Good evening. Here’s the latest at the end of Thursday.
- Iran’s new leader strikes a defiant tone
- A synagogue was attacked in Michigan
- Plus, Death Valley turns gold
A crude oil tanker in port in Mumbai today, which sailed from Saudi Arabia via the Strait of Hormuz. Rafiq Maqbool/Associated Press
Iran’s new leader vows to keep a crucial oil gateway blocked
In his first public comments since becoming Iran’s new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei signaled today that the country was not backing down from the war in the Middle East. Khamenei vowed to avenge the deaths of Iranians killed by the U.S. and Israel. He also directed Iran’s military to continue blocking the Strait of Hormuz.
The strait is considered to be the world’s most important choke point for oil; normally, about 20 million barrels pass through it daily. With little passing through it now, the International Energy Agency declared the war to be “the largest supply disruption in the history of the global oil market.”
Concerns about the global energy supply were compounded today when Iraq and Oman closed their oil terminals after two tankers were attacked and left burning off the Iraqi coast. This map shows where ships have been attacked.
Oil prices rose again, despite plans by more than 30 countries to release a record amount of oil from emergency reserves. Even if the war is short, it could cause lasting damage to the global economy. (In this video, our energy reporter explains that even though it has shrunk as a share of the global energy supply, the world is using more oil than ever.)
President Trump shrugged off worries about the oil disruption, arguing that preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons was more important than rising prices. He added: “When oil prices go up, we make a lot of money.”
For more:
- Israel launched a heavy wave of strikes on Beirut targeting the militant group Hezbollah. Follow here for the latest updates.
- The war has further strained America’s already pessimistic farmers.
- See how the war has altered commercial flight plans.
The scene of the attack at Temple Israel in West Bloomfield Township, Mich. Sarah Rice for The New York Times
A Michigan synagogue was attacked
A driver rammed a truck through the doors of a synagogue outside Detroit and drove down a hallway, the authorities said. The police said the attacker died after exchanging fire with the synagogue’s security guards, one of whom was hit by the vehicle and injured.
A fire started inside the building and black smoke was seen billowing from the doors, but no one else appeared to have been hurt, including the 140 students at the synagogue’s preschool.
The local sheriff said it was too early to determine a motive for the attack, though it came at a time of rising antisemitism. The synagogue, Temple Israel in West Bloomfield Township, is one of the largest Reform synagogues in the country.
Home construction in South Carolina earlier this year. Will Crooks for The New York Times
Senators in both parties agreed on a housing bill. Now what?
Washington may be notorious for its unyielding partisanship. But today, Republicans and Democrats in the Senate passed the largest piece of housing legislation in 36 years on a vote of 89 to 10. The bill aims to bring down housing costs — a top concern of voters, according to polls — in part by removing regulatory barriers and providing incentives.
But it’s not clear when, or if, the measures could become law. House members of both parties are unhappy with portions of the bill, and Trump, who said he supported it, has indicated that the bill is not a priority.
In other congressional news:
- The Senate again deadlocked on funding the Department of Homeland Security. As the impasse enters a second month, T.S.A. wait times could soon get longer.
- Representative James Clyburn, the 85-year-old Democratic power broker from South Carolina, said he would seek an 18th term.
Ruben Ray Martinez at the scene of an accident in South Padre Island, Texas.
Videos of ICE shooting show a chaotic and confusing scene
After a federal immigration agent fatally shot Ruben Ray Martinez, 23, nearly a year ago, officials defended the shooting and said Martinez “intentionally ran over” a federal agent. But recently released video leaves the truth murky.
Some video appears to show a figure on the car. But some footage from key moments is missing, and some is grainy. A passenger in the car told investigators that an officer had been on the hood but that Martinez, who encountered the agents while the police were directing traffic at the scene of an accident, had been drinking, was scared and did not mean to hurt anyone.
More top news
- Weather: “Unprecedented” March heat could set records in the West, and federal scientists warned that a severe El Niño climate pattern may arrive in August.
- Venezuela: Trump told María Corina Machado, the country’s pro-democracy leader, not to go back home.
- Trade: The U.S. trade deficit fell in January, before the Supreme Court struck down Trump’s tariffs, and the administration said tariff refunds could take a long time.
- Climate: An ophthalmologist and political commentator with no background in air pollution science was named to an E.P.A. air-pollution board.
- Virginia: The police said that a shooting at Old Dominion University was being investigated as terrorism and that the gunman had previously been convicted on terrorism-related charges.
- Nature: Moss holds clues to crimes for investigators who know how to look for them. Forensic botanists can help.
- Silicon Valley: In the A.I. era, many programmers are now barely programming. What they’re doing instead is deeply weird. (We removed the paywall for readers of this newsletter.)
WATCH TODAY’S VIDEOS
How Trump’s Election Lie Could Affect 2026 Midterms
Our Critic on the Highlights From Paris Fashion Week
This Red Curry Lentils Dish Is Inspired by Indian Dal
TIME TO UNWIND
Smiljan Radic’s Serpentine Gallery Pavilion installation in London in 2014. Iwan Baan
A master of modest design wins architecture’s top prize
This year’s Pritzker Prize, the highest honor in architecture, went to Smiljan Radic, whose designs are often understated and content to serve their purpose. Working with basic materials, Radic’s projects seem to grow out of their natural surroundings, while quietly conjuring the extraterrestrial.
“His buildings appear temporary, unstable or deliberately unfinished,” the award’s jury said. “Yet they provide a structured, optimistic and quietly joyful shelter.” See some of his designs here.
Paulo Nunes Dos Santos for The New York Times
Same bars, no hangovers
Pubs have long held a near-hallowed status in Ireland. But nowadays in Dublin — just as in the U.S. — more of the golden lagers and creamy stouts they’re pouring are alcohol free.
Across the Irish capital, pubgoers told my colleague Megan Specia about a noticeable cultural shift, especially among young people: For many, going booze free is now part of a normal night out. “You’re still getting that Friday night vibe,” one 30-year-old said, “without the Saturday morning hangover.” It helps that alcohol-free options are now abundant and pretty decent, pubgoers said.
Danial Adkison/The New York Times
Dinner table topics
- Turks and Caicos offers private islands so luxurious that there are no price tags and so quiet that “even the wind feels guilty.” My colleague went there to see if it’s worth it.
- Fill me up: These are the 20 best food scenes in movies, according to Times reporters and editors.
- The Mothership: We traced the secret history of rock’s wildest stage prop.
- A local debate: How neighborly do home additions have to be?
WHAT TO DO TONIGHT
David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
Cook: Wolfgang Puck shared the chicken potpie recipe he makes for the Oscars after-party. Try it out.
Read: The author Lisa Unger shares her favorite dark and stormy thrillers.
Improve your balance with a single-leg deadlift.
Hunt: Which of these Chicago homes would you buy with a $900,000 budget?
Test your spring-cleaning knowledge by taking our quiz.
Play: Here are today’s Connections, Wordle and Mini Crossword. Find all our games here.
ONE LAST THING
Gabriela Bhaskar/The New York Times
Death Valley is having a golden moment
The typically barren landscape of Death Valley — America’s hottest and driest place — was bursting with color this month. Wildflowers were abundant in shades of cotton candy pink and deep violet, and entire hillsides were bathed in the bright yellow hue of the desert gold, the park’s most common flower.
It’s been a decade since the remote corner of the Mojave Desert has seen such a significant bloom, but an unusually wet fall last year provided conditions for the flowers to emerge. A park ranger there has been encouraging visitors to look out for a pink-and-red cupped flower known as the desert fivespot: “It looks like a place where a fairy should live.”
Have a vibrant evening.
Thanks for reading. I’ll be back tomorrow — Matthew
Eli Cohen and Myles Little were our photo editors.
We welcome your feedback. Reach us at evening@nytimes.com.
Writer: Matthew Cullen
Editor: Whet Moser
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