The Evening: Trump directs military to target cartels

Also, Israel said it was preparing to take control of Gaza City.
The Evening
August 8, 2025

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

  • Trump's plan to target drug cartels
  • A demand for U.C.L.A. to pay $1 billion
  • Plus, the rise of cosmetic acupuncture
President Trump walking past a member of the Air Force who is saluting.
Haiyun Jiang/The New York Times

Trump directed the military to target foreign drug cartels

President Trump secretly signed a directive ordering the Pentagon to begin using military force against Latin American drug cartels that his administration has deemed terrorist organizations.

The move was the most aggressive step so far in the president's campaign against the cartels. It indicated that Trump plans to use the armed forces to carry out what in the past was considered law enforcement, and it provided an official basis for military operations against cartels at sea or on foreign soil.

U.S. military officials have started drawing up options for how they could go after the cartels, though it's not yet clear what it would look like. Mexico's president, Claudia Sheinbaum, said today that American troops were not welcome in her country: "We cooperate, we collaborate, but there is not going to be an invasion," she said. "That is ruled out, absolutely ruled out."

An armored military vehicle leaves a billowing cloud in its wake as it moves along dusty terrain. A fence is in the foreground.
An Israeli armored fighting vehicle near the border with Gaza on Tuesday. Jack Guez/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

Israel said it was preparing to take control of Gaza City

The Israeli security cabinet voted early this morning to approve a plan by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to escalate its nearly two-year-old campaign in the Gaza by taking control of Gaza City.

The decision went against the urging of Israel's military leadership, and it was met with loud criticism at home and abroad. And, as our Jerusalem bureau chief writes, it risks ending the same way as similar efforts from Netanyahu: in a strategic dead-end, with Israeli hostages still in Hamas's grip and Palestinian civilians trapped in a dystopian nightmare.

For more: International experts warn that Gaza is fast plunging into famine. Here is what we know.

Two people sit at a fountain in the middle of the University of California, Los Angeles, campus, in 2023.
Alisha Jucevic for The New York Times

Trump wants U.C.L.A. to pay $1 billion to restore its funding

The Trump administration is seeking a $1 billion payment from U.C.L.A. in order to unfreeze hundreds of millions of dollars in federal research funding. The administration also asked for the university to contribute an additional $172 million to a fund that would compensate victims of civil rights violations, according to a draft of the agreement.

If U.C.L.A. accedes to the demand, it would be the largest payout — by far — of any university that has so far reached a deal with the White House.

In other Trump administration news:

An animated GIF of an illustration showing a balloon, parachute and radiosonde

Here's how your phone gets the weather

Recent government cuts have forced layoffs at the National Weather Service. But for many people, it can be hard to imagine how that could affect the daily forecast. After all, most of us check the weather by looking at our phones.

Our apps, however, sit atop a huge amount of data that is collected by the government. It costs each taxpayer roughly $4 to fund a network of data stations, weather balloons and satellites, and cuts have reduced balloon launches. Some experts think that the accuracy of long-term forecasts may already be compromised. Here's how it all works.

More top news

TIME TO UNWIND

Two women embrace while holding a rifle.
Malin Akerman and Brittany Snow in "The Hunting Wives." Kent Smith/Lionsgate

Netflix's most popular show might surprise you

What do you get when you take a murder mystery in a small Texas town and layer in right-versus-left culture wars and a clique of vindictive women who carry guns in their handbags and have sex with one another? Apparently, a hit show.

"The Hunting Wives" was the most popular show on Netflix last week. Its creator called its success "unexpected" — just a few months ago, the show was dropped by Starz, where it had initially been scheduled to appear — but it fits with a broader surge in sapphic pop culture over the last couple of years.

A woman, her eyes covered by protective eye shields, is undergoing an acupuncture treatment as tiny needles are inserted in her face and throat.
Cosmetic acupuncture uses needles approximately one-fifth the diameter of typical hypodermic needles. Jeanette Spicer for The New York Times

Can acupuncture be the next Botox?

Interest in cosmetic acupuncture has grown significantly in recent years as many celebrities, athletes and wellness influencers have turned to the tiny needles in an effort to achieve youthful-looking skin. Some prefer it to more invasive needle treatments like Botox injections and plumping fillers.

Whether cosmetic acupuncture actually works is less clear, because a successful result — better-looking skin — is a subjective assessment.

Three male youths playing basketball on an outdoor court. One man is jumping near the hoop, his hand near a basketball by the rim, with two others players trailing behind him.
The P.J.B. basketball academy in Goma. Arlette Bashizi for The New York Times

Dinner table topics

WHAT TO DO THIS WEEKEND

A small layer cake with tan frosting and crumbled cookies and lime zest.
Rachel Vanni for The New York Times

Cook: With just four ingredients you can make this refreshing carlota de limón.

Watch: These are the movies that got our critics talking this week.

Read: "The Hounding" is one of the best new books to check out.

Travel: Here are Seth Rogen's favorite places in Los Angeles.

Consider: We talked to experts about how to give better advice.

Learn: So you touched poison ivy. Now what?

Test yourself: Take this week's news quiz.

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

ONE LAST THING

In a film scene, a man in a suit bends over a man in a hospital bed. Around them hospital equipment and supplies can be seen.
Liam Neeson, left, and Kevin Durand. Paramount Pictures

Even dumb jokes take a lot of work

There is a memorable scene in the new version of "The Naked Gun" in which Liam Neeson's character interrogates a criminal from a hospital bed. When he's done, the walls fall to reveal that it was all a ruse to extract a confession. Then, Neeson's partner double crosses him. And finally, the outside walls rise to show that the deception is twofold — Neeson double crossed the double-crosser.

It's a complicated and expensive sight gag that the writers hoped captured the spirit of the original 1988 movie. We talked to them about how they pulled it off: "The essence of these movies is that hopefully there's a joy in the audience being like, 'I can't believe this is what they spent their money on, something this stupid,'" one writer said.

Have a humorous weekend.

Thanks for reading. I'll be back on Monday. — Matthew

Emree Weaver 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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