Hey, it's Ben Frueman, editor-in-chief of Wirecutter.
and I wanted to find out a few of our writers' favorite tips.
“When you're first moving into your home, make sure that you change the beddy scene”
to smoke the tent through. Buy mattress bag, but you can carry a mattress more easily because the handles are built in, and it's going to protect your mattress from the truck and the street. Make sure you have towels on hand, you don't want to end up taking a shower and using a dirty sock to dry off. Yeah. If you're getting ready to move, let Wirecutter help you make a plan,
at nytimes.com/moving. From the New York Times, it's The Headlines. I'm Tracy Mumford,
today's Friday April 17th. Here's what we're covering.
My colleagues and I are walking down the main highway that connects B-Root to Southern Lebanon. We left our car because the traffic coming down here is so bad. Thousands of families who were displaced from their homes in the south have been making their way
“back since the announcement of a ceasefire.”
Times reporter Christina Goldbaum is on the ground in Lebanon, where a 10-day ceasefire went into place late last night, intended to stop the fighting between Israeli forces and the Iran-backed militant group, Hasbola. Since the Israeli military has bombed the two main bridges connecting the north to the south along this highway,
there's now just this one crossing, kind of dirt, ad hoc, road crossing, that people are using. Their cars are going one by one across, meaning that many are probably going to stay here throughout the day, maybe even through tonight, trying to get back to their homes in the south. Now, there's still this kind of uneasy feeling. People have been telling us that they aren't
sure whether the ceasefire will hold or what will come next, but many have also said that they at least want to go and see their homes, see their lands, and that a sense of what has last after the last month and a half of war. Israel's been carrying out its latest military campaign against Hezbollah in Lebanon since March,
more than 2,100 people have been killed and more than a million have been displaced,
according to Lebanese authorities. The fighting has also threatened to derail the US's ceasefire with Iran. With that in mind, the US had really been pushing for the steel. President Trump was the first to announce it. The thing to know is that the agreement is technically between Israel and Lebanon, and the Lebanese government doesn't have direct control over Hezbollah, but the militant group has abided by some previous deals, the Lebanese government
negotiated. Hezbollah hasn't said if it will accept this truth, only that its actions will be "based on how developments unfold." On Israel's part, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that his country's troops will remain in southern Lebanon during the ceasefire. He referred to the land Israel has taken control of there as an expanded security zone, and said quote, "We are not leaving." Now, three quick updates on the war with Iran.
First, our forces are maximally postured to restart combat operations should this new Iranian regime choose poorly and not agree to a deal. Secretary of Defense Pete Hezbollah renewed his threat to target Iran's power plants under international law intentionally attacking energy infrastructure like that could be a war crime. We'd rather not have to do it, but we're ready to go at the command of our President and at the push of the button. Since talks between the US and Iran collapse this
past weekend, the Trump administration has been trying to turn up the pressure on Iran, including with a naval blockade on all ships coming or going from the country. Also, I just want to confirm this, you have no idea how much has been spent on the war so far.
“We don't have that figures right now, I think in part because it's fluctuating on a day and day”
all basis. On Capitol Hill yesterday, the White House budget director side-step questions about the price tag of the war, saying at one point that he wouldn't even give a general cost range.
Earlier this month, analysts estimated that the US was spending around $1 billion a day in
its campaign against Iran. And last update. Don't forget, we're having some fake inflation because of the fuel, the energy prices, which everybody said was going to $250. We were talking about at a speech in Las Vegas yesterday, President Trump brushed off rising fuel prices, caused by the war's disruptions to the global oil supply. According to Triple A, the average gas price for drivers in the US right now is over $4 a gallon. Airline tickets are more expensive too because
of higher jet fuel costs. Trump, downplayed the effect of that on Americans, as he worked to project confidence about the broader US economy. He highlighted the stock market's performance and talked up the boosted tax refunds many Americans have been getting. Telling the crowd quote, "I just want to say you're welcome." In Washington, the Trump administration appears to be backing off from some of its most
Stride and vaccine skepticism, which was championed by Health Secretary Rober...
"Can you tell me, is the MMR vaccine safe and effective?" Yes or no?
“Yes, it's safe for most people. In a hearing with lawmakers yesterday, Kennedy himself agreed”
that the measles vaccine is safe and effective. Can you agree that getting the vaccine is a lot safer than getting measles? Yes. Terrific. He also acknowledged that two children who died of measles during an outbreak in Texas earlier this year might have survived if they'd been vaccinated. The Secretary's comments were far from an outright embrace of the shots, but they stood in stark contrast to his past rhetoric. For years, he's pushed baseless claims about vaccines
being dangerous. Recently, the White House had urged him to stop focusing on vaccines ahead of the midterms and to talk about less politically fraught issues, like healthy eating. Also yesterday, President Trump announced his new pick to lead the CDC and he chose Dr. Erica Schwartz, a former deputy U.S. surgeon general who has publicly supported vaccines.
“The administration's shift in tone on the topic comes as the country's simmering measles outbreak”
continues to spread. Recently, Utah has become the new center of it. Health authorities there have reported nearly 600 cases, most have been children and around 50 people have been hospitalized. The spread in Utah is notable because unlike other recent measles outbreaks, like those in Texas and South Carolina that have been tied to insular religious communities, these cases are appearing in the broader population. One infectious disease doctor in Salt Lake
City told the Times that many families of the sick children that he's been treating are not anti-vaccine, but they've delayed shots over concerns about possible side effects, amid what he called an epidemic of misinformation.
This month, Maine could become the first state in the country to ban new data centers.
“The centers have been popping up in fields, farmland, and forests across the U.S.”
as tech companies rush to get the computing power they need for artificial intelligence. The construction boom has raised concerns, though, about how much water and electricity they use, and the potential for that to drive up utility costs for people who live nearby. Now lawmakers in Maine have approved an 18-month moratorium on any construction of big new computing facilities, and the bill is in the governor's hands. The effort to push back on data centers, though,
in Maine and in other states, which are actively considering similar restrictions, could set up a clash with the Trump administration. The president has threatened to sue states and withhold federal funding if they restrict the AI industry's growth. Plus, efforts to block new construction can also be controversial on the local level. In Maine, for instance, one data center project was pitched as a way to revitalize an old abandoned mill
and create new jobs in an industry that's become a critical piece of the U.S. economy.
One of the developers of the project told the Times, "People are afraid of AI. I'm afraid of AI. But guess what? It's coming." And finally, Freedom is a wheel in your soul. It's helis and it's all about fun. The inventor who put wheels inside of shoes, creating helis, the god-a-have-it-trend of the early 2000s, has died at age 71. It's always been about good vibes. Being free to roll
whenever, wherever. Roger Adams basically grew up on skates. His parents owned a roller rink in Tacoma, Washington, and they had him up on wheels at nine months old. He didn't really tap into that expertise, though, until much later in his 40s when he found himself at something of a dead end. He was going through a divorce and hating his job as a psychologist. At that point, he had a vision for shoes that could roll on demand and he built a prototype in a friend's garage.
He cut the heel out of a sneaker and popped in a wheel. Helis were born. By 2008, the company
was selling over seven million pairs a year. You would go to the mall. You would just hear the
sounds of wheels just like going everywhere. You would see a kid just kind of like walking along normally. And then they would suddenly kind of transformers style like grow a pair of wheels beneath their feet and just kick off and start gliding. And this would happen all the time. Ash Woo works on the obituary desk at the times. I was talking with my editor and I volunteered to try a pair on again after a very long hiatus. I haven't worn them since I was probably 10 years old.
I was grabbing onto every available railing that I could find so that I would...
Ash said, "One big takeaway from trying on Helis as an adult caution is key."
“Though the company was a runaway success earning Adam's millions, it's shoes were not a hit”
with ER doctors. At one point, they even landed at the top of a list of worst toys because of the risk of head and spinal injuries that can come with suddenly, you know, turning your shoes into roller skates. A few years into the craze, Adam's left the Helis company and pretty much stayed out of the public eye, though he did continue to file patents for other wearable roller devices. Those are the headlines. If you'd like to play the Friday news quiz, stick around it is just
after these credits. The show is made by Will Jarvis, Margaret Kadifa, Yann Stewart and me, Tracy Mumford, original theme by Dan Powell, special thanks to Isabella Anderson, Larissa Anderson,
“Sam Dolnik, Miles McKinley, and Zoe Murphy.”
Now, time for the quiz. Every week, we ask you a few questions about stories the times has been covering. Can you get them all?
First up, if you've already gotten to those filings, we'll great, but if not, you may want to take
a pause and listen up right now. Wednesday was Tax Day. Now, if that sounds like news to you, I'm very sorry to be the one telling you that. Anyway, in honor of Tax Day, we have a question about audits. The chance of being audited by the internal revenue service has dropped sharply over the last decade. It actually seems to be as low as it has ever been since at least the 1950s, according to a Times Analysis of IRS data. Your question, what percent of personal income tax
returns are audited? The answer? 0.36% By that measure, statistically, you'd have a better chance of correctly guessing a coin toss. 8 times in a row. Your chance of being audited does go up,
though, if you're a higher earner. The wealthiest households, those bringing in 10 million plus,
have been audited at rates closer to 11%. Next one, in iconic piece of American infrastructure, is turning 100 years old. It has been on a million postcards. It still inspires many, many road trips. We will give you a hint here in song. What is it? Think the wide open road. The answer? Route 66. In its heyday, the legendary roadway stretched for more than 2400 miles from Illinois to
California. It is actually no longer an official U.S. highway. It got left in the dust by the interstate system. But it still captures the American imagination with all of its desert vistas,
roadside motels, and kitchie tourist traps. Like my personal favorite, the world's second largest
rocking chair. And last question. In recent years, a number of big food trends have gone really viral in part because they're just super eye-catching. Think of the borderline neon green of matcha, or the U.E. gooey-looking pistachio centers of Dubai chocolate. And I love the purple color. It smells so good. One of the latest is an ultra-vivid purple ingredient that's been a Filipino staple for centuries, but has really taken off in the U.S. recently. So many of you told me I should try this one
“and I'm so happy I did. Your question. What is the name of that O-so purple ingredient?”
The answer. U-bay, which is a type of yam. If you knew it, it might be because you've been bombarded by U-bay ice cream at Trader Joe's, U-bay Machiados at Starbucks. The list goes on. It's all part of an arms race among food companies that seems to have become as much about looks as about taste. One flavor expert told the times, his company's next big bet is on dark sweet cherry. Talking about the fruit, he said they taste terrific and this is the important
part. They're Instagram friendly. That's it for this week's news quiz. I'm Tracey Mumford.
