Good evening. Here’s the latest at the end of Friday.
- U.S. vows to unblock crucial oil route
- Cuban leaders hold talks with Americans
- Plus, happy Friday the 13th
Navy ships in Nagasaki, Japan, in 2023. Chang W. Lee/The New York Times
The U.S. is sending more troops to the Middle East
About 2,500 Marines aboard as many as three warships are heading to the Middle East, as Iran blocks the world’s most important choke point for oil. The deployment, after two weeks of war, comes as Iran’s response has proved more resilient than U.S. officials had anticipated. The Marines will join more than 50,000 American troops in the region.
Follow here for the latest updates on the war.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said today that the U.S. would not allow Iran to continue blocking the Strait of Hormuz, through which one-fifth of the world’s oil travels. He did not offer a timetable, but said that people “don’t need to worry about it.” Hegseth also said that today would be the most intense and lethal of the U.S. air campaign in Iran so far.
President Trump, who early on in the conflict told Iran’s protesters that the country would be “yours to take,” acknowledged that Iranians would most likely be gunned down if they tried to rise up against the government. “I really think that’s a big hurdle to climb,” the president said.
In related news:
- All six American crew members died in the crash of an aerial refueling tanker, the military said.
- In what appears to be the first confirmed evidence in the war of an attack on Iran originating from a Gulf country, a video showed missiles launching from Bahrain toward the Islamic republic.
- U.S. officials have turned to Ukraine for its expertise on fighting against attack drones.
- Hegseth said the leader of an Iranian unit that plotted to assassinate Trump had been killed. U.S. officials privately acknowledge the story is not that simple.
A bicitaxi driver in Havana today. Norlys Perez/Reuters
Facing a crisis, Cuba says it’s in talks with the U.S.
Cuba’s president, Miguel Díaz-Canel, confirmed for the first time today that his government was holding talks with the Trump administration, after a U.S. oil blockade pushed the island nation toward a humanitarian crisis.
The announcement was seen as a last-ditch effort to save Cuba’s hobbled government. The 67-year-old Communist state has not imported any fuel in the past three months, Díaz-Canel said, plunging the country into prolonged periods of darkness. Just yesterday, Cuba announced the release of 51 prisoners in what appeared to be an effort to appease Trump.
The Tree of Life synagogue in October 2018. Hilary Swift for The New York Times
Some Jews wonder how much more security is possible
In the eight years since a gunman killed 11 people at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh, Jewish institutions across the country have gone to great lengths to fortify themselves. Those measures very likely saved lives yesterday, when a driver who rammed a truck into a synagogue near Detroit died after exchanging gunfire with security guards.
But the attack, and the rise of antisemitic incidents nationwide, left some Jews wondering what more they could possibly do. “We are synagogues — we are houses of worship,” one rabbi said. “We are not Fort Knox.”
In related news: The man who attacked the synagogue lost four family members in an airstrike in Lebanon last week.
Portuguese Bend in Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif. Ariana Drehsler for The New York Times
Home prices are falling in this Calif. city. So is the ground.
A Los Angeles-area enclave called Rancho Palos Verdes has been inching toward the sea for decades. But heavy rainfall in recent years has accelerated landslides in the area, shifting the ground by as much as a foot per week and turning a once-idyllic neighborhood into an unnerving place to live.
Some families view the landslides as a tremendous buying opportunity. They include Eilen Stewart, who purchased a house there for $1.3 million in 2024. Since then, her land has moved a lot and the utility companies have cut off her access to gas and electricity. But her view has improved: The houses in front of hers have sunk several feet.
More top news
- Court: In a blistering decision, a judge derided the U.S. attorney’s office in Washington and quashed subpoenas from its investigation of Jerome Powell, the central bank’s chair.
- Washington: The head of the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Richard Grenell, is leaving the role after a tumultuous year.
- Pentagon: A headhunting presentation aimed at recruiting investment bankers to the Defense Department dangled access to government officials and foreign royal families.
- Health: New guidance encourages people to start lowering their cholesterol sooner and to lower levels than previously recommended.
- Oil: The tankers seized by the Trump administration are costing the U.S. tens of millions of dollars.
- Scams: Many cybercrime victims are retargeted by online scammers posing as lawyers who say they can help recover stolen money.
- Auctions: The Fender Stratocaster played by David Gilmour on six of Pink Floyd’s albums broke the record for the most expensive guitar ever sold at auction.
- Lives Lived: John F. Burns, an acclaimed Times foreign correspondent whose coverage from Afghanistan and Bosnia secured Pulitzer Prizes, died at 81.
WORD OF THE DAY
“Friggatriskaidekaphobia”
It is the fear of Friday the 13th, and a recipe for a difficult year. Today is the second of three Fridays the 13th in 2026 — the most any year can have. (Also, apologies if you have hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia, the fear of long words.)
TIME TO UNWIND
Timothée Chalamet in “Marty Supreme.” A24
Go behind the scenes of this year’s best picture contenders
Ahead of the Oscars on Sunday, The Times asked the directors of this year’s best picture nominees to narrate an important scene from their movie. Eight out of 10 agreed, including Josh Safdie, with a table tennis scene from “Marty Supreme,” and Kleber Mendonça Filho, with a warm ensemble sequence from “The Secret Agent.” See them all here.
Want to know who is likely to take home Academy Awards this weekend? Our reporter Kyle Buchanan has spoken to many voters and made his projections.
For more:
- This year’s new award for the best casting celebrates a part of Hollywood that has changed drastically.
- The songwriter Diane Warren has 17 Oscar nominations, but no wins. Is this her year?
Michael Murtaugh/NYT Wirecutter
Can you tell a $1 tin of sardines from a $20 one?
I’m always keen for some seafood in a can. But I hadn’t contemplated just how much variety there was until I read Wirecutter’s guide to the best tinned fish. My colleagues tried 109 varieties and picked out their 24 favorites.
Their guide made me wonder whether the fancy stuff was really better than the $2 tins I’m familiar with. Luckily, Wirecutter’s Katie Quinn hosted a blind taste test. Watch it here.
Tyler Mcfarland/OIS/IOC, via Associated Press
Dinner table topics
- Mike Schultz is a Paralympic gold medalist whose prosthetic inventions are changing the game.
- A reliable friend: Several best-selling authors offered the same writing tip: Get a dog.
- Surprise success: The stars of “Virgin River” thought it was “very cheesy,” yet it has become one of Netflix’s biggest hits.
WHAT TO DO THIS WEEKEND
Christopher Testani for The New York Times
Cook: This éclair cake is one of our most popular recipes right now.
Watch: These are the movies that got our critics talking this week.
Read “Night Night Fawn,” a novel about a closed-minded matriarch with compassion.
Reset: Experts shared tips for improving your morning routine.
Frame your favorite artwork yourself. It’s rewarding and not terribly difficult.
Test yourself: Take this week’s news quiz.
Play: Here are today’s Connections, Wordle and Mini Crossword. Find all our games here.
ONE LAST THING
Gordon Welters for The New York Times
Meet Berlin’s coat check virtuosos
Because of fire safety rules, coat checks are mandatory at most performance venues in Germany. In the winter months, Deutsche Oper, Berlin’s largest opera house, is responsible for holding onto nearly 2,000 garments and then redistributing them accurately within 15 minutes of the end of a show.
It’s a fine-tuned operation that relies on 16 nimble attendants. The demands of the job change based on the weather — umbrellas add complexity — as well as what’s onstage. “I can tell what’s playing just by seeing how people dress,” said Nina Birsan, who oversees the coat check.
Have a skillful weekend.
Thanks for reading. I’ll be back on Monday. — Matthew
Anna Ruch was our photo editor.
We welcome your feedback. Reach us at evening@nytimes.com.
Writer: Matthew Cullen
Editor: Whet Moser
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