National News at a Glance

New York Regulators Examine the Trump Family’s Tax Schemes

New York City officials said Thursday they had joined state regulators in examining whether President Donald Trump and his family underpaid taxes on his father’s real estate empire over several decades. One type of tax the city will examine is the real estate transfer tax. Officials said the extremely low valuations the Trump family placed on buildings that passed from Fred Trump to his children through trusts could have resulted in underpaid transfer taxes. Through several potentially illegal maneuvers, the Trumps claimed that 25 apartment complexes transferred to the Trump children from their father were worth just $41.4 million. The Trumps sold those buildings within a decade for more than 16 times that amount.

Deeply Split Senate Enters Final Stage on Kavanaugh

The Senate, deeply divided over the results of an FBI investigation into sexual misconduct allegations against Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh, moved toward a Friday morning vote that will most likely determine whether President Donald Trump’s nominee will reach the Supreme Court. Republican leaders were increasingly confident that the Senate will narrowly vote to cut off debate on Kavanaugh’s nomination and move to a final confirmation as early as Saturday. Because Republicans changed Senate rules in 2017 to end filibusters for Supreme Court nominees, Friday’s vote will need the same 50 senators that the final confirmation tally will need.

White House Releases Counterterrorism Strategy

The Trump administration vowed to fight “radical Islamist” militants, as well as Iran, as part of a multifront campaign to eliminate the terrorist threat to the United States, according to a long-delayed counterterrorism strategy released Thursday by the White House. Administration officials promoted the strategy, the first released since 2011, as a new approach to fighting terrorism in a “landscape more fluid and complex than ever.” It embraced, however, many of the principles adopted and refined by both the Bush and Obama administrations. The 25-page document noted that extremist groups, armed with encrypted communications and savvy social media skills, are dispersed globally more than ever before.

Ambush on the Police: An Abundance of Grief, and a Lack of Answers

Law enforcement officials offered few immediate answers about the shooting in Florence, South Carolina, on Wednesday that killed Sgt. Terrence Carraway and left six other police officers wounded. Frederick T. Hopkins Jr., 74, who had posted on social media about his shooting prowess, was in custody but had not yet been charged, and his status as a suspect was particularly striking given that two of his sons have worked in law enforcement. Officials said the violence began as county deputies sought to serve a search warrant at Hopkins’ home. Although Hopkins was not the subject of the warrant, officials believe he opened fire with “a high-powered rifle.”

Cuomo’s $13 Billion Solution to the Mess That Is JFK Airport

On Thursday, New York officials unveiled an ambitious $13 billion solution to the Kennedy International Airport mess. The cornerstones are two large international terminals that will have all the conveniences modern travelers expect and will accommodate the steadily rising tide of visitors and the biggest planes in the world. The project promises an array of amenities, including free Wi-Fi, abundant charging stations, a children’s play area and cultural exhibitions. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which operates JFK, expects it to serve 80 million passengers annually by 2035, up from nearly 60 million last year.

Four Years After a White Officer Shot a Black Teenager, a Changed Chicago Awaits a Verdict

Three years ago, grainy video of a white police officer, Jason Van Dyke, shooting a black teenager, Laquan McDonald, 16 times upended Chicago. The police superintendent was forced out, the prosecutor lost her election, and Mayor Rahm Emanuel, who is not seeking re-election, was blamed. Now, a jury must decide whether Van Dyke is guilty of murdering McDonald. As closing arguments were made Thursday, the case had become a proxy for long-standing questions about police accountability. It has been nearly 50 years since a Chicago police officer was convicted of murder in an on-duty shooting, and the trial deliberations were being watched closely.

Immigrants Win Reprieve, but Anxiety Over Deportation Lingers

Thousands of immigrants from El Salvador, Haiti, Nicaragua and Sudan are breathing sighs of relief, after a federal judge ruled Wednesday that the Trump administration could not immediately end special protections for people from those countries, which have been ravaged by wars and natural disasters. The immigrants’ ultimate status in the United States remains in limbo, but the ruling means they can continue to live and work legally in the country, as many of them have done for decades. More than 263,000 Salvadorans, nearly 59,000 Haitians, over 5,000 Nicaraguans and over 1,000 Sudanese have the designation, known as temporary protected status, which alone does not offer a path to permanent residency.