's fierce originality as well as his reputation as Baroque's sword-bearing bad boy. In Amsterdam, it required two museums to display Anselm Kiefer's monumental new installation, which also opened today. The German artist, who has long grappled with the legacy of fascism, political violence and cultural memory, fears that history is repeating itself. In other art world news, tiny paintings are in.
Upcoming books we're excited forSpring — which, believe it or not, begins in less than two weeks — is full of interesting book releases. There's a new chapter in the "Hunger Games" series, a major biography of Yoko Ono and a new novel from Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, who talked to us about writing the book through the toughest moment of her life. We also interviewed Laurie Woolever, whose new memoir spills some secrets about her years as an assistant for Mario Batali and Anthony Bourdain. In other publishing news, the author of "The Help" wrote a second novel.
Dinner table topics
Cook: Lazy people, this 1930s cake is for you. Watch: The Oscar-nominated "Nosferatu" is among the best horror movies to stream now. Listen: Our critic recommends checking out Lizzo's turn to rock, and four other new songs. Book: A.I. bots can now help you plan a vacation. We tried it out. Cut back: Experts offered tips for how to stop buying things you don't actually need. Consider: There are plenty of good protein sources other than meat. Compete: Take this week's news quiz. Play: Here are today's Spelling Bee, Wordle and Mini Crossword. Find all of our games here.
It's sick flow seasonEvery year, Minnesota's high school hockey tournament doubles as a hair expo. Players cut, dye and style their hair into perfect or outrageously coifed mullets, which they show off during pregame introductions. The standout looks are immortalized by John King, a former advertising executive who calls himself an "archaeologist of hockey hair." We spoke with King this week as he was scouting this year's tournament for the best "lettuce," as hockey hair is sometimes called. (As in: That's a great head of lettuce.) Have a well-groomed weekend. Thanks for reading. I'll be back on Monday. — Matthew Kirsten Luce was our photo editor today. We welcome your feedback. Write to us at evening@nytimes.com.
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