The Evening: Israel attacks Iran’s state TV

Also, the suspect in the Minnesota killings could face the death penalty.
The Evening
June 16, 2025

Good evening. Here's the latest at the end of Monday.

  • An Israeli strike on Iranian TV
  • Minnesota suspect charged with murder
  • Plus, the Irish cottage raffle winner
A view of the skyline of Tehran with smoke rising.
Tehran after an Israeli airstrike today. Arash Khamooshi for The New York Times

Israel attacked Iran with increasing confidence

The Israeli military escalated its bombings across Iran today, striking the country's elite military force and targeting the state broadcaster while anchors were broadcasting live on air. Television cameras captured footage of the studio filling with smoke and debris. Watch the video here.

The attacks sent thousands fleeing from Tehran, and continued the fiercest and deadliest confrontation in the history of the Israeli-Iranian conflict. Israeli strikes have killed at least 224 people in Iran, according to its Health Ministry; in Israel, its government said, at least 24 people have been killed. We're covering the latest updates.

In Tehran, residents weighed whether to take shelter or evacuate as gas stations ran short of fuel and the internet and phone services were disrupted. In Israel, Iran's ballistic missiles continued to pose a serious threat.

The war now seems likely to last weeks, not days.

Tim Gruber for The New York Times

Suspect in Minnesota killings could face death penalty

The man accused of assassinating a Minnesota state lawmaker and her husband, as well as of shooting another lawmaker and his wife, was charged with murder. Authorities said he also visited the houses of two other lawmakers the same morning, in what they called a campaign to inflict fear.

"This was a political assassination, which is not a word we use very often in the United States," a federal prosecutor said. He added that the suspect had been planning the attacks for "at least months," and that all of the targeted officials were Democrats. Colleagues remembered Melissa Hortman, the lawmaker who was killed, as a pragmatic problem solver.

The charges against the suspect, Vance Boelter, 57, would carry a mandatory sentence of life without parole, as well as the possibility of the death penalty. He was captured late Sunday in a rural area southwest of Minneapolis. Here's what we know about him, and about how the authorities managed to track him down.

A collage featuring Leland Dudek, the former acting commissioner of the Social Security Administration.
Illustration by Anthony Gerace; Photographs by Sara Stathas, Adriana Zehbrauskas, and Eric Lee for The New York Times

A look at DOGE's chaotic takeover of Social Security

During the first months of President Trump's second term, Elon Musk and his allies built a false narrative of widespread fraud at the Social Security Administration, based on misinterpreted data. They used their claims to gain access to personal information on millions of Americans, while thousands of the agency's employees departed.

My colleagues talked with more than 70 current and former employees to reconstruct what was really happening at the agency.

In other politics news:

An illustration of a yellow tick standing on the top-left corner of a green map of the United States. The tick is casting a large dark shadow over the whole country. The background is a red and yellow gradient.
Debbie Tea

The tick situation is getting worse

As winters get warmer, ticks of several kinds are flourishing.

Deer ticks, known for transmitting Lyme disease, are moving farther north; the longhorned tick has gained a foothold on the East Coast; and the lone star tick, which can make people allergic to red meat, is fanning out from the South.

My colleague Maggie Astor talked with experts to find out why it is happening and how you can protect yourself.

More top news

TIME TO UNWIND

A boy rides a dragon in the clouds above a green landscape that is surrounded by water.
Universal Pictures

A live-action skeptic took on 'How to Train Your Dragon'

Not everyone in Hollywood is fond of the trend of remaking animated classics with real human actors. A few years ago, the director Dean DeBlois publicly blasted the approach as "lazy." But when Universal reached out to ask if he wanted to lead a live-action remake of his 2010 film "How to Train Your Dragon," he said yes. We talked with him about how and why he made it.

During its opening weekend, the film outperformed expectations, bringing in about $83 million at North American theaters.

For more: The movie's 17-year-old star, Mason Thames, said that the live-action remake was like living out his childhood fantasy.

A display of Labubu toys in various sizes. They all have big eyes and large toothy grins.
Visual China Group, via Getty Images

Can this not-particularly-cute elf make China cool?

China's latest effort to win over hearts and minds worldwide is an arguably quite ugly plushie.

Labubu, the grinning fuzzy toy, has become a global craze, has set off brawls among shoppers in England and has been toted by celebrities like Rihanna and David Beckham. Enthusiasm for it may pass like many other viral trends — but the toy could be a soft-power victory in China's struggle for cultural cachet.

A pigeon contestant stands with a crowd behind her.
Lucia Buricelli for The New York Times

Dinner table topics

WHAT TO DO TONIGHT

A piece of tiramisù on a plate with a fork.
Mark Weinberg for The New York Times

Cook: Mix things up with this hojicha tiramisù.

Watch: "The Survivors" is a polished and potent murder mystery.

Read: Our critic recommended two novels with glimpses into the male psyche.

Prepare: Answer a few questions to find the perfect swimsuit for you.

Exercise: Try this gentle routine designed to ease low back pain.

Compete: Here are Wirecutter's favorite two-player board games.

Test yourself: Take this week's Flashback history quiz.

Play: Here are today's Spelling Bee, Wordle and Mini Crossword. Find all our games here.

ONE LAST THING

A white cottage sits on a green grassy hill.
Karen Cox for The New York Times

She got a cottage in Ireland for just $12.67

Today, we have an update on the woman in Ireland who decided to sell her house through a raffle. We wrote about her plan in this newsletter last month.

The winner of the contest is Kathleen Spangler, 29, a U.S. Marine Corps officer who lives in Dayton, Ohio, with her husband and three children. She bought three tickets on a whim, paying a total of $12.67. Then, she forgot all about them.

Spangler was reminded of the contest when her friend texted her: "By chance, did you win a cottage in Ireland?" Moving would be something of a homecoming — her great-grandfather came from a town about 10 miles from the cottage.

Have a fortuitous evening.

Thanks for reading. I'll be back tomorrow. — Matthew

Anna Ruch was our photo editor.

We welcome your feedback. Write to us at evening@nytimes.com.

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Writer: Matthew Cullen

Editors: Carole Landry, Whet Moser, Justin Porter

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