Your Wednesday Evening Briefing

(Want to get this newsletter in your inbox? Here’s the sign-up.)

Good evening. Here’s the latest at the end of Wednesday.

1. The police arrested a suspect in the Brooklyn subway shooting.

The 62-year-old man, Frank James, was taken into custody in New York City’s East Village in the afternoon and charged with committing a terrorist act on a mass transit system.

At least 26 people were injured, including 10 people by gunfire, during the shooting yesterday at the Sunset Park subway station. Police discovered an array of belongings left behind on the train that led them to the suspect, including a handgun, a credit card with James’s name and a key to a U-Haul van.

“We were able to shrink his world quickly,” said New York’s Police Commissioner, Keechant Sewell. “There was nowhere left for him to run.”

The motive behind the attack remained unclear. If convicted, James could face life in prison

2. President Biden said that the U.S. will send an additional $800 million worth of military and security aid to Ukraine.

In a telephone call with President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine, Biden said the U.S. will supply more of the weapons systems it has already provided and “new capabilities tailored to the wider assault we expect Russia to launch in eastern Ukraine.”

Zelensky has pleaded for more weapons from the West as Ukrainian troops prepare for a new phase of the war in the east, where Russia has repositioned its forces.

In Ukraine, international forensics teams exhumed dozens of bodies to collect evidence of possible war crimes committed by Russian forces.

In Europe, Finland and Sweden are considering joining NATO as Russian threats and aggression heighten security concerns and force them to choose sides.

3. The C.D.C. extended the mask mandate on planes and public transit for another two weeks.

The mask mandate is now set to expire on May 3. The C.D.C. cited the spread of the Omicron subvariant BA.2, which now makes up more than 85 percent of new U.S. coronavirus cases, in its decision to extend the requirement.

New research shows that as many as 200,000 U.S. children have lost a parent to Covid. And often, their grandparents are left to take them in and help them heal — while coping with their own grief.

Across the globe, New Zealand reopened its border to Australian citizens and permanent residents arriving from anywhere in the world, as well as up to 5,000 international students.

4. Russia’s tech industry is facing a ‘brain drain’ as workers leave by the thousands.

In the weeks after Russia invaded Ukraine and began cracking down on dissent at home, between 50,000 and 70,000 tech workers left the country, according to a Russian trade group.

While tech workers are part of a much larger exodus from the country, the loss of many young, educated, forward-looking people could have economic ramifications for years to come.

Separately, the authorities in the Channel Island of Jersey said that they had frozen $7 billion in assets believed to belong to the Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich, who was hit by sanctions from British officials over a month ago.

5. A Times investigation found that McKinsey let its consultants advise both opioid makers and federal regulators.

A review of internal documents found that at least 22 McKinsey consultants had worked for both Purdue Pharma and the F.D.A. since 2010, some at the same time. But the consulting firm provided no evidence that it had disclosed the potential conflicts of interest. McKinsey disputed that there was a disclosure requirement related to the work it did for the F.D.A.

“At the same time the F.D.A. was relying on McKinsey’s advice to ensure drug safety and protect American lives, the firm was also being paid by the very companies fueling the deadly opioid epidemic to help them avoid tougher regulation of these dangerous drugs,” said Representative Carolyn Maloney, a New York Democrat.

6. The son of Ferdinand Marcos is the front-runner for president of the Philippines.

Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has spent his career trying to rehabilitate the family name — defending it against accusations of corruption and downplaying the legacy of his father’s brutal rule.

And he may finally succeed. Marcos is expected to win the presidential election on May 9. He and other members of his family who hold office have sought to appeal to young voters. Over half of the Philippines’ voting population is between 18 and 41, and many did not witness the atrocities of his father’s regime.

Also in the Philippines, the first tropical storm of the year has caused widespread flooding and landslides, leaving dozens dead or missing.

7. A newcomer to nightlife took a $12 million gamble during the pandemic to get New York to dance again.

Last September, Yang Gao, an entrepreneur, and Richie Romero, known in the tabloids as a “club king,” opened Nebula — a massive new nightclub at 10,000 square feet spread over three levels with a decidedly anti-lounge and pro-dancing agenda.

In recent years, much of New York’s nightlife energy has moved on to Brooklyn. But Gao and Romero hope to keep some of that energy in Manhattan. Nebula has booked top DJs from around the world, and the club has also become a go-to place for newly minted 13-year-olds. “Funny,” Romero added. “We’re like the king of the bar mitzvahs now.”

8. Viola Davis drew on personal hardships to become one of the greatest actors of her generation.

She was born in 1965 on a plantation in South Carolina into a family that rarely had heat, hot water, gas, soap, a working phone or a toilet that flushed. Rats overtook their home and were so ravenous that they ate the faces off Davis’s dolls. Her father often beat her mother at night.

Davis grew up to be the sort of actor whose range feels best measured by her steady command of pressure: maintaining it, raising it, letting it go. To watch Davis act is to witness a deep-sea plunge into a feeling — even when her characters are opaque, you can sense her under the surface, empathetic and searching, Jazmine Hughes writes.

Among the 24 actors who have achieved the Triple Crown of Acting — winning an Oscar, an Emmy and a Tony — Davis is the only African American.

9. Only blocks from the border, a Catholic kitchen serves a hot meal — and hope.

Sacred Heart Catholic Church is known to the mostly Spanish-speaking residents in a poor neighborhood of El Paso as a place to get rental assistance, take English classes and find a hot meal at La Tilma, the church’s restaurant.

Before the pandemic, La Tilma served a full Mexican menu for under $5 on the weekends. Parishioners sipped on menudo, a traditional Mexican soup, after Sunday Mass, and church staff delivered meals to older adults in the neighborhood.

Forced to pivot strictly to takeout over the past two years, La Tilma plans to reopen to the public on Easter Sunday. “We’re reopening on Resurrection Day,” said the Rev. Rafael Garcia, 69, the priest in charge of Sacred Heart. “It’s a time of new life.”

10. And finally, Google sues over puppies.

The tech giant filed a lawsuit this week to shield vulnerable and unsuspecting people from what it called a “nefarious” scheme: the sale of adorable but imaginary puppies.

The lawsuit claims a man used a range of Google services, including Gmail accounts, Google Voice numbers and advertisements, to ask people to pay upfront for dogs they never received. Google says it spent more than $75,000 to “investigate and remediate” his activities and is suing to reclaim those costs and to make up for damage to its reputation.

Online pet schemes have exploded during the pandemic, as scammers took advantage of people’s loneliness.

Have a cautious evening.

Eve Edelheit compiled photos for this briefing.

Your Evening Briefing is posted at 6 p.m. Eastern.

Want to catch up on past briefings? You can browse them here.

What did you like? What do you want to see here? Let us know at [email protected].

Here are today’s Mini Crossword, Spelling Bee and Wordle. If you’re in the mood to play more, find all our games here.